Multiple Day Blog.... LONG... really.
Multiple Day Blog... LONG... seriously.
Grab some popcorn and a brew or two because if you're sitting down to really read this one, it's gonna take a while. It's a compilation of three days worth of blogs which I'd been keeping on my laptop while I was without access to the internet. Enjoy.
===================================================
Nov. 7, 2007 - It was a dark and frigid night in Minonk, Illinois.....
I am shut down for my required 10 hr. DOT break here in Minonk. I have no idea what the town looks like, if it is much of a town, as it was pitch dark when I arrived... at 5:30pm. WTF!? I hate this whole day light savings crap where the government makes you turn your clocks back in an attempt to save energy. It doesn't help, if you think about it. I mean, sure businesses close earlier in the day (same hours but with the time change it's early in the daylight/night time hour continuim thingy) so they are in theory saving energy. But what about all those employees that are going home after dark (after 5pm that is) that are burning all the lights in the house, the heater is on full blast because it's wintertime and they are spending countless hours bored indoors playing on computers, video consoles, etc.?? Huh... are they helping save energy? I think not! In fact they're probably consuming more energy than the businesses are saving that have long since closed for the day.
It think it's all a sham... just like global warming... but don't even get me started there!
Anywho. So it was all dark when I pulled in here, and I got majorly lucky to score one of three truck parking spots that were left in this tiny lot. That always makes me happy. I'd already been to two other truck stops, all the way back in Bloomington, IL - both of which were completely packed and backed up with other drivers just hoping that someone would leave so they could score a parking spot.
It's a wee bit chilly too, but I'm holding off on turning on the heater so I don't waste too much of my battery power for the night. It never fails, when I wake up in the morning and try to turn on the overhead light, it won't come on until I crank the engine to start recharging the batteries. I love my heat... but I like light a lot too. So tonite I'm just trying to see how it works if I wait till I'm ready for bed to turn on the heater. We shall see!
I was all flabergasted when I got settled in here earlier as I was talking to N8 on the phone. I was working on my log and trying to figure out how many more miles I had to drive tomorrow to get to my destination and I was coming up with over 300 more miles to drive which just didn't seem right. I thought that I was somehow getting really ripped off driving like 1000 miles and only getting paid for 800 of them. Then after I got off the phone with N8 I sat down with my atlas and added up the mileage between here and my delivery point and then added what I'd already driven... and I was relieve to find out that it was just my bad math skills that had me all in a tizzy. I sure wish I understood math enough to be able to do some simple equations in my head without the aid of a calculator and a box of tissues! haha
Oh and could someone also please explain to me why I felt like an evil theif earlier when I took my own Campbell's Soup at Hand into the truck stop here to heat it up??? I was so paranoid that I went over to the check out counter and told the cashier that I was cooking my soup in their microwave, but that I didn't buy it here and that I had more of them in my truck. I felt like I had to do this because if they caught me cooking it without having said something prior they would have thought I stole it off their shelf. Even though when I looked the only flavors they had were chicken noodle and creamy tomato and I was cooking up New England Clam Chowder.
This isn't the only time I've felt like a theif in the night. I hate it.... I've not stolen anything since a trip to Sea World in Jr. High school... and I only did it because some of the other kids were doing it and I felt so guilty that before we left the park I took the items I'd snatched back to the store and apologized. Gawd I'm a loser.
But I digress. But not only do I feel like an unfounded thief sometimes, I've also been accused of stealing when in fact I had not. I remember clearly this one time at JC Penny at the Town Center Mall. I was a Junior in High School and it was coming up on Christmas. I was at the mall shopping with my family when I ventured off into the mens section to look for a gift for my boyfriend for Christmas. I suppose that my being a teenager and in the mens section at JC Penny made me look suspicious because it wasn't 10 minutes before a sales associate came over to me asking me to "Please remove that item from your purse, young lady."
I was like, WTF?! I opened my purse and looked into it dumbfounded wondering if maybe someone was playing a joke on me and stuck something in there without my knowing. Nothing was in there and I went ballistic on that idiot. I asked to speak to the manager and everything... I don't know if you've ever seen me before, but I don't think I have that "suspicious thief" look about me.... or do I?
Anywho... my mind is in a million different places right now so I am just gonna stop for now and go finish my non-stolen soup and then watch a movie before I drift off to dream.
Nov. 8, 2007 - It was a freakin' freezin' night in Plover, WI.... Plover with a P, not Clover. Geesh!
That was part of my initial conversation with N8 earlier when I arrived here for the night. He was having a hard time understand what I was saying on the phone. It was funny. So yes, I'm back in Wisconsin. It's cold... I hate the cold... unless it's ice cold beer. Then cold is good. I'm enjoying a 24 oz. can of Miller Light at the moment... so right now cold is peachy. Of course I have my Webasto heater cranked to the 6th position.
I may not have mentioned my Webasto before, I can't recall with any amount of certainty and since I am writing this blog without access to the world wide web, I can't check to see. So a little explanation as to what a Webasto is, is forthcoming.
A Webasto heater is a built in heating system that runs off of a diesel fuel drip system so that I can heat my truck cab without idling the engine. Idling the engine wastes much more diesel fuel than the Webasto heater could even consider consuming. Plus, the Webasto is a powerful little bugger. The dial, which is used to turn it off and on and to set the desired level of heat, has 7 "bars". I'm sure that as each bar is about a half inch in length, there are more than just seven desirable levels of heat to be achieved by dailing it in. But to keep it simple, let's focus on seven.
The first time I tried out my Webasto I cranked it all the way up to the end of the 7th bar. I then proceeded to fall into a deep sleep. And perhaps a self inflicted roasting pan. I woke up in the middle of the night literally soaked from head to toe in sweat. I'd underestimated the power of the Webasto.
Gi-Gi 0, Webasto 1.
I've since learned to dial in appropriate heating levels based on my needs from just about hour to hour. Like now, I was freezing after going into the truck stop, eating dinner and then walking back to my truck in 30 degree weather. So I climbed in the bunk and cranked it up, although not all the way. As I has been sitting here typing this I've had to remove an article of clothing, my sweater you perverts! So since I was getting so warm I turned the dial down to about the middle of the 3rd bar.
I'm sure before too long I will need to put the sweater back on as my t-shirt just won't cut it after bit. But that's okay because once I'm done blogging, I will climb under the blankets and pop in a movie to enjoy before sweet slumber and I won't need it to be 85 degrees in here.
But for now, I'm cozy.
Gi-Gi 1, Webasto 1
So anywho. I'm so anxious to get home. I am picking up a load tomorrow morning in Rothschild, WI about 30 miles from here and I will be relaying it at the Columbus, Ohio Operations Center. Relaying a load means simply that I am going to drop it off for another driver to pick up and take the rest of the way to it's destination. Gotta love it.
From Columbus I will be dispatched to pick up an empty trailer and then dead-head home. Dead-head means to drag an empty trailer behind your truck. And just for future reference, bob-tail means taking off without a trailer attached to your ass.
Columbus to home is about 3 hours, on a good day... 2.5 hours. So if all goes as planned, I will be getting home sometime around 6pm on Saturday. Which kinda sucks because it will be dark and more than likely the truck stop I prefer to park at will be full. If it is... then I will have to find an alternate place to park and that's never fun. So cross your fingers for me that I can find a parking spot! Or that I can get there before the sun goes down.
Well it's about that time... toodles!
Nov. 9, 2007 - Day Three.... I can't wait to publish this blog. I bet you're wishing you'd never started reading it! haha It's the blog that never ends.
Today I drove to get my load up in Rothschild, WI. What an adventure! I got there and was told to dock at a particular place so I did, after much screaming and frustration. When I went in to give the guy my info and let him know I was ready to be loaded he gave me the bad news.
"I need you to move from that dock down to dock 5, peach."
WHAAAAAAT? And who's he think he is callin' this young lady "peach"?
So I did as I was told and then got all loaded up and was on my way.
I stopped back in Plover, where I'd stayed the night before to scale my load and take a tinkle. Then it was back to the open road. I wanted to stop before I hit Chicago, so I could stretch and make a phone call. But that two places I attempted to stop had no available truck parking and no way to "circle the lot" to wait for one. So I pressed on. After much frustation and some crazy Friday afternoon traffic I made it through Chi-town and into Gary, IN. Where I decided I'd better stop at our OC to grab a bite to eat and take my stretch break. I only ended up taking about 15 minutes to tinkle, walk the cramps out of my legs and heat up my Campbell's Soup To Go (Creamy Chicken flavor this time).
I wanted to make it to our oC in Indy tonite. And in theory I could have. But I was getting cranky and tired and figured I'd best stop while the stoppings good. That and I was just dying to get to the wayside so I could cry and scream and throw the fit I had been wanting to since I was at the exit gate at the Gary OC.
As I was waiting for the folks at the OC to scan my truck with the security camera, I got a message on my Qualcomm. I took the opportunity to check it. Now, wishing I'd just waited. The message was regarding my time off the weekend after Thanksgiving. Which, with my old management team, was guaranteed to me. During the transition from that board to this new one, my requests for time at home became lost in the system or made invalid or whatever. So I resubmitted the request with my new board... and the message this evening was telling me it was denied.
Oh boy, I was pissed. Heck I'm still pissed. The most f'd up part of it is that the message came through after business hours. And it clearly stated that if I had any questions or issues to contact my DBL (manager). Of course, being Friday and after business hours I couldn't do that right away. And I can't do it tomorrow or Sunday either. So I have to sit and brood about this all weekend. Which sucks. My family had already made plans around me being home that weekend to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
If I can't convince my DBL to give me that same time off as I was guaranteed with my old board, I'm going to have to break the news to my family which is going to suck. It just pisses me off that I have to deal with that. Now there is a chance that I can talk my new DBL into the time off. If I have to, I'll cry. I hate pulling that card, but sometimes it helps. And honestly, I'm sure that by Monday I'll not be done crying about this whole thing.
I mean, c'mon. I got screwed this weekend with my time off. I was supposed to have been on my way home last night and off today and tomorrow. Yes, I'm still getting time off, just a little later than expected. But I feel like I'm really getting screwed over since this whole transition to my new team. Maybe I'm just bitter over the fact that I was taken away from the great team I had in Indy.
*sigh*
Well before I get all postal here I suppose I should throw in a happy nugget and then head to bed.
Happy Nugget - I scored a package of Knott's Berry Farm Premium Cookies, the Strawberry Shortbread ones for $0.75 here at this pickle park. They are fresh and moist and very very tasty. I love the cookies but can't find them very often. This makes me very happy.
Grab some popcorn and a brew or two because if you're sitting down to really read this one, it's gonna take a while. It's a compilation of three days worth of blogs which I'd been keeping on my laptop while I was without access to the internet. Enjoy.
===================================================
Nov. 7, 2007 - It was a dark and frigid night in Minonk, Illinois.....
I am shut down for my required 10 hr. DOT break here in Minonk. I have no idea what the town looks like, if it is much of a town, as it was pitch dark when I arrived... at 5:30pm. WTF!? I hate this whole day light savings crap where the government makes you turn your clocks back in an attempt to save energy. It doesn't help, if you think about it. I mean, sure businesses close earlier in the day (same hours but with the time change it's early in the daylight/night time hour continuim thingy) so they are in theory saving energy. But what about all those employees that are going home after dark (after 5pm that is) that are burning all the lights in the house, the heater is on full blast because it's wintertime and they are spending countless hours bored indoors playing on computers, video consoles, etc.?? Huh... are they helping save energy? I think not! In fact they're probably consuming more energy than the businesses are saving that have long since closed for the day.
It think it's all a sham... just like global warming... but don't even get me started there!
Anywho. So it was all dark when I pulled in here, and I got majorly lucky to score one of three truck parking spots that were left in this tiny lot. That always makes me happy. I'd already been to two other truck stops, all the way back in Bloomington, IL - both of which were completely packed and backed up with other drivers just hoping that someone would leave so they could score a parking spot.
It's a wee bit chilly too, but I'm holding off on turning on the heater so I don't waste too much of my battery power for the night. It never fails, when I wake up in the morning and try to turn on the overhead light, it won't come on until I crank the engine to start recharging the batteries. I love my heat... but I like light a lot too. So tonite I'm just trying to see how it works if I wait till I'm ready for bed to turn on the heater. We shall see!
I was all flabergasted when I got settled in here earlier as I was talking to N8 on the phone. I was working on my log and trying to figure out how many more miles I had to drive tomorrow to get to my destination and I was coming up with over 300 more miles to drive which just didn't seem right. I thought that I was somehow getting really ripped off driving like 1000 miles and only getting paid for 800 of them. Then after I got off the phone with N8 I sat down with my atlas and added up the mileage between here and my delivery point and then added what I'd already driven... and I was relieve to find out that it was just my bad math skills that had me all in a tizzy. I sure wish I understood math enough to be able to do some simple equations in my head without the aid of a calculator and a box of tissues! haha
Oh and could someone also please explain to me why I felt like an evil theif earlier when I took my own Campbell's Soup at Hand into the truck stop here to heat it up??? I was so paranoid that I went over to the check out counter and told the cashier that I was cooking my soup in their microwave, but that I didn't buy it here and that I had more of them in my truck. I felt like I had to do this because if they caught me cooking it without having said something prior they would have thought I stole it off their shelf. Even though when I looked the only flavors they had were chicken noodle and creamy tomato and I was cooking up New England Clam Chowder.
This isn't the only time I've felt like a theif in the night. I hate it.... I've not stolen anything since a trip to Sea World in Jr. High school... and I only did it because some of the other kids were doing it and I felt so guilty that before we left the park I took the items I'd snatched back to the store and apologized. Gawd I'm a loser.
But I digress. But not only do I feel like an unfounded thief sometimes, I've also been accused of stealing when in fact I had not. I remember clearly this one time at JC Penny at the Town Center Mall. I was a Junior in High School and it was coming up on Christmas. I was at the mall shopping with my family when I ventured off into the mens section to look for a gift for my boyfriend for Christmas. I suppose that my being a teenager and in the mens section at JC Penny made me look suspicious because it wasn't 10 minutes before a sales associate came over to me asking me to "Please remove that item from your purse, young lady."
I was like, WTF?! I opened my purse and looked into it dumbfounded wondering if maybe someone was playing a joke on me and stuck something in there without my knowing. Nothing was in there and I went ballistic on that idiot. I asked to speak to the manager and everything... I don't know if you've ever seen me before, but I don't think I have that "suspicious thief" look about me.... or do I?
Anywho... my mind is in a million different places right now so I am just gonna stop for now and go finish my non-stolen soup and then watch a movie before I drift off to dream.
Nov. 8, 2007 - It was a freakin' freezin' night in Plover, WI.... Plover with a P, not Clover. Geesh!
That was part of my initial conversation with N8 earlier when I arrived here for the night. He was having a hard time understand what I was saying on the phone. It was funny. So yes, I'm back in Wisconsin. It's cold... I hate the cold... unless it's ice cold beer. Then cold is good. I'm enjoying a 24 oz. can of Miller Light at the moment... so right now cold is peachy. Of course I have my Webasto heater cranked to the 6th position.
I may not have mentioned my Webasto before, I can't recall with any amount of certainty and since I am writing this blog without access to the world wide web, I can't check to see. So a little explanation as to what a Webasto is, is forthcoming.
A Webasto heater is a built in heating system that runs off of a diesel fuel drip system so that I can heat my truck cab without idling the engine. Idling the engine wastes much more diesel fuel than the Webasto heater could even consider consuming. Plus, the Webasto is a powerful little bugger. The dial, which is used to turn it off and on and to set the desired level of heat, has 7 "bars". I'm sure that as each bar is about a half inch in length, there are more than just seven desirable levels of heat to be achieved by dailing it in. But to keep it simple, let's focus on seven.
The first time I tried out my Webasto I cranked it all the way up to the end of the 7th bar. I then proceeded to fall into a deep sleep. And perhaps a self inflicted roasting pan. I woke up in the middle of the night literally soaked from head to toe in sweat. I'd underestimated the power of the Webasto.
Gi-Gi 0, Webasto 1.
I've since learned to dial in appropriate heating levels based on my needs from just about hour to hour. Like now, I was freezing after going into the truck stop, eating dinner and then walking back to my truck in 30 degree weather. So I climbed in the bunk and cranked it up, although not all the way. As I has been sitting here typing this I've had to remove an article of clothing, my sweater you perverts! So since I was getting so warm I turned the dial down to about the middle of the 3rd bar.
I'm sure before too long I will need to put the sweater back on as my t-shirt just won't cut it after bit. But that's okay because once I'm done blogging, I will climb under the blankets and pop in a movie to enjoy before sweet slumber and I won't need it to be 85 degrees in here.
But for now, I'm cozy.
Gi-Gi 1, Webasto 1
So anywho. I'm so anxious to get home. I am picking up a load tomorrow morning in Rothschild, WI about 30 miles from here and I will be relaying it at the Columbus, Ohio Operations Center. Relaying a load means simply that I am going to drop it off for another driver to pick up and take the rest of the way to it's destination. Gotta love it.
From Columbus I will be dispatched to pick up an empty trailer and then dead-head home. Dead-head means to drag an empty trailer behind your truck. And just for future reference, bob-tail means taking off without a trailer attached to your ass.
Columbus to home is about 3 hours, on a good day... 2.5 hours. So if all goes as planned, I will be getting home sometime around 6pm on Saturday. Which kinda sucks because it will be dark and more than likely the truck stop I prefer to park at will be full. If it is... then I will have to find an alternate place to park and that's never fun. So cross your fingers for me that I can find a parking spot! Or that I can get there before the sun goes down.
Well it's about that time... toodles!
Nov. 9, 2007 - Day Three.... I can't wait to publish this blog. I bet you're wishing you'd never started reading it! haha It's the blog that never ends.
Today I drove to get my load up in Rothschild, WI. What an adventure! I got there and was told to dock at a particular place so I did, after much screaming and frustration. When I went in to give the guy my info and let him know I was ready to be loaded he gave me the bad news.
"I need you to move from that dock down to dock 5, peach."
WHAAAAAAT? And who's he think he is callin' this young lady "peach"?
So I did as I was told and then got all loaded up and was on my way.
I stopped back in Plover, where I'd stayed the night before to scale my load and take a tinkle. Then it was back to the open road. I wanted to stop before I hit Chicago, so I could stretch and make a phone call. But that two places I attempted to stop had no available truck parking and no way to "circle the lot" to wait for one. So I pressed on. After much frustation and some crazy Friday afternoon traffic I made it through Chi-town and into Gary, IN. Where I decided I'd better stop at our OC to grab a bite to eat and take my stretch break. I only ended up taking about 15 minutes to tinkle, walk the cramps out of my legs and heat up my Campbell's Soup To Go (Creamy Chicken flavor this time).
I wanted to make it to our oC in Indy tonite. And in theory I could have. But I was getting cranky and tired and figured I'd best stop while the stoppings good. That and I was just dying to get to the wayside so I could cry and scream and throw the fit I had been wanting to since I was at the exit gate at the Gary OC.
As I was waiting for the folks at the OC to scan my truck with the security camera, I got a message on my Qualcomm. I took the opportunity to check it. Now, wishing I'd just waited. The message was regarding my time off the weekend after Thanksgiving. Which, with my old management team, was guaranteed to me. During the transition from that board to this new one, my requests for time at home became lost in the system or made invalid or whatever. So I resubmitted the request with my new board... and the message this evening was telling me it was denied.
Oh boy, I was pissed. Heck I'm still pissed. The most f'd up part of it is that the message came through after business hours. And it clearly stated that if I had any questions or issues to contact my DBL (manager). Of course, being Friday and after business hours I couldn't do that right away. And I can't do it tomorrow or Sunday either. So I have to sit and brood about this all weekend. Which sucks. My family had already made plans around me being home that weekend to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
If I can't convince my DBL to give me that same time off as I was guaranteed with my old board, I'm going to have to break the news to my family which is going to suck. It just pisses me off that I have to deal with that. Now there is a chance that I can talk my new DBL into the time off. If I have to, I'll cry. I hate pulling that card, but sometimes it helps. And honestly, I'm sure that by Monday I'll not be done crying about this whole thing.
I mean, c'mon. I got screwed this weekend with my time off. I was supposed to have been on my way home last night and off today and tomorrow. Yes, I'm still getting time off, just a little later than expected. But I feel like I'm really getting screwed over since this whole transition to my new team. Maybe I'm just bitter over the fact that I was taken away from the great team I had in Indy.
*sigh*
Well before I get all postal here I suppose I should throw in a happy nugget and then head to bed.
Happy Nugget - I scored a package of Knott's Berry Farm Premium Cookies, the Strawberry Shortbread ones for $0.75 here at this pickle park. They are fresh and moist and very very tasty. I love the cookies but can't find them very often. This makes me very happy.
Comments
Im catching up on your journey from the begining
Dont worry about long posts
Just write
For what its worth...you have put a smile on my face.
And made me think about my past days on the road
Thanks!