Year 2, Day 294 (My Post-Election Fear)

It's been about a week since I last posted anything, mainly due to being quite busy. But here goes...

This next Tuesday is Election Day for the office of The President Of The United States. As I had mentioned in previous posts, it has gotten ugly... VERY ugly. So many people are not supporting the American ideology, but a person. Nearly 4 years ago, I thought Obama would have been good for this country. The fact of the matter is, he delivered exactly what he promised: change... but he never specified what that change would be, nor whether it would be a good change. Though I'm not a big fan of Romney, we do need somebody different, since whom we have at present has done more harm than good. There is a common phrase that we all know: choosing the lesser of two evils; or as former Minnesota Governor, Jesse Ventura, once said, "we can choose the lesser of two evils, but the point is - we are still choosing evil." He has a point, but choosing the lesser could be a good thing. Recently, I came across this very good, historically based, article on this very subject.

Going in another direction, there is the Benghazi debacle. As much as I've veered away from FOX news, they seem to be the only network we have currently reporting on it. If Obama had been a Republican, you can bet EVERY network would have covered the story - non-stop - until he had been impeached, removed from office, and tried for dereliction of duty, or treason, or both. A few days ago, an op-ed piece came out where the journalist was harshly criticizing the MSM for their involvement in burying this story. Here's the shocking part: it was published in the San Francisco Chronicle - a newspaper that has traditionally leaned to the left. Black voters, newspapers, and various other news sources are not only turning away from Obama, but also endorsing Romney... can you see the trend?

I mentioned in my parenthetical title about a certain post-election fear, which I'll get to momentarily. Back during Hitler's rise to power, there was an incident in which the Reichstag (Germany's Parliament) had caught fire in the middle of the night. About 4 weeks prior to that, Hitler had been named Chancellor, answering only to President Hindenburg. During the course of the fire's investigation, Hitler said it was caused by the Communists and strongly suggested a decree be passed, which, inevitable, suspended all civil liberties throughout Germany. Thus began the era of The Third Reich. It had been long suspected Hitler was indirectly involved with the fire, inasmuch as he gave the orders for agents of the SS to carry out. Why do I bring this up? My fear is that, should Obama lose the election, there could be a possibility of a similar incident taking place right here in America. I could be way off base (and I hope I am), but after the aforementioned Benghazi debacle, I wouldn't put it past him or the other radical Socialists to attempt. I don't think it would happen immediately after the elections, but sometime before Romney's inauguration. With the "doomsday-er" fear of December 12... that may be an opportune time to exploit such tactics. But if Obama wins, America continues its downward spiral... either way, we're screwed.

I really hope I'm wrong on this one!

Year 2, Day 283 (Heading North)

I finally made it in and out of one of my least favorite states: Louisiana. I delivered yesterday in Robert (just east of Baton Rouge), and picked up this morning in Arabi (just outside of New Orleans). They really do have a lot of roads in bad shape... so much so, that I think the 1/4 gallon of milk I had left in the refrigerator has been churned into butter. Just as well, I was running a little low anyway.

I still have 2 1/2 weeks left on this trip out, and I am hoping to get something this Friday that will send me up to Washington state... I really need to get my bike fixed so I can start riding it again (my front brakes are in need of repair). As I make to way to Salem, MO I have the a/c blowing, and the music playing.

What I really need is some decent coffee, not that swill that Pilot tries to pass off as coffee.

Year 2, Day 279 (Looking Forward To Moving)

I delivered this morning in Conklin, NY, which is just south of Binghamton, with one of those dreaded early morning appointments. This next load has me picking up in Allentown, PA and delivering in Robert, LA for Sunday. After the wonderful weekend that Tikvah and I had in Eureka Springs, AR, we are currently looking at homes in that area. We were completely taken by the culture of that area. Ironically enough, the owner/manager of Lookout Lodge (where we stayed for the weekend) just happens to be a licensed realtor. I am also seriously looking at a career change. After much consideration, I may get back to being a DJ. Though I'm in the planning stage, part of which also includes seeking out some financial backers (the equipment will be a bit pricey). It, more than likely, will start off as a side project, but I'm hoping it will take off as a full time job. Should that come to fruition, I'll be able to leave truck driving altogether.

Well, these are my dreams, my musings. Now it's time for a Starbucks run, to get my "designer coffee" - a grande triple Marble Mocha Machiatto.

Year 2, Day 277 (The Anniversary Weekend Getaway, Part 2)

During our getaway in Eureka Springs, AR, Tikvah and I did a little more sightseeing before we made our way back home. One of the things we paid a visit to was the Crescent Hotel. Built in 1886, it is often known as the most haunted hotel in America, and was even featured on Ghost Hunters. Sometime in the 30's, a doctor had converted it into a hospital and ran it as such for about 3 years. It turns out that it was, basically, just about the money for that doctor. From what the conciergé told me, over the course of that 3 years, there were over 400 people that had died in that hospital.

They have an old pipe organ in the main lobby (and I, like the idiot I can be at times, forgot to take a photo of it) which was originally built to be installed in the Titanic, but the organ wasn't completed in time for the voyage. Also interesting to note is that in December of last year - during their slow "off season" period, they had town out the elevator and have a new one put in, just in time for the "on season". A week after the elevator was torn out, they started getting rooms booked for the weekends... and have been up to 10 rooms shy of full occupancy every weekend since. Needless to say, the new elevator has not been put in yet. The Crescent has daily ghost tours, but if you want to "go solo", you are free to wander throughout the hotel... but the areas that have the signs Registered Guests Only are off limits.

On 31 October of this year, they are hosted a first ever seance (if you're into that) in an attempt to "contact" Harry Houdini.

Year 2, Day 276 (The Anniversary Weekend Getaway, Part 1)

The weekend that Tikvah and I spent in Eureka Springs, AR was absolutely fabulous! We arrived at our motel Friday night, staying at Lookout Lodge. The lodging was quaint and the hospitality we received from the owners was superb. In fact, this is what our room looked like:

and of course we had an excellent view the next morning, right outside our door:

Of course, that Friday evening, we celebrated 20 years in style, with a bottle of Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon that Tikvah had picked up just for the occasion.

What was fantastic about Lookout Lodge was that any issues or problems that may have arose were quickly addressed and rectified. As part of the Always And Forever package I had gotten with the room, we had a voucher for one of the local restaurants, and the best word I can use for our dinner at Ermilio's (we had opted for Italian) was orgasmic. They are only open from 1700-2100 - and there will, more than likely, be a wait - but it is so worth it! The next pictures are of what Tikvah and I ordered, Fettuccini Alfredo and Fettuccini with Garlic & Olive Oil Sauce, respectively.

The thing I had noticed about Eureka Springs is that it maintains a small-town appeal, while still having enough commerce to attract the tourists, with a little San Francisco feel to it. A very artsy atmosphere is also added to the mix. It was like no other place in Arkansas we had ever been to. It had such an allure to it that Tikvah and I are seriously considering moving there instead of California.

There was also a vast array of different food without getting too outrageous. The local restaurant where we ate breakfast Sunday morning, aptly named Local Flavor Café. I had ordered an Eggs Benedict, was is an english muffin with Canadian bacon, poached egg, and hollandaise sauce. The difference with the Local Flavor is they offer different options. Instead of Canadian bacon (or ham), you can choose sausage, bacon, filet migńon, or smoked salmon (I chose the salmon). Tikvah is not a big fan of fish, be she took a bite of it and liked it... really liked it; Tikvah had chosen the Quiche for her selection. So, needless to say, we were very pleased with our trip. We plan on spending a week there next year to get a feel for it off season. This was a fantastic weekend. Tomorrow's post will be about the Crescent Hotel (which is haunted) in Eureka Springs.

Year 2, Day 275 (Off The Grid, Part 2)

As I had mentioned yesterday, Tikvah and I are out of town for our anniversary escape, so I am re-posting a couple previous blog posts from this past year. This is the second of two of the most popular posts in 2012. this, like yesterday's post, was authored by a guest blogger. Today's re-post comes to you from RebbeSoul: singer, songwriter, musician, and blogger.

When I got to Israel, I played a lot of weddings as a guitarist/sideman, particularly in Jerusalem. Often the material consisted of Reb Shlomo Carlebach's songs and that's how I learned many of them. He wrote something like 2000 songs, many of which are so popular and common in Jewish culture, people think they are traditional, folk songs. One of the most popular that I played was "Adir Hu." It's from the Jewish holiday of "Pesach" or Passover, the holiday that occurs at this time of year.

I love the scale and I love the groove. Naturally, when it came time to record the new RebbeSoul album, which was to consist entirely of the material of Reb Shlomo Carlebach, his "Adir Hu" was high on my list. Even though, I had played it often, recording it was anything but routine and expected. Here's what happened.

I was recording at the studio of Dan Gil, the Gearer Rebbe in Sharon, MA. Dan is called the Gearer Rebbe because he knows a lot about musical gear and is obsessed with it. He had just acquired some new equipment and instruments and one of them was a Turkish saz, sometimes called a baglama. I was at the studio for a few days and Dan kept telling me about the saz and how I should play it on the new album. "I don't know how to play saz. I don't even know the tuning," I replied. That didn't matter, he didn't stop trying to convince me to play it. At one point, he was setting up 4 mics in an elaborate configuration for something I was about to play and of course while doing so, he carried on about the saz. I finally conceded. "Okay, since you're busy doing this and I'm waiting, why don't you get me the saz and I'll see if I can do something with it?" As soon as he handed it to me, I strummed it once and knew it would be perfect for something. The Gearer Rebbe had quite an insight.

A Turkish saz

"Adir Hu" was exotic sounding to begin with, incorporating the fragish (Yiddish) or hijaz (Arabic) scale so that seemed like the right tune to choose for the saz. I used some of the strings as drones and whether or not that's part of the method of playing or not, it sounded good. So I stayed in the performance room for 3 hours figuring out how to play it and we got it all. I even laid down a 2nd track and the 2 sounded really good together. I was astonished at how well it came out and grateful that the wise Gearer Rebbe, Dan was so persistent.

I went back to Israel and was listening to the tracks. Although they stood well on their own, I wanted to add a few more things. I was just having too much fun with the song and didn't want it to end. I had made a stop in San Francisco on the tour before returning to Israel and went to one of my favorite music stores, Clarion Music, named after little Clara Hsu who is now a fully grown woman, by her loving father who founded the store. It's a wonderful place in San Francisco's Chinatown to explore non-Western instruments. I first discovered it in the mid-90s, with our percussionist in RebbeSoul, Cassio Duarte and both of us were like kids in a candy store. We were in San Francisco to play Great American Music Hall and Cassio heard about this store so we went there and didn't leave for a few hours. I got a dolak from Pakistan and used shortly afterward on "A Narrow Bridge" or "Kol Ha Olam Kulo" in Hebrew, on my Fringe of Blue album.

This time, in 2009, I was in Clarion music with my brother, Scott and his son Steven. We were having fun being tourists in Chinatown and this was one of our stops. I left with a jaw harp and some hand percussion from Viet Nam and China. When it came time to record the additional material for the song. I was tracking on my mobile recording studio in Israel and pulled out these new toys of mine and rolled a few tracks. I added some finger cymbals which I often use. You can hear them all over my recordings. Between the finger cymbals and the newly acquired Asian percussion, the top end was pretty well covered. The only thing missing was a deep sounding drum for the bottom end. All the drums I had to fit the bill were in the United States and I wasn't there at the moment. It was so hot in Israel, I was drinking bottles of water constantly and just polished one off. I gave it a bang and it sounded pretty good so I played "four on the floor" on the water bottle and that's what you'll hear on the track. It comes in toward the end and sounds like a big drum.

I had so much fun with this tune, I decided to do another take on it and record it again, only more techno or electronic as opposed to this version which was entirely organic, with all real instruments.

I jumped on the computer and came up with a short programmed drum part or a loop, as they are fashionably called. I added some synth sounds and created a nice bed for the new lead instruments. But what would they be? I took out my nylon string and it sounded divine, so soothing. I recorded it and didn't want to stop because I was having so much fun with the tune. I spotted my balalaika, sitting in the corner, being ignored so I picked it up and played a track of balalaika which sounded really nice too, totally different, but really nice. I liked them both and decided to use them, the balalaika at the beginning and the nylon string afterwards.

Me and my balalaika in NY; photo by Melissa Stonehill



I wanted an intense, groove-oriented bass part so I called up one of my very favorite bassists, Moran Baron who happens to live on a kibbutz just minutes away from me and he came over slammed a killer bass part. Moran has lots of ideas and usually lays them all down. Then it becomes an editing exercise to decide what to keep and what to discard. One must be brutally disciplined to discard anything he plays because it's always so musical. I loved what he played so much that I lengthened the song by a few minutes with a long ride-out at the end just to accommodate his many ideas. If you listen to the bass on the song, you can hear a variety of different ideas, all working well but all a little different from each other, especially at the end where he play 1/16 note harmonics. The long ride-out also allowed me to indulge myself, playing another one of my new toys, the jaw harp I got in San Francisco.

I called this track, "Adir Hu Revisited" and it's at the end of the album, just before the radio mixes. I liked the way it finished off the album, providing a long, late-night, college dorm kind of mood.

You can listen to "Adir Hu Revisited" on SoundCloud

RebbeSoul - singer, song writer, musician, recording artist, guest blogger:

At first glance, you would not label him as a Rabbi or a Rebbe. In fact, not even at a second glance, but RebbeSoul is a musical brand name who combines Jewish music with soul and jazz. Now he is coming out with a project renewing Carlebach nigunim (melodies) as instrumental pieces, unique from the more prevalent, Carlebach style and just as unique for the soul.

He made aliyah (moved to Israel) about 3 1/2 years ago and lives in Zichron Yaacov and, like many other Jewish, western, music creators, his heart lies in the east but his work originates far in the west. He was born in upstate New York and embarked on his musical career at the age of 22, when he moved to California. At age 12, he had a plastic guitar his parents rented for him "because they didn't believe that I would take the instrument seriously. I played at bars that I wasn't even allowed to enter because I was too young." he tells, "They just looked the other way, and let me play."

Like the classic Jewish mother, his own mother didn't see music as a worthy profession one can make a living at. With a degree in engineering and his guitar in hand, which he was much more attuned to, he traveled across the US to look for a his place. "I went out of my house in a snow storm and drove for 2 weeks until I finally got to sunny California, where I only had on a pair shorts and my guitar in the back of my car. I spent 3 months practicing about 10 hours a day, working on every style of music. I didn't care what it was."

(Excerpt taken from RebbeSoul's press page of his website, rebbesoul.com, where you can see his current touring schedule, or even order his amazing music - yes, that was a plug... and yes, I have several of his CD's).

He can also be found on YouTube, Facebook, and on ReverbNation, both as RebbeSoul, and with Shlomit Levi as Shlomit & The Rebbe.

Year 2, Day 274 (Off The Grid, Part 1)

Since I am out of town (and, thus, unplugged) for the weekend, I will re-post a couple of the most popular posts that has been on here this year (neither of which were authored by me). Today I am re-posting an entry which went live back in April, when I took a week of for Passover, by Natali Heuss.

Bob Marley Cleans My Lawn

Last year at this time I started a tradition. One that has made a HUGE difference in my life. It wasn’t easy, but it was very necessary. That tradition was spring cleaning my life.

We throw open the windows of our home, brush away the cobwebs and pack up the winter clothes. It’s our symbolic gesture of greeting the new season. The season of growth and change. Warmer weather, flowers, sunshine. We restart the diets that we started on New Years and failed already. All that good stuff.

But, what about the rest of our life? Cleaning our house, though most of us secretly hate it, is a rather easy thing to do. Going through clothes, revamping diets- those are mere habits at this point in our lives. Last year I decided to go just a bit further with cleaning. It wasn’t so much as a conscious decision really, life just pointed out my need to take a look at the people in my life. Who I was surrounding myself with, how they made me feel. Who they really were. Who I really was. What impact they had on my life.

Most of my life I have fought for the underdog and put everyone else’s needs before mine. It’s how I almost completely lost myself in an abusive marriage. It’s how I’ve run myself down repeatedly year after year. I always rationalized it as something I was SUPPOSED to do. That putting myself first was selfish and horrible.

And then I got cancer. It started out precancerous. It seemed like just a scare. A little blip that sucked but I would move past it quickly and be just fine. When it came back cancerous and things got dark, I retreated inside. Talking about it made it far too real. And, above all, I didn’t want my girls to know. They had enough on their plate at the time. Their dad had gotten his girlfriend pregnant. A baby half-sister was NOT sitting well with them. It may seem like nothing, but to a 5 and 6 year old that were never a priority to him, having to fight with another for the bare minimal attention they already received was a rough concept. The last thing they needed was to fear losing me.

So, this inner retreat meant I somewhat disappeared from various social media outlets as well. It just kind of happened. It was all just a blur. I was trying to keep up with everything going on in my life and then balancing dr. appointments and lab work and treatments. I was a mess, but didn’t really realize it. Then I had a couple of friends get upset at my disappearance. I took a deep breath and explained the situation. One of their responses “Well, if you don’t tell anyone, we don’t have any way of knowing. So, you can’t expect me to be sympathetic to you not being around when I needed you.” Yet, I had no idea they needed me because their way of showing they were having a rough time was to disappear off of social media. The same social media that I had backed away from. See the lovely double standard there?

Other things happened as well and I just had to sit down and take a really painful look at things. I suck at cutting friends loose. I give people chance after chance after chance. I try to cling to all their good qualities, sometimes to the point of completely blinding myself to the faults. But, there comes a time where you have to step back and look at that friendship. Is it strictly one-sided? Does it balance out? Is that person a stream of constant negativity? How does their role in your life make you feel?

After answering all of that comes the even harder part- what do you do about it? Do you emotionally put up a wall and hold them at a distance? Do you break it off completely? Do you sit down and explain the situation and work on the friendship together?

That part fucking sucks. There’s no sugar-coating that.

You know what though? When you are done, I promise you that you will feel so much better.

This year, still fighting recurring cancer, but this last round finally came back only precancerous. So YAAAY for that! My immune system is completely shot though and my doctors SCREAMED at me about my stress level. To have a doctor tell you “Fuck the cancer, it’s the stress that’s going to kill you” is a pretty big wake up call. And, it is just in time for spring cleaning time this year.

Time for decisions to be made and people removed from my life. It’s never a happy thing, but it is so freeing. A really wise person reminded me recently that when you clean out the negative, you leave so much room for more positive. And I need all the positive I can get right now. We all do. Getting rid of my first weed has already made a huge difference. People that dwell in and thrive off of constant negativity will suck you dry. Their need to be one up in the misery department all of the damn time will leave them alone and bitter one day and it’s not a place you want to be dragged to. If nothing is ever good enough for them- that is their fault, not yours. Get off the train now.

Another really wise person I turn to when deep cleaning? Bob Marley.

"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley

There are people in my life that I love to death. That I know would be there for me if I picked up the phone and uttered one word- help. And they know I would do the same. Shit, a couple would hear it in my voice and I wouldn’t even need to say it. And guess what? We don’t talk every day, every week, maybe even every month. Life gets busy for all of us. It’s understood and that love and support is still there. We fit each other in when we can.

Then there are the ones that I talk to every day, every week, every month that I’ve said help to and they’ve not bothered to be there. And anyone in my life knows me saying “help” is one of the hardest things for me to do. I took wanting to grow up and be Wonder Woman VERY seriously. I can do it all myself, you know. Yeah, not really but that’s another post. :)



In the mean time it is time for me to listen to my man Marley, throw on some Three Little Birds, and clean up the rest of my lawn again.


How does your lawn look?

Natali Heuss is a single mom from Wisconsin raising two daughters to be strong, independent, and proud of their Geek-dom Super Status. The best way to describe her is this, which I "borrowed" from her Facebook page:

Graphic & Web Design/Developer by day, Ninja mom to 2 geekling girls obsessed with Star Wars by night.

Baker of full-size Yoda cakes, teacher of adult Apple BASIC class in the 5th grade, better with any controller than 90% of her guy friends, front line of defense when the Zombie Apocalypse breaks out, wanted to be Wonder Woman and marry Spider-Man when she grew up and daughters are convinced I’m secretly Velma.

Founder of UberDorkCafe. Read: Geek girl on a mission.

I speak quite a few languages, enjoy coed naked underwater basket weaving, have an addiction to Sushi and humor is my defense mechanism.

Stupid people make my right eye twitch.

I'm ambidextrously brained, I will knit for tattoos, I am the friend that everyone comes to for advice and bail money. I pride myself on keeping my eyes, ears, heart and mind open. Making me laugh goes a long way with me, I think the brain is the sexiest organ and I'm the kinda gal you can take anywhere and I'll have a good time.

I'm known for huggles and junkpunches.

Other than that, I'm just me.

The business that she started is the UberDork Cafe, a co-host on The Power Geeks internet show, creator of her own blog, and she can also be found on Twitter.

... oh, and two of her favorite quotes:

“You’re not the kind of mom to be all (in whiny voice) ‘please, please, please give me my children back. You would be all ‘You have exactly 5 minutes to return my children unharmed or I swear on all that is holy and sacred that I will hunt you down and fucking kill you.' And yeah…they’d believe you.” “Hmm…that’s not entirely true because I’d torture them before I killed them- you know, pop out an eyeball, take out a knee cap, make them eat a testicle, that sort of thing.”

"...knock on the door and when he opens it wham! They'll junk-punch him all up in his man business and he'll fall to the floor wailing and crying "why?" and then we'll say "YOU KNOW WHY!"

Year 2, Day 270 (A Nice Relaxing Day)

It's been nice and relaxing today. Unfortunately, a little boring since Tikvah had to work. But I had been able to catch up on some of the shows that were recorded while I was on the road. I am excited and very much looking forward to this weekend, when Tikvah and I will celebrate our anniversary in Eureka Springs. We don't get away very often, but this, obviously, is a very special occasion.

Year 2, Day 268 (Anxiously Awaiting)

As the parenthetic title implies, I am anxiously awaiting until I will be home. It's been a long 2 months. I don't stay out that long long on a regular basis, but I made this an exception because I wanted to make sure I would be home for the 20th anniversary of marriage to my lovely, and awesome, wife, Tikvah.

At Tikvah's urging, I have been listening to some of today's music (which I posted about, I guess a week or so ago), and have discovered some really good gems, some are works of art, and some are quite infectious. One such song, that fits the latter bill, is one of those tunes that - to quote a line from the video for LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" - "gets down in your bones". I've heard it a couple times on satellite radio before I searched for the video. The names of the artist AND the song, to say the least, stand out among a sea of commonality with their peers. It's "Bom Bom" by Sam and The Womp.

As you can see, it definitely stands out, but yet, it's fun. Besides, I could have fun with this song as a DJ, which, by the way, I have been contemplating re-entering into that field. First I will need to find some backers so I can get the required equipment.

Any takers?

Year 2, Day 256 (Things Will Get Very Ugly, Very Soon)

We are in mid-September, but it's easy to see how things may end up at this November's elections. I'm not referring to who will be elected or re-elected (whichever case applies), but among "we the people" who will be taking part in the voting process. It seems the Obama supporters have completely bought into the Socialist agenda, hook, line, and sinker. Election time is supposed to be when the American people come together to choose a candidate who will be good for the country, yet just about everywhere I turn, the support for Obama is quickly getting to the brink of violence. That is not saying that Romney is the better choice. Clearly that is not the case. Think about this for a moment: 4 years ago, the Presidential seat was between Obama and McCain... Romney was bumped out of the nomination weeks before. He was not adequate enough then, what makes him adequate enough now (Trust me, McCain was not the better choice)? In my opinion, it comes down to this... we, the American people are being played like cheap hookers. We are being served a plate of horse manure and told it's a T-bone steak... and we are believing it! 4 years ago, Obama was propped up as the "Golden Child" with McCain being "chosen" to oppose him (the media "propaganda machine" was also "helpful" in this too). Romney, then, might have defeated Obama then, but he didn't fit in with the larger plan. Now that Obama has been in office for nearly 4 years, he has been able to "tickle the ears" of his minions, and they have fallen for every word! Now that Romney is in the running this time around, he can be defeated, because Obama has been "built up" by the propaganda being fed to us by the media and other political organizations.

The Obama supporters have fallen into step just like Germany during the rise of The Third Reich. If you happen to be one of those that will get ravenously defensive at anything negative that is said about Obama, then you have just proven my point. In closing, let's see if you can look through the haze of propaganda, and clearly see how biased the media truly is by watching this recent clip from CNN, concerning Israel, free speech, Jihad, and Sharia Law.

Year 2, Day 245 (I Really Enjoy This Weather)

While in Casper, WY the other day, I decided (since I didn't pick up my load until the next morning) to pull the bike out and go for a ride. This ride really kicked my butt, with several factors in play. First, my previous rides and been on hilly terrain (where I live), so I rode up the hills in low gear and coasted down the other side. In Casper, however, it was much more level, which meant I was constantly pedaling. There were other things against me. I had done some "self-maintanence" on my brakes some time earlier, only to find that I had adjusted the front brakes too much, and with sunset approaching, I didn't want to lose the available light... besides, I thought it would give me more of a workout. I got more than I bargained for. My route was just under 5 miles, which was a little short from my previous rides. Fortunately, the weather then - as today - was pretty mild and cool.

Upon a little research, I was fascinated about the origin of this particular trail I took. It is part of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, which has converted old railroad branches to bike and walking paths (you can find out more about them at the above link), and have "rail-trails" in many states.

The Flying J truck stop (where my truck was parked) was just a short distance away from the mid point of the trail. I took Wyoming Ave north, to just the other side of I-25, where I entered the trail. At that point, the trail was still a dirt path, but once I headed west to Walsh Dr., was where it became a paved trail. I continued west on that and turned around between Lincoln and Grant streets. Needless to say, it was a harsh - but fulfilling - workout.

May your Sabbath be blessed with much joy and peace...

Shabbat Shalom!

Year 2, Day 237 (Heading Up To Canada, Eh?)

I finished the trip to Russellville, AR yesterday afternoon, with an interesting trip through a winding and (kinda) steep route.

The route is AR 7, from Harrison to Russellville... a state road that takes you through Jasper, which may well have been the setting for the movie Deliverance. I was fortunate to arrive at the customer and be able to drop & hook. What was unfortunate was that the trailer had some recent damage to it. I made sure I reported it and emailed some photos to the night dispatch crew, a.k.a., covering my tucas. Being as I was able to drop & hook in Russellville meant that I could head to the customer of the load I had been pre-planned on, in Tulsa. Sadly, it's not going up to Woodinville, WA/Burnaby, BC (that load picks up tomorrow), but I am heading to Canada. This load will have me going up to Edmonton, AB for Monday morning. I've never been to Alberta, so this can only mean one thing: another coffee mug for my collection (won't my wife be pleased... and that was intended with all possible sarcasm).

I'm going to try to come up with a few stories to blog about, then schedule them to auto-post, since I won't have access to my phone while I'm up there (and that could be a few days).

Let's see how that works out.

Year 2, Day 235 (Leaving Wisconsin)

I was unloaded at Walmart in Tomah, WI at around 1900 yesterday. Afterwards I made my way to Black River Falls, WI (about 30 miles away) to send in the paperwork, grab a bite, and milk up a few things from the store (milk being very essential for cereal). Once all that was accomplished, I hit the road again to find the customer in Greenwood, WI, which is basically in the middle of somewhere. You know you're way out in the Wisconsin countryside when not only is the customer on a county road, but I encountered an Amish buggy just before I arrived (those Amish sure do stay up late... or maybe, get up early, as it was just after midnight).

This is supposed to be a light load, but I'll know for sure once I get loaded. I could go one of three ways on the routing. The quickest way is about 100 miles further, but the shortest way takes me through a multitude of small towns.

This is not an easy decision to make without the aid of coffee.

This is due in Russellville, AR on Thursday morning at 0430, which is not good. What is good is the fact that we have dropped trailers at that customer, so I may have a silver lining after all.

Year 2, Day 233 (Food, Glorious Food!)

Yesterday, while I was getting a re-start on my logbook (and enjoying the Sabbath), I had put a wild idea into action. The other day I had done some shopping, and on my list I had written vegetables... so I started brainstorming. I had already picked up a pre-cooked smoked beef brisket, when this wild concoction began to form. So I wandered through the produce section to see what I could come up with. A week ago I was given several Roma tomatoes (most of which I had planned on using in a Pica De Gallo), I just had to figure out what else to use with them.

My mind suddenly went into "creative" mode (and, no, I wasn't shopping on an empty stomach). I found several ingredients to use. I chose not to use the potatoes for this meal, as that would have produced too much food. While the brisket was heating up in the crock pot, I went to work an my idea. My "Vegetable Medley" (as I have come to call it) consists of a couple slices of Roma tomato, red, yellow, and orange Bell Peppers (sliced), a couple slices of white onion (which I had already purchased for the Pico de Gallo), some Greek Kalamata Olives & green Olives (stuffed with garlic), almonds, then I drizzled it with olive oil, splashed it with red wine vinegar, then gave it all a little bit of salt, pepper, and some Mediterranean seasoning.

I also took some aluminum foil and fashioned it into a little pan, then placed it on top of the brisket, closed the lid, and let the crock pot do its work. When I went to put away & organize the last few select items from shopping, I realized I had purchased some sun-dried julienne cut tomatoes just for this idea... so I added a little to the already simmering concoction, which at this point was half done (better late than never). I let it all simmer for a couple more hours. Once I removed the lid this time, the aroma was very enticing.

Now that I've seen what my gastronomic mind created, I was more than ready to eat.

The pictures make it look delicious, but the end product surpassed what could be captured on the camera of an iPhone 3GS.

I really enjoy cooking!!

Year 2, Day 238 (A New Week Has Begun)

This load was scheduled to unload at 0600 (CT) this morning, but Tyson apparently didn't feel they should keep to their own schedule, thus I wasn't unloaded until 1100. This delay thus caused me to be late for my next load, which was scheduled for 1130 in Kansas City, MO, about 90 miles away. But I can't complain, really... I have employment, and a loving family.

While I wait for the unloading to be completed, I've decided to partake of the last of my yogurt.

This next load is only going to North Little Rock, AR for tomorrow. As of right now, there's no telling what travels lie ahead. One thing is for certain, there will be coffee involved.

Oh yes, there will be coffee.

May you have a blessed day!

Year 2, Day 234 (Delivery Has Been Changed)

My repairs were completed yesterday right around noon, but I still had to wait a couple hours before the CSR had dispatched me on a load. Once that happened, it also turns out that the load had two pick-ups, the second of which took longer than I had hoped. Because of that delay, the delivery in Knoxville, TN (between 0800-1500 today) was delayed until tomorrow morning. My next load will be just as exciting (note the sarcasm): tomorrow night I pick up in Shelbyville, TN delivering Monday morning in Sedalia, MO.

My wife, Tikvah, is still in California, but she heads back home next Wednesday. I was due to go home on 5 September, but, after some considerable contemplation, I will extend that out to return home in early October... this way I will be home for our anniversary. Sure, I have to stay out a few weeks more, but I will NOT miss this anniversary, as it will mark 20 years she has put up with me.

I think a bottle of Chateau Montelena chardonney would be in order!

Year 2, Day 233 (The Repairs Are Being Done)

This morning repairs began on the trailer in order to get me back on the road. The technicians that were working on it did so for a little over an hour, then left again, presumably to get other parts... though it's not exactly clear, as they didn't express so prior to leaving. When they did leave, I went to the back of the trailer to check the progress to find they still had some work ahead of them. It is all still in the hands of HaShem, my G-d (for those who may be unfamiliar with this Name, it is one of the Hebrew Names of G-d... one of the many Names. HaShem literally translates to The Name, implying that His Name - written in Hebrew as יהוה - is so sacred within Judaism, that we don't read it as it is written, but rather shorten it to HaShem).

Years ago (possibly even this time last year) I would have been fraught with frustration at such a delay because it detracts from my making money. What's happened now? I've been trying to be more focused and diligent in my involvement of Torah study. On the road I'm trying to become more disciplined in waking up at least 1 1/2 hours before I need to start driving for the day. During that time, I am going through that day's section of the weekly Torah portion (reading the commentaries of the various Sages, as well) and following it up with the Daily Dose of Torah section for that day. Trust me, this is not an easy path to navigate as I wasn't raised in Judaism, nor do I have a Rabbi or Torah scholar whom I can study under (where I live in Arkansas, the local idea of going to a deli is in making a trip to Walmart).

Though I have been here since early Sunday morning, I am still at peace. I can't change the circumstances. Besides, why would I even want to change them? Each day we are presented with a variety of decisions to make and paths to choose... we should also be willing to accept the consequences for those paths & decisions that we make, should they prove to be the wrong ones. Today it's become all to common that people do NOT want to take responsibility for their actions (a case in point is this news from 3 months ago, or this blog from yesterday - which includes a 4 minute video worth watching).

Every day is a learning experience. The question is... will you choose to learn from it, or blame somebody else that it happened?

You choose.

Year 2, Day 225 (What A Day... And Night)

When I was finally loaded yesterday (it took them a while) I made one stop along the way (to get some Starbucks) then arrived at the customer in Aberdeen, MD 3 hours early for my delivery. The brought me in about 1 1/2 hours before my appointment, but didn't start unloading until about 3 hours after. To make matters worse, they rejected 72 cases of product (frozen cookie dough). Now instead of heading into New Jersey for my next load, I'm going to have to wait until I find out where I need to go to get rid of this damaged product.

In the meantime, I'm going to attempt to get a few hours of sleep until Monica gets in, or even when Lance takes the helm... an hour before Monica. This doesn't happen very often. When it does, we usually have to go to a food bank to donate the product. Only time (the next few hours) will tell, and hopefully it won't continue to be a fiasco.

Year 2, Day 221 (I Want Away From The East)

I made my delivery this morning in Forest Park, GA then made my way to Unadilla, GA, a little more than 100 miles away. This run will take me up to Harrisburg, PA for Sunday night. There are several things I don't like about the east. For one thing (and this holds especially true in many of the "southern" states) the people are quite rude and inconsiderate. Another thing is that there are more congested areas as you go east. Sure, there is congestion in places like L.A. or Seattle, but at least you know where it begins, ends, and when you won't have any traffic for miles. Whereas is the east, it seems as though it's one big traffic congestion, with a periodic break every now and then. Denver is rarely as bad as Atlanta... even with construction zones.

The way this load is set up, I'm not due for delivery until 2100 (ET) on Sunday, so I may do some driving once I get loaded, then shut down for the Sabbath and finish up on Sunday.

Speaking of the Sabbath, may yours (if you keep the Sabbath) be full of abundant peace and joy!

Shabbat Shalom!!

Year 2, Day 217 (Back To Work)

This is one of those days I usually dread, the reason being I know it's time to go back to work. I've had a very nice time at home, even getting some very quiet time yesterday (Nathan spend the night at his Grandmother's house - my Mother-in-law - to help her with some things, cleaning up the yard, etc.). Last night we purchased an iPod Shuffle for my wife, Tikvah, her first. She had been looking to get an mp3 player for work, and asked me if she did that, could she load some of the songs from our iTunes library on it, I told her only if it was an Apple product. Once we made the purchase and returned home, she asked if I would show her how to put songs on it (since she had never dealt with such an item before). Once we registered the Shuffle, we went through the library to create a playlist for her. I then showed her how simple it was to load songs on the playlist, and that loading them onto the iPod was even easier. She will be trying it out for the first time today, since she received a call yesterday asking if she could help out at the farm.

Relaxation, family, and copious amounts of coffee... yes, this was a VERY good weekend.