MrNepathy's Blog

About a month ago, due to high volume and a surge of demands of our services, my department was told that we would have to move back to a mandatory 45-hour work week. It seems that margins are down and so the upper echelon of the company wanted cost analysis reports for the top twenty accounts for each terminal. Someone thought it would be a good idea to demand all of these at once and make them a rush. We were already busy because of various economic factors. In the bad economy a lot of shippers wanted to reduce rates so they have been out shopping for new carriers. Worse still is the fact that UPS and FedEx both decided to move beyond small packages and get into the freight business. They did this at virtually the same time. Yellow and Roadway also merged, creating a larger company. With so many large companies out there, it has created a freight system that exceeds demand. If there are ten companies that each make ten TV sets per year but there are only ninety people looking to buy one TV each, there’s a problem. Things are not going well for Yellow/Roadway and the freight world seems to be holding its breath that Yellow/Roadway collapses. It would potentially reverse the situation turning it from a shipper’s market into a carrier’s market. But the short version of this entire thing is that I’m working 45 hours per week and as I’m salaried, I get paid the same as when I was working 40. (more…)

It was a blustery morning in the valley. The storm possessed two qualities beyond all others: wrath and patience. But the wind was far too impetuous rushed out to announce the storm’s impending arrival. Leaves, long dead and trampled since the start of autumn months prior, were kicked up into the air and tossed about in seemingly random swirls. (more…)

As the night stretched on, Thatus’s strength waned. When the world was at its darkest, his head slumped forward and his breathing grew more shallow. All the while Celia held onto his hand, sometimes lifting it to kiss the back. The warmth of her lips was usually enough to make his head lift again as he woke. He tried to tell her, and Dalen, that it was the fatigue of the journey and not his injuries that made his eyelids so heavy. The weakness of his voice and the dreary slur of his words showed the truth. (more…)

Pitok stood over Thatus who had just suffered a terrible blow and was now slumped against the wall of the keep. Blood marked the corners of his mouth and the front of his quilt armor. Just as the god of wagers was about to swing, he heard Celia’s prayer end. He tilted his right ear towards the sky, listening for a moment. When he turned back to Thatus, he sneered. The expression on his face was one of smug victory. (more…)

When the attack happened, it was swift and overwhelming. Just seconds after the first feet could be seen in the edges of the globes of light, the zombies were upon the defenders. The whistling sound of arrows was muted as the arrows struck flesh. The clear resonance of ringing steel was halted by the meaty sound of skin and muscle tearing. Hands and bone impacted against armor, leather and flesh. The ripping timbre was usually followed by a cry of pain or the hush of a voice suddenly and horribly silenced. (more…)