March 24, 1943

March 24, 1943

425 S Cabrillo Ave

San Pedro, Calif

Dear father, mother and the folks at home,

Well, “spring is cub” to southern California I think. My cold is over tho for several days now so I really can’t talk like that now. Yesterday and today are very clear and quite warm days so I think that perhaps the rainy season is over — altho it drizzled some Tuesday morning as a final gesture of orneriness. When I went down to dinner yesterday I didn’t wear my jacket for the first time in months and I was really comfortable without it. No doubt it will now get so warm that I wish winter were still here. However, I am glad for every day that passes since the time comes closer when I will have the opportunity of coming home again. Someday it will be for good and then I’ll feel happier.

I have been feeling a little tiredish the first part of this week but I am better now. Sunday, inasmuch as I worked in the morning (graveyards), all the sleep I got was about 5 hours mostly in the afternoon so I was pretty tired by Monday morning. Tuesday morning was a hard morning inasmuch as plant IX wasn’t working so hot so again I felt pooked out when morning came. The high pressure separator wouldn’t let enough product out even if the motor valve was wife open so the product backed up into the scrubber, from whence I had to remove it. When I was fooling around with it, the recycle gas rates varied so much that the temperatures moved around somewhat so I had to adjust them later — worse of course on Plant IX which is adiabatic (no heat-transfer) and has no automatic temperature control like Plant I.

As I said before I feel pretty good this afternoon tho after my first sleep of the day. Friday will be my day off and Saturday I start working the afternoon shift. Thursday night the Luther League is going bowling. I won’t be able to be at the next L.L. meeting as I will be working days on that Sunday.

For your information an analyst is one who (around here) works in the laboratory, performs analytical tests and in general does laboratory work as small column distillations etc. An operator is the individual taking care of plants I and IX which are pilot size editions (semi-commercial) plants of those used for making toluene and aviation gasoline. An operator is an advancement from an analyst inasmuch as it requires more knowledge of what is going on and entails more responsibility but the work, unless something unusual arises, is no more difficult than that of an analyst so that I would hardly call it a real advancement. However, it is in general regarded as such as it is a stage thru which new employees pass around here more or less by custom.

I think I’d rather work in the lab almost. Being an operator gives you contact with reality tho that the laboratory doesn’t tho. That is, you realize more what something of commercial size around a refinery looks and acts like. Of course, the columns are under the operators care also when they are running (as they are not now) so that the very fundamental unit process of distillation is encountered. These columns are to the lab columns as Goliath to David or more so.

I will enclose some bonds in this letter and I mean it this time.

Thank you for the letters, mother and father. They bring me home (almost) and set me down among the things that I like. I am glad that you liked the cake, daddy.

How did Vivian happen to get in quarantine? I have heard none of the details.

I seem to be running out of things to say so I will stop.

With love

C.P.

P.S. After chasing around in the stores trying to find something suitable for a 25th wedding anniversary, I have given up. Most of the stuff I don’t think you would really want to have — at least I wouldn’t, and therefore assume you wouldn’t. So I am sending along what I would have spent and why don’t you get something for yourselves that you would really want — maybe like a lot of books. I take the pleasure, Mr. & Mrs. Strand, of congratulating you on your 25th wedding anniversary. How ancient I feel to be saying that.

C.P.