Got my uniforms for work yesterday. They are dead sexy. Especially the navy jacket with my name on it! When people do the double takes to check if they are really seeing a female in the shop, the name on the uniform makes it stick as reality. I'll try to get a picture out to show people how amazing unattractive men's pants look on females. The bottom of the pant leg is tapered and they are pressed by the laundry service to have neat creases in the front. Snazzy. I keep all sorts of implements in my shirt pocket: air gauge, tread depth gauge, pen, tiny screwdriver for prying. What I really need is a pocket protector.
And then there are the black carhart overalls I bought this week. They are heaven! I no longer have to worry about destroying all my t-shirts at school. love love love em!
One thing I've noticed about the work clothes thing is that I feel weird wearing my real-life pants now. They are tighter (partly my eating habits tanking I think) and made for women, but they feel foreign. I don't dress up for school so I rarely put on anything other than grubby men's pants I bought at salvation army. A big benefit is that my laundry quantity is at an all time low. All work uniforms are washed commercially and hung on nice little hangers in the break room at work. Changing into these uniforms has been interesting, since everyone uses the break room. We take turns. However there isn't a lock on the door, so I usually end up changing frantically, worried that one of the guys is going to bust in on me in my panties. (Just a thought, but I think with all the masculinity in my life it's time to upgrade to the most feminine underwear I can find.) My hands are becoming anything but beautiful. My thumbnail is purple from smashing it this week. My arms are black and blue (so many of you have seen my narly bruises before - remember my bike bruise on my inner thigh? Definitely bruise easily). I'm not sweating it though. I barely had nails to begin with.
So, to add to another reason to hate domestics, my teacher pointed out that a lot of GM's use faux gauges on the dash. Let me explain. Everyone familiar with the oil light or gauge? It comes on when your oil pressure drops below a level that the engine needs to operate correctly (read: light comes on, SERIOUSLY bad for the car. May be too late. PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY!). The gauges typically show the amount of oil pressure the car has and will fluctuate just a tad when you accelerate. There is a valve that handles the excess pressure and brings it back into an even range. The light works by a little diaphragm that pushes against a switch to hold open a circuit. Not enough pressure the circuit is closed and the light comes on. Get it? Anyways, long explanation to bring me to tell you that GM puts gauges in cars that operate the same way the light does. Either is has pressure or it doesn't. On or off. Just an tad bit deceiving. I told a tech at work about it. His response: all cars are garbage. Ok then. He sees it like this: garbage = job. Simple enough.
Class is moving along. We are almost to the point of putting our engines back together and running them. Keep your fingers crossed cause our engine has all sorts of problems. Can't even begin to explain....I'm very nervous.
One guy at work is quitting. He's inexperienced and in school, like me. The manager yells at him constantly. They have done very little to show him how to be good at his job. I asked him if, above all, he thinks they treat him differently because he's mexican. Response: yes. I was EXTREMELY disappointed to hear this. The manager is a total redneck. What is this going to mean for me as a woman? I'm going to miss the guy. He's becoming a good friend and is extremely supportive. He told me just yesterday how in awe he is to watch a woman work in the shop. Blush. Ah shucks....
I'm sure there is more to tell, I just can't think of anything else. All I can focus on is food and sleep. And my aching feet.
Oh, there was finally talk about hosing out the bathroom at work. One step in the right direction.
