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.

A Lucky Run.

 I spent another weekend in Milwaukee with Cheryl.   But this time... we actually ran a race.   In celebration of St. Patricks day,  we ran a "Lucky" run and drank green beer.   It was the first time I have ever ran a 7K race.   Or drank green beer!  

The race was pretty much the highlight of the weekend.   Too bad it was windy and cold!   And it rained the previous night... all night!   They had predicted snow at some point, so I'm very grateful that didn't happen.  Otherwise...   I managed to pull off a decent time for me. 
  ( Being out of shape and all....)  Any time that is a sub-nine minute mile is good enough for me.  

On the down side... (other than the weather.)   The location of the race was in a strange place for us and we were unfamiliar with the area and local happenings.   This made for a limited experience outside of the hotel room.  In fact, we pretty much traveled to the south side of Milwaukee and repeated the same things we did previously.  ( mostly.) 

We did manage to do a little beach combing without the snow and ice this time.   And we actually found a few nice pieces of glass and colored rocks.  It was unfortunate that the cold and wind eventually drove us from the beach as well.   But,  the fact that we even had the opportunity was good enough.  

Other than that...  the weekend was kind of  "Meh!"  for me.  I did like seeing Cheryl again,   but with the weather limiting activities,  it was a repeat of the same.  ( Mostly) We couldn't even linger at the race after-party just because of the coldWe hovered around the two heating stoves for warmth and marshmallow roasting.  ( Which was kind of fun...)  But even that gets a little old after a while.  ( Especially when I was the only one doing it.)  

Today's weather was a little better. But Cheryl left early and I headed to Church...  Thus signalling the weekend's end.   Dave and I did manage to do a little hiking in the forest to see of any mushrooms might be pushing up.  ( They aren't.   Too early or too cold for them just yet.) Otherwise, we simply scouted out a new potential spot for future searches.  

And that was that.   I folded a little this afternoon.   I'm a little disappointed on how things turned out but I did complete a pretty good elephant.  Hopefully Jane will like it.  

The next month we are on "mandatory Overtime" at the Zebra.   Meaning I will not have the luxury of weekend festivities as I have previously.   I don't see Cheryl trekking up here in that time, so It may be a full month before we see each other again.  ( For the Lincoln Half Marathon in April.)  In the mean time.... I will have to work on my running and increase my distance so I do not bonk out or hurt myself for a 13.1 mile run.  That means I will have to find time to run when I can.   And I'm not going to be able to rely on Saturday's as I did before.   Time will be at a premium... Because every second counts.

The KIA Window...

The KIA window arrived last Saturday night and I decided to put it in on Sunday.   I actually thought it was going to arrive Thursday,  and Friday was going to be the day... but Amazon surpassed our expectations once again.   

I figured it would be a simple job.  And it was...   Mostly.   But it did take longer than I had first anticipated.   ( About 2.5 hours.)  And it could have taken longer had Dave not stepped in to help me several times.   You would be amazed what an extra set of hands is worth when doing a project solo.  

And even with the right tools,   a you tube video,  and Dave's extra hands...  We STILL needed a pat on the back from a retired mechanic that Dave called.   HE told us pretty much what we were doing was on track and we just had to persist.   And be careful with the glass edges....   His cheer leading was well appreciated

And do we got the window in and Joey is not back on the road without the draft and rain messing up the back seat.   BY the way... it rained Tuesday!   Good timing on our part, getting the window in before the weather turned bad.  

Other than that,  I have entered the Cages of VAS at the zebra Warehouse.  I started Monday and it is a little weird to be in one place for so long.   But I think I'm getting the hang of things and hopefully will find my rhythm. The job is fairly easy and I know most of the folks in the cage from way back... so there is an air of familiarity that is comforting.  

However,  the uneasiness I think I'm feeling is the missing inbound team and the late break schedule with my lunch buddies.   It is funny how a simple move to a different part of the building could have such and impact with your schedule and routine. Even though I can see inbound right outside the fence!   ( I sometimes wave at them...) 

Ah well,  no one ever said change was going to be easy.   And I have an even BIGGER change coming up in a couple of months.  With that looming on the horizon,  this will seem like a walk in the park by comparison.    So perhaps this is simply practice for my major life changing event in July.  We shall see

And that is it.   It is Wednesday already.   I have Friday off and plans for a Lucky Race in Milwaukee. Something to look forward to!   And tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday with John.  ( Maybe Marion and Dylan again... who knows? )  It will be fun hearing about Inbound from the outside this time.   I can hardly wait!  Because every second counts...

The Parking Wars At Zebra

 Over the last few weeks, I have been privileged to witness the ongoing drama that is early morning parking at Zebra technologies. With the influx of new employees,  our normal parking lot has now become crowded.   And all of the familiar "territories" or parking spots are now up for grabs for whoever arrives earliest.  This has led to a number of "entertaining" squabbles among the seasoned veterans who have staked out their claim and now find their claim being claimed by squatters!  Fun and hilarity ensues...

Well,  fun for me.   I am one of the few folks who arrive insanely early because I have a phobia against being late.  So... while sitting in my warm Subaru...   I get to watch Oscar take Jason's spot.  Some  new guy take Allison's spot..  Or Paul's.   And finally....  Veronica has been taking Marion's spot near he median.  Hat's off to Marion,  who has been arriving earlier and earlier to make sure she gets there ahead of Veronica.   IN fact,  the other day  she barely beat her by one car length!   Good times! 

The thing is... I don't think Veronica even thinks about it.   She just parks where ever she can.  And if the median spot is available,  she takes it.   Sometimes she even parks in my spot!  ( I'm not as possessive as some people....  but I understand the mindset.)  
For Paul,  there is no argument.   He arrives late and his spot is close to the door.   First come,  first serve!   You snooze, Paul...  prepare to park one slot over. 

But Marion arrives plenty early.   So I can empathize when she loses her spot by a few minutes due to traffic or weather. I'm sure the issue will only become worse as more and more new employees arrive through out the year.   but as long as I continue to arrive earlier than everyone else,  I think my spot is safe.  

Other than that,   I worked on some Origami this weekend.   The Oriental Dragon "Shilong" has been quite a handful.   I bought more paper so I can finish him now.. but today I spent three hours on the tail alone! And I did not even finish the scales! 

The foil paper does not work well for the scale folding, so I may just leave it as it is for the main body sections.  The idea is that it looks like an elegant folded piece of art instead of a crumpled piece of paper. 

But while taking a break from the dragon,  I wet folded a bird out of  one of those slip sheets that I acquired from the Warehouse.  The paper is VERY thick and it took several hours just for the water to penetrate the thick layers.   At one point, I thought it was going to be a lost cause... but eventually it turned out.   I will bring it to work on Monday.   Mostly because I get odd looks when I bring these huge sheets home.   People wonder what I do with them...  This will provide a visual answer. 

Not much else going on here in Kenosha.   Dave's son's car was broken into a few days ago and the would-be thieves broke the rear window, but did not steal the car.   (This is Milwaukee... no Kenosha.) So I offered to repair the window when the replacement glass arrived.  It arrived tonight!   So I will have something to do tomorrow.  I already have the door disassembled, so it hopefully will not take too long.   And if I have the forethought,  I might be able to take pics of the process and blog about it!   Wouldn't that be fun! We shall see if I have the time.  Because every second counts!