Change of Plans

With Christmas rapidly approaching, I had the brilliant idea that I would shut my truck down during the course of the Holidays in order to get a few more pesky repairs out of my hair. Thinking that this would ensure my home time with family, I have been babysitting a few minor repairs needed on the truck. The Boss half heartedly agreed to my plan.

Guess what, I am now sitting on Day #2 of  Repairs. Not exactly what I had intended. This is probably eating into my home time for Christmas, but I will have a new hub cap, oil leak repair and exhaust leak repair. I was told to stop and check on the one leak, which I was trying to prevent until next week. Day # 2 !!  Exactly the reason that I was stalling. Still to come, a recall on a fuel line and the 60k service, which I understand takes a few days? WHAT??  I guess this is still better than being stranded in Michigan during the Holidays. But I do tend to get a little antsy while waiting around....  And I have more Christmas shopping to do. Doesn't help that I tend to "suffer" a little with seasonal depression. I cannot wait for 2012 to arrive, hopefully with my repair wish list completed and unlimited possibilities for the New Year... Yeah,I am going to own this one. Already have my resolution in mind too, and somewhat excited about it. So before I ramble too much further...

Murphy's Law

When I chose my route this week, I already knew I was at a disadvantage with it being a Holiday week. I was secretly hoping some of the customers would be closed and that would help me shorten my route. It has happened before, in fact, I am suppose to also make a pick up of damaged goods, but that customer is closed all week.

It is in my nature to reassess my route as soon as I pick up the trailer, to make necessary adjustments for a more efficient delivery schedule. The pencil pushers at the plant never seem to grasp that there could actually be a better way. And I have proved it time and time again. I could just go with the flow and follow the route, but that is cutting into my personal home time. So, I thrive on the frenzied melee that ensues as I completely reroute myself several times throughout the journey. The end result is that I regularly arrive home at least a half of a day ahead of schedule.

I made the initial 950 mile trek to my first customer with only one slight delay. It seems aliens had crash landed in the median..or at least that was the story told by another truck driver. I was feeling pretty good about the week. I figured if I unloaded stop 1, then stop 2, 4, 3, 5, 6 and 7, I would be at 9 the next morning and finishing up with stop #8 by lunch time. These changes were necessary due to hours of business. With a strategy in place, I snuggled in for the night.

So here is a quick timeline of how my Monday went.

• 7:00 AM unload stop # 1
• 7:17 AM miss turn for the Jersey Turnpike, rerouted myself to 287
• 7:58 AM Interstate shut down for offloading of cattle
• 8:19 AM Delays for merging (3 left lanes closed on a 4 lane hwy, construction)
• 8:40 AM Arrive at stop # 2 (61 miles in 1.75 hours)
• 9:06 AM Depart #2
• 9:23 AM Delays for accident on George Washington Bridge
• 10:02 AM Reroute myself to Queens, to avoid further delays
• 10:23 AM Arrive at stop #4 (24 miles in 1.25 hours)
• 10:41 AM Depart stop#4 after purchasing unidentifiable lunch item from Roach Coach
• 
  
• Reroute myself to avoid fore casted delays on BQE
• 
  
• 10:53 AM Delays due to lane closures on Bruckner Expressway
• 11:13 AM Delays due to worker falling from Throgsneck Bridge
• 11:14 AM Place call to stop#5 to notify of rescheduling
• 12:02 PM Delays due to idiots not knowing how to merge
• 12:41 PM Arrive at stop#3 (52 miles in 2 hours)
• 12:57 PM Depart stop #3
• 3:12 PM Place call to stop#6, begging for mercy. They agree to wait for me.
• 3:36 PM Arrive at stop#6 (143 miles in 2.5 hours) not bad for Connecticut
• 4:04PM Depart stop#6
• 4:08PM Place call to stop#7, They refused to wait Grrrrrrrr!!
• 
  
• More delays for evening rush hour in Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA
• 
  
• 6:21PM Purchase FIRST cup of coffee for the day
• 7:17 PM Arrive at stop#9 (104 miles in 3.25 hours)

Settle in for the night.....

So, it seems, when I normally am able to reconfigure my route on a weekly basis, the reward is getting home earlier than expected. During the one week when I want to get home, Murphy's Law takes affect. There is no way I can recover from the delays today.Tomorrow's goal, unload stops 9, 8, and 7. I will not be able to finish out until Wednesday morning at 4:00 am...That makes for one long ride filled with Holiday congestion...Guesstimated home arrival...2 hours after the Holiday dishes have been washed and put away. I hope somebody saves me a Turkey Leg.

Really, it is not so bad. Just for clarification purposes, I will not miss all the festivities as my Father throws his annual bash on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so I will still be fed and able to see the whole gang.

Where Was I At...

Oh yeah......back to 2008.

The year finished itself off, but not with the spirit of the Holidays. Instead, the final week at work was a largely frustrating...Lies, steeped atop more lies.... I had no heart to lay this stuff at your feet, dear reader, so I clearly opted out. Let me just say that my final day at work had me ready to tell everyone just where exactly I would like them to kiss me, and it had nothing to do with my smiling face.

Speaking of work, I spent several days during my vacation packing, loading, and hauling most of my personal possessions back to Alabama..Yep, you read that right. But I have not officially made the move. My lease is up at the end of January, so I will be living a somewhat restricted lifestyle out of a bag until then.  At that point, I will begin to commute back and forth until I am comfortable enough to make this transition more permanent.  You would think that this would be very easily accomplished, but I am having second, third, and even fourth thoughts about this decision.

And since we are discussing my erratic thought patterns.. I would just mention that I am one of those who becomes depressed at the Holidays. This has not always been the case. I have only  noticed it  in the more recent years, but combined with moving, making life changing decisions, suffering through deceptions and discontentment with work issues, living out of a suitcase, relocating myself closer to someone who abuses my good~heartedness, lack of Christmas Cheer, and no shoulder to rest my head upon.... I think I have done fairly well for myself. I have not gone crazy.....yet!

As for the New Year, I intend to accumulate more running mileage...That is it!  I make no promises to myself as to making grande resolutions. Just more running, staying fit!

Oh wait....how could I forget to mention this.....

I just spent a week at Walt Disney World......and, yes, I am anxious to get back to the peaceful solitude that is my home away from home, the sites and sounds of a bustling New York City. 

'Tis the Season

I have been somewhat lacking in my enthusiasm for the holiday season this year. I have so much going on and so many changes taking place that I have not relished all that is to behold during the holidays.

Until Tuesday Night. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, if only for a moment.

During the course of this weeks deliveries, I was bestowed with several Christmas presents from some of my regular customers. I begin to feel an inclination to head home and start making gift bags to hand out myself next week. Typically I love the holidays, the best part being finding that perfect gift for everyone on my list. Sadly, this year, cash will have to be the perfect gift.

sigh.....Who knows, I might get it in gear.....

But back to my Christmas Tale.

On my way home, I stopped in a rest area for the night. This particular one was maintained by a gentleman whom lived in a camper a few miles down the road. He was very quiet and kept to himself to stay out of the patrons way. While I was searching the snack machines for a treat, I noticed him humbly waiting in the corner to continue with his duties as the restrooms emptied. No one would look his way, much less greet him or even acknowledge him for that matter.

No one, except myself. He seemed pleasantly surprised as I engaged him in cheerful, witty banter. He shared a portion of his life story with me, including his dream to reach ALASKA for the adventure of a lifetime. I cheered him on with words of encourage and awe as his told his tale.

His eyes were sparkling as I made my way back to the truck for some rest.

Then it dawned on me....(I am a little slow, sometimes) This man was not used to having people treat him with respect and friendship...My heart began to fill emotion. I then proceeded to rummage through my bounty, and selected one of the gifts that had been given to me.

Feeling a little bit awkward, because I did not want to offend him by assuming anything about his lifestyle, as so many others were seeming to do, I made my way back inside the building. I immediately was discouraged because he was no where to be found. But as I left, I noticed him collecting the trash along the sidewalk. Beaming from ear to ear, I quietly approached him. I asked him if he had family in the area, and how he would spend his Christmas. I then offered him a Christmas present. His eyes welled with tears as he smiled. He let out a jolly laugh and expressed his gratitude. He told me that he could sense what a wonderful person I was from our previous conversation, and that had been enough of a gift to him already. I insisted he take the present, anyways.....To which he did not hesitate.

In return, he asked for one thing.... To give me a Hug! He said it was all he had to offer me, and I gladly accepted it. I made my way back to the truck with a bounce in my step, a smile on my face and all the joy that the holidays contain abounding in my heart.

I do not need for any of you to tell me what impression this story might make on you. I am not looking for your approval. I got what I needed from the smile in his eyes, as I walked away.

I would just like to remind each and every one of you, that there are people less fortunate who could use an extra smile, a moment of conversation, or even a hug!! My wish this Christmas , is that we all take a moment to spread the Christmas Cheer to those who are less fortunate!!

Happy Holidays!!

Holiday Cheer

It is that time again, boys and girls....

Tomorrow morning I will arise at the crack of dawn to go and deliver Christmas Trees to the local BoyScout Troop for their annual fundraiser. This is something the Aluminum Company does for the BoyScouts every year. We pick up their load of Christmas Trees in North Carolina and haul it back home. I have been fortunate enough each year to be the delivery girl. It just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy to take part in this community oriented good deed!

See, I can post something uplifting........

A Special Thank You

Ahhhh, Memorial Day.

First long weekend to kick off the beginning of those long hot summer months. Sitting by the pool, grilling with friends and taking a day off from work.

But let's not forgot the true meaning of the day. To give Thanks and Remember all those who have served this country.

Thank You

So, I spent some time this morning commenting on a few military blogs and saying thanks to those strangers who give time and lives to protect us here at home. I would love to be one of those people who greets the military personnel when they return home at the end of their deployment. I would also love to be a penpal to those who are living on foreign soil protecting us from evil. If anyone has any suggestions as to how I might become a military penpal, please enlighten me! Afterall, it is the LEAST I can do.

Sucker Punched.....Yikes

It has been so nice being off from work these past ten days. The time spent with friends and family was definitely delightful. But honestly, I am ready to get back to work.



Now, If I had a mini-vacation planned then I would appreciate the fact that the Boss Man just called and told me that I would be off an additional eight more days. I know originally, I posted that I would be off two weeks, with no pay, but that original game plan had been changed. We had the option to work the 3 days after Christmas.... The potential for income on those three days was not enough to merit coming home early from my Bama excursion. So, I opted for two days holiday pay, and 3 days partial unemployment. We had also been told that it would be back to business starting with deliveries on Jan 2nd.



So, I fully expected to climb into my Truck on New Year's Day and get to it.



Kapow.... oh this hurts.....



I just received a text, asking if I wanted to be off next week as well. WOT?! Feeling confused, I called the Boss Man and jokingly remarked, "I did not know next week was optional, ha ha ha?!"



Turns out it is. You see, all the larger runs were taken by those who have more seniority, That leaves a Chattanooga and three Atlanta runs, which would be merely okay if I could run all four of them. But I am only able to choose ONE. And just so you know, none of those deliveries would earn even $100.



Oh Dear, I was definitely not prepared to be off for eighteen days. Looks like I better go stock up on the saltines and bologna...



I know it sounds like a lot, but I would have only worked eight of those days had it not been a holiday. And out of those eight days, I am actually receiving three days of holiday pay, and am also eligible for 7 seven days of unemployment....

But why look a gift horse in the mouth. Hey, now I can get caught up on everything on my To Do list.....Any body need any chores done??

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.







Mine was just as wonderful as always. I got to spend four days in Huntsville with the brother's family and his in-laws. That is always a treat.







On Saturday night, we went out for an evening without the children in tow. It was a delightful experience, as I got to dress up a bit more than normal.







Sunday we ventured down the road a bit to spend the afternoon with the Mother in Law's family. That was also a treat. I did not have intentions of attending this function, but when I found the Bri-Baby whimpering in a corner, I changed my mind. She told me that she was sad that she had to spend the afternoon away from me. So, I changed my plans and tagged along. It turned out to be quite an experience. My brother and I ended up out in the yard playing tag with about 15 kids.







Monday (Christmas Eve) , I picked my mother up for some last minute shopping (not my fault someone else had already purchased the exact same item) and lunch... There is always a moment or two spent with her and some heart felt topic of conversation... I wish I could do something to put a big smile on her face! Alas, it was par for the course. Monday evening (back at the ranch) after happy hour and a lovely pork tenderloin dinner, we commenced to opening presents. woo hoooo. We finished out the evening playing with the new Wii gaming console.





Christmas Day...... We commenced to playing the Wii again, had breakfast and passed out stockings, to which I have my own hanging on the mantel in Huntsville ( BIG SMILE). G even cross stitched a little reindeer on it for me last year. And then we were off.....





I headed to Russellville, Alabama to visit my oldest brother and his family. There we spent hours bowling and golfing..... (on the Wii) and it was so much fun.. Family time is awesome, and I do not get enough of it. Soon though, very soon!





The next morning (today) I was up at the crack of dawn to head home.





I will actually head back that way Saturday to spend another night in Huntsville before heading to Tuscumbia to have Christmas Dinner at my Father's house.





You know, I felt very loved this week. And it felt really good. So here is my display of the gifts I received this year..

Look !! Two new reindeer for my collection, Thanks Sammie!!

Bring on Christmas..... woo hooo!!

Finally a moment to sit down and blog something.. I have had two hundred posts slip through my fingers, but just couldn't find the time to publish them.

What have I been up to? Well, there has been traveling back and forth to visit with Superman...... And a few trips to Birmingham for various purposes... A weekend visit from my Mother who lives 4 hours away, and basic work obligations.. Needless to say, I have barely had time to sit back and relax.

But this weekend is all mine.....

I have plans to do very little. I have not been in this best of Holiday Moods with several things going on in my life right now.... For example, 2 weeks without work and only 4 of those days merit holiday pay. So, I have been a little stressed over financial matters. Normally, I try to purchase gifts for EVERYONE....and I knew that I would not be able to do so this year, so that made me a little sad....I mean, Christmas is my time.....

When my oldest nephews were little, I would literally bring them a large trash bag full of gifts from all over the country.. Back then, I was delivering in 48 states, and while some of the gifts could have been purchased just down the street, there was something exciting about knowing the gifts came from Montana or Connecticut.... At least they thought so!

Well, my holiday spirit finally kicked in when I saw a must have present for the Bri-Baby..... Instantly it was on.... I decided not to worry about the finances and proceed with Christmas as usual.....

Until..........

I mentioned that last weekend my mother came for a visit. Surprisingly , it was a very pleasant visit. We went to Warm Springs, Georgia and did some holiday shopping. I stopped to hit an ATM. After what seemed to be an eternity, it spit out a receipt stating that the transaction had failed... I then moved on to another machine and grabbed my cash..... But the balance showed that the first transaction HAD PROCESSED...... So, my balance was $200 short.

I called the bank and reported my claim. Then I found out that the ATM had actually reported the error and for some reason, the Bank withdrew an additional $200, instead of reimbursing me. Now, I am missing $400......

They quickly found the second error, and replaced the second $200. But did nothing about the original error..... I called back to check on why nothing was being done...I was told I needed to file a claim and they would check into.

What about the error report the original transaction had generated? Oh, yeah. They forgot about that when they corrected their own mistake. But now they wanted a copy of the receipt showing the failed transaction.... I did not keep it, because no money was dispensed....

At this point, the attitude I was receiving almost felt like they thought I was trying to run a scam on them and get some free cash. I just want my money back.... I still have gifts to purchase, and that particular amount was needed....

Well, it took an entire week, but just about 5 minutes ago, I got a call stating the money had been reimbursed.

So, today.... I am going to finish up my shopping and then tomorrow I will bake goodies all day to put into little holiday gift bags and distribute them to my NorthEast customers..

Oh how I love the Holiday Season....

Oh.... and I love my Bossman too! He gave me permission to drive 50 miles out of route to deliver some goodies to one of my favorite customers that did not make the delivery schedule this week....

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....

Before I Forget.....

Happy Halloween.......

Shell sent me this one, and I thought it was hilarious..... Considering Superman calls me Pumkin...

The Birthday Post

So last week I celebrated my 26th birthday (yet, again)...

My mother had scheduled a family get together to honor several events that occurred n the month of May...

Originally, she claimed it was a Birthday Party for me and my nephew (his birthday is 8 days after mine). She is very neurotic and changes her mind about things, almost as quickly as the hands of a clock change position... Seriously, forever concerned as to what others might think, how they will react and any impending criticisms, she will constantly alter her plans until she has come up with the "perfect" arrangement.

Therefore, she decided to fore go the Birthday Theme, and just have a family get together...

Dammit! I want a party!!!

Lucky for me, I have an awesome Sister-n-Law.

I arrived in Bama, 2 days prior to the family function (to have Sally pimped). I always stay with my brother and his family when I am in town. So what does SIL do??

She has a birthday party for me!!!!! Complete with cake and presents!! It was a wonderful surprise and made me very happy... So there!! MOM!!

Over all, my birthday turned out to be a relatively nice one.. No major drama!! The entire family was there, except my SIL (she had to work)...

I received some pretty nice gifts... Got to see my entire family (we have a small one) and had lots of fun with the Bri-Baby!!

PS. The Boy Wonder told me I was evil!! Why, because I had cake for breakfast... hahhahhahahah.. Well, it was my cake!!! Thanks G!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Infectious

Did I mention that I absolutely love all of my nephews and niece... And I love to play with them. But I think I might be just a little bit of a bad influence on them, as well as other children... It seems I can bring out the craziness in them very easily and when parents tell them to calm down, it seems my name is also mentioned in that sentence....

Sorry!! I will try to do better.

Until Next Year

Okay, so I mentioned we had our final gathering this weekend and because I had made the journey the previous weekend, I had no more gifts to give out..Which also means I had no more gifts to receive. Or so I thought.....

My niece and nephew seem to be coming down with a little bug over the weekend. A bunch of coughing and congestion it seemed... I did not pay too much attention to it because I am usually extremely healthy throughout the year....

Sooooo, the Bri-Baby gave me lots of Eskimo Kisses ( in which she attempts to break my nose). But kisses are kisses, RIGHT?? And she is so precious, so I could not refuse.. And J..... Well, J coughed all over my nachos!!! Okay, not really. But he was close by when he was coughing, so I had to throw some blame his way...

Now, a day later, I am sitting at home coughing and sneezing.. Yippee for Me!! Oh, did I mention I can not breathe.

Twelve Posts of Christmas

Merry Christmas to All!!

I just want to say Thanks to all who were involved in the previous weeks holiday activities...The moments I spend with friends and family, I truly cherish...

2) First Stop

The first leg of my Holiday travels began at my oldest Brothers home. This is always a pleasant experience. I have two wonderful nephews and a terrific Sister-n-Law.. We went to an early movie and then had dinner. Due to my concerns over my diet, I decided to share entrees with my nephews. This worked out to my advantage.. because we had indulged ourselves with popcorn and candy at the theater.

The Boys are definitely growing up and developing wonderful personalities.. As always I tried to pull a prank on them.. The first one received his Christmas Cash in the form of one dollar bills. I had attempted to trick the other into thinking that I had forgotten to include his money in the gift. For one split second he had a tiny look of disappointment on his face, before he noticed the cash stashed behind a piece of cardboard... Next year, I will have to do better.!!

3) On The Road Again

After the visit with my oldest brothers family, I made a pit stop at my Fathers... (Naturally, I want to visit with everyone during the Holidays) So, I stopped by for a few hours to catch up on all the gossip.

I was pleased to see the progress my StepMother has made on her weightloss journey. I am very excited for her..

After chatting for sometime, I headed off to my next destination.. Right on schedule

6) Let The Games Begin

During the course of the holiday gatherings, a small intimate game of sabotage has been brewing. I initiated it, of course!!



On the first family gathering I presented my Sister-n-Law with a lovely bag of Peanut M&Ms. My intention was of course to tempt her to stray from her diet. Alas, I was not fully prepared. She like PLAIN M&Ms.



Well, I am pleased to say that our relationship has developed to the point where retaliation was her only option... I would have hoped for nothing less.



On Saturday, when everyone returned to the house, I was quickly informed that I had a special treat waiting for me...
Just so you know, I was tempted, but remained solid in my resolution!! None for me thanks!! However, my niece enjoyed a sip and even her Grandmother..

NICE TRY G