Observations on Working Poverty; Janitor

Many moons ago (but somewhat more recent than my stint unloading trucks), I worked as a Maintenance Tech at a truck-stop for a major gas station chain. You see, it's a pretty reliable fact that crappy day jobs have nifty titles so that, upon introducing yourself and your station, you don't have to bluntly admit that you are a glorified janitor that is occasionally asked to fix things.

That being said; in some ways I actually liked working at the truck stop. Management had a way of not bothering me too much (Either I was doing such a good job that they stayed off my back, or I wasn't important enough to mess with. Your choice.), so I had a lot of independence and a pretty wide degree of latitude to roam about the store and associated grounds how I saw fit. I basically got paid to do whatever I wanted (as long as my work was done by shift's end), how I wanted, and with little to no oversight. Cold outside? Stay in where it's warm and get stuff done inside. Blasting hot outside? Stock the cooler and enjoy that 40 degree temperature. Too crowded in the store to get anything done? Go pick up trash outside until the crowd dies down. We even had pay showers, so I could use the restroom with a certain measure of peace and privacy. Kinda like having my own office bathroom, in a way.

As far as crappy jobs go, you can't really beat that sort of deal. The work wasn't really meaningful in that position, but at least I wasn't being harangued by a some feckless idiot who would only make things worse by getting in the way. And, to be blunt, if (and this is a might damned big if) someone was willing to pay me to keep doing the same job, under the same operating conditions, indefinitely, on a reliable schedule, for $75k a year, I'd do it. The work was easy, low stress, and not all that taxing physically, emotionally, or psychologically. Well, sometimes someone would get rather anal expulsive all over the stall walls, but that's a hazard accepted concurrent with the position.

I got pretty good at doing a quick clean-up under a pretty wide variety of conditions. Being outside in all kinds of weather became much less of an issue as I acclimated, and I got some more experience learning how to fix things I'd never looked at the guts of before. That's not a bad set of skills to acquire.

Here's the thing, though; my job experience was abnormal. It is not the natural state of crappy jobs to allow underlings to roam around free and unfettered. It was bound to end, the ultimate fate of micromanaging induced entropy was inevitable. That's why my memories are fond.. I quit that position for another before it got to that point. Recon intel from the same store tells me that more requirements, more work, more duties, and overbearing managing became the "new normal" within six months of my departure.

Takeaway; I quite enjoyed working as a truck stop janitor, but ultimately the pay was simply too low to stay there long term. I'm glad I got out when I did.

Observations on Working Poverty: Unloading Trucks

Many moons ago now, back when George W. was a freshly minted president and was more libertarian than compassionate conservative, I worked at a Big Box Store unloading the delivery truck and stocking shelves during the graveyard shift.

First, there's two ways a truck can be loaded, by hand or by pallet. Sometimes, often actually, it's both. Pallets are easy and convenient, but they tend to dislodge things that make ominous crunching and shattering sounds as you pull them out. There really isn't anything for the hand loaded stuff but to pull it all out, one by one, miserably, by hand. Better stores will have fans to help keep you cool, and manual conveyor racks to help things along, but best you don't count on them being there; creature comforts for the worker bee have a tendency to break down and are typically low on the priority list to be repaired. Any squeaky wheels for the management  or day shift folk will quickly bump off slated repairs that would benefit you.

Even with fans, unloading a truck is hot, sweaty, poorly lit work. It's exhausting, and handling so much cardboard without wearing gloves will quickly chew up soft hands. So, keep on wearing gloves and try to stay hydrated. Wear shorts, even in winter, but wear good boots to protect fragile toes from falling merchandise.

This sort of work isn't without rewards, as such. Playing jenga with boxes as you unload is rather entertaining, as is clogging up the conveyor racks faster than the rest of the crew can unload them. There is also a satisfaction to be had by picking up that last box and admiring dirty work done well.

Night stocking, however, is miserable work and should be avoided if at all possible. You are working against the clock, are often alone and devoid of conversation or companionship, and rarely receive help when it is needed. I derived no pleasure from stocking shelves full of useless junk, knowing that the task would be repeated again the next day.

Third shift work itself requires a certain amount of conditioning, and until you get used to it, a process that could take years, you will always feel tired and irritable. Lack of sleep suppresses the immune system, causing you to get sick more often than you would normally.

Such jobs are then a mixed bag, but are disproportionately bad. Try to only work positions like these for short periods of time.

Book Review; The Art of the Rifle

Spend enough time learning about firearms and their practical applications, and you'll run across the works of Jeff Cooper. The (late) Lt. Col. Cooper was a retired Marine, hunter, and scholar, founder of the Gunsite Training Academy, and Civis Americanus. He was the warrior-poet of his generation, the likes of which I haven't seen in my own. Whenever Lt. Col. Cooper comes up in conversation with other "gun guys", opinions are often divisive (or worse, unformed). It's strange to me that his teachings are somewhat seen as antiquated, when in reality they are quite forward thinking even lo these many years after his death, at least in terms of the use of force, and the practical skills required to run a rifle well in most conditions.

 Full disclosure; this is not the first time I've read "The Art of the Rifle", and it probably won't be the last; it's a pretty short book that is low on story or verse, but long on practical skills and guidance. Think of it as kind of a "How-To" manual for the self-taught rifleman, who due to circumstance can't get out to a proper shooting school to get a finishing education.

The proper audience for this book are those who wish to know how to use a rifle, and want to learn firing positions and undertake drills that will make them more apt to impact their chosen target at distance under field conditions with their first shot. Those who cannot understand the utilitarian, societal, or environmental benefits of hunting best steer clear, same for those who cannot fathom the use of force in human conflict. Lt. Col. Cooper doesn't dwell at all on gore or violence per se, but still this is not a book for the soft-hearted.

Taking the book as it is, it's about a 63 to 65 on my corrected statistical bell curve of literary enjoyment, if 50 was perfectly average in all respects. This is a well written book with lots of useful info and advice, but it's  short, could use more and clearer diagrams, and is sometimes a little dry. Still, it's a great book from a excellent source who was and still is a clear expert in his field.

Fox Crackdown on Jane Cobb Knit Caps

So; here's the thing. Fox has an intellectual property (Firefly) that they need to defend. Nay, they *have* to defend it otherwise they could technically lose the license for it. So, the object of the recent crackdown has been to eliminate third-party sellers infringing their license, which they've gone about in a pretty easy going manner (considering it's cease-and-desist notices rather than full-blown lawsuits coming after profits).

No use in mincing words; it still sucks to trample on your fan-base/customer-base, and generally it's not good business sense. Not that Fox has ever really been concerned with expanding upon or advertising Firefly , but that's neither here nor there.

Still, there's a couple of positive resultants here. First, fans are pissed and are probably going to keep making the hats and selling them underground anyway. Second would be this;

“@pirateknits:Captain, looking to unload illegal hats. twitter.com/PirateKnits/st…”You got a job? We'll do it. Don't much care what it is.

— Nathan Fillion (@NathanFillion) April 11, 2013

Note that in this case, Nathan Fillion chose to retweet this from one of his fans, and the "You got a job?" quote is from him and not the original poster. It's tacit approval of their activity and the boldness in which they are going about it. In this day and age, it does the cochleae of my heart good to see an established actor standing with his fan-base, rather than with profit, and sticking with the spirit of the character that his fans came to love. Good show!

Some Random Observations

-After looking at several universities, visiting each, talking with people, weighing other factors, talking with my better half, and tossing in my own opinions, I'm exercising my option to attend a University in Georgia starting this Fall for my PhD. This decision, of course, has allowed us to narrow the field of potential variability in our short-term planning horizon quite a bit. There's still plenty of wiggle room, but knowing the state, general area, and goals has helped a lot.

-Georgia's Weapon's Carry Laws are similar to NC's, but different all the same. You need a license to carry in Georgia (open or concealed), but that license covers just about everything; it allows for open and concealed carry of firearms, it allows for open and concealed carry of knives above five inches, and it allows the owner to bypass NICS checks (a nicety). The Georgia carry license also allows the owner to keep a firearm in a locked vehicle in a parking lot of a campus...

-Looks like Marlin started making the 336-Y "Spikehorn" again, which is awesome! I finally got to handle one today at the local Gander Mountain, and it was a pretty nice rifle. Considering that it's effective accurate range of the 16" barrel is only about 175 to 200 yards, I'm not terribly concerned with the loss of ballistic efficacy inherent in the 30-30W round. Of course, a nice .308 would be great, but at that light of a weapon I think it would jump around like a pissed off bass out of water.

-First mowing of the season tomorrow. Looking forward to getting it done, actually. Having a freshly mowed lawn makes the day more enjoyable, and it's good meditation time to boot.

-There's no such thing as a stupid question, but whether or not the question makes the initiating party appear stupid to the casual observer is a different story altogether. Like everything else, it depends on context. For example, an 8 year old asking if the princesses seen at Disney are real? That's not stupid, that's pretty damned rational for a child. Now, an adult asking if the princesses are real is a different thing.

A New Classification System to Correctly Identify the "Nerd" Sub-Species

Although widely used in modern media, the term "Nerd" is nebulous and lacks definition. In order to use Nerd as a descriptor or as a sub-species classification for the species Homo Sapiens, criteria must be established to determine whether the term is applicable to the individual in question.

Currently, the sole criterion for determining the applicability of the term is that the person in question should have some sort of interest, hobby, or method of dress (Their "exuvia", if you will) that places them at odds with contemporary society. While this criterion reflects a certain inclusivity that would be admirable in realms other than the scientific, by nature classification schema must be exclusive and seek to limit the number of individuals from a significant population in order to clearly identify and address the particulars of that sub-species.

As this is the case, the goal of this paper is to establish better criteria based on empirical data to limit the field of individuals to the Homo Sapiens sub-species which is currently loosely classified as "Nerd". Additionally this paper will discuss potential alternate sub-species classifications which would better suit members of the population which self identify as "Nerds", but to not meet the criteria to be discussed.

The criteria for identifying "Nerds" are as follows:

1.) The individual in question must be either of above average intelligence or have grades superior to the population at any level of education (G.P.A. of 3.5 or above);
2.) The individual in question must consistently reject superstitions;
3.) The individual in question must not hesitate to pursue a scientific or mathematical approach to problem solving;
4.) the individual in question should always willingly accept additional data while formulating an opinion or deriving a solution to a problem;
5.) The individual in question must, when faced with overwhelming evidence, reject their previous understanding of that subject in favor of the understanding based on empirical data.

Note that the individual being observed must meet all five criteria in order for the term "Nerd" to be aptly applied. Self-identification without meeting this criteria is insufficient evidence to support classification. Also note that there are no physical characteristics that must be met, and that there are no mandatory realms of study in order for the term to be correctly applied. The following syllogism underlines the flawed logic of mandatory realms of study for classification in the Sub-Species "Nerd";

A. All Biologists are Nerds
B. Peter is a Biologist
C. Peter believes dinosaurs and humans co-existed, contrary to overwhelming evidence.
D. Peter is a Nerd.

As you can see, Peter cannot possibly be a nerd because Peter has failed to meet the criteria for the term, specifically criteria numbers 4 and 5, and possibly 3 as well depending on whether or not Peter has an underlying belief in the Creationism mythology. Peter may be better described as a "Pseudo-Nerd", a member of a group of persons which display intellectual or scientific leanings, but have failed to mature into a credible professionals in their chosen field because of flawed logic and inconsistently applied scientific principles.

Physical characteristics of the individual, such as height, weight, build, race, sex, method of dress, hair style or lack thereof are insufficient and totally inapplicable in determining whether an individual can correctly be identified as a Nerd. The criteria discussed above stress that the critical factors involved are methods of understanding and viewing the world, and have nothing to do with physical appearances. The author of this paper submits to the reader that while the aforementioned criteria are sufficient for narrowing the population field to a much smaller group of individuals which can be correctly identified as "Nerds", the term "Nerd" is probably best understood hierarchically as a grouping, rather than a sub-species in and of itself, and that further terminology is required to separate this grouping into discrete populations. These classifications may well involve the use of mandatory realms of study, as the population has been sufficiently narrowed to this point to reduce the field to those who can be regarded as credible professionals, scientists, or individuals of respectable opinion. For example, the term "Geek" may be aptly applied to individuals which pursue an interest in all things technological. Note, however, that while the possession of a degree in this field is not requisite, the degrees held by the individual in question should range from 0 to 1, to allow the the classification of non-classically schooled but respectable professionals.

This paper suggests the use of the prefix "Uber" to describe a group of individuals which meet the "Nerd" criteria,the sub-species realm of study criteria, and additionally possess multiple degrees in any realm of intellectual pursuit. Prefixes can be added to the term depending on the realm of study to establish sub-species, such as "Uber-Music-Geek" to describe a degree'd professional studying techno music. In this instance, the author could be identified as "Uber-Geomorphology-Nerd".

Classification systems are prone to overlapping boundaries and ambiguous criteria that can lead to false identification. The author of this paper stresses that these are suggestions for a new classification system and not a wholly formed system. Further study and input is required before the proposed system can be effectively utilized.