Work, work, work....
Jan. 10th, 2003 02:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
senoritafishDocks yesterday - I managed to get a squid sample from Western, which just started recieving sardines and squid a few months ago. Their set up is crazy. Instead of the metal tanks used by the other dealers, they use molded plastic ones, which are probably cheaper, but seem, to me at least, to be a lot more unstable. Instead of pallet jacks to move the bins, they use full-on fork lifts, and they have one guy who drives them like a maniac. He moves a full bin on fish over to the building, where the doorway is only a couple of inches wider than the bin itself. I think someday I'm going to drive by there and see a big hole where he missed the doorway. I always feel like I'm taking my life in my hands when I take my little net over to grab some squid as it drops off the conveyor into the bin, because this guy is just waiting to shove the next bin into place, probably over my feet. Then, because this is on the street next to the wharfside, cars are trying to drive by as well. Yeesh! Kathy Jeanne only had five tons, but they took forever with it. Because there is a mild El Niño occuring, squid have not been schooling as well as they usually do. They are there, 150 fathoms deep -- the fishermen can see them on their depth finders, but they are not attracted up the lights and too deep for their gear.
At State Fish, Maria had a pure load of Pacific mackerel, a rare sight these days. Fairly large too. We behind on sampling those, so I had to hang around and watch the entire load - they had 65 tons. Luckily, their pump is fast and they have two weigh baskets, so it goes quickly, 45 minutes to an hour at most. At other dealers, the same amount can up to three hours or more to unload.
On my way back to the office, there were a few odd sights:
1) A woman in a suit, talking on her cell phone, on the island in the middle of Ocean Blvd. This in itself was not so unusual, but when I first saw her I thought she was a little person. When I drove past, I realized she was standing in a knee-deep hole in the dirt. Maybe it was the only place her phone had good reception?
2) A couple of blocks later, hordes of matronly women in purple skirt suits with pink blouses. My God, a Mary Kay convention must be in town. Sure enough, I passed the sign for the Sports Arena/Terrace Theater/Convention Center and guess what it says?
3) Oxymoron of the Day - a truck getting on the freeway onramp has the words "TRU-GREEN CHEM-LAWN" on the side. If you have to spray a bunch of chemicals on your lawn, is the result truly the color that grass was meant to be? I always seem to see these trucks driving away from golf courses.
I need to get to reading mackerel otoliths, but John is still puking his brains out so I took off a couple hours early and am still off today.
At State Fish, Maria had a pure load of Pacific mackerel, a rare sight these days. Fairly large too. We behind on sampling those, so I had to hang around and watch the entire load - they had 65 tons. Luckily, their pump is fast and they have two weigh baskets, so it goes quickly, 45 minutes to an hour at most. At other dealers, the same amount can up to three hours or more to unload.
On my way back to the office, there were a few odd sights:
1) A woman in a suit, talking on her cell phone, on the island in the middle of Ocean Blvd. This in itself was not so unusual, but when I first saw her I thought she was a little person. When I drove past, I realized she was standing in a knee-deep hole in the dirt. Maybe it was the only place her phone had good reception?
2) A couple of blocks later, hordes of matronly women in purple skirt suits with pink blouses. My God, a Mary Kay convention must be in town. Sure enough, I passed the sign for the Sports Arena/Terrace Theater/Convention Center and guess what it says?
3) Oxymoron of the Day - a truck getting on the freeway onramp has the words "TRU-GREEN CHEM-LAWN" on the side. If you have to spray a bunch of chemicals on your lawn, is the result truly the color that grass was meant to be? I always seem to see these trucks driving away from golf courses.
I need to get to reading mackerel otoliths, but John is still puking his brains out so I took off a couple hours early and am still off today.
