[Lvas] An Amateurs Life

Fri Mar 13 21:30:59 PDT 2009

Roger,

I was a maintenance planner at a wet corn mill in northwest Indiana. Did it for three years until I was laid off. Never realized how much I hated that job until one day when I was sitting in my garage. I'd been unemployed for a month, had no prospects, and was wondering how we were going to be able to keep the house. I was in the garage working with my scroll saw. A kerosene heater was at my back and the snow was falling outside the window. It suddenly hit me that despite all, "I don't have to go back to that **&&$^%^%&#& plant ever again!" I'm quoting my exact words, by the way, censored of course, witnessed by my two basselopes, Sassy and Chops.

Yup, the whole time I was there, it was nothing but one crisis after another. One critical machine after the other was always broken. Every one was a major breakdown for the production side. Nobody was ever happy, mostly just mad all the time. I remember it got so bad that I could not watch The Practice ever again. Why? Because that was the last show on Sunday night before I had to go to bed and get up early to go back to that plant.

Manufacturing shouldn't have to be that way, especially since as a nation, we used to be the experts at that sort of thing. Not any more.

Fred

From: drivester at hotmail.com
To: lvas at lvlug.org
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:39:41 +0000
Subject: [Lvas] An Amateurs Life

Fred,

I forgot to mention something. I had to work an average of 60+ hours per week which was mostly six days per week....sometimes seven. The pay was good but I lost or sold 
32 years of my life. 

Analogy:

It was like riding the Tour de France every day for 32 years and each day consisted of climbing the famed "Alp d'huez". I think this helped me become a better amateur bicycle rider as it helped me to endure suffering and only pedal harder. A pretty sad story...right?

I was responsible for two manufacturing plants plus the engineering staffs as a sideline. I can't ever remember a time when any of the staff or plant mangement was happy. These were very large plants employing as many as 300 or more people each.

Oh, but to be relieved of that burden after all those years. Now you see why I feel the way I do...relief.

Roger

From: rayworth1969 at hotmail.com
To: lvas at lvlug.org
Date: Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:03:58 -0500
Subject: Re: [Lvas] 12 years ago

Roger,

Hale used a 16" if I remember right. I seem to remember something about a DS-16, but not sure about it.

I was always wondering what you did for a living! Must be nice.

Fred

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