I normally use a small travel optical mouse with my laptop because I don't like touchpads all that much. It's a nice little scroll wheel mouse with a retractable cord and is a pretty handy size for carrying in the laptop case. When I went to bed last night I had left the mouse plugged into the laptop. When I got up this morning I discovered that Socrates has chewed through the cord at some point during the night. Damn cat. As I needed to make a run to Wally World anyway, I picked up a n...

I got to the yard this afternoon, dropped my load, and checked the box for paperwork for my next load. There was nothing there with my name on it. WTF? Ok, whatever. I parked my truck and headed down to the bar. As I expected the boss and several others from work were there. The boss, Pete, bought me a beer and asked how my trip had gone. We chatted for a few minutes and I got around to the fact that there wasn't a load waiting for me. He called over his brother, who is charge of outbou...

Last night some dimwit parked next to me, on my right. Well, he sort of parked. He backed his rig about half way into the parking space and left it there, front hanging out blocking half the drive. WTF? When I got up this morning I loooked at his half assed parking jub. When it was time for me to leave there would be no way I could pull out and make the swing without taking off his hood. I went on inside and took care of my morning routine and had some coffee. When I came back out the i...

I'm parked for the night in GA. I'm about 14 hours or so from the yard in WI and should make it there by noon on Saturday weather permitting. It's still a nice comfortably warm temperature but I see the cold front is rapidly making it's way across the country. I'll dress warmer in the morning. When I called dispatch from the port to let them I know I was loaded, she wistfully asked me what the weather was like there. I casually said that I had the a/c running as it was in the 80s. She audi...

I got to the port in Tampa around 8:00 this morning in hopes of getting loaded and rolling in short order. I was wrong. Post 9/11, ports have a lot more security. It takes about an hour to go through all of the ID check, background check, and vehicle inspection just to get in. Once I was finally allowed in I asked the guard where this company was located in the port. "Oh, ummm, I don't know. But there are signs." *sigh* Ports are very large places ya know. I knew which street they were...

Dispatch finally found me a load out. Tomorrow I'll be heading over to the port in Tampa to pick up a 35 ft long piece of steel pipe heading to WI. While I really hate going to ports at least I'll have something to get back on the road and make a couple of bucks. I'm in the process of washing up the dishes and doing the final pack up in preparation for leaving in the morning. It's been nice spending time at home but I have bills to pay so it's back to the grind tomorrow. And the damn cold ...

I spoke with my office this morning regarding a load out. She said that she had lined one up but that another outfit stole it out from under us by offering to haul it cheaper. I hate when that happens. These companies sometimes will haul for a loss just to get their truck to an area where they have another load waiting to be picked up. Ah well, it's not like I mind being at home but I need to get rolling to make a buck or two. Hopefully something will turn up later today. In the meantime I...

My hip was really hurting when I got up this morning. I guess I must have slept on it wrong or something. It's really giving me a lot of trouble today so I decided to skip the bike ride I had planned. I'm struggling just to walk and didn't want to push it as I may be leaving back out tomorrow. I did carry my winter Carhart coveralls and matching coat over to the little laundrymat here in the park so I could wash them up. this is the first time I have used the one here even though it's only...

Yep, another blog entry about nothing of import. Shaving at home is completely different than shaving at a truckstop. At a truckstop I shave in the shower room after my shower, knowing that someone is probably waiting for their turn to get a shower. Or I shave in the restroom in which case there is almost always someone wanting to wash their hands or get their chance for a shave. Even when there are 5 or 6 sinks mornings can be busy and lots of guys are waiting their turn. And of course, ...

When I come home from the road the last thing I feel like doing is cleaning house, washing dishes, or doing laundry. I am road weary and just want to rest and relax. Sadly, the stupid house unreasonably refuses to clean itself and the dishes stubbornly sit there waiting to be washed instead of taking a bit of initiative to do it themselves. Yes, I am in the process of domestic chores. I don't really get too overboard with it. I do a little, drink a beer and/or have a smoke, and then a l...

I always enjoy the Thanksgiving leftovers more than the original meal for some reason. I think it just tastes better after spending the night in the fridge. I just finished my dinner consisting of said leftovers. I even gave Socrates a piece of turkey which he really seemed to enjoy.I don't make a habit of feeding him people food as I don't want him spoiled for the more nutritious cat food. But I don't suppose a little treat once in a while will do any harm. We're spending a nice relaxing ...

I just got back from the local Pak Mail. I had to send my paperwork to the office. If I want to be paid next week it has to be there no later than tomorrow so I shipped the envelope Priority Overnight with Saturday delivery. I was expecting it to cost me between $20-$25. I was wrong. It was $47.51 to send a frigging envelope over night to WI from FL. Unbelievable. I should open up a Pak Mail or other shipping office franchise. Those folks are making a killing. If it weren't for my ...

Good Lord I am still stuffed. We ate around noon. Turkey, baked ham, potato salad, yams, green beans, corn, rolls, dressing, deviled eggs, and a bunch of other stuff I can't even recall right now. For three people. Good grief. Plenty of leftovers, that's for sure. I ate so much that I didn't even have room for pie. I'll have to get some of that later. I'm sure everyone else, at least those in the US, are also suffering from overeatingitis right now.

Yes, yet another Thanksgiving article. Get over it. Thanksgiving is a day we set aside to give thanks for all of those things for which we are grateful. As such, it's a time to reflect upon the past year and appreciate the things and people we have in our lives. Thinking about last Thanksgiving I am reminded of all of the changes that a year has brought. This time last year I was still in the process of recuperating from the car wreck that had almost killed me. I still didn't know at th...

I managed to get a bit of grocery shopping done today. I didn't buy too much, just some essentials like toilet paper, dish soap, and enough food to last a couple of days. I'm sure there will be enough Thanksgiving leftovers to cover the remaining days at home. Oh yeah, I also picked up a bottle of white zinfandel to go with the Thanksgiving meal. I also managed to get my laundry done today. Ok, ok, actually Mom did the laundry. But I did pack it all up again for the road. Mom was having...