I checked into the hotel and walked over to Appleby's for dinner and a few beers. I'm an irregular regular there so they all know me. I took my knitting along, the Irish hiking scarf, and worked on it while I enjoyed a few beers. Predictably several of the female employees came over to check out my knitting and fawned over it. A couple of the female customers also stopped by to make comments. Naturally I was enjoying myself quite a bit. At one point this young guy sitting a couple of...

Last night I went down to the bar with the boss and a few of my co-workers. I shouldn't have gone. Having a few beers and being in that smoky bar, I blew my quit. Now I have to go through that miserable first three days all over again.

This morning I drove the pile of junk spare truck down to the diesel shop in Milwaukee to pick up my trailer so I could finally deliver the load. I popped in to find out where my truck was parked as the paperwork for the load was still in it. To my joy they informed me that my truck was repaired and ready to go. It was a faulty fuel injector as I suspected. I tossed my overnight bag, knitting bag, and laptop out of the pile of junk spare truck and into my truck, hooked to the trailer and h...

I got up and got an early start this morning so that I could make delivery in WI by noon. I never made it. My truck decided that it really didn't feel like working today and the engine sputter and spat all the way up the road. No power at all. Wonderful. I then got stuck in a really bad back up on I-295. By the time I made it up to the choke point I saw why. Someone was having an even worse day. An SUV ran over someone on a motorcycle. They had the body covered with a white sheet but th...

Today was day 2 of my smoking quit. It really hasn't been all that bad. The Wellbutrin has really made a difference. I've had a few cravings here and there but nothing terrible. I'd just pop a piece of cinnamon gum or cinnamon candy in my mouth and go on about my bidness. I'm spending the night in Southern Indiana tonight and will get an early start tomorrow as I'd like to make delivery in WI before noon if at all possible. I haven't really felt like doing any fine work yet so I haven't...

In the process of packing up my stuff in preparation for going back on the road I noticed that the samples of Wellbutrin the doc had given me were running low. There was only enough for a few more days. I hopped on the bent and rode over to the pharmacy to fill my 30 day prescription. I'm damn glad I asked about the price difference between the name brand and the generic drug. The name brand would have been $180! For 30 stinking little pills! Outrageous! The generic was $140. Better b...

It feels like I just got home and now I have to prepare to hit the road again. I'll be leaving out some time this afternoon as I have to pick up a military vehicle in Charleston, SC tomorrow. It's amazing how fast the time at home flies by. I feel like I could use a few more days but having bills to pay makes that less than practical. I have lots to do before I leave, but for now I am just not motivated. Maybe after I've had my morning coffee and shower.

I rode down to the C-store to pick up some beer. When I got inside there were several young gang banger wannabes hagning around taking up space. I could see the clerk was less than comfortable even though they really weren't doing anything wrong, just talking kinda loud with a lot of "yo" and such. I am not one who is easily intimidated, but have always been pretty good at intimidating. I walked right through the midst of the largest group of them and towards the beer cooler. I looked them...

The storm broke just in time for me to walk outside and watch tonight's shuttle launch. I was able to watch it go for a pretty good way before it finally disappeared behind the clouds. Every since I stood outside and watched Challenger explode during launch I get a knot in the pit of my stomach while watching one go up. The shock of seeing what happened to Challenger live and in person and not on television has always stayed with me and I am reminded of it every time I watch a launch. I j...

I believe that the Wellbutrin is starting to work a bit. I've had two decent nights sleep in a row now. The stuff does seem to spawn some odd dreams but I am otherwise finally getting some real sleep. Just getting some proper rest makes a world of difference with depression. It becomes a vicious cycle. The depression saps you of energy and makes you feel very tired but it also interferes with your ability to get restful sleep. All you feel like doing is sleeping but you're unable to do so...

I haven't done any knitting since this depression stuff started but today I bought a skein of yarn in a color to match Mom's new sofa. I had seen a pretty cool looking knitted clock and am making one for her. I still have to pick up some cork board for the backing and the actual clock mechanism itself, but for now I can work on knitting the clock face. Hopefully I'll get to feeling like finishing those socks I started, but for now the clock is something pretty simple as well as something d...

I'm pretty much a live and let live kind of person but I can't abide trespassers. When I got home today I discovered that a group of gnats had moved into my home. I assume they're in here getting out of the heat as there's nothing left out to attract them. Like I said, I can't abide trespassers. I gave them a warning, which they chose to ignore, and then cut lose with my weapon (rolled up magazine). It was a long, drawn out affair but I think I have managed to kill all but a few straggle...

I got an early start this morning and delivered the military truck to the Marine base at Blount Island, FL. I then started out for home. Amazingly enough I ran into no traffic or weigh station problems coming home. I cruised right through Orlando without having to stop or even slow down (that NEVER happens) and made it home without incident. That kinda makes me nervous. It went too smoothly. I told dispatch that I'd be home until Monday. That will give me a few days of rest before headi...

I had what I thought was a good idea for an article. Now I wish I could remember what it was. Damn. Has anyone seen my idea?

I was listening to Sherlock Holmes on the XM radio today and have a bloody British accent stuck in my head now so if you don't mind, read the following with an imagined British accent ala Holmes or Watson. Sorry for the bother, that's just the way it came out you know. When you're in the midst of a depression episode you pretty much don't care about anything and pretty much everything is just too much of a bother to deal with. Depression episode; that's what my shrink always called it back...