I don't want to talk about it.
I did meet Joe Theismann though. He was always one of my heroes when I was a little kid. So at least I have that.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
9/21/07
I woke to the sound of some jackass blowing his horn this morning. That pretty much sucks, but I really needed to get my ass up and going anyway. I headed to Meijer for some food, drinks, and supplies. Then it was back home to load up the car. Then, over to Mom's house to grab a portable grill and cooler. Then it was almost like I was at work, as I waited and waited and waited. I had ordered some meat from Omaha Steaks in preparation for tomorrow's tailgate. Unfortunately the UPS guy was running behind today. So... we got rolling for South Bend later than expected. Such is life.
Earlier in the day, my friend Brian made contact with a guy about four tickets and a much-coveted parking pass to the Joyce lot. Our price was X, and the guy's price was Y. Well, Y was out of range so we assumed it was a non-issue. A while later, the fella called to offer two tickets. No pal, we wanted four tickets plus the parking pass. The guy balked, so we started driving to South Bend.
After we arrived and checked into our hotel (compliments of my mother), we commenced with the libations. Out of the blue, a call came in at 11pm. The dude from earlier was willing to meet our terms - four tickets plus a pass to the Joyce lot for our offered price. Apparently his better offer had failed to materialize. Beauty. There was, of course, one catch. He was in Big Rapids and we were in South Bend.
What to do, what to do? Are you kidding? Like any real fans of the Irish, we headed north. We agreed to meet halfway. The target destination was Plainwell, Michigan, along US-131. As it turned out, our rendezvous point wound up being Kalamazoo. Seller man apparently drives faster than I do. Good enough. Tickets and parking pass in hand, we returned to South Bend. After several more 12 oz. refreshments, I'm left to wonder the following: Who in the hell drives three hours round-trip to get tickets to see an 0-3 football team? Faith, my friends, faith. That's what it's all about.
Tomorrow's wake-up call comes early, but it will be worth it. Good food, cold beer, the shadow of Touchdown Jesus... does it get any better? I think not.
Earlier in the day, my friend Brian made contact with a guy about four tickets and a much-coveted parking pass to the Joyce lot. Our price was X, and the guy's price was Y. Well, Y was out of range so we assumed it was a non-issue. A while later, the fella called to offer two tickets. No pal, we wanted four tickets plus the parking pass. The guy balked, so we started driving to South Bend.
After we arrived and checked into our hotel (compliments of my mother), we commenced with the libations. Out of the blue, a call came in at 11pm. The dude from earlier was willing to meet our terms - four tickets plus a pass to the Joyce lot for our offered price. Apparently his better offer had failed to materialize. Beauty. There was, of course, one catch. He was in Big Rapids and we were in South Bend.
What to do, what to do? Are you kidding? Like any real fans of the Irish, we headed north. We agreed to meet halfway. The target destination was Plainwell, Michigan, along US-131. As it turned out, our rendezvous point wound up being Kalamazoo. Seller man apparently drives faster than I do. Good enough. Tickets and parking pass in hand, we returned to South Bend. After several more 12 oz. refreshments, I'm left to wonder the following: Who in the hell drives three hours round-trip to get tickets to see an 0-3 football team? Faith, my friends, faith. That's what it's all about.
Tomorrow's wake-up call comes early, but it will be worth it. Good food, cold beer, the shadow of Touchdown Jesus... does it get any better? I think not.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
9/20/07
I headed up to Port Huron and across into Canada a little ahead of schedule this morning, in hopes that they would unload me and get me back home as soon as possible. Before leaving the terminal, I checked in to pick up my paperwork from the dispatcher. The same guy from yesterday's phone conversation was working this morning. He mentioned that he was going to deadhead me right back out of Canada as soon as I was empty, without my even mentioning it. That was a good sign.
The drive up wasn't nearly as congested as I had expected it to be. Given the fact that I had to go through Detroit at rush hour and navigate the construction zones, I was prepared for the worst. The traffic at the border was moving pretty well too, so all in all not a bad ride.
My customer was a hazardous waste landfill. It was a unique experience for me. I checked in and had to watch a video regarding safety procedures before they could let me inside the gate. Then a guy came out and escorted me back to the site. It was some pretty tight terrain that I had to negotiate, obstacle course style. Then they had me back my trailer up to another trailer so that a few guys could move the boxes from the former to the latter, by hand. That was something new. As you can imagine, the 900 boxes took a little while, but they got me out of there well ahead of my appointment time. I was grateful. When I asked if there was a place to turn around, the answer was no. I had to get out by doing a little serpentine backing which, much to my surprise, I handled flawlessly.
I didn't receive a dispatch to Taylor right away, but I headed back toward the bridge anyhow. I was taking the word of the dispatcher in good faith and proceeding accordingly. As I sat in the 90 minute backup on the bridge, I got my dispatch. They did in fact send me back to Taylor as promised and I did make it to my afternoon appointment on time. So in retrospect, I highlighted on Saturday and got home on Thursday (exactly five days later), earning a few bucks right to the end. That's about as well as a request for home time can go, I think.
I stopped by my parents' house this evening to pick up a package. When I'm out on the road, I find it easiest to just send my purchases to their house and then pick them up when I get back. My niece turned four years old last week, so I wanted to get her gift and take it to her. As luck would have it, my sister was at my parents' house, along with my niece and nephew. Sweet, saved me a trip. She was excited about her gift so that was pretty cool.
After that, it was the usual dinner with friends and a twelve pack to wrap up the evening. That seems to be a pretty standard 'day one' routine whenever I come home. Tomorrow I'll have quite a bit to get done before we hit the road for South Bend. I need to do some shopping, some packing, some planning, and whatnot.
Now, I've taken a lot of shit from a lot of people this year, and for good reason. Our Lady's lads haven't exactly fought the good fight. That being said, one thing nobody can take away from the Irish is class. You see, people with class don't plant flags in opposing teams' fields. That's what low-rent douchebags (aka 2005 Michigan State) do for fun. So, Sparty, you looked even more like a bunch of douchebags last year when you stood on your field waiting for something that was never going to happen...
The drive up wasn't nearly as congested as I had expected it to be. Given the fact that I had to go through Detroit at rush hour and navigate the construction zones, I was prepared for the worst. The traffic at the border was moving pretty well too, so all in all not a bad ride.
My customer was a hazardous waste landfill. It was a unique experience for me. I checked in and had to watch a video regarding safety procedures before they could let me inside the gate. Then a guy came out and escorted me back to the site. It was some pretty tight terrain that I had to negotiate, obstacle course style. Then they had me back my trailer up to another trailer so that a few guys could move the boxes from the former to the latter, by hand. That was something new. As you can imagine, the 900 boxes took a little while, but they got me out of there well ahead of my appointment time. I was grateful. When I asked if there was a place to turn around, the answer was no. I had to get out by doing a little serpentine backing which, much to my surprise, I handled flawlessly.
I didn't receive a dispatch to Taylor right away, but I headed back toward the bridge anyhow. I was taking the word of the dispatcher in good faith and proceeding accordingly. As I sat in the 90 minute backup on the bridge, I got my dispatch. They did in fact send me back to Taylor as promised and I did make it to my afternoon appointment on time. So in retrospect, I highlighted on Saturday and got home on Thursday (exactly five days later), earning a few bucks right to the end. That's about as well as a request for home time can go, I think.
I stopped by my parents' house this evening to pick up a package. When I'm out on the road, I find it easiest to just send my purchases to their house and then pick them up when I get back. My niece turned four years old last week, so I wanted to get her gift and take it to her. As luck would have it, my sister was at my parents' house, along with my niece and nephew. Sweet, saved me a trip. She was excited about her gift so that was pretty cool.
After that, it was the usual dinner with friends and a twelve pack to wrap up the evening. That seems to be a pretty standard 'day one' routine whenever I come home. Tomorrow I'll have quite a bit to get done before we hit the road for South Bend. I need to do some shopping, some packing, some planning, and whatnot.
Now, I've taken a lot of shit from a lot of people this year, and for good reason. Our Lady's lads haven't exactly fought the good fight. That being said, one thing nobody can take away from the Irish is class. You see, people with class don't plant flags in opposing teams' fields. That's what low-rent douchebags (aka 2005 Michigan State) do for fun. So, Sparty, you looked even more like a bunch of douchebags last year when you stood on your field waiting for something that was never going to happen...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
9/19/07
As far as ConWay relays go, I think today's was the easiest I've pulled so far. I was scheduled for 4am so I woke up at 3am. The load was ready. I checked over the trailer, balanced the weight, and headed down the road. Two minutes later I was on the turnpike and four hours after that my relay was made. That Petro (where I made the relay) resembles a CFI terminal most days. Today there weren't a ton of CFI relays going on, but definitely enough to be noticeable.
As I dropped the landing gear and unhooked my loaded trailer, I received my next plan summary. Hey, actually another load, sweet! I've been expecting the old 'drive home for free' routine for the last couple of days. Instead I was to pick up a load in the Cleveland suburbs and head for Taylor (home). The load will go from there to Canada tomorrow.
I was scheduled for a 2pm pickup, so I took a little break at the Petro. I was talking with another CFI driver about some of the rumors people have heard about changes that we will see in the near future. Since the merger, everyone has his own idea of what will go on. "I heard this, they're saying that," you know how it goes. While I sat there, I signed on and looked at today's paycheck. I sat around with my thumb up my ass for a pretty good portion of the pay period, yet still grossed over $2,000 and took home a little under $1,500. I don't quite understand the things I read about people making $400-500 a week out here. I'd quit tomorrow if that kind of shit were going on.
I headed over to the customer, arriving at noon. My directions said "the building next to the one with the horse on it." I saw the building with the horse on it, saw the name of my customer on that building, and didn't see another building next to it. So I turned into the lot "with the horse." As soon as I turned in, I knew that getting back out was going to be an adventure. But hey, I'm a truck driver, right? That's what I do. Anyhow, the lady inside informed me that the building across the street also belonged to the same company and was most likely where I was picking up. She called to confirm as much and then sent me over. I had to block the street for a minute while I backed out of the first lot, then blocked the street for another minute as I backed into the second lot. The street was in an industrial park and didn't have a ton of traffic, except while I was blocking the street. Suddenly then it was 44th and Broadway.
Loaded and heading toward home, I made a wrong turn. I forgot that I had crossed under the turnpike. In order to get back to it, I needed to go north on 71. I went south. Oops. I took a quick look at my atlas and saw that I could take highway 3 down to 18 and then run west, pretty much parallel to the turnpike. I guess it cost me a few extra minutes going that way, but it wasn't so bad. Plus I saved my company a few bucks by not paying tolls. Maybe they'll give me a silver star or something. Yeah, maybe.
Shortly after receiving my dispatch for Taylor, I got 'next planned load info' on my communications system. Um, what next planned load? I'm supposed to be going home. They planned me on the back half of this run, ninety miles into Canada. I actually have some prior engagements to attend tomorrow afternoon, so I wasn't too pleased with this. I called the terminal, explained that tomorrow will be my fifth day highlighted for home, and asked if they could take me off the back end of the run. It would be pretty shitty to stick another driver with a ninety mile run but hey, they've done it to me before. I was told that he doesn't have any trucks to whom he could give that load. Trying to be a reasonable fella (unlike those truck drivers you always hear about) I told him that taking the run to Canada won't be a problem, as long as I can get a planned deadhead back out. He said they'll deadhead me right back home, so we'll put them to the truth test tomorrow.
After I got to Taylor I went back out to the truck and laid down. I felt like resting, ostensibly for a few minutes, before heading home for the night. When I woke up and looked at my watch, it was midnight. I guess I really was getting tired. Now I imagine I'll just hang out here instead of going home tonight. I'm planning to get going around 6am in hopes that the customer will unload me early. That way, assuming I was told the truth and I'll be headed right back out, I won't have to reschedule anything for later in the day. Oh the drama...
As I dropped the landing gear and unhooked my loaded trailer, I received my next plan summary. Hey, actually another load, sweet! I've been expecting the old 'drive home for free' routine for the last couple of days. Instead I was to pick up a load in the Cleveland suburbs and head for Taylor (home). The load will go from there to Canada tomorrow.
I was scheduled for a 2pm pickup, so I took a little break at the Petro. I was talking with another CFI driver about some of the rumors people have heard about changes that we will see in the near future. Since the merger, everyone has his own idea of what will go on. "I heard this, they're saying that," you know how it goes. While I sat there, I signed on and looked at today's paycheck. I sat around with my thumb up my ass for a pretty good portion of the pay period, yet still grossed over $2,000 and took home a little under $1,500. I don't quite understand the things I read about people making $400-500 a week out here. I'd quit tomorrow if that kind of shit were going on.
I headed over to the customer, arriving at noon. My directions said "the building next to the one with the horse on it." I saw the building with the horse on it, saw the name of my customer on that building, and didn't see another building next to it. So I turned into the lot "with the horse." As soon as I turned in, I knew that getting back out was going to be an adventure. But hey, I'm a truck driver, right? That's what I do. Anyhow, the lady inside informed me that the building across the street also belonged to the same company and was most likely where I was picking up. She called to confirm as much and then sent me over. I had to block the street for a minute while I backed out of the first lot, then blocked the street for another minute as I backed into the second lot. The street was in an industrial park and didn't have a ton of traffic, except while I was blocking the street. Suddenly then it was 44th and Broadway.
Loaded and heading toward home, I made a wrong turn. I forgot that I had crossed under the turnpike. In order to get back to it, I needed to go north on 71. I went south. Oops. I took a quick look at my atlas and saw that I could take highway 3 down to 18 and then run west, pretty much parallel to the turnpike. I guess it cost me a few extra minutes going that way, but it wasn't so bad. Plus I saved my company a few bucks by not paying tolls. Maybe they'll give me a silver star or something. Yeah, maybe.
Shortly after receiving my dispatch for Taylor, I got 'next planned load info' on my communications system. Um, what next planned load? I'm supposed to be going home. They planned me on the back half of this run, ninety miles into Canada. I actually have some prior engagements to attend tomorrow afternoon, so I wasn't too pleased with this. I called the terminal, explained that tomorrow will be my fifth day highlighted for home, and asked if they could take me off the back end of the run. It would be pretty shitty to stick another driver with a ninety mile run but hey, they've done it to me before. I was told that he doesn't have any trucks to whom he could give that load. Trying to be a reasonable fella (unlike those truck drivers you always hear about) I told him that taking the run to Canada won't be a problem, as long as I can get a planned deadhead back out. He said they'll deadhead me right back home, so we'll put them to the truth test tomorrow.
After I got to Taylor I went back out to the truck and laid down. I felt like resting, ostensibly for a few minutes, before heading home for the night. When I woke up and looked at my watch, it was midnight. I guess I really was getting tired. Now I imagine I'll just hang out here instead of going home tonight. I'm planning to get going around 6am in hopes that the customer will unload me early. That way, assuming I was told the truth and I'll be headed right back out, I won't have to reschedule anything for later in the day. Oh the drama...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
9/18/07
I made the run into Fort Wayne a little ahead of schedule this morning and took a nap before the customer showed up. They were quick to get me empty and send me on my way. I pulled into an empty lot around the corner and put my feet up for a while.
As the morning turned into afternoon, I became resigned to the notion that I was probably getting sent home today. Highlighting for home is a hit-or-miss proposition. They have to get us home within five days, but nothing says they have to use all five days. So, to make sure you get home on time, you have to allow for five days even though it might only take two days. I usually get home too fast and wind up losing an extra few days of work in the process. If we go home without a load, we don't get paid for the trip unless we're past the five day mark. So yeah, it's a convoluted thing you have to deal with.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had a load for me to haul. This is one of those 'glass half full' things as far as I'm concerned. I drove 50 miles to Fremont, Indiana in order to stage for a ConWay load leaving in the morning. I'll drive 250 miles to the relay point, pass it off, and go on the board. So, for the 24 hours after I got empty today, I'll have 300 miles. That's the kind of stuff that drivers like to bitch about. The way I see it, any miles after I highlight for home are a bonus. If I were home right now, I'd be at the bar blowing money and convincing myself that some hot chick wants me, not making any money at all. The fact that I get to squeeze in an extra hundred bucks or two is fine with me.
I was browsing craigslist and looking for a reasonable deal on tickets for the Notre Dame game this weekend. I came across a listing for 4 seats plus a parking pass for $350. Excellent! So I e-mailed the guy, roughly three minutes after he posted the listing. He e-mailed me back about five minutes later. Parking pass is gone but the tickets are $300. Okay, I replied and told him to set up payment arrangements. He e-mailed back, "Sorry no longer available." Freaking bastard. This all happened within a ten minute span. So, as of now, we're ticketless. With the team pretty much sucking balls this year, I'm pretty sure we won't have a problem finding tickets in South Bend for a reasonable price. The most enticing thing was the parking pass. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Now I think I'll wipe out the Babylonians and then head to bed. My 3am alarm will be going off soon enough. I downloaded Civilization III to my laptop over the weekend, so now I have one more way to waste countless hours.
As the morning turned into afternoon, I became resigned to the notion that I was probably getting sent home today. Highlighting for home is a hit-or-miss proposition. They have to get us home within five days, but nothing says they have to use all five days. So, to make sure you get home on time, you have to allow for five days even though it might only take two days. I usually get home too fast and wind up losing an extra few days of work in the process. If we go home without a load, we don't get paid for the trip unless we're past the five day mark. So yeah, it's a convoluted thing you have to deal with.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had a load for me to haul. This is one of those 'glass half full' things as far as I'm concerned. I drove 50 miles to Fremont, Indiana in order to stage for a ConWay load leaving in the morning. I'll drive 250 miles to the relay point, pass it off, and go on the board. So, for the 24 hours after I got empty today, I'll have 300 miles. That's the kind of stuff that drivers like to bitch about. The way I see it, any miles after I highlight for home are a bonus. If I were home right now, I'd be at the bar blowing money and convincing myself that some hot chick wants me, not making any money at all. The fact that I get to squeeze in an extra hundred bucks or two is fine with me.
I was browsing craigslist and looking for a reasonable deal on tickets for the Notre Dame game this weekend. I came across a listing for 4 seats plus a parking pass for $350. Excellent! So I e-mailed the guy, roughly three minutes after he posted the listing. He e-mailed me back about five minutes later. Parking pass is gone but the tickets are $300. Okay, I replied and told him to set up payment arrangements. He e-mailed back, "Sorry no longer available." Freaking bastard. This all happened within a ten minute span. So, as of now, we're ticketless. With the team pretty much sucking balls this year, I'm pretty sure we won't have a problem finding tickets in South Bend for a reasonable price. The most enticing thing was the parking pass. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Now I think I'll wipe out the Babylonians and then head to bed. My 3am alarm will be going off soon enough. I downloaded Civilization III to my laptop over the weekend, so now I have one more way to waste countless hours.
Monday, September 17, 2007
9/17/07
When I got to the shipper in the middle of the night, I saw a huge line of dry vans (including a couple of CFI trucks) parked along the right side of the "holding pen." There were also two flat beds along the left. There were two empty lanes in the middle. I assumed that I was to park behind the other vans, but I pulled to the front in order to shorten my walk to the guard shack. At that time of night, I would be able to swing back around behind the vans if I needed to. I would have to do the usual CB check in face-to-face since I don't have a CB.
The guard, after writing down my pickup number, asked where I was parked. I pointed to my truck and he told me to pull in behind the flatbeds. That meant that I was in the second row of trucks to be called in when they opened. Last in, first out? I have no idea why I was special, but I wasn't complaining. I took a nap and set my alarm for 6am. Shortly after I woke up, things were moving and I went inside the lot.
I was assigned to the second dock. When I got out to my truck, there was a flatbed driver trying to back into the first dock (blocking my access route). He had a guy spotting him, but he wasn't doing anything that the spotter was telling him to do. I can only conclude that he was a student with a trainer or something. That took about twenty minutes, made worse by the impatient local drivers who kept cutting in front of the guy as he tried to pull forward. Eventually he got it in there and out of my way so I could back in. I got settled into my spot without too much trouble, aside from the forklift guys zigging and zagging around me. They loaded me post-haste and sent me on my way. In that short time span, the holding area went from about thirty trucks to around seventy. Holy shit! Being early has its advantages sometimes.
I scaled out at 78,000 pounds and headed north. The practical route to Indiana called for me to take the turnpikes all the way to Indiana and then head south to Fort Wayne. Nah, I'm tired of the turnpikes. I ran the PA turnpike to 376 then went through Pittsburgh. I'm not sure exactly why, but I've always enjoyed driving through Pittsburgh. I used to know a girl down there. Maybe her adventurous nature just makes me nostalgic, maybe not. Either way, it's a pretty scenic drive for a big city. The bridges and tunnels and hills and rivers are pretty cool. I imagine the other motorists would prefer that I wasn't going up hills at 30mph in front of them, but life's a bitch sometimes.
I caught US22 to US30 and headed across Ohio. About halfway across, my 14 hours were running low and I was feeling a little tired. I pulled into a rest area and shut it down. All of this bouncing from working days to working nights and back again has left me pretty sluggish this week. A couple more days and I'll be home, so no use complaining now.
When I woke up, I checked out my internet connection speed and found that it's pretty decent here. Hence I decided to stick around and watch the Skins (have I mentioned how awesome the guys who broadcast on SopCast are?). So far, so good. Hopefully they can wear down that Eagles defense and put this thing away. The Irish are struggling, the Tigers are slipping, at least one of my teams is doing something good. Surprisingly it's the Redskins. I would have thought they were the most likely to struggle this fall. It's a long season, but I like what I see so far. I'll get rolling after the game and set up shop at the customer until tomorrow. My directions say that they have overnight parking available, so hopefully they're right.
The guard, after writing down my pickup number, asked where I was parked. I pointed to my truck and he told me to pull in behind the flatbeds. That meant that I was in the second row of trucks to be called in when they opened. Last in, first out? I have no idea why I was special, but I wasn't complaining. I took a nap and set my alarm for 6am. Shortly after I woke up, things were moving and I went inside the lot.
I was assigned to the second dock. When I got out to my truck, there was a flatbed driver trying to back into the first dock (blocking my access route). He had a guy spotting him, but he wasn't doing anything that the spotter was telling him to do. I can only conclude that he was a student with a trainer or something. That took about twenty minutes, made worse by the impatient local drivers who kept cutting in front of the guy as he tried to pull forward. Eventually he got it in there and out of my way so I could back in. I got settled into my spot without too much trouble, aside from the forklift guys zigging and zagging around me. They loaded me post-haste and sent me on my way. In that short time span, the holding area went from about thirty trucks to around seventy. Holy shit! Being early has its advantages sometimes.
I scaled out at 78,000 pounds and headed north. The practical route to Indiana called for me to take the turnpikes all the way to Indiana and then head south to Fort Wayne. Nah, I'm tired of the turnpikes. I ran the PA turnpike to 376 then went through Pittsburgh. I'm not sure exactly why, but I've always enjoyed driving through Pittsburgh. I used to know a girl down there. Maybe her adventurous nature just makes me nostalgic, maybe not. Either way, it's a pretty scenic drive for a big city. The bridges and tunnels and hills and rivers are pretty cool. I imagine the other motorists would prefer that I wasn't going up hills at 30mph in front of them, but life's a bitch sometimes.
I caught US22 to US30 and headed across Ohio. About halfway across, my 14 hours were running low and I was feeling a little tired. I pulled into a rest area and shut it down. All of this bouncing from working days to working nights and back again has left me pretty sluggish this week. A couple more days and I'll be home, so no use complaining now.
When I woke up, I checked out my internet connection speed and found that it's pretty decent here. Hence I decided to stick around and watch the Skins (have I mentioned how awesome the guys who broadcast on SopCast are?). So far, so good. Hopefully they can wear down that Eagles defense and put this thing away. The Irish are struggling, the Tigers are slipping, at least one of my teams is doing something good. Surprisingly it's the Redskins. I would have thought they were the most likely to struggle this fall. It's a long season, but I like what I see so far. I'll get rolling after the game and set up shop at the customer until tomorrow. My directions say that they have overnight parking available, so hopefully they're right.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
9/16/07
Today was a lazy day, but it didn't bother me. That's unusual. Most of the time I just want to keep moving, but for whatever reason I wasn't feeling too ambitious today. I was sleeping this morning when they beeped me with my next load assignment. It picks up tomorrow morning at 6am, about a hundred miles from here, so I had a bunch of time to kill.
I decided to place a few wagers (for entertainment purposes only) and watch some football. For some reason, the only way the NFL is watchable for me anymore is with a little added rooting interest. I enjoy catching the Redskins when I can, but the rest of the games bore me to death. Tie a few (theoretical, of course) bucks to a game and suddenly it's more intriguing. I went 7-5-1 today, so I can't complain there. If Minnesota's kicker hadn't hit the upright with his shot at a game winner, I'd have been 8-5 and thinking it was a pretty good day.
Anyway, I have to head up to Frederick, Maryland and pick up a load going to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Once I'm in Indiana, I'll be three days into my request for time off so the focus will be squarely on getting me routed for home. The run up to Indiana accomplishes the bulk of the job, so maybe something in the midwest will be bound for Canada to finish the deal. I guess we'll see.
I've spent most of the day absolutely not looking forward to picking up at this customer for a few reasons. First is the fact that it's an absolute madhouse. We get moved ahead of most of the flatbed drivers so I don't have it as bad as they do in terms of waiting, but it's a freaking zoo nonetheless. Second is the fact that, since I went the no-CB route, I haven't really needed a CB. Sure, customers say they want you to use your CB, but I haven't really needed one. At this customer, it's a different story. The first time I went there last fall, they were calling to me on the CB and asking for information before I even got completely into their driveway. I'll have to find a place to pull aside and walk to the scalehouse, I guess. The third, and biggest, reason I don't like the place is the loading docks. They have the docks cutout so that they can drive forklifts up to the side of flatbeds and put stuff on them. That means that we have to back in with two or three inches on either side of the entire length of the trailer. It's not terribly difficult, but when you spend 99% of your time having at least a little room for error, you get used to it. At this place, there is no room for error.
I took a nap earlier and then found myself in the unfamiliar position of rooting for the Red Sox. As far as baseball franchises go, I've always found the Yankees to be far more classy and respectable. They say that politics makes strange bedfellows. I guess baseball does as well. To get my Tigers into the playoffs, I need the Yanks to lose. Alas, Derek Jeter didn't see it my way. It was an exciting game anyhow.
I'm going to head up to Maryland in a few minutes here and get checked in. My appointment is for 6am but, like I said, the place is a zoo. Getting settled in a few hours early should be a good thing. Maybe I'll get lucky and get rolling early.
I decided to place a few wagers (for entertainment purposes only) and watch some football. For some reason, the only way the NFL is watchable for me anymore is with a little added rooting interest. I enjoy catching the Redskins when I can, but the rest of the games bore me to death. Tie a few (theoretical, of course) bucks to a game and suddenly it's more intriguing. I went 7-5-1 today, so I can't complain there. If Minnesota's kicker hadn't hit the upright with his shot at a game winner, I'd have been 8-5 and thinking it was a pretty good day.
Anyway, I have to head up to Frederick, Maryland and pick up a load going to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Once I'm in Indiana, I'll be three days into my request for time off so the focus will be squarely on getting me routed for home. The run up to Indiana accomplishes the bulk of the job, so maybe something in the midwest will be bound for Canada to finish the deal. I guess we'll see.
I've spent most of the day absolutely not looking forward to picking up at this customer for a few reasons. First is the fact that it's an absolute madhouse. We get moved ahead of most of the flatbed drivers so I don't have it as bad as they do in terms of waiting, but it's a freaking zoo nonetheless. Second is the fact that, since I went the no-CB route, I haven't really needed a CB. Sure, customers say they want you to use your CB, but I haven't really needed one. At this customer, it's a different story. The first time I went there last fall, they were calling to me on the CB and asking for information before I even got completely into their driveway. I'll have to find a place to pull aside and walk to the scalehouse, I guess. The third, and biggest, reason I don't like the place is the loading docks. They have the docks cutout so that they can drive forklifts up to the side of flatbeds and put stuff on them. That means that we have to back in with two or three inches on either side of the entire length of the trailer. It's not terribly difficult, but when you spend 99% of your time having at least a little room for error, you get used to it. At this place, there is no room for error.
I took a nap earlier and then found myself in the unfamiliar position of rooting for the Red Sox. As far as baseball franchises go, I've always found the Yankees to be far more classy and respectable. They say that politics makes strange bedfellows. I guess baseball does as well. To get my Tigers into the playoffs, I need the Yanks to lose. Alas, Derek Jeter didn't see it my way. It was an exciting game anyhow.
I'm going to head up to Maryland in a few minutes here and get checked in. My appointment is for 6am but, like I said, the place is a zoo. Getting settled in a few hours early should be a good thing. Maybe I'll get lucky and get rolling early.
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