Work?? Yes, I went out and found a job. With the US Postal Service. God knows I use them enough, might as well work there.
I went to my orientation the week of Thanksgiving, and have been been going in for a few hours a day to work behind the counter and behind the front, sorting mail.
I understand now why people go off.
There are specific deadlines-if the post box says "last pick-up at 5", you had better be out there at 1700L with your scan gun. Or 1701L, but certainly NOT 1659L. All the mail needs to be in the rental boxes at a certain time, and sorted by a certain time. There are deadline stresses every day.
There are also personnel stressors. In my orientation class of 15, no one was eligible for benefits. The woman who's training me? Nada. Which is all well and good in a down economy, but I wonder how well that's going to go for people who get bitten by a dog. And you know why mail carriers have a satchel? To defend them (along with pepper spray) against bad dogs.
So it's interesting. And it's hard work. I'm learning a lot!
