Great Googlie Mooglie

I didn't realize how long it had been since I last blogged. Stoopid iPhone.... or as I call it my iPrecious... aka scapegoat for internets neglects.

I seriously love my iPrecious (which when spoken aloud in the fashion of Gollum/Smeagol from the Hollywood blockbuster Lord of the Rings sounds way better than the way it appears in type font).

We map out trips together, we update Facebook together, we send sweet lovey dovey texts to my sweetheart together, we even play games and gossip together! The relationship we've developed is probably unhealthy, but sooo worth it. haha! iPrecious is my sidekick, the Robin to my Batman, the Woodstock to my Snoopy, perhaps even the Edward to my Bella.

Which brings me to another small scapegoat for internets neglects.... Twilight. Yes, I've succumbed... and NO, I'm not ashamed. I bought the series in hardback, first edition, as Christmas gift to myself. I began the series as soon as I got back out on the road after my New Years vacation. But my dumbness only brought out the first two books in the series. My thinking was that since they appeared to be quite large that I wouldn't finish them very quickly. Little did I know I would end up with both of them read cover to cover in less than 6 days.

Of course this kept me wanting more, but the rest was still sitting atop the filing cabinet at home... teasing me from far away. UGH! It was torture.

So to kill the time between finishing New Moon and my next stop through the house two weeks later, I read another book I had in my truck. I'd purchased "The Demon in the Freezer" by Richard Preston months ago after hearing clip-its of it on XM's book radio channel. It was a small book, a true story in the history of the Eradication (of small pox) and also a little bit about the events surrounding the post 9-11 anthrax attacks. It was a good read, in depth and detailed, though not for the weak stomached nor for those not interested in scientific/medical jargon.

As the weeks finally passed and I was learning more than the average bear about small pox, I found that I was finally getting to go home for a few days off. I swapped out the first two Twilight books for the final two and made sure they were packed and ready to be loaded into the truck before I even settled in on my first day home.

Time off was a blessing filled with snow. I'm quite tired of the snow at this point. Gimme sunshine and 70 degrees anytime now thanks! While I was home I got my hair did, my taxes filed, my sleep debt caught up and even had a great time cooking a few dinners and making salsa with the roomie.... well he made most of it...I just helped with the taste testing. haha Oh and my sweetie and I went to the movies and saw "Sherlock Holmes".....which was amazing! I can't wait to own that one on DVD. What a great movie.

Back on the road this past Monday I picked up a load bound for Oshkosh, WI and made a mostly uneventful journey. I had a few moments of near panic when Kenny (the truck) decided to start misbehaving. He kicked out of cruise control a few times and the speedometer went all wacky like it had done before the "Great Breakdowns" in the fall of 2009. Other than that he seemed to be doing fine. Until the third morning when I started the truck, put the truck in drive and found that the transmission was stuck in 2nd gear. UGH.

I have been through so many of these types of Kenny Fits that I knew where to start to get things back to normal. I shut down the truck and twisted the key in the ignition (from off to ACC) very fast 8 times, waited 10 seconds after the final twist to "off" and then started the truck up. Voila! Unstuck.

Since that day we've only had a few instances of annoyance. Mostly of the "I don't wanna be in cruise control" sort. Today has been the worst in that department so far. I know the primary problem is the XY shifter in which controls the shifting in the transmission on this auto shift. If they plug Kenny into a diagnostic machine the readout will say it's a bad speed control sensor, which they will likely replace needlessly.... as when they've replaced only that in the past it didn't fix the problem at all.

Ugh, anyway. I'm sitting in upstate NY right now being loaded with goodies to take south to Georgia. I get the pleasure of driving down I-81, but hopefully not until the road crews have had time to clear away the remnants of the snopocalypic dumping of white crap in Pennsylvania, Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia. FUN FUN. Seriously... sunshine...70 degrees... please?!?!

Comments

june in florida said…
Keep heading south and take a couple of days in Florida.Glad your back l was getting concerned.
David M. Howell said…
I thought you were going to bail on the auto and go back to manual? Or is there a required test period?

David
Angela said…
Oh how I wish I had a choice in the matter really. I have asked for a manual several times but they claim they don't have any available. Apparently the company divides drivers into groups at each of the terminals. An apparently they only allot each group so many trucks. So the story I get is that they don't have a truck available to give me unless my group loses a driver. Whatever. If I break down I'll be damanding a new truck. lol I'll throw a tantrum I I have to haha.
mgj_oakland said…
By chance I found your blog -- and I enjoy it tremendously! Your writing style is very good, and as a fellow trucker (newbie!) I am learning, yet knowing what you are saying. I want you to keep up the good work, and hear (read) from you often!
Anonymous said…
No longer reading your journal. Like most of the other people that start a journal, you don not have any regular updates. It seems that most blogs last about 6 months or so and then the blogger stops with the updates.
Anonymous said…
Well, I'm still reading your blog and WHERE are you, Gi-Gi? Am thinking you're taking a rest from blogging, but come back please. Love to hear of your adventures.

Belledog
Scott said…
Please keep blogging, I miss the regular updates. I have been following since the old PD.com days. You have a loyal following and I love checking daily to see if you have blogged. Anyway enjoy reading your blog. Be safe and keep on trucking. Scott

Popular posts from this blog

Digital Camera Help...

Open Forum

Mmm...Jello