Usual Off Day Activities

This week we only had 2 days off to relax, so that's what we did. During the work week we have to copy the TV shows that are televised past our bedtime, so we spend some of our free time each week catching up on these shows. Some of them are new shows this season, so there several we had to watch to see if they will remain on our copy list for the rest of the TV season. Of course, we have been watching the new X Factor show along with the new shows Whitney, Prime Suspect, Revenge, Charley's Angels, Playboy Club and Terra Nova. Some of these shows are real winners, while a couple will probably drop off our must copy list. The big advantage to watching these shows after the fact is that we get to fast forward through the ads. That means that a one hour show can be seen in less than 45 minutes. If you watch several of these, like we do, it saves a lot of time. There are other shows that we copy that aren't new, but are televised during work hours, such as I Shouldn't be Alive which is televised on the Animal Planet channel, and is always an exciting show to watch. These are real life, true stories, of individuals that experience life threatening incidents while in remote areas.

We did our usual off day activities of laundry and computer stuff to stay current on those needs. Our friends - Sue & Roger - stopped by on their way to work late in the afternoon to invite us to a BBQ at their place in Green River State Park (where we stayed last year), on Saturday night after we get off work. Their schedule is pretty close to the one we all had last year and they are happy to stay on the night shift. It works for them. One of these off days we will schedule washing duties for our vehicles, including the fifth wheel. They are in desperate need of a good cleaning.

Cool weather is in store for the next several days so it should be fairly pleasant at work. The days of profuse sweating are hopefully over for the year. We find ourselves drinking a lot less water now but still look forward to jumping in the shower after work. So, it's off to work again for the 14th week - only about 12 weeks to go as we jump on the sled to go downhill...

Reviewing This Day for the Previous Two Years

Every Once in awhile it's nice to visit the posts from the same days in previous years. Two years ago we were in Vegas on a trip that was made prior to leaving Happy Jack when Chi Chi and Jamie gave us free room coupons from a cycle rally they had been to. It was two years ago tomorrow when we hit our big jackpots at the Circus Circus Casino on our first spins on a machine. One year ago we were in Cody, preparing to leave on our journey to Amazon, via several nice stops along the way, including time at Patty's in Naperville. Sometimes it seems like we just started out, and other times it seems like it has been longer. Right now, we are anxious to get through this commitment here and move on to the next chapter. The fact that October is so close makes it feel like the end is not too far away.

The paperwork was sent back to the Mountain Views Resort in CO for next summer. We are hoping that it works out so we can plan for next year. That will give us a sure thing out west for next year, even though we still have a couple other options still open. At this point, we haven't yet heard back from Phoenix Flower Shops about Josie's opportunity, so our time from Jan- Apr is still up in the air.

The rest of the day yesterday was spent getting haircuts and doing more work inside the rig. The weather has been mostly lousy - rain or windy or both. Also, it has cooled down quite a bit so the fall colors are starting to appear. We both have now received our free T-shirts from the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Association for completing the Bourbon Trail tours. Below is a picture of the souvenir shirt:

The Front-

The Back-

It is a nice reminder of the trips we took to those distilleries.

The fog has rolled in this morning so who knows what the weather will be like today. Usually, the sun shines when the fog burns off so maybe we are due for a pleasant day, weather wise. It's our second and last day off for this week, so we better make sure we are rested for the next go round. Later...

Completed Overtime Day

It doesn't sound like a 5 day work week should be that bad on anybody. Working 5 ten hour days in a very physical job is tough - especially at our age. We get some aches and pains from our developing arthritis and also some aches from lingering problems - such as Josie's hands that were damaged from so many years of making floral arrangements. She suggested I mention this new, almost miracle gel, called BioFreeze, which we discovered while here last year from our friend Brenda. It is a medication that we use regularly for our aches and pains and provides almost immediate relief. If you haven't tried it, and would like to find a good muscle medication that works, give a shot. We found the best price to be found through Amazon.com, with no sales tax and free shipping. There are several different forms of the medication - gel, roll on, pump - but it is the same no matter what form is used. No, we don't get any commission for selling the stuff.

The overtime day yesterday was not so bad. Again though, it is easy to say after the day is done, but it was not so easy while going through it. We both did our normal stowing duty and until Amazon makes arrangements to clear out some inventory, it makes for a tough day. They are opening 3 new fulfillment centers within the next 2 weeks - 2 in Tennessee and one in South Carolina - and they plan to move a lot of the inventory to those new facilities. That will make some more room for us to stow merchandise and remove some of the frustration we all have as a result of not finding many empty bins in which to stow the product. The warehouse now is at 95 % capacity.

People keep arriving for the peak season which begins very soon - October 1. It is interesting for us to see the changes in management policies and attitudes as we near the peak season. Many of the "nuisance" issues we have been fighting are going away. We still will not ever come to work at any of the Amazon facilities again unless it is at the beginning of the peak season. We have talked about - possibly - working just the peak season at the facility in Fernley, NV, next year, which is just outside of Reno. We talked about spending some time in Vegas following our summer in Southwestern Colorado - if it works out - and then just driving up the road to Fernley in October. It could be a decent plan. It wouldn't cost us anything to stay in the Thousand Trails campground in Las Vegas, so that could be a real decent option. Gosh, spending several weeks surrounded by all that entertainment and - casinos. Watch out!

Deluge While Working

Just as we were getting ready to go to work yesterday, the skies opened up and it started pouring rain. We could see that it continued to rain very hard as we sat in the break area before starting and saw all the people coming in for work - drenched. It turned out that we received almost 1.5" of rain while we were at work. The temperature only went to 74 so it wasn't a very exciting day outside. Those are the kind of days we're glad to be at work.

Our day at work was spent almost entirely in the prep area. After we did a couple carts stowing in the morning, we were asked to work in the area that we enjoy as a break from the physical stowing routine. The timing was good, as we are doing an overtime day today and we aren't as tired. Some of the items we prepared for shipment were: car cleaning kits, sports blankets with sleeves for all professional teams, case logic cases of all sizes and plastic (rubber?) lanterns. The items that we prepare during the day almost always turn up in our carts to stow the next day. Essentially, we just take the items out of the original box, bag them so they don't get soiled, and place them either back in the original box if there is liquid involved, label them with a bar-code if there isn't one visible and place them directly on a cart for stowing.  For some reason, the day seems to go faster when we are on that job. Maybe because it is different from the normal duties.

Instead of sleeping in this morning, it was up at 4 AM again to do another day. We are always glad we did the extra time when it ends, but it is tough going through it. October is almost here - Amen!

Signing Up for Overtime

We made a decision yesterday to sign up for an overtime day this Tuesday. It is just too much extra cash to pass up. It amounts to almost $300 for one day's work, and there are lots of things we can do with that extra money. We would be doing the extra day every week if we were younger and didn't need the extra day's rest. Last year we worked 5 eleven hour days, but that was a much shorter total length of time (7 weeks) than this year. If we tried to work that amount of time this year for 6 months, we would be totally burned out by Christmas. It isn't worth it.

The article that appeared in the local Naperville paper about Austin's game Friday night is attached. Thanks to Patty and Mark for that info. It is a great season for Austin and his team and this season is one huge thrill to follow. The real news is that his grades are excellent, and there should be nothing but good news for him in the future. He is the total package and, hopefully, some top colleges will be courting him. Actually, Penn State already has a jump on the others.

We will complete the information requested by Mountain Views RV Resort this morning and send it back. It would be nice to get a commitment from them so that we are able to better plan our time for next year. Josie hasn't heard back from the Phoenix Flower Shops yet, so that piece of the puzzle is still sitting out there for now.

So, instead of working today for our last day this week, we will also work tomorrow. UGH!!...

Light Saturday

The weekend days are very different from the rest of the week, as far as number of workers. Friday had as many people working as we've seen so far, and yesterday had less than half the number of workers. You can tell it isn't peak season yet, not only by the fewer number of workers on weekends, but the fact that Amazon doesn't even have a night shift for Saturday night. Once the peak season begins, Saturdays and Sundays will be no different from the weekdays. Right now, we are enjoying the lighter crowd on these weekends.

There are signs that they are beginning to relax some of the rules that have been a departure from the relaxed atmosphere last year. They announced that they would no longer track certain errors that have been driving us crazy. Maybe now we will see more emphasis on the positive aspects of the job. We hope so.

Yesterday was also the company picnic at a local park. It started at 4 PM and workers that were on our shift had to wait until the 4:30 quitting time to attend. It didn't matter to us since we didn't plan to attend anyway. We just look forward to getting home and relaxing a little bit before we have to go to bed. The couple of hours that we have before going to bed for the next day's work are spent resting up for the next day. As it was, it was difficult getting up this morning because we went to bed later the night before as a result of going out to dinner with our friends. Age is beginning to show on how our bodies react to all this physical work. We keep telling ourselves that the worst is over, but we still have a lot of weeks to go. September is nearing an end, so that means there are 3 months down, and less than 3 months to go. Yes, it's downhill from here...

Meeting Up With Friends

There was an email waiting for us when got off work yesterday from our friends from last year - Roger and Sue. They are the couple we palled around with most of the time. They were working at a campground in Maine the last several months and made it into Campbellsville yesterday afternoon. They attempted to get reservations at the campground here, but were unable to, so they are presently staying at the State Park where we all stayed last year. The "Meet and Greet" welcoming meeting for them with Amazon will take place on Monday, and that's when they find out where they will be working and the shift they will work.They went to San Diego from here last year and had a long trip to Maine from there in the early part of Spring. Anyway, we met them at Gatti's in town for dinner and spent a few hours catching up on our lives since we last saw each other. That meant that we got to bed later than usual for a work night, and this morning we are more tired than normal. It may be a long day today.

Our package also arrived yesterday from Mountain Views RV Resort in Creede, CO. There is a questionnaire in the package that we need to complete and send back which we will do tonight. The package included some good information on the area and events that take place each year in the area. It looks like an outstanding area that would be worth the time to visit next summer. We'll fill you in on details as we get closer to an agreement to work there.

The report on Austin's high school football game last night is that he ran for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns in Waubonsie Valley's 51-0 win. I wasn't able to see a write up of the game, but Patty will fill in the details I'm sure. It's fun to follow his season.

It rained again yesterday and is now the 6th consecutive day of rain. The amounts aren't huge but it does keep things cool. We were back in the high 60's yesterday and it is only 52 outside as I write this entry. Day number 2 for our work week lies ahead, so we'll see 'ya tomorrow...