Another Week

Things at work are so slow that people were sent home last week.  I was the only one in my boat, other than supervisors, who did not lose at least one day of working.  And we permanently lost one member who forgot her badge one too many times.  The only boat that is really busy is admin.  They are in the process of hiring over a thousand people.  I heard that a lot of the training sessions for new employees have been set up for daytime.  We've been trying to get people who are available evenings and weekends, and we've tested a lot of people who are already working during the day, so why they scheduled training for the daytime is a mystery to me. 

Here is the way our recruiting goals are set.  Our nine-parish area is divided into tracts.  In most cases, a tract lies within just one parish, but there are a few exceptions.  Tract size varies, depending upon the population density of the area.  Some tracts are quite small, but others cover a wide area.  Cameron, for instance, only has two tracts.  Each tract has a target goal for the number of qualified applicants needed.  We have maps showing the tracts, but these do not have any towns or roads on them.  The only thing drawn on them, besides tract lines, are parish and zip code boundaries.  There are other maps with highways and towns shown on them, but they do not have tract boundaries shown.  It is difficult to tell just where a tract boundary occurs.  They often dissect small towns, and do not always follow discernable landmarks.  I printed maps with towns and highways and hand-drew tract boundaries as best as I could so I would have an idea of where the tracts were located.

We get a map showing percentages of our goals by tract.  The percentages are shown in 25% increments.  While this gives a visual of where we are lowest in recruiting, it doesn't provide a clue as to how many more people are needed in any area.  Some tracts need over a hundred applicants; some tracts need only one or two.  We get a list of tracts, the number needed, and the number tested.  I wrote down on my maps the additional number needed for each tract.  It was the first time we could see how many people we needed in each area.  I'm guessing the Census Bureau is not furnishing tract maps with towns and highways shown on it because of copyright laws, but they could at least offer tract maps showing the numbers needed. 

I made chicken and dumplings this weekend.  It turned out pretty good, but my dumplings were a little on the fluffy side.  I like them chewy inside.  The next time I try it, I'll made a smaller batch.  I used a hen, and I've got lots and lots of it.  Hope dumplings freeze well.