Flashback Friday

You might not know this, but my official job description title at work is Production and Inventory Coordinator. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? Basically it means that I tell the factory what to build and when to build it. The life of production scheduling isn't very glamorous, but I can say it's never boring. The one constant about my job is change - we are constantly changing our schedules. I write my schedules in pencil and I use the highest pound paper I can find because I have to erase so much. At times I sure wish I had a Magic Slate to use.

I'm sure you remember the Magic Slate, and most likely had one. The slate was actually hard cardboad with a black waxy surface. On top of the black wax was a clear or sometimes light gray sheet of plastic. You'd write on the slate with a little plastic stylus and when you wanted to erase, you'd just lift the plastic sheet and clear it all. I was pretty hard on Magic Slates as a kid. I would either bear down too hard when I wrote or drew on it and would end up leaving deep gouges in the black wax. And if that didn't happen, I'd usually tear the plastic sheet as I was lifting it to erase.

You don't see many Magic Slates in the stores today; electronics and the very popular white dry erase boards have replaced them. But I sure wish I had a gigantic Magic Slate at work to use for my schedules. It would make erasing a hell of a lot easier.