Hi Ho, Hi Ho - - - - -

Do you remember alarm clocks?  Something that you set at night to help scare the daylights into you in the morning!  Ours went off promptly at oh four hundred hours this morning.  It sent the katts scurrying.  We had two sets of eyes staring at us wondering if the world was coming to an end (or, in our case, a beginning).  Yep, it’s day two of w*rk.

Yesterday’s training sessions brought back lots of memories.  Having been in manufacturing for over thirty years, I’ve sat through, written, and presented those very same training programs.  And looking around the facility I noted a lot of familiar items; for instance, 18 miles of conveyor.  There are various types of guided roller conveyors and belt conveyors located all over the facility.  Also, there is lots of package handling conveyor which is very similar to baggage handling conveyor used by the airlines.

In my previous life, just before retirement, I worked for Jervis B. Webb Company which manufactured material handling systems from automated guided vehicles to all types of conveyor systems.  As Plant Manager I was responsible for overseeing the manufacturing process and implementing the very same processes being used at Amazon.com.  Lots of memories (mostly, but not all, good).

Well, so far so good.  Judy and I were impressed with the cleanliness and the processes being utilized by Amazon.  We will be in the Inventory Control and Quality Assurance Department working four ten hour days (Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon) on the day shift (0600 to 1630 hours) with a half hour lunch break.  We’ll be paid a sixty cent shift premium for Saturday and Sunday (I’ll take that, thank you very much) and overtime in our department is on a volunteer basis (in the outbound departments O.T. is mandatory).

Today we’ll begin Inventory Control and Quality Assurance training so tomorrow we will be able to share more of what that is all about.  Basically it’s taking inventory, but beyond that we’re not really sure.  We’ll get a cart (one you push, not ride in) and a scanner (there must be a million of those things throughout the facility) to play with.  So check in tomorrow to learn more about Darrell and Judy’s Great Adventure.

The past two days have been rainy and fairly warm (50’s at night, 60’s during the day) and it’s still raining this morning with thunder providing background noises.  Judy is feeling (and sounding) much better this morning, but we’ll keep on pouring the Nyquil into her at night and the Musinex into her in the morning.  Hopefully we can beat this thing without taking her to the Saw Bones again.

Well, it’s time to go wash behind the ears and swill down another cup of Joe so -

Take Care Until Next Time  - - - - - - -