So maybe I was a bit upset...

Tuesday, November 16^th, 2011

      Dork-tastic! I found this font that is named after the town I grew up in. Who knew Open Office was so in touch with the liberal red-necky types? So, I am now choosing to write as if there were no audience, more of a true journal format. I expect things will become a bit less prosaic, and perhaps more jumbled, although still in the German romantic style of rambling sentences. Perhaps now and then the mood for flowery language will strike me, as it did after driving through the Gorge, but I will not force it upon the writing. I will, however, make an effort to maintain some standards, like paragraph structure and punctuation. Away we go!

      Made some excellent time today. The morning went rather swimmingly, and I'm really enjoying this truck being set to 65. Well, at least I was for most of the day, but that part can wait. I got a chance to add some of this anti-gel into the tanks today before filling up. That was exciting... it reads on the can, “so concentrated we had to can it.” Translation: so caustic it will melt through ordinary plastic. I am grateful that I now have some tools on board, since these cans have a metal seal that you need to punch through to open. Yes, it is THAT concentrated. I also added a gallon of motor oil today, as it was reading below the add line this morning. Where the hell it all went to is beyond me. There are no spots under my truck in the morning... maybe there's some engine beast that devours oil.

       That reminds me of the other day when I got so upset in Clackamas. The guy was saying that “there are microbes that digest oil, so it has to be natural. How many times in all those millions of years do you think oil just happened to spill into the ocean?” I pointed out that the ones used for the BP spill were genetically engineered. He then asked what happened to all the other oil that spilled, to which I replay, “it denatures in sunlight and the environment.” We can all see where this is going, so maybe somehow my engine is designed to eat denatured oil. That's all I can figure out. That whole experience leads me to believe that people will only hear what they want to believe is true, which includes myself as well.

      The big event of the day, however, was getting pulled onto the scale just across the border. I weighed just fine, it is just that there is this thing called a “bridge law,” which has nothing to do with bridges oddly enough. It has to do with how far your trailer tires are apart from each other. Apparently, mine were too far forward. I thought to myself, “Seriously? This has got to be some kind of joke.” Apparently, in B.C. there can be no more than 35% of the trailer hanging over the center of the rear tandems. But that center cannot be longer than 41'. I shall now dub B.C. as the “baby bear” state for this “just right” b.s. and the crying they do about it. OK, perhaps I'm a bit upset about getting a $115 fine for that. Wait, excuse me... $100 fine and $15 “victim surcharge levy.” What the hell is that? The victim gets charged 15%? Who is the victim here? I fail to understand how having my tandems too far forward jeopardized life and limb.

      So after pulling me aside to ticket me, they decided to do an inspection. Since I was so nice, it was only a level 2 inspection, which does not involve measuring the brake pads. It has been such a long time since I did one, I kinda forgot what I was doing and got as bit flustered. In the end, my tractor was just fine, but the officers found a violation on my trailer. It is alleged that I have a cracked plate above the 5^th axle. I checked for that on my post trip but couldn't find any cracks. I wonder what they were talking about? That said, I have to have it fixed before my next dispatch (i.e. before I leave Canada; most likely in Calgary).

      I have learned today how impatient I can be. I am in such a hurry that I could, in theory, deliver an entire DAY early. I was passing cars as fast as i could, and getting upset when people got in my way. Good gravy! I didn't realize how hard I pushed myself and others. It seems to come out when I have a goal in mind, which can be a good thing in some instances. For now, I have attributed this sudden rush to the fact that I can go 65 mph now instead of 60. I noticed that at 60, I don't really care about going fast. But at 65... get the f*ck out of my way! The very notion that one can get their average speed that much closer to 60 by standing on the fuel pedal is causing me stress I do not need. So I now set my cruise control at 63 mph. I was going too fast down the hills at 65 and had to keep turning the cruise off, then reset it again. logically, I shouldn't have kept it on, but my foot was getting tired of driving so much. (I know right? Pansy. lol) So I no longer have a fire under my ass, for which I'm thankful. I think I'll meditate for a while too.