I have a very demanding job in terms of hours spent there, not the work itself, which is in the manufacturing end. Some days are a little demanding on my body and on my ears, nerves, and my soul. And I need to be on my toes lest my machine bite me or tear my hand off or burn me etc. Sometimes I feel like a boxer, not a great fighter like Ali or Tyson, but a pug fighter like Jerry Quarry was, face all pushed in, all lumped up and oozing blood.Never had a chance in his fights against the great ones, but he went the distance more often than not, and the people in his corner kept putting the stool down to let him rest, and kept him cooled down with a damp sponge and told him he was doing okay, even as he stared at the brute in the other corner waiting to pound him a bit more.

Support is what it's all about. If you stand alone against the beast, he'll eat you for lunch and laugh when it's over.

I work far too much but that can't be helped right now. Some of the shifts I work only allow me a brief visit with the wife and kiddies, like two steamers passing in the night somewhere. That's the worst part, being lonely, and duking it out by yourself. But I know they'll be there to put the stool down for me. The Mudcat too!

Clifton