Extra...

As I sit here through some severe storms, glad its not snow, but really not too excited to have to run to the tornado shelter with Casey at 11:15PM, I thought I would post one last entry from Kentucky. Friday night shift was my last shift of the season...yay!! Everyone wore their special Camperforce t-shirts on Thursday night, and our manager Josh graciously took our picture at the end of shift. Now, bear in mind that we really should have had a "beginning of season" picture to compare to the "end of season" picture :-). But, we're all still standing (mostly) and survived with all major body parts still attached, which is always a good thing. So, without further fanfare, the best Camperforce group at SDF1 Peak season 2013:

Single Toys Department Camperforce...18 members strong. 

Thanks for the great memories, and we'll see some of you next year, if not sooner!!

The Light is On...

at the end of the tunnel, that is! 4AM Saturday will be my last time punch for the season. We're still waiting for Al's exit day, however...he is the last "pending" camperforce personnel waiting for for exit. They really like him here...for the third year in a row, they've asked him to if he can stay on longer! Unfortunately, we can't, again. Our jello plans are not that changeable.

There have been two very good parts to this year's Amazon season; the very good friends we've made while here this season, and the Single Toys "D" shift. Our managers up there (singles is on the second floor) were terrific, and the full time workers were the most friendly and helpful out of any department I've worked in the last three years. Guess where my request to work next season will be :-)??

We will be here in Campbellsville through the weekend. We have much to do; packing up most of our stuff into yet another u-haul, taking the truck and trailer to their storage are for the next two weeks, and getting it winterized. The trailer has a January 6 appointment at the factory for more repair work ( replacing the driver side wall that they forgot to do last spring being the main item) and I can't see driving it 700+ miles to Florida and turning around and going all the way back to Indiana. So it will wait here for us, and after our holiday with family we'll be heading back to the cold climes of Indiana for a week. I'd much rather stay where I can wear my flip flops, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

The next post will be coming to you hopefully from sunny Florida! Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season!

Being festive in Campbellsvile!

They Just Keep Coming...

Tote after tote after tote after tote, that is!

(photo courtesy of Amazon)

I really am sorry! I know many of you like to read about the Amazon experience, but quite truthfully, after working a shift there, one really doesn't feel like sitting down and writing about it :-)! This year, my feet are doing fine, but my fingers and forearms are getting very sore and stiff. I'm working a new department this year, called single toys. The single part is accurate, however, we don't pack just toys...although we do pack many many toys! In this department, it is orders of single items only, larger than a gift card, cd/dvd or small book...those items are packed somewhere else, called VDF. One item, one box. I'm on the slower side of packing, averaging between 60 and 70 boxes an hour. Yes, my over-achiever status from the first season has fallen by the wayside...I am at the point of being happ doing a correct, quality wrapped package rather than speeding through everything. Even so, that is quite a few boxes made, taped, packed, surrounded by cello (airpacks) taped again and put on the conveyor to shipping. I do like Single Toys department very much. The managers are very nice, the full time workers are nice and helpful, the music (generally) isn't too bad or overly loud, the packing carts are much bigger and neater, and the equipment (generally) is in working order. There's fatigue mats to stand on while working, which makes a huge difference in how your feet and knees feel.

Unlike Crisplant, the multi-item packing plant I've worked in before, the items come to you in totes, rather than you bringing the cart to the packing chute. When I first started, Singles wasn't as busy and we quite often found ourselves being shuttled off to other departments to help. But now, it's like the item faucet has been turned on full blast, with the totes coming one after another after another, seemingly never-ending. The march of the green and yellow totes, all attesting to the thriving market of American consumerism. Ah, I shouldn't be that way, after all, it provides me with a seasonal job and I also am a user of Amazon, quite often as a matter of fact :-). As a full-timer, it is so convenient to use their Prime service, and have my brand of toothpaste delivered to me wherever I am :-). If you missed the "60 Minutes" segment on Amazon last Sunday, you can watch it here, it was pretty interesting

It is cold and raining from winter storm Cleon as I woke today. It could be so much worse, but we are forecast to have lows in the teens for three nights after these storms pass through. I am so not looking forward to that. What happened to my flip-flop strategy??

So, anyway, just wanted to give everyone a quick update on where we're at...we're alive, relatively well, looking forward to getting back to the warmer weather in Florida :-).