# I can't believe I used to often pull 36 hour shifts



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Before I retired I was always on 24/7 call and for all but 4 years of my 25 in the industry on a weird scheduled 2nd/3rd split that could slide me four to 8 hours into the front or back end of 1st shift.

Sometimes when the fat was in the fire I would either stash my sleeping bag, army cot and duffle bag and in a store room and shave and shower in the maintenance head and shower room during my short sleep and eat times.

Over a decade later stretching out over 6 days 42 hours of doing the easy side of what I used to do burning the candle at both ends while my boss melted the side of my candle with a blow torch leaves me wore out like a fox being chased for 3 days by a 50 dog pack over a treeless salt flat.

I am either getting old, getting real comfortable with retired life or maybe a little of both. 

I sure don't remember all these grey hairs in my November beard before :hrm:


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

You're comfortable with retired life and you EARNED each of those grey hairs!


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

I just wish the guys I used to work with and trained understood I am not a young lab lead anymore. I don't mind the occasional question but when they ask me to proofread a few user manuals thick as the Atlanta Yellow Pages, it still make my eyes go watery and crossed and as I get older its harder to uncross them. :rotfl:


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

In the blink of an eye.


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## edcopp (Oct 9, 2004)

Good training for an up and coming worm farmer.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

I sure know about those double shifts . the normal days were 12-14 hrs.; we were in road building so what ever the weather added problems . but most weeks at least on day they would do us a favor and make on a double . then there were weekend marathon jobs where thy would shut down a airport runway or most laneson a major hiway for emergency repairs and we'd keep pushing till it was complete . but being a union job we got payed and every hour we worked counted twards retirement pension so most years I could get enough hours to gain an extra 1/2 year to early retirement .so at 50 I was able to retire . but the wear shows like a new car driven at 100 miles an hour constantly and skiping oil changes .so gos the back and knees .


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## puddlejumper007 (Jan 12, 2008)

wow, and i thought i burned out with twelve hour shifts...


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

A hospital intern once asked me how I could handle the sort of call and work shift that was my norm after he saw me at the trauma ER he was pulling an extended shift upgrading and transferring their intranet system in up mode and noticed that although my diag support team members varied, I was signing in and out every five or six hours over a 72 hour period for 90 minutes or so.

I told him my 90 minute absences were when I went to our service van to grab some sleep before returning to get status from the current team leader because I was the trainer/sign off on onsite qual test.

BTW spending 3 days around a hospital and ER and trying to concentrate only on the network issues and ignoring the medical talk can not be done.

30 years later I still get a :yuck: feeling at some of the stuff we couldn't help but overhearing during that job when I think back to my stint in our company medical division. Needless to say I am glad I never went into medicine but glad there are those willing to.


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