Ernmander, as he is commonly known, is a vlogger (video blogger), tech enthusiast, IT Specialist, and the 18th pale descendent to some old queen, or other (ok, that last part isn't true... at least, not that I'm aware of). He lives in beautiful - and sometimes rainy - England. In short, he is (as he puts it) "a bloke you may know on Twitter." His vlogs can also be found on YouTube.
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!"
New World v Olde Worlde: a stranger in a familiar land
If my calculations are correct, I’ve moved 31 times.
I’ve moved as a resident between Britain and Canada four times, and between the United States and Canada twice.
I’ve lived in 10 different places in Toronto, where I was born. I’ve also lived in various places in Ottawa, Stratford and Gananoque, Ontario, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
In each of Washington, D.C., and Edmonton, Alberta, I had only one abode.
I consider myself fortunate to have moved about so much, although each move has resulted in both gains and losses. Without a doubt, returning to Britain in 2008, where I lived as a child, has been the most disorienting move of all. For some reason, almost everyone assumes I’m an American citizen.
LONDON CALLING
The weirdest thing of all about moving to London has been that I’ve felt more alien in this familiar place than in any of the unfamiliar places to which I’ve moved in the past.
I had been with Reuters for three years when I applied for a position in 2008 and was transferred to work on the online desk in London.
My earliest memories are here.
My mother is from a small village called Grayshott on the Surrey-Hampshire border. As a child, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents in their home, Bidston, on Crossways Road.
To me, a person without a proper root in any particular geographic location, Britain is a home country, but no one I meet realizes it because of my Canadian accent.
It’s perhaps not so surprising that almost everyone in Britain assumes I’m from “America” because of the similarities between certain U.S. and Canadian English-language accents.
What seems truly funny is the disdainful treatment I receive due to my supposed “American-ness” by the citizens of a country so economically, politically and militarily tied to the United States.
ENGLISH, CANADIAN, AMERICAN ROOTS
My mother is English, her parents were English and Welsh, and so on up the generations, as far back as I know. My father is Canadian.
My father’s father was born just outside Boston in Melrose, Massachusetts, but lived most of his life in Canada.
During the First World War, my grandfather served from 1915 to 1918 in Horsham, England, and on the battlefields of France as an artilleryman with the 2nd Canadian Siege Battery, which was later incorporated into the 98th Canadian Siege Battery.
His parents, my great-grandparents, were Canadian. Their ancestors, who emigrated to New Brunswick in 1813, were also English, from the region now known as Cumbria. We can trace my Canadian grandmother’s ancestral presence in the New World -- to New England in the United States -- as far back as the 1700s. As Nickersons, Armours, and Sowerbys, we think they were Scottish and English.
MYSTERIOUS FOREIGNER
Of course, sounding like a foreigner in a society which places a premium on accents -- see George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play “Pygmalion” in which the upper class Henry Higgins teaches Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, to speak “proper” English -- can have its benefits.
Very few strangers can “pigeonhole” me accurately.
There’s a certain amount of freedom in being an alienated, passport-carrying, classless stranger in a familiar land.
The opinions and viewpoints expressed are those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions and viewpoints of her employer, nor any other professional entity with which she may be affiliated.
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: one of various posts & articles she has written, and one of her photography. Clearly, she's a very busy woman, which makes me even more honored that she agreed to cover for me. She can also be found on Twitter, either on her professional (AlertNet) account, or her personal one.
Awww, why'd you have to go and do that?
While I am a rule follower in my daily life, when it comes to twitter I don't follow too many rules.
When I first started tweeting, there were rules such as only tweet seven times day, don't tweet photos of your breakfast (lunch, dinner, etc), and there was the whole Follow Friday thing.
I love to tweet. And some days, I tweet a lot more than I do on others but I never feel like I'm tweeting too much. If you think I tweet too much, you should probably follow some more people so you don't think that anymore.
 |
| That's a lotta tweets! |
When I tweet photos of my food guess what happens? They are the most viewed photos of any that I tweet. This is ALWAYS the case. It turns out, people really do care what I eat or at least they are interested in seeing photos of it.
Back in my early twitter days, my friend
, posted a blog about the whole Follow Friday meme. It was really a great post that, sadly, he has taken down and can't find because I'd love to share it with you. It was the post that made me rarely ever participate in #FF or #FollowFriday.
Mostly, I was afraid of missing someone and hurting their feelings by not mentioning them on #FF. But Patrick's blog post gave me something rational to direct people to when I needed an explanation.
Now people probably just think I'm loopy. And they're probably right.
I think people are kind of getting away from doing the #FF thing with just lists of twitter handles and are gravitating more towards #FF mentions such as this one:
Lauri is the trophy wife of David Rottmayer. She enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her best friend (David). They live with "Boo Boo the Wonder Dog" in Oklahoma. Lauri and David have recently become grandparents to their amazing glambaby, Aniston. They met while serving in the United State Marine Corps and will soon be celebrating their 33rd Anniversary. Lauri can also be found on Twitter, her blog, and her website.
Parenthood
We've hit that stage. There is always a stage with kids. But I think we've hit that stage where kids and parents start to act like alien species. What the heck happened?
It seems like just a few days ago I was cuddling J, now 8, while C and K, both 4, were snoozin' with bottles in the playpen. Instead, our days are now filled with fighting over Wii games, fighting over which movie is going in, fighting over who looked sideways at who, followed closely by the 3 of them in a pile laughing, and me ready to force choke the next person that whines.
We clash over everything. I try to make some special meal, and all I get is "why can't I have pizza?" Or I make my own pizza, dough and all, and I get "this doesn't look like from the pizza shop." It's the same with every little situation. Movies? I never buy the right ones. I never buy enough. I bought the wrong color shirt. Someone got something cooler.
And I suppose I am the same way. I'm pretty stubborn. I don't like to give in. Ever. I've tried to lighten up a little. Pick my battles. But anymore it seems like every little thing is a battle. Don't do this. Do this. Why did you do that? Why didn't you do this? Why is this laying here? How do you choose?
I've threatened so many times that they start listening or I am sending them off to military school. Even though they fully do not understand that. They have images of G I Joe. I have images of well behaved children.
When did I become such a grown-up?
I'm sorry, wait. What was I saying? I got momentarily distracted random C and K cuddles. And I'm running out of time. I need to claim my seat for Transformers. No one gets my spot. And I have a lightsaber battle scheduled for after bath. Comic book reading before bed. Hiking plans to make for this weekend.
Hang on. I forget where I was going with this....
So alright. Maybe we are on the same planet after all. Just different continents.
I love being a parent.
"Make no mistake of who I am. I can be good, but I'm no angel. It is a choice, depending on my mood. I am wicked & twisted. Push me hard enough and I'll show you."
This being one of Chrisinda's favorite quotes... and pretty much sums it up. Chrisinda is a single mom of 3 boys (2 of which are twins) and lives in rural Pennsylvania. She works as a Yoga/Zen Meditations Instructor, and also has three blogs: one for poetry, one for recipes, and one for just ranting... or whatever comes to mind. She can also be found on Twitter.
My Monkeys ... My Life
The Dallas/Fort Worth area was hit with a bad storm with several tornado sightings. Bad weather normally doesn't bother me, but today was different because the bad weather was too close for comfort. Tornados were spotted very close to my kids' schools and near the sitter's house.
I'm a single divorced parent of three awesome boys (My monkeys as I like to call them) I have a dental assistant job during the day and a second job as a Zumba instructor a few nights a week.
Parenting is a hard job and having three monkeys to raise with little or no help is sometimes overwhelming..
It was nerve wrecking to be at work during the storm. The worst feeling to have as a parent is guilt. Guilt, for not being the one to hold them when they are scared. Guilt, for not being able to be at three places at once. Guilt that doing your best isn't good enough.
Minutes seemed like hours and hail hitting the windows at work with the tornado sirens going off nearby, did not make me feel any better. In my heart I knew everything was okay, but I still needed reassurance. I was able to talk to my monkeys as soon as the afternoon patients cancelled their appointment, I was able to breathe better once I knew my monkeys were okay.
My 5 year old monkey: "Mommy! I didn't have to do my ABC's because of the motatos!" (as he smiled from ear to ear)
Me: "Motatos? What's that?"
Monkey: "You know! The scary black wind thingy that sucks you up!"
Me:"That's TORNADOS!"
Monkey: "Oh! Tornados! Ha! Ha! I'm silly right?"
My 9 year old Monkey: "Mommy, no homework tonight, I left my backpack at school because of the tornados ....it was a worthy sacrifice!"
I rolled my eyes trying hard not to laugh at their silliness and turned to my 13 year old...."Nope, no homework" no excuses just facts.
This was the conversation I had with my monkeys after I picked them up after work...and all was right with the world!
Blanca Raygoza is a proud mother of three handsome boys. She works as a dental assistant and she has a job as a Zumba instructor a few nights a week.
She is trying to live life to the fullest while raising her boys to become true gentlemen, all while sharing joy and awesomeness to those around her.
If you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, sign up for her Zumba classes (you can visit her website for more information). You can also find both her and her class on Twitter.
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.
Tonight we are officially in the Passover Holiday, also known as the Feast Of Unleavened Bread. As Scriptural history shows, it is to be observed for 7 days, but it is recognized as 8 in the the Diaspora (outside of Israel). The mandate for this observance was given by The L-rd Himself, to Moses, beginning in Exodus 12:3, where The L-rd tells what preparations must be made... the events leading up to the final plague which were befallen upon Egypt: the Plague of the Firstborn. The L-rd was bringing the plagues as punishment for the severe mistreatment the people of Israel had endured by the hands of the Egyptians. The was the beginning of the Dawn of a New Era: Israel would leave their place of captivity and become their own nation. Therefore, Passover is a remembrance of those times, enduring brutality, and the miracles that The L-rd, Himself, had made known for all; the people of Israel, as well as Egypt. There are many interesting facets when you study those plagues, but I'll just focus a little on this one. For one, a lamb is to be sacrificed for the Pesach meal. During that time, a lamb was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians as a deity, so you can imagine their horror when they found out the purpose the Children of Israel had for the lambs. The blood from these sacrificed lambs was, with the use of hysop, to be put on the doorposts and the lintel (the crossbeam of the door frame), which draws the shape of the Hebrew letter Chai (×”). The letter Chai is very symbolic of the word "life" (for an easy reference point, think of the musical Fiddler On The Roof: there is a song title "To Life", in Hebrew - they they also say in the song - it's L'Chaim).
This is just a very brief synopsis, as one of my readers specifically asked for a little more information. There is a plethora of information on the subject, through a variety of sources. One such source is on the website for Judaism 101, which does expound quite a bit, and for various levels of learning (though the link I added is for the basic level).
Contrary to popular beleif (by "popular" I mean that which "The Church" has mistaught people), Passover is NOT a Jewish Holiday... it IS, in fact, G-d's Holiday. "you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree" (or in some translations: "forever") - Exodus 12:17. So I hope some of you will look into this Holiday/Festival/Celebration, even partake of a Passover Seder. I think it just may change you for the better... and you'll learn something new. May you all be Blessed!l
It's been a long and arduous several days, getting here to Livonia, MI from Laredo, TX. I arrived here yesterday afternoon. As I had suspected (dreaded) I was pre-planned on a load which re-loads at this same place. This load is not due to load until 1900 tonight, then the first drop is due to deliver tomorrow morning in Pittsburgh, PA. The other two drops are on Sunday, also in Pennsylvania: Bethlehem, then Lancaster. Come Monday, I pick up in Dayton, NJ heading to Brampton, ON. I really don't like the fact that I'm working through Passover, but unfortunately, I don't have such luxuries as taking off for the Holy Days (plus it doesn't help that there aren't many Jewish trucking companies).
Starting tomorrow I will be taking a brief hiatus from this blog, but there are some amazing people that will be filling in for me. Tomorrow's post, however, will have been composed by me, but it will be auto-posted. The topic of the post will be a brief explanation of Passover. There have been a few changes to the lineup with in the last week and a half, but their names will be shown in the parenthetical title of each day's post.
May you all have a blessed and joyous time in my temporary absence. Should you be one of those that are observant: Have a joyous Sabbath, and a memorable Pesach... next year in Jerusalem!
Chag Sameach!
Because of the time crunch I've been under, this run has taken quite a bit out of me. Between driving through rain & hail, missing a tornado, and dealing with people who want to drive 15 MPH through a 45 MPH work zone (not to mention that I've covered over 1500 miles since Tuesday), I'm ready for some kind of break. The weather up in Indiana is a bit cooler than it was in Texas. Down there it was the mid to upper 80's, whereas here just outside of Gary it's upper 30's to lower 40's. It may even get a little cooler as I get closer to the Detroit area.
With Passover approaching ever closer, I'm getting the guest blog posts lined up, although I've had one drop out, so I'm scrambling a little to fill in that gap. I've already had to call in a solid because one other said they would do it... then I haven't heard from them since. This recent loss I'm not upset over. She's filled in for me before, and she's good... but her daily schedule has been a little hectic for her. I'll soon find out if that spot can be covered.
I hope.
Yesterday afternoon I started off again after shutting down just north of San Antonio. I trudged on north through Austin, Waco, etc... even hitting some rain and hail as I came closer to Dallas. I found out that a tornado hit the south eastern part of Dallas, fortunately that was nowhere near where I was heading. One of the Guest Bloggers whom will be filling in for me next week lives in Dallas, and she may be posting on that very thing.
This is one major downside to hauling produce... regardless how long you wait to get loaded, the receiving customer still wants their product on time. That's one of the good things to having electronic logs: when our time runs out, we shut down. however, I fear that when I do get the and get unloaded, I may be getting re-loaded at the same place I delivered... which means I will have to pull an all-nighter to make my first drop on time.
You win some, you lose some. I will still give The L-rd, my G-d, His praise!
This day has turned out to be a long one, so far. By the time I was loaded and leaving the shipper, it was already after midnight... which gave me an 8 hour break on my logbook. I actually don't mind hauling produce, but it's more of a hassle than it's worth when your load gets picked up in areas such as Yuma, AZ, Nogales, AZ, or (as in my case) Laredo, TX. As many other truck drivers will attest to, the big problem with these loads is the freight is booked, but it still hasn't crossed the border from Mexico. There could be wait times up to a day and a half before the product gets to you. As in my case, since I had an 8 hour break (even though I napped), I still had to drive. I made it as far as I could - just north of San Antonio - before I had to shut down for some sleep.
Along the way, I passed a field of some sort (not quite sure if it was an oil well or not) where they were "burning off"... at least I think that's the proper term. It's where you see a large flame burning at the top of what seems to be a smokestack. From a couple miles away (when I had first seen it), it looks like a flickering candle in the dark, open Texas sky. Though such a peaceful representation fades away as you get closer and see it for what it is.
At least I still have a pretty good imagination.
I unloaded this morning in San Antonio, but unfortunately I'm unable to get together with Nemo The Artist. The good thing is this next load is not only a good run, but I also didn't have to wait very long to get it dispatched on me. I'm sitting right outside the customer to load... in Laredo, TX. It's a load of produce (tomatoes, I think) that I will be taking to Livonia, MI. It's set to deliver on Thursday morning, but with my hours as they are currently sitting, 0800 Thursday morning probably won't happen. Either somebody will have to re-schedule it for a later time, or another driver will re-power it and take it on to Michigan.
The weather here right now is in the mid 80's, which for south Texas is considered mild... Summer down here is not for the weak-hearted, or at least those who don't like the hot temperatures. No matter how hot it gets, it still won't deter me from drinking coffee.
I finally left out of Harrisonville, MO at nearly 2000 last night. I stopped in Peculiar, MO to made sure the trailer's fuel was topped off before going in to the Tyson facility in Olathe, KS. Fortunately, the load I was picking up had been pre-loaded. Once I dropped my empty and hooked up to the loaded trailer (and scaled it to make sure all the weights were legal), I was on my way. I made it to just north of Oklahoma City before I shut down... which was nearly 0500 this morning. When I awoke, I decided for a more healthy bill of fare for an albeit late breakfast- fresh strawberries with a cream cheese dip:
I still have over 450 miles to cover yet before I get to the customer in San Antonio, TX. My appointment to deliver is for 0700, and if all works out, I'm hoping to be there around 2300 tonight. But only time - and Ft. Worth traffic - will tell.
I. Need. Coffee.
This has been a nice day; for relaxing, resting, and enjoying the Sabbath. The weather is beginning to get warmer (though I don't think that Winter was even adequate enough this year), so that means my a/c is going... it's a good thing a had it checked out a couple months ago. I will be delivering in a couple hours, then after that, I'll head to Olathe, KS for my next load. I'm hoping that both Walmart (where I'm delivering tonight) and Tyson (where I pick up my next load) will be efficient in their respective processes.
This time next week will be the start of the Passover Festival (also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread). I've had one reader ask for a little more information on the holiday, so next Saturday you will see a post giving some details of it. In honor of the sanctity of said occasion, I will take that week off, but (as I've mentioned before) there will be some guest bloggers filling in for me... therefore, The Common Voice posts will continue.
Sad, but true.
I made it into Illinois last night where I shut down... mainly due to almost being out of hours. This load isn't due until 1800 tomorrow, but I will be getting there tonight, and relax and enjoy the Sabbath. I made a stop in Wentzville, MO (on the north west end of the St. Louis area) to take care of a few things, and, of course, visit Starbucks. I also made a visit to the St. Louis Bread Company, which (for those of you who didn't know) is the original name for what is now known as Panera Bread. With so much to choose from, and so little stomach (and financial) capacity, I ordered the Chipotle Chicken sandwich... and it was - as my friend Lauri Rottmayer would say - FABU!
Now I'll continue this trip, and prepare for the next, which will have me going someplace I haven't been to in a couple of years: San Antonio, TX. My pre-plan will have me picking up in Olathe, KS and delivering in San Antonio on Monday.
Perhaps I can sent a message and get together with Nemo The Artist while I'm there... and in case you have forgotten (or just didn't know), Nemo was the first person I met in real life via Twitter... he does some really cool artwork too!
After getting loaded, and making a few stops along the way (one of which was for Starbucks), I arrived at my destination in Groveport, OH, just on the south end of Columbus. I had a conversation with another truck driver there who used to drive for C. R. England, in their Lease Purchase Program. To make a long story short, they were giving him a financial work-over. Basically, as a trainer, he had to foot half the bill on his students' training pay while simultaneously getting screwed over himself. In essence, his take-home pay for 8 months was a little over $8,000, while C. R. England said he made over $111,000. This is not the first time I've heard horror stories like this... yet I still wonder how they are continuing to get away with this. A possibility could be that since they are based outside of Salt Lake City (and the owners are Mormon), I would tend to think that all the Mormon lawyers in Salt Lake City may be in England's back pocket.
Once this load gets put on (here in Wellston, OH), I'll be on my way to deliver at the Walmart Distribution Center in Harrisonville, MO (just south of Kansas City) for Saturday evening. What will happen next? I'll probably find out Friday afternoon... I'll keep you posted.
Unless I find something more interesting to rant about.
I made my delivery on time this morning. Unfortunately the CSR that gave me my pre-plan yesterday must not know how to tell time, since this delivery was scheduled for 1030, and the pre-planned picked up - about an hour away - at 0945. I haven't had a cigarette since about 1900 last night, so forgive me if I seem a little testy. However, since not having a cigarette in over 12 hours, I've come to realize just how idiotic people drive on the interstates. A word of wisdom to the drivers in Virginia and West Virginia: you are NOT charged a usage fee on turn signals, so please use them when merging on the highway or changing lanes... remember, they're free to use (yes, that includes my "fellow" truck drivers as well).
Once I deliver this in the morning (in Groveport, OH), I will then head to Wellston, OH for my next load which will be heading to Harrisonville, MO for Saturday evening. My next few days may not be hectic, but at least I'll be occupied (not to be confused with Wall Street, nor any other major "protest", for that matter).
I would really like a cigarette right now!
Not only did I unload and re-load at the same facility yesterday, but the customer did so consecutively... which was a nice little bonus. After getting the trailer loaded, and stopping for some ice (for my half & half tea), I was underway around 1630. I made a stop in Knoxville along the way (yeah, to get my Starbucks fix) and made it all the way to Lexington, VA, which is about 45 miles north of Roanoke. Having covered that ground, I have less than 200 miles to cover today, for a 1030 (ET) appointment tomorrow. Though when I arrived here, it was 0240 (ET), so I was ready for some sleep.
I'm going to call Monica (my Fleet Manager) a little later and pester her about a pre-plan for tomorrow. I prefer getting pre-planned because it helps me to plan ahead, and allow for whatever breaks I feel necessary.
I deliver in the morning in Greencastle, PA, which is just 3 miles north of the Maryland state line, on I-81... roughly about an hour south of Harrisburg (the Pennsylvania State Capital). There are many nice areas in Pennsylvania, one of my favorites being Hershey (I wonder why).
This morning hasn't been too productive, yet it has. The appointment to deliver here in Lebanon, TN is an open window (0700-2300) so I didn't feel there was a big rush to get here, especially since I didn't have a pre-plan. However, I found out I was pre-planned on a load this morning, but for some reason, the system kicked it back out. My pre-plan has me re-loading at the same customer I'm unloading, but the appointment isn't until 1900. Perhaps they will load me early.
The reason for my opening sentence is because I've spent probably 30-45 minutes on the phone getting a few things straightened out, and starting new service with DirecTV. Our cable bill has gotten quite expensive ($90/month with NO premium channels... really?!), and after doing a bit of research, my wife and I found that we can get all the channels we like to watch for less than we would have paid going through Dish Network. The best part is, after all the rebates expire (12 months) we will still be paying about $60/month (probably a little less, with our AT&T bundling package). We will see how that goes.
Coffee anyone?
I left out this morning from the North Little Rock terminal with this load I picked up on Friday. I stuck around there just in case there was a different load that needed to be re-powered, but no luck. I was able to meet up with another driver and him and I went out to grab a bite to eat and engage in some intellectual conversation (yes, there are a few of us truck drivers that are edumicated). I left this morning a little after 1000 and made a stop in the Memphis area to do a little shopping. I could have done it in Little Rock, but they don't have a Super Target... Memphis does.
A week ago this past Friday, my youngest son, Nathan, went on a trip for spring break with his high school Drama class to New York City (of which both my wife, Tikvah, and I were jealous). He returned home around 0100 this past Thursday, so I was able to spend at least a day with him before I headed back out. He had a wonderful time: eating at several different places (even having real New York pizza), attending two shows on Broadway, and visiting the Empire State Building, just to name a few. While there, his class even toured the NBC studios, in which he bought me an awesome souvenir:
At my request, he also picked up a copy of The Village Voice. He had a blast and I envy him for going... even though we were the ones that paid for the trip. Then again, an opportunity like this comes very rarely for today's youth... at least where we live. One day my wife and I will go.
Some day.
Yesterday, when I left out, I loaded in Little Rock. The original plan was I would pick this load up, then drop the trailer at the North Little Rock terminal and keep running with something else. The reason was because the Little Rock load doesn't deliver until Monday in Lebanon, TN, which is just under 400 miles away. As it turned out they were unable to find something else, so I'm stuck on this load.
It turned out to be a beautiful Sabbath; not too warm, not too cool. Last night was cool enough to keep the truck off and the windows up. Later this evening another driver will be pulling into the terminal, so him and I may get together for a bit. I'm debating on doing my grocery shopping for the truck. If I do it here, I would be going to Walmart (which I don't want to do), or I can wait until tomorrow and stop in Memphis, TN at a Super Target. Since I've driven a truck - and dealt with Walmart Distribution Centers many time - I have come to loathe Walmart. I won't go into detail now... perhaps another time.
I left out to head back on the road this morning, and my first load picked up in Little Rock, AR, but doesn't deliver until Monday in Lebanon, TN (just east of Nashville). The original plan was to have me pick up the load and bring it to the Little Rock terminal, then get something else that would keep me busy over the weekend. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out that way, as there was no other loads that needed to be covered.
These past few days turned out to be full and productive. My wife, Tikvah, and I spent the day in Little Rock this past Tuesday, but Wednesday and Thursday we were occupied with remodeling the bathroom. Granted, the weather was wet both days and I didn't get a chance to go cycling, but between laying down the new flooring (to include the measuring and cutting), and replacing the toilet and the light fixture, I'd say I got the same results... and I am feeling it today. That will turn out to be a good thing.
I hope.
Have a blessed and joyous Sabbath.
Today it has been raining practically all day, which has put some of my plans on hold. But Tikvah and I were able to get a few things taken care of. Yesterday we had a great time in Little Rock yesterday. Naturally we made a stop at Starbucks, but that was on our way home.
From there we wandered around, made a stop at Pier 1 Imports (always a favorite place of ours), stopped into a little dessert/pastry shop (not that we really needed to)... which proved to be a bit dangerous. We left probably an hour or two earlier than originally intended, due to the fact that there was a thunderstorm warning and tornado watch in effect. We were able to get out of Little Rock and safely home, though we have been getting the rains today.
As I close, perhaps I should let you in on the news I've teased you with the past two days. I now have a way of getting around to some more out of the way places while the truck is parked, as I now have a new (to me) bicycle. In the future, you can expect to see some pictures from places not very easily accessible for a truck. By the way, it's a pretty cool mountain bike... plus I'll be able to get in better shape... maybe start training for the Zombie Survival Dash this October in St. Louis, MO - who's going to join me?
Somebody?
Anybody?
Bueller?
As I have mentioned a couple times already, I will take a hiatus from posting during the week of Passover next month. In my stead, I have lined up some great people to "take the helm" (if you will) during that time. Their posts will actually be scheduled to auto post on their respective days, so this way I can take a break in observance of the sanctity of Passover, AND The Common Voice will still have its daily posts. I recently had a reader that wished to know more about Passover, so I will compile a summary of this holiday, which will appear on April 7th. The next week will feature these great people:
April 8 - Bruce Burger
April 9 - Blanca Raygoza
April 10 - Lori Flood
April 11 - Kirk Provo
April 12 - Julie Mollins
April 13 - Natali Heuss
April 14 - Ern Mander
Each of these people will not only provide a good post, but I am honored and blessed to know them (not just because they're filling in for me). I hope you will all tune in to this channel and show each of them some love and support.
Today has been mild for weather... very mild. I'm still disappointed about this year's winter - or lack of it. Larry and I loaded this morning in a small town called Meta, MO, which is just south of Jefferson City. To give you a little background, let me point this out: on a Motor Carrier's Road Atlas (a.k.a. Trucker's Atlas), the U.S. highways and state highways that are permissible for trucks to travel on are usually highlighted (most commonly in an amber color). If there are roads (and there are quite a few) that are not highlighted, it is highly advised NOT to travel on. That having been said, the state road going into Meta is NOT highlighted. Therefore, that 15 mile stretch takes about 23 minutes to drive on with an empty trailer... about 10 minutes longer if you're loaded.
We are making our way to Memphis, TN to deliver on Monday morning... to which I suspect I will be heading home after that. This Sabbath (like any other Sabbath that The L-rd has blessed me with) has been a nice one... a bit rainy at times, but still a nice one.
As I had mentioned a few day ago, I will be taking a week off from The Common Voice for Passover. However, there will still be postings going up. I'll release the list of my Guest Bloggers soon - I promise!
Here's the story thus far: out of Atlanta, sent to pick up a load out of Shelbyville, TN bound for Hutchinson, KS. Originally I was told to bring it to our Little Rock terminal and it would be re-powered by another driver, then Larry would begin his final evaluation, I would go home. Then it changed. Instead of the load getting re-powered at the Little Rock terminal, now it will get re-powered from the terminal in Madison, IL. The load I was dispatched on later picks up tomorrow in Missouri and delivers Monday in Memphis. So I won't be getting home until then. Sure, I could take the load home, but, a) why just spend the night at home after nearly 5 weeks on the road, and, b) that would not be fair to Larry, who would have to stay in a motel, and has been away from his family just as long as I have. Needless to say, I am a trifle miffed... so I think it's best to leave it there rather than go on a verbal tirade.
I know that The L-rd has something planned through all this (though I don't know what just yet), so I'll have to focus upon Him in order to keep my temper in check. May your Sabbath fill you (as well as I) with joy and with peace.
These last few days have turned out to be a bit quirky. A load that was going to get re-powered, didn't, so Larry and I ended up delivering it just outside of Atlanta. This next load doesn't pick up until tonight, and hopefully it will get re-powered. I can't complain too much... at least I not only have a job, but I'm with a company that takes care of their employees. This is one of those situations that doesn't happen very often. Once we do get this load picked up, we will make our way to the Little Rock terminal, so Larry can unload all of his things from the truck. They may go ahead and give him his final evaluation tomorrow... but we will have to wait and see what tomorrow will bring.
I've said it several times already, so at the risk of repeating myself... this has been a very disappointing winter this year! I look forward to the cold and the snow. Sure I did get some of both on my journeys... but not enough!
Winter - you're such a wimp!
Larry and I ended up having to take the load on to the Atlanta area, due to the fact that the other driver we were going to swap with was going to run out of hours before he got to us. Right now there is no solid plan on exactly what we will be doing next, but one thing for sure is I (as well as Larry) am ready to get home. We've seen a lot of the country, and covered a lot of ground, but I've always maintained that when on the road - I work hard; when my time to go home comes, I expect to do so (i.e. play hard).
Next month will bring the Festival of Unleavened Bread, a.k.a. Pesach, a.k.a. Passover. I have contacted a few people to do some guest posts, as I will be taking that week off. As things begin to get lined out, I'll fill you in on whom will be posting, and on which days. I may not be doing the postings, but the daily blog will continue... even though there's only about 6 people who read it anyway. At least I can say I have a readership.
Last night, Larry and I shut down in Olive Branch, MS, which is just outside of Memphis. Looking at our hours, there was no way that will will be making our delivery today, since we both have less than 5 hours left... and there's still nearly 400 miles to cover. I updated our ETA for Wednesday, which of course, poses a new problem: if we are delivering in the Atlanta, GA area on Wednesday, how will Larry get to Little Rock to take his final evaluation (and I to get home)... on Wednesday? This morning I began a conversation (via the Qualcomm) with my Fleet Manager, Monica, on this issue. As it stands right now, we are waiting here at the Flying J in Olive Branch, hoping everything works out, and we do a swap with another driver who will take this load on to Suwanee, GA, and will get us heading back towards Little Rock.
It's been a long 4 1/2 weeks, so I am ready to get home. I did, however, have a nice breakfast this morning: (instant) oatmeal... Strawberries & Cream (with extra cream), and a glass of milk.
But no coffee yet.
We unloaded this morning in Tulsa, then waited for a little while until our next load was assigned. This one has us picking up in Stillwell, OK (not far from the Arkansas state line) and delivering by 2300 (ET) tomorrow in Suwanee, GA (which is just north of Atlanta). As of now, it's unknown as to if Larry and I will take this on, then get another load back to Little Rock, AR so I can go home and Larry can take his final evaluation, then get his own truck. I say that because we are both low on our available hours on our 70 hour clock (we each had less than 14 this morning).
If I may, I'm going to make a detour from my usual banter...
A news report just released by the BBC is telling - or at least trying to tell - of the daily lives most Israelis endure on a daily basis. I've heard the protests of pro-Palestinian groups, even our own media reporting on the "attacks" allegedlt "perpetrated" by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). Ironically enough, these very same entities FAIL to tell of the ongoing rocket attacks upon Israel from the Gaza strip. If Israel retaliates upon the terrorists and geurillas, they are immediately vilified... yet when the rockets are fired from Gaza (and there are MANY) - to include civilian victims - it is then my ears begin to throb in pain at the deafening silence. When Israel is attacked with rockets from Gaza, the UN has the audacity to tell Israel to use restraint... but nothing is said to the terrorists who fired those rockets.
Can you begin to see the worldwide political trend that is being set?
We covered a lot of ground the past couple of days, of course it helps when customers are efficient during the loading process. Take for example this past Tuesday: we loaded in Tulsa, OK. Our loading appointment was for 1330 (CT), but the customer didn't even start on us until 1530 and we didn't leave until a little after 1730. When we loaded this past Friday in Guilderland Center, NY, (which was an open appointment: 0800-1600 ET) we were loaded and leaving within an hour. I've always seen it as if you can't keep your own loading schedule, then why bother even making a schedule.
Last night I had Larry take us to our terminal in Madison, IL (just outside St. Louis, MO) where we called it a night (which is rather redundant... it was dark out, therefore it IS night). We ate the chili I had made, then I washed up my dishes and went to bed. I woke up this morning, took a shower, and made a run, with Larry and 2 other drivers in this company, to Starbucks (I really should be getting some sort of bonus from Starbucks for all the suggestive sales I make for them).
Carpe Java!!!
Larry and I parked for the night at the T/A truck stop in Lodi, OH (about an hour north of Columbus), where, surprisingly enough, there was still quite a bit of available parking spots. Surprising because it was around midnight (ET), plus I had him park there because we may not have been so lucky a little later. Before we left this morning, I went inside the truck stop which so conveniently had a Starbucks location. We topped of the fuel just north of Columbus, then on to Dayton to do a little shopping. As I compose this post (shortly to be put to bed), I have some ground beef (with taco seasoning) in the crock pot, along with some beef sausage, to cook in preparation for the chili I am making tonight.
This has been a beautiful Sabbath, although warmer than I would hope for (probably somewhere in the 50's), but still a beautiful Sabbath... then again, any Sabbath that The L-rd blesses me with is beautiful!
Larry and I unloaded this morning in Guilderland Center, NY (at 0300 ET), where we went back to sleep for a few more hours, then went back into the Industrial Park to get loaded. This load, at only 32,000 lbs, is heading back to Tulsa, OK for Monday morning. When we stopped to do the first required load check, the both of us made a visit to the Starbucks in the travel plaza on the New York Thruway. It's been a brisk morning so far, and Larry has driven through three different snow storms. So far (as I commented to him) he has driven through snow on both sides of the country.
We still have quite a trek ahead of us, but we will get to Tulsa on time. From there, it's only the matter of two days before I release him to take his final evaluation test... and I go home for a few days. This has been a good training experience for him, as he has been through Tulsa, up to the Seattle area, back to Tulsa, up to New York state, now making yet another trip to Tulsa. We've seen quite a bit of the country, as well as driven through a variety of different weather conditions and terrain (rain, snow, wind... flat land, mountains, curvy roads, and straight runs). He's gotten the hang of the important things, but only time will strengthen his skills in things such as backing, tight turns, and direction finding.
As the Sabbath approaches, I hope you all will be blessed with the joy of G-d, The Most High!
The day has been bleary, weather-wise, since Larry and I left from Harbor Creek, PA this morning, rain pretty much all day (so far). We will be arriving at the customer this afternoon where we will deliver at 0300 ET tomorrow (ugh!). The good thing is, our pick up tomorrow is in the same Industrial Park where we make our delivery. Aside from the weather, this has been a blessed Purim today! Another good thing is I'll be able to make a visit to Starbucks pretty shortly (there's one here on the New York Thruway, in a Service Plaza).
On a different note, there was something I came across while perusing the timeline on Facebook (and, no, I haven't acquired their new timeline system yet, since the mobile site nor the iPhone app allow for many things, such as sharing most other posts, nor "copy & paste" utilization). The story is not very long AND it's very funny... well worth the short time it takes to read it. The story is found on the website for Happy Place, which was the first I had ever heard of them. Either way, enjoy the link, and enjoy the day... and I will enjoy my Starbucks!
Once Larry and I were loaded yesterday, we began making our way east. Monica (my Fleet Manager) sent me a message that my truck was due a minor service, and that I should stop to get it done at either one of our terminal shops, or at a T/A truck stop... I chose the former. We shut down for the night at the terminal in Madison, IL, just outside St. Louis. We left this morning at about 1145 to continue this trip east.
As we drive through the afternoon rush hour traffic in Indianapolis, I am continuing with the pre-Purim fast. As I meditate upon Scripture, and engage The L-rd in prayer, it does help to reflect upon history as to why those of us whom are Jewish celebrate this Holiday... and how past events (primarily found in the Bible, vis a vis the Book of Esther) are eerily similar to current issues. Rather that give the entire outline of the background of Esther, I'll direct you to a more detailed summary, as found at the website for Judaism 101. For those who don't celebrate this Holiday, I hope this gives you some understanding as to why we do. To my brothers & sisters, may you have a Happy & Joyous Purim!!
Larry and I unloaded this morning, but, unfortunately, had to wait a few hours until we were dispatched on our next load. It picked up about 12 miles from where we were, so it didn't take long to get there. The downside is we are getting this through a broker. This load will take us to Guilderland Center, NY... whenever they begin loading us, that is.
It's been rather windy here in Tulsa today, with the mild temperatures (again), but perhaps - nay, hopefully - I'll get some more of the cooler weather while we head up to the (not-so-great) northeast. Only time will tell.
As expected/planned, Larry and I arrived at the customer in Tulsa, OK last night. I stopped off just a few miles away to top off the fuel before coming in, so that we would be good on that. It was fairly cool last night (probably upper 40's to lower 50's), but not quite cool enough for my liking. I slept in, studied a little from this week's Torah portion, then meandered around for a bit. Larry and I walked north from the customer to a laundromat, probably about a mile away, to get our laundry done. It turns out that it's cheaper here than using the (sometimes less than par) machines at a truck stop. Here, I'm using one of the front loading machines, and it's $1 - 1.50 cheaper than the standard washers at the truck stops. Perhaps I should go to a laundromat more often.
Once we're done here, we'll head back to the customer and chill out for the rest of the night... until we deliver tomorrow.
We made our way to Limon, CO last night and shut down for the night. Yesterday did provide some good training for Larry. It was a little windy when we arrived in Casper, WY (where we fueled and did some shopping), though as we ventured further south toward Cheyenne, the wind made sure we knew it was there. It usually get pretty windy in Cheyenne, and extends to the north and west... yesterday was no exception. Some areas were estimating gusts of 50+ MPH, which isn't too bad when you have a heavily laden trailer, but in our case (having only about 17,000 lbs, as opposed to 40,000 lbs) proved to be more challenging. I've been through the area many times, si I could have taken over, but that would not have done any justice for Larry's training... and he handled it quite well.
Just as I had predicted, once we left the Cheyenne area into Colorado, the wind dissipated dramatically... which is always odd, considering the difference is going from 50+ MPH crosswinds to almost nothing in a period of less than 20 miles.
We just left a short while ago from Colby, KS (where I got some Starbucks), where it's a little windy, but also warmer than what we have been in the past week. The temperature is showing to be about 45°, but it sure feels warmer than that... though I'm already missing the north west region AND the colder climate.
We should be able to get to the customer in Tulsa, OK tonight (which is what I hope to do), then get another re-start on our logbooks before delivering Tuesday morning. What happens next is still a mystery. At least I have coffee... and fresh made Pico De Gallo.
Larry and I made it into Wyoming before we shut down, though the last 10 or so miles proved to be more challenging for him, as we hit some snowfall, just before shutting down in Sheridan, WY. We pulled off into a rest area, ate, and watched as the snow drifted down.
It made for a good "wind-down" period just before getting to bed. This morning, there was still quite a bit on the ground, but the roadway on I-25 was clear. With all the snow that had fallen - and that which had still remained - made for some beautiful scenery. There were some areas that the snow covered terrain almost gave the illusion of torrential ocean waters, with the salty foam at the ebbs & peaks of the waves:
Then there were also the stretches where it looked like the white sandy beaches often seen in some areas in Southern California or South Florida:
Overall this has not only been a nice day, but also a beautiful Sabbath... though the weather has been a little brisk and windy.
We topped off the fuel in Casper, WY, then parked the truck and walked over to Safeway to do a little grocery shopping... and, of course, I made a visit to Starbucks. I am hoping we can at least get to Limon, CO before shutting down for the night. That way tomorrow will be the final stretch for this run, and we can get another re-start before unloading on Tuesday morning in Tulsa, OK.
Larry and I didn't make it as far as I had hoped, but we did cover some ground. The customer where we picked up at was, as usual, very pleasant to deal with. Even though the load wasn't ready yet (in fact, they weren't expecting us until today), they did what they needed to ensure an efficient loading process... even getting with the delivery customer to get all the logistics sorted out. When we left Lewiston, ID the weather was cool and the roads were clear... up until we started climbing the mountain on U.S. 95 north to Genesee. In about the distance of 5 miles, the roads went from dry & clear to this:
It was still a lovely ride. The thing about driving a truck in weather like this is it's not too bad when you have a load around 35,000 - 40,000 lbs; but when you have a load that is just slightly over 17,000 lbs, you definitely use a little extra caution (as Larry did). The roads weren't bad going across 4th Of July Pass in Idaho, nor on Lookout Pass crossing into Montana, but with a load this light, you still want to be careful. We ended up shutting down in Haugen, MT, about 8-10 miles east of the Idaho/Montana state lines. I had hoped we could have made it to Bonner (just east of Missoula), but a lot of time was eaten up by dealing with the present conditions.
The scenery is already beautiful out here in Montana, but the addition of snow certainly adds to it:
One more thing... this is the view we awoke to this morning:
As Sabbath approaches, I pray The L-rd's Shalom (peace) upon you, and may He bless you all!
Yesterday turned out to be far from uneventful. Larry and I were finally dispatched on our next load which picks up (as I thought it would) in Lewiston, ID. When we left Woodinville (although I was rather reluctant to leave) we made our way south to I-90, then east. I had heard that is was being predicted Snoqualmie Pass may get 7-10" of snow by morning... along the very route we were taking. It began alright, then evolved into all white (or at least getting there). We pulled off onto the shoulder - along with many other trucks - and began doing something I hadn't done in about 10 years... chaining up. It was an interesting "re-introduction" for me, as well as a new experience for Larry. Mind you, we had an empty trailer to take across the pass, so that added to the excitement.
Larry started out pretty slow which caused quite a bit of rough travel, but as he gradually increased his speed (never getting over 45, of course), the ride smoothed out. It was very pretty as the snow fell, even creating a more calming effect, but he never lowered his level of caution.
The snowfall increased as we gradually made the climbs and falls through Snoqualmie Pass. Even though the cars - and many of the other trucks venturing through the pass - passed us, I told Larry not to worry about it too much. The main goal was too get to the other side of the pass... without the aid of a tow truck and/or an ambulance.
Once we made it to the other side safely (and in a designated area to do so), we removed the chains and put them away.
We pulled off into the Flying J in Ellensburg, WA to top off the fuel before pushing on a little further. While we were there, Larry made a visit to the rest room, to which I commented, "Did the pass scare the crap out of you?", to which he replied, "Yeah... I think so." He did a very good job, considering he had never gone through this in a truck before.
When we arrived in Royal City, WA, I had him park the truck and call it a night. Besides, the second half of this leg I would prefer him taking in the daylight: Washington state road 261, from Washtucna to Starbuck... a route not for the faint of heart.
Today has been fairly chilly here in Woodinville, WA, as well as rainy with a snow mixture. The trailer has been unloaded, but Larry and I are still waiting to find out where we go next. Chances are (as it has been in the past) we will get sent to load in Lewiston, ID with product going to Tulsa, OK, but we mind not get that word for a couple more hours. Last night, however, we had a roast that I had cooking in the crock pot all day, and (as usual) it turned out splendidly!
I was unable to get together with Terri (whom lives in the Seattle area), but I did get to speak with her earlier today. As I figured, her schedule has kept her busy, but she's recently had an unexpected event take place. Mind you, it's nothing with her directly... all I will divulge at this point is that I ask you - if you are one that prays - to pray for her friend David... I certainly will. Perhaps the next time I'm up here we will be able to meet up, but only if The L-rd allows.
After we arose this morning, I did my daily reading of Scripture, then Larry and I walked up the road to Starbucks, where we watched the rain... then the snow... back to the rain fall outside, while we relaxed inside, where it was warm and dry. Walking in a light drizzle is not bad, nor do I mind the cooler weather... when it's cooler, the chilly air in the lungs is always more refreshing. It's also good exercise to do some walking. In a couple more weeks, however, walking for me will be a thing of the past, as I will finally have my bike. Since this area has quite a few bike paths, I will be going on a few adventures... which I will, no doubt, post on when the time comes. The city of Woodinville has always brought me a certain peace whenever I'm up here. The people are courteous & friendly, and it's a safe environment. Just yesterday I saw a couple people (at different locations) wearing an orange reflective vest while walking a dog. I asked one of them the reason why. As I soon found out, there is an animal shelter nearby that they volunteer at, and they take the dogs out for a walk... to get them away from the confines of their cages (the digs, not the people). I find this service very noble indeed, that these dogs can be offered this level of care until they are finally adopted.
Arkansas doesn't have anything like this... at least not that I've seen.
