Day 333 (Tonight, Chicago Area; Tomorrow, Who Knows)

I left this morning from a small truck stop just north of Marion, AR. I made a couple quick stops along the way, then topped off the fuel in Effingham, IL - where I also made a trip to Starbucks.

In just a little over 30 days, I've realized, I will have fulfilled my challenge of blogging every day for a year. At this point, I'm really not sure where I will go next. Whether I continue blogging every day, or move on to something else, remains to be seen. Hopefully I can get a little input. I'm sure that I've had a few posts that were less than interesting, but (at this particular point) I don't know what I would do if I do end the blog... I have rather come to enjoy posting each day - even when I go on my occasional rant. I should come up with a firm decision within the next 32 days.

Day 332 (Heading Up North - A Little)

Last night, by the time Tyson finished loading my trailer, I had only an hour left to drive. I decided to park at their facility for the night, mainly because I was unfamiliar with the first 75 miles of the route, and didn't know where I would have been able to park. It was also snowing, so I just sat there watching it fall. I made a stop on the way here to Russellville, AR (of course, at Starbucks), stretching my legs in Conway, AR.

I was given a pre-plan, which has me picking up at the same Tyson facility I'm delivering to. Fortunately, it had already been loaded, so I'm able to cover some ground tonight, then finish off tomorrow what's left. This load has me going to Hanover Park, IL - in the Chicago area - for Thursday morning. Probably by tomorrow afternoon I'll know where I will be going next. In just a few weeks, I'll take my first vacation with this company. We may not go anywhere, but at least I'll be home for the last few days of Chanukah.

Day 331 (Back On The Road Until Chanukah)

I left out this morning and was dispatched just before noon. The load I am hauling picks up here in Dexter, MO and delivers tomorrow in Russellville, AR (though I would much prefer to avoid these Tyson loads). It was a very nice weekend at home. Spent some good time with my wife and youngest son. It was just the 3 of us for Thanksgiving, as my 18 year old son was unable to make it down. My youngest, Nathan, is pretty happy that my drums are set up in his room... we even had a mini jam session a few nights ago. My wife, Tikvah, and I were discussing earlier today, and I may take my vacation later in December. I may not be home for all of Chanukah, but I will be home for most of it. Probably after the first of the year, I may begin doing some upgrades on the set (replacing heads, etc.) though it could take a while before it's all complete.

Since I was told it will be a few hours before they even start loading me, I think I will take a nap. However, if Tyson isn't on the ball (and this facility rarely is), then this load won't be getting to Russellville by 0800.

At least I have some coffee from home.

Day 330 (Relaxing Day, Caught Up On TWD)

This has been a very relaxing day. I thought it was rather cool that AMC had a marathon showing all the episodes (leading up to the season finale) of The Walking Dead. So today was spent getting caught up on those episodes (spoiler alert: they finally found Sophia). The bad thing is, now I have to wait until February for the next season.

On another note, for lunch today my awesome wife, Tikvah, made a most excellent pot pie, using the leftover turkey. Needless to say, there were NO leftovers. Tikvah had a craving a little later (and once she mentioned it, I then had the craving) for hot wings, so I ran over to Dollar General and grabbed a couple boxes. I cooked them up and had them ready by the time tonight's new "mid-season" finale came on. All in all, it was a good evening.

Oh yeah... there was also coffee today, too.

Day 329 (A Wet Day, A Peaceful Sabbath)

Today was fairly peaceful, fairly lazy. A quiet Sabbath, spent some time in Torah. It's rained a bit, off and on, throughout the day. For dinner we had some leftovers from our Thanksgiving meal... and it still tasted good (by the way, my wife makes some incredible Sweet Potato Casserole). Tomorrow will be my last day at home. It's been nice being able to get home a few extra days earlier, but it's always so difficult to head back out on the road come Monday.

All three of us are presently watching Hell On Wheels on AMC. I've heard of the show, but only just now get to watch it. Tomorrow, however, The Walking Dead and Leverage will be on... both of which I haven't been able to see for a while. My youngest son, Nathan, had recorded the past few weeks of The Walking Dead on the DVR, but it went on the fritz, and since we exchanged the receiver, we lost all that was recorded.

Bummer!

Day 328 (A Day In Little Rock)

Today, Tikvah and I took a trip to Little Rock, about an hour and a half from our home, just to hang out and do stuff (for the record, we did not subject ourselves to the Black Friday madness - though the crowds that were out for that purpose were unavoidable). We did, however, make a stop for coffee at Starbucks. Our meal consisted of using the Outback gift card our oldest son gave us for an anniversary gift, which (in my opinion) was slightly above mediocre at best. It was a long day, stopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Guitar Center, Old Navy, and Target... just to name a few of our stops.

We also drove by the location where the Occupy Little Rock movement has set up their dwellings (a.k.a. tents). It was a pretty mild day, weather wise, and the traffic wasn't as insane as I would have expected. We are at home now, tomorrow is the Sabbath. I hope the evening finds you in good spirits, and recovering nicely from the self-imposed tryptophan-induced coma that many of us sentenced ourselves to yesterday. Actually, I may partake of the leftovers shortly.

Day 327 (Thanksgiving Day)

This morning My wife and I got up and went to one of the local congregations to help out with their Thanksgiving meal (i.e. serving the meals, delivering to elderly). I left there about noon to head home and begin making our turkey. When Tikvah came home (around 1400) she made the green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and baked apples & cinnamon. The turkey turned out pretty good; rubbed with olive oil and seasonings, and sprinkled with granulated garlic and lemon pepper, then I put it in the pan with a 1/2 bottle of liquid smoke. Once it was all done Tikvah, Nathan and myself ate... Tikvah and I washed it down with a glass of Pomegranate wine. Yes it was delicious!

Day 326 (What A Busy Day)

Well, today turned out to be a bit of a busy day. I did some running around with Tikvah, my wife, and was able to get the paperwork (from the load I delivered in Springfield, MO yesterday) faxed to my employer. Receipts were mailed off, Tikvah got her check, and I picked up my drums, which are now taking up residency in my youngest son, Nathan's, room:

After all that was accomplished, we even stopped by Sonic (I was craving the Chicago Dogs) for lunch. Went home, where Nathan helped me set the drums up... then we had a little jam session with one of the songs he wrote. Tikvah and I just got back a little while ago for the laundromat, since our washer decided to call it quits. Now we are getting ready to chill out to a movie (probably Heartbreak Ridge) and drink some coffee. Tomorrow will be a busy day; before we make our own dinner, we will be helping at one of the local congregations to prepare and serve meals to those who may be less fortunate. I think that's one thing I can be truly thankful for: that I can bring a little joy and happiness to others. In this time where there are many who are struggling financially just to make ends meet, to show them that there are others who are willing to serve them, to relieve them of their worries and burdens - if even for just a couple hours - that's more gratifying than the mere words that we speak to say what we are thankful for. 

Just food for thought (no pun intended).

Day 325 (Apologies For Posting Late)

I sincerely apologize to all my readers (however few they may be), but as I type this out, I am sitting at home. Doyle and I unloaded this afternoon in Springfield, MO, after which we were told to go home (of course, not before making a stop at Starbucks prior to heading home). In fact, one of the instructors from the training center (for the company to which whom I am employed) called me yesterday and told me to release Doyle to go home for the weekend. Come Monday, he will have to be at our North Little Rock terminal to take his final evaluation test, then get his own truck assigned to him.

I do not doubt that he will do well. When he took his "maiden voyage" through the snow in Wyoming 1 1/2 weeks ago, I noticed he may have been very nervous, but that meant he was also be very cautious - a positive sign. He did well driving through snow, and he successfully made it through the mountainous regions of Wyoming and Oregon. He's still young enough to where he will be driving for some time to come. May he be blessed!

Day 324 (A Very Weird Dream)

Some say that weird dreams come depending on what you had eaten before bed. I don't know how true that is this, but the elves did a number on me last night, if that's the case. In my dream, though I don't remember much of it, I recall being in a large open field, filled with people. It seemed as though it was either a gathering for a Presidential Address being broadcast on a giant Jumbotron television, or a live rally. I do recall Obama, in his speech, was saying to the American people that Muslims were nothing to be afraid of and they were truly peaceful people. I'm sure we actually heard this before, but then there was a twist in what was going on.

Suddenly I am hearing this very same thing coming from Christian pastors... even from the ones I know personally. Sure, this, too, is happening in real life (except for the part about when it's coming from pastors I know personally), but in the dream, I recall getting a deep feeling in my gut that there was something very wrong happening. People around me were buying what was being fed to us, but I had the feeling doom was getting ready to fall upon us... at any moment! Almost as if I could literally sense those trying to bring violent harm upon us were waiting in the wings, and will pounce upon us all any moment, while everyone around me were celebrating what will happen to them.

What say you?

Day 323 (On The Final Leg Of This Trip)

Doyle and I started from Warrenton, MO this morning (just west of the St. Louis area), awaking to a temperature in the low 40's. He did his pre-trip and topped off the fuel, then we left with only 399 miles to cover today. We could have left sooner that 1215, but I felt like sleeping in this morning. We did, however, go into Denny's for breakfast. I ordered the Cheese & Veggie Omelet, which I ended up getting for free. As I was enjoying the food, I get about half way through the omelet when a piece of ham fell out. For those that know me personally, know I'm Jewish... therefore, I don't eat ham! When I brought it to the attention of our waitress (and before you ask, I was very courteous & respectful when addressing this issue), she apologized and said she would inform the manager. Two minutes later, the manager - showing the signs that he was doubling as a cook (i.e. perspiration on his forehead) during the brunch rush - came out and also apologized.

He told me he would make another omelet meal, for the inconvenience that had been caused (since I would not be able to eat another omelet, he put it in a "to go" box), AND did not charge me for the food. The L-rd does bless in all types of ways indeed.

It will only be a few more days before I will be bringing Doyle back to our terminal in North Little Rock for him to take his final evaluation test, then get assigned his own truck. This will probably happen this coming Wednesday, when I will also be heading home. Thanksgiving at home is always a blessing in itself. We will also be having a fourth guest at our table: our son, Sean-Patrick. He told me he will be home for a few days, then back up to Missouri, where he is trying to make some headway as a musician... and I must say, he is quite the guitar player.

Since it's raining right now, it's probably as good a time as any for Starbucks. Come to think of it, ANY day is a good time for Starbucks.

Day 322 (It Is Getting A Bit Chilly)

Last night, Doyle made it to Big Springs, NE, covering a total of 613 miles yesterday (that number holding a special significance for those of us in the Jewish faith) - his biggest day yet. Today has been a very pleasant - albeit chilly - Sabbath. There has been no snow, but it has been a bit windy, which, of course, only increases the "bite" of the lower temperature:


I'm hoping we can make it to the terminal in Madison, IL before we shut down for the night, as that will give us less than 500 miles to finish off tomorrow. As we drive through northwestern Missouri, the skies look to be in a mildly temperamental mood, as if it wants to snow, but is still unsure of the prospect, yet is not yet relenting in its refusal to allow for the sun to come out and play a little longer. I think we shall make a stop just outside of Kansas City, MO at a Super Target, Starbucks will be just what is needed to eradicate this aftertaste of Pilot coffee that is still lingering.

Day 321 (Where Will We Shut Down? Perhaps Nebraska)

We left the rest area in Brigham City, UT at 0715 (CT) this morning, stopped in Ogden,UT to top off the fuel, then one more stop in Riverdale, UT - about 15 minutes away - to pay a visit to the local Starbucks. Once we left from there, the only stops we made was for Doyle to do his load checks. We just left from the Petro truck stop in Laramie, WY where rid ourselves of the after effects of the aforementioned Starbucks. Doyle drove through a little snow in Evanston, WY (just a few miles from the Utah state line). There wasn't much, just a flurry, though The Weather Channel is predicting about a 70% chance there this afternoon. When we were on our way to Oregon, Doyle drove though the snow in that same area (last Saturday), where it was coming down pretty good. He did pretty good, though I could tell he was nervous. More precisely, he was more nervous than a pregnant nun in the Vatican.

The weather, temperature-wise, has been fairly mild (in my opinion, though Doyle would disagree), probably low to mid 40's, and the flurry in Evanston - plus what was already on the ground - has been the only snow we have seen. At the rate we are going, we will be shutting down in Nebraska... I'm just not sure exactly where.

Today also happens to be a special day, for today are the birthdays of both my wife and my youngest son (yes, 17 years ago today, she delivered a little boy on her birthday). I'll never forget her words, after getting the epidural put in, when she commented on the occasion: "This is a present only I can open". So to my son, Nathan: Happy Birthday, Champ... now clean the garage (just kidding!)! To my wife, Tikvah: Happy Birthday, my angel... you look as beautiful today as you did the day we met! I hope you both have a blessed day... and a joyous Sabbath!

Day 320 (Getting A Re-Start In Utah)

Last night we made it to Brigham City, UT, where we shut down for the night. This morning when we got up, I noticed that we each had only 11 hours left on our logbooks, and we were picking up no hours tomorrow. I contacted Monica (my Fleet Manager) and Brent (the Broker), to let them know of this. My initial thought was to stay here in the rest area and get a 34 hour re-start, which was confirmed when Monica thought the very same thing. Brent told me that he would set up a delivery time for Sunday night.

It was unfortunate that I didn't have Doyle go to a truck stop. I mainly based my decision on past experiences, where if you get to a truck stop after a certain time, there's a chance you won't find a parking spot. Granted, the economy isn't what it used to be, and there are many trucking companies that have gone out of business, but I haven't been up in this region often enough to gauge accurately the traffic and parking availability within the truck stops. Therefore, we are settling for staying in this rest area until tomorrow morning.

At least we will be able to get some coffee at Starbucks tomorrow.

Day 319 (Onward And Eastward)

So far this has been a long day. Last night Doyle and I shut down at a rest area just west of Hines, OR, right on U.S. 20. In fact, we were the only vehicle parked in the rest area. This morning as we finished the trip to Jerome, ID (where we are now, getting the trailer loaded), there was one area that had gotten as low as 14°... very brisk, indeed.

As I mentioned yesterday, this load will be going to Lebanon, TN. There has been no appointment date & time set yet, but I think it will be on Monday morning. In the process of getting here, we ran into a few snags: fuel was not really needed, but when picking up a load that's 43,000 lbs, it's a good idea to top off the tanks to make sure your gross & axle weights will be legal; there was also the matter of getting the trailer washed out, which is not really a problem unless there's a line - which there was. It all worked out; the fuel is topped off, and the trailer is washed out. The only thing left to do after getting this trailer loaded is to scale this out. Then we will be on our way to Lebanon, TN.

... and to get coffee.

Day 318 (Farewell, Oregon)

Doyle and I made our two drops in Portland, OR this morning, then finished out this load in Eugene. While we made our way there (we were actually just a few miles north of Eugene), we were pre-planned on our next load. This load will have be a good run (a.k.a. good miles).We will pick up tomorrow by 1200 (MT) in Jerome, ID - about 500 miles from Eugene - then we will deliver it, probably on Monday, in Lebanon, TN. The weather in Oregon has been pretty mild, a bit rainy, and crisp, cool temperatures.

When we got into Eugene, we actually missed our turn (6th Ave.), so I had Doyle go one block, to 7th Ave, to make our turnaround. As we made our way around the block, we passed a park that appeared to be more of a campsite. It didn't take us long to figure out that the park was the "tent city" for the "Occupy Eugene" protesters. One thing I've noticed about these protesters of the "Occupy" movement, is they don't seem to want a hand up, but a hand out. The same people who are unemployed, yet if the manager of a fast food joint walked up to them and offered them a job that they could start the next day, would probably expect a starting wage of $15 an hour. In these economic times, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up.

For example, when I first began driving a truck (in the mid to late 90's). my starting pay was 25 cents/mile. That may not sound like much, but when you consider that a truck driver covers several hundred miles per day, it adds up. I did my job the best way I knew how. But - as I tell my students today - whether you were with a trainer for 3 weeks or 3 months, you could never cover every possible scenario you may encounter out on the road... NEVER. However, if you persevere - and work hard - your pay will increase. As of right now, when I'm not training a student, I make 40 cents/mile... with a student: 44 cents/mile - for ALL miles covered. 25 cents to 40 cents is a nice jump. The thing is I worked hard over the years: making pick ups & deliveries on time, being professional and courteous... even looking professional. I may not be wealthy, but I am blessed to have a job, and able to pay the bills. I haven't asked for a handout, and I don't expect to get something for nothing. I am driven by excellence. I've applied myself to provide for my family.

It's time for these protesters to wake up, smell the coffee, and realize that those organizations that are "donating" to their "cause" see those protesters as nothing more than useful idiots... dread-headed, mindless fiddles being played by socialist orchestrators who could even care less if a protester dies from pneumonia brought on by living in a tent at a park - as long as their ideologies have the fodder for which they can gain further political posturing. {*deep breath*}

Day 317 (One Day, And 3 More Deliveries To Go)

This morning Doyle and I began the first of our two day deliveries, starting in Milwaukie, OR, then down to Woodburn. Our third drop was supposed to be in Beaverton, but as we were leaving the second drop, we get a message that it was being changed. Instead of going to Beaverton, we delivered it, instead, to Portland. I won't bore you with the details, but somewhere, somebody failed to pass on the information. The customer that we delivered to had moved this weekend into their new facility. We ended up being late, but the customer was very cool with it. Tomorrow our first drop will be about a 1/2 block from where we were this afternoon.

Since there is no truck parking permitted by the customer, we came over to the truck stops about 4 miles away. Which means we will be getting up about 0630 (CT) in the morning for a 0530 (PT) appointment. This afternoon, however, I received a message that my truck was due a service. Since I'm nowhere close to one of our terminals, we are authorized to get a service done at any T/A Service Center... which just happened to be where we are. Perhaps after we are done with that, it would be a good time for a movie.

... or two.

By the way, I apologize about getting the blog up past my 1630 deadline... I got lazy. I hope you'll forgive me>

Day 316 (Almost To Portland)

Doyle and I are making our way on the final stretch of this trip. The fact that you are reading this now means that he has made it safely down Deadman Pass (a.k.a. Old Emigrant Hill a.k.a. "Cabbage"). Yesterday, he drove through snow in western Wyoming for his first time in a truck. He has been doing pretty good, and has shown improvement in several areas that he lacked confidence in. The weather out here in Oregon has been pretty mild; chilly with a breeze.

A couple of days ago, Doyle pulled out his laptop and had me watch How I Met Your Mother, which, up until then, I had never seen. I found it to be quite funny. We viewed it online using his Verizon MyFi internet card. The thing I noticed was there was some problems with the buffering - even though the transmitter was showing a full signal. When the advertisements would come on, the buffering would also lag. Yet, when the advert for Verizon would play... flawless! "America's fastest 4G network? I hardly think so!

Before we left from Mountain Home, ID this morning, we got some coffee from the Pilot we parked at, though I made mine a bit more tolerable than usual, simply by filling my cup 1/3 the way with their Columbian blend, and the other 2/3 with instant hot coco (you know, from the automated "cappuccino" machine). It may not be Starbucks, but it did the trick!

Day 315 (I'd Like Some Feedback On This Idea)

Yesterday Doyle and I left out of Olathe, KS and made it as far as Laramie, WY when we shut down, the final leg (Big Spring, NE to Laramie, WY) having been driven by me. Today we continue the trip west. It's been a beautiful Sabbath, and Doyle has been getting some good experience in: driving through mountains and driving through snow. He's done pretty good thus far... we're still alive and not hospitalized, so that's a good sign.

Driving through Wyoming has always been enjoyable, though it does remind me of an idea I came up with several years ago, but can't see it through to fruition, as I have neither the contacts, nor the resources. The idea is fairly simple, yet complex, and it addresses several social issues. Wyoming is an expanse of a state, with a LOT of open space. Why not utilize that space? First stage would address the homeless issue we have. Find out, of all the homeless people we have, who wants a second chance at life (a.k.a. re-entering society).

Those that either have a background in the construction industry, or would be interested, could actually be key to get the multi-staged project going (they would, hence, be part of the first stage). Put them in temporary lodging (cleaned up, clothes, etc.) and begin their training/employment. They would then be relocated to a new town called Second Chance,Wyoming, where they would temporarily reside in mobile homes, while they begin the construction of housing developments. In the meantime, get contracts & future locations for businesses, from convenience stores/gas stations, grocery store, bank, etc. (possibly even a refinery or distribution center). The entire town wouldn't be built at once, just establish the foundation. The next group of homeless would then occupy the lodgings that were vacated by the initial group, receiving the necessary training to fill the positions of the businesses being built (while the initial group is undergoing the construction of said businesses, upon the completion of the housing developments).

As I said... simple, yet complex. The construction wouldn't be all at once, nor would the former homeless get their permanent home for free (I won't get into the financial details just yet). The point is that we could reduce the statistics for homelessness, provide jobs, and build up the economy (because if you build Second Chance, WY right next to the interstate, like I-80, travelers and truck drivers will be stopping in).

That's just a basic idea... what do YOU think?

Day 314 (This Will Be A Busy Weekend)

Wednesday Doyle and I made our round trip run from Olathe, KS to Hutchinson, KS and back. The pre-plan we had gotten wasn't finished loading until early this morning, so we stayed at Tyson until about 0830 this morning, and got a restart on our logbooks. This load will have us (or more accurately, Doyle) busy for the weekend. It has a total of 6 drops, all within the Portland, OR area, delivering on Monday and Tuesday.

The good thing is Doyle will get some good mountain training in on the way, since we will be going through Wyoming, Utah, and (of course) Oregon. Another good thing is I may get to see an old friend... possibly two. The first, Shaun, is and old childhood friend whom I grew up with in South Florida; the other, Brad, is a fellow Marine whom I haven't seen since '93, when I received my Honorable Discharge from the Corps. When I got out, I moved to Arkansas (what was I thinking?), and Brad moved back to Portland. I won't say Brad and I were the best of friends, but I do hold a great deal of respect for him, especially since he received a Silver Star during Desert Storm.

This load is fairly light, less than 24,000 pounds, which has the advantage in that the mountains won't be as big of a problem... the disadvantage, however, is that it won't create as much traction as if I were 15,000 lbs heavier going through the snow (if we do, that is). I'm not worried, though, for HaShem my G-d is with me... and this is (nearly) the Sabbath. May you all be blessed! On this day, should you cross paths with a military veteran... be sure to thank him, or her, for their service!

All gave some,
Some gave ALL

Day 313 (Happy Birthday Marines! We STILL Look Good For 236 Years Old!)

Today is a special day... a very special day. Today I step away from my usual banter relating to truck driving, training, etc. For today I reflect upon a subject that has become part of who I was, who I am today, and whom I will always be: a Marine. Today, as many know, is the Marine Corps birthday. To the common citizen, it's just another day worthy of some sort of recognition... but to those of us who have served in the Marine Corps, it has become the very fiber of our individual - and collective - identity. While going through boot camp, the history of the Marine Corps was drilled into us.

A history that is ripe with tradition, and rich with honor and integrity. Considering the humble beginnings since its foundation in Tun Tavern in 1775, it's no wonder we hold ourselves within a tightly knit brotherhood... we were established in the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia, PA. We have the heroes that have shaped our very image, from LtGen Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller to SgtMaj Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly to (even most recently) Sgt Dakota L. Meyer,  as well as the battles that have forged our place in American - and world - history, such as the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Belleau Wood.  The things we learned in boot camp, the experiences we shared in training, and the unbreakable bonds we made in battle will forever make us unique in the civilian world.

My wife shared this video with me recently. Watching it only stoked the flames of pride and honor within me that I hold the most revered and respected title of U. S. Marine. This video was made by the great people at The Warrior Song (whom also granted me the permission to post the video) and were able to capture the very essence of a Marine within a 6 minute music video.

Happy Birthday, my brothers and sisters!!

The U.S. Marine

No greater friend,

No worse enemy

Day 312 (Wandering Through Kansas)

This morning Doyle and I left from Olathe, KS (doing a drop and hook) and headed to South Hutchinson, KS - where we are now - to deliver. Once the trailer is unloaded here, Tyson will re-load it, then we will head back to Olathe. The weather is a lot better today than what we drove through yesterday, which was mainly rain, but there was some snow thrown in for good measure. Today it's sunny and cool, with a little bit of a breeze blowing. Although it is rather torturous being here at this Tyson facility, as the air is permeated with the smell of freshly grilled chicken... I wonder if, being as I am now hungry, this can fall under the category of "cruel and unusual punishment."

We are due back in Olathe by 2100 tonight, but that all depends on the efficiency with which our trailer is re-loaded. Hopefully by later on this afternoon we will find out what our next load will be and where it will bring us (I'm still hoping for a Tulsa, OK to Woodinville, WA/Burnaby, BC run). I think on the way back to Olathe, I'll have us stop at a Starbucks... this Pilot coffee can only be tolerated for so long (and, yes, it can be tolerated as long as I drown its putrid taste with enough cream).

Before I forget, tomorrow I will be posting in honor of the Marine Corps' birthday... hope you all enjoy it!

Carpe Java - Seize the coffee!

Day 311 (On Our Way To The Kansas City Area)

As I had predicted yesterday, we had no pre-plan, so once we got unloaded we parked at the customer's facility for the night. This morning, however, not only did we get a load (which picked up in Cherokee, IA, about 60 miles south), but were also put on a double pre-plan. This load is a plant-to-plant Tyson load, as are the next two, which delivers in Olathe, KS (just south of Kansas City).

Our next two are more like an extended shuttle run. The first one picks up in the morning, right there in Olathe, and goes to South Hutchison, KS, where we will pick up from there and go back to Olathe... which is about 400 miles round trip. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any coffee to consume... at least none worthy enough of human consumption (yes, a reference to Pilot). We did, however, grab a bite to eat at Taco John's (which was in the Pilot that we fueled),which was not too bad. Neither of us have had Taco John's before. Nothing to totally rave about, but not bad.

I still thing coffee is in order.

(p.s. The reason this has been posted much past my 1630 deadline, is due to lack of cell signal. My apologies.)

Day 310 (What A Trip This Has Been)

Yesterday Doyle got some pretty good training, as our route took us through some curvy areas. I didn't put him through anything too harsh, but what he did have, he handled pretty good. Between Conway and Harrison, AR, there is a stretch of U.S. 65 that is a little crooked, just enough to keep a student focused. Once we made it through there, I had us make a stop at on of the Price Cutter stores in Springfield, MO. I needed to replenish my supply of Coca Cola (a 4-pack of 24 oz. bottles for $1.67), plus they also have a Starbucks in the store, so I paid them a visit, as well.

Since the customer in Pine Bluff took so long to get us loaded, we didn't get as far as I wanted, which was at least to the north side of Kansas City, MO. Instead, we only made it as far as Collins, MO, about 145 miles short. The weather today has been a bit overcast, but cool. At this present time (though there is about 3 hours left of the work day for the Operations Dept., so that may change) there is not a pre-plan for us. I called Monica earlier, just to touch bases with her. If there is no pre-plan by the time we get unloaded (which could be about 1900), to head somewhere that we can park for the night... but not too far away.

I'll think we'll have time to make another Starbucks run before we unload.

I also hope to see some snow - SOON!

Day 309 (On The Way To Iowa... Maybe I'll See Kevin Costner)

Doyle and I left out ay around 0815 after getting the trailer washed out, and made our way to Pine Bluff, AR. When I spoke to the broker Friday about this load, he said that the product was going to be run on Sunday, and should be ready by about 0300 this morning. It wasn't. Not only was it not ready, the customer hadn't even run it yet. We finally got loaded, then scaled the truck, and just got underway about 30 minutes ago. The good thing is we have until 2000 tomorrow night to get there.

Being a truck driver isn't what some would expect. On any given day, I can run anywhere from 450-600 miles. In the case of today - because the product wasn't ready - that has cut into our driving time. Tyson is a constant offender of this (this, however, was not a Tyson load. Many have the perception that our commerce could probably serve better without truck drivers. Think about this: Without truck drivers, how would groceries get to the stores, cars to the dealerships, or gas to the gas stations? Sure all of these things could get there by rail, but how many hundreds of miles of additional track would have to be laid for that to happen? How drastically would that hinder commerce if there are railroad tracks and railcars at EVERY grocery store, gas station, and mall?

Just food for thought.

Day 308 (Tomorrow We Head For Iowa)

It's been a nice peaceful Sabbath with cool weather all day. Tomorrow, however, we will be picking our load up in Pine Bluff, IA and take it to Sibley, IA. It was unfortunate that I couldn't get home for this re-start, but things like this happen this way sometimes. The L-rd works it out in the end for His purpose and glory.

Earlier, my wife, Tikvah, posted a video on my wall (Facebook) which she found. I have since re-posted it - and since it is Marine Corps based - I will do so again. This coming Thursday I plan on posting a link for that video on this blog, in honor of the Marine Corps birthday. Sure it's a teaser for you, but all I can say is... it will be worth the wait!

Day 307 (Getting A Re-Start... But Not At Home)

First of all, please accept my apology for getting this posted past my deadline of 1630. I've been tied up with various things and lost track of time.

Yesterday, Doyle drove us from Midway, FL (just west of Tallahassee) all the way to West Memphis, AR - a total of 554 miles... not bad for a newcomer to trucking. When we arrived at West Memphis, I topped off the fuel and took over to bring us into the North Little Rock terminal, where we shut down. This morning, we took care of our personal effects (to include laundry). I had the truck brought into the shop to fix an air leak, and, as it turned out, I also had to sit in a few classes to ensure my training was up to date. After all that, I checked out the company vehicle and went to Pier 1 Imports to pick up a birthday gift for my Tikvah. She told me about a purse that she wanted, so now she has it... just not in her possession just yet:

After that was taken care of, I was finally able to make my run to Starbucks. Once I returned to the terminal, I found out that we were dispatched on our next load. However, it doesn't pick up until Sunday in Pine Bluff, AR (about 40 miles south of here) and delivers Monday in Sibley, IA, up in the northwest corner of the state. Sadly, I'll be here for the weekend, since I live about 90 miles in the opposite direction of where I load. Doyle, however, I allowed to go home (he has a ride going there)... at least until tomorrow night. I live north of him, but I didn't ride with him because, a) I didn't want to impose on him, and, b) my wife thought it best not to be home this weekend her "aunt" is visiting. Tomorrow will then be a quiet and serene Sabbath.

May you all be blessed!

Day 306 (Heading Back To Arkansas)

Yesterday, after the publishing of the blog post, Doyle and I made a visit to a Super Target (yes, I got Starbucks), after which we fueled up in Wildwood, FL, then continued our journey - with an empty trailer - to our North Little Rock terminal. Since the company doesn't have a customer base in Florida (yet), we were told to head back that way, into an area where we do have a good customer base. We shut down in a rest area just west of Tallahassee. It was dry & clear when we started this morning, but have run into rain just before getting into Montgomery, AL.

We may not find out until tomorrow morning where we will load next (though I am hoping we continue deadheading all the way to Tulsa). I presently have a roast cooking in the crock pot (hint: a 3 pound roast with a citrus/savory rub as well as a little jerk & Tex-Mex Chipotle seasonings, 1/2 bottle of Mesquite flavored Liquid Smoke, 4 garlic cloves, shallots, 2 packages of powdered brown gravy mix, and baby potatoes). So far, the aroma has permeated the inside of the truck, necessitating the need to make a sandwich (to hold us over) so as not to partake of said cuisine "before its time". My wife, Tikvah, has been telling me of a chipotle seasoning she has grown rather fond of, which by the way, she is using the aforementioned seasoning tonight on the chicken that she has put in the crock pot at home.

A little while ago, I received a call from my 21 year old son, Erik. It it also good to hear from my sons. He apologized for not calling in a while, to which I told him, "don't worry about it. You're a grown man now, and have your own life." His reply: "Don't try giving me that Jewish guilt trip thing again." Naturally, I got a kick out of that, and then told him, "you know, I think your Mother missed her calling. She could've been a travel agent for guilt trips."

Day 305 (Orlando Is Full Of Mice)

Doyle and I made it here to the customer in Orlando, though we were late for the appointment. Fortunately, they were cool about it and almost have us unloaded. Where we head from here is still in the air. The weather here is pretty nice: sunny and 76°.

Now that we are empty, I think I may take us over to a Super Target, not too far from where we are at. Besides, there is sure to be a Starbucks nearby, since the Super Target I saw earlier (on our way here) was in the Millennia Mall area. I'm due for some grocery shopping, and Doyle had never seen one. As I explained to him earlier, it's like a Walmart Supercenter... only better. I don't know when my next trip to the northwest will be. I think it's safe to say it may not be this week. I really hope to get a load heading up that way perhaps next Friday out of Tulsa. For one thing, it's beautiful driving... for another, it make for good mountain training for my students. Oh well, we shall see.

Day 304 (Meandering Across Alabama)

We got our start today (late this morning) from Olive Branch, MS, which is just outside Memphis. Doyle and I topped off the fuel - and I got some coffee (Pilot coffee, with LOTS of creamer) - and began to make our way on this leg. On the way here to Birmingham, I received a very pleasant call from my "little sister" Kelli (for more about her, you can see my post for Day 18). We talked for a bit. She told me that she has, since our last conversation, moved. She's still in Nebraska, just 20 miles from where she had lived before.

As we make our way through the rest of Alabama and into Florida, I've seen that Doyle handles the truck quite well. When we made a stop here in Birbingham, I had him back into a parking spot. I guided him through his set-up, and found he is very good at straight backing. This may seem like a simple task, but in a truck with a 53' trailer... it's not as simple as it seems. So far he has been doing pretty good; good handling & lane control, frequent use of signals, professional courtesy, etc. This may not be as daunting as I had first thought (seeing as my previous students had some experience with a commercial vehicle of some sort). He says he's still nervous (or as I pointed out, he's as nervous as a pregnant nun in The Vatican), but so far he's doing well. When he first said he was nervous, I told him, "good... that means you will be extra cautious." More updates to come.

More coffee to be had, as well!

Day 303 (Heading To Florida)

Dotle and I arrived in Ft. Smith, AR last night to unload this morning. At about 0645 we checked in (our delivery appointment was for 0700), then waited... and waited... and waited (also napping in the meantime). Tyson finally put us in a door at about 1230. Once we got unloaded, and had the trailer washed out, I began to take us to our terminal in Ft. Smith. On the way, we received our next load assignment, so I headed there instead. The load was supposed to pick up at 1100 (but as you can tell from the above narrative, that didn't happen), but we headed up to Lowell, AR anyway. This is yet another Butterball load, only this one is heading to Orlando, FL for Wednesday afternoon.

Florida is nice. It also happens to be one of the popular destination for snowbirds.. but this time of year - I prefer going into the colder regions... and the snow. Yeah, and I still plan on going to Starbucks!

Day 302 (Today Is Almost Over)

I am sitting here in Bald Knob, AR, which is 55 miles north of Little Rock. In about 40 minutes I will be meeting up with my next student, Doyle. He was actually ready for pick-up on Friday, but I was still in Gadsden, AL getting unloaded, then headed to Union City, TN where I picked up this load and (unfortunately) stayed there to get a re-start. I'm meeting Doyle here because this is where he lives, which makes better sense than for him to wait in our North Little Rock terminal all weekend.

Once we met up, I'll give him a brief rundown (a.k.a. a trainer's orientation) then we will continue down the road to Ft. Smith, AR. More than likely, I'll make a stop in Conway to pay a visit to Starbucks, and possibly top off the fuel along the way. From what little I do know about Doyle at this point is he's 33, married, and used to work as a Corrections Officer at a prison in Newport, AR for about 7 years. I'll update you with further progress and/or developments as they occur.

Day 301 (Almost Made A Quick Trip Home)

I left out of Gadsden, AL yesterday afternoon and headed up here to Union City, TN to pick up my next load. The good thing is, I was able to make a stop in Jackson, TN to top off my fuel AND pay a visit to Starbucks (yes, I had my trademark grande triple Marble Mocha Machiatto). I found out upon arrival that our company no longer has dropped trailers, so I had to wait until this morning to load. Had there been a dropped trailer, more than likely it would have been preloaded, and I would have made an unscheduled stop in Bald Knob, AR and had my wife pick me up, to which I would have been at home to get a re-start on my logbook. Then, once I met up with my student (Doyle) tomorrow afternoon, we both would have had a fresh 70 hours to start on. Instead, I'm getting my re-start at this Tyson plant in Union City.

Not that it's a bad thing. It's been a fairly mild day, temperature wise, though the northeast has been getting their snow early this year. All in all, it has been a peaceful and joyous Sabbath - nothing I could add would make it any sweeter!

Day 300 (Are We Being Deceived?)

Recently my wife and I had a discussion regarding the Occupy Wall Street situation. There have been many other similar protests that have started around the country as well, but I'll try to put some focus on this OWS. Over time we have seen the erosion of our economy and our culture - some over a period of time, so as not to be noticeable; others more overt. One thing is for sure, I no longer think our current leaders are reliable nor trustworthy. When you look back in history, British economist John Maynard Keynes held an economic theory that, basically, believed a government could spend its way out of an economic slump... much the way our politicians are doing now - also the way Roosevelt did before... as did Mussolini.

When it comes to OWS there are so many facets to the web (source of funds raised, support groups, etc.) that it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep them all in line. Recently there were a couple young men from Cairo that joined, "in solidarity", the OWS movement. This was recently reported by Israel National News. They were part of what became known as the "Arab Spring" - the trouble is, most of those Middle East protests had The Muslim Brotherhood backing them. Also reported by INN back in early September was on how the "Arab Spring" could end up being bad - very bad - for Israel.

This also hold true when Marwan Muasher , a Jordanian, is speaking in support of the Muslim Brotherhood - and also is endorsed by George Soros. According to Matthew Vadum in his article on the Human Events website, Soros provides funding for the Open Society Institute and the Tides Foundation, as well as the Alliance For Global Justice... the organization that is now (coincidentally enough) handling all the donations that are coming in to support OWS.

In this day and age (and with the rampant corruption in our government - in ALL parties) I support the idea - as well as the actual execution - of protests... as long as they are truly against what has been going on. To protest against Wall Street is the same as protesting (nowadays) the government. The only difference is your expecting one facet of the entity to come to your aid to battle the other facet of that same entity! What it comes down to is this: certain people (inside AND outside our government) are pulling the strings in order to get the masses to do what they want, a.k.a. Hegelian Dialectic. If we don't take a real stand against ALL politicians, the result could be a grotesque Socialist/Communist/Fascist hybrid - trust me, the fuel economy on that hybrid really sucks.

Day 299 (Another Change In Plans)

The plan yesterday was (originally) to pick up in Rogers, AR and go to Pennsylvania. Then it changed to pick up in Lowell, AR and go to Gadsden, AL. Then that changed to pick up the load in Lowell and take it to another driver in Russellvile, AR, then take his empty trailer and pick up a load today in Tulsa, OK bound for Edmonton, AB. The word that came down yesterday evening was to stay on the load going to Alabama. This I don't care for too much, since it had the least miles of all (300 miles less than the Pennsylvania load), but I'm doing it anyway.

I stopped in our terminal in North Little Rock to get my laundry taken care of. I wanted to make a Starbucks run, but both the company vehicles were already taken, which means I either wait about an hour later to leave, or just go without.

I chose the latter.

My miles have been shorted, but that just means that HaShem has something better.

Day 298 (Possibly Bound For Edmonton)

This morning I was up at 0400(CT) to make this delivery to the Walmart D.C. in Harrisonville, MO. It worked out alright... once I took care of checking in, I went back to sleep. I was also informed that I will have a new student. The only trouble is, he won't be ready for training until Friday. At this present time, I'm on my way to pick up a turkey load in Lowell, AR, swap with another driver in Russellville, AR, then head to Tulsa, OK to load tomorrow for Edmonton, AB (that's Canada, for those who didn't know). So as of right now, I won't pick him up until next week.

Since I still have to get down to Lowell (I'm in Joplin, MO right now), I will have to postpone what I originally wanted to post until tomorrow, since I want to do a little more organizing of the content. One thing I will say: it will be an eye opener... at least I hope it will be. Until then, you'll have to bear with this for today.

At least I had some coffee today!

Day 297 (This Past Weekend Was Rather Productive... And Blessed)

This past weekend (rather, the last few days) turned out to be a little busy, but not hectic. If you recall, a little over 2 weeks ago, I took the day off to observe Yom Kippur (which was quite joyous, by the way), but taking the reins of TCV in my stead, was Julie Mollins of Telling Tales. I must confess that due to poor planning on my part (this is rare), I asked her just the day before if she would fill in - she obliged. In the introduction I gave on her guest post, I mentioned how grateful I was to her agreeing, since she is a journalist by trade.

To make a long story longer, she DM'd me (via Twitter) on Saturday, asking if I would do a guest spot on her blog. This made me even more honored! So I came through, and emailed it to her Sunday ( basically meaning I did 2 blog posts that day). Yesterday that post went live.

Also on yesterday, after I finished getting loaded in Wisconsin, I got together with an old friend from my Marine Corps days, Chris Sennett. We met up at the Lake Forest Oasis (the first service plaza on the Illinois Toll Road, just south of the Wisconsin state line) and enjoyed some "moderate" Chinese food. So now I'm here in Booneville, MO (about 100 miles east of Kansas City), getting ready to take off and finish the final leg of this trip (I'm so not looking forward to the 0505 appointment at the Walmart D.C. tomorrow). Unfortunately, there have been no Starbucks locations enroute.

Perhaps I'll get to one tomorrow (I'd even kill 3 hordes of zombies to get a grande triple Marble Mocha Machiatto).

Day 296 (Leaving Wisconsin)

This morning I unloaded at the ridiculous hour of 0500 (CT). It took a couple hours before I received my next load, but I got one nevertheless. I picked up a load of produce (cabbage to be exact, which means I could make one heckuva batch of sauerkraut) which is headed to a Walmart D.C. in Harrisonville, MO (just south of Kansas City) for another ridiculously early delivery (0505), but fortunately I have until Wednesday morning to do so. What happens after that... well, I hope to find out, via pre-plan, tomorrow.

In the news, many politicians are gearing up the the upcoming Presidential election cycle. The late Steve Jobs once told President Obama that he would be a 1 term President. Judging from what we currently have to choose from, Mr. Jobs just may be wrong. The only potential candidate I would lean towards would be Herman Cain, then again, since I have "unplugged" from the MSM (and really haven't looked at him, nor any of the others, too ardently) I really don't know where any of them stand on any issue, let alone the ones I find important. Ironically enough, the ones who chose to "tow the party line" and call Americans (whom didn't vote for Obama) "racists" (just because he was black), are the very same ones whom are vilifying Herman Cain... who, himself (in case you hadn't noticed) is black. The only reason why these people don't like Cain is because he's NOT a Democrat. Over the past several years, I have COMPLETELY turned away from conventional politics, all for the same reason: NONE of them can be trusted. Not to mention the whitewashing effort by many to disguise the transformation of our society from a Republic into that of a Socialist mandate. Much of what has transpired - not just under Obama, but probably as early on as Bush 41 (possibly even earlier) - has similarities (some secretive, others more overt) to the policies endorsed, even forced, by the likes of not only Hitler, but also Mussolini (i.e. the takeovers of the auto industry, the banking industry, and health care). I'll close with this quote, which I think should be put into action today:

"Whenever any form of government becomes destructive, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and institute new government."

-Thomas Jefferson

Day 295 (Making My Way To Wisconsin)

I am less than 3 hours away from my destination of Jefferson, WI. I pulled off here in Bloomington, IL for a brief break, and the weather is quite mild. The cool thing about this load was that it was already pre-loaded and a dropped trailer, which meant in less than 45 minutes I was leaving the Tyson facility. I headed from Robards, KY up to Haubstadt, IN (just north of Evansville) and shut down for the night.

Having topped off the fuel and getting a cup of coffee, I was on the road at about 0745 (CT). I took a few highways off the interstate to try to cut a few miles. I'm not too worried about the time, since I only have about 420 miles to cover. The downside: a 0500 appointment tomorrow morning. I don't mind morning deliveries, just not that early. I have been to this particular Tyson facility before, so I know that they allow overnight parking (a plus). Where I go after that still remains a mystery, as I have no pre-plan, and the CSR's will not be in until 0700 tomorrow morning.

Wisconsin, in my opinion, has always been one of the better states to drive through; traffic isn't as crazy as most other areas, and the people tend to be more courteous and polite, both on the freeway and personal interaction. I wouldn't mind living there... but I would like to live in Woodinville, WA even more.

Day 294 (Nice Weather, Good Trip Ahead)

I made my delivery this morning in Columbus, OH without any problems, though I didn't mention much about the trip yesterday, as I opined on the "Occupy" movement, and how (in my opinion) it has - for the most part - become a fraud... and a distraction for something more diabolical that socialists (posing as Democrats and Republicans) within our government are force-feeding to us - complete with a candy coating.

The weather driving through Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana (and soon to be back in Kentucky) has been pretty nice. This next load pick up in Robards, KY (Tyson) and deliver on Monday morning in Jefferson, WI. By going up that way I'm hoping to be in cooler weather again. This has been a lovely Sabbath, and the Torah cycle has begun anew in Genesis. I've also just recently begun a new program called Daily Dose Of Torah, which is a series of books that are mailed to me throughout the year, and give me little "nuggets" of insight - from the ancient and respected scholars such as Rashi and Rambam - on several different aspects in daily Torah study.

I hope you all have a pleasant and blessed day!

Day 292 (What Is Up With BlogPress?!)

I apologize for this being posted so late, so here's the story:

Earlier today, as I was compiling the information for today's post, I was (as I have usually been doing) working through the BlogPress app. I had a fairly sizable piece - complete with links and such - AND it was only going to be posted 45 minutes past my deadline. I had just finished it after I had gotten a load of french fries put on in Philadelphia. Reviewed the content, double-checked to ensure nothing was left out, then hit "Publish".

Nothing.

Instead I get a "your connection appears to be off network" message... or something to that effect. Really? From a 3G area?! Then the app crashed.

I reopened it (and yes the post was saved), but there was no post. When I hit the "Manage" tab on the app, it crashes again.

I have always - and adamantly - tried to avoid "pre-writing" a post the day before, because I've always wanted them to be fresh. Now I guess I'll have to resort to doing just that... and this is not the first (in my opinion) really good post I've lost to an app malfunction. So if you will excuse me, I have to REALLY vent - in the comic strip custom:

I really can't @*%^$ believe this!! This $^@# piece of #~@@*%!!


- Another rant via BlogPress

Day 291 (Finally Made It To Manchester)

It took all day, but I finally made it to Manchester, PA... and only 1 1/2 hours late (as opposed to 8 1/2 hours, which was the case in Indianapolis). What will happen next remains to be seen, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out, since I'm out of hours for today. It has been rainy all day - with the exception of a brief "dry spell" - ever since Indianapolis.

The good thing is I was able to get some coffee... not one, but two cups today (one of which was my free one from Starbucks).

I may not have a student just yet, in fact it may be a couple weeks before I get my next one, since our division now has 11 new trainers. Then again, I could be surprised... I had heard from the training center at our North Little Rock terminal that there was a waiting list of students wanting to get in our division (I can;t say I blame them for not wanting to go into the flatbed side of our company... that can be some brutal work). Whether I get another student or not, I'm still ready to head back up to the northwest again. Next time I'll try to get back in the routine of arriving in Woodinville, WA to get my 34 hour re-start. I really do like that region, it's really quite beautiful: the mountains (especially when they're topped with snow), the trees, the cultural diversity... unlike the Arkansas town I presently live in where you can find more culture in a cup of yogurt. Then again, I've always liked the big city areas, mainly due to my upbringing in the Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale area in south Florida, though I wouldn't move back down there... too much humidity - I'll take either the dry heat, or the cooler climates, thank you very much.


- Another rant via BlogPress

Day 290 (I Finally Made It To Indianapolis)

Yet another post that has gotten published past my deadline. As I mentioned yesterday, I loaded in Jonesboro, AR. I arrived at 1815 (or there abouts) for a 1900 appointment... I didn't leave until around 0030, which posed a problem with this Indianapolis drop: I won't be able to make my 1200 (ET) on time. Regardless of the fact that my delay was due to the shipper not having all the product in time for the appointment, which ate into my 14 hour clock. Therefore, I had to drive until 0550 this morning (when I had 15 minutes left to drive), THEN take a Federal required "10 hour break", which meant I could not begin the rest of this leg until 1550. So when I arrive at the customer's facility to deliver (and fortunately this did not happen), there is a chance they will be upset because their order is late - and who gets the blame... the driver. I drove as far as I could before I ran out of hours. I even notified my company of my E.T.A. well in advance. The point is: the delivery is late and now I have to wait to get "worked in" - which just may cause this very same problem at my final destination tomorrow - all because of the inefficient system of loading. Another fortunate thing: this is NOT a Tyson load.

Not to mention I'd rather be home AND I haven't had any coffee.

I'm sure it will not be a long wait here.


- Another rant via BlogPress

Day 289 (Is It Too Soon To Miss Home?)

I left out this afternoon and made my way here to Jonesboro, AR where I hope to begin loading soon. I was beginning to miss home as soon as I got up this morning. I left later than I had planned to, mainly because I was procrastinating the inevitable. During the time of meandering at home I spent some extra time with my wife (Tikvah) and my youngest son (Nathan - he didn't have school today), drank coffee, and converted a couple of my albums onto iTunes.

Once I get loaded here, I have to make my way to my first drop in Indianapolis (tomorrow at noon). It's not too bad, though it's always hard on the day I leave out. Our oldest son sent us a gift card for our anniversary, so next month we will cash it in at Outback in Little Rock, and let her do some looking around (possibly buying) for her birthday... she will be turning 45 on November 18th (and our youngest turns 17 on that same day).

Oy! We are getting old!


- Another rant via BlogPress

Day 288 (Lazy Today, Work Tomorrow)

It's been a pretty nice day today. After we came home from service, Tikvah and I made our dinner: she made a really incredible potato salad (with turkey sausage) while I made a Matzoh Ball soup. Afterwards we took a little nap, which felt really good. Tikvah and I have enjoyed each other's company - and coffee.  I was able to catch up on a few shows that were on the DVR (my awesome wife and cool son recorded them for me) such as NCIS, Ghost Adventures, The Walking Dead (which my youngest son, Nathan, now has me hooked on), and now I'm hooked on another new show - which I thank (or blame) my wife for getting me tuned on to - Pan Am (even though I can't get either of them hooked onto Leverage nor White Collar.

So tomorrow I head back out on the road. I'll pick up in Jonesboro, AR and make two drops: Indianapolis, IN and Manchester, PA. Where the road takes me... well, you'll just have to tune in and find out.

Day 287 (A Belated Anniversary Dinner)

It has been a very peaceful Sabbath, as well as a beautiful day for Sukkot. Since I was on the road this past Monday, which was my 19 year anniversary, my wife (Tikvah) and I went out for dinner tonight to celebrate it. We don't go out for dinner very often, so when we do, we tend to splurge. We went to Colton's (a steakhouse chain, of which there is one in our town) and had steak; she ordered a sirloin and I went with the smoked prime rib... which was funny, since we both were originally going to just have a Caesar Salad. She went to the restroom, so I quickly sought out our waitress (Becka) and told her that we were there for our 19th Anniversary, and was there anything special that they could do... Becka obliged. At the end of our meal, when they started loudly ringing the cowbell, I noticed that Tikvah had started smiling - she had schemed to cause the same embarrassment upon me as I had planned upon her. It still turned out quite pleasant and joyous!

We know each other... very well!

Day 286 (There's No Place Like Home - But I Don't Live In Kansas)

This has been kind of a lazy day... I slept in until 0930 (though I didn't get to bed until nearly 0500; updated my iTunes & iPhone to iOS5).  I watched a little bit of House, Law & Order: SVU, and I'm presently watching NCIS. I also got my hair cut, which was actually a bit overdue. So, If you will excuse me, I must enjoy my coffee and watch this episode (even though I have it DVD). I hope you will (if you are observant of such) have a good Sabbath, and a joyous Sukkot!

Day 285 (Home At Last)

James and I unloaded this morning in Pine Bluff, AR after which we headed back up to the terminal in North Little Rock. The trailer I had needed to go through the shop for some upgrade to the current tracking system. I dropped James off at the training center, where he began his final evaluation... from what I gather (at that particular time) he was doing well. By tomorrow he should be meeting with Monica (whom will be his interim Fleet Manager) and getting assigned his own truck.

After all that was needed to be done on the trailer (and I had gotten some Starbucks), I made my way home. I did, however, find out where I will be going when I leave out next week: pick up in Jonesboro, AR, make a drop in Indianapolis, IN, then finish off in Manchester, PA sometime on Wednesday. I'm sitting at home and getting ready to enjoy one of the gifts my wife, Tikvah, got for me for our anniversary... Depeche Mode Black Celebration - on VINYL! She also had a t-shirt made for me that says, "Too weird to live, too strange to die. - Hunter S. Thompson." The only trouble with it is that the silk screening shop misspelled "weird" (they spelled it "wierd")... and they used a computer?! I'll take it back to them tomorrow and have them fix it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get the vinyl spinning...

Day 284 (Onward To Pine Bluff)

James and I left from our company's terminal in Madison, IL this afternoon, and are making our way to Pine Bluff, AR for a delivery tomorrow morning. By tomorrow afternoon James should be going through the process of his final evaluation and getting his own truck. When he first started with me - just a little over three weeks ago - he was pretty shaky (and quite nervous) with his backing skills. Now, though he may still be a little nervous, he is a bit more confident and his skills have improved. Over time he will overcome that nervousness, but hopefully not to the point where he begins to get complacent... which could (and most likely would) lead to an accident.

The purpose of being a driver trainer (which should be applied into ALL careers) is to show others the tools we have available, and how to utilize them... in other words, how to be successful in what we do, and to ALWAYS strive for excellence. We can never be PERFECT (if you claim to be perfect, I challenge you to walk on water), and many of us cannot be the BEST... but we - simply by applying ourselves, and using the proper "tools" for our chosen career paths - can be EXCELLENT. Hard work and perseverance is what it takes to become excellent and successful. If they were around today, people like Milton Hershey (Hershey chocolates), Walt Disney (the Disney empire), and - as of recently - Steve Jobs (Apple and Pixar) would agree... not to mention the additional factors of Vision and Passion that are also mixed into the fray.

Vision & Passion mixed with hard work and perseverance... a concept that appears to be lost to the clowns at OWS.


- Another rant via BlogPress

Day 283 (Outside St. Louis)

Arrived yesterday in our terminal in Madison, IL, which is just outside the St. Louis area. Today we swapped with another driver, so he's taking our load on to Dayton, NJ and we deliver Thursday in Pine Bluff, AR. It works out well, because we didn't have very hours left on our logbooks. Bt the time we leave out in the morning, we will have a full 70 hours to run on... even though I'll be going home this weekend, and I'll start fresh again on Monday.

These last few weeks started off shaky, then picked up - it all balanced out, though I wouldn't mind running a couple trips back-to-back between the northwest and Tulsa (I can dream, right?).

I have just a little over 2 1/2 months left of my 1 year challenge. At times it gets challenging, just trying to have interesting content, but I may have found the niche for which I am more suited. Not so much the day-to-day drivel, but more of the addressing of current issues. Sure, there may be tons of other blogs out there that do just that, but they are usually laced (even filled, sometimes) with the talking points of their political leanings. I have tried to express views of a neutral standpoint... something that has been lost, even forgotten. My political support has shifted over the years: I was a Democrat... until Clinton, then I became a Republican; I remained a Republican until G. W. Bush's 2nd term, then I became fed up with the entire system, and remain so now. It has gotten to the point where the American people are used as political leverage to push certain programs or policies. Case in point: when the majority of American people were against the Health Care Reform bill, how did it get passed? If you recall, the deciding vote that "tipped the scales" and passed the bill was cast by Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), but as of the last mid-term election, she no longer has a job... coincidence?


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Day 282 (OWS = Socialist Inaction)

For a couple weeks now we have seen this Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement playing out in the media... kind of. For the most part, what has been publicized about this "protest" is the police brutality. What is talked about were these cases of brutality, mainly from videos posted on YouTube, but how much credence can we really put into such videos? With current events being what they are, even YouTube videos that "document" social unrest have to be taken with a grain of salt. Keeping that in mind, U2's Bono was way ahead of his time when he wrote, "when fact is fiction, and TV a reality" (from the song "Seconds" on the 1983 album War).

Though the OWS movement doesn't have anything "official", they do, however, have certain "proposed" list of demands that some would like to see met. An acquaintance of mine, whom I know through Twitter (now no longer an active account), Facebook, and the posts on her website, Jillian gave her view on yesterday's post, which, unlike most of those actually taking part in the OWS "protest" in NYC, was thought out... well thought out.

However, what makes me shudder is how OWS - should they succeed in whatever it is they want - will affect the Dagny Taggarts, Francisco d'Anconias, and Hank Reardons of today... even more chilling is how the work of Ayn Rand has become almost like an outline or a blueprint for this "new and improved" society which they have envisioned... only for them to (once they get what they want) propel it to one that's an Orwellian perversion. Though we have a plethora of media sources (not just network news) to refer to, we must still scrutinize most of what we see. For example, yesterday there was an article in the U.K.'s Daily Mail which tells of how OWS has created such an increase in the accumulated waste on the streets (it was Sunday, so sanitation workers and garbage trucks will not be running), even showing images... to include a picture of a "protestor defecating on a police car." Is this a legitimate story? Are the pictures authentic, or have they been "doctored"? Too many people take what is in the print media, or on the evening news as fact... If you don't believe me, try arguing the existence of UFO's with someone who gets their news from the magazines found in the check-out isle at Walmart. What has become fact is that a large portion of the news that is "fed" to us has some sort of slant or bias already "pre-loaded" (at this point, you may have those words of Bono's echoing through your head). When we lost the likes of Walter Cronkite and Edward Murrow, we also lost true, unbiased reporting. I could still take issue with this, but I'm going to leave this picture at face-value:













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Day 281 (A Few More Days, Then Home)

As you had by now noticed, I was absent yesterday in observance of Yom Kippur. First, I would like to extend a special "Thank You" to Julie Mollins of the blog Telling Tales (you can also follow her on Twitter: @tellingtales).

Yom Kippur was very pleasant, though it was a bit of a struggle (trying going without food or drink for over 24 hours), but at the end - before I ended the fast - I felt quite exhilarated, energetic.

James and I are having to play a little bit of "catch up" with this load. Normally, it would get loaded in Lewiston, ID around lunchtime on Thursday, then delivered in Tulsa the following Monday, but since the customer didn't have enough of an order to build a full load, we didn't get it put on until Friday... but it still delivers on Monday. Fortunately, it's not due until 1230 Monday (instead of first thing in the morning), so we have a little extra time. We have been able to make up for lost time, as we are traveling through Kansas right now. I was impressed with James yesterday. Being as he's never driven a truck before, his focus & determination was outstanding. We started from Rocker, MT (on the west side of Butte), and we switched over (I had a couple hours more than he available to drive) in Casper, WY - just over 500 miles away, which he drove nonstop. I drove us from Casper in to Cheyenne. About 40 miles north of there, we noticed signs of a recent snowfall... shortly thereafter driving into a snowfall ourselves. It was very pretty, but this was no light flurry, as you can tell from this pic taken this morning as we were leaving Cheyenne:






From Cheyenne, we have 780 miles left to cover by lunchtime tomorrow. If we can't cover all of that tonight, we will at least be close.

I did get some Starbucks today, which is always a nice little treat after a fast. Speaking of coffee, my friend, Lauri Rottmayer (whom also has a blog and is on Twitter) had recently returned from her birthday trip to Spain... and brought me back some Spanish coffee! When she mentioned (via Twitter) that she was there I jokingly commented to bring me some back... and she did! I am humbled, grateful, and a bit embarrassed that she brought it back (not to worry, Lauri... I will savor & appreciate EVERY drop).

I guess that is why I have chosen a motto for myself: Carpe Java (Seize The Coffee)!

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Day 280 (Julie Mollins, Guest Blogger)

During my absence (in honor of Yom Kippur), I am very grateful for Julie Mollins filling in for me (especially since I asked her at the last moment). Julie, aside from being a London-based journalist working at Reuters (AlertNet) with an interest in the arts, also has a couple blogs of her own: her self-titled Julie Mollins, and one she calls Telling Tales. Clearly, she's a very busy woman, which makes me even more honored that she agreed to cover for me... so without further ado, here's Julie...




Battling borders

I’ve often thought about how much more difficult setting up a new life in London would have been without social media.

Through Twitter, since moving to London from Toronto in 2008, I’ve been able to make new friends in England and keep in touch with old friends in Canada.

When I was a child, my mother -- who is English and emigrated to Canada with my Canadian father in the 1960s -- relied on snail-mail letters from family and friends to stay in touch.

I’m lucky because I have a Canadian and a British passport, which means I can travel freely to Canada, Britain, the United States and the 27 countries of the European Union without needing a visa.

Last weekend I went to Berlin, where invisible and visible borders destroyed so many lives in the 20th century.

Nazi rule in Germany after 1933 destroyed Berlin’s roughly 200,000-strong Jewish community by enforcing exile to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp or to death camps.

After the Second World War, Berlin was divided first into four sectors among Russia, France, Britain and the U.S. and later, in 1961, split into communist East Berlin and capitalist West Berlin.

The Berlin Wall, constructed to prevent an exodus from east to west during the Cold War, separated families and friends again until it was smashed in 1989.

Now the city commemorates the Holocaust with the dramatic Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, designed by Patrick Eisenman, and engineer Buro Happold, made up of concrete slabs, and via tributes in the decade-old Jewish Museum, designed partly by architect Daniel Libeskind.

The divisive wall is also commemorated throughout the city with markings on the ground, pieces of wall and a museum at Checkpoint Charlie, which marks the border crossing between the old East and West Berlin.

Estimates vary, but between 100 and 200 people were killed trying to escape from east to west.

To a tourist, reconstruction, reconciliation and remembrance characterise modern-day Berlin.

Old scars remain.



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Day 279 (A Family Visit In Idaho, And Yom Kippur)

Today James and I picked up a load in Lewiston, ID (the same place I've been to the previous 2 times I've been up here). Once the trailer was loaded, I took us to the south end of town, parked at an old Walmart building, and met up with my niece and her husband & son at IHOP:



It was a nice visit, seeing as I haven't seen her in many years. She tried getting in touch with her mom (my sister-in-law) to join us, but had no luck... perhaps next time. It was a very enjoyable gathering, and one that was long overdue.

Tomorrow is the Sabbath, as well as Yom Kippur (Day Of Atonement, the highest of the Jewish holy days). With many things going on in my life at present (which I may fill you in at a later time), I didn't plan accordingly, so I may have to do a post on Sunday to cover the weekend (as I will be "unplugging" tomorrow). I hope you will forgive the absence of a post tomorrow, then again I doubt if it will be missed. At times, my post can be rather droll and mundane, but I try to make it interesting... and many times I fall short. As my friend Terri Nakamura once said, "it takes a lot of dedication to blog every day." That it does... as well as an equal amount of discipline (to keep a deadline) and creativity (i.e. interesting content). Will I take this blog in a different direction? Will I end it after this year? The answer to both of the questions is: I don't know... yet.

I don't get very much feedback, even though I have had over 3,000 page views to date, so there's no telling what will happen.

I must close... have a blessed Sabbath and a successful - and repentant - fast this Yom Kippur.

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Day 278 (The Passing Of A True Icon)

It's no longer "breaking news" now, everybody knows of the passing of Apple's co-founder/former CEO/Chairman, Steve Jobs. I won't go into any type of analysis, nor diatribe, of Mr. Jobs' life and/or legacy. I will, however, just direct you to a couple posts of note I came upon while perusing the webosphere (yes, on my iPhone). A few articles that caught my interest were The Daily Dose blog, and the article 10 Things To Thank Steve Jobs For, both of which are from the Entrepreneur.com website, and a very incredible story (not to mention the re-designed homepage in tribute to Mr. jobs) on Wired.com.


"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented."
— President Barack Obama


Sadly, though, there is another side to this sad story... one that only fills me with contempt and disgust - but not for Mr. Jobs. It has been reported on the Inquisitr.com website that those (whom we Jews can only describe as meshuga) folks from Westboro Baptist Church have decided to protest Steve Jobs' funeral. Protest? Really?! Here's the funny - and hypocritical - part: Megan Phelps (daugter of the "church's" pastor) tweeted these plans from her iPhone!! Need I say anything more about how misguided these folks are? Yeshua (Jesus, in Hebrew) taught about love... the only thing WBC ever seems to speak is hate.

I'd better go get a coffee (no nearby Starbucks) before I really go on a tangent.

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Day 277 (Burnaby, BC: Done... Plus A Visit To The Hot Spot)

This morning James and I got up around 0530 (0730 CT), walked down to Starbucks for the morning fuel, then made our way up to Blaine, WA (right across the border from British Columbia). I dropped him off at the truck stop then went into Canada. I've been to the customer a couple times before, so finding my way around is no longer a problem. What became the problem was getting through Customs on the way back into the U.S. Not any major problem, just a long line of trucks doing the same thing I was. In all, the wait was about 1 hour, 45 minutes (that's not counting the 10-15 minutes I spent in the Duty Free store, to get a couple bags of wafer cookies for my Tikvah).







Once I made it back into the U.S., I hooked back up with James. I told him about a wing joint just walking distance away that has a wing challenge: 3 wings/dollars/minutes. The owner, Mike, has a sauce - which he called "Stupd" (not a typo) - and consists of Jalepeño, Seranno, & Habenero peppers, onions, garlic, and Frank's Hot Sauce. However, there is one other ingredient involved: pepper extract. The extract Mike currently uses for his sauce/challenge is 6,000,000 Scoville Units. To give you and idea of how hot this can be (and you can compare it to this handy, dandy chart), the average Jalepeño ranks 3,500-4,500 Scoville Units; the Habenaro: 200,000-300,000. If you happen to stop in and take the challenge, Mike does require you to sign a waiver. They can be found at:

The Hot Spot
1733 H St. #260
Blaine, WA
(360) 656-5489

... or you can "like" them on Facebook, as well. By the way, I didn't take the challenge... I went with the Chipotle/Garlic wings.



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Day 276 (In Washington State)

James and I left around 0730 (CT) from Jerome, ID and began our trek up to Woodinville, WA. Traffic hasn't been too bad, and the weather has been just a little cool. Along the way I've been able to get some good shots:


(Baker City, OR)



(La Grande, OR - using the Instagram app)



(Kamela, OR - just before the final decent down the west side of "Cabbage", a.k.a. Deadman Pass)

We made it safely to the bottom, which, as any truck driver who has ever driven knows, is not always an easy task, especially a 6% grade winding around for about 6 miles... not really the type of task you would want to undertake if you've never driven a truck in mountains before... just ask James:




the good thing is we both had coffee (to calm our nerves) beforehand... imagine if we had not.

Today we are going to try to get to Woodinville before we shut down for the night. Tomorrow, after we unload the first drop there, I'll drive us up to the border and drop James off at the truck stop there, then deliver the rest of this product in Burnaby, BC, head back across the border, and, hopefully, start heading to pick up our next load. Chances are, we may be heading out to Lewiston, ID (as I had done the previous two trips out here). If so, I'd like to get out there tomorrow night and pay a visit to my sister-in-law and niece.

We shall see.


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Day 275 (Getting My Re-Start In Idaho)

James and I are parked at the Flying J truck stop in Jerome, ID, just north of Twin Falls. Since we are getting a re-start on our logbooks - and have all day to wait - I figured I would take a walk into Twin Falls and head to Starbucks... which is where I am at as I post this. Needless to say, I will be sleeping well tonight. It's times like this I really wish I had a Specialized Camber Elite mountain bike (I may have to look into some possible sponsorship). I did however get some really good shots (from an iPhone... not quite as good as a Canon Rebel, but it'll work) of the Snake River as I crossed the bridge going into Twin Falls:





(Taken from the north side of Perrine Bridge, facing west)





(Taken from the north end of Perrine Bridge, facing east)





(Taken from the south side of Perrine Bridge - at the Buzz Langdon Visitor Center)

For those of you who may remember (as I do), the second photo is a view of the Snake River, facing east, which, just 2 miles from that spot, was where stuntman Evel Knievel made his famed - and failed - jump in 1974.

Fortunately the weather is rather mild, and a nice breeze blowing. It's only about 85°, but the headwind on the walk down here did make for more of a workout than just a casual stroll. By the time I get back to the truck, I will have walked just under 12 miles. It may be quite a stretch, but I look at as an experience, a stretch, of what I am capable of doing. As some of you already know, I'm not like most truck drivers because, a) I am a Starbucks aficionado, where most truck drivers are satisfied with the swill that is often trying to be passed off as "coffee", and, b) I'm willing to walk (though I'd rather cycle - hint, hint) several miles, not just for Starbucks, but to explore the areas I'm in, where most truck drivers consider it an inconvenience to walk all the way across the truck stop parking lot, because they couldn't find a parking spot closer (and they wonder why they can't lose weight).

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Day 274 (What A Long And Productive Day)

James started driving this morning from Limon, CO (about 60-70 miles east of Denver), where we shut down last night. Driving up around the north eastern side if the Denver area, up to Cheyenne, WY (making a pitstop in Laramie), then west to Evanston for another quick break. Evanston, WY is just a few short miles from the Wyoming/Utah state line. When we left there I took over the driving duties, since I had just under 4 1/2 hours to drive, while james had 2 hours less than that.

I just finished fueling and parked about an hour ago (2105, to be exact) here in Jerome, ID, just about 4 miles north of Twin Falls. When we pulled in here I had only 4 minutes left. So you can see that we covered quite a bit of ground today; a grand total of 794. Which leaves only 635 to cover by 0900 (1100 CT) Wednesday morning. We are shutting down here to get our 34 hour re-start, then leave out Tuesday morning to finish this trip. Before I start heading back east too far, I'll have to stop in a grocery store to pick up some more Mocha Mix creamer (which is the absolute bomb - if you've had it before, you know exactly what I mean). The bad news is the truck cannot move for that full 34 hours... and the nearest Starbucks is 4 miles away (guess who may be going on a "walking tour" tomorrow).

At least this blog won't be posted late tomorrow... I hope.


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Day 273 (On The Way To Woodinville)

We left this morning from Tulsa, OK to make this trip up to Washington state, then up to British Columbia to finish off. By the time we arrived in Tulsa and did what needed to be done, there were only 37 minutes left on our logbooks... which would not have gotten us out of the Tulsa area and into some sort of a parking spot, so we just parked at the customer's facility for the night.

James has been doing pretty good these last (almost) 2 weeks. Once we get this delivered, he will be taking care of everything needed; checking in at customers, route planning, fuel stops, etc. while I just observe (and offer advice where needed). The bad thing about this trip up to the northwest is, due to the inadequate efficiency of the employees when we loaded in Davenport, IA, we will be unable to get a restart on our logbooks. At least I (hopefully) will be able to wander around Woodinville for a little while on Tuesday.

It was nice waking up to 47° weather this morning. Another beautiful Sabbath as we make our way the the mountain regions, which, of course, will provide for some good training for James. Once we get up to La Grande, OR if he doesn't feel confident enough to drive over Emmigrant Hill (a.k.a. Deadman Pass, a.k.a. Cabbage), I won't force him to. After all, I don't mind driving it, since I have done so on several occasions, and in different types of weather. I do plan on making a few stops along the way for my coffee drink (grandé triple Marble Mocha Machiatto) from Starbucks.

I still want to get a Specialized Camber Elite mountain bike.

I'm accepting donations...

... anyone?

... anyone?

... Beuller?


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