A Busy Easter

A quick post because it is late....  Happy Easter!  He Is Risen!  I'm not sure why there seems to be more of that this year than in previous years.    Usually cute bunnies and colorful Easter eggs grace Facebook and the internet.  Or perhaps it is just my perspective.   But in any case,   I hope the message is sent out loud and clear: The real meaning of Easter.

After Church,  I managed to start my latest fish.   I will give you a hint  later in this posting as to what kind of fish I have in mind.   Otherwise, it does not look like much at the moment.   If I have time later during this week, I will slowly build on it as before.   Hopefully,   with the size being reasonable, I will be able to complete it in less time than it took me to complete the bluegill.   We shall see.  

While waiting for that to dry,   I worked on my latest V.A.S Achievement Badge.  I have now successfully completed all of the V.A.S. stations and now am a valued member of the team.   I still might have to work on other certifications.. like batteries or Soldering. But for now,  I have most of the V.A.S system down.    And I have the badge to prove it!

While waiting for the badge to finish, I also worked on the V.A.S. Dragon stand commemorating the year 2024.    The Year of the Dragon!  I used to hide little cardboard doodles like this all around the warehouse back in the day when I had more freedom.  But now,  being in the cage most of the day,  I rarely get to leave my little sayings in the racks.   My hope was that they would cheer up the pickers or Inventory as they drudged around the endless rows of boxes.   At least a few of the people have mentioned that they miss them.   It is amazing what you can do with just a few highlighters and cardboard dividers...

 And lastly,  I put up the pictures that Helen gave me.   Ever since Jerry died,  she has been donating his stuff to anyone who will use it. 
  ( Or people who shared his passions.)  I scored 4 VERY NICE fly fishing rods. 
  And a belt sander that Jerry had repurposed for sharpening knives it was just like the one I had in my shop back in the old carving days.  And I used it for the same thing!   Now that I have Jerry's old one,  I sharpened all of the knives in the house to a dangerously sharp edge.   It took hardly any time. 

 

I also put up the two pictures she gave me.  If you can ID the fish,  that might give you a hint as to my next project 

Next weekend will be busy.   I have a race;  Will see Cheryl;  and plan on seeing the Solar Eclipse.  All of that will happen beginning Friday... 
So I just have to make it till then.  ( Hurray for Mondays!)  In the mean time....  I best get to sleep early because tomorrow comes quick....  And every second counts.

A Free Saturday!

 I may have mentioned in my last post that Saturday would be a working day.   Zebra has been threatening us all week that we would have to work "Mandatory Overtime!"  They were wrong!  An entire week of straw dogs and paper tigers...  And kicking the hornets nest of Employees who wanted a full free weekend for Easter.   Sometimes I think the Zebra Culture is under new management....  But that is a rabbit hole I don't want to go down just yet. 

For me... Today!   I managed to do laundry,  work out, and Run 12.5 miles again!   Luckily,  the rain held off while I was out there.  I'm rather tired at the moment.   So everything after the run has been a chore just to get started.  My joints ache all over.   And I have a half Marathon next week!   At least I have a certain level of confidence that I will be able to finish it.  

After the Marathon,  I plan on traveling to Indianapolis for the viewing of the Total Solar Eclipse that is happening in Monday,  April 8th. I recently purchased my viewing glasses from Walmart. ( I missed them the first time...  They were right by the entrance! Go figure!  Walked right by them....)  So I will hopefully be able to see the last solar eclipse event that will be happening in my lifetime. ( I think..... Maybe just for those people living in the US.... and not Alaska. See map.)  

That being said... I am very excited to be viewing history.   Especially since I missed it in 2017. ( I can't remember the reason we could not travel 100 miles to see it in Missouri.)  Fingers crossed that all goes well this time and I am allowed to see it.  And the Stars in their true location. 

Other than that...  The rest of the week in Review:   I finished the Ryujin.   I now have to make a sign/stand for VAS so they can display it properly.   Right before they throw it away, I'm sure.   But it was fun making it so once I give it away, they can do with it as they like.  

I also went out with several co-workers to the Clubhouse. 
  It was rather disappointing, since they were holding a FUNERAL at the bar on Thursday.   They place was PACKED with inappropriately dressed people crowding the bar and being very loud.    For months, I have been talking about the bar as a nice quiet place to enjoy a few beers, good food and some conversation.   But Thirsty Thursday was an anomaly.   On the bright side....  We managed to get three people to join us!   Hurray!   Joan from Outbound,  Marion from Inbound and Lakiesha, who is one of the recent hires.   We enjoyed the conversation as best we could until the yelling became overwhelming.  We all agreed to cut our losses and make it a short visit.   There is always next week...

After my run today, I took a trip out to Shoreland High school to see the effects the rain was having on the proposed wetland project.   I took some pictures of the "flash Flooding" that happens when the rain pours down for more than a sprinkle.  As you can see...  The ditches fill with water and begin a temporary river that floods the fields and lawns of the locals.   

And most people can clearly see that it comes from the High school!   Just kidding...  Though the High School is in the background,  the real culprit is the farmland just down the road.   Those fields flood and send all that water into the soccer/football field.  Which flows down between houses and into the baseball field.   Hopefully,   with the wetland project on the books,  they will be able to solve that problem.   And I will have some handy dandy "before" pics of what the water used to do before the wetland project was incorporated.  

So that is all for the moment.   Tomorrow is Easter and I'm sure Sommers New Life Church will be jammed packed for the service.  I have actually considered attending one of the other churches just to make room for people and avoid the cramped parking.   But...  Sommers is so close.    And convenient!I might be a good idea not to change things too much because I still have things I need to accomplish this weekend.   And every second counts.  

The Weekend Update!

 There is still snow on the ground!   But other than that,  I did manage to run 6 miles this afternoon.   And I pretty much hid in the basement and folded paper all weekend.   Kind of boring, I know.... But that is what is is like having a hobby that eats up huge blocks of time.  

I'm nearing the end of the origami project.   This is the part where patience and a touch of artistry comes into play.   Most of the technical stuff is over.. so all I have to do is assemble and position without messing things up or introducing an unsightly flaw. And that simply requires a bit of luck and a lot of time...

And this is the "simplified"version!  Imagine having the hours invested in a "long, one piece of paper version!"   I have heard that with the proper paper,  proper skill set, and proper area to fold...
it takes about 30 hours of non-stop folding to complete the traditional version.  ( 12 hours!  if you are one of the origami gods!  But I would have to see this to believe it.)   The best I can manage is three hours a day of non-stop folding before I break down and start making mistakes.   Or rather,  allow sloppy folding to infiltrate my design.  

But who really cares?   No one sees the process and they only see the finished version.  (Unless you blog about it.)

In addition to the running and the folding,  I also managed to complete a couple embroidery projects.   This week, I became "Assembly Certified" in V.A.S.  That means I can now add another achievement badge to my Zebra vest!   It won't be long before I will earn the Eagle Scout title for Zebra...  Collecting all of the badges in all of the warehouse departments.   I still have to make all of the badges for inbound, outbound, inventory, and PIT that I am qualified for.  Then my life dream of being an Advanced Warehouse Associate will become a reality!  And then I can move on to a new challenge....

Kind of a boring post today.   That is what happens when you spend all of your time doing one thing... and not really getting very far on it.  I was thinking of making another cardboard fish for my next project.   Something smaller this time... so it does not take two months to complete.  Maybe a brown trout of a rainbow darter as a bait fish.   We shall see once the Ryujin is complete.  Because these things take time... And Every second counts!

Snow!

 It snowed today in Kenosha!   Isn't it supposed to be spring time? I thought the groundhog said it was coming early?    In fact,  it was almost 60 degrees just three days ago!  What is going on?  

I figured with all of the plastic bags I have been throwing into the landfill,   the global warming should have sped up the Spring process by now...Where is the science when you need it? 

 Ok,  Back to reality.

It did snow today.  Quite a bit actually!   Several inches in fact...   So it looks like a long run may not be in the card for this weekend.    Then again... things could change in a heart beat.   So we shall see. 

It was a typical Friday at the Zebra.  And everyone was tired and ready to let the weekend begin.   Only to come out ot all of our cars covered with a wet, heavy snow.  

Some of us got a little playful in the process of cleaning off our cars.    Wet, pack-y snow makes for a great snow ball fight.  Or a snow man!   Marion seemed ready for the fight part. 

I'm home alone tonight,  as Dave is away on business and I have the entire house to myself.   A great way to spend a Friday!   Time to relax and drink a beer.   We shall see what tomorrow brings.    Apparently,  there is rain in the forecast sometime this weekend.  That might make for difficult distance running as well.   So I shall reserve my judgment until tomorrow comes.   Because every second counts.

A Weekend Of "Ethan Time."

 Looks like the Zebra Overtime threat has been postponed for the moment. I happened to have this Saturday all to myself.   No Zebra, No Cheryl.   No racing.    Just me and my paper....

But I did manage to complete a 12.5 mile run. Which I think was a bit of an achievement for me, since I am out of shape and practice.   Oh!  Don't worry... My legs reminded me of this little fact pretty much all day today.   I'm not sure why I am running this distance, other than the fact that I want to be half marathon ready in the coming months.   

I also got to make some progress on the next origami model.   The paper is a little unwieldy, so it take a bit longer to fold.   AND I am attempting to actually make an effort to fold each of the scales instead of leaving them in the basic square shape.  It takes a lot longer, but hopefully the results will be worth the effort.  

I actually brought some of the paper to work and folded on my lunch break!   Kind of fun...  Since I now take my breaks on a different schedule then the people I usually eat lunch with.  Ah well..... can't get everything you want all the time... Right? 

To commemorate  my second week in VAS,   I decided to make some "Merit Badges" for my progress and training.  Who is going to tell me no?  I figure I am almost bullet proof at this point.  ( Almost.....  I'm not going to push things.)  But showing a little comradery with the techno nerds of the cage might win them over and help me integrate.  

Speaking of "nerds"   I have never seen a group of people try to "Out Nerd" each other as several of the VAS people.   They are definitely an odd bunch.  I sometimes look over at Inbound with a sense of Nostalgia.  

By the way,  Last Thursday was Rich's Last day.   He was one of the Clerks and had been there even before I arrived.   I have not mentioned him before but I will now ( Now that he is officially gone.)   Mostly,  I avoid blogging about people because they seem to disappear every time I do!  ( Remember Phil and Patty?)   

So how do I describe Rich?   Well, first off,  he was pretty Gay.   And seemingly very proud of it!  He was also loud and could sometimes be a bit of a jerk.   But he was good at what he did.  ( Like Scott.)  And there were a number of people who were not sad to see him leave.  (Just like Scott.)    Comparing Rich to Scott would probably tick Rich off... But he is off to the frozen tundras of Minnesota!   For his new job.    We wish him the best of luck!  And I'm sure that, although inbound would be hesitant to admit this... he will be missed by a few people.   ( Mostly the receiving clerks!)  

Not much else to say.   I guess a weekend of Peace and Tranquility seems almost foreign these days.  But it was relaxing.   I should also mention that Dave's Crossfit Buddies came over and shared the end of the Bootcamp week they all had to endure.  It was fun... with lots of beer and stories.  Nothing like overcoming extreme physical training to bring a bunch of guys together.  ( See Army Bootcamp!) 

Time to settle in for the night and get ready for Tomorrow.   I have a meeting with the High school at 9:15 AM... So I can actually sleep in a bit.   And since the cold weather is here to stay for the rest of the week.  I may make a token effort to run the minimum.   Because life is short and every second counts.