Sitka or Bust: Commute The World

Today was possibly the best day I’ve had yet. But that is a story for another day. Instead, I’d like to share a few of the things I do in the Processing Room. It is of course, my favorite place to go during work. Yesterday, I spent a bit in the PR constructing the fish boxes we send our clients home with. Now, this might not seem like such an awesome activity, but there’s nothing so wonderful as being far from drama, listening to tunes, and doing thoughtless tasks. Of course, even thoughtless tasks take some getting used to.

The first warning I was given when I started to make boxes, was to not staple my thumb. Apparently it happens more often than not, and the stapler we use isn’t as small as a desktop stapler. When you operate a stapler that has a foot pump, you kinda realize that you aren’t exactly safe. But hey, its an experience.

I left the stapling to Squirt, while my bud and I folded boxes and put stickers on them. Even as lame as that sounds, everything in the PR is much more fun than anywhere else. The boxes are made out of thick cardboard covered in wax so the fish juices don’t leak out. They have to be pretty tough because they hold 50lbs of fish per box.

Usually I’m a sticker girl, placing the Alaska Airlines and Keep Frozen stickers just perfectly where they are supposed to be, without going around a bend or making them easier to peel. Yesterday though, I was a box creaser, someone who folds the edges and the flaps before handing it off to the stapler.

I got pretty quick at the folding though, so I stacked em up and moved on to placing liners in each of the box bottoms and crunching the tops on them for storage. I say crunching because sometimes they are really temperamental and you have to put some muscle behind it. We had stacks of boxes made by the start of lunch, my hands were raw from the rough cardboard, and I had little flecks of wax all over me. All in all, I find this to be a productive work day.

Today, on the other hand, was perfect for other reasons. Nothing like walking the length of Sitka will ever get you as mellow. I finally had the opportunity to wander at my own pace, to browse in weird stores, and to look around without being on a deadline. As much as you might think though, I wasn’t walking like a tourist so much as a resident. It felt amazing.