I just finished up and 18-hour shift at the papermill...if you couldnt guess thats a really long time to be in a papermill. I touched a lot of paper today.....

Anyone else had to endure one of these horrible, torturous shifts?

Maine + paper mill reminds me of that super creepy Stephen King short story about mutated bats and rats in the cellar.

i dont even know if that description narrowed down his short story library at all...but yeah i kinda recall that one.

No rodents in the mill though...they would melt in the heat and 200% humidity(only slightly exaggerating)

Wait, now I have to look this up. It's from his first collection of short stories I believe (there are four anthologies altogether I think. All awesome.)

edit: Found it! It's called Graveyard Shift from his book Night Shift.

18 hours? Is that even legal? Damn. Half a week's pay right there in one long ass day. Pulled a few of those myself, though not of my own will though.

Graveyard Shift was not the best King film ever. But it wasn't Pet Sematary 2, either.

I've never worked at any of the mills, but I did spend quite a few youthful seasons working in hayfields, potato fields and pea fields from 5 am to 9pm. It made me a very physically strong kid. Also one who hated Maine.

do they still get off school to bring in the potatoes or is that of days done past.

About half the high schools do in Aroostook County and in Carleton, Madawaska and Victoria Counties, New Brunswick. But the break is only 3 weeks now instead of the previous 5 weeks and most of the middle and elementary schools stay in session.

It's funny that, now that harvesters are used, potato baskets, barrels and winches are collectors items. They were everywhere when I was kid.

hey now...

So, what percentage of your hearing have you lost by this point?

Hmm potato harvest...i always just used that as a vacation. Always had another job so i couldnt go make my fortune in spuds.

Hearing loss...not too much so far...earplugs are essential. I didnt have the greatest hearing to begin with. They'll retest us at the end of the summer and tell us how much more deaf we just got. thirty years in that place and i could understand why my father cant hear a word i say.

Amazing how fast you adjust to the noise tho, u start to differentiate between the loud background noise and the LOUDER "o shit" noise of something going terribly terribly wrong, usually leading to me being covered in sweat,pulp, grease, and so many chemicals i coudl start my own parmaceutical company.