A Farewell To Phil.... Again!

 Friday was Phil's Final Farewell.  (I love alliteration.)   Phil walked out in protest over the changes Haribo was planning on implementing over this upcoming year.   Changes in the way Material Handlers handle Material....  Not the product or policy of the overall company.   It was a change that was directly aimed at us:  The Material Handlers. 

First of all, I would like to say that the idea of change is not always a bad thing.   This production facility is only three years old!  So pretty much everything has been changed a bit as the building continues to grow and new hires and practices evolve.   And that is one of the many challenges of every Start-up.   To remain fluid and adaptable....   And be prepared to try new ideas and  embrace uncertainty as ideas fail or succeed.     Yadda yadda yadda...     I sound like a scripted Ted Talk.  

But if it is not broke.   Don't fix it!   That is an Army Motto.  And I have heard it in many other areas of my work life and my life in general.   It does tend to lead to stagnation sometimes.   But instead of trying to change the item that is currently working....  Perhaps it would be better to focus on the stuff that is not working properly....   Seems logical and pragmatic to me.  

So here's the skinny:   The Material handlers currently work in a "Zone Defense" around the production floor.   The two zones are:  Gummies, (Front side Drivers)   and Materials (Back side Drivers)   Currently,  there are five material handlers.   Two in front,   Three in back.   Each zone focuses on their area and each driver helps each other out when they have time or need assistance within that zone.   And all of the drivers can help out the other zone if they have time and the "desire" to aid if one of them is getting overwhelmed.   

I like this way.  Because it splits the Fork Truck drivers into two teams that can focus on their special areas.   And the areas are large enough to keep everyone busy and help each other out when one part is getting hammered while another part is not very busy. 

But the higher-ups want to change to a "Man-for-Man" defense....  Meaning:  Each driver is 100% responsible for their own line.   That means both Gummies AND materials.    That means... No team work.   You are responsible for ONLY your area... And nothing else.. ( Otherwise, you would theoretically jeopardize your line....)   

There are MANY problems with this... Other than the hinted "Lack of Team work"...    All of the Materials come from the passerella.   Someone has to grab and load up the hand over point with boxes and film.   And if your line needs materials,  you are now fighting with 4 other drivers in a small cramped area.  

Another problem is that the Gummies come out of random areas from time to time.   And if your  line is running gummies, but you have to grab them from another area,   you will be bumping into other drivers and getting in their way.   Also,  If you have a surplus of gummies but no place to put them, you will have to shuttle them to another area.   And crowding up another drivers space.     It will end up causing more friction than an atmosphere of cooperation.  

I think this idea was thought up to combat  several drivers on first shift who were Militantly clinging to their area of expertise.   And Thus would often display the age old "That is not my Job" mentality.   If you have people who want to be individualistic,   then this "Man-for-Man defence" is for them.    But that leaves  a huge problem whenever someone needs help.  The "Every Man For Themself" strategy only works if all of the lines are running equally.... Which they rarely do. 

And thus,   Many of us,  voiced our concerns.   But Phil, from what I heard... was rather passionate about it.  I heard the meeting on first shift lasted nearly an hour!    After which time...  Phil  quit it protest.  

I'm sure there was probably other factors that influenced this decision...  And I know I have "Rage Quit" at least one job in my past.  ( possibly two... if I count Allied Van lines.) But now, Phil has officially burned the bridge to the job he used to love.     I guess that is one of the perks of being old and having a strong belief system.   I also guess that is one of the liabilities of being old and "stuck in your ways."

I'm going to miss Phil... Again.   I have known him for three years now and together,  we had experienced the GXO to Zebra transfer, and now the Haribo experience.   He reminds me of an older brother...  Mostly because he is older than me.   But also because he tends to do things that are decisive... And   possibly a little rash.  And I, as a younger, more attractive, sibling,  can look upon his life decisions and decide if I want to follow  his example or do the opposite.    Much like I do with my Actual Brother.  (He never reads my blog, so I can give him a hard time without too much fall out.)  

I guess that is why having a guy like Phil in your life is important. A man who stands on Principle!   Phil fulfills a roll of "Trail Blazer" to show the younger generation what not to do.   (Or  what To Do!)   His wisdom is most likely gained by years of trial and error.. ( mostly error)  And figuring out what works!  (But mostly what Doesn't work...)  And I want to stress the YEARS...  Because Phil is Old.   And that is why Phil feels so strongly about the things that will fail.  A Failed Phil would Fail to Fulfill the Future!  ( I love alliteration!)  

So another Fond Farewell To Phil!   May he Find fulfillment in his next adventure.   Or on Facebook.  Where I messaged him to find out the full Factuality.   (I had to look that one up...  Everyone has a limit to their vocabulary.)  I heard he already has several prospects on the horizon, so it sounds like he will land on his feet once again.   But it is sad that I will be losing a friend from a job I actually enjoy.  I'm not sure if this new process will work out for the material handlers.   My guess is that it will be an utter failure and they will have to go back to the old way.   OR,  it will work, as long as the drivers are fully trained... (Which is difficult to do since they have not been sticking around lately.)  Many of them are Temps now.   And the Temps tend to come and go or are limited in their desire to learn and understand or care.  It took me several months to learn all of the things that Material handlers have to do.   And I continue to discover new things to learn and process.  

The drivers will have to learn both gummies AND materials in a very short amount of time.   That means many mistakes, lots of frustrations, and the ever present risk of them storming out and leaving a vacancy. I have been working on the two temps on second shift to get them up to speed as quickly as possible.   But even after a month, they have yet to do the gummies fully.   ( It is a process, that I may blog about later.... )  It's fun when you get the steps down.   But it can be overwhelming if you are struggling to learn,  AND being forced to keep up while your line is getting pounded with problems.  

"You are only One Man."     Words of wisdom that were  given to me by an older, wiser, and less attractive friend.  Words of wisdom I try to tell the New Guys whenever things begin to spiral out of control. We have to work together because we can't be everywhere at once.  We stand on the shoulders of Giants!   Even if Phil was slightly shorter than most,  his shadow will stand tall among the Haribo Material Handlers.   (Hopefully.)  I'll see what I can do. 

 Perhaps a bronze statue is a little much.  

Happy New year! The First Post For 2026.

 A little later than expected... because I have been "Busy" doing things... 

Like Sleeping...   AND Working.   I have been working.  

But it was a restful five day vacation from the Haribo.   I finally got to catch up on all of that sleep I had been missing. 

And then it was back to work.  

Ah well,   nothing stays the same forever.  right?  

So what has this week consisted of?  A few things.   A few "resolutions" or goals for the new year.  And I'm sure it will take the entire year to accomplish them.  As with all resolutions, I hesitate to write about them too quickly, for fear they will evaporate the moment I put them down in writing.  But if you read the blog with any consistency, you may pick up on a few things as they progress.   We shall see how things pan out.  

As for this week... (because I can barely remember the Holidays now...) I guess now that the spirit cat has been made real,  I find that she has become a distraction.  

Both good and bad.    She gives me something to do when I get home and provides me a reason to come home each night, instead of wasting time elsewhere.  

That being said,  she also keeps me from blogging or doing any "practical" things like research, blogging, or writing.  Even my origami has suffered!   I now have to go out to fold something, because she will either meow obsessively or climb on the paper!  

I set up the old computer to loop cat videos around the clock.  And although that does help her a little,   she usually gets bored after a while and turns back to harassing me.  

Not the worst problem, I guess.   I do enjoy playing with the cat on the paper tower and blanket floor I have set up for her.   ( she loves slide tackles!) And it is nice to have something warm to cuddle up with when I take an afternoon nap.  

Which reminds me of yesterday's surprise!   While I was napping in the comfy chair,   I heard what I originally thought was a small dog yipping.   But it did not go away,   so I thought it might be a car's bearing squeaking.  Again... it remained just outside the window... and sounded vaguely familiar.   Eventually,  I pieced it together that it sounded like  Turkey Call. 

What are Turkeys doing outside my window?   Sure enough!   A dozen or so were walking through the neighborhood like a cluster of Asian Tourists.   Snapping pictures of the sites as they walked through the area.  

  I ran to get dressed and grabbed my camera for a photo,  but by then,  they had moved down the street and were working their way through the neighbors yard.   They must have been in my front yard a while, because a few people had gathered to watch them. 

I thought this was unusual, however,  this happened last year very close to this place!   A turkey was walking and came up to eat some peanuts out of my hand.  I don't know where these guys call home, but it must be fairly close to this place.   

the local park does not really offer much habitat for them, so I'm thinking there must be another place that is slightly more wild.   Either way,  it is cool to have wildlife stop in for a visit now and then. 

One final note for this week.   Friday Phil Hall quit the Haribo.  I will have to blog separately about that, as the dust has not fully settled on the matter.  It was a shock to everyone,  especially ME! 

 ( Since he "helped" get me this job, by talking it up and telling me how awesome it was.)   And now he is gone... forever!   And the fall out is that everyone keeps asking me about it.   Like we were friends or something.   Well,  that will require an entire blog post for an explanation.  ( Both real and imaginary... on my part.)  So I am looking forward to that.  

In the mean time, Phil will me missed..    By some  most people at Haribo.  And me.   Because now Elsa and I will have to fight over the green gun because Phil will not give it to Elsa Directly.  

And I don't like violence.            

So now... as I watch the fire logs glow, I will end this blog post and prepare for tomorrow.  Time has, once again, became a rare commodity that I find I have very little of.  So I will try to make every second count. 

2025 Year in Review.

 As the last remaining minutes of this year tick by,  I wanted to remember and share the Roller Coaster ride I had this year.  Let's just say that I am FULLY looking forward to a new year and another opportunity to start over again.   (And just when I thought 2024 was bumpy!)   I know God has a way of Answering prayers.... And looking back,  he did just that.   But not in the way I had intended or wanted.  

That being said...  Things somehow all worked out!   And I actually had moments of fun and happiness and peace.    

So...  Without further delay...  Let's get started

The year started off with me still being a High School Science teacher...   It seems like a lifetime ago...but was actually less than a year.  

I went to a lot of Basketball Games and cheered the kids on.

I even judged a couple Robotics meets!  

We took on an Exchange Student and I drove him back and forth to school. 

But the teaching thing did not quite work out as well as I would have wanted.   And I guess the feeling was mutual... They were ready to let me go and I was ready to leave.   So it all worked out.  Not exactly the rosy colored world I had imagined or talked about in previous blog posts.   But there comes a time when you have a nagging question of life answered.  And you may not like the answer...  But at least you no longer have the question bugging you.   

With all that new found time,  I spent it mushroom hunting and nature walking.   And running.  

I had to burn off that anxiety somehow.   And although I did not have the same level of training as before,  I decided to run the half marathon here in Kenosha.  13.1 miles!  

I finished!  But I had to buy new running shoes a week before the race.   And as a result,  I did not have them thoroughly broke in.   Causing an injury in my foot that has plagued me all year!   

But before I could blame the shoes... something else happened.  

 Dave's House Burned Down!  

Just when I was worried that I would not be able to treat the stress of unemployment with running,   I now have an even bigger issue!   Homelessness!

Actually,   the Church rallied to our aid and I was never without shelter.   Another prayer God answered that was not in the way of my liking....   

But He is God... and Who am I to say otherwise....

Now,  With lots of Time,   New exotic living locations.   AND no earthly burdens to weigh me down.   I discovered  my love of Fishing once more!

I fished a LOT this year.    Mostly small ponds and streams.   With a LOT of bluegills to fry up.  

Dave and I also managed to go out on the Big Lake and catch a few Coho.  

Other events:   There were the Bag Pipers of Kenosha.

The AMC event on simmons Island.   (Too many pictures to show here.) 

 The 4th of July 5K...  Where I volunteered and caught up with a former student. 

And then there were the Mushrooms! 

 

LOTS and lots of Mushrooms this year! 

Eventually,  the money began to run out and the job search was beginning to grow cold.   After the fire,  I headed over to Zebra for an interview.    And secured the job.  

The next day... Haribo Called.

It really did come down to  the wire and benefits.   Haribo pays slightly more and has a nice benefits package.   But Zebra was familiar and I know a lot of the people. 

But I chose Haribo.  

From the "Ashes" of defeat to the glimmer of Gummies...  I somehow managed to find my way back into the warehouse/production  business and have enjoyed every minute of it.   

During that time,  Cheryl dropped in a few times to visit.  

I would frequently kidnap Christina's Dog for a walk and mushroom hunt.  

I ended up running the Turkey Trot... alone.   And SLowly!   (My foot injury has not fully healed.)

  

OH!  And I got a Cat.    Compliments of Christina. 

The cat has been a Ghost to me over the last several months.. Only showing up whenever Cheryl would come over to visit.  

But Now...  Somehow,  She has become annoyingly present and obvious!

I also traveled to Tennessee. 

And Saw Rod Stewart on my Birthday!. 

  I helped Pastor Gorde Move along with the Hinz....  ( The newest Teacher at the Middle School.) 

All of the Paper Fish I created are now gone...  But I managed to save two of them that did not get damaged from the water.   

The Walleye, Brown Trout were not so fortunate.  

 Well,  I'll skip the small stuff for now and begin to close this blog post out.   Let me just say, it was a heck of a ride!   The Chinese Animal for 2025 was the snake. Fitting....  if you don't like snakes.  Also fitting if you do.    They get a bad rap for the whole poison venom thing.... And the Fall of Man.   BUt really they provide a great service by keeping rodents and bugs down.   You just have to look past the scaly, slippery exterior and bad reputation. 

That being said,   I'm ready to embrace the Chinese  Zodiac Animal for 2026.   The Fire Horse!

I mean...  Things can only look up after being knocked down to the ground.  Am I right?  

A side note to my friend Dave.   "Pastor Pagel" to many around here.  After the House Burned down, he has had his share or bumpy roads and roller coaster rides as well.   But he is preparing for a new adventure in a not so distant place in Canada.   Perhaps his prayers have been answered as well...  (Though,  again,  I'm sure not the way he had imagined it...)  God knows what is best.   And I truly believe that even if the path seems bumpy and rough... it is the best  or ONLY possibly path.  

So have faith!   And Trust in Him. 

  So Happy New Year to Everyone who managed to drop into this lengthy Blog Post.    And Let's hope we can all make every second of this next year count.