Mmm...Jello
I just finished a sugar free Cherry Gel snack ( I can't call it Jell-O since it's officially a generic brand that I bought). It was yummy.
Not nearly as yummy as the foods I spoiled myself with the last few days. Night one, sushi. It was damn good sushi shared with good company, whom I know let me off really cheap on my cost of the meal. It was fantastic and I was surprised at how well sushi went with light beer. Go figure.
Night two, Mongolian. O M G I could eat Mongolian every freaking day for the rest of my life and never tire. It's the bestest. Primarily because you make it how you want it. If you've never been to a Mongolian BBQ restaurant then you're truly missing out. In a traditional Mongolian BBQ you approach a long bar that is filled with chilled or frozen meats, veggies, and other nummy-nums that you place into a bowl (or two). As much or as little as you like! Then you approach a second long bar that houses large containers of just about every imaginable type of flavoring liquid that you ladle onto your raw foods to season it just perfect to your own tastes.
This visit I got a little creative with the sauces. I usually follow a recommended "recipe" that is listed above the sauces. This time, I got seriously brave and went buck wild. Turns out it was just what I needed. It was great. It was tasty. And I guarantee that next time I stop in for a meal, I'll have forgotten that perfect combination of sauces and be screwed! haha
Night three is tonite, and the best part about my meal intake for today has been the sugar free gelatin and the low fat/low sodium Vienna sausages (a very rare find!). They are most tasty when smothered in my absolute favorite condiment... MUSTARD!
I'm sitting in Kalamazoo, MI for the night. I delivered a load and am utilizing their parking lot for my 10 hour break tonite. I am hoping that before I hit the hay the Qualcomm will start beeping with my next load assignment which I hope gets me home. I kinda have a feeling that based on my current location and the route from this location to my house I will be relaying a load in Columbus.
I really hope I'm mistaken. I hate doing that. But I'll do what I gotta do to get home. I'm ready for some R & R, maybe some more sushi and definitely some ice cold beer.
Oooh... I thought I'd ask a question for those of you reading this who drive truck (or may have in the past)... comment with an answer if you're so compelled.
I'm interested to know what was it that got you interested in trucking?
I'm anxious to hear some answers! It's always interesting to learn why people were motivated to do something, anything really. It shows just how different we all really are. And in a world where individuality is slowly going the way of the do-do it's hard to observe true individuality unless we actively seek it.
Not nearly as yummy as the foods I spoiled myself with the last few days. Night one, sushi. It was damn good sushi shared with good company, whom I know let me off really cheap on my cost of the meal. It was fantastic and I was surprised at how well sushi went with light beer. Go figure.
Night two, Mongolian. O M G I could eat Mongolian every freaking day for the rest of my life and never tire. It's the bestest. Primarily because you make it how you want it. If you've never been to a Mongolian BBQ restaurant then you're truly missing out. In a traditional Mongolian BBQ you approach a long bar that is filled with chilled or frozen meats, veggies, and other nummy-nums that you place into a bowl (or two). As much or as little as you like! Then you approach a second long bar that houses large containers of just about every imaginable type of flavoring liquid that you ladle onto your raw foods to season it just perfect to your own tastes.
This visit I got a little creative with the sauces. I usually follow a recommended "recipe" that is listed above the sauces. This time, I got seriously brave and went buck wild. Turns out it was just what I needed. It was great. It was tasty. And I guarantee that next time I stop in for a meal, I'll have forgotten that perfect combination of sauces and be screwed! haha
Night three is tonite, and the best part about my meal intake for today has been the sugar free gelatin and the low fat/low sodium Vienna sausages (a very rare find!). They are most tasty when smothered in my absolute favorite condiment... MUSTARD!
I'm sitting in Kalamazoo, MI for the night. I delivered a load and am utilizing their parking lot for my 10 hour break tonite. I am hoping that before I hit the hay the Qualcomm will start beeping with my next load assignment which I hope gets me home. I kinda have a feeling that based on my current location and the route from this location to my house I will be relaying a load in Columbus.
I really hope I'm mistaken. I hate doing that. But I'll do what I gotta do to get home. I'm ready for some R & R, maybe some more sushi and definitely some ice cold beer.
Oooh... I thought I'd ask a question for those of you reading this who drive truck (or may have in the past)... comment with an answer if you're so compelled.
I'm interested to know what was it that got you interested in trucking?
I'm anxious to hear some answers! It's always interesting to learn why people were motivated to do something, anything really. It shows just how different we all really are. And in a world where individuality is slowly going the way of the do-do it's hard to observe true individuality unless we actively seek it.
Comments
I've wanted to drive for about 25 years.. or since I was 6. My uncle was a trucker and I fell in love with them after he gave me a ride once. My prior profession sucked so my wife suggested we take it up after I resigned.
We're currently attending CDL school in Joplin, MO before we head out with our company just after the holiday.
I've wanted to drive since I was a kid. I remember being 6 or 7 and joking that I was going to drive a truck and just stop by the house once a month or something and see the family. Never truly living anywhere!
I was in a dead-end mundane job that I was getting tired of...Ironically though, I was getting mad at that job over the constant 12hour days. Now...those 14 hour days make the previous seem nice!
But I love the freedom. I love not having a boss (not in the formal sense)...and...well, I just like it!
This is a long story and the aid in the telling I’m including a link to my blog for the SNI part of it.
I’ve always loved trucks. Wanted to drive one since I was a kid. But my family was HUGE on education and after high school I just naturally went off to college. I discovered I was a decent writer and could make a pretty good living at it. I started in radio, graduated to television and spent the next 25 years building a career as a writer. All the while dreaming of just getting out on the road.
That opportunity came a few years ago and I jumped at it. I frequently wish I’d stayed a driver (but writing called me back—and paid dearly for my word herding). I follow blogs like yours from my Chicago office knowing that when the economy revives I’m walking away from the keyboard and back to gear jamming.
Please keep the stories coming. Including what got you into trucking.
http://web.mac.com/baldego/Word_Herder/Not_In_Your_Life%3A_Essays_and_Short_Stories/Entries/2006/7/14_Everybody%E2%80%9A%C3%84%C3%B4s_Smart.html
I... have... no... idea haha. No, but seriously I'm a screenwriter and have always wanted to do a trucking-themed screenplay that rings true, but you can't write about something you know nothing about. So, now I'm out there (just another guy in a Pete dragging around a 53' refer haha!). Besides, I hate it when screenwriters just interview a bunch of "experts" on a particular subject, then expect this to provide them with enough knowledge to make something that's authentic and not like a total insult to those who really live the life....
Good question ;)
For me I grew up as a Kid around a meat packing plant that our family owned, during the summer months I would ride with drvers on their delivery routes & with the cattle/pig hauling trucks heading to the cattle sales to pick up recently purchased livestock. I always enjoyed the open road.
Family sold the 50 plus year old business in early 1980's while I was still in high school. After attending college and working for a few years behind a desk with a supervisor always looking over yur shoulder, only a few cubicals away, it was time for a change. Windowless office I might add.
Once CDL in hand, I never looked back to anything else. How many jobs can you enjoy seeing the new sights daily? I may sit behind the same wheel everyday but the scenery changes by the minute. We as drivers get to watch the weather/seasons change in real-time. Yes we have bosses & customers to answer to but only after running from point A to B. If we do our jobs effectively most likely we won't hear anything from them for weeks.
Only con for me is the time away from the love ones. Over the years technology has helped with this though. Doesn't replace real home time but does help.
EW
Fast forward 10.5 years, I'm sitting in a class at UCA (3.5 years into an accounting degree) and decided that I couldn't bear to work with those people for the rest of my life. So I finished out the semester and went to truck driving school. Hubby trained me, but our goal was never to drive team--he drove regional and we wanted to stick with that.
We always get a lot of comments about making more money as a team but neither one of us like pushing that hard. Now if we could find a team operation that let us shut the truck down 5-6 hours a night, and have every weekend off, we MIGHT consider it, LOL.
Gabrielle
Er, I guess I was an 'impressionable child'. I also think there was probably a bit of 'wanting what you haven't got'. I'll explain that one a bit further below!
As an 'impressionable child' (of 5 years old-ish) I remember walking around York (UK), a garrison town, with my parents and being mesmerised by British Army Land Rovers (Jeeps) as they drove through town. The chunky tyres, reinforced with inner steel bands incorporated into the tread, made a distinctive humming noise that could be heard before the said vehicle could be seen. Being as impressionable as I was, I became convinced that I wanted to 'join the army when I grew up' (and that's what I eventually did!).
A couple of years later, aged about 7, I spent a couple of weeks with family friends of my parents (Anne & John). John was effectively a small-time owner driver (owner operator) and I spent many enjoyable day out in his truck on his day runs. At that point I knew I wanted to be a truck driver.
Fast-forward to when I joined the army (1986) and it didn't take too long to realise that way back when I was a 5 year old in York watching the army Land Rovers, it was the truck I liked much more than the army!! Oh well, I stuck with it (well, stayed with the MoD in various guises) for 22+ years.
The army gave me a lot of what I wanted (vehicle/driving/training wise) including transport management qualifications, Road Safety Officer, Accident Investigation, HAZMAT Supervisor, X-Country Instructor, DSA Driving Instructor (civi qual) and eventually, Delegated Driving Examiner. I always wanted the next thing i.e. what I hadn't got, whether that was the next course or another licence category etc.
My MoD time is done and do you know what? I still want to go OTR! I still feel that it's another aspect of trucking I haven't yet had my fill of; once again wanting something that I haven't had/got!
As for the origins of 'wanting what I haven't got', especially vehicle related, well that's probably because when I was a kid we never had a car as a young family, something I felt I was missing out on!!
So back to the original question of what got me interested in trucking? I was easily impressed . . . . . . . and still am to this day, so it would seem!! LOL
Martin.cob