Friendship

One of the interesting.....no fascinating things about this mobile lifestyle we have chosen is the people we meet along the way are so open, and easy to get to know.  It is rare to run into a fellow nomad who does not have a compelling life story, and who is willing to tell it if you give them a chance.  We first noticed this phenomenon when we were camp hosts at Rancho Jurupa.....the people there were so friendly, and east to make friends with.  It is easy to prejudge someone based on your first impressions, and remarkably, and thankfully, I have been wrong almost 100% of the time....:D.  It makes me wonder sometimes what kind of first impression I give.....don't you wonder, too?  It really doesn't matter what their religious, or political affiliations are.....there is an immediate connection....a shared lifestyle that bridges most, if not all differences.  The bottom line?  It is much easier to get to know people, and make friends in this nomadic lifestyle.  We are still in almost daily contact with people we met in Cedar Key where we stayed just 3 days back in March, and the same goes for so many others we have met along the way.

I still possess one of those large leather bound Day Runners that has a section for business cards.  I am going to have to add more space for "business" cards as we have collected a lot of them on our travels.  When I say "business card" I'm just using a generic term for a card with someone's contact information.  Obviously, most of the people we meet are retired, so their "business card" is a hand out to pass on limited personal information so the connection will not be lost.  Before we left on our adventure we printed up some business cards, and have just about run out.  I think it's time to redesign it, and print some more.

The 10 hour shifts are starting to go by more quickly.....the biggest issue to overcome each night is boredom.....the physical part has receded into the background....sure there are still aches and pains, but they are less noticeable day by day.  Some nights I do a good job of not getting bored doing the same thing over and over again.  It is easy to get so focused you don't see what is going on around you, and, believe me, that is a typical state of mind for a lot of people doing this job.  I have been startled more than once when I am picking an item to realize another picker, or stower has been standing behind me, or sometimes right in front of me while I finished my finding and pulling an item. This is a pretty universal problem.  I make myself stop once and a while and just look around....if I am on an upper level I look up and down the long rows below me to see if there is anyone I know working there, or just simply to change my focus and take in the enormity of the Amazon facility.  Sometimes the views remind me of the vast warehouse shots in "Raiders of the Lost Ark".  

Last night we got to work in building "C" for the first time.....nothing special about building "C", but it is a change of scenery, and, frankly, a little cooler temperature wise.....building "B" is at least 10 degrees warmer.....I prefer the cooler temps.

We drove the 'Bird again last night as the forecast was for temps in the mid 20's at 4am, and it was all of that.  Thankfully TLE purchased a couple of scrapers to make short work of the ice on the windshield.   We watched the "X" Factor and then went to bed around 5:15am.

Thanks for stopping by!