Let It Snow......ETC

Lets just pretend for a moment that it is Sunday, November 18th 2007.

Not too far of a stretch, unless you take into consideration that it is snowing like crazy in Pennsylvania.... Huge white flakes coming down hard and fast. Luckily for me, it only lasted for a hundred miles, as I am not prepared for winters early arrival just yet. And neither are the other motorists. For some strange reason, it seems to take people a few good snow storms to readjust to driving in those conditions. So for tonight, we are traveling at speeds of 45 mph on the interstate.....because we (and I mean the people in cars) are scared.

I have said it before and I will say it again.. I absolutely love frigid weather. It invigorates me to no end. But it seems like Old Man Winter just left a short time ago... Okay, so maybe it has been seven months since the big NorEaster blew through New England, but last winter the snow did not start falling until January or February.. An extremely dry winter along my route. It just seems too soon.

On Monday, we got a light dusting in Hanson, Massachusetts.

On Tuesday, we were hammered with pillowy white precipitation in Waterbury Connecticut.

So, that is three snowfalls in three days in three states.....

Looks like winter is here Boys and Girls.... And I think it is going to be a harsh one, but that is just my opinion.

Oh, and just because I feel I need to remind people that as long as there is water coming off of the tires....... the road is not frozen or icy. So, just because your windshield holds ice or snow, does not mean you have to fear black ice. Therefore there is no need to drive 40 mph down the interstate just because it is snowing....Over-reacting is sometimes much worse than not reacting at all... Remember this........

The driver of this car over reactted and WHAM, I smacked him.... Even the State Trooper asked this fellow why he slammed on his brakes.....

"um, i over- reacted!"

Rumors....... Confirmed

Last week, while delivering to a customer in Massachusetts, I was enlightened to what seems to have been privileged information.

The customer asked if I had any travel plans for the holidays. I thought he was referring to the Thanksgiving weekend. But instead he was questioning me about the Christmas and New Years time frame. Seeing as how our plant was to be closed for TWO WEEKS, he thought I may have scheduled a nice trip/ vacation. HUH???!!!!

Normally during the holidays, the plant remains open and ships aluminum with the exception of the actual holidays themselves. This year, they are closing the doors.... so to speak.

When I returned home, I questioned the Bossman. He looked at me with a startled expression. Not because my information was inaccurate, but rather because I had already found out through an outside source....

Yes, we will not be shipping any material out for two weeks. He did remark that there would be scrap loads to haul during this time, so we would not suffer too much. But lets do the math, shall we.

2 facilities provide scrap
6 scrap loads per day (combined total)
10 days (excluding the actual paid holidays)

Okay so we have 60 loads of scrap to haul... Doesn't sound too bad, so far.....

But there are 40 drivers...... and I am sure a few of those will elect to be off the entire time, so lets just cut that back to 30 drivers. But still, that leaves 2 loads per driver in a two week period.

One of the hauls pays a flat rate of 98 dollars, unless they send it to the Tennessee facility. Then it pays approx $268.... The second haul pays about $225.

Therefore, I have the potential to earn anywhere from $196 to $536 in a two week period. NOT GOOD..... Yeah, that should cover taxes and insurance and a few pennies in the 401K....

So, you can see, I am kind of in panic mode.... While I would not mind having a long delicious holiday season without work, well, financially, I cannot afford to. Especially because I have not purchased Christmas presents yet, and am planning the big move early next year...hmm, that might have to be delayed until late spring..... Okay, enough trying to figure things out....

Superman thinks I should try to get my loads in early, and then pack a two week bag. That is not a bad idea because I could get in some serious quality time with ALL members of my family, but are they willing to feed me for 2 weeks??

Nothing is set in stone just yet, and the details are very sketchy. Hopefully there is actually more work available, but we do not know just yet. So, I quite possibly could be overreacting. but secretly, I am excited about the possibility of having so much time off, even if I do starve for a few days....

Really, Is It Too Much To Ask For??

Knock Knock

Who's There

Some more freaking issues.......

Could I have a side order of issues to go with that?

You know, this past week when I was visiting my Bro, he made the comment that He and I needed to get some issues, you know, being a smartass because ,basically ,well, neither of us have any devastating issues to dwell on....Or maybe he said he was thankful that we did not have issues..I don't remember his exact words but it involved ISSUES.....

Everybody has them....I guess.....But I don't want your issues. So when I started dating again, one of my deal breakers was that if your issues were larger then life, go seek therapy somewhere else. I reserve the right to counsel only those who I am close to, and am not taking any new patients at this time THANKYOUVERYMUCH !!

Well Surprise surprise surprise....... Superman has a little bit of MAJOR baggage...And actually, I am okay with it, if it is handled properly......



So, for now, I will step back and watch.... I may be disappointed in the long run, but I have dealt with disappointments in the past and am able to move forward with very little ISSUES. No, I am not saying that there is trouble in Paradise.. Um, maybe just a little red flag to be cautious for the next little bit... But the positive side is that he chose to be honest with me instead of hiding this, so I guess that should count for something

Frankly, the purpose of this post was to vent a little.... Is it too much to ask that I meet someone who is in a good place in their life.....I play therapist to a variety of people in my life and don't understand why it is that people seek me out to help them....Yes, I am friendly. Yes, I listen very well. Yes, I can give some good perspective....But back a few years ago when I needed a "friend", where was everybody? Huh? So, I just had to toughen up and move forward. Maybe that is why I have such good perspective, because I had to figure it all out by myself... Who knows....and I really don't mind helping others out with their problems. I am just feeling concerned for the issue at hand which does not even belong to me, nor did I ask for it.....

PSYCHIATRIST

The Doctor Is In

5 cents

Forgotten Posts.. Revisited

Since I seem to be somewhat on a roll, I will now attempt to recapture a few of those moments I mentioned were postworthy.....

BLOW JOB.....and yes, I still think it is a clever title

In the past, I have found it is so much simpler to just do your pre-trip inspection of tire pressure as opposed to sitting on the side of the interstate, waiting for a tire man to change your blown tire. That option can take several hours and the worst case scenario that I have experienced was a 7 hour delay..... So, with trusty air pressure gauge in hand, I check 18 tires every week... Several of the other drivers never check a tire, so it is inevitable that I end up with low tires on a weekly basis... In a Big Rig, the tire pressure should range from 100 psi up to 110 psi... 95 is not bad, but anything below 90 could potentially result in a blown tire....especially with a heavy load....

Last week, I could only check 17 tires, as the valve stem was impossible to reach on that last one. Grrrrrrrr....

I make it all the way to Long Island with no problems, and it looked and felt like it had enough air until.......... KABOOM! The cars scattered, but no one was hit with debris....

GREAT.... a blown tire on Long Island and it has been my experience that any maintenance needed will require lots of time, especially when we don't have terminals in the northeast to begin with. BUT, I was wrong.... From the time I placed the distress call, until the job was completed was less than one hour. You will notice the mudflap hanger is bent in towards the trailer, that thing is made of very stout metal, and nearly impossible to bend... So yeah, that explosion packs a pretty powerful punch!!

Because my trailer in enclosed with a tarp kit, and I was not the one changing the tire, the amount of damage was not evident to me until I arrived at the next customer and opened up the trailer....

That is when I noticed the nice hole in the flooring of the trailer...Look through it and you can see the rim of the tire....

But even more surprising was just how far the wood splinters and pieces of rubber made it into the load... I was picking out pieces of debris for the next three stops....

So, just a s a reminder (so i don't have to get on to you for being one of those idiotic drivers) PLEASE do not tail gate a big truck..... Just look at the damage to my trailer, and imagine how easily it would have been to shatter a windshield of knock a fender loose...

I AM JUST SAYING........

Tagged Again....

Okay, Sally got me this time....

This is a cute Meme, so I will play along...

So, I am supposed to come up with words to describe me that begin with the first letters of my middle name: RENEE

R ~ Resilient....My brother labelled me with this one... and YES, I am ! No matter what life throws my way, I always bounce back with a big ole smile on my face, ready to move forward!

E ~ Engaging....Okay, this is just another form of charming (my thesaurus told me so, if Sally can cheat, so can I). I have had several individuals who have made comments to me about being able to turn on the charm....and no one is safe, I will charm the pants off of anyone, just to put a smile on their face!!

N ~ Negative.... WHAT.. Surprise, I bet I caught you off guard with that one....I am somewhat of a pessimist. But only when it comes to a certain thing.... I spend 95% of my time full of optimism, but there is ONE topic that invokes a certain negativity in myself.... But it is all about growing, and I hope to see the silver lining in that aspect of my life soon as well....

E ~ Extreme......My moods, thoughts, ideas, perceptions.....all of which is felt in an extreme way. And I love being this way. No, I am not some deranged lunatic with massive mood swings. But I would rather feel everything with complete conviction as opposed to nothing ever really meaning anything. I think emotions are such a wonderful expressive thing. Normally, it is all about the good in life.. I am questioned often about why I am sooooo freaking happy...Well, I just am!

E ~ Effortless...... HUH? what?! Okay, maybe this is a bit of a stretch, but how many E words can you come up with.. Yes, I am energetic, too. But Shell already used that one. So, back to my explanation... No matter what I set out to do, or how difficult the challenge, I am always able to obtain it with very little effort. I just seem to pick things up naturally...

Okay, so now I am suppose to tag 5 people because there are five letters in my name....

Shell and Sally have already played, so Cece, Ginger, and Mama Bear.... Your IT!!

TAGGED

Okay Shell tagged me for this one, but I did not follow the rules too well. Instead, because these Memes often get unpublished, I figured I better do this one quick before I forget.

So here are seven random/weird facts about me in no particular order...

1. I use to have severe social anxiety/panic attacks. It seems however, that I have somewhat outgrown this. As a young adult I had very poor self-esteem and could not look anyone in the eye. Now, I am the sunshine that lights up the room. I have something to say to everyone I come in contact with and am no longer afraid to do things alone..... I honestly can't remember how I felt back in those days, I just remember that I was always scared....So glad that is over!

2. I never watch television programs.... Everything I view is on DVD, including TV shows.. I am never home to follow any program with regularity, so I just get the series on DVD and watch it at my leisure....Except of course, a few choice college football games.

3. When I started driving the Big Rigs, I had a 4x6 block of wood strapped to the gas and brake pedals... I am 4'11"... Over the years, Truck manufacturers have begun to accommodate the vertically challenged driver, so now..... I can reach the pedals, however, I am almost sitting under the dash...

4. I have a very low tolerance for ignorant drivers... Today, there was a fellow in front of me at a traffic light. The light was green, the cars in front of him had pulled away, and there he sat talking on the phone, fooling around with some object and obstructing traffic....I blew my horn at him... As he looked in his mirror at me, he threw up his hands as if to say " WHAT?" Resisting the urge to yell at him and provide animated gestures (driving in NYC will do that to you), I motioned to the traffic signal, as it was turning yellow. He then floors it and darts through the intersection under a red light.... Hey Buddy, guess you did not notice the Law Enforcement Officer parked in the median, did ya?.... So, what could have ended with me feeling a tad bit of frustration, turned into a delightful situation when the blue lights came on...... YES, I DID LAUGH AT HIM..... OUT LOUD!! Idiot...

5. I miss mowing the grass... Seriously.. I have been in apartments for nearly four years now and my green thumb is wilting... My idea of relaxation is to play in the dirt, make things grow and keep them trimmed.... And I love the smell of freshly mown turf.......

6. I have never been out of the country, but have travelled through 46 states.. Too bad it was mostly for work....

7. I am also a pack rat, but you would never know it.. All of my hidden treasures are tucked away in boxes in the closet.... I really need to throw that stuff out because it is not memorabilia of any kind, just items I thought I would use at a later date... Maybe when I move, I can eliminate the stockpile..... Hey iMike, ready to go a Junkin'....

Okay, so there you have it. Kind of an odd list, but hey random does not imply structure or theme....So Kids, go have fun and tag yourself if you wish.....And for those of you who have tagged me in the past, sorry if I did not participate.. i will try to do better......

Thank You Shell! xoxo

With so much to do, and so little time to do it, and so many thoughts, emotions, ideas, stories, etc.... to post.......I thought it would only be right to start with the most important post of all....

Life has been so hectic the past few weeks and I feel as if I am on the verge of exhaustion....I think I will go take a much needed nap....But with all that has been going on, it was so nice to come home from work this week and find out my Mischka was thinking of me!!

She sent me this lovely bouquet and bear..... Just Because!!

That is the best reason of all, don't you think... Just Because. I heart her so!! It is so delightful, full of fall coloring and the roses smell delicious!

Okay, so back to my nap...........zzzzzz zzzzzz zzz zzzzz

Forgotten Posts

I have been so stretched to beyond capacity lately... I just want a day off from everything....

I should be on cloud nine right now, for tomorrow morning I am heading to Dallas to visit some long lost school friends..... I am sure I will have a blast, but tonight..... I am stressed.

I have a buzillion unposted posts.... (Oh yeah, did I mention I feel a bit silly right now too).

I got home from work at 6pm.... I need to pack....... but I am too tired...

I have also neglected some very dear friends.... I need to contact them!! I miss you, Mischka. It feels like we have not talked in forever.

I just feel like I am so far behind on ????? everything....

So, this is a post to remind me of things to post....

Birmingham

Double Standards

Blow Job.... no, not what you are thinking but it was a catchy title.....

Perry Tech......

medications..

okay, that should do it for now.. I know this post makes no sense to the rest of you, but my brother puts hidden messages in his posts and if I hide my reminders , then what good would it do to post it....

I hope everyone is doing well.... Toodles

Auburn 35.... Tennessee Tech 3.....

Just thought I would put together a quick recap of last weeks Big Adventure...





I was delighted to be invited by my SIL to join her at the Auburn University Homecoming. She was to perform with the Alumni Marching Band and needed someone to help out with the Bri-Baby.... Now, everyone knows how much I love Bri-Baby, so instantly I accept. As an added Bonus, Superman also loves college football and mentioned he would love to make the trip to see the game.





After an extremely long work week, Saturday finally arrives and I meet up with Superman. We set out to find SIL and Bri.





Okay, instead of a long narrative, I will just show the pics ......


We find SIL practicing with the Alumni Band

The Bri-Baby was happy to have the company! And YES, the diet obviously has been working.. How many of you could hide behind a seven year old and virtually disappear. Except of course, my big 80's hair!! hee hee hee. The first 15 minutes of our visit was spent sticking twigs into my hair and turning me into a reindeer... Ahhhh, Christmas is just around the corner!!

Here is a nice shot of the EAGLE....( War Eagle) who makes his flight through the stands during the pre-game festivities.

And have I ever told you how much I loves me a Marching Band.

The stands were actually pretty full later in the day... Um, this was homecoming, so alot of people were there just for that purpose, and well, since you don't play a team that can beat you during Homecoming, well, the game was not as thrilling as say... The Iron Bowl will be! I have got to get tickets to that game..... Hopefully next year!!

After hours of sitting in the blazing out sunshine, the stands began to empty out and we were finally able to find some shade... That is when Bri came alive. (Usually she is typically shy when it comes to strangers, but it did not seem to take too long to warm up to Superman. ) She even asked about him, when she noticed he was missing. Of course, I told Superman that he must have Bri's approval if I were to continue dating him....

Here is SIL sitting with the Alumni Band... She was actually quite a good distance away, but Superman has this awesome camera and I was delighted when he sent me this photo... It seems he was able to capture a few of SIL and well, since it was her moment... he thought she should have some pictures to commemorate it... I did not even know he had done it.. Once again, being so thoughtful, he has earned even more brownie points.

Oh yeah, did I mention the part where I was suppose to make sure Bri got a snack.. And I totally forgot! But of course, Superman remembered, and surprised us with drinks and huge pretzels.

Yeah, I know, I seem to be totally smitten with him and this was suppose to be a post about the Auburn Weekend. Okay, so I am a little distracted right now.... Let's hope the distraction continues.!!

Hook Em Horns...

For some reason, when I think of Texas..... Hook Em Horns is the first thing that comes to mind, even though I never attended college in the state that is like a whole other country. I was raised there and do not ever remember saying that the entire length of my childhood.. Hmmm...

Any ways, why is Texas on my brain, you might ask... Well other than my recent visit with iMike (a.k.a. AtHomeDaddy) who currently resides in Austin..(he came to visit my bro a few weeks ago)(and damn if he don't look the same as he did years ago, except with a few more pounds..... his words~ not mine) My real excitement about the wild west is due to the fact that I just booked a flight to Fort Worth....

Who says MySpace sux?

I have had the extreme pleasure to reconnect with at least 15 of my high school buddies. And OMG, 2 of them have married and currently reside less than 2 miles from my current location. Holy Cow!! But moving on, I have a visit planned for November 15th through the 17th to visit one of my BFFs.... BK. We recently chatted on the phone for hours and it was like we never missed a beat... Who would imagine after all those years apart. I am so freaking excited!

So, I got the flights booked. Which is a major step for me, because I am the world's worst at putting things off until it is more convenient. I have been promising a visit for the past year and now it is finally gonna happen. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and have sent out emails to others.. Who knows how many old friends I might actually get to see that weekend....

I cannot wait!!

EDIT: OMG, I just got confirmation to have lunch with the girl who was my BFF during our entire childhood!!! This is Awesome!!

Superman's Legacy

Among other assorted super powers, Superman has a very keen sense of hearing...Or maybe I should be amazed by his incredible memory skills.



During one of our first conversations we were discussing a wide variety of topics including types of favorite movies. Also in this conversation were topics based on what weird things we have or have not done.....Get your mind out of the gutter!!



My list included never having seen the movie ET. Never.



How unAmerican is that? A classic like ET.. Also I have never seen an entire Rocky movie...And I don't normally eat Apple Pie either...But I digress.



After weeks of phone calls and emails, Superman decides it it time we get together and he plans out an entire day of treats for me. Now you must remember the ET conversation took place 3 weeks before the date was planned.



The Big Day arrives and our first adventure includes a trip to the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center. I had never been, and it was quite lovely. I am not one to stare at displays and read all the fine print, but there were several interactive displays that were alot of fun, including climbing a rock wall.....

Yes, I made it to the top...

No, Superman did not!!

and why is there a rock wall at the Space and Rock et Center, anyways? We also enjoyed riding into the sky on the Space Shot, which lead us to a fun filled fabulous trip to Six Flags last week. However, we both forgot to bring cameras...



Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious meal and headed to his place to catch a viewing of.......



You Guessed It....



ET.... The Extra Terrestrial



Superman had to search 4 stores to find this film as it is no longer in high demand. Talk about making an effort... Awwww......



Next, we returned to The Space and Rocket Center to visit the Tunnels of Terror... This was about the cheesiest haunted house I have ever been to, but we had loads of fun scaring the other patrons and socializing with the spooks. We were actually invited to return next year and become a part of the act.....



Finally, we did a little star gazing of our own.... It was a wonderfully thought out first date centered entirely around the theme of Space and Aliens.... I can not believe how thoughtful Superman is....Most guys would have forgotten I even mentioned ET, much less planned an entire day around it!!

It's Great To Be An AUBURN TIGER

Ughhhhh.....

This weekend, I am planning to meet SIL and the Bri-Baby at Auburn University to watch some college football... I believe they are playing Tennessee Tech. I am sooooo excited because this is only the second college game I have ever attended. The last one was also an Auburn game, we won!! But it has been years... and I live so close. Hmmm, what's up with that. SIL is participating in the Alumni Band so I will get plenty of Bri Time.

The frustrating part of this situation is that over the course of the past SEVERAL months, I have been off from work every Thursday and Friday without fail.

I did not think I would need to request off on Friday to have a girls weekend with SIL.

I was wrong.

I will still be able to make the game, but had to cancel my Friday plans...Why, because several weeks ago, it was decided that we had too many drivers and not enough freight. Two driver positions were eliminated, allowing the remaining drivers to acquire more miles during the week. It seems that the drivers who were doing all of the complaining about low miles have now decided that they would prefer the home time instead. Because my trip was cut short this week and I returned home on Tuesday night, I am now thrown back into the pool of local and daily trips to help finish out the week.

I hope next week, my load returns to normal..... I did learn from this lesson and have requested in advance to be off from work on the 15th and 16th.... I am going to Texas to visit an old high school friend. Yippee!!