Log 4: Bringing Home the Hardware

I started my second week at Featherlite off by connecting long metal beams to each other with elastic bands. The elastic is intended to make it easier for the customer to assemble the exhibit. The task requires you to drill two holes into two metal beams, and then secure an elastic band between them with what I can only describe as something similar to the bolt guns they use in a slaughterhouse. Robbie (we’ve been recently acquainted) was actually supposed to install the beams while I quietly observed him, but after he finished the first one, he promptly left me to do the rest on my own.

Before his departure, I had in fact been seconds away from asking him if the bolt gun required some kind of special license or perhaps a permit to operate. Asked and answered, I suppose. As he walked away from me, he called out: “Oh, any questions?” In about 30 seconds, I would have many questions about literally every aspect of this assignment. But the only one I could think of at the moment was, “What’s your astrological sign?” “Aries,” he answered with what I would categorize as a confused laugh. And then it was just me and the bolt gun.

You might say I’ve made it my mission this week to learn everyone in the office’s astrological sign - a very important step in navigating the workplace dynamic. While most of my co-workers appear caught off guard to be asked for their date (and sometimes time) of birth, no one really seems to mind the inquiry too much. Generally speaking, I think people like being asked about themselves. So far, I’m finding that I’m working amongst mostly Aries and Sagittarius signs - fire signs, like me.

Over the course of the day, I made two more trips to the hardware store. The first was to pick up some wire clamps for a display. Unfortunately, the second trip was to return the wire clamps because I had bought the wrong ones. It’s not my fault that all those little pieces of metal look exactly the same. I returned to the store, humiliated, and handed the clerk what I had purchased no more than ten minutes ago. Needless to say, I was not sent back for a third trip on behalf of the company. However, I was allowed to use a nail gun and hammer to prepare some pallets for shipping. Take it from me - if you ever need to get some aggression out, get yourself a nail gun, a hammer, and a pallet. 

Highlight: To end a long Monday, I was introduced to the fabric transfer room, which is in a separate wing of the office. Basically, Tom (a Cancer) and Jeff (a Libra) print out designs on large sheets of paper, then adhere them to large sheets of fabric using what’s essentially a rolling pin heated to 400 degrees. Fingers crossed that I made a good impression on those guys, because the transfer room is air conditioned!