To Blog or Not To Blog...
That IS the question... isn't it?
I have been meaning to make time to blog lately, but honestly... a sexy Italian by the name of Mario has kept me otherwise occupied. When I was on home time last weekend I stopped by the local GameStop to trade in a few games towards the purchase of Mario Kart for my Nintendo DS Lite... and well... it's addictive! Heck, I'd even bought 3 books at a book store, had three others waiting at the house that I'd ordered off Amazon and have only touched one of them since being back on the road.
I (heart) Mario Kart! haha
My time off was super fun. I'm so glad to see the end of Winter and warmer weather finally. It allowed my sweetie pie and I the opportunity to start something new. Bicycle riding! Friday we got up and ran a bunch of errands, paying bills and doing a bit of shopping. I needed a few things from K-Mart and I had to get a few things outta my truck still that I didn't feel like hauling out the night before. After picking up the things I needed at the Big K, we noticed on our way out that there were a row of brand new shiny bicycles on the sidewalk for sale. Not "on" sale, mind you. Just for sale.
My sweetie mentioned how much fun it would be to go for a bicycle ride. Exercise and fun, combined. And while I love riding bicycles, I wasn't sure it was a wise decision to drop a hundred bucks on a new bike. So we continued to our truck and then headed to the truck stop to snatch some stuff out of Trucky. En Route we talked about bike riding a little more and by the time I'd gathered the things I needed out of Trucky I'd decided we'd go back to K-Mart and buy a new bike.
That evening we hit the streets on our first bicycle ride through town. We ended up heading into the downtown area and were quickly realizing that we were getting hot, hungry and thirsty. So we made our way to a local pub for a pint and some grub. Well greased and a little buzzed we decided to head back home, arriving just in time to beat the evening rain shower.
As the evening progressed my tushie started to let me know that it didn't like the stock seat that came on my new bike. The next morning, it was definitely telling me it wasn't thrilled with me or my new bike. Luckily it rained most of the day Saturday, and we decided to take a ride in the pickup truck. We ended up at the tattoo shop where I am getting my sleeve work done, where I made an appointment for future work.
From there we headed back towards home detouring at the reviving flea market that had burned down last summer. Lack of facilities cut our browsing short as I had to use the restroom and the line for the porta-johns wasn't appealing. We found a gas station with public restrooms, did our business and were once more on our way towards home. We made another detour to our local Harbour Freight store where as luck would have it, we ran into my Dad and Stepmom. After chatting a bit we parted ways and finally ended up at home.
That night we ended up dining with friends at our favorite spot for beer and hot wings having a grand ol' time before retiring to our local Ramada Inn hotel for a night of R & R away from home. It was nice, they have a hot tub and indoor pool and big comfy beds!
Sunday was still spotty rain but after noon the sky cleared up enough to let the sun peep out for a while and we took advantage of the break in the weather to get in a second bike ride. This time we headed the opposite direction intent on crossing the river (so my sweetie could ride on the "twirly" sidewalk) and getting dinner at a deli we love. The ride was painful, on my assious region anyway, but fun. We made it up the twirly, across the river and to the deli with little hardship. After splitting a sammich, we were going to ride through the "nice" neighborhood but were prompted to head back home when it started to sprinkle.
By the time we got home we were on our way to being soaked by the fatty raindrops falling from the heavens. But it was fun and we were really enjoying ourselves! Imagine that... exercise that is actually FUN! Even with the pain in my buttocks... it was a blast.
But the pain in my rumpus was a great motivator to go to K-Mart again and spend more money... on proper seats. I bet we dropped seventy bucks for the two seats (and bottle holder mount) but dang it was worth it! We put the seats on that night, but left the bikes in the garage while the rain battered the earth outside.
Monday, Nate had to work so I went shopping! Damn I hate admitting it but I do love me some shopping! It's one of the few girlie things I partake of. I don't do make up, I don't like "ice" or other jewels, I don't have fancy hair cuts or designer purses... but I love to shop!
I did meet Nate and his boss for lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube (what a retarded name) and then went home to clean up the house a little while waiting for my sweetie to get off work. After picking him up from work we rushed home, changed clothes and pulled the bikes out of the garage for one last ride before I had to head back out on the road.
Now the two rides we did before were both less than 5 miles round trip. With comfy "lazyboy" styles seats, we managed a much longer ride, with less pain. We took to the sidewalk along what is known in town as the Boulevard. It runs along the river bank and is a very well maintained and wide sidewalk. We headed towards town taking a leisurely ride enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of the city. Stopping occasionally to catch our breath or check out something along the way, we were making good time.
At what we were calling a halfway point we took a break on a park bench and watched the world go by for a few minutes. The choice was given to me to keep going or head back. I figured that since we were having fun and I was not in pain, we should keep going. And we did... after stopping for a beer at the end of the road, we turned back and made our way home. Of course, at about that halfway point I was told that the decision I'd made to go all the way instead of turning back was a surprise... he thought I'd want to turn back... had secretly hoped I would... bah! hahahahaha
It was a super fun weekend of time off... which I've probably given you way too much detail about. But then if you have read this far... you were either interested, or you were just really bored... or you're a stalker...lol.
When I got back out on the road Tuesday morning, I was deadheaded 170 miles to pick up a live load bound for Maine. I arrived at the shipper was delayed because they were behind schedule but was still on the road before I expected to be. Two days later I delivered in Maine, found a truck stop and shut down for the night. My next load assignment wasn't able to be picked up until the following afternoon so I settled in for a date with Mario and sum bittersweet sleep.
Friday arrived and I was anxious about my upcoming load assignment. It was a drop and hook pick up but had to be delivered and live unloaded in Allentown, PA at 1:00 am Saturday morning. I'm not fond of night driving and hadn't really slept well enough or late enough to feel confident about my fatigue for the upcoming night of driving. I cat napped a little and then it was time to head to the shipper to get my load.
When I arrived I found the place in complete chaos. They too were behind schedule and as a result they hadn't found the time to preload the trailer I was to pick up. I was told to park in the staging area and that they would call me with a door number when one was available. My drop and hook turned into a live load. The estimated time was 4 hours before I was likely to get a door.
So I settled in for another date with Mario and some cat napping. It was round about four and a half hours before they called for me over the CB with a dock number. But once I was docked, I was loaded in less than 20 minutes! Loaded, signed and sealed I hit the road. I knew there was no way I'd make it to PA before my 14 hour clock expired so I contacted customer service to let them know my plan.
I was going to get halfway there, take my 10 hour DOT required break and then arrive at 12:30 at the consignee. Thankfully this was approved with no problem and my plan was working out. I stopped for the night at the peacefully quiet Pilot truck stop in Sturbridge, Mass. I slept like a baby, thanks in part to the location of the truck stop being away from the vast majority of any highway noise and being in a no idle state!
Saturday morning I woke up refreshed and ready to go. Actually I was ready to go before my 10 hour break was over, so I went in, grabbed a delicious coffee and a couple of bananas. After eating one banana and drinking half the coffee my break was up and I did my pre-trip, started my daily log and was ready to roll.
I had little trouble with traffic on my way to PA, being a Saturday morning helped I'm sure. I arrived at the consignee and was off loaded in no time. Empty, signed and super hungry... I hit the road and made my way to the Loves truck stop in Hamburg where I sit still.
I have a load assignment that I will pick up in Quakertown tomorrow evening and take to a Sams Club near Providence, RI tomorrow night for a 2 am delivery. From there... I'll probably end up rolling south again since I'm due home time this coming weekend.
I know it seems "sooo soon", but since my last home time was rescheduled thanks to that trip to Cali, things got outta whack. But I am going to hopefully get some tattoo work done this time plus I have a doctors appointment on the following Monday to hopefully get some answers and relief about my sinus/allergy problems.
I have been meaning to make time to blog lately, but honestly... a sexy Italian by the name of Mario has kept me otherwise occupied. When I was on home time last weekend I stopped by the local GameStop to trade in a few games towards the purchase of Mario Kart for my Nintendo DS Lite... and well... it's addictive! Heck, I'd even bought 3 books at a book store, had three others waiting at the house that I'd ordered off Amazon and have only touched one of them since being back on the road.
I (heart) Mario Kart! haha
My time off was super fun. I'm so glad to see the end of Winter and warmer weather finally. It allowed my sweetie pie and I the opportunity to start something new. Bicycle riding! Friday we got up and ran a bunch of errands, paying bills and doing a bit of shopping. I needed a few things from K-Mart and I had to get a few things outta my truck still that I didn't feel like hauling out the night before. After picking up the things I needed at the Big K, we noticed on our way out that there were a row of brand new shiny bicycles on the sidewalk for sale. Not "on" sale, mind you. Just for sale.
My sweetie mentioned how much fun it would be to go for a bicycle ride. Exercise and fun, combined. And while I love riding bicycles, I wasn't sure it was a wise decision to drop a hundred bucks on a new bike. So we continued to our truck and then headed to the truck stop to snatch some stuff out of Trucky. En Route we talked about bike riding a little more and by the time I'd gathered the things I needed out of Trucky I'd decided we'd go back to K-Mart and buy a new bike.
That evening we hit the streets on our first bicycle ride through town. We ended up heading into the downtown area and were quickly realizing that we were getting hot, hungry and thirsty. So we made our way to a local pub for a pint and some grub. Well greased and a little buzzed we decided to head back home, arriving just in time to beat the evening rain shower.
As the evening progressed my tushie started to let me know that it didn't like the stock seat that came on my new bike. The next morning, it was definitely telling me it wasn't thrilled with me or my new bike. Luckily it rained most of the day Saturday, and we decided to take a ride in the pickup truck. We ended up at the tattoo shop where I am getting my sleeve work done, where I made an appointment for future work.
From there we headed back towards home detouring at the reviving flea market that had burned down last summer. Lack of facilities cut our browsing short as I had to use the restroom and the line for the porta-johns wasn't appealing. We found a gas station with public restrooms, did our business and were once more on our way towards home. We made another detour to our local Harbour Freight store where as luck would have it, we ran into my Dad and Stepmom. After chatting a bit we parted ways and finally ended up at home.
That night we ended up dining with friends at our favorite spot for beer and hot wings having a grand ol' time before retiring to our local Ramada Inn hotel for a night of R & R away from home. It was nice, they have a hot tub and indoor pool and big comfy beds!
Sunday was still spotty rain but after noon the sky cleared up enough to let the sun peep out for a while and we took advantage of the break in the weather to get in a second bike ride. This time we headed the opposite direction intent on crossing the river (so my sweetie could ride on the "twirly" sidewalk) and getting dinner at a deli we love. The ride was painful, on my assious region anyway, but fun. We made it up the twirly, across the river and to the deli with little hardship. After splitting a sammich, we were going to ride through the "nice" neighborhood but were prompted to head back home when it started to sprinkle.
By the time we got home we were on our way to being soaked by the fatty raindrops falling from the heavens. But it was fun and we were really enjoying ourselves! Imagine that... exercise that is actually FUN! Even with the pain in my buttocks... it was a blast.
But the pain in my rumpus was a great motivator to go to K-Mart again and spend more money... on proper seats. I bet we dropped seventy bucks for the two seats (and bottle holder mount) but dang it was worth it! We put the seats on that night, but left the bikes in the garage while the rain battered the earth outside.
Monday, Nate had to work so I went shopping! Damn I hate admitting it but I do love me some shopping! It's one of the few girlie things I partake of. I don't do make up, I don't like "ice" or other jewels, I don't have fancy hair cuts or designer purses... but I love to shop!
I did meet Nate and his boss for lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube (what a retarded name) and then went home to clean up the house a little while waiting for my sweetie to get off work. After picking him up from work we rushed home, changed clothes and pulled the bikes out of the garage for one last ride before I had to head back out on the road.
Now the two rides we did before were both less than 5 miles round trip. With comfy "lazyboy" styles seats, we managed a much longer ride, with less pain. We took to the sidewalk along what is known in town as the Boulevard. It runs along the river bank and is a very well maintained and wide sidewalk. We headed towards town taking a leisurely ride enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of the city. Stopping occasionally to catch our breath or check out something along the way, we were making good time.
At what we were calling a halfway point we took a break on a park bench and watched the world go by for a few minutes. The choice was given to me to keep going or head back. I figured that since we were having fun and I was not in pain, we should keep going. And we did... after stopping for a beer at the end of the road, we turned back and made our way home. Of course, at about that halfway point I was told that the decision I'd made to go all the way instead of turning back was a surprise... he thought I'd want to turn back... had secretly hoped I would... bah! hahahahaha
It was a super fun weekend of time off... which I've probably given you way too much detail about. But then if you have read this far... you were either interested, or you were just really bored... or you're a stalker...lol.
When I got back out on the road Tuesday morning, I was deadheaded 170 miles to pick up a live load bound for Maine. I arrived at the shipper was delayed because they were behind schedule but was still on the road before I expected to be. Two days later I delivered in Maine, found a truck stop and shut down for the night. My next load assignment wasn't able to be picked up until the following afternoon so I settled in for a date with Mario and sum bittersweet sleep.
Friday arrived and I was anxious about my upcoming load assignment. It was a drop and hook pick up but had to be delivered and live unloaded in Allentown, PA at 1:00 am Saturday morning. I'm not fond of night driving and hadn't really slept well enough or late enough to feel confident about my fatigue for the upcoming night of driving. I cat napped a little and then it was time to head to the shipper to get my load.
When I arrived I found the place in complete chaos. They too were behind schedule and as a result they hadn't found the time to preload the trailer I was to pick up. I was told to park in the staging area and that they would call me with a door number when one was available. My drop and hook turned into a live load. The estimated time was 4 hours before I was likely to get a door.
So I settled in for another date with Mario and some cat napping. It was round about four and a half hours before they called for me over the CB with a dock number. But once I was docked, I was loaded in less than 20 minutes! Loaded, signed and sealed I hit the road. I knew there was no way I'd make it to PA before my 14 hour clock expired so I contacted customer service to let them know my plan.
I was going to get halfway there, take my 10 hour DOT required break and then arrive at 12:30 at the consignee. Thankfully this was approved with no problem and my plan was working out. I stopped for the night at the peacefully quiet Pilot truck stop in Sturbridge, Mass. I slept like a baby, thanks in part to the location of the truck stop being away from the vast majority of any highway noise and being in a no idle state!
Saturday morning I woke up refreshed and ready to go. Actually I was ready to go before my 10 hour break was over, so I went in, grabbed a delicious coffee and a couple of bananas. After eating one banana and drinking half the coffee my break was up and I did my pre-trip, started my daily log and was ready to roll.
I had little trouble with traffic on my way to PA, being a Saturday morning helped I'm sure. I arrived at the consignee and was off loaded in no time. Empty, signed and super hungry... I hit the road and made my way to the Loves truck stop in Hamburg where I sit still.
I have a load assignment that I will pick up in Quakertown tomorrow evening and take to a Sams Club near Providence, RI tomorrow night for a 2 am delivery. From there... I'll probably end up rolling south again since I'm due home time this coming weekend.
I know it seems "sooo soon", but since my last home time was rescheduled thanks to that trip to Cali, things got outta whack. But I am going to hopefully get some tattoo work done this time plus I have a doctors appointment on the following Monday to hopefully get some answers and relief about my sinus/allergy problems.
Comments
Gabby
This was a great post. I love when you write long ones and I like the detail you put in about your day, your loads, your home time.
As for the books you read...do you have a certain genre you like? If so, what is it?
OK....take care, drive safe!
I am a huge fan of horror fiction also, and my favorite author in that genre most people don't know him, is Bentley Little. His stuff is like real life turned macabre. It's fantastic!
I could talk books for hours... lol.
I darn near had to send you a bill for a new laptop after I nearly spit out my cereal all over the keyboard when reading the line "..or your a stalker". Too funny!
That Pilot (in Hamburg) is only 20 minutes from my house! Had I known you were there I would have met you for lunch- You probably passed The Midway Diner an exit or three before, they have half decent grub (and truck parking). Maybe next time.
Hope you are enjoying (or enjoyed) your visit to the 'wonderful' NE Region!
Jason
If I were a hooman I think I'd ride a bike everywhere. It looks like so much fun.
Mom used to have a bike years ago. She has been talking about buying another so she can get more exercise and lose some weight.
Happy Truckin'
Wags & wiggles,
Bijou