Monday, January 16th, 2012
So, it seems that my company is turning over a new leaf. I suppose even the giants have to change at some point, of fall behind the more nimble companies. Allow me to elaborate.
I made my delivery today with all sorts of extra time. I wanted to beat the traffic, and I beat the heck out of it, to the tune of 1 and ½ hours early. I planned some extra time for traffic (an extra 90 minutes... L.A. gets bad at rush hours) that it turns out I did not need. Then again, it is hard to say. I am of the opinion that if I had left later I would have taken longer and run the risk of missing the appointment time. In the end, I don't suppose it mattered anyway. I sat at the dock for a good 40 minutes before they even started to unload me. So I took another cat nap. And played some more banjo.
Returning to the Fontana terminal, I was blessed with the chance to park in a space with an adjacent space open. Life is good, since that makes the backing a no-brainer. It may sound like I'm anemic or something, but I took another light nap and had some mild day dreams about something or other, then got off my butt to scan in the paperwork (so I can get paid). After the scan, I went to the dispatch window to staple the papers together. (Gripping!) While I was there, I figured that I would ask the lady how far behind they are for loads. You see, since SoCal is soft on freight and heavy on trucks, there is a bit of a waiting list for loads out of town. The list was 2 days deep. More precisely, “that is what they are shooting for,” was the response I got. So, back out to the truck for a real nap.
I awoke to a text message. There is that “funky” ring tone you can set on my phone, and that is my text alert. Not very soothing, but it gets the job done. Turns out my next load (so early?) was a deadhead order to North Las Vegas. As much as I wish it had something to do with Jerry Garcia and his fun time pals, deadheading is simply driving someplace with an empty trailer. I also understand that dead-heading as a verb refers to the practice of cutting spent flower heads off their stalks in order to compel the plant to produce more blooms. Obviously, driving a few hours is in no way related to lopping off some flower's spent reproductive organs, but it sure is more fun to zoom up the hills at whatever speed you choose! Normally, Swift would have just let me sit for a few days in Fontana. I guess they really do want to keep the wheels moving. Yaa for change!
North of Fontana on I-15 is a beautiful place. A few cities punctuate the otherwise desolate Mojave Desert. Joshua trees are quite a beautiful sight to behold. Pinon pines occupy lower elevation where the Joshua tree will not grow, along with any number of smaller shrubs. Barren, craggy eroded mountain sides border the landscape, a testament to the region's aridity. In some fantasy, I would strand myself out here just to prove my mettle, but I'm glad it is only a fantasy. I think I'd die withing a couple of days left to my own devices in all honesty. I grew up wanting to live out in nature in the woods, off the land. To be sure, Upstate New York is a very far cry from the Mojave.
So for now, I will enjoy the desert night a few miles north of Vegas proper. There are less lights out here, so hopefully I can see some stars. Who knows where tomorrow will bring me? Enjoy what you have today!
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