random thoughts – Day 1,466 – (Friday) – assembly line

It’s approaching the home stretch for the Belle of the Ball preparations and today, several of us convened at Anton’s to pack goody bags that will be given to the girls who attend Boutique Day at Hynes Auditorium. Today, there were two shifts of volunteer bankers in three-hour blocks. Four of us spent the morning moving down an assembly line of items. Henry Ford would have been proud of us.

Goody bags in a bin.

Purple organza bags were filled with an assortment of 11 personal care products and loaded into storage tubs. About an hour into it, we wondered how many fit into a tub and counted as we filled one. The tub we counted held 35 bags. At the end of each hour we paused the stuffing to restock the items in the bins we drew from.

It was a great to have a break from the usual routine and chat with colleagues about things not work related. Instead of projects and deadlines, we talked about weddings on farms, Las Vegas, the frustration of being a walker in cities that are hostile to pedestrians. We talked about donuts and the various hot food items at different Market Basket locations. Footwear. Traveling with people who have no interest in exploring the vacation destination. The extra and seemingly unnecessary security of the glue sealing boxes of deodorant and the seemingly wasteful interior plastic wrap that secured the items in groups of three. 

We enjoyed stomping boxes to flatten them for the trash and pretending to be Godzilla while doing so. (Okay, that one was all me. Fight me on it.) And so on. It was fun.

Part of the assembly line, ready for the next shift.

After three hours we had filled 13, 14, maybe 15 tubs with goody bags. The counting was not precise, as our role was manual assembly, not accounting, but we were curious and it was satisfying to see measurable results, even if the measure wasn't accurate. The full goal for the day was based on the number of organza bags, and there were a couple hundred remaining. We refilled the bins holding each item for the afternoon team. We paused for a photo before dispersing for the day. 

The rest of my day was booked as vacation time. There was no solid plan. I made a quick visit to St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shop but found nothing of interest to me. At home, it was another lunch of the last of the delicious and fortifying rice, beans, veggie, queso, and salsa dish. Kiki napped on the chair and mostly ignored me. There was a little lie down on the couch for a nap because I was tired. I’m almost always tired lately, and there are plans to see a show tonight. Of course, I don’t need many reasons to have a nap, and sometimes having the time available is the only reason needed.