We’ve been here in C’ville, KY, for just about a month – hard to believe!  As I begin this post, we just finished Day 2 of our 5th week!  At the end of this week, we will be half done!  Well, time wise anyway, hours wise, we have more in front of us than behind us.  So far, we’ve only had one week of mandatory OT (aka MET). I (Kelly) have done 5 hours of VET (voluntary extra time) and Bill has done one 5 hour VET and one 8 hour VET (everyone started late that day due to a construction project happening in the building.)

Thanksgiving is early this year, so today was our Amazon holiday meal.  We will have off on actual Thanksgiving Day. Thursday’s are our usual OT day, but it was switched so we can work on Black Friday.  We are planning to go out to dinner with friends.

So, how are we holding up?  My long-term readers might recall that last time we were here, I struggled with my knees.  This year my knees are OK, largely due to my starting in pack, so not too much walking  I have also been using KT tape from the first day.  The KT tape really works as I notice a big difference when I’m not using it.  You can try it yourself using the link below.

They have a website that instructs you how to put it on the area thats giving you trouble.

I’ve been sore in the shoulders and lower back, (the constant reaching and repetitive actions of packing an average of 150 packages per hour takes its toll), and I’ve seen a chiropractor to help with that.  I’ve been averaging about 8,500 steps on days we walk to work and about 6,000 on days we don’t.

Bill had been doing ok.  He is slightly sore, but doing well.  He invested in good sneakers, which I believe helps his feet from hurting.  He purchased them through Amazon.  They are New Balance 608 v4 and are top rated for walking.  Two pairs for less than $100.  You can purchase your size here.

He has been averaging about 25,000 steps per day – yes – you read it right – about 10 miles per day.

We’ve been doing our main cooking on our days off, so during the work week we have plenty of leftovers to choose from.  We’ve enjoyed Chicken Corn Noodle soup, Chili, Macaroni & Cheese, and we just took lasagna out of the freezer.  Bill also has ham or turkey sandwiches and I’ve had my homemade yogurt with fruit and granola.  We’ve also been taking advantage of dining at the college.

We’ve toured 3 distilleries, Woodford Reserve, Town Branch and Wild Turkey; we have 3 more to go, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam and a return visit to Makers Mark.  (More on that in a different post)

I’m sure most of you are aware, at least vaguely, of the physical demands of working at Amazon, as mentioned above. In spite of all that, hardest part for me, so far, has been the mental part.  There have been times when I’ve found myself so bored, I cannot stand it. Yesterday I literally had to stop myself from walking out the door.

I don’t do bored well. I can do “nothing,” but that is very different than being bored. I don’t need a constant entertainment, but when my brain isn’t engaged, and I get bored, it isn’t usually good. My mind will wander into crazy places and – well- it’s not good for me.  I found myself rehashing old arguments, thinking about sad things, dwelling on the  negative.

Today, things turned around. For one, I was finally moved to multi’s. I had been stuck packing singles for about a week and it was driving me crazy. I prefer multi’s. I find them more challenging and sometimes even a little fun – just a little!

Also today, the PA (process assistant) came around and confirmed that I wanted to learn rebin and slam. I’ll tell you about them after I’m trained. For now the important part is that it will be something new, so I can switch off and hopefully defeat boredom once and for all!

Another positive today was I had a visit from the infamous Kelly Calmes, the man in charge of Camperforce. He stopped by my station to let me know I would be receiving $500 in referral money. That’s $125 per person for 4 people, 2 couples.  One couple is our dear friends, Tracey & Lee, the other is Jerry & Linda, whom we met while working in Alaska in 2016.  How AWESOME is that?  He made my day!  Thanks guys for remembering to give my name! Kelly wanted to know if I was sharing it with Bill – ha!

So, just when it seemed like I was about to hit a wall, pack up (ha! Get it? PACK?) and get out of C’ville, things turned around – just like that!

Today is now Wednesday, aka our Friday, and we’ve finished our week. Bill signed up for VET tomorrow afternoon (5 hour half day), and I’ll get the laundry, etc. done.

It was a so-so day. I was back at singles and all the way on the far side of the loft area. Work was SLOW and there was actually VTO (voluntary time off) offered.

The best part of today was a young man, Steven, brought his guitar and played for us today, during lunch and at start-up after lunch. He was surprised when I sang along to Stairway to Heaven.  He is very talented; did an excellent cover of Lynyrd Skynyd’s “Simple Man.” He played for us because today was his last day. He is moving to Seattle to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician. His playing today made my day, so Steven, if you are reading this – thanks!

Last notes:

The featured pic of Callie in the Amazon arrived here to us filthy, even on the inside. I mention this because I’d like to make you all aware of how important it is that you wash anything you get before using it.  I literally took a damp paper towel to the box before putting it down for her to climb into. I feel bad sometimes because the clothes are in plastic bags and they will open or get a hole, letting in warehouse dirt. So – PLEASE PLEASE wash anything you order from Amazon (or any other online warehouse I’d say, just to be safe) before using.

Pick of the week: Rainbow Combs. I packed these the other day, and they caught my attention because they were kind of cute. I thought initially they were decorative hair combs – but no!  Lice combs – seriously! I cannot even imagine…

The one thing I am actually considering is Avocado Huggies.  It’s supposed to keep half an avocado fresh after cutting.  I’ll have to read the reviews.

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