A shot at redemption

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

     A welcome day of rest.  Sure, I had the hours to drive today.  The interest was certainly not there.  I feel that I've kinda let myself go in as much as my routines are concerned.  I have not done my exercise in a couple of days, and I've not meditated as much.  That said, it feels like a welcome break from the daily grind of life.  While on the one hand, I want to create a certain kind of life, the other hand wants me to relax a bit and know that the routine will continue if you really want it to.  Rather than berate myself for not sticking to a rigid plan, I decided to do something completely different and go into St. Louis.  

     In some ways, I was hoping that the city would redeem itself after the spectacle of the drive by monkey spanker.  (In retrospect, it seems funny to me how we on one level know that all dudes have a unit, but that we never think of it, or choose to forget it until we accidentally see it).  Happily, I have a friend in the area who just happened to be available today.

      The first step is getting from the truck stop to any place else.  This involved a cab ride.  Amazingly, the dude was early!  Even better, we had a fantastic conversation.  It started off with me asking about his work, and he happily obliged by telling me that it was alright, but that he was moving on to work in the oil fields in Montana, near the Canadian Border.  He asked if I was a Christian, and I explained my views, which were certainly not his.  When explained, Christianity sounds kinda silly and hokey.  Regardless, we got into how the U.S. would be a much better place if people would simply listen to each other, judge less, and accept more.  His politics were conservative to a tea, claiming that Obama is the greatest threat to our country.  I managed to avoid that conversation and steer it towards corporate influence and the broken political system.  Great stuff!

       Downtown STL was hot today.  The Arch is ginormous, and the Courthouse is being refurbished.  That did not stop me.  Someplace north of the courthouse there is a long string of city blocks converted into parks.  There was even a food truck!  I felt as if it were some kind of rare event out here, especially when compared with Portland.  Having some lunch then looking through the parks, I went to wade in one of the many pools.  Just getting my sandals off (could you imagine wearing work boots today?!) and getting my feet wet, a volunteer (it said so on her name tag) came out of somewhere.  She advised me not wading in that particular pool, as "some homeless people use it as a latrine."  I did not bother to ask if it was number 1 or number two.  Instead, I got out and moderately burnt the soles of my feet on the hot pavement in doing so.

     Further down the way is the real city garden, complete with screaming kids hanging out in a pool.  That was kinda fun, but the real fun was revisiting an old friend who I've not seen in the better part of a decade.  Our first stop was the Botanical Garden, decked out for the Chinese Lantern Festival.  Certainly a hot day for walking out in the sun, never mind all of the people working out in it.  In the gardens, there are a number of traditional decorative structures, most made of silk covering a metal frame.  The two displays that were not of silk caught my attention.  There were two Chinese style dragons, made from plates, presumably on a metal endoskeleton.  Tied in a traditional manner, these two creatures were about 50 feet long apiece.  The other non-silk creation was a mythical creature made of all sorts of other animal parts, the name escaping me at the moment.  This sculpture was constructed of little glass vials filled with colored water and tied in a traditional manner.  Absolutely amazing!

      So since we we here, there was the obligatory Anheuser-Busch Factory tour complete with free beer at the end.  They had the Clydesdales in their stable area, one getting his pubes trimmed.  Seriously.  I won't go on about the horse behind him hanging his dong out to dry; that clause alone says it all.  The sheer scope of the brewing is amazing, with Budweiser consuming 9% of the U.S. rice crop every year.  The smells are sweet and grainy, and the temperature variances about 70 degrees from the coldest to hottest.  On what looks to be 10 acres of floor, 3 people bottle all the beer that comes out of the plant.  Three on a shift.  There were 4 times that number of hosting staff in the hospitality room (where they give you the free beers).

      Overall, I've decided that this town may somehow have redeemed itself, but through no fault of its own.  Seeing an old friend and having a good time is priceless.  Seeing the horse dong is something I could have done without, as dongs seem to be some kind of theme for me here.  Honestly, St. Louis needs to keep it in its pants.

   

Shopping and gambling, Nevada's entertainment

Saturday, February 11^th, 2012

     Oh Sparks, you are becoming so predictable. Little to my surprise, I sat around all day today. This is not to say that I've done nothing, just nothing I'm getting paid for. In the end, I am taking a 34 hour reset, because I can. Even better, they are having me take an empty to Salt Lake (again) since there is all sorts of freight over there. In the industry, we call that overbooked (more loads than trucks). Yes, it has become predictable, which is good in a sense.

      Having figured that I would be down for the day, PTA of 0600 notwithstanding, I did some internet stuff in the morning, then decided to tour around the area for a bit. Honestly, there is not very much to see on this side of the highway. There is the Petro, which is where I do my web surfing, and a bunch of warehouses and heavy equipment retailers. Oh and an industrial tire dealership. All in all, not much to see. A scant mile away across the freeway, however is another story.

      I crossed the road (to get to the other side of course) with an interest in visiting an certain department store. I'm looking to buy a few supplies and such, socks and long underwear ion particular. Seeing as it is already February, the store is not carrying wool socks, nor long underwear. So I bought some soap since I used the rest in the shower this morning. Driving such a large vehicle makes days like this exceptional, in that you can actually get supplies. Sure, there are Walmarts around, but not all of them will let you park in their lots, and have anti-truck gates installed to keep big rigs out. That, and I find that I am usually working way too much to stop for a break, but that has changed for me now. I'm more into making my life a priority over the freight, while still doing the best job I can.

      Not too far from the Target, is an outlet mall. I enjoy visiting the “real” world of consumerism now and again. Some days I feel so out of touch with most of American society. Please note that I am not describing this as a misfortune. Indeed, it may be a blessing in many respects. Everyone looks less gritty, and more done up. In the world of trucking, people don;t shower every day, or put gobs of makeup on to look nice. Heck, just taking time to brush your hair is considered optional for some truckers. (Incidentally, this is why I prefer to keep my hair very short). People on the outside looks pretty, even the guys. What gives? Is there some contest I am missing? I'd just as soon not enter I imagine. Looks expensive and frivolous.

      I ended up coming away from the outlet mall with 2 pairs of nice wool socks for $20. SO that was cool. I spent most of my time wandering around Scheel's an outfitter's store, considering buying a pair of binoculars for whatever reason, mostly because it is sweet to have a pair. Looking at the Moon, the Pleiadies, that bird way over there, whatever. Perhaps some day. Waling out of the complex, a mixed group of younger adults walked past me, and one commented on my awesome mustache. For vanity reasons, I waxed it today and put it into a handlebar. It is so much fun to see how long it has gotten. I plan on having it photographed before I shave it off in annoyance. Yeah, the life of a trucker is simple, but we have little vanities we entitle ourselves to now and then.

      Aside from that, a wonderfully relaxing day with plenty of banjo playing, reading and otherwise helping people whenever I happen to be around. There is a certain satisfaction in helping someone at the right time.

      On the way to post this, I decided to gawk at the gambling downstairs in the casino. I watched people play  blackjack, craps, Texas Hold 'em and slots. The slots bore me to tears. So many hamsters pressing levers to feed their reward centers. Blackjack was fascinating. There is some kind of secret code to playing involving knocks, hand waves and little chips. Apparently you can buy insurance for some reason. I figure that you are gambling, what the hell does insurance have to do with it? That said, the lady dealing was amazing. Very fluid motion in all of her card actions. It was very zen to watch. What really knocked me out was this little button she pushed on a machine next to her. You press the green button and a deck of cards pops up through a trap door. I'm thinking that it is some kind of card shuffler, since she put the other deck in the waiting maw. Very cool.

      The craps table is a complete mystery to me. There are a bunch of squares representing odds and ranges and other stuff beyond my ken. It seems insurance is a popular theme in these games, since there was a stripe labeled as such. I am aware that you throw dice and the dude with the stick tells you what you've rolled, in case you can't count. He rakes the dice together and then does something with them, I got distracted by the lady that came by with a tray of hot dogs. Seriously. Eww. Gross. I'm certainly done with any kind of ground anything put into tubes of dubious edibility. I ate a bunch of hot dogs and brats when I first came back to trucking. At $2.22 for a pair, the price is hard to beat. Now they have become a symbol of all that is nasty about trucking Truly disgusting, and here they are giving them to people putting round trinkets on green cloth marked up with white stuff. Probably money involved somewhere.

      The Texas Hold-em table was a curiosity, since you see it on TV in poker tournaments. I stared for a while, but was told I had to go someplace else to watch. I was apparently standing in “the pit.” I take it this is some kind of forbidden zone in the center of the gaming tables. I do not understand why. Again, probably money involved. There wasn't really a pit. At least, I didn't notice a change of elevation. Perhaps it is subtle, or more of a metaphor for how all the gamers' money sinks into this central location never to be seen again.

      Given that this is a truck stop, I'm a bit surprised that there is not a brothel here. While it is something I would not participate in, I am curious as to how they work. Yes, I know that you pay money for sex. I get that. What I wonder is how they set people up with the prostitutes. What do the employees think of their work, and why do they get into the business? How do they feel after a day of work? Have they found Jesus? Well, I wouldn't ask that last one. Nevada is a strange place, but I will leave here with my brothel questions unanswered, happily so.

Experimental Format Fail

Saturday, December 10^th, 2011

      On time delivery. These are words a driver lives by, for it is what we provide, and our companies sell. For some it is a sort of credo, a maxim to live by. This is what I do when I am doing this job. Often times, the hours of delivery will be funny, and it may or may not mess with the hours of service rules. Happily, my current load does not have an appointment time yet. My sole issue is making it into Seattle by Monday.

       Honestly, it isn't much of an issue. I've worked out all of the details yesterday when getting assigned the load. The only challenge, albeit a negligible one, is doing it within my 70 hour limit. That's where today comes in. I'm taking a 36 hour break (it is 36 in Canada instead of a 34 hour restart). For the most part this is a good thing. It lets drivers rest and regain their stamina. I don't feel that I need it, but my log book tells me that I do. Which brings me to my current dilemma. I needed a shower yesterday, so I parked at the card-lock Flying J, which oddly enough has showers. A card-lock is a Canada thing where there are just pumps but no real facilities for truckers, barring showers in this exception. No wi-fi. No place to get out of the truck and gawk a stupid shit. No movies. Nothing but a C-store and a bathroom, which is just fine, but leaves me with not much to do but keep my own company.

That said I am slowly going a bit nutty. After all of the stimulation and distractions of driving, there's not much left to do. I have a couple books I can read, but I've read them already. They may bear flipping through again. In lieu of practicing the banjo (which is still in Sedro-Woolley) I will write, meditate and walk around a lot. Here's where the writing comes in. I'm going to write a bit now and then today, and see if the format suits me. This may not be practical while driving, but for days like today, it may help save my sanity.

0930: Ate some Captain Crunch for breakfast. Awesome. Been awake for 2 hours now. It is going to be a long day. I told myself that I would tidy up the truck today, so I will, but not just yet. I'm going to save that for when I really need something to do.

1715: Turns out that there is a truck stop a short walk away. They offer free internet and, of course, rest rooms. (which are called washrooms here for some reason, but w/e) Having sat in the restaurant to use wi-fi and chat with Jen, I became invariably sucked into conversation with some Canadians about politics. They weren't trying to convince me of anything, but sure had a lot to say about the U.S. and it's policies. Yep. Truckers up here aren't much different than in the states. Everyone's got an opinion.

2115: I spent some time reading and not doing much in general. I did manage to tidy up my truck and I found it was not really that messy to begin with. I spent some time considering what I will do about my upcoming home time and how to work going back and forth and where to leave the truck in the meanwhile.

Hmm. So in the end, I've decided that the time format isn't really going to work for me. I'll keep it for now, but I feel that it interferes with the narrative in general. I kinda like telling stories as opposed to just saying what I've done.

No rest for the wicked, but some for me

Saturday, December 3^rd, 2011

      It has been said that on the 7^th day that god rested. Rest is good, as it helps maintain your capacity to produce whatever it is you produce. What I wonder is, “Why does an omnipotent being need to rest?” That and I wonder why people are applying the concept of time to something that is timeless, without form and cannot be described. That said, I'm no god. Well, maybe in a different plane of existence, sure, but not in this one. Not being a god, I don't get the seventh day off. I get the eighth day.

      So today, I am resting. I could just as easily have driven a good 10 hours today without so much as batting an eye. Maybe a few bats, since it does get kinda tiring, but you get the idea. The only thing preventing me from motoring on down the road is federal regulations. The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act) dictates that drivers may not drive after working more than 70 hours within an 8 day span. These working hours include both driving and not driving worky stuff, like checking in at a shipper, or inspecting your truck. But I'm not thinking about that today. I am resting.

      Fargo, North Dakota is where I'm stopped at, but I see no signs of a woman with a wood chipper. For that I'm grateful. It feels like autumn up here (oh wait.. it is) in that it isn't 12 degrees out. Well it was warmer. Now that the sun is setting, it is back down below 20 degrees, as per usual for here this time of year. I'm parked at the Petro Stopping Center, off exit 348 on I-94. Nice enough place. Wouldn't have thought I'd need to lock stuff down.

      Being that I'm resting today, I slept in (until 8 am! holy cats!) and have not been doing much. I went into the truck stop a couple times to get out of the cab for a bit and to stretch my legs. There's not much to see around this part of town, unless you feel like walking into Home Depot and browsing for a while, but meh. Returning from one of these little jaunts, I noticed that the cover that sits atop my chain rack is lifted up. Odd. I attributed it to the wind at first, then I started counting my chains. Someone actually stole one set of tire chains off the truck!

      For me, this is not a big deal since I technically have enough to chain up my truck in a pinch. One set has a broken link which may flap around and make some noise, but I can deal with that. By using a bungee cord. Still, the very notion that someone would feel so desperate as to steal a set of chains just makes me stop and consider our economic system. How sad is it that some guy feels a need to steal because he doesn't feel that he has enough money to buy a set? Why is money so artificially scare? To maintain value? If you say so, but that still operates on the principle of scarcity and competition which is contrary to the nature of the world.

      It is especially counter to Taoism. Well, according to the quick reference guide on religions I found in the truck stop. This is what I do on off days. I putter around and look at neat stuff. There is a rack full of laminated quick reference guides for all sorts of thing, like religion, reflexology, cooking, weights and measures, the United States, and a whole bunch of other things that I've already forgotten about. It was nice to read such a simple version of Taoism. Nothing ever need be complicated.

      Tomorrow, I plan to leave at 0400 local time and be on my way back west. A maintenance appointment awaits me, and what looks to be some more down time. I'm also considering going back to the Woolley Mammoth to get my banjo (!). However, the idea of moving all of that stuff from one truck to another company is a bit daunting. Not only that, there is the orientation I'll need to attend and that means a shared hotel room. All of that is well and good. My only concern is that there won't be a truck waiting for me at the end of orientation. Which may mean waiting, or getting bussed to someplace else to get into a truck. Like I was at this company. Perhaps I'll hold out on the banjo a bit more.