From January of 2010 until August of 2012 it was just me and the Big Girl. On the road to the banks of the Merrimack River for over two years. Living in the hotel, working ten hour days. I was turning into Mad Max.
But I returned to home and hearth and was safely esconced therein until May of '13...
It was then, just when I thought I was home free, that "they" (aka The Powers That Be) moved my test equipment Up North. Different facility from my last stint, but still within spittin' distance of the Merrimack Valley. (Actually only about four miles from my last gig, so in reality, still in the Merrimack River Valley. You wouldn't have to spit far. I guess you could say it was in drooling distance. But I won't. Though I just did...)
Same hotel, slightly different cast of characters, different project than before. Monday to Thursday were ten hour days, Friday was a four to five hour day, dependent on my mood, which was usually pretty surly at that point in the week. I'm not saying my boss would toss raw meat into my cubicle to distract me, but I think he did buy me a cuppa joe once.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Travelin' time's here!
The road SUCKS. People who don't have to do it are envious ("Oh, you get to go to so many cool places!") but the reality is you're abused. Management at remote locations KNOW you don't have a life, so they work yer ass into the ground. And the freakin' coffee's always bad, too.
ReplyDeleteThat was MY experience, YMMV.
Well, where I'm going I've already "trained" the management. I also have some good friends up yonder. So it's not like I'm going to be a thousand miles from home in an unfamiliar place.
DeleteAnd this time I sorta volunteered. The home office likes my "team spirit, willing to travel he is". Take all the short missions, someone else gets the trips overseas. No problem here. I've done the international thing.