I like to watch NCIS for a number of silly reasons but one of the main reasons is because of Gibbs and his numbered rules. So maybe I a need some Wes rules. And as luck would have it I already have a rule. This is the number 1. 2016 is the year that I stop trying to educate the climate denying, gun toting,bomb Iran people I know.
There is a lady I see when I go to the store she is very attractive and smart but really it's her voice that attracts my attention. When she talks she has a beautiful southern drawl. So I'm in there today I see where she is working and I go there to check out. Suddenly I am back in high school standing in a stairs with a million kids going up and down...nervous as hell asking Julie Cobb for a date. There must be an easier way. It might be too soon for me to have a date. Just being a healthy single senior is ok for now. Really, she is like Charlie Browns pretty red head girl.
I am going to watch Downton Abby. I haven't seen but a small portion of the series and had stopped watching it before because of the class entitlement that's displayed it's just awful. But I am going to watch the whole thing cause it's great work. It's a perfectly done period piece.
It's been a nice day here in Tallahassee,Fl. I had lunch with my family at a nice Italian place, I'm going to watch Dowton Abby, and it's nice and chilly.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Cold weather....Im Thankful
Finally ,we here in "Capital City" are getting what I would consider a cold deep fall weather. Watching the stories on the weather channel and online it seems that we will have a cold , wet winter here in the south. Thank you El Niño . My change in latitude has caused me to miss the beautiful colors of the fall in Georgia. But the trade off of having green trees all year is nice.
Cold weather is such a great sleep aide and wearing jammys and getting under the covers is just the best. As a single man I consider that laziness manifests itself in many ways and that bouts of said malady are acceptable. So did I note that with cold weather coming I should retrieve the comforter?
Neyt! So the temp is dropping and I am covered with only a summer blanket and a sheet. As the long night got colder I had to laugh. It's not the first time I've been under gunned in the blanket department.
I had a day and a night in Wyoming one long winters night. Winds of 30 mph and 7 below zero the truck I was delivering at the time was having trouble maintaining battery power and keeping me warm . At those temps the truck can't do both. Sometimes a machine requires compromise so in this case setting the thermostat very low was the deal. Again under gunned in the sleeping bag department I was freezing. By doubling over the bag and making layers I was able to create a narrow zone that was warm under the blanket. So it was a long night. Last night was not so bad. So much so, that while I was fluffing my thin blanket to get warmer I had to laugh.
My warmth or lack of warmth is a laughable dark of night remembering which moves me to consider all those that have few choices. I can get up and turn on the heat or get another blanket. Many have no choice. I am very thankful.
Cold weather is such a great sleep aide and wearing jammys and getting under the covers is just the best. As a single man I consider that laziness manifests itself in many ways and that bouts of said malady are acceptable. So did I note that with cold weather coming I should retrieve the comforter?
Neyt! So the temp is dropping and I am covered with only a summer blanket and a sheet. As the long night got colder I had to laugh. It's not the first time I've been under gunned in the blanket department.
I had a day and a night in Wyoming one long winters night. Winds of 30 mph and 7 below zero the truck I was delivering at the time was having trouble maintaining battery power and keeping me warm . At those temps the truck can't do both. Sometimes a machine requires compromise so in this case setting the thermostat very low was the deal. Again under gunned in the sleeping bag department I was freezing. By doubling over the bag and making layers I was able to create a narrow zone that was warm under the blanket. So it was a long night. Last night was not so bad. So much so, that while I was fluffing my thin blanket to get warmer I had to laugh.
My warmth or lack of warmth is a laughable dark of night remembering which moves me to consider all those that have few choices. I can get up and turn on the heat or get another blanket. Many have no choice. I am very thankful.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
In case you missed it ;
As we all know , the House has voted to sue the President. The cause for this legal action is for his executive action in delaying ACA penalties for businesses that did not provide medical insurance for employees. Of course , the GOP is against such penalties but that does not seem to matter. And , the GOP wanted to impeach the President for his Executive Actions until they figured out that ....One, they would help the Democrats arouse their base by starting an impeachment and Two. they have too much vacation coming to accomplish such a thing.
But the best part is that such an Action has been taken before ....by executive action. Dubya did almost the same thing in 2006. In 2006 , Bush waived penalties for seniors who failed to take Medicare Part D.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2006/05/09/13837/penalties-waived-for-low-income.html
In my mind this is part of what drives everyone crazy and results in such poor polling results for Congress. There is no restraint on this bickering over things that don't make any sense.
As we all know , the House has voted to sue the President. The cause for this legal action is for his executive action in delaying ACA penalties for businesses that did not provide medical insurance for employees. Of course , the GOP is against such penalties but that does not seem to matter. And , the GOP wanted to impeach the President for his Executive Actions until they figured out that ....One, they would help the Democrats arouse their base by starting an impeachment and Two. they have too much vacation coming to accomplish such a thing.
But the best part is that such an Action has been taken before ....by executive action. Dubya did almost the same thing in 2006. In 2006 , Bush waived penalties for seniors who failed to take Medicare Part D.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2006/05/09/13837/penalties-waived-for-low-income.html
In my mind this is part of what drives everyone crazy and results in such poor polling results for Congress. There is no restraint on this bickering over things that don't make any sense.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Joplin
I had reported back to the "home office", dropped my last recovery tractor (good old 94820) and I received a call from my boss.We met and had a nice conversation about the next several days and I got my next recovery assignment. I noticed that the next recovery was for a 2013 model...I was tickled to see that this was a new tractor because to date all of my tractors , all the way back to August, were rode hard and put up wet. Usually a lot of miles and needing an array of little creaks and rattles fixed. Always though, the bones of the thing are well cared for ...engine , tranny, brakes,lights etc.. They just sort of wear down around the bones.
My recovery was in Joplin,Mo. In the back of my mind...there was a remembering but at first I could not quite remember just what major thing had happened in Joplin...but I was sure there was a recent thing....
I was at the gate in Dallas gate B-9 sharing the power pole with others and I heard someone say something about the tornado in Joplin. It came to me the tornado .
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/us/23tornado.html?_r=0
We flew from Dallas to tiny Joplin in an American Eagle ( really only a little bigger than a mature eagle) and all the while I was wondering what stories these maybe residents of Joplin may have . I didn't ask until I got in the cab. The cab lady had lost an Aunt and her hair cutter. She was patient with me and showed me the path on the way to the hotel. A path thet is still visible and has some good number of constrution sites going on.This path was in an "S" and in parts is a mile wide.
The next morning as I was being driven to my recovery tractor I saw more evidence of the destruction and of new homes and an impressive new hospital being built to replace the one taken by the storm. I thought my tractor was to be at a truck yard . Which is usually a place where there is a guard of some kind or at least a guy keeping track of the goings in and the goings out. But, my cabbie said we were on the way to a residential area. and, sure enough as we were moving along I saw the truck up ahead. Just parked on the street in front of a quadraplex ...just sitting there.
Would I have a personal encounter? How sad that a fellow driver had signed a lease on a new tractor and was only able to keep it financially viable for such a short time. Would he be there ? Was he angry or upset ?
As it turned out he had only had the tractor for 32 K miles and he was expecting someone to take the vehicle because it was cleaned out (no CB radio in it) and he had left his company fuel card and debit card in the tractor.
I wish I had known that . It would have reduced my adrenaline flow as I knocked on the door of the tractor, and knocked on the doors of the apartments. All the while going through my brain the comments of my friend Saul " Oh you mean its a repossession". Receiving no answers from my door knocking I went to my luggage , loaded it quickly into the cab , fired that mother up and got out of Dodge. Never had that much fun writing a renters insurance policy LOL.
It is sad. This person had gone through all the effort that I have. The testing, the new information and the low pay. He had gotten all psyched up by the leasing agent. (they show some great numbers you'll earn if you drive a bazillion miles). Then when the reality set in, not enough miles assigned, cant take any time off or you'll fall behind on your weekly debt burden. Also, I might add the notebook left behind was written by someone that struggled to spell and write for that matter. I am glad that I chose to be an employee and glad that Kristin insisted on it.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Black Ops
What a glorious day to drive across the northern plains . Farmers are working in their fields, the ground is very dry, and the intended use for the Interstate system is coming to fruition. ( that was a little teaser)
This ride has been from Gaffney,SC to Aberdeen,ID . I am hauling 30 tons of sweet taters to a Simplot Plant up in Idaho.
Driving along, I see farmers working hard on the contours of the ground. They use terraces in some areas to maximize the arable space and still maintain soil conservation. You can tell where they have worked the dirt because of the different colors of the ground....some looks pretty fresh. Speaking of dirt...all the pictures of the great dust bowl ..all of the topsoil blown away, and I wonder...how did they get all that dirt back. I know there are soil conservation districts and there are all kinds of farming practices in place to stop such a calamity from recurring. But really, soil was blown away...but we still have soil....just wondering??
Everywhere you see a tractor or a plow or a pickup truck there is surefire signs that it is very dry out here.
Plumes of dust billow up behind everything that moves. So I guess the drought still goes on...we need rain.
All the riverbeds are dry and the little farm ponds are dry too.
It can be alarming to see a soldier or policeman standing guard with an automatic weapon. But try a convoy of Humvees armed to the teeth , with machine guns at the ready on the turrets on top of the vehicle. There were at least twenty vehicles in all....rolling along with their lights flashing and convoy signs posted on the backs of the green camo army Humvees In the middle there way a rather large truck that looked high tech and special purpose.
Just after I passed the convoy, didn't have the nerve to snap a photo, I had to stop at the always feared "Wyoming Port of Entry" and show my papers. Its always a possibility that those folks at the POE...will require an inspection....never a good thing. But other truckers were standing around and we all were talking about the convoy. Turns out the inspection officer was well aware of the convoy. He said it was missile related and that you should not mess with them. Just then , a black hawk came flying in over us following the convoy. Point taken...convoy...I didn't see any convoy.
This ride has been from Gaffney,SC to Aberdeen,ID . I am hauling 30 tons of sweet taters to a Simplot Plant up in Idaho.
Driving along, I see farmers working hard on the contours of the ground. They use terraces in some areas to maximize the arable space and still maintain soil conservation. You can tell where they have worked the dirt because of the different colors of the ground....some looks pretty fresh. Speaking of dirt...all the pictures of the great dust bowl ..all of the topsoil blown away, and I wonder...how did they get all that dirt back. I know there are soil conservation districts and there are all kinds of farming practices in place to stop such a calamity from recurring. But really, soil was blown away...but we still have soil....just wondering??
Everywhere you see a tractor or a plow or a pickup truck there is surefire signs that it is very dry out here.
Plumes of dust billow up behind everything that moves. So I guess the drought still goes on...we need rain.
All the riverbeds are dry and the little farm ponds are dry too.
It can be alarming to see a soldier or policeman standing guard with an automatic weapon. But try a convoy of Humvees armed to the teeth , with machine guns at the ready on the turrets on top of the vehicle. There were at least twenty vehicles in all....rolling along with their lights flashing and convoy signs posted on the backs of the green camo army Humvees In the middle there way a rather large truck that looked high tech and special purpose.
Just after I passed the convoy, didn't have the nerve to snap a photo, I had to stop at the always feared "Wyoming Port of Entry" and show my papers. Its always a possibility that those folks at the POE...will require an inspection....never a good thing. But other truckers were standing around and we all were talking about the convoy. Turns out the inspection officer was well aware of the convoy. He said it was missile related and that you should not mess with them. Just then , a black hawk came flying in over us following the convoy. Point taken...convoy...I didn't see any convoy.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Buster's Busy Day
I almost made it. For four hours from Madison,Ga to Scranton,SC I had pushed and pushed so I could beat the deadline but at 2:24 when I drove up to the cold storage plant in Scranton SC this kindly old guy with a white beard said..."we're closed." He seemed defensive and ready for me to blow my stack and after all I had done I just said ..." Well life is too short for me to worry about 24 minutes. Obviously relieved"He smiled and said, " praise Jesus" and then he was my buddy.But let me go back a bit and show you what came to the 24 minutes.
I had called Saul, a family friend, and asked him to drive me to "recover" this tractor....number 944444. He did and we found the tractor way in the back of the truck stop. Along the way Saul said something like " Oh you mean you are repossessing the tractor." I thought , well, I never thought of it that way. My job title has the word recovery in it. So, to me recovery ...just seems like a sweet Sunday afternoon sort of exercise. But, a repossession is not so sweet an exercise. Fortunately, the now no longer owner was not there and all I had to do is get a locksmith to open number 944444 up and I would be back on the road.
From the qualcom computer you get a load assignment. Now in class they had all kinds of math and geography for us to use to determine the viability of accepting the load. Could I drive to some place on time, and safely with the time constraints that I have to use. However, the real world more like ....just accept and work out the math and geography on your own time.Having previously declined a load I now know what its like to not turn in my TPS report. Cause my manager, my trip planner and everyone else along the line .... wanted to kn ow why I declined.?? Message loud and clear....take the load and figure out the problems later.Well, I had declined because getting to the delivery at the appointed time was not possible...I was told to accept the trip and better get going cause it looks like you are running late. I was late ...and really the world is still turning.
I took the assignment and drove to the pick up point. Bright eyed and frisky I was...hey, I am early. The shipping clerk said something about a 2 hour turn around , she took my cell phone number and said she'd call. So as I go back to my 90 square feet....which is heated by the way. I start figuring out that when you add my required 10 hours of sleep, with 5 1/2 hours of drive time...This appointment to deliver was going to be "ok".....it was now 5 pm. Hey, what me worry ?
At about 7 pm I walked over and chatted up the shipping clerk and was told that she would call when the load was ready. Shipping and receiving is not one of your more warm and fuzzy business pursuits. All the while I am working the numbers. adding up the travel time and the sleep time and I figured that if I rolled out by 8 pm or so I would almost make it.
Imagine my delight when , at 10:30 pm, I got the call. And I got the bills of lading which showed that I would be close to the 80,000 pound limit so I would need needed to find a scale. Heading out on I20 I found myself back at the Madison Pilot Truck stop putting the rig on a scale...and moving the tandem rear wheels to balance the weight between the drive wheels and the tandems on the trailor. Its a cool machinery process that I had been trained to do...and had helped do before, but this time it was all me and ...it was flawless. The proof is in the pudding cause later on, when en route I was weighted by the state of Ga...and passed.
I can drive 11 hours a day. I can be on duty not driving or driving a total of 14 hours a day. Because I got up early and did some work long before I received the trip assignment I was burning through my 14 hour clock while I was sitting there waiting to get loaded. So much so that I was worried that I would not be able to drive off the lot from the pick up.What a concept, they keep me waiting so long that I can't leave their lot til I get reset...which is done by showing my status as in the sleeper ( hopefully sleeping). Proud to say that I didn't panic. I called the enemy of all truckers....the log auditors. I explained my problem to the ever present 30 something (everyone looks 30 at the home office) and she made some edits and got me 3 more hours so I could make it to the place I would sleep. ( how she did it is even more bizarre than the rules that I drive by)
After driving to the Pilot and adjusting the tandems, and filling the reefer tank with fuel,and eating some food...it was late. When I woke I called my manager and he informed me that the eight hours of sleep extended my 14 hours to about nine hours ( too many numbers I know but that's the way it is). So it was 10 am and I need to be in Scranton by 2 pm.
These trucks all have governors that limit the speed to approximately 62 mph. When I got going and put on the cruise control ...and did a little trick of pressing the accel button ...low and behold this 515000 mile beast will do about 65mph. So, as I'm driving along doing the math...I 'm thinking...this could work.Oh I hit some hilly country in SC that gave and took some mph away but overall I was averaging 63-66 mph....maybe I
'll make it. Now, the lady at the drop spot I was heading to was clear. She said that at 2 pm...they stop all receiving. But it seemed to me that I was close.Then , just towards the end of Columbia,SC some poor couple and their car hit two other cars causing 2 lanes to move through just one lane. So,alarmed but hopeful I made it through that mess and kept going .
The last leg was a 34 mile stretch of road through some beautiful farm land that goes through Lexington
and Salem SC. Very small farms but...nice clean places ....more than likely all very conservative ( SC seems to be that way). Beautiful stretches of pine forests with lots of vistas to look at and homes set up to do just that. But as attractive as it was....small roads eat time in a big way.
I finally arrive at the Plant and ...24 minutes ...late. And the little old guy with the gray beard ( sounds like someone I know) has to be the guy to say....your appointment is for Friday...... So Here I am vowing to make the best of it and glad to have had a very busy day and looking forward to a good nights sleep
I had called Saul, a family friend, and asked him to drive me to "recover" this tractor....number 944444. He did and we found the tractor way in the back of the truck stop. Along the way Saul said something like " Oh you mean you are repossessing the tractor." I thought , well, I never thought of it that way. My job title has the word recovery in it. So, to me recovery ...just seems like a sweet Sunday afternoon sort of exercise. But, a repossession is not so sweet an exercise. Fortunately, the now no longer owner was not there and all I had to do is get a locksmith to open number 944444 up and I would be back on the road.
From the qualcom computer you get a load assignment. Now in class they had all kinds of math and geography for us to use to determine the viability of accepting the load. Could I drive to some place on time, and safely with the time constraints that I have to use. However, the real world more like ....just accept and work out the math and geography on your own time.Having previously declined a load I now know what its like to not turn in my TPS report. Cause my manager, my trip planner and everyone else along the line .... wanted to kn ow why I declined.?? Message loud and clear....take the load and figure out the problems later.Well, I had declined because getting to the delivery at the appointed time was not possible...I was told to accept the trip and better get going cause it looks like you are running late. I was late ...and really the world is still turning.
I took the assignment and drove to the pick up point. Bright eyed and frisky I was...hey, I am early. The shipping clerk said something about a 2 hour turn around , she took my cell phone number and said she'd call. So as I go back to my 90 square feet....which is heated by the way. I start figuring out that when you add my required 10 hours of sleep, with 5 1/2 hours of drive time...This appointment to deliver was going to be "ok".....it was now 5 pm. Hey, what me worry ?
At about 7 pm I walked over and chatted up the shipping clerk and was told that she would call when the load was ready. Shipping and receiving is not one of your more warm and fuzzy business pursuits. All the while I am working the numbers. adding up the travel time and the sleep time and I figured that if I rolled out by 8 pm or so I would almost make it.
Imagine my delight when , at 10:30 pm, I got the call. And I got the bills of lading which showed that I would be close to the 80,000 pound limit so I would need needed to find a scale. Heading out on I20 I found myself back at the Madison Pilot Truck stop putting the rig on a scale...and moving the tandem rear wheels to balance the weight between the drive wheels and the tandems on the trailor. Its a cool machinery process that I had been trained to do...and had helped do before, but this time it was all me and ...it was flawless. The proof is in the pudding cause later on, when en route I was weighted by the state of Ga...and passed.
I can drive 11 hours a day. I can be on duty not driving or driving a total of 14 hours a day. Because I got up early and did some work long before I received the trip assignment I was burning through my 14 hour clock while I was sitting there waiting to get loaded. So much so that I was worried that I would not be able to drive off the lot from the pick up.What a concept, they keep me waiting so long that I can't leave their lot til I get reset...which is done by showing my status as in the sleeper ( hopefully sleeping). Proud to say that I didn't panic. I called the enemy of all truckers....the log auditors. I explained my problem to the ever present 30 something (everyone looks 30 at the home office) and she made some edits and got me 3 more hours so I could make it to the place I would sleep. ( how she did it is even more bizarre than the rules that I drive by)
After driving to the Pilot and adjusting the tandems, and filling the reefer tank with fuel,and eating some food...it was late. When I woke I called my manager and he informed me that the eight hours of sleep extended my 14 hours to about nine hours ( too many numbers I know but that's the way it is). So it was 10 am and I need to be in Scranton by 2 pm.
These trucks all have governors that limit the speed to approximately 62 mph. When I got going and put on the cruise control ...and did a little trick of pressing the accel button ...low and behold this 515000 mile beast will do about 65mph. So, as I'm driving along doing the math...I 'm thinking...this could work.Oh I hit some hilly country in SC that gave and took some mph away but overall I was averaging 63-66 mph....maybe I
'll make it. Now, the lady at the drop spot I was heading to was clear. She said that at 2 pm...they stop all receiving. But it seemed to me that I was close.Then , just towards the end of Columbia,SC some poor couple and their car hit two other cars causing 2 lanes to move through just one lane. So,alarmed but hopeful I made it through that mess and kept going .
The last leg was a 34 mile stretch of road through some beautiful farm land that goes through Lexington
and Salem SC. Very small farms but...nice clean places ....more than likely all very conservative ( SC seems to be that way). Beautiful stretches of pine forests with lots of vistas to look at and homes set up to do just that. But as attractive as it was....small roads eat time in a big way.
I finally arrive at the Plant and ...24 minutes ...late. And the little old guy with the gray beard ( sounds like someone I know) has to be the guy to say....your appointment is for Friday...... So Here I am vowing to make the best of it and glad to have had a very busy day and looking forward to a good nights sleep
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