The Insanity of the United States Postal Service

Quote: Face

Thanks for the well wishes and support. It does help to be able to lash out and have someone listen and care =)


I did get boots, Columbia Bugaboots. They're "OK", but I still haven't found that sweet spot. They're super comfortable and supportive, completely waterproof as far as I can tell, and about as warm as the inside of a chicken. But you just can't wear them around. If it's over 40* or you're spending time in the office, you gotta switch em out. Won't take but 5 minutes before your feet are on fire and soaked with sweat. I've been bringing 2 or 3 changes of socks with me and swap them when I reload my trays on the street. Wet socks go up on the dash so the defroster dries them, new ones on the feet to stay comfy, and it's working well so far. They'd be perfect for a late winter hunting sit, or a December Bills game, or any other event where you're just chilling in the freeze. But if you get warm, your feet are going to be melting. They're almost too good.

Doesn't Columbia make "sportswear"? Didn't you ask about working wear for inclement weather in the past? Well at least they are pretty. A nice lightning bolt on the side would be appropriate.They should be starting to leak pretty soon. Prolly tore one of the parachute cord laces.

"Anybody, can take one apart" : ) I have watched many men fight that boot thing, over and over, finally give up and do what works. Do you lace them up all the way, or do you leave a big tongue sticking out? Step in over the top yet? It ain't a sprint, it's a marathon.

I will keep an eye open for the Okeefe's.

I bought a Columbia jacket many years ago now, must be 5+. I still wear it, it's my only jacket. A long term, soaking rain is about the only thing that defeats it, and even that takes an hour+. I'm talking 5*F with 40mph wind and I don't feel a wisp. It was very expensive, but they got my support. Best jacket I've ever had, so I had no concern over the boots.

I currently don't even lace them to the hooks. I have them about as loose as I wear my snowboard boots, which can be removed with little more than a sharp kick. It hasn't been cold at all; the last two or three days it's gotten into the 20s at night, and that's it. It's currently about 45* with 60's tomorrow. If I tie them up, they're just too hot. Ditto for the water. The snow, even where the plows piled it, isn't even as high as them, so I haven't stepped too deep. Plus I wear my pants cuff over them instead of tucked, so no issues there.

Serious about the O'Keeffe's. I've never had cracking and shredding like this before, even when roofing. That stuff seals it right up. Even a full, 12hr day or ripping open wet, cold, steel boxes didn't break through it, and I only applied it once as soon as I got to the office. Two thumbs way up.

Quote: Face

I bought a Columbia jacket many years ago now, must be 5+. I still wear it, it's my only jacket. A long term, soaking rain is about the only thing that defeats it, and even that takes an hour+. I'm talking 5*F with 40mph wind and I don't feel a wisp. It was very expensive, but they got my support. Best jacket I've ever had, so I had no concern over the boots.

I currently don't even lace them to the hooks. I have them about as loose as I wear my snowboard boots, which can be removed with little more than a sharp kick. It hasn't been cold at all; the last two or three days it's gotten into the 20s at night, and that's it. It's currently about 45* with 60's tomorrow. If I tie them up, they're just too hot. Ditto for the water. The snow, even where the plows piled it, isn't even as high as them, so I haven't stepped too deep. Plus I wear my pants cuff over them instead of tucked, so no issues there.

I grew up on the Columbia river, I think that is where they started?

I was having fun with you. I lived outdoors as did everyone I knew for decades and watched the footwear battles. Whatever works. My dad told me, "you got to take care of your feet", if your feet are miserable, so is the rest of you.

I had frostbite in both feet back in the 70's, that sucked for years. Couldn't afford decent footwear working in the snow. I remember being so sick, I shit my pants twice because I couldn't take a day off. Good times.

I think we were all missing you, we just show it in different ways. : )

Quote:

Serious about the O'Keeffe's. I've never had cracking and shredding like this before, even when roofing. That stuff seals it right up. Even a full, 12hr day or ripping open wet, cold, steel boxes didn't break through it, and I only applied it once as soon as I got to the office. Two thumbs way up.

My hands and fingers split. It don't disable a guy, but it sure adds to the misery when everything you touch or pull or push opens up a wound, just a little more.

At the last place I showed up, there was usually a couple boxes of band aids on the table, guys would be dressing wounds while getting directions. Just a way of life. Knicks, and cuts and bumps are common as clouds, but I hate when my fingers split. Stings.

Quote: petroglyph

I grew up on the Columbia river, I think that is where they started?

I was having fun with you. I lived outdoors as did everyone I knew for decades and watched the footwear battles. Whatever works. My dad told me, "you got to take care of your feet", if your feet are miserable, so is the rest of you.

I had frostbite in both feet back in the 70's, that sucked for years. Couldn't afford decent footwear working in the snow. I remember being so sick, I shit my pants twice because I couldn't take a day off. Good times.

I think we were all missing you, we just show it in different ways. : )

It's guys like you I think about. People had/have to do that. Not everyone has the 9-5 with paid time off, or offices with schedules. Sometimes, you just have to report. Doesn't matter if you have a fever or torn whatever or the wife left or your dog died. There's a job and you have to do it. I think about it a lot, and it's something I'm trying to aspire to. I don't like that that scenario seems foreign to me. I feel too coddled. That's why I said this experience has been good. Miserable, but good =)

Quote: petro

My hands and fingers split. It don't disable a guy, but it sure adds to the misery when everything you touch or pull or push opens up a wound, just a little more.

At the last place I showed up, there was usually a couple boxes of band aids on the table, guys would be dressing wounds while getting directions. Just a way of life. Knicks, and cuts and bumps are common as clouds, but I hate when my fingers split. Stings.

I totally get it. A tiny little cut isn't something you'd normally even mention. But some things... I work with paper all day. You slide 3,000 envelopes, magazines, business reply cards through your hands a day, that's tens if not hundreds of times they find their way to that crack and stab you. It's not pleasant, and if you can prevent it, why the hell not?

Took one day of repeated stabs to a pesky crack before I started looking. Mama handed me this jar two days later. Haven't had a single poke since, just top notch stuff.

Finally snowed and it's like a new job all over again.

The truck, though awful, is sort of growing on me. I think it's because it's a technical challenge. I'm not much of an offroader, because, well, it's expensive. The commercials are bulls#$%; if you take your factory production truck in the woods, it's coming out broken. But the few times I do go offroading, I enjoy the technicality of it all. The angles, the inputs, all to do exactly this one thing that, if messed up, ends in disaster. The mail truck is the same way. If you just drive it, you just get stuck. But if you work it... I thought of it as a mountain goat last week, that's how good I feel it can be. The very low weight changes everything. Much like you on a pack of melt-freeze, a ginger gait will allow you to motor right across the top about as easy as hard pack. But if you tromp around like a galoot, you bust in and it's a trudge. Mail truck is the same way. I did get stuck once, and flogged the piss out of it to get out, but so far, so good.

What does suck though is, as always, people. The time differential between a plowed box and one that has a mound in front of it is staggering. The worst is when you see a perfectly blown driveway, just wide open and clear, yet there's still a full mound in front of the box. Why don't you blow that s#$% out? Even I have done that since forever, because you know the mailman needs to get in. But too many don't do f#$%-all. Oops, no, wait. The worst is people who plow a footpath to their box, yet leave all the rest. You f#$%ing kidding me? Are ya thick, boy? I'm trying to do work here, you self important tw@, get rid of that s#$%!

It is sort of cute to see some of them. The box will be plowed, there will even be plowed sort of an exit ramp, where people will (thoughtfully and intelligently) plow past the box so your egress is clear. But some of these "off ramps"? Lol! Maybe they think we have bow thrusters and can turn in place, but with no Earthly car would that turn be possible. For some reason, this particular mistake always raises my spirits. Innocent ignorance with a can-do attitude, maybe. But it's become sort of a side quest in the sea of monotony to see how many of these I can complete without folding my fenders in from plowing a snow bank =)

Plow your boxes, people.

Postal people here love plowed in boxes,
no delivery, they blow right by. They store
your mail at the PO until it can be delivered.

Quote: Evenbob

Postal people here love plowed in boxes,
no delivery, they blow right by. They store
your mail at the PO until it can be delivered.

Many Americans need that kind of wake-up call. Used to thinking they need never lift a finger because someone else will take their business. Like the guy who had to wait for his luggage because he had no house number. Sorry, no number and it is *YOUR* fault I missed you, not mine. He paged my co-worker, who had no idea what happened. Ooops!

Quote: Evenbob

Postal people here love plowed in boxes,
no delivery, they blow right by. They store
your mail at the PO until it can be delivered.

That's a dangerous game, EB lol. While the majority is garbage that I can toss as soon as I get to a can, mail must go out. Whatever I bring back just adds that many more seconds to case, that many more seconds to load, that many more seconds to deliver the next day. I tend to prevent bringing stuff back if I can. Do it to enough stops and that's a whole 'nuther tray you have to tote and load and possibly spill... it's just not worth it, in most cases. But...

Quote: AZDuffman

Many Americans need that kind of wake-up call. Used to thinking they need never lift a finger because someone else will take their business.

...and I'm just the man to ring that phone.

I'm reasonable. I understand that if it's snowing all night and still in the morning, and I tool by at 9a-10a, you're probably at work and can't tend your box. No problem. I don't have to dismount, in fact, I'm almost expressly forbidden to unless it's for a parcel, but I still dismount to fill a box. I try to do a good job. I try to provide service. But those path cutters? You had the f#$%ing thing out, running, and blowing. You blew right in front of your box to make the path. If you can't blow for 10 seconds to clear me one, too, then I do not care. Two people on my route are >this close< to being put on a legit hold because I have so much of their s#$%. I'm just not doing it. I'm not getting stuck because you're a tw@. I mean, I watched a guy do it. First day of snow he was out clearing. I saw him, he saw me. His box was a mess so I skipped him. I promptly got mucked down at the next box. I know he saw me; I was raping the hell out of the tranny in the truck and I was still pretty much in front of his house. Everyone in the neighborhood had to have heard it. Come back the next day and his box is even worse than the day before, as he cleared nothing and the plows added to what was already there.

Just no. I ain't doing it. If it ain't cleared tomorrow, he's going on hold, I ain't telling no one, and I ain't labeling s#$%. And when he comes for his mail, no one will know and no one will find it. Make him waste some of his own precious time. If someone remembers to tell me, I'll get it to him the next day. If not, then he'll just wait. Maybe a couple late fees on his bills will set him straight =p

Quote: Face

That's a dangerous game, EB lol.

My PO attempts delivery 5 times, then they
stop trying. They hold all your mail till you
come and get it. I know this because for
decades that was me. My box is on a corner
that always got plowed under, they would
bury the box. They told me at the PO what
the procedure was, which was fine with
me. The PO is 4 miles away, go there once
a week and pick it up.

Boots leaking yet?