3/24/08

We all have things that we think and we have things that we know. One observation of mine has moved from the former category to the latter. I always assumed that the guys who claim to drive 4,000 miles a week were full of shit. Now I know it for certain. Monday morning of last week, I sat with an empty trailer and waited for an assignment. Monday morning of this week, I am now empty again. That's exactly seven days and exactly 4,000 miles. Even if I weren't exhausted, which I am, my logbook still would be completely shot. I can't work any more today and I can work four and a half hours tomorrow. So you tell me how I could knock out another 4,000 miles this week. I don't buy it.

The overnight drive up to Illinois was a pretty mellow one. There was a flurry here and there, but overall conditions were good. It was never cold enough for any snow to stick on the roads. It was dark, so visibility was limited, but as nearly as I can tell there was still a town underwater at exit 272 in Missouri. I hit a little of the morning rush into the Chicago area in the construction zone on I-55 around I-80, but got through in relatively short order. At the customer, it took me longer to get backed into the dock than it did for them to unload my single pallet. It was one of those indoor/outdoor setups, so with the rising sun outside and the relative darkness inside I couldn't see where the hell my trailer was pointing.

So I'm empty, out of hours, and in a major metropolis. That is pretty much spelled H-O-S-E-D when it comes to parking. I headed north and caught I-90 east, hoping there would be a spot open at the oasis on the toll road. There was, so here I am. It looks like my Easter holiday will just come a day late.

Speaking of Easter Monday, those of you who share my ethnic heritage are probably aware of the day's significance. I think, in the larger perspective, this is part of the reason various groups of white people get so pissed off about being called racists. My ancestors never owned slaves. For all intents and purposes, they were slaves. They never stopped fighting though. Easter Monday was a big step in that process, the start of "winning the hearts and minds" if you will. For the history buffs, these guys provide a pretty thorough synopsis. Brass freaking balls, man. Brass balls. Anyone wanna guess whether or not the muslims will be taking over Ireland in the future?