Delusional.....I think so..

Ha ha ha...... I think the male ego is such a funny and mysterious thing...

2 weeks ago, Bachelor Number One came up for the weekend, and I essentially told him that we were better suited to be friends. It was such a weight lifted from my shoulders to be able to say that to him. He has a lot of baggage and drama in his life and it was just too much to weed through all of it. The cons outweighed the pros immensely. So, I cut ties....And it felt good!!

After 3-4 days, he called me and we had a very brief conversation. He has another call coming in and said he would call me back in a few..... Something to do with work... He never called back. This week, I received an email from him stating that it was just not the right time for US, and he was moving on.......

Um....... I thought I had let him know 2 weeks ago that I was already moving on, but it seems I have just been dumped.... LOL...... ha ha haha hahhaahhhaaha...

Is the male ego such a fragile thing that it refuses to acknowledge rejection. I have been emailing and chatting up several new potential candidates, never once giving B#1 a second thought....

I hope he feels better, now that he got the last word in!!!! Poor Boy!!

Paranoid? I think NOT

Yeah, so I do quite a bit of whining about Trucks.... and issues with Trucks....

Maggie was a lemon!

I keep a close eye on things to prevent mishaps!

My boss and others think it is funny, because I am borderline paranoid about checking certain things on my equipment.

The new Truck has a slight leak that I am watching... I have not mentioned it, because it is only a slight leak.......

Should I be concerned that one of our BRAND NEW TRUCKS caught on fire and burned to the ground last night somewhere in Tennessee.

The driver is Okay, but I am heading off to work right now, to travel the same road he was on... It has two very large hills/small mountains.... You know all that strain puts pressure on certain components and if those components are losing fluid, they could overheat and well it could start a fire.....

I am just saying.......

I should not have to be scared to go to work!!

Ho Hum....

I don't usually do posts with no intended topic, but I am in a funk.

I am not sad.

I am not depressed.

I am not motivated.

I am just sort of in a blah mood, and this is only my first official weekend of not having anything planned with Bachelor Number One.

The excitement wore off and he showed his true colors, as I am sure I did myself. But after removing the rose colored glasses, I realized that unless I want to spend all my time just partying and blowing money, that it was not beneficial to have him in my life. Besides, his true colors were not anything to write home about. He became someone totally different.

My family knows me.. They know if I fell in "Love" that I would not move home. So, I am just going to focus on getting thru my predetermined amount of time until that is possible.

So, tonight, I am relaxing at home with a pizza and a movie.. This would be a good time to finish How To Be Lost, by Amanda Eyre Ward. My friend Mischka sent this to me. Seems to be a pretty quick read. Maybe a good soak in the tub would snap me out of this *mood*.

Tomorrow morning, I have a 4hour meeting at work. One of the drivers from another facility called to let me know that 3.5 hours of this meeting is watching a video on how our company got started.. Seriously 3.5 hours!! Oh BOY!!



Oh yeah, next week I have to return to my diet and exercise program... I had lost a total of 29 pounds, but have since gained 8 of it back.... Yeah, I know.... Pizza for supper!! Oh and did I mention the yummy cinnaswirls that came with it.....

Maybe I will hit the zoo after the meeting.... Hmmm, now that is an idea.

Oh I did get to see my oldest Brother this week. He has taken a teaching position in Birmingham, which is 2 hours from me. So, yesterday, I made the 4 hour round trip just to have dinner with him and check out some lovely little markets in town. I only got to spend a few hours with him because I had to get up at 4:30 this morning to avoid the commute thru ATL..

I hate working Fridays.... Maybe that is my problem....

Yes, I am finished rambling now!! Toodles

What Is Wrong With People ??

Sometimes people simply amaze me, and not necessarily in a good way.

Upon arriving back at the plant this evening, I was a bit dismayed to find out that one of my favorite security guards was in the hospital.

He had to be rushed into surgery, I believe to have have 3 disks removed? from his back. Still not sure of all the details, but I do know he will be in rehab for a long time. He was in horrible pain, had an MRI performed and went straight into surgery.

Thankfully, Sam was working tonight and filled me in on what he knew. Then we called the hospital and I spoke with Albert. He told me that once he has recovered from the surgery, he will have to retrain himself to be able to walk.

Albert is probably in his mid sixties and one of the sweetest black men you will ever meet. I have known Albert for over five years and enjoy chatting with him over a cup of coffee each week.

What upsets me about this situation, is that Albert was rushed to the hospital 10 DAYS AGO... I had asked Sam where Albert had been hiding, thinking he might be on vacation. That is when Sam filled me in...

10 DAYS AGO.. Why has no one mentioned this to me.... No other guards have said a word about this.... no drivers..... no alum co. employees!!! NO ONE...

So, tomorrow morning I will be in search of a nice little Get Well gift and on my way to the hospital to see Albert.... He will then be transferred to a rehabilitation center in Warm Springs Georgia...

I will definitely have to clear my calendar to make the trip to Warm Springs on several occasions in the next few weeks/months... About an hour away... But I just love him!!

I am sooooo upset that I was not told....... Ughhhhhh ! People Suck

C.S.I New Jersey

Normally, I leave out every Sunday morning for my weekly excursion to points unknown...

Well, okay, so I do go to the same places every week. Normally, I have no safety concerns with most of my delivery destinations. There are a few places I know better than to camp out at night, but most of them are better than moderately safe.


For example, Elizabeth, New Jersey.. In five years, I have never had any reason to fear sleeping in the parking lot of our customer located in Elizabeth...

This week, I came rolling into Elizabeth around midnight and noticed a "BobTail" Truck parked in my camping spot. I assumed his trailer must be locked in the warehouse and he was just camping out himself. So, I decided to park on the other end of the warehouse, so as not to disturb him, at least until 7AM.

I arose at 6:30 and the Truck was still there. No sign of the driver having awakened himself. I give him another 15 minutes, but then need to get my trailer prepared for unloading.. At 6:45 I drive over to the location. I intend to knock on his door and request he move so I can get ready.

That is when I notice that 5 of his tires are flat

The bumper is missing

The grill smashed in

The airlines yanked out of the back of the cab

The passenger side window is busted out

and so on and so forth

By this time, the warehouse is open and the supervisor comes out to inspect the abandoned truck. The doors where unlocked, so he climbs aboard. He rapidly exited the truck and made a quick phone call to the local authorities....

Let's just say something VERY BAD happened inside that truck, and I doubt the driver lived to tell about it. The supervisor thought it might have been a drug deal gone bad, because he saw paraphernalia in the truck.... Who Knows...

I do know that whatever did happen... it did not happen in that parking lot.... There was no glass on the ground around that site....

But rest assured, I will no longer be sleeping in Elizabeth, New Jersey....

And YES, Rick, I did leave out other assorted details so you would not have to envision them if you happen to read this post!!

It Has Been Nice Knowing Ya!!....

I was so excited when Maggie came home last week. You see, I got her 5 weeks ago. Drove her one week and then she went into the maintenance shop for three. Before that, we had the whole Trucking Company transition which placed me into a rental truck until Maggie arrived. Long story short, I have had to move my gear in and out of 4 different Trucks, 6 different times in a matter of 7 weeks....

This is getting old.

My dining area and the trunk of my car have been being used as a storage area for all of my Truckin' Supplies. I am tired of looking at this stuff. I would love to be able to just load up a Truck and be done with it! Clean out my dining room and trunk, and get on to truckin.

BUT NOOOOOOO

The entire three week period that Maggie was in the shop was useless.. She was returned to me in no better shape than I sent her away in.... I honestly believe they just topped off her fluids and said she was repaired.

I had to add at least a gallon of water to the radiator every day this week... There is a nice little sensor in her that lets me know when the coolant level is low.... The Truck will actually shut itself off with very little warning when the level is too low.... That makes for a wonderful adventure.. Imagine cruising down the road at 67mph (her governed speed) when out of the blue, the engine shuts off resulting in a loss of power steering... Do you even remember vehicles with no power steering? Well, let me tell you, it takes a lot of muscle to steer a Big Truck with no power steering. And then there is the added bonus of not having a place to pull safely out of the way.. Such as a two-lane highway with no shoulder, or in the middle of an intersection while making a hard left turn... Ughhhhhhh.... Another issue that completely baffles me is that Maggie's coolant reservoir is mounted at a slight angle... There is absolutely no way to top her off to the the required level without sitting on a sloping surface... And it has to be slopping down to the left. Otherwise the fluid will not fill the left side of the tank... Which is where the $#*&ing sensor is located!!

Also her rear chunk is still slinging "dope"... The entire belly of the trailer was once again coated in a greasy smear, along with everything behind the rear axle!

So, do you want the good news or the bad news??

Okay, the bad news is that Maggie will have to find a new home!

The Good? news is that two of our other drivers are transferring to a different facility... Neither of their trucks has had a single occurrence of the negative mechanical kind... I will be taking up residence in one of those trucks at the end of the week.

BONUS news... I have to work Friday, which means I get to swap Trucks tomorrow, but not into my new one. I don't get that one until Saturday.... So that makes it 6 TRUCKS, 8 TIMES, in 7 WEEKS....

This is really getting old!!!

The Much Anticipated Arrival Of Autumn

With all the soaring temperatures and stifling humidity, I can say that I am truly Thankful that Autumn has arrived.

My hair is not quite so fluffy.. Hmmmm, maybe we switched back to our old water reservoir? I do know that our water ban has been cancelled!! wooo hoooo.. It was a rough couple of weeks, trying to manage my mane!

However, the temps are still a tad bit warm here in Georgia. Average still in the 80's, which makes it nice for running!



This week, as usual, I pack my gear for the trip. Short sleeve shirts and no need for a jacket yet?
WRONG!!

On the way thru Virginia, the temps begin to dip into the 50's.. I turn off my air conditioner as it is getting a bit chilly in the truck. Upon arriving in Pennsylvania, it is down right cold! I readjust the thermostat to allow for some heat.... This should only take a minute, because the motor is already warmed up... After several miles, there is still no heat....and I am cold!!

I get to my first destination, it is now in the high 40's. NO HEAT!!

That night was not too bad.. I did wake up feeling a bit chilly, and the cool morning air could have been pleasant under other circumstances...

The daytime temps were in the high 60's.

My second overnight stay in the truck was much worse!! I only had one blanket with me! No long sleeve apparel of any kind and no HEAT.

When I woke up Tuesday morning, it was all I could do to get out of the bed.. There was no warmth to be found anywhere except for the tiny bit I had accumulated under the covers. I had noticed the leaves were changing on the drive into Massachusetts, but I took for granted how far north I actually was. Which means the overnight temps dip a whole lot lower at night!!

34 degrees.... to be exact... As a matter of fact, once I got stirring around, I decided to eat my breakfast before unloading.. But Alas, my milk was almost frozen.... Seriously, it had the consistency of soft homemade ice cream with out the yummy flavor!

I don't normally complain about the winter temperatures.. I find the extreme cold to be completely invigorating, but when you are not prepared for it..... Well, it comes as quite a shock to wake up in a 34 degree bed, with no way to warm yourself......

I did manage to warm up after a few hours of sunshine.

On the way home, I stopped in Mt Jackson, Virginia for my final overnight stay in the truck. At 9pm, it was still a balmy 72 degrees, so I had no fear s of freezing overnight. In fact,I had to crank up the truck and turn the AC on to get it cool enough to be able to sleep.

Around 4am, I once again wake up shivering... Shut off the AC and look at the thermometer...

42 degrees!!

This time it took me 5 hours and 300 miles to find warmth...

I guess that means Autumn is here!!! Time to put a jacket in the truck...

Oh, yeah!! Did I mention, Maggie is back with her sweet little heater that works Oh So Well....

Bachelor Number Two

Things have been slowing dramatically down with Bachelor Number One and after weighing all the evidence, I decided to look around some more.... He IS a great guy and while I love hanging out with him, there is such much lacking and quite a lot of confusion.....And while I don't need to be looking for love right now ( I AM moving back to BAMA next year!!), I would like to be able to find some one to go out and have a good time with...

So, I reposted my profile on THAT site and this is what I got......

I deleted the first message, It was a basic "hey Check out my profile"

I did.....NOT INTERESTED...deleted email....moving on

But then he sends this...

seems u r all over the inet.????

To this I did respond... "HUH?"
I googled any information that he could have possibly found on my profile .... Nope, nothing!! It seems I am NOT all over the inet!!!

Okay, so I sent the "HUH" and he replies with this..

THANKX FOR THE RESPONCE, YOU CAN GET ME AT (insert email address here)

This time I did not respond....WTF??

moving on......

An hour later, I get this

EMALE ME AT **********@HOTMAIL.COM....LETS CHAT????

To which I did not respond!!

And in another 30 minutes.....there is this


IF I CAN'T MEET THE ONE HERE, I AM OUTTA THIS GOD FORSAKEN PLACE. I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 2 YEARS,, AND IT IS JUST TOOOOOOO BLACK FOR ME...I LOVE ALASKA, COLORADO, AWAY FROM IT. I AM ON THE LEFT IN THE PHOTO

By this time, I am thinking what a freak!! Surely he does not think I am interested...What girl would be at this point... I only sent the one reply "HUH"? How could that be construed as legitimate interest....

Ummmmm, okay?!

So, I go to work and upon arriving at home, this is in my inbox...

Hello, Well I am actually located in Clayton County, But my mailing address is in Cowetta county. I am not opposed to stay in Georgia, if the right circumstances arise. I moved here almost 2 yrs ago, from Indiana. I worked on the coast, when Katrina hit, for abou a year. So here I am!! Still , if your not interested, I understand. Have a good day, P.S. I am not hunting, but seeing what the Lord puts in my path

Obviously he does not understand... He suckered me into responding with that "you are all over the Internet"... I have not replied again....

Bachelor Number Two? I think not!!

The Good, The Bad, and The Psycho

THE GOOD
It seems that things might be turning around for me... Yes, I am still in the loaner truck, but I did convince the mechanic to replace the fuel filters before I left.. Wooooo hooooo... I am back in business...... Able to climb small mountains with only moderate loss of speed.

My load was very light and I was able to get unloaded quickly.. And yes, I am back home on a Wednesday AFTERNOON....Not bad, if you ask me... I left out Sunday morning, delivered 1 Jersey, 3 Long Island, Queens, Bronx, and 3 Massachusetts and am back at the crib in less than 76 hours...

My BossMan called me on Monday to tell me that he was on his way to pick up Maggie and bring her home.... He wanted to make sure I had no other complaints... Are you kidding me...He took the time to venture into Atlanta and bring Maggie home.. OMG, I love you !!!! Now I don't have to arrange for someone to take me to get her!! Woooo Hooooo!!

THE BAD
Nothing to report here...

and .....

THE PSYCHO

What an adventure.. On my way out of Connecticut, I ran across another trucker who was empty and heading my way.. We began to chat it up and he was very respectful and funny (I always appreciate the respect, as so many truckers are not respectful to me!!)

We cruised past all the other truckers (who were loaded heavy) and were making pretty good time.

Then it happens.....

On the downhill roll (loaded trucks gain alot of momentum going downhill), one particular trucker is making a mad dash towards the bottom when he slams on his brakes. He was right beside me and weaving all over the interstate. The people who were following him had to scatter to avoid a collision.. UH NOT COOL.... DUMBASS!! He nearly took out the guard rail trying to get a look at me... After a few other truckers make comments over the CB Radio, dumbass decides to roll on.... Of course, on the next ascent, me and my traveling buddy pass him again... Still all over the road, his lane, in my lane , on the shoulder, in the grass!!!! DUDE.....NOT COOL!!!!

After several miles he manages to catch us again.... This time we let him pass in a hurry, but once he was in front of us he began to weave from one lane to the other, literally driving down the center dotted line...At 45MPH..... We ( the respectful trucker I was chatting with ) decide to exit the interstate and let him disappear into the sunset, hopefully avoiding any further confrontations.... After getting a cup of coffee, we decide it might be safe enough to continue on..

Well, coffee runs right thru me, so in just a little bit I need to use the rest area bathroom, and Nice Trucker follows me into the rest area... just to be safe. There is only one parking spot available, so he parks on the exit ramp and waits on me..

When I come out of the bathroom, guess who is parked RIGHT BESIDE ME.... In the middle of the driveway.. blocking the road.... You should have seen this guy.. Well, I noticed the truck as soon as I left the building, so I made my way to my truck via a detour around several other vehicles and sneaked back into my cab.. But he noticed me... Thank God, I was safely in my cab at this point..

He had that CRAZY look in his eyes... I bet he only had three teeth, and looked like he was drooling!

I did manage to pull out and Nice Trucker followed me... Of Course, Psycho Trucker was right on our tail.. Every time he tried to catch me, Nice Trucker would jump in the left lane and cut him off.... This went on until we reached the big hills... We eventually were able to outrun him...

HOLY COW!! What an experience.. We got quite a laugh out of the whole ordeal, once it was over...

I am Thankful that I meet Nice Trucker that day... Cuz, I really had to pee and would not have been able to stop with that Psycho following me. And although it was just a loaner truck, I really did not want to pee on myself!!!

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

It is amazing to me how a quick trip to Bama can erase all of my frustrations and completely change my mood.

It DID!! for now...

Friday, I got to pick up the kiddies (Bri-Baby and the Boy Wonder) from school. After snacks and hanging out for a bit we headed over to pick up Grandma and Grandpa for an excursion to the local middle school Carnival.

Bri-Baby was the first to jump on a ride.

Then a quick trip to the top of the world!

Boy Wonder had still not warmed up, but Bri was having a blast.

So pretty, I wanted to do it too!!

Another view from the top.

Hey there he is, not real sure about going skyhigh...

Boy Wonder did convince me to ride something the devil invented..... It hurt BAD!! Good thing I choose the outside seat or I would have squished him. I believe at one point he was on top of my head!! We also rode something called the Tip Top Be Bop.... Lots and lots of spinning.. I am getting too old for this as it made me queasy. But then I was never good at spinning! All in all it was a good time...

Saturday we literally spent the entire morning playing a simplified version of HangMan/ Wheel of Fortune.. I am proud to say that I won, followed by a three way tie.

Finally, I was allowed to drive the Turnip Truck.. Thought about borrowing it for next weeks trip to the NE, but at least I can get 45 out of the loaner truck, plus it hauls more freight...

On my way home, I decided to take the scenic route to continue those peaceful easy feelings. Two lane all the way!! It was sooooo pleasant and I found a nice little covered bridge along the way.

So, there you have it, my weekend turned out very nice and I forgot all about everything that has been bugging me. Lets hope that feeling lasts!!