cartoons
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Posted:May 13, 2015 9:02 pm
Last Updated:May 15, 2015 7:54 am
4959 Views
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Here's a few more from that National Lampoon book I mentioned previously  I think if it still makes me laugh it must be funny  ....
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Really long!
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Posted:May 12, 2015 8:01 pm
Last Updated:May 14, 2015 7:51 am
5052 Views
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Previously I had mentioned the list of accomplishments achieved while driving a truck around the country for almost 5 years. Stuff like a border to border run....I made a pick-up in the drop yard in the Detroit area and took the load over 1,500 miles to Laredo Texas. For those who may not fully understand...or even care about ...how a truck driver is paid, it's per mile. Hence the more miles you drive the more you get paid 
Technically, the Detroit area is on the water and the border is out in the water, but it's close enough Sometimes "close enough" is good enough 
On the Sunday or Monday before Christmas one year I was in Portland Oregon and finally got my pre-assigned load...pre-assigned means a load that is ready for you to pick up but you cannot have the specific information regarding the pick-up and delivery locations other than cities and mileage until you complete your current load assignment  
My pre-assign was to pick up a load there in Portland and take it to Cleveland North Carolina, over 2,400 miles  Really??... I mean.... NO SHIT???? 2,400 miles???? \8 Now, Cleveland NC isn't on the coast, but NC is and that was close enough for me I called my dispatcher to make things clear...
"DUDE!!! 2,400 miles, am I going to split it off or swap somewhere??"
"Nope, it's all yours, no plans on a split or swap."
...\8 ...\8 ...\8 ...\8 ...\8
A run that long is quite unusual with Werner as they have a netops division. Daycab (meaning no sleeper unit attached) drivers who deliver a trailer to another city about 250-300 miles away and then go back with a different load...basically a shuttle run. I was extremely stoked about this run, awesome miles AND...  I had been flirting with a woman on another site who just happened to live right by Cleveland
I had to run my ass off though, the load was due in 4 days which meant 4 - 600+ mile days to be on time. No worries, I can do that I actually had a couple 650s and a 690 during that run. The worst part about it was driving the I-80 through Wyoming in the winter  For those who may not know, the I-80 through Wyoming is horrible: Usually windy, sometimes at very high speeds, barren and desolate with plenty of mountain grades. Wintertime is worse, means snow, blowing snow, ice etc. etc. etc. Luckily I had an easy go through there 
On Christmas Eve I was stopped for the night in a small southwest Iowa town on the I-29. I arrived at the truckstop, fueled up and parked then went in and took a shower. Went back out to the truck to put my stuff away then go back in to the restaurant (a really good one too!) to find out they closed early for the holiday.  Really?? No sign on the door or anything...the pisser was I could have eaten before I took my shower as they were still open at that time. I don't do that, nasty nasty nasty. I've smelled guys who didn't shower before dinner...let alone for the week 
Okay, no worries, I'll walk across the street and get some Arby's. Nope, they just closed too.
As I walked back to my truck I realized something. There are soooo many people in this country who don't get to eat on most days, let alone have anything special during holidays. I figured I could go without dinner once since they don't have much of a choice EVERY day. I didn't feel hungry that night
I made Cleveland on time and was very anxious to meet this woman I had been flirting with. That night after I made my delivery she chickened out, gave me some bullshit about burning her arm in the fireplace....told me she wanted to stoke the fire with a quick jab using a wrapping paper tube. Really? I don't know of anyone dumb enough who is allowed near fire who would use a TUBE...essentially a chimney... to stoke a fire. I conceded to the fact she chickened out and just made the stupid shit up. Oh well.
I made my delivery and if I remember correctly I arrived with a couple hours to spare before appt. time  Quite a task to complete, given the conditions under which I was restricted
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Narcissism
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Posted:May 11, 2015 9:50 pm
Last Updated:May 13, 2015 7:40 am
4696 Views
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It is with great narcissistic self indulgence that I take this opportunity to invite you to view dayzeeme's blog post titled "deserted island" (posted at 7:11 p.m. tonight). Cuz I made a funny 
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Compensation
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Posted:May 11, 2015 7:04 pm
Last Updated:May 16, 2015 1:40 pm
4774 Views
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We work...well, most people....and we get compensated for that work, usually not enough though
For the majority of the regular workforce there are 2 distinct ways in which the employee is compensated, salary or hourly. I myself have only had one position where I was a salaried worker and only worked a little overtime during the 6 months I was employed with that company. All other jobs were hourly with the exception of some construction work which was paid by the piece.
In my current position I am paid hourly while my supervisor...a young know-it-all punk who is literally half my age...is salary. Lately he's been pre-occupied with playing games on his phone And even today, last minute "OH SHIT" moment, he brings out a couple orders to be sent via UPS as the driver is attending the business across the alley. "I didn't realize it was 3:00 already."
Made me think about it, salary vs. hourly. Sure, salary has it perks, you can sit around all day and still get paid. But then again, there are times when he's slammed with work and will have to go in during the weekends too. While being the warehouse grunt I get hourly and even though I never see a full 40 hr. week I doubt I'll get time and a half, which is the way it normally is for hourly workers.
Begs the question, if you had a choice would you choose salary or hourly?
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Stories from the road pt. II
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Posted:May 10, 2015 6:02 pm
Last Updated:May 14, 2015 7:52 am
4751 Views
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In a comment on a previous post someone mentioned something about the wrecks I've seen, did anyone die? Not the most fun thing to discuss of course but in the interest of spreading the word of education to make our roads and highways safer...
I saw quite a few incidents over the 5 years I drove a truck. Most were not too bad, fender bender type stuff. But I did see a few really bad messed up incredible holy crap OMG accidents
One of which happened right in front of me as I was driving into Ottumwa Iowa...yes, the home of Walter "Radar" O'Rielly. Who, incidentally, was a damn good drummer despite having a messed up left hand, from a birth defect I believe. Yeah yeah...
As I approached an intersection of a main road and a cross road I noticed there was also an access road to the frontage road about 200 feet past the intersection. I was about 300 feet away from the primary intersection when the light changed to green and I got back on the accelerator...I was slowing because of the red light... a young guy on a motorcycle came past me in the left lane. NOT speeding. He was doing the speed limit or less.
Then just as I cleared the intersection a woman pulled out from the access road on the right and pulled right out in front of the guy on the bike. it wasn't pretty. He hit square into her front right fender, did two flips in the air before hitting the pavement. He's alive and doing okay considering the extensive injuries he received. Both his lawyer and insurance company were extremely glad I was such an observant witness especially since I took pictures....here are a few....
You hear about it all the time, motorcycles in accidents. I don't get it, how can you have a driver's license and not be responsible enough to see everything going on in front of you on the streets?
I'd say it would be a safe bet to say 70% of motorcycles can be HEARD before they're seen. Seems reasonable to me you should know there's one close by and make sure you see it, yes? It's part of the responsibility of having a license, yes?
Remember the motto? A driver's license is a privilege, not a right. Real basic and simple principle: look, observe, assess, react. Common sense
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Sky art IX
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Posted:May 10, 2015 5:15 pm
Last Updated:May 23, 2015 2:59 pm
4579 Views
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While on some hometime in Vegas a few years ago I went to the drag races with my dad.
Uhh...for those who may not have ever experienced...I seriously recommend you attend an NHRA drag racing event at least ONCE in your lifetime. You won't regret it, I promise Go stand down by the starting line when the top fuelers take off...uh huh
On the way out I snapped about 9 shots, here's 3 of the better ones....
Here's a couple from the races...
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Speaking of balance....
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Posted:May 10, 2015 4:35 pm
Last Updated:May 11, 2015 7:05 pm
4122 Views
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That last post was pretty serious, so now I will balance it with some humour
WARNING!!! Some of the humour below might be considered quite disgusting, proceed at your own discretion
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Who are YOU?
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Posted:May 10, 2015 4:26 pm
Last Updated:May 16, 2015 5:55 pm
4104 Views
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No, this isn't CSI or a review of the band The Who Not that those wouldn't be good subjects of discussion of course...but I digress...
I saw something today while driving down the street that made the little hamster in my head get on his wheel for a few laps the results of which I am sharing with you now...aren't you just so lucky!!
I saw a guy driving a very beautiful, slightly lifted truck with all the chrome polished etc. etc. etc. My initial thought was, "Lucky guy, must be nice to have all kinds of money to afford something like that." Jealous maybe??  Nooooooo, of course not. But then I thought a little more about the thousands of possible ways his life could have worked out for him to get him where he is today. But is he happy? Is he comfortable? I do not know.
Then I thought about what could be described as the opposite, someone like me who has lived a fun life, spent money, never had any real responsibilities, scraped by, chased the dream of being in a successful rock band, went from job to job too many times etc. etc. etc. 
Yeah, I know, I've heard it many times but I certainly don't buy into it....fully.... Sometimes I measure my "adultness" to others who have a career, a house, a family, etc. and I feel like I screwed up because I have none of that and really nothing to show for my existence but a lot of good memories. I wonder sometimes if I would have been any happier with living the "normal" adult life, stay in school, learn something for a life of a career etc. That amount of responsibility makes me cringe, I just couldn't do it.
Must learn have balance Danielsan
I know there are people who can manage that scene and do it well and others who get by without issue and there are also people who have a balance, a little of both worlds. I know they're out there because I know people who "fit" into these 3 basic general categories.
Please, share with the rest of the class...comments, viewpoints, stories, whatever...
Who are YOU??
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Forget it!!
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Posted:May 9, 2015 9:34 pm
Last Updated:May 11, 2015 8:40 pm
4127 Views
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Being a truck driver means one thing...if the wheels ain't turnin', you ain't earnin'! At least for the OTR guys, local drivers are usually paid by the hour...lucky fraza minxuh creesima banda fripz
Someone asked me what do you do if you don't want to take a load? Well, it's a tough thing to say no, considering it's your wallet that gets affected the most. But there might be things which weigh more heavily in favor of saying no. Upcoming weather, the city/area where you'd be delivering...or picking up, timeliness of delivery - meaning it might have a delivery appointment of 2 a.m. and considering you'd be sleeping at that time....
There is also something called a shag run, meaning you're picking up at a terminal or drop yard and delivering it to the same city or very close by...minimal miles. Usually you're paid a base fee for those since the pay per mile wouldn't get you shit. A lot of drivers won't take those because they think it isn't worth their time and more than likely it's an appt. delivery and you'll have to do too much sitting. There were quite a few of those in Laredo Texas, shag runs. I discovered early, by someone telling me the trick, if you do a shag run for the Laredo terminal they'll get you a load heading back north with good miles, a good thing But the guys who wouldn't run a shag might sit at the terminal for a couple/few days before getting out. I gladly did the shag
I actually did refuse a load once, it was delivering on to Long Island and I had absolutely NO desire to be driving anywhere through the city of New York. I had a pick-up in Yonkers once and once was enough We learned about those situations in school, back east being a lot more difficult driving conditions since it was the oldest part of the country and things changed over the years. More difficult in that there are a lot more low clearance locations, a lot of places a truck cannot or is not allowed to be driven etc.
After too much time wasted in Los Angeles on deliveries I finally told my dispatcher I would no longer make deliveries in LA. I said if I had a load into LA I would take it to the terminal and tell them something's wrong with my truck. Ya see, LA has waaayyyyyyyyy too much traffic and it's always rush hour  plus I waited 4 hours to get unloaded once (it took them another 4 to unload me) and another time I waited an hour and a half just to get from the street to the guard shack to check in. Major BS
I had a lot of loads I did not want to take, but did anyway because I was promised an awesome following trip. Something going to a desired location or maybe something to help get me headed home for time off or maybe just a good trip with a lot of miles on it...always a good thing ... like the time I got my coast to coast run, during the week of Christmas, but we'll save that for another time
Here's an old truck from the truck show....
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Tony Gwynn
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Posted:May 9, 2015 9:58 am
Last Updated:May 11, 2015 8:48 pm
4057 Views
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May 9th, 1960 is the birthday of Tony Gwynn aka Mr. Padre, star Right Fielder and Master Batsman who spent his entire career with the San Diego Padres...one of the last "dedicated to my team" players
He played 20 seasons with the Padres from 1982-2001, made the All-Star team 15 times, won 8 batting titles, 7 Silver Slugger awards, 5 Gold Glove awards and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007, the first year of eligibility. He was also the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award, the Lou Gehrig Award and the Branch Rickey Award.
He played in 2 World Series, both were the only times the padres went to the Series. During the second time he hit a home run in Yankee Stadium, hitting the facing of the second deck...something he considered a personal milestone.
His career batting average was .338 and never hit below .309 in any full season, his highest average was around .405 (the highest since Ted Williams back in his day) but unfortunately that was during a strike shortened season. His World Series average was .371. Tony accumulated 3,141 career hits, one of just ten players to reach the 3,000 hit club while only playing for the same team during his career. An interesting anecdote - his first hit came against the Cincinnati Reds, in Cincy. When he got to first base "Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose said to him "Don't try to pass me all in one night ."
Having attended many Padre games during that time I got a few chances to chat with him during batting practice, what a truly nice guy. Got his autograph several times....once was at a car dealership, he was doing a promotional signing before a game. I had brought a newspaper article I saved, it was about his swing and they broke it down with a series of pictures. When my turn came I set the paper down in front of him (after he signed the new ball I brought), he picked it up and studied it for a minute, looked up at me and shyly explained he didn't even remember doing it!
The Padres retired his number 19 in 2004. After retiring from professional baseball he went on to coach at SDSU (his alma mater) until his untimely death nearly a year ago on June 16th. He will always be missed but never ever forgotten One of the last truly pure baseball players ever.
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#69
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Posted:May 8, 2015 10:00 pm
Last Updated:May 11, 2015 9:44 pm
3816 Views
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This is my 69th post so what more appropriate a topic thaannnnnnn........... care of your goldfish.
Okay, seriously now... 69, I'm fairly certain we've all done it, yes? Sometimes I would think there's nothing better than to have my woman straddle my face as I wrap my arms around her waist, fully grabbing her ass and holding her tight to me....mmmmm ....uhhh, what was I talking about ....
Oh yeah!! 69
So what say y'all, yea or nay?
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Road scenery
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Posted:May 8, 2015 9:43 pm
Last Updated:May 11, 2015 8:45 pm
4117 Views
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During my travels I saw a lot of the Midwest from Wisconsin to Texas but having been all over the country I did notice certain places had a more pure quality to the scenery. I am quite certain most of the watchers/commenters of my blog will remember the Disney nature films we saw in grade school, yes? I saw some of that in a few places
One such place was the northwest mountains east of Seattle. I also made a run out on to the peninsula to Poulsbo. A lot of Oregon has some great scenery, especially the drive from Eugene up to Bend, taking the 126 which hooks up with US 20 and goes past Suttle Lake. Another place was The Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. I drove through there on several occasions and every time I would think "What a cool place to have a house on the water during the summertime".
I grew up in San Diego and am quite familiar with SoCal and now the Vegas area. It was interesting to see some areas around the country that looked very similar to "home". I saw a lot of really cool small towns as well as some smaller cities and what really caught my attention was the "style".
The architecture and the way things were maintained from the original days of the town were very cool to see as compared to the newer areas where I grew up. Something I always noticed was areas like St. Louis with the older red brick buildings, the stories they could tell
There were a few places I wish I could have had some time to sightsee...maybe some day
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Hold on, back up...
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Posted:May 7, 2015 8:57 pm
Last Updated:May 9, 2015 7:00 pm
3878 Views
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Someone mentioned in a comment about backing up a rig. It's actually quite simple, once you learn how to push the front of the trailer around
It's understandable that backing up a trailer isn't for everyone, having to steer backwards and all that. But when you master the technique it's quite an accomplishment
Then comes the instances where you have to squeeze into a spot or in my case once, I was required to jackknife into the dock. Reason being if I were to remain straight I would block the driveway into the customer parking lot, so my tractor had to be angled enough to allow clearance, about 60 degrees left. Okay, no worries. Doing something we were not trained to do I had to do a couple of pull-ups...meaning I had to pull forward and re-position for another attempt...but got it done in less than 5 minutes. 
It's all about the set-up...meaning how you position and maneuver your rig to get into any spot...and it doesn't matter how long you've been driving, if you don't get set-up right you'll never get in. It is not always a simple task and some drivers are better or more experienced and can accomplish the task quickly, so if you see a driver trying to get backed into a spot give him some room and a little patience, he's doing his best...trust me, he doesn't want to be the reason other drivers are getting upset
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To link to this blog (kittyliquor519) use [blog kittyliquor519] in your messages.
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