12/14/2014: What Have I Been Doing?

For the past week or so, I have worked a temporary, seasonal job as a UPS Driver Helper. Perhaps you have seen them; the second person in those brown trucks during the Christmas delivery season. My job is to help my driver, Scott, deliver packages. While I am out of the truck, he rearranges those waiting to be delivered. By doing so, we save considerable time. In fact, our day ends at about 6:00 P.M., about an hour before his normal day ends.

I start at 2:00 P.M. We meet at a nearby church on his route after he has delivered a certain part, then together we finish delivering and picking up. It's a physical job, entailing handling lots of packages of all sizes and weights up to 75 pounds. And there are thousands of steps! Steps to the houses and back to the truck and two steps up into the truck. Right now as I sit here on Sunday, my right knee is a bit tight, which I expected -- it is, by far, the least 'healthy' of the two knees.

But tomorrow, I do it all over. It's not a bad gig, paying $15.00 an hour. The weather has cooperated, too; unlike last year, so far there has been no snow while I've been working. I won't mind if it stays like this through December 31, when this gig ends.

Then it can snow and I hope it does. I have another seasonal job as a shoveler for a commercial plow company.mthat one will pay $18.00 an hour, money I really need!

12/13/14 - What Silliness

Somehow, humans get all excited when numbers for things like dates line up sequentially. It is no different for this one, the last time it will happen in the 21st Century. Is it significant? Is it an omen? Does it portend some vision of the future?

No. It is just a silly, yet enjoyable, occurrence.

So, enjoy it. It's the last of its kind in your lifetime...unless, of course you stay alive until you are really old!