My hands probably have it the worst. I cannot tell you how many pieces of paper I've touched over the last 3 weeks. And, if you've had the same experience, you know touching lots of paper = dry skin. So, I have a lotion bottle stashed in my desk drawer. Seems like it doesn't help much, but I know I'd be worse off if I didn't have any lotion.
Then, of course, there's the fact that I did my usual in burning myself this morning. Everyone around here knows this is a common occurrence for me - usually from something on the stove or in the oven. But, today, in my rush out the door, I absent-mindedly grabbed the flat iron when I went to unplug it. I don't know why I did this. But, I have a two inch red painful mark to remind me to ponder over the situation.
And, to top it off, I'm still healing from a few paper cuts. Know what is worse than a regular paper cut? A cardboard cut. Yes... a big gash in my skin, gained through my efforts of quickly ripping open a box. I've had flyers and brochures and magazines and booklets pouring in from all of our new partners and insurance carriers, and a couple of days ago, I just ripped open a box and ripped open my hand at the same time. Know what's worse than a cardboard cut? A paper cut on top of a cardboard cut. Yes, it's true. Just a double treat which a special person like me can have.
My hands have never looked great. I regularly hide them behind my back - especially in pictures. But, lately, they look worse than ever. Thankfully, God has allowed me the use of them, and I'm thankful he's blessed me to use them more than ever in the recent weeks when I've really needed them here at work. They help me type... rip open boxes... pick up my "nieces"... extend my hugs through the tips of my fingers... dial the phone... play the piano... and, of course, eat - among so many other activities.
It's just that they need a little more TLC than usual right now. Of course, a few aloe vera plants (otherwise called "burn plants") have been sitting at Sister Elaine and Brother Tom's house for weeks - just waiting for me to pick them up. They sure would have come in handy today. And, of course, I'm wearing one of these right now for the paper cuts.
Ever seen one of these? On the package, the following words are included:
Highly visible
Metal detectable
Water resistant
Flexible foam
Latex free
Sterile adhesive bandage
You may learn more about our industry than you ever wanted to learn. But there are a few reasons why regular band-aids are not allowed on our site and why these are required (and available within out site first aid kits) here at our business and within the food industry. When creating our flavors, the production staff must not wear anything that might fall into the food batches. (No jewelry except wedding bands or medical alert tags.) Therefore, if a bandage must be worn, it must be VISIBLE! There's no way that this could fall into something we make and not be seen. Also, when our flavor batches are packaged, they are run through a metal detector to make sure no foreign objects have contaminated the batch. Therefore, if someone accidentally dropped one of these, the production staff would see it long before it was sent to our customers. Thankfully! (I just wish the world had detectors for other things that fall into food!)
So, if you ever come to the site for a visit, be sure to ask me for one of these doozies! I'll probably already be wearing one or two.
7 comments:
Paper-cuts are the worst!
Maybe the Cabana Boy on your trip could massage your hands as well!!
David Stremmel
Michelle's Cousin
Whew! I suggest some heavy-duty surgical gloves - on top of your super-cool band-aids, of course.
(I hope you can make this out through all the hyphens)
You know, I am suprised more food production companies don't use the metal detector system. We had a local Dollar store at Valentine's that received a shipment of candy that contained metal shards in it... Granted it was Pokemon candy so it was probably from China along with the lead paint toys... but still... food and metal detectors sound like a great combo to me!
That is one cool band-aide! Metal detector for ice-cream, who ever knew!
That's a bunch of ouchies, Michelle! Hope they heal quickly. I cut my finger on a diet coke box recently, so I can almost relate. Fortunately I did not sustain a paper cut on top of the cardboard cut. Really, that's just adding insult to injury, isn't it?? And wow, that is some kind of kewl bandaid. I'd say if they won't let you use a Hello Kitty bandaid, then bright blue and metal-detectable is the next best thing! :o)
It sounds like you want to head south on your vacation. Silly me, I was going to suggest Duluth! We vacationed there a few years ago and it was awesome. But then, we do tend to take the road less traveled...
It was good to see you Tuesday night! Hope to see you at TNT in a few weeks.
Oh Strem, where are you! We sure do miss your clever and happy blogs.
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