It seems to be a funny trick the mind plays where by the hours one spends at work, grinding away in colourless duty, seem to be interminable yet time at home flies by in a blink. The droll days seem to lengthen the seconds with every piece of mail sorted and constant drone and babble coming from the MC talking club in the small letter area only seems to heighten my agitation which, paradoxically, leads to inertia which leads to the days being very long and boring indeed.
It seems to be the first four hours that are the worst. It is okay if I do my regular job on the small parcels. I enjoy it and there is usually a bit to do and I get into my stride and life isn’t so bad. If I don’t do it or there isn’t much work in the section at that time of day then I am condemned to the large letter section which can be bearable but at most times is another journey through the corridors of tedium.
Things get no better sorting large parcels although the last four hours of the day can be busy and there is not much time to feel sorry for yourself or let the feeling that life owes you more than what you have take hold.
One can only surmise the depths that will be plumbed should the mythical “Light on the Hill”, the Canberra Parcel Centre which the management prophets have been predicting for years, comes to fruition.
Now I have a lot of negative thought about this parcel centre which I won’t put down on this blog but suffice to say I feel that splitting parcels and mail processing is not in the best interests of the average mail sorter at an AP country facility.
Sorting parcels manually all day every day can only lead to mind numbing monotony which is the path all repetitive jobs travel which in itself can only lead to more injury and more problems for AP in regards to light duties and compensation. Leaving all the machine work at the other facility leads to exactly the same problem and one can only wonder at the lack of vision of those supposedly in the know. The bottom line seems to rule all but that is all I will say on the matter.
I had the day off yesterday. I have been ill all week with a cold and staying home did me good although that wasn’t entirely the reason for my absence from work.
Our phone has been playing up and Telstra was to send a technician between 8am and 7pm which gives them the widest possible window for their attendance but leaves those waiting for them to arrive with the problem of being trapped at home until the calvary arrives at whatever hour suits.
Yesterday the technician arrived at 12.45pm, not leaving me much time to decide if I needed to ring work and tell them I was to be late at the very least. I harboured thoughts, despite my ongoing health struggle, of making it into work by 3pm but the quirky little technician soon made me realise that my hopes were doomed to be smashed on the rocks.
It turned into a difficult job and he was here about three hours so in the end I did the sensible thing and stayed home which I am sure helped me physically in anycase and our phone is now running perfectly which ensures the natives are happy. And if the natives are happy, life is much easier for me!
But the evening at home seemed to go by in a flash and the long drawn out nights at CMC seem to be a marathon by comparison. No sooner had I eaten dinner did it seem that it was almost bedtime and my relaxing day at home was done and I would soon be up again preparing for another day in the “Happiness Factory”. Such is life.
So we have reached Friday, that most desired day of the week where all our wishes come true and we can bid farewell to the chamber of horrors for a little while at least and reveal our true selves and live our lives the way they should be. Monday will roll around again soon enough and the “reload” button will be pushed and the whole sorry business will start again reinforcing the labourious nature of working for a living. But what else are working folk like us to do?
Making the most of the weekend is the best and only advice I can offer anyone looking to break the cycle. Don’t take life too seriously and have a laugh along the way. Do that and things may not look so bad anymore.
Have a good weekend.
It seems to be the first four hours that are the worst. It is okay if I do my regular job on the small parcels. I enjoy it and there is usually a bit to do and I get into my stride and life isn’t so bad. If I don’t do it or there isn’t much work in the section at that time of day then I am condemned to the large letter section which can be bearable but at most times is another journey through the corridors of tedium.
Things get no better sorting large parcels although the last four hours of the day can be busy and there is not much time to feel sorry for yourself or let the feeling that life owes you more than what you have take hold.
One can only surmise the depths that will be plumbed should the mythical “Light on the Hill”, the Canberra Parcel Centre which the management prophets have been predicting for years, comes to fruition.
Now I have a lot of negative thought about this parcel centre which I won’t put down on this blog but suffice to say I feel that splitting parcels and mail processing is not in the best interests of the average mail sorter at an AP country facility.
Sorting parcels manually all day every day can only lead to mind numbing monotony which is the path all repetitive jobs travel which in itself can only lead to more injury and more problems for AP in regards to light duties and compensation. Leaving all the machine work at the other facility leads to exactly the same problem and one can only wonder at the lack of vision of those supposedly in the know. The bottom line seems to rule all but that is all I will say on the matter.
I had the day off yesterday. I have been ill all week with a cold and staying home did me good although that wasn’t entirely the reason for my absence from work.
Our phone has been playing up and Telstra was to send a technician between 8am and 7pm which gives them the widest possible window for their attendance but leaves those waiting for them to arrive with the problem of being trapped at home until the calvary arrives at whatever hour suits.
Yesterday the technician arrived at 12.45pm, not leaving me much time to decide if I needed to ring work and tell them I was to be late at the very least. I harboured thoughts, despite my ongoing health struggle, of making it into work by 3pm but the quirky little technician soon made me realise that my hopes were doomed to be smashed on the rocks.
It turned into a difficult job and he was here about three hours so in the end I did the sensible thing and stayed home which I am sure helped me physically in anycase and our phone is now running perfectly which ensures the natives are happy. And if the natives are happy, life is much easier for me!
But the evening at home seemed to go by in a flash and the long drawn out nights at CMC seem to be a marathon by comparison. No sooner had I eaten dinner did it seem that it was almost bedtime and my relaxing day at home was done and I would soon be up again preparing for another day in the “Happiness Factory”. Such is life.
So we have reached Friday, that most desired day of the week where all our wishes come true and we can bid farewell to the chamber of horrors for a little while at least and reveal our true selves and live our lives the way they should be. Monday will roll around again soon enough and the “reload” button will be pushed and the whole sorry business will start again reinforcing the labourious nature of working for a living. But what else are working folk like us to do?
Making the most of the weekend is the best and only advice I can offer anyone looking to break the cycle. Don’t take life too seriously and have a laugh along the way. Do that and things may not look so bad anymore.
Have a good weekend.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 