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The job
Yep I am still working, driving Greta the combine. Long story short, she has been great, but I have a pretty love/hate relationship with my job. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, I think that's pretty normal for anyone with a job...right? It's pretty safe to say that since the last time I wrote on here, I have gotten a lot more experience with work, meaning I have experienced almost every kind of break down possible that a combine can accomplish, I have learned how to fix my own plug-ups (meaning I can fix when my header takes in too much seed and clogs itself), I have learned various and assorted farm lingo and/or how to keep my overly liberal mouth shut (go Obama I mean what), I have learned how to drive a combine on the road (and by road I mean I-5), and most importantly, I have learned how to entertain myself when dealing with 10+ hour shifts. As of right now, the job is also 6 days per week, which as you can imagine gets really tiring. We are currently working on a bunch of fields down in Creswell (30 mins south of Eugene), which should take a few more days to complete. Okay, let me cut to the love/hate part. There are things I love about this job, and there are things that I hate. Let me make a list for you: (...so much for no listy things...)
I hate:
1. Servicing the combine. Okay that's not completely true...I hate blowing them off with a leaf blower every morning. You sweat, and then to top that off dirt flies everywhere so that mixes in with the sweat and then you pretty much never feel completely clean again. Oh and then just add a little bit of grease to all of this.
2. Driving the combine past 9pm. We normally end a little bit after 9, but I find that once it gets later than that I start to get a little crazy, you know like screaming, singing obscenely, doing stuff like that in my combine.
3. Getting up in the morning to drive 30 mins in order to be at work by 8am.
4. When the combine breaks down or has a heart attack and people get all stressed out and take it out on me.
5. Crying over the aforementioned point.
I love:
1. That feeling you get at the end of a really good day where nothing went wrong with your combine in the fields.
2. That feeling of accomplishment you get after achieving something on your own for the first time. For example today I was for the first time able to drive up to one of our semi-trucks and dump seed into it without spilling anything (normally we have someone drive a truck alongside us that we can dump into and he aligns himself with us), meaning I aimed correctly. Also, the other day I drove my combine down I-5 to get from Coburg to Creswell, so that was exciting.
3. When we get off earlier than 9pm.
4. The really good friends I have made on the job.
5. The fact that some of my coworkers have incredible senses of humor. I love listening to people's crazy conversations over the radio.
6. The higher appreciation I have for playlists and audiobooks.
7. All of the pretty sunsets I get to witness almost every night. Like this one:
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Crater Lake
I also went to Crater Lake with my mom and best friend Bre! Here is picture proof:
Crater Lake Lodge.
Obscenely large fireplace inside the Lodge.
Pinnacles.
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The Olympics
Yeah I've been watching them, when my job will let me. Needless to say I'm kind of in love with these people:
Okay now I seriously need to go to bed. My eyelids are shutting as I am typing this. Oh! But before I do, let me just give you a heads up on what my next post is going to be about (the one that I'm currently working on). It's entitled Extended family; make of that what you will. Goodnight!
~Erin
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