So, mid-December I started job hunting and didn't have any success as I live in a crazy poor and depressed area...lucky me. Why do I live here? I keep asking myself that, but I will deal with that question later. For now, this is where I am. Anyhow, on the Tuesday before Christmas I got a call about a job I applied for and they wanted me to start the very next morning. Of coarse I said I'd be there! Wednesday morning I showed up at 6:45 ready to work. The place where I am working is only ten minutes from my house which is nice since my truck is a bit of a gas guzzler. There are about twenty guys working there and they make trailers, as in snowmobile, ATV, car haulers and utility trailers. My job is to make flats as they call them. I get the welded together aluminum frame and attach the tongue, the hitch, run the wiring, hook up the lights, put on the axle and tires, fit in and screw down the plywood decking and finally put on all the decals and I'm done.
The good:
A steady paycheck is a beautiful thing! Granted, I can make more in one day chainsaw carving than I do in a week of working here, but for now, this is a good thing because there is no chainsaw carving to be had.
Working with a bunch of rough and tumble guys is a whole lot of fun. I get a rush out of flexing my muscles and showing them that a female can do just as well at this as they can! They said I am the first woman to ever build flats and from all accounts, I am doing a damn good job at it so far.
Having a job away from the home is actually making my personal life better. I love my beautiful partner, but being together 24/7 is never good for any relationship. Now, I think about her while I'm out working and plan all the things I want to do to/with her when I get home. I love pulling into the driveway and seeing her through the window, I love walking through the door and kissing her because I've been gone all day and we miss each other. I love telling her about my day and hearing about hers.
The bad:
As I kind of touched on earlier, the pay is, um, minimal. And, the hours right now are INSANE! I work from seven in the morning till six at night everyday and five hours on Saturday...fifty-five hours a week of hard physical labor. Ah, builds character, or some shit like that.
Working with a bunch of rough and tumble guys is incredibly tiring. Forcing my female body to keep up with the guys is something I've always done, but this is a whole new level of masochism. I am pushing myself through some pretty bad pain to excel at this job. My legs are covered in bruises and my hands are cut to hell. I'm trying to figure out different ways to do this job just as well without so much physical strain. For instance, the guy who showed me how to build the trailers would slam on the plywood with his hands to force it into place under the rails and I have learned that using a rubber mallet works just as well without the pain.
So, this is my new job, my new time consuming painful, but paycheck every week job. Stay tuned for more exciting entries!
The truck is more than a bit of a gas guzzler! LOL. :)
ReplyDeleteIf I didn't know what you were doing, I'd think you just came back from war with all of your bruises and injuries! Your legs have color - granted, it's the WRONG kind of color, but hey! LOL.
It's a crazy job with insane hours, but as you said, it's a steady pay check for the time being. It's not as if you want to embark on a trailer building career here or anything.
Just try not to kill yourself, ok? ;)