That being said, I have no way of determining how much mail I deliver on a current route other than counting it all--which is an insane and stupid idea, considering how much time that would waste! Best I can do is supply a picture based on an average amount of mail:
This was my mail load for today, Tuesday, which is a typically super-light day. Think of it as "the calm after the storm", the storm being Monday.
On Monday I had four trays of raw letters, as seen on the right. I had about double the amount of boxes I had today, and about triple the amount of small parcels--small envelopes, boxes, etc., that can usually fit in a standard mailbox. Though you can't get a good view of my trays of flats (magazines, large envelopes, etc.)--they are in the back right, behind my pile of parcels. I had double the amount of flats for Monday compared to today's load.
Oh, and I had two tubs full of parcels for two academic departments I had to deliver to on Monday, something that I didn't have to deal with today.
In other words, my mail load for Monday was at least double for what I had today. It may not seem like a whole lot, but there is a considerable difference when delivering them suckers, especially since this route is all walking. That's a lot of stuff to carry! Ugh... Not to mention dropping mail by accident. The act of dropping a bundle of mail on the ground is like seeing your life flash before your eyes--it's a horrible thing to have happen to you as a mailman. Luckily once the mail hits the ground, it is still relatively in order--all you have to do is simply take a deep breath, calm your nerves, and piece the bundle back together again. While working under time restraints though, man, I've almost broken down after having a bundle of mail slip from my hands.
Other than that, Tuesday is usually pretty quick. I also met a dog today that was really nice. Most dogs, especially those with their owners out on walks, are usually pretty nice. If not, well, it doesn't take much to determine a good dog who just wants pets from a bad dog who wants to maul ya. This dog, a herding dog, was being walked across the street by its owner. I said "hi" to the guy and then commented that his dog looked plum tired and needed a nap. As soon as I said that, the dog on cue lay down on the ground. It was pretty funny, considering I just said "nap." The owner explained the dog, Bing, usually does that for attention and due to instinct, him being a herding dog and the like. I gave it a good number of pets and went on my way, glad that I met a good dog instead of the opposite.
Oh, and yes, I usually drive mail trucks while delivering. However, we have about five vans at my station, one of which is assigned to the route I've been doing the past week. Hence the van in the above photo. It's especially nice in this hot, steamy weather, since the van has some high-power AC in it. Perfect for those segments where you drive from one walking loop to the next. :D
No comments:
Post a Comment