Whatever dude. I don't even like football.
At least the weather was awesome.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
10/31/08
Heading over to see the niece and nephew in their costumes, so I guess we'll occupy some blog space with the long-awaited return of Fenian Godfather Trivia:
I'll most likely imbibe a bit this evening. I won't, however, share any with the little tikes. I promise.
My mother occasionally tells the tale of the first time that I got drunk. How old was I?
A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8
I'll most likely imbibe a bit this evening. I won't, however, share any with the little tikes. I promise.
My mother occasionally tells the tale of the first time that I got drunk. How old was I?
A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8
Thursday, October 30, 2008
10/30/08
Ah well, the hangover wasn't so bad this morning. In fact, I even managed to get out and take care of a few things today. Usually the first day home is spent doing nothing, so I guess maybe I'm getting more ambitious or something.
The hours do fly by though. I guess tomorrow will be another fairly busy one. Then Saturday... oh, Saturday will be all fun.
The hours do fly by though. I guess tomorrow will be another fairly busy one. Then Saturday... oh, Saturday will be all fun.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
10/29/08
So we've established that 4am is a lousy time to wake in the morning. How about 1:15am then? Yeah, really. That's when the chickenheads woke me this morning. So I had to make a decision there. I had arrived in Tomah early enough to conclude a ten hour break before 4am. I had not allowed enough time to complete a full break before 2am though. I would either have to wait until 4am to leave Tomah or go into split mode, starting with yesterday's break in Belvidere. On account of having to pass Chicago, I went with the split option. This allowed me to drop down I-290 to I-294 and hop onto I-80 by 6am Central time. Waiting until two hours later would have probably been pretty bad. Even through the construction, things were moving at or above the speed limit. Not bad at all. Thanks for getting me up early, chickenheads. I think I've managed to skirt that Chicago traffic without any delays the last few times. Better to be lucky than good sometimes.
Once I got into Indiana it was time for my two hour break. Then I continued eastward. I stopped in South Bend to give the lads a pep talk ahead of Saturday's game. Well... actually... I needed to get some fuel and grab some cash for the Ohio tolls. I would have given a pep talk though, had I been asked. When I walked out to my truck I saw that one of the mudflaps on my trailer was gone. I think I checked that stuff before I left Wisconsin, but who knows for sure? I may have overlooked it. I was somewhat comatose at the time. Either way, I needed to get the thing fixed before I relayed the load to the next driver. Some of my fine colleagues are all too comfortable sticking other drivers with shitty trailers. I try not to be one of them.
I sent the PO request form, as I did a few days back. I received a PO and the name of the person authorizing it, as I did a few days back. I waited for the people at the Petro to verify the information, as I did a few days back. Whatever dude. It took quite a while but I still managed to make the relay fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Good enough.
I was #1 on the board after making the relay. Since I wasn't sent home right away, I held out hope that I might make a few more dollars over the next couple of days before getting back. After another nap... no. Go home, said the powers that be. Fine, said I. So 1,215 miles for the week and home on Wednesday evening. I guess that ain't so bad.
Now the mail has been opened, the World Series is on, and the time has come. As the boys in Killarney would say, time to go "down the pub." I just may drink until I'm thirsty again.
Once I got into Indiana it was time for my two hour break. Then I continued eastward. I stopped in South Bend to give the lads a pep talk ahead of Saturday's game. Well... actually... I needed to get some fuel and grab some cash for the Ohio tolls. I would have given a pep talk though, had I been asked. When I walked out to my truck I saw that one of the mudflaps on my trailer was gone. I think I checked that stuff before I left Wisconsin, but who knows for sure? I may have overlooked it. I was somewhat comatose at the time. Either way, I needed to get the thing fixed before I relayed the load to the next driver. Some of my fine colleagues are all too comfortable sticking other drivers with shitty trailers. I try not to be one of them.
I sent the PO request form, as I did a few days back. I received a PO and the name of the person authorizing it, as I did a few days back. I waited for the people at the Petro to verify the information, as I did a few days back. Whatever dude. It took quite a while but I still managed to make the relay fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. Good enough.
I was #1 on the board after making the relay. Since I wasn't sent home right away, I held out hope that I might make a few more dollars over the next couple of days before getting back. After another nap... no. Go home, said the powers that be. Fine, said I. So 1,215 miles for the week and home on Wednesday evening. I guess that ain't so bad.
Now the mail has been opened, the World Series is on, and the time has come. As the boys in Killarney would say, time to go "down the pub." I just may drink until I'm thirsty again.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
10/28/08
I'm sure that, at some point in your life, you've heard the old "reach for the stars" bit from somebody. Well I don't buy it. I had minimal expectations for today. Although the day turned out to be nothing special, it didn't completely suck either. It was better than my minimal expectations, so I was satisfied.
The morning's traffic was morning traffic, but not that bad really. The dock at the consignee was a bit of a pain in the ass, but not as bad as some that I've had recently. After I waited in the customer's break room for an hour or so, they had me empty and I needed to find somewhere to park. I spotted an unoccupied building so I turned into its parking lot. Once I was in, it became readily apparent that getting out would be no fun at all. Oh well, we would have to cross that bridge when we came to it. I put my feet up and kicked back for a while.
After a half hour or so I received my next assignment. I would have to extract myself from the parking lot and then head up to the ConWay in Tomah, Wisconsin. Tomorrow morning I'll be pulling a load to Toledo and passing it off to someone else. I don't know what will follow from there. I'll only be 50 miles from home but I really wouldn't mind pulling another load or two this week. I guess the freight will have to decide. Whatever comes up, at least they've already managed to make me a few bucks for the pay period. I imagine I'll start spending some serious money this weekend.
I stopped for a delicious Subway BMT with double meat along the toll road. Mmmmm, tasty. Then it was time for a nap. Then the traffic around Rockford... not as bad as I expected. See how that works? Low expectations are the key to happiness.
I checked in and dropped my trailer a little while ago. Now the nap that I took earlier is probably going to come back to haunt me. I'm scheduled to roll out of here at 4am local time. Hopefully I'll get to sleep for at least a few hours since, as I've so eloquently pointed out in the past, 4am wake-up calls suck ass.
The morning's traffic was morning traffic, but not that bad really. The dock at the consignee was a bit of a pain in the ass, but not as bad as some that I've had recently. After I waited in the customer's break room for an hour or so, they had me empty and I needed to find somewhere to park. I spotted an unoccupied building so I turned into its parking lot. Once I was in, it became readily apparent that getting out would be no fun at all. Oh well, we would have to cross that bridge when we came to it. I put my feet up and kicked back for a while.
After a half hour or so I received my next assignment. I would have to extract myself from the parking lot and then head up to the ConWay in Tomah, Wisconsin. Tomorrow morning I'll be pulling a load to Toledo and passing it off to someone else. I don't know what will follow from there. I'll only be 50 miles from home but I really wouldn't mind pulling another load or two this week. I guess the freight will have to decide. Whatever comes up, at least they've already managed to make me a few bucks for the pay period. I imagine I'll start spending some serious money this weekend.
I stopped for a delicious Subway BMT with double meat along the toll road. Mmmmm, tasty. Then it was time for a nap. Then the traffic around Rockford... not as bad as I expected. See how that works? Low expectations are the key to happiness.
I checked in and dropped my trailer a little while ago. Now the nap that I took earlier is probably going to come back to haunt me. I'm scheduled to roll out of here at 4am local time. Hopefully I'll get to sleep for at least a few hours since, as I've so eloquently pointed out in the past, 4am wake-up calls suck ass.
Monday, October 27, 2008
10/27/08
Sometimes, if I really work at it, I can manage to convince myself that the world is out to get me. Usually though, I seem to lead something of a fortunate life. Today was a pretty good example.
When I woke up, I checked in with the receiving guy at my consignee. Not only had I found the correct building, but I was also parked at the only functional dock. The place was jammed up with trucks that had arrived after I did last night, so if I had been at the wrong dock I would have been shit out of luck until some other people got unloaded and moved. The guys after me had to maneuver around each other to get to the good dock, but I just had to open my doors since I was already lined up and ready to go.
Once I got empty, I headed out and looked for a place to park. No luck in the industrial area there, so I started off toward our Kansas City drop lot. The only trouble was that I didn't remember exactly where the drop lot was located. Of all of the people with exceptional IQ's that you may encounter, you can rest assured that I'm the dumbest one. I can jam out some particle physics, but I'll be damned if I can find my car keys. So I sent a message to Joplin asking for directions. I didn't receive a response right away. Most likely things were a little busy in the big house on a Monday morning. I left the customer's area and wandered up I-35. Nothing was ringing a bell there, so I looped south on I-435. Just when I started to see brake lights and a traffic jam ahead, I spotted a roller coaster. Hey, I know that roller coaster! Sweet. Our drop yard was off the next exit.
The lot at the drop yard was crawling with trucks and trailers, moving this way and that. I hung a quick left away from all of the traffic and circled around some trailers from other companies. I just had a hunch... yep. I found a nice easy pull-through parking space right on the main row of ConWay trailers. (After I parked and set the brakes, I received directions to the drop yard, incidentally.)
When I checked my status on the board, I was #21. Not too good, not too terrible. Aha though - I was highlighted for home. Too bad for those other suckers. The first run heading my way would belong to me. After a nice little nap I was assigned to take a load up to the Chicago suburbs for tomorrow morning. The trailer was on the yard so I headed over and hooked it up. Then the security guard couldn't find the damn paperwork. We've seen this movie before. After a review of a messy pile of papers on the desk, he actually found something. It's not a bill of lading, but it has some information about my load on it and it has the right trailer number. That'll have to do. I don't know exactly how heavy the load is (on account of the missing bills) but it's a light one. That's a nice change from yesterday.
The drive was pretty much an autopilot kind of deal today. Up to Des Moines and over into Illinois, the traffic was nice and light. The wind wasn't as bad as yesterday and it was more behind me than in my face anyway.
I promised you fine folks last week that the Irish would help Mr. Willingham into the unemployment line. And today he announced his resignation. A fitting end to a sick and twisted circle of college football fortunes. Say a quick prayer for whatever poor sap is unfortunate enough to follow him at U-dub. If it is possible to recruit more poorly than he did at Notre Dame, I think he might have done so at Washington.
My consignee for this trip doesn't allow overnight parking. Since I don't have any parking tricks up my sleeve tonight, I've stopped at the Petro in Rochelle. I'll have to cover about 70 miles or so in the morning once my ten hour break is over. Since I'll be approaching the Chicago area during rush hour, that should take about three hours. See there? The whole damn world is out to get me!
When I woke up, I checked in with the receiving guy at my consignee. Not only had I found the correct building, but I was also parked at the only functional dock. The place was jammed up with trucks that had arrived after I did last night, so if I had been at the wrong dock I would have been shit out of luck until some other people got unloaded and moved. The guys after me had to maneuver around each other to get to the good dock, but I just had to open my doors since I was already lined up and ready to go.
Once I got empty, I headed out and looked for a place to park. No luck in the industrial area there, so I started off toward our Kansas City drop lot. The only trouble was that I didn't remember exactly where the drop lot was located. Of all of the people with exceptional IQ's that you may encounter, you can rest assured that I'm the dumbest one. I can jam out some particle physics, but I'll be damned if I can find my car keys. So I sent a message to Joplin asking for directions. I didn't receive a response right away. Most likely things were a little busy in the big house on a Monday morning. I left the customer's area and wandered up I-35. Nothing was ringing a bell there, so I looped south on I-435. Just when I started to see brake lights and a traffic jam ahead, I spotted a roller coaster. Hey, I know that roller coaster! Sweet. Our drop yard was off the next exit.
The lot at the drop yard was crawling with trucks and trailers, moving this way and that. I hung a quick left away from all of the traffic and circled around some trailers from other companies. I just had a hunch... yep. I found a nice easy pull-through parking space right on the main row of ConWay trailers. (After I parked and set the brakes, I received directions to the drop yard, incidentally.)
When I checked my status on the board, I was #21. Not too good, not too terrible. Aha though - I was highlighted for home. Too bad for those other suckers. The first run heading my way would belong to me. After a nice little nap I was assigned to take a load up to the Chicago suburbs for tomorrow morning. The trailer was on the yard so I headed over and hooked it up. Then the security guard couldn't find the damn paperwork. We've seen this movie before. After a review of a messy pile of papers on the desk, he actually found something. It's not a bill of lading, but it has some information about my load on it and it has the right trailer number. That'll have to do. I don't know exactly how heavy the load is (on account of the missing bills) but it's a light one. That's a nice change from yesterday.
The drive was pretty much an autopilot kind of deal today. Up to Des Moines and over into Illinois, the traffic was nice and light. The wind wasn't as bad as yesterday and it was more behind me than in my face anyway.
I promised you fine folks last week that the Irish would help Mr. Willingham into the unemployment line. And today he announced his resignation. A fitting end to a sick and twisted circle of college football fortunes. Say a quick prayer for whatever poor sap is unfortunate enough to follow him at U-dub. If it is possible to recruit more poorly than he did at Notre Dame, I think he might have done so at Washington.
My consignee for this trip doesn't allow overnight parking. Since I don't have any parking tricks up my sleeve tonight, I've stopped at the Petro in Rochelle. I'll have to cover about 70 miles or so in the morning once my ten hour break is over. Since I'll be approaching the Chicago area during rush hour, that should take about three hours. See there? The whole damn world is out to get me!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
10/26/08
Poor Lions fans... My father went to the game, but I would guess he managed to consume enough beer to take the sting out of it. Of course, I don't know how committed a Lions fan he really is. It seems that he was a Cowboys fan when we lived in Texas and I started rooting for the 'Skins. Then he was a Giants fan (or something like that) for a while, as I continued rooting for the 'Skins. Now, I don't know. I just know that living around people in Michigan when you're not a fan of the Leos or the Wolverines... it's a lot easier when those teams both suck.
It was a windy and tedious drag across I-70 today. This load is a hefty 44,000 pounds so the hills looked like mountains for most of the trip. The wind may have been worse with a lighter load though, so I don't know. Not so bad I guess.
Anyhow, I pulled into the customer's lot a little while ago and sent in my request for time off. This whole street is occupied by a collection of buildings belonging to the consignee. The address in the directions from my employer doesn't appear to exist. After wandering aimlessly for a little bit, I did manage to find a building that matches up with the address on my bills. It has loading docks so that's a good sign. Of course, all of the buildings on this street have loading docks. I'm glad I decided to drive here tonight though. Assuming that I am at the right building, I would have had a bitch of a time backing in here with other traffic around. If I'm not in the right place... well, we'll just hope we don't have to face that one.
It was a windy and tedious drag across I-70 today. This load is a hefty 44,000 pounds so the hills looked like mountains for most of the trip. The wind may have been worse with a lighter load though, so I don't know. Not so bad I guess.
Anyhow, I pulled into the customer's lot a little while ago and sent in my request for time off. This whole street is occupied by a collection of buildings belonging to the consignee. The address in the directions from my employer doesn't appear to exist. After wandering aimlessly for a little bit, I did manage to find a building that matches up with the address on my bills. It has loading docks so that's a good sign. Of course, all of the buildings on this street have loading docks. I'm glad I decided to drive here tonight though. Assuming that I am at the right building, I would have had a bitch of a time backing in here with other traffic around. If I'm not in the right place... well, we'll just hope we don't have to face that one.
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