Wednesday, September 5, 2007

The life of the undead...

Most folks know that I work third shift. I have worked third shift for most of seventeen years straight. You would think that I would be getting used to it by now but the truth is that you never get used to it. What most folks don't know is what working third shift is like.


Stand by for a peek into the life of the undead.



Many of the folks that I have worked with over the years have moved on to a more normal existence of a day shift job or at least a job that allows you to sleep at night. I could probably move on myself but working in the graveyard allows me to - mostly - fly under the radar at work and at home it allows me to do things during the day and get a few hours of sleep before heading off.


The typical day is as follows ( we will start when I wake ):

It is somewhere between 4 and 6 PM as I get out of bed. I usually don't get up to an alarm clock because there is usually no need to.

After the obligatory butt scratching and trip to the potty room, I head downstairs to check on my beautiful wife ( she should be home by now ). After checking in with her, it is time to figure out whether to eat breakfast, dinner or something else.
We shall say that breakfast at home is the chosen option. I dig out the mini wheats, Splenda and the organic 1 % milk. Thirty seconds of heating my cereal in the microwave and then I eat my breakfast as I catch the evening news.
There are many times when breakfast will not be the first meal. If we head off to someone else's house then I will be having dinner for breakfast. Kind of strange but you get used to it... mostly.

An aside here about meals. Most folks on third eat on a schedule. You have breakfast at about a certain time, lunch ate a certain time and so on. Schedule is important because on third your circadian rythms are so far afield from what is normal your poor body has no clue when to eat, sleep or whatever. So you eat on a schedule regardless of whether you are hungry. Even after this long I don't know what to eat and when.

With breakfast under the belt, it is time to make myself somewhat presentable. Enough about that.

Whatever happens in the evening ( my morning ) is whatever needs to happen. Sometimes home stuff, sometimes out & about, just whatever.

It is time to get ready for work. I get dressed and head out. After arriving at work at about 9:40 PM, I stop on at the cafeteria and get a jug-o-mountain dew. That will help me stay awake and hold me over for a few hours until 12:30 AM which will be time for lunch. Because the cafeteria won't be open until 2:30AM I settle in for a frozen meal and maybe a chicken finger if Charles happens to bring in a box of leftovers from his store.
Eating at 12:30, which is a fifteen minute break, allows me to nap at my 45 minute lunch if I need to. I usually don't nap, I am usually too busy.

At about 5:30 AM the end is in sight and I head off to the cafe once again. I will have a cup of tea and maybe a biscuit. No real reason to eat as I am not really hungry but hey, eating at 5:30 is the norm and why stop now. The folks that sleep at night are making there way in and it provides a relaxing time to socialize. They tell us anything happened in the real world overnight and we clue them in on work happenings and what flavor of hornet's nest that they are walking in to.

You are probably getting up and I am now heading to the house where I will perform my morning chores. Monkey around on the computer for a bit as I listen to talk radio. Then about 9 AM I will head off to bed. I curl up with ear plugs and my Tempurpedic sleep mask which, but the way, is one of the greatest gifts that I ever received. Thanks Nanny Lou! With the sound and light blocked out I will be down for another 7 to 8 hours.

Then it starts all over again.

The weekends present difficulties as well. If it is necessary to work one day on the weekend I generally go ahead and work the other day as well because it is just too hard to switch back to 'day shift' for just one day.
I know that it is hard on the family but that is the way it is. Life is hard sometimes, you just deal with it.

I don't want to make it sound that I have the sword of Damocles hovering above my head at all times. That is not the case at all. Life is good. Life is always good... it is just a bit fuzzy at times.
It could best be summed up by this picture...


dude