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 282 (Things Are Getting Ugly)

As I had predicted about 2 weeks ago, things will get very ugly as we draw closer to the Presidential erections (no, that's not a typo). Reading some of the activity being exchanged on Facebook and Twitter is getting sickening and vile. What's even more disturbing is they are defending their respective candidates like they are personal friends. For all we know, Obama and Romney are probably sitting in Camp David, having a couple drinks together, and laughing at all the chatter they're reading from the web. Yeah, they are probably getting a kick out of it, because we are their entertainment. They have the debates, the post-debate analyses, the campaign ads, etc, and meanwhile, you are the dopes that are falling for this dog & pony show of a farce they call "politics". You've bought into it hook, line, and sinker! All I've been seeing is, "The Democrats are covering up the facts!" or "The GOP are resorting to lies and racism!" You have been the pigs led to the slaughter. It doesn't matter whether Romney gets elected or Obama get re-elected, because you have been wallowing selfishly in your own pity, expecting handouts, going to the mall, rather than actually getting involved in the selection process and finding a candidate actually worth supporting.

To Republicans: all the different potential candidates and Romney was the best you can do?!

To Democrats: rather than go off on a tangent and point out that you wouldn't know the truth, even if it prison raped you, I'll use the words of one of your own people:


“Ideologies aren't all that important. What's important is psychology.

The Democratic constituency is just like a herd of cows. All you have to do is lay out enough silage and they come running. That's why I became an operative working with Democrats. With Democrats all you have to do is make a lot of noise, lay out the hay, and be ready to use the ole cattle prod in case a few want to bolt the herd.

Eighty percent of the people who call themselves Democrats don't have a clue as to political reality.
What amazes me is that you could take a group of people who are hard workers and convince them that they should support social programs that were the exact opposite of their own personal convictions. Put a little fear here and there and you can get people to vote any way you want.

The voter is basically dumb and lazy. The reason I became a Democratic operative instead of a Republican was because there were more Democrats that didn't have a clue than there were Republicans.

Truth is relative. Truth is what you can make the voter believe is the truth. If you're smart enough, truth is what you make the voter think it is. That's why I'm a Democrat. I can make the Democratic voters think whatever I want them to.”

- James Carville

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 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 240 (The Peace Of The West)

I have driven a truck for many years. In the recent years I have come, with few exceptions, to dislike the east and the south, for most of the same reasons. For the most part, the traffic get pretty horrendous, and the people are - mostly - rude. At one time drivers in the metro New Jersey areas were some of the most rude... now I think that Atlanta has given them a run for their money. Driving out west has a different set of challenges and circumstances. L.A., for example, does have some crazy traffic, but you know (if you've been through there with any frequency) when and where it will usually occur. I've even seen traffic back up in the Seattle area, but it get nowhere near as bad as the east.

The west, however, does offer a lot more solace, a lot more open road... plus driving through the mountainous regions are pretty awe-inspiring. There have been times where it has taken less time to get from the east side of Denver, to I-25 north, up to the Colorado/Wyoming state lines (the distance of about 100 miles) - including traffic and the occasional work zone - than it would to take I-95 north from Elizabeth, NY to the other side of New York City, which is about 1/3 the distance.

Some drivers try to steer clear (no pun intended) of the northwest in the winter months, while I look forward to it. I find it very beautiful to drive through the valleys, surrounded by the snow covered mountains. It's very breath-taking.

What are YOUR preferred areas to travel?

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 222 (Getting A Re-Start In North Carolina)

North Carolina may not be my ideal choice to shut down for 34 hours... in fact, it's on the opposite end of the spectrum of choices. But I'm here. I really don't need a 34 hour re-start on my logbook, but since this load doesn't deliver until 2100 (ET) on Sunday, I decided to shut down here in Jonesville, NC for the Sabbath, and since I'm here for the Sabbath, I may as well stay for a re-start. Had it not been for the traffic in the Atlanta area, I may have even made it to Ft. Chiswell, VA... but what is done, is done.

Surprisingly the weather in central to southern Georgia was mild yesterday, around the mid-70's (for anybody who has been in Georgia in August, that is quite mild). The weather up here in North Carolina was about the same. In fact, cool enough to turn the truck off and sleep without the use of the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit, providing heat or air for the sleeper without idling the truck), which as people of the south and east know, this time of year is usually hot, or humid, sometimes both... even at night. Some truck drivers will turn their truck off and roll the windows down at night. I don't. Call me paranoid, but I don't like allowing access to unwanted visitors, be it mosquitos or thieves. Besides, since I close the "wrap-around" curtains, having the windows open would be counter-productive.

Now it's time to brew up some coffee and engage in this week's Torah portion,

Year 2, Day 219 (What Shall I Do Today... I Think Drive)

I completed this trip by arriving in Hanover Park, IL (a suburb just west of Chicago) at just after 2300. My day started (actually continued) from Matthews, MO yesterday at around 1400, since I didn't leave North Little Rock until, well... late. Along the way, I made a stop in Effingham, IL mainly for the purpose of visiting the local Starbucks, but also popping in to Panda Express (which also served as this morning's breakfast). This load, though, had me up at 0330, for a 0400 appointment (i quite sure I've mentioned it before, but I loathe early morning deliveries). After this delivery, and the subsequent completion of the mandated 10 hour break, I headed into Chicago to pick up a candy load.

I had very much hoped for a load that would put me in position to load out of Tulsa, OK on Friday, going to Woodinville, WA/Burnaby, BC. Now that I'm no longer training, I have my bike with me, and I am very anxious and eager to hit the bike trail there in Woodinville. Instead, I'm picking up a load of produce in Wisconsin going to Forest Park, GA (just outside of Atlanta) for Friday. Obviously nowhere near where I would hope to be, but that's the nature of the beast... and I certainly don't plan to go cycling in that area - it's flippin' humid down that way!

At least my Starbucks will help ease the sting of rejection... temporarily.

Year 2, Day 214 (People Are So Easily Distracted)

I have noticed for some time, and most particularly within the past few months, just how unfocused our society is, and how easily their attention can be diverted from what's impotant. Case in point: the Chik-Fil-A "controversy". Things have obviously been blown out of perspective, all thanks to the Main Stream Media. As I have seen it, the comments made by the company's founder were a by-product of the overall interview, but the MSM have zoomed in on one small aspect of the overall issue being discussed. Think about it, because one person has a viewpoint different than your own, makes him (or her, as we have seen in other issues) a "hater" or "bigot"? The bigger picture is not the viewpoints/opinions expressed, but, in fact, the idea that that particular story take precedence over the issues that really matter, such as jobs in America (or lack thereof), the economy, and/or what legislation is being passed, while we are currently being kept occupied with frivolous issues.

For example, Obama's minions talk about the jobs he "created", which are really nothing more than more positions in the government sector and more favors for the union bigshots - a form of "outsourcing", no different from Romney's outsourcing of jobs to India (which is speculated, since the majority of that took place allegedly after he left Bain)... which is no different than what has already been happening at the hands of the "customer service" departments of AT&T, MSN, Verizon, etc. The current Administration "created" jobs, yet there is already in place a program within the Department of Transportation, CSA (short for Compliance, Safety, Accountability), which, when it was put in place, was retroactive. In essence, a driver - whom may have been hit with a couple of speeding tickets in the past few years and is trying to correct his or her mistakes through the passage of time, as well as policing themselves - is graded on a safety score. If it gets to a certain point, they get terminated, regardless of what actions they are currently taking to correct their wrongs. In summation, this is not job creation, but just the opposite. This is no different from NAFTA, the bill that was probably started by the first Bush, then signed into law by Clinton. They said it was going to be good for America, when, instead, it became the "blank check" many companies needed to shut down their operations here in America and move to Mexico. We didn't see the fallout of NAFTA until 5-10 years down the road... do you still think it's "good for America"? Sift through the news and weed out the unimportant, turn off Dancing With The Stars, American Idol, or whatever "reality show" you watch, and focus more upon the important things, like the politicians that are passing legislation that bleed us dry, yet bring them countless benefits.

Have a blessed and joyous Sabbath!

Shabbat Shalom!

Year 2, Day 203 (Yesterday Was A Full Day)

After getting a re-start on my logbook, I had a full day ahead of me yesterday, just to keep on schedule. I left from Knoxville, TN at a little after 0700 (CT). I stopped to get fuel, twice (the last one being in Pennsylvania, on I-78), as well as a couple of "pit stops" and one to pick up a few things from the grocery store. Nathan and I called it a night at around 2000 (CT) in Shartlesville, PA, only leaving a little over 45 miles left to cover. Normally I would have gone straight to the customer, but this particular customer does not allow overnight parking.

By now, the tragedy that happened in Colorado is emblazoned in all our minds. the question is: what can be done about it. There will be a plethora of theories and opinions, so here is mine. Had Colorado allowed for a concealed carry law, the casualties and injuries would have been much less than what we now know. There are many that support stricter gun laws, most politicians feel this way. However, no matter how much stiffer the existing gun laws become, the fact of the matter is that the ones that are already committing the crimes are not law abiding citizens. Think of this: Phoenix, AZ allows for concealed carry, Chicago, IL has some of the stiffest gun control laws; yet when you search for some statistics, the crime rate of Chicago is higher than that of Phoenix... see the trend? Had the Denver area allowed for a concealed carry mandate, there would have been several well-trained good Samaritans in that theatre and the injured & casualty counts would have been substantially less, possibly near non-existent.

"When the government fears the people, there is freedom; when the people fear the government, there is tyranny" - Thomas Jefferson

Does our government fear "We the people"?

Year 2, Day 190 (Soon To Get A Short Run)

We left out this morning from the terminal in Madison, IL to finish this run to Rochelle, IL. Yesterday I had been given a pre-plan, this morning it was taken off, then it was put back on me this afternoon. This next run will have me picking up a load of beer in Milwaukee, WI and taking it to Lansing, MI. It's not due until Thursday morning, but I'm hoping that the customer will unload it when I get there tomorrow. That is only because there is a possibility that I may have to re-power a load from another driver and deliver that load in Tulsa, OK, from there, I will probably get a load going up to Woodinville, WA and finishing off in Burnaby, BC, in which case I will probably get re-loaded in Lewiston, ID, where I can make a stop in Clarkston, WA to visit some family on the way. All of this is purely speculative right now... first I'll wait to see how these next few days play out.

It's fun having Nathan (my youngest son) on the truck with me, but I'm putting a major responsibility on him: he's tasked with helping me to quit smoking... we'll see how that works out.

At least I will still have Starbucks.

Year 2, Day 189 (The Adventure Begins)

My son, Nathan, and I left out this morning picking up a load going to Rochelle, IL. On the way, I was told my truck was due a service, so I went to our terminal in Madison, IL. Since there was a waiting list of trucks getting work done, we were put up in the DoubleTree hotel for the night. Tomorrow I'll do a drop & hook in Rochelle, then head up to Milwaukee to get my next load, which will take us to Lansing, MI.

It's been a few years since Nathan has been on the truck with me. He's going to be a senior in high school this year, so this may be my last chance to bring him along.

There is much fun to be had (we started the trip by singing along with the Broadway Cast to Rent, so we're off to a good start)!

Year 2, Day 181 (Chillin' Out In Olathe)

We arrived in Olathe, KS at 0015 this morning, did a drop & hook, and now are getting a re-start. We are getting a re-start due to the fact John and I were both low on hours, that and the fact we didn't have a load pre-planned on us after this delivery. While we were heading this way, I put the rest of the roast in the crockpot to heat up for dinner. We stopped in Booneville, MO where we topped off the fuel, as well as took care of some other, more personal, business. This morning has been uneventful, but not a waste of time. I, as my first activity of the day, partook of my daily studies in Torah. This afternoon has been spent cleaning the few dishes left over from last night, then watched a few movies. The first was the re-make of Conan The Barbarian, which I didn't think was too bad. Either way, this day has been quite relaxing and refreshing.

Now it's time for coffee.

Year 2, Day 170 (About 24 Hours To Go)

Yesterday John and I left from Avoca, IA (which is 40 miles east of the Nebraska state line), and were able to cover quite a bit of ground. John drove nearly 600 miles before we shut down for the night in Fremont, IN. Along the way, during one of the stops for the required load checks (and an essential restroom break), I saw this really cool minibus driven by a couple of guys making their way to Vermont. In fact, the bus was too cool not to get a picture of.

Sure, it may look like the typical hippie/surfer bus, but the designs and the artwork looked as though there was time and thought put into it (and obviously very good use of color).

Tomorrow this load delivers at 1900 in Bedford, PA, though the delivery time shows a window: 1430-1900. I called about this, to find out that's the window with which Walmart receives ice cream. Even though our appointment is for 1900, we can (supposedly) go in at 1430 and they will work us in... we shall see. What our next run will be has still yet to be determined... hopefully it will be a really good one.

Year 2, Day 165 (Iowa Bound)

John and I had a loading appointment for 0600 (ET), so we headed up to Newark yesterday evening and parked outside the customer. There was some construction going on the New Jersey Turnpike, which delayed us a little. Then again, when there's road work going on in that state, it usually causes traffic to back up a lot more than it was. We were loaded and leaving about 0730. I had John doing the driving so he could get some experience, considering he had never driven in New Jersey. Again, he got lucky... traffic was mild.

As we make our way through Pennsylvania, with the sun shining, and Morph The Cat (by Donald Fagen) playing on the stereo, I glance out the window and capture a few pictures of the scenery as it passes by.

If my estimates are correct, we should be able to get to Sioux City, IA sometime tomorrow night. Then again, I may just take it a little easy on John and stretch the trip out so that we get there sometime Sunday. I haven't quite decided yet.

Have a joyous and peaceful Sabbath.

Shabbat Shalom!

Year 2, Day 161 (Relaxing, Refreshing)

Today has been pretty relaxing. It's nice to re-energize once in a while. The other good thing about getting a re-start, is John and I will have our logbooks in sync, as opposed to the way it was, me having run a few days before picking him up, where he starting with a fresh 70. I took this downtime as an opportunity to show him the procedures for getting a truck wash.

We've engaged in some very good conversation, of an intellectual and Scriptural nature. John is fascinated with Biblical history, and I enjoy imparting the topics & insights that I have studied over the years. We also discussed politics, as well as technology (he, also, is a tech geek). Tomorrow, though, it's back to business as usual, as we will be picking up a load in Woodstock, IL and heading to Bethlehem, PA.

Year 2, Day 158 (The Deception Of Perception)

Some time back, during the week of Passover, some fellow bloggers filled in for me while I took a brief hiatus from the aforementioned Holy Day. One of whom was Natali, a single mom from Wisconsin, and she offered up an excellent - and rather transparent - post.

Today, Natali posted something on her own blog, Life In Monkeyland. In fact, her post speaks of not only the opportunity that was before her in getting her dream, Uber Dork Cafe (with an official website in the works), another step closer to coming true, but also to get it a little more local exposure, and possibly a little media coverage... at least state wide. As I understand it, there was a competition for local entrepreneurs, with the winner receiving a $10,000 prize.

This is where the story and event become a bit shady.

As Natali posted in her blog, the organizers were "on the hunt" in Milwaukee for local start-ups, yet, of the eight finalists (unfortunately, Natali was not one of them), only 3 were from Wisconsin... the rest were from out of state... one even being based in Chile. How is a company based in Chile going to be good for American business?! The winner? A company who had direct ties with the organizers themselves! THAT was uncovered by Natali herself! Then, to make matters worse, the journalist who covered the event, Kathleen Gallagher of the Journal Sentinal, not only took Natali's comments completely out of context in the article, but added the devious connection THAT NATALI uncovered - which is supposed to be the journalist's job - AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

This totally reaks of personal agendas, politics, favoritism, and whatever other thing you wish to come up with!!

Year 2, Day 157 (On The Way To Tennessee)

I was loaded and leaving from Chicago at around lunch time today, this time I'm heading to Covington, TN, just north of Memphis. This is a fairly heavy load (about 42,000 lbs - that's a lot of Tootsie Rolls), but still not too terribly bad. They were fairly efficient in getting me loaded, and the traffic on the interstate ran pretty smooth... it helps when I can get through before any rush hour. Since there is a 48 hour D.O.T. blitz going on, I wanted to make sure my weights were legal and NOT draw any attention to myself. This 48 hour blitz is something that happens every year. A 48 hour period where D.O.T. officers nationwide do a lot more vehicle inspections than the rest of the year... or, at least they are supposed to.

I also found out this morning that I will be getting a new student. My latest victim... uh, I mean trainee, will be ready to be picked up after noon on Friday. So far, all I know is his name is John, and he's from Dowagiac, MI. I'll touch bases with him a little later this evening and find out a little more about him. Therefore, he will be a recurring subject for the next few weeks.

I was able to get a good start to the day this morning by paying a visit to the Starbucks, which was inside the Target that I parked next to last night. Now that I have found a suitable replacement for my previous mug, which was an arduous search in itself (the previous mugs I had purchased just didn't keep the drink hot long enough, so I ended up going back to my old mug). The previous mug lasted me about 6 years or so... yes, it had seen a lot of coffee fills.

Carpe Java!

Year 2, Day 153 (Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow)

This morning, Tikvah and I met up with her two sisters, Theresa (with her husband, Scott), and Chris (with her husband, Bob, and youngest daughter, Nikki) for breakfast. We did this because Theresa & Scott were leaving out today to head back to California. We all had a good time, and good conversation. It was nice for them to get together again, though we all wish it were under better circumstances.

                Theresa, Tikvah, and Chris


Afterwards, Chris, Bob, Nikki, Tikvah, and myself went to a couple antique stores in town, as well as a flea market, before we all went to my Mother-in-law's house for a while. So that Pat (my Mother-in-law) wouldn't have to cook (and so that Chris, Bob, and Nikki wouldn't have to leave earlier to go out to eat) I decided to make my famous (at least in my household it is) Matzah Ball Soup... which turned out to be a hit. Tomorrow we will be taking our two oldest sons back to the airport for them to head back to California as well.

I really miss California... I'll be back home soon!