Visiting The Mothership!

[Jim]

Day Three:

I had moved the wake-up window to a leisurely 5:00-ish. The sink has become a science experiment, so I pivoted to paper plates. Showered, tossed the towel in the bathroom corner, and closed the door like it never happened. I’m out of K-cups, but lobby coffee is just fine.

As expected, my tech dutifully arrived at 6:05, so I wandered off to let him do his thing. He’s a pro, and I’m at the “just happy to be here” phase. Starting to feel like a local!

 

[Chargerman]

Posting at 1:15AM and you have a 5AM alarm. Somebody alert the staff to be on the lookout for a homeless looking man wandering the lot looking for an empty chaise to nap on.

 

[Headhunter]

What the heck is taking them three + days to repair? I think a 6:00 AM pickup is crazy. What would you do if you didn't have a hotel room to go to? Or is that not an option?

HH

 

[Jim]

What the heck is taking them three + days to repair? I think a 6:00 AM pickup is crazy. What would you do if you didn't have a hotel room to go to? Or is that not an option?

HH

• Heated floors, or lack thereof.
• Cameras that change the view when you turn on lane change signal were not working.
• There was a Freightliner recall on the headlight wiring.
• Generator access slide was intermittently working, or not working, however you wish to look at it.
• Leak coming from somewhere that allowed water to drip out of the puck lite above the passenger seat. Trish just loved that!
• Adjust FWS, which turned out not to need adjusting. Well, according to the tech anyway. Still doesn't seem right to me, but he's the expert.

So here's how it works Jim. Each morning around 6:00, they come by to pick up the coach and haul it off to the shop, where they pretend to work on it. Then at exactly 2:00, like clockwork, the coaches come shooting out of the service bays and head back to the Newmar campground, like kids running out of school into their parents’ arms.

Newmar does have a really nice lobby with workstations and such. You can try setting up your office off the tailgate of your truck, been there, done that, too much glare. So now I’m in one of their private work cubicles with my laptop and accessories. Much easier on the eyes, and the illusion of productivity is much stronger.

I asked why the tech's hours are so strange and was told that many/most are Amish, and have farms to attend to so they leave the Newmar plant just after 2:00 and go work their farms.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

We're finding that most things close at 4 PM, which presents a problem since cocktail hour doesn't start until 5.

 

[Jim]

The Second Law of Thermodynamics isn’t just knocking, it’s kicked back at the dinette, wearing my socks and polishing off my last Dr Pepper.

Side note: I met Mr. and Mrs. Squid while wandering aimlessly through the lobby. Apparently, my sleepless eyes and lost expression make me easy to spot. They're full-timers, here for repairs on their beautiful New Aire. Truth be told, they’re technically homeless too, which now makes the competition at the shop’s coffee machine a little stiffer.

That said, Mrs. Squid, "Elizabeth", to those of us in the caffeine underground, took pity on me and brought a replacement for my stolen Dr. Pepper. A rare act of kindness in these mean lobby streets.

Thank you, @MrsSquid !

 

[DennisT]

Side note: I met Mr. and Mrs. Squid while wandering aimlessly through the lobby. Apparently, my sleepless eyes and lost expression make me easy to spot. They're full-timers, here for repairs on their beautiful New Aire. Truth be told, they’re technically homeless too…….

As a fellow full timer we prefer to refer to it as “houseless”

 

[Jim]

Day Four:

Alarm? Let’s not pretend. I woke up when the sun dared peek through the blackout shades, somewhere between the “I’m late” but before the “Oh crap, he’s here” stage. Didn’t have time for a shower, deodorant and optimism are doing the heavy lifting today. Towel from yesterday is still in the corner, gaining character.

Paper plates are gone. I’m now eating directly over the trash can like a wild animal with good manners. Coffee? Discovered the tech lounge has free refills if you keep walking in like you belong. Keurig’s on strike. Might be unionizing.

Coach was sort of aired up, slides mostly in, and I think I disconnected the shore power… or someone did. Either way, the tech showed up, gave me a look that said, “Yep, Day Four,” and went to work without questions.

I nodded. He nodded. We’re past words now. This is what bonding looks like.

 

[Chargerman]

OMG… I’m in tears laughing!!!

I used to own a 24/7 manufacturer and when I did the tours of Newmar and Entegra I was blown away when the factory’s were deserted at 2pm. I just can’t imagine how they can have all of that overhead and shutter it for 16hrs each day. Wouldn’t some of them like to work their farms in the morning and come in to the plant at 1:30 to transition the day shift into second shift? Even if it was a short 4 or 5 hour shift so they could be home for a family dinner

 

[lostinfla]

Jim, I feel your pain. I remember when we were there for the week and it felt like I was released from jail when they finally said they were done with the list and was able to pull away from the parking lot.

 

[Holdmybeer]

OMG… I’m in tears laughing!!!

I used to own a 24/7 manufacturer and when I did the tours of Newmar and Entegra I was blown away when the factory’s were deserted at 2pm. I just can’t imagine how they can have all of that overhead and shutter it for 16hrs each day. Wouldn’t some of them like to work their farms in the morning and come in to the plant at 1:30 to transition the day shift into second shift? Even if it was a short 4 or 5 hour shift so they could be home for a family dinner

I'd run it by them, the Amish have always been receptive to new ideas and changes in routine.
Otherwise, I'd argue the average individual Amish worker's 8 hrs. of productivity is equal to or greater than that of 3 phone swipers in most any other workplace and too, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
.

 

[Jim]

Day Five:
Woke up at some point. Not sure when. The blackout shades are winning now. I think the tech’s been here and gone, or maybe he’s under the coach, hard to tell, and frankly, not my department anymore.

Didn’t shower again, but I found a half-used baby wipe in a drawer and called it "spa day." Clothes are now being selected from a pile I call “lived-in but socially acceptable.” The towel in the corner has become a permanent fixture, I might name it.

Meals have devolved into grazing. I ate half a granola bar and three Tic Tacs I found in the cup holder. Coffee? Still milking the tech lounge, pretending to look at service brochures so they don’t question my sixth refill. The Keurig has officially filed a grievance.

Slides were… somewhere between in and out. Power may or may not have been connected. At this point, I just wave at the tech and hope he takes care of whatever’s humming, blinking, or beeping. He doesn’t even make eye contact now. We communicate through a series of shrugs and knowing sighs.

 

[purring along]

Day Two:
Same 4:30 AM alarm, but the regal discipline from Day One was fading. The towels still made it to the shower door, but more like they were tossed during a hostage negotiation than prepared for inspection. The dishes? They're in the sink, under a cover, so technically invisible.

The Keurig, which yesterday had been stowed beneath the sink, has now claimed a spot on the counter. Bold move, bean boy! And my clothes were thrown into the closet like I was settling a grudge. But I was ready. Slides were in, I was all aired up, and lifelines were off.

My Tech arrived, smiling proudly at me. I could tell though . . . he senses some unraveling beginning.

Day Five:
Woke up at some point. Not sure when. The blackout shades are winning now. I think the tech’s been here and gone, or maybe he’s under the coach, hard to tell, and frankly, not my department anymore.

Didn’t shower again, but I found a half-used baby wipe in a drawer and called it "spa day." Clothes are now being selected from a pile I call “lived-in but socially acceptable.” The towel in the corner has become a permanent fixture, I might name it.

Meals have devolved into grazing. I ate half a granola bar and three Tic Tacs I found in the cup holder. Coffee? Still milking the tech lounge, pretending to look at service brochures so they don’t question my sixth refill. The Keurig has officially filed a grievance.

Slides were… somewhere between in and out. Power may or may not have been connected. At this point, I just wave at the tech and hope he takes care of whatever’s humming, blinking, or beeping. He doesn’t even make eye contact now. We communicate through a series of shrugs and knowing sighs.

Jim your making my sides hurt. Have you considered doing stand up for extra change. I hear there is an opening for a late night host available.

 

[Headhunter]

Jim your making my sides hurt. Have you considered doing stand up for extra change. I hear there is an opening for a late night host available.

Jim you poor baby. Is Trish along with you? It doesn't sound like it....LOL I hope you at least got to go on a plant tour? Do they give you updates in what they accomplished so far?

Hang in there brother you are almost done.... I hope.

HH

 

[lostinfla]

Jim your making my sides hurt. Have you considered doing stand up for extra change. I hear there is an opening for a late night host available.

He should have led with "I'll be here all week"