Slackin'

I just watched two episodes of X-Files (season 3) on Netflix after having sat at the computer with my fingers perched on the keys ready to spill forth whatever stroke of genius was lingering in my fingertips. Only... nothing came out. So now, after one really good episode about a cursed urn of remains and a really bad episode about a jacked up Asian body part removal game, I'm pretty sure I'm ready to put a few words on the old blogaroni.

I had a great Easter weekend at home. It was shorter than expected as I was due to get home Friday and have Saturday and Sunday off. But life gets screwy out here sometimes and I ended up getting home instead on Saturday morning. And since I was already preloaded with a work assignment for Monday, I had to cut my visit shorter than I'd have liked. But whatev's.

When I got home the first thing I did was go home and wash the grime off in my own shower, without shoes on. Then the hubby and I went out running errands like two badass errand ninja's. Yes, I just said that. We killed it that morning. We shopped, paid bills, shopped more and still had time to enjoy the whole day together after getting all the "must-do's" out of the way.

Sunday was Easter of course and after loafing about in the morning time, we then went to one of two stores open out at what we call "South Ridge", where I bought a new book to read (like I needed a new one with the 10 I haven't bothered cracking open yet). After that we got the good-to-go from my sister to come on out for Easter, mountaintop farm style.

We had a great visit and a great lunch. They made BBQ chicken on their smoker, ahhh-mazing. And for fixin's we had corn (which my sister had canned from last years crops), shells-n-cheese, sweet rolls, baked beans, and all the laughter we could pass around the kitchen table. It was great. After eatin's, the guys went one way and the girls went another.

Eventually we all found each other again down by the barn, where we watched Smokey the goat act silly, Donkey the donkey chill out in the barn and the chickens trying to run away from my niece who was trying to catch every last one of them. And I can't neglect to mention my nephew's antics. He was up in the barn loft setting up some kind of boobie traps for his daddy, he's a hoot.

We had a great Easter Sunday. Even if I did have to go home and do laundry at the end of the day.

When I headed back out on the road Monday morning I already had an idea of where I was going since I was pre-assigned on Friday. I was going to be loaded up with a trailer full of recycled plastic at a new warehouse near Parkersburg, WV. I was then taking it up to a small plant just outside of Chicago, IL. Both of the facilities were easy enough to find and at the pick up location all went just peachy.

At the delivery location, however, things were a little screwy. I arrived ten minutes before my scheduled appointment to find the facility only had 6 docks and all but one had a trailer already docked. So upon checking in I learned that the sixth unoccupied dock was actually broken in some way and I'd have to either drop my trailer, pull out one of the other trailers, drop it and hook back up to mine and back it in or just hang out and wait for another driver to come and pull one out.

Since it wasn't our companies equipment I declined the drop and swap and opted to just wait it out. Luckily it was only about a half hour before someone came to get one of the trailers and I was docked and being unloaded within an hour after my arrival.

After that I was sent to pick up my next work assignment on the south side of Chicago. I arrived and was loaded in about an hour and was on my way westward. That assignment delivered in St. Joseph, MO over near Kansas City, MO yesterday morning. I ended up staying the night in Iowa at a truck stop I got super lucky to get parked in.

It wasn't funny when I arrived, exhausted, and found the "extra large" truck stop completely packed. I circled the lot twice thinking I was going to have to go find somewhere else to park when all of a sudden some asshole was blowing his air horn at me. When I looked over intending to give him some serious stink eye, I found that he was letting me know he was leaving and that I'd be smart to snag his spot immediately. So I waved and smiled big (stink eye quickly put into hiding) and then I pulled up out of his way. I made sure to set up for a quick back-me-up as soon as he was out of the way.

I swear, I think that the Universe was smiling on me that night.

The next morning I got up and continued my trip down to St. Joseph, arriving right on time for my delivery appointment. I was docked and unloaded in less than an hour and was given the okay to park off to the side of the lot out of the way while I waited for my next work assignment.

I sat there for about an hour, waiting... waiting... and still waiting. I checked my pocket truck stop guide for any truck stops nearby and found one that was only about 8 miles away. I sent a message in to my boss that I was going to go over there, so I could have facilities and not feel like I was imposing on any one. When he responded and said okay, off I went.

When I arrived at the truck stop and parked I immediately sent in an updated time of availability through the new system and then proceeded to hang out in my berth, knitting. After about an hour or so I realized I wasn't going to be getting a new work assignment anytime soon. So after calling in to find out what the deal was, I decided I was just going to push myself out until the next morning and enjoy a little downtime.

I cranked out some serious knitting and finally completed my scarf. Then read a little, and talked to my hubby on the phone and then finally went to bed. Not knowing that during the night, my Qualcomm would self recognize and set out to terminate my grind.

No, I wouldn't discover that until morning. Late morning. After I'd reset the alarm upon checking my work assignments and finding nothing new. And after hitting the snooze a few times after that. No. I didn't realize that "Jackie" had royally screwed me as I slept like a baby all night. (yes I call my Qualcomm Jackie, get over it)

Somewhere around 8 central I thought, maybe the new system is just picky and needs updating to prompt a queue to the planners that I want a load now. So I set forth to the task of updating what the company is now calling the NAT (next available time). When I opened the Update NAT screen I was about to explode.

Jackie had taken it upon herself to ZERO out all of my hours of availability. Each day and anytime anything changes during a work assignment I have to fill in how many available hours I have on three different time sets, 11 Hour Duty, 14 Hour Duty and 70 Hour Duty. When I had updated the afternoon before I had put in accurate numbers reflecting what I would have to run.

But all of a sudden all three of those fields had nothing but ZERO's.... (thanks Jackie!) Zero's???!!!

Of course zero's are the kinds of numbers that tell the planners that I'm a lazy bitch who doesn't want to work.

Only I wanted to work.

It was Jackie who wanted to hold me hostage at a shitty truck stop.

But damnit... I wanted to work. So I had to call in to the help line, then call my boss, then call help line again. And finally it was all on the up and up. Or so I thought.

I decided to go for a stroll in to the crappy truck stop restrooms, maybe stop and peruse the shelves, grab a snack or two. Then when I came back and found that I still didn't have an assignment, with daylight burning, I figured I'd light a little fire and called in once more to talk to the boss. It was discovered at that point that nearly a half hour prior to the point at which we were speaking, I had been given a work assignment, only for some reason it wasn't being transmitted through the system.

Really? Who else did Jackie piss off? Who was she giving the silent treatment?! UGH that bitch!

My boss was able to force dispatch the work assignment through to my computer, luckily. But by the time I actually received and could review the work assignment I was already well on my way to being late for the APPOINTMENT that was scheduled. After checking it all out, doing a quick half-assed trip plan I accepted the assignment, made it active in the system and hit the road.

When I arrived I was exactly an hour and 15 minutes late for the scheduled pick-up. But they were really cool about it. Some places get really salty when you show up late and make a big deal out of it. This place was the exact opposite of that. The gal at the front counter got me squared away with paperwork, signing in and such and even gave me a dock number to go ahead and back up to. Then she offered me free coffee, full access to their break room and ladies facilities.

Once I was docked, I hung out in my truck waiting a bit, as I knew it would be a while before they began loading me. The lady had informed me that since I was late, I'd have to be squeezed in when time allowed, but she assured me it wouldn't be that long. When I felt the first pallet get rolled onto the trailer I buttoned up and went in to pop a bag of popcorn and use the ladies room.

I then sat in the break room for a bit just watching in amazement as employees filtered in and out of the room. Seriously... I was in awe at how attractive everyone was. I don't think I saw a single person who would be classified as overweight. And certainly no one that could be called anything other than "hot". Male and female alike. I was starting to think that I was bringing the place down with my chubby bubble butt and my popcorn guzzling fatty face.

(note: I'm self deprecating only for the sake of the story, I'm a narcissist at heart)

So of course in a rage of shame I grabbed my popcorn and went back out to the truck where I ate it, one fistful at a time, with reckless abandon, like a good little piggy... and then I cried over the empty bag like I'd just murdered a kitten.

Ok, so I didn't do that at all. I did, however, go back out to the truck, where I poured some of the popcorn into a bowl, ate it while I read a little, and put the rest of the popcorn in a ziplock baggie for later.

I was loaded up and ready to go two hours and twenty minutes after my initial arrival. And I hit the road headed south east. I made it to a truck stop in Illinois where I was blessed by the Universe yet again, snagging the ONLY open spot left in the joint. There were other places on the property to park, but I'm a stickler for rules and laws and such and I refuse to park where there are not painted lines on either side of my rig.

Some of you will scoff.... yes... I hear you out there. Snickering at my rule following. But the one time I parked in a place that wasn't a designated parking space with lines on BOTH sides of my rig, my front end got jacked up by a dumbass driver who can't make turns in the dark without destroying shit.

By the way I'm sorry but I just realized how much profanity I've used in this blog and while I'm sorry... I'm not editing it out. Get over it.

So anyway. I managed to get the last viable, legal parking spot last night and shut down for a really great nights sleep. I had a hard time motivating this morning. It was tough. I reset my alarm, hit the snooze a few too many times. It was rough. BUT, I had the whole day to get to where I'd planned to be (which is exactly where I sit right now). I even managed to stop after a few hours of driving and rinse the crud off in a nice luke warm shower.

I can't take hot showers right now because of a skin condition I'm being cursed with. Wait. I just figured out why the Universe is being so nice to me... it's because it knows about my skin thing and how Mother Nature is royally messing with me right now. Yes, that must be it.

But I digress. Post shower, I hit the road and finally landed here in eastern Tennessee. I will deliver my trailer-full of goodies to a Wal-Mart Distribution Center in the morning (ugh I hate enabling) and then who knows what. I have yet to be pre-assigned my next load. Maybe I'll get something that will take me up through the house and I can stop in and give hubby a congratulatory hug and kiss for landing his first real job in over two years.

Yes, he is now gainfully employed with a small HVAC outfit and seems content to have it. He's only worked three days so far, but I've not really heard anything but happiness when he talks about finally getting to do what he's been learning in school for over a year, in the real world, and get paid for it.

And it's adorable to hear him say "well I'm gonna get off the phone and go to bed baby, I gotta get up early for work in the morning". I just love him to bits.