Getting caught up on catching up

Whenever I get tired, cranky, stressed, busy, or overwhelmed, things like this blog tend to fall by the wayside.  I make no apologies for this; it's just the way I am, and eventually I do return, as I did now, to try to get caught up on what's been going on since my last blog entry.

One of our Tuesday night friends asked me if I was still happy with my job, because I hardly ever talk about it. The answer is yes, I am quite happy working where I am now, knowing I will draw a dependable and consistent salary and be able to go home every night.  I don't talk about it much because there's not much to talk about.  I don't do anything glamorous or exciting; I drive a tractor-trailer and make local deliveries.  Before that, I drove a tractor-trailer and made deliveries across the United States.  I talked about that more because there was usually something interesting that I saw during the day, and sharing it here eased the loneliness of being far from home.

I think I said earlier that the nature of my job was of a "feast or famine" approach as to how busy I could be at any given moment.  Last week was toward the "famine" end, especially during the latter part of the week when there was truly nothing that needed my services.  Instead, I did some minor repairs on the truck (I save those for periods like this because it keeps me occupied legitimately) and puttered around the shop looking for some busywork.

This week, however, has been the polar opposite.  Not only do I have to shuffle a trailer back and forth between two of our buildings (moving and consolidating a department), but I've had a slew of deliveries scheduled for the early part of this week, along with a few pickups, enough that some of the work was given to the other drivers and sent to outside trucking companies.

The downside to this, as hot as it's been, is I don't have time to stop and rest for very long.  If I can get a few minutes at a receiver's dock to just get a quick breather, I consider myself lucky.  We won't discuss keeping myself properly hydrated.  We just won't.

Anyway, it's back at it tomorrow, rain or shine or whatever crazy weather we happen to get.  This is just a quick update, which is about all I have time for right now.

A case of the Mondays on Tuesday

I don't know what's been going on for the past couple of days, but I've really been fighting the urge to stab people in the eyeballs with a fork.  Little annoyances have been escalating in my head and becoming full-blown near-biblical-rage-inducing episodes.  I've been keeping it in check as best as I can, but thank goodness for my night out.  We're going to have another one tomorrow night, which will be an extra help.

Yesterday, while not busy from a driving standpoint, had a lot of warehouse work.  I spent the better porting of the day wrapping pallets for shipment.  It might have gone smoother had I not been micromanaged by Mr. Know-it-all.  I think I'm capable of stretch-wrapping a pallet on my own, thank you very much, now go away because I know where the forks are.

Today had me going out more, so I felt a little less stabby, but idiot me forgot to clock in when he got to work this morning and ended up doing so about two hours later.  I got that fixed before I left for the day, so I am not going to worry about it for the moment.

Here's hoping the rest of the week improves.  Maybe the vodka tasting tomorrow night will help.

Report from two days in

I started the new job on Monday morning.  I was lucky enough to get the old job taken care of on Friday, because it didn't seem like I was going to be able to get everything cleared without a trip back on Saturday, which would have been another example of the utter nonsense I've been dealing with and one of the reasons I was looking for an out.  Being home and not having to spend months on the road was the main concern, but the nonsense was also a contributing factor.

I was fully prepared to spend the better part of the morning filling out the various forms and going through the myriad piles of paperwork that every new hire must wade through.  Instead, I think everything was completed in about thirty minutes, at which time I was introduced to my co-workers and sent out on an assignment.

Yesterday was a very busy and hectic day, owing in the most part to some key personnel being absent, so I managed to rack up a little overtime.  I forgot how sore I get standing up for so long a time, but my legs let me remember vividly with the early-morning leg cramps around two this morning.

Today was a little more relaxed, and the better part of the day was spent going through the company's truck fleet, noting defects and other issues, and if I was able, correcting minor deficiencies as I found them.  Unfortunately, a great majority of the vehicles require some form of maintenance that I cannot provide, along with getting paperwork and inspections up-to-date and accurate.  One truck was sent out today for major repairs to the transmission (I don't care what anyone else tells you, fifth gear is extremely important, especially under a heavy load) and general preventative maintenance.

I don't know how busy tomorrow is shaping up to be for us, but if it's like today, I will be doing more of the same, going through the trucks and trailers with a fine-toothed comb and noting defects that could be costly, both to myself and the company, in the long term and getting them corrected.

I'm really grateful to be able to engage in a little bit of wine therapy tonight, and don't have to cook since we'll order food here.  Tomorrow, I'll be trying something that came about on the spur of the moment and reporting the results to you, good or bad.  The review, that is, not my blog, I already know that's horrid. (joke)

In short, the company is decent, the co-workers are nice, and I am really happy to be a part of their team, along with being able to work locally and be home at night.

Could I have found The One?  We shall see.

Where was I ... and where am I?

The big problem with playing catch-up with the blog is I get so busy I lose track of time, and can't remember the last time I was able to post something.  Add in the fact that I also lose track of what day of the week it is (all day yesterday I kept thinking it was Sunday), and it makes for an interesting time trying to remember what I last talked about.

The break I was hoping to take was a short one, and after finishing the multi-drop load on the 28th, I got to rest until the morning of the 29th, when I was sent to South Carolina to pick up a load going to Laredo, Texas. The only problem was the load was already a day behind schedule, and there was no way I was going to make it for the delivery date.  So, I ran the load as far as Atlanta, and swapped out with another driver.  I was then given a load out of Columbus, GA, going to Laredo.  And, since this load contained hazardous materials, I had to be extra vigilant in my inspection of the trailer I was given.

It's a good thing I was, because it had one tire that had not only gone bald, but had the steel cords showing.  The registration was gone, meaning I had to call in to the office to get a copy of it faxed to me at the truck stop, and then take the trailer over to a tire shop to get fixed before I could pick up my load.  Which meant I was later than I wanted to be in getting to Columbus, but still on time.

I made it to Laredo without running into any of the nasty weather that was moving through the area I was driving through.  I hit a couple of downpours in Louisiana and some fog through Alabama, but other than that I didn't get hit with anything.

The nice thing about being in Laredo is there's a Wal-Mart that has truck parking.  After dropping my trailer, I headed over there and stocked up on things that I needed, like more food (canned soups, canned pineapple, some meats that don't need refrigeration) and other items like sodas and personal hygiene products.

I got my load early this morning.  I have a stop in Lewisville, Texas before heading to Lebanon, Tennessee, and the final stop is in Elkton, Maryland.  The only major problem I can see is that Maryland and Tennessee are due on the same day, about six hours apart.  Forgetting the time zone change, there's no way I can cover over seven hundred miles in what will amount to three and a half hours by the time I'm done unloading in Tennessee.  I've let the office know about it, and I'll continue to send the running late reports if need be, but as far as I'm concerned, it is officially Not My Problem anymore.


I didn't have a lot of time or opportunity to take pictures this past week or so, but the picture to the left is of the retreating storm clouds in Piedmont, South Carolina.  The picture to the right is sunset in Dallas, Texas, where I'm staying for the night.  It's sad that I'm home, but I can't go home.

Here's hoping for a decent week.