Meet & Greet
I wish I had pictures to make this a proper introduction, but I couldn't bring myself to photograph her in her dirty state. I'll be getting her washed up in a few weeks and will at that point post her shiny mug shot.
Yeah yeah I know, so many of you voted for Lucille, but honestly, I wasn't feeling it. I didn't realize so many of you would go for it though, I honestly thought Alice would get the most votes. But all along, I knew Marge would win in my heart. Partly because it's just a fabulous name, and partly because I loved the Large Marge ghost trucker character from Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
Marge and I have had a few of our own adventures already. Today, for instance, we were separated by a thin barrier known as THE DOOR. (insert spooky music here)
I had just arrived at a delivery destination. After shutting off the engine and grabbing the paperwork out of the door panel I punched in an arrival macro on the Qualcomm and headed over to the receiving office. As soon as the door shut behind me I realized too little, too late that I'd forgotten to take the key out of the ignition.
CRAP! And of course I'd not managed to stash a spare anywhere on the outside of the truck yet so I was locked out. Boo hiss.
Two yard jockeys and one office manager tried to help me get the door open but to no avail. They did however help me find a free phone line from which I would call the company to have them dispatch a locksmith.
Two hours later, amid a ferocious rain storm the guy arrived and managed to get the door lock popped in less than 15 seconds. Oh yes, I timed it. And now I'm thinking about not only rigging up a spare key but also a small "break-in" kit that I can use in case the spare falls off. haha
Aside from that, Marge and I have been finding that we are going to have to work hard to build a good relationship. I'm trying to get to rights all of her wrongs, but I don't know if she has realized just yet that I'm not the same driver who put her into her current state of "distress".
A little fixin' here and there so far has brought us a few steps closer to being best friends. With the help of a couple shop guys, we've managed to fix a few of her ailments but there are a few more that will need attention soon. Take for instance her lack of cruise ability or assisted gravity resistance. I believe these two to be connected and will know when I get her to a proper shop. I'm sure she hates that I have to keep my foot firmly planted on her throttle pedal all day long as much as I hate having to do it. But for now, we just have to get along the best we can.
But lemme tell ya, no cruise control makes for a tired knee and ankle at the end of the day.
No engine (aka jake) brake makes for long days as well. And scary moments. The previous blog will attest to the frustration of not having a functioning engine break, along with the terrifying effects of regular yet malfunctioning brakes. Yeeowza!
I'm a few days out from getting a few days off and I can't wait to introduced my sweetie to my new gal. And I can't wait to take a break from her too. I had no problems getting back into a standard shift transmission truck, haven't even stalled her once. But I'd forgotten how much use my right arm and left leg get between the shifter and the clutch pedal. haha, sad isn't it? Kenny really did spoil me in that respect. I was lazy as lazy can be while driving him around!
Well, there ya have it folks.
Gi-Gi and Marge... we're large and in charge! ;)
But in the meantime, folks, let's take a moment to welcome Large Marge to the fold.
Yeah yeah I know, so many of you voted for Lucille, but honestly, I wasn't feeling it. I didn't realize so many of you would go for it though, I honestly thought Alice would get the most votes. But all along, I knew Marge would win in my heart. Partly because it's just a fabulous name, and partly because I loved the Large Marge ghost trucker character from Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
Marge and I have had a few of our own adventures already. Today, for instance, we were separated by a thin barrier known as THE DOOR. (insert spooky music here)
I had just arrived at a delivery destination. After shutting off the engine and grabbing the paperwork out of the door panel I punched in an arrival macro on the Qualcomm and headed over to the receiving office. As soon as the door shut behind me I realized too little, too late that I'd forgotten to take the key out of the ignition.
CRAP! And of course I'd not managed to stash a spare anywhere on the outside of the truck yet so I was locked out. Boo hiss.
Two yard jockeys and one office manager tried to help me get the door open but to no avail. They did however help me find a free phone line from which I would call the company to have them dispatch a locksmith.
Two hours later, amid a ferocious rain storm the guy arrived and managed to get the door lock popped in less than 15 seconds. Oh yes, I timed it. And now I'm thinking about not only rigging up a spare key but also a small "break-in" kit that I can use in case the spare falls off. haha
Aside from that, Marge and I have been finding that we are going to have to work hard to build a good relationship. I'm trying to get to rights all of her wrongs, but I don't know if she has realized just yet that I'm not the same driver who put her into her current state of "distress".
A little fixin' here and there so far has brought us a few steps closer to being best friends. With the help of a couple shop guys, we've managed to fix a few of her ailments but there are a few more that will need attention soon. Take for instance her lack of cruise ability or assisted gravity resistance. I believe these two to be connected and will know when I get her to a proper shop. I'm sure she hates that I have to keep my foot firmly planted on her throttle pedal all day long as much as I hate having to do it. But for now, we just have to get along the best we can.
But lemme tell ya, no cruise control makes for a tired knee and ankle at the end of the day.
No engine (aka jake) brake makes for long days as well. And scary moments. The previous blog will attest to the frustration of not having a functioning engine break, along with the terrifying effects of regular yet malfunctioning brakes. Yeeowza!
I'm a few days out from getting a few days off and I can't wait to introduced my sweetie to my new gal. And I can't wait to take a break from her too. I had no problems getting back into a standard shift transmission truck, haven't even stalled her once. But I'd forgotten how much use my right arm and left leg get between the shifter and the clutch pedal. haha, sad isn't it? Kenny really did spoil me in that respect. I was lazy as lazy can be while driving him around!
Well, there ya have it folks.
Gi-Gi and Marge... we're large and in charge! ;)
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