This past week was National Truck Drivers Appreciation Week. For one week out of the year the truckstops and other trucking-related businesses pretend they appreciate the truck drivers. Usually there are some free things they give away, drawings, etc... Last night I stopped for the night at a truckstop in Missoula, Montana. I was treated to a free dinner (buffalo burger), was given a free pocket knife, and entered into a $300 drawing being held Sept. 1st. Not nad at all, really. It is ni...

Hi from Spokane, Washington. Yesterday went pretty well even if I did get soaked in the rain. I delivered the snow blower to the sea port in Tacoma and then drove up to the Air National Guard base in Everett, WA to pick up some equipment and supplies to transport to the big base in Dover,DE. I'm told the stuff is goingt o be flown to Iraq. I'm just taking it as far as our terminal in Wisconsin where some other stuff will be loaded with it before someone takes it east. I have been thinki...

I am now sitting at a truckstop in Washington state. It was a pretty good trip from Wisconsin in spite of the back injury I suffered Saturday. The trip did take a lot longer than it really should have as I could only drive three or four hours at a time before stopping to stretch my legs and try to work the pain out of my back. Stopping in Wyoming, I visited an Applebys for a few beers and chicken fingers (never seen a chicken with fingers), and had a lengthy conversation with a guy who wo...

Yesterday I decided to take a hike in the woods of northern Washington state as I had some time to kill and really love hiking. While I was wandering through the forest checking out all the great scenery I came upon a small tape recorder laying at the base of a large tree. It was smashed and pretty much useless, but it did have a tape in it. Out of curiousity I decided to take it with me and put it in my small backpack. When I finally returned to my truck after a thoroughly enjoyable hike,...

I am fortunate in that my lifestyle allows me the opportunity to travel full time. As a trucker, I spend the bulk of my days cruising down the highways, streets, and country roads of the U.S. looking at the scenery as it drifts by. Occasionally I will stop to look at some particularly beautiful scenery or check out some interesting looking tourist trap. One of my favorite pastimes is wandering the streets in some some burg that I haven't visited before, checking out the little shops, diners, ...

Hello all. Finally repaired my not-so-trusty laptop and am now able to get back online. I am writing this from the sleeper of my truck while parked (much to the relief of my fellow motorists) in a Flying J truckstop in Sioux Falls, SD. It's really great to get a nice high-speed WiFi connection without having to carry the gear out of the truck. I am currently on my way to Tacomah, WA from Wisconsin hauling a 40,000 lbs snow blower. I have to deliver it to the sea port so it can take a b...

Hello everyone. My poor old laptop finally gave up the ghost. The harddrive went south on me so I haven't been online much at all. Just using the computers in the public library whenever I get the chance. I hope to buy a new harddrive for it in a couple of weeks and then can be online more and post some new articles. A lot has changed since I last checked in. I am still living in Florida, but am back to driving a truck because the income is so much better. I am leaving in the morning (if...

In the past month, I have had my notebook in the shop to have some bad solder connections repaired in the power circuits, replaced the modem, and as of yesterday had the hard drive crash. I think it's time to put this thing out to pasture. The hard drive is reporting "imminent failure" on boot and half the drive is now completely unusable. After the crash I was unable to reboot the drive. Everything was trashed. Now, I'm no slouch when it comes to hardware/software issues but I was unable...

I just finished my second week at the new job. Last night I was asked if I would be interested in applying for a promotion to a management position. I was really surprised as I have only been there two weeks. My manager told me about an opening and said that he would really like it if I would apply for it. He said he'd recommend me for it to the hiring manager as I have a strong management background. I guess I'm doing something right. I brought the promotion application home with me an...

I have been in orientation/training since I started my new job. They are teaching us company policies and procedures, their software, products, and the State/Federal laws which govern the industry. (Telecommunications). While a great deal of this is old hat for me as I have been in the telecommunications industry most of my life, there is some company specific information that is very important for the job. In the beginning there were 22 people in the training class. Now, just over a week ...

I have started doing some writing and will be posting sections of it in my blog as I go along. I am hoping to get some critique on the story as well as the writing itself. I'd really appreciate it. The story will be called J'Abar (at least for now) and I will be posting the sections titled as "J'Abar 1a, J'Abar 1b" ect.... They will be in the "Art section" for anyone who cares to give them a read and (hopefully) provide some feedback. Thanks all.

Wow, I have really missed JU this past week. My modem took a lightening jolt last Sunday and hasn't worked since. I finally got around to buying a new one and some heavy duty surge protection today. The new job is going great, It's already been suggested that I could see a promotion after 90 days. That's a good deal, I can use the money. I found a house to buy. I went by and looked at it today and, after negotiating the price down to 1/3 the asking price, I agreed to take it. It has an ...

After reading another article on JU I got to thinking about my extensive experience in Customer Service. I have always worked in a service related field of one type or another. My very first job was as a bag boy in a very busy grocery store that catered to an upscale clientele. I have also worked in the television repair business as an in-home repairman, computer repair, satellite television installation and service, and cable television/telecommunications. I was i the cable/telecommunicatio...

In the small southern Virginia community where I lived for over seven years people are very friendly. As you walk or drive down the street, people wave as you pass by and you wave back. It really doesn't matter whether you know them, it's just the neighborly thing to do. Folks stop on the sidewalk or in the store and chat a while with each other. When they ask how you're doing, they actually mean "How are you doing?". It's not just platitude uttered in passing. They actually want to know h...