Ahhhh, long night. I made the trip over to Stony Ridge this morning and then headed out with a buddy to watch some football. My brother couldn't make it down, so I went with Plan B. Plan C would have been a different friend, but she's not much of a football fan.
We found a place that had quite a few TV's, so we settled in and watch a pretty solid performance by the lads. On September 27th, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have officially matched last year's win total. That's something.
Things took off from there. The place filled up, as places tend to do on Saturday nights. College girls = fun, just in case you didn't know. Somehow I wound up paying $50 for a cab ride back to my truck at the end of the night. I'm not quite sure how that works. I can go from Newark Airport to Manhattan for $40, but a few miles across Perrysburg, Ohio costs $50? Shady.
So, off to Wisconsin tomorrow. Hopefully they didn't take that loss to Michigan too hard.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
9/26/08
I think I woke up around noon today. That's a good start. Before I went to bed last night, I received a message indicating that my run to Newark had been truncated. I was heading to Greencastle, Pennsylvania instead. This was essentially a repeat of yesterday on the ConWay end of things. The load that I relayed in Troutville yesterday was also switched from Newark to Greencastle. On the immediate short-term end of things, this meant that I was losing a couple hundred miles. I was hopeful that it would set me up for a better weekend though, since I would be empty earlier in the evening. I was also glad that I wouldn't be going to Newark.
After a brief stop for lunch in Virginia, I got rolling again toward Pennsylvania. I received a call from my fleet manager a few minutes later. He was trying to line up some work for the weekend but he needed to know how soon I would be in Greencastle. As long as I could get from there to the Baltimore suburbs before the shipper closed tonight, I could catch a load headed to Wisconsin. I was well ahead of schedule so he assigned the load to me and all was right with the world.
Aside from a bogus addendum to my stop location information, sending me five miles out of the way for no particular reason, the drop/hook in Greencastle was quick and easy. Then I headed east for the next pickup in Jessup, Maryland. The guys at the shipper were on their lunch break when I got there, so I had time for a little break of my own, but they had me rolling in time to listen to the debate as I drove. I guess I just hear things differently from most people. The pundits are saying that each guy did fine and the spinmeisters are all saying that their guy was great. What I heard were a couple of guys answering questions that weren't asked and ignoring questions that were asked. I tend to think that I could take either one of them apart in a debate, but then I remember that I'm just a big dumb truck driver.
Back to the west... I got onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike and decided to stop at the first service plaza to call it a night. Nope. No parking. So I drove along until I got to the next service plaza. Nope. No parking. A little further down, I ducked into one of the parking areas along the highway and set up shop until morning. I think I'll head to the Toledo area tomorrow. It sounds like my brother might drive down there and watch the football game with me. Then I'll have around 550 miles to drive on Sunday, ahead of a Monday morning delivery.
This week, looking pretty bleak as recently as yesterday, will finish with a respectable 2,405 miles. Tacking on the northeast pay, I'll be in the $950 neighborhood. I can live with that. I make it a point not to venture 'entertainment purposes' when Our Lady's lads are involved, since I have no sense of rational perspective. The line in favor of Notre Dame did move from -1.5 to -1 this week though. Money on Purdue, eh? The contrarian in me takes this as a good sign for the Irish. The contrarian in me is also amused by the fact that I actually felt like working out tonight... and it's raining again.
After a brief stop for lunch in Virginia, I got rolling again toward Pennsylvania. I received a call from my fleet manager a few minutes later. He was trying to line up some work for the weekend but he needed to know how soon I would be in Greencastle. As long as I could get from there to the Baltimore suburbs before the shipper closed tonight, I could catch a load headed to Wisconsin. I was well ahead of schedule so he assigned the load to me and all was right with the world.
Aside from a bogus addendum to my stop location information, sending me five miles out of the way for no particular reason, the drop/hook in Greencastle was quick and easy. Then I headed east for the next pickup in Jessup, Maryland. The guys at the shipper were on their lunch break when I got there, so I had time for a little break of my own, but they had me rolling in time to listen to the debate as I drove. I guess I just hear things differently from most people. The pundits are saying that each guy did fine and the spinmeisters are all saying that their guy was great. What I heard were a couple of guys answering questions that weren't asked and ignoring questions that were asked. I tend to think that I could take either one of them apart in a debate, but then I remember that I'm just a big dumb truck driver.
Back to the west... I got onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike and decided to stop at the first service plaza to call it a night. Nope. No parking. So I drove along until I got to the next service plaza. Nope. No parking. A little further down, I ducked into one of the parking areas along the highway and set up shop until morning. I think I'll head to the Toledo area tomorrow. It sounds like my brother might drive down there and watch the football game with me. Then I'll have around 550 miles to drive on Sunday, ahead of a Monday morning delivery.
This week, looking pretty bleak as recently as yesterday, will finish with a respectable 2,405 miles. Tacking on the northeast pay, I'll be in the $950 neighborhood. I can live with that. I make it a point not to venture 'entertainment purposes' when Our Lady's lads are involved, since I have no sense of rational perspective. The line in favor of Notre Dame did move from -1.5 to -1 this week though. Money on Purdue, eh? The contrarian in me takes this as a good sign for the Irish. The contrarian in me is also amused by the fact that I actually felt like working out tonight... and it's raining again.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
9/25/08
How bad does a 4am wakeup call suck? What, we covered that already? Okay then.
That Nashville ConWay yard is one giant clusterfuck at 4:30am. Most locations have one-way traffic flow and some sense of order to the chaos. Not that one. So, after tossing and turning all night, that was a fitting start to my day. Traffic out of Nashville wasn't bad at such an early hour. Then I hit Knoxville during rush hour. The traffic there wasn't really that bad either, but I was in a pissy mood so it bugged me plenty.
After I made my relay in Troutville, I hung around for an hour or so before receiving my next assignment. Shit. I have to take a relay from here to the ConWay in Newark tomorrow evening. So a day of sitting in Godforsaken Troutville it is. Tough sledding this week, I guess. After I get to Newark tomorrow night, I'll be a little over 1,500 miles for the week. Something decent for the weekend could rescue me. A little bit of good news came when I saw that my safety bonus will be on tomorrow's paycheck. That extra few hundred bucks will take a little of the sting out of whatever I end up with this week.
The steady rain combined with the stench of piss on the concrete really makes for a welcoming environment at this shithole. I guess you could figure out that my weight bench is staying put again tonight. Then who knows what I'll end up doing for parking tomorrow night? Oh well, the world needs fat truck drivers too.
Depending on how this weekend goes, I might head home and take a couple of days off next week. I really don't need to be home any time soon but if the pace doesn't pick up, I'm going to be in the mood to drink a few dozen beers.
That Nashville ConWay yard is one giant clusterfuck at 4:30am. Most locations have one-way traffic flow and some sense of order to the chaos. Not that one. So, after tossing and turning all night, that was a fitting start to my day. Traffic out of Nashville wasn't bad at such an early hour. Then I hit Knoxville during rush hour. The traffic there wasn't really that bad either, but I was in a pissy mood so it bugged me plenty.
After I made my relay in Troutville, I hung around for an hour or so before receiving my next assignment. Shit. I have to take a relay from here to the ConWay in Newark tomorrow evening. So a day of sitting in Godforsaken Troutville it is. Tough sledding this week, I guess. After I get to Newark tomorrow night, I'll be a little over 1,500 miles for the week. Something decent for the weekend could rescue me. A little bit of good news came when I saw that my safety bonus will be on tomorrow's paycheck. That extra few hundred bucks will take a little of the sting out of whatever I end up with this week.
The steady rain combined with the stench of piss on the concrete really makes for a welcoming environment at this shithole. I guess you could figure out that my weight bench is staying put again tonight. Then who knows what I'll end up doing for parking tomorrow night? Oh well, the world needs fat truck drivers too.
Depending on how this weekend goes, I might head home and take a couple of days off next week. I really don't need to be home any time soon but if the pace doesn't pick up, I'm going to be in the mood to drink a few dozen beers.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
9/24/08
Pop quiz hotshots: How bad does a 4am wakeup call suck? You receive a passing grade if you offered any version of "it sucks ass."
Sometimes the first thought of the day sets the tone. Today was one of those days. I managed to get through Chicago in fairly short order, so at least that was good. I can neither confirm nor deny the rumors circulating that traffic on I-90 was flowing well above the 45mph speed limit.
Then the drive down I-65 in Kentucky is always a bumpy pain in the ass. The Pilot on I-65 in Nashville is a good and shitty place to do a relay. The trailer that I picked up had some kind of wiring issue, such that the blinkers on the left side weren't working. I headed for the T/A a few miles down to get that checked out. I missed the turn for the T/A and wound up lost in downtown Nashville. By the time I extricated myself from there, my turn signal was working fine so I decided against trying to double back and find the T/A again. I don't know for sure what was the issue, but it worked when I got here...
Speaking of here... I got a pre-plan as I rolled through Indiana this morning, so I knew where I was headed once I made my relay this afternoon. How bad does a 4am wakeup call suck? It sucks ass, even more so when it comes two days in a row. I had to head over to the ConWay in Nashville and set up for another relay leaving tomorrow morning. I'll be heading over to make my swap at the damn T/A in Troutville, Virginia tomorrow afternoon. Two days in a row... two early ass ConWay relays... two shitty ass truck stops... a distinct possibility that whatever gets me out of Virginia will carry through the weekend and give me a shitty paycheck... if only you could see the big smile on my face.
It's hot as hell outside and this place is a zoo. I ain't dragging the weights out here. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Now I guess I'll try the excessive air conditioning and other methods to put myself to sleep. Good times. Good times.
Sometimes the first thought of the day sets the tone. Today was one of those days. I managed to get through Chicago in fairly short order, so at least that was good. I can neither confirm nor deny the rumors circulating that traffic on I-90 was flowing well above the 45mph speed limit.
Then the drive down I-65 in Kentucky is always a bumpy pain in the ass. The Pilot on I-65 in Nashville is a good and shitty place to do a relay. The trailer that I picked up had some kind of wiring issue, such that the blinkers on the left side weren't working. I headed for the T/A a few miles down to get that checked out. I missed the turn for the T/A and wound up lost in downtown Nashville. By the time I extricated myself from there, my turn signal was working fine so I decided against trying to double back and find the T/A again. I don't know for sure what was the issue, but it worked when I got here...
Speaking of here... I got a pre-plan as I rolled through Indiana this morning, so I knew where I was headed once I made my relay this afternoon. How bad does a 4am wakeup call suck? It sucks ass, even more so when it comes two days in a row. I had to head over to the ConWay in Nashville and set up for another relay leaving tomorrow morning. I'll be heading over to make my swap at the damn T/A in Troutville, Virginia tomorrow afternoon. Two days in a row... two early ass ConWay relays... two shitty ass truck stops... a distinct possibility that whatever gets me out of Virginia will carry through the weekend and give me a shitty paycheck... if only you could see the big smile on my face.
It's hot as hell outside and this place is a zoo. I ain't dragging the weights out here. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Now I guess I'll try the excessive air conditioning and other methods to put myself to sleep. Good times. Good times.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
9/23/08
Hindsight being what hindset tends to be... I should have taken one of those Monday deliveries out of Laredo. I made my quick trip to the consignee this morning and received my next assignment while I was at the dock. It looked like my general opinion that freight is always available in Illinois would hold true. Yeah, maybe not today. I was sent up to Des Plaines to pull a Con-way load leaving tomorrow morning. Oh well. You win some and you lose some.
So, after I pass off the load in Nashville tomorrow afternoon, I'll be somewhere over 600 miles for the week. Had I known that today would only bring a short deadhead, I may have chosen not to burn the extra day heading north. Had I known that I would be watching a Notre Dame loss on Saturday, I definitely wouldn't have chosen to burn the extra day.
So this week will need a late-inning rescue on the paycheck end of things, but we'll see what happens. My brother called today and informed me that he can't make it to the Stanford game. I guess we'll just auction those tickets, meaning I won't be spending as much money as I anticipated over the next few weeks. Better to be lucky (or blessed) than good sometimes.
So, after I pass off the load in Nashville tomorrow afternoon, I'll be somewhere over 600 miles for the week. Had I known that today would only bring a short deadhead, I may have chosen not to burn the extra day heading north. Had I known that I would be watching a Notre Dame loss on Saturday, I definitely wouldn't have chosen to burn the extra day.
So this week will need a late-inning rescue on the paycheck end of things, but we'll see what happens. My brother called today and informed me that he can't make it to the Stanford game. I guess we'll just auction those tickets, meaning I won't be spending as much money as I anticipated over the next few weeks. Better to be lucky (or blessed) than good sometimes.
Monday, September 22, 2008
9/22/08
So I was lying there in bed this morning. My memories of dreams tend to be a little fuzzy, but I seem to recall trying to convince Maria Sharapova that she could improve relations between us and the Russkies if only she would show her undies more frequently. That may not have been the exact dream, but you know how it goes. Anyhow, a damn reefer parked next to me and shocked me back to my mundane reality in a hurry.
Realizing that I wouldn't be getting back to sleep at that point, I hopped in the seat and tried to start my truck. Nope. Dead battery. That one is a bit of a mystery on account of my not having an inverter or fridge or anything in my truck. I use a little 12V outlet inverter when I'm on my computer, but otherwise my battery is unencumbered. Fortunately I spent the night at a truck stop with a shop. So I called road service and got the okay to have the shop guy give me a jump. The fella on the phone said I would need to call back afterward for my work order number.
The shop dude gave me the jump and the bill was only $22. For anything under $50 we don't need a work order number. I had told the CTL guy that I would call back though, so I called back. That's just the kinda guy I am. After I was on hold for twenty minutes, a different road service guy answered and told me just to send in the receipt with no work order. Lesson: I should just become one of those people who says he'll call back and then doesn't call back. I could have saved myself twenty minutes.
From that point it was a pretty easy day of driving. The truck stop in Bloomington sucks ass, so I stopped in McLean for the night. I guess it's about fifteen miles or so from here to my customer. The only real downside is that it's a nice cool night but I have to keep my truck running. I don't know if I have a battery issue or what the story is. One of these nights I'll leave the truck off and see what happens. I have an 8am appointment tomorrow though. Can't take the chance of waking up to another dead battery.
[Workout A]
Incline Press - Same weights, added two reps
French Press - Same weights, added two reps
Side Lateral - Same weights, added one rep
Seated Calf Raise - Same weight, added five reps
Squat - On indefinite hiatus due to knee issues
Realizing that I wouldn't be getting back to sleep at that point, I hopped in the seat and tried to start my truck. Nope. Dead battery. That one is a bit of a mystery on account of my not having an inverter or fridge or anything in my truck. I use a little 12V outlet inverter when I'm on my computer, but otherwise my battery is unencumbered. Fortunately I spent the night at a truck stop with a shop. So I called road service and got the okay to have the shop guy give me a jump. The fella on the phone said I would need to call back afterward for my work order number.
The shop dude gave me the jump and the bill was only $22. For anything under $50 we don't need a work order number. I had told the CTL guy that I would call back though, so I called back. That's just the kinda guy I am. After I was on hold for twenty minutes, a different road service guy answered and told me just to send in the receipt with no work order. Lesson: I should just become one of those people who says he'll call back and then doesn't call back. I could have saved myself twenty minutes.
From that point it was a pretty easy day of driving. The truck stop in Bloomington sucks ass, so I stopped in McLean for the night. I guess it's about fifteen miles or so from here to my customer. The only real downside is that it's a nice cool night but I have to keep my truck running. I don't know if I have a battery issue or what the story is. One of these nights I'll leave the truck off and see what happens. I have an 8am appointment tomorrow though. Can't take the chance of waking up to another dead battery.
[Workout A]
Incline Press - Same weights, added two reps
French Press - Same weights, added two reps
Side Lateral - Same weights, added one rep
Seated Calf Raise - Same weight, added five reps
Squat - On indefinite hiatus due to knee issues
Sunday, September 21, 2008
9/21/08
Let's see if I have anything to bitch about today... Not really. That's always nice, I guess. I got a few hours of decent sleep last night. Traffic was light all day. The Redskins won again. By the time the sun was going down, I had covered over 500 miles. Not bad at all.
Since none of you volunteered to fight me last night, you are welcome to stop by Saint Robert, Missouri and do so tonight. If I need motivation, I will rely on the fact that Julie Banderas is now engaged to be married. Since my fiance hasn't managed to get in touch with me, I was considering moving to New York and trying to enter the cable news business. Ms. Banderas and I could have been quite a couple. Damn.
Since none of you volunteered to fight me last night, you are welcome to stop by Saint Robert, Missouri and do so tonight. If I need motivation, I will rely on the fact that Julie Banderas is now engaged to be married. Since my fiance hasn't managed to get in touch with me, I was considering moving to New York and trying to enter the cable news business. Ms. Banderas and I could have been quite a couple. Damn.
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