in El Paso, TX, about a mile or two and found actual stores with reasonable prices! So I bought some things I and my body have been needing and walked back to the truck. Hat? Don't have one since there are very few I don't look like a complete dork wearing. Sunscreen? Naaaahhh! Result? See below! I liked the picture from my camera phone so much I downloaded it and will save it to use as an alternate for my posts here on LJ.

This shouldn't take too awfully long. I just wanted to post some things that have been on my mind.

I used to LIVE in the $5 bin of any place that sold DVDs. As a result, I have several titles in my collection that I have not actually sat down and watched. When I left home last, whenever the hell THAT was, I took Rome, Season 1 with me and have enjoyed it immensely! Last night I watched Windtalkers. Nicholas Cage, usually entertaining if not a great actor. John Woo, good director. Windtalkers? Sucked ASS! Two and a half wasted hours. Lousy combat scenes interspersed with magic tommy guns. That DVD is going back on the shelf when I get home.
At least I have Rome, Season 2 waiting for me.

Someday, someone will have to explain why there are so many picnic areas in Texas, and so few Rest Areas, at least along I-10/20.

I know there was more I wanted to say, but the mighty winds of El Paso have erased my immediate memory.

Your results:
You are Worf

Worf 70% Uhura 60% Will Riker 60% James T. Kirk (Captain) 55% Chekov 55% Jean-Luc Picard 55% Beverly Crusher 45% Geordi LaForge 45% Data 38% Mr. Sulu 35% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 35% Mr. Scott 30% Spock 25% Deanna Troi 20% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 15%

You are trained in the art of combat and are usually intimidating.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

Well I am home.  And off duty until after 4AM tomorrow.  Did the laundry last night, found my extra socks, underwear, shorts, and t-shirts and added them to the clean laundry.  Went this morning to drop off the trailer (long story, I'll save you the details) and now I am sitting on mom's porch enjoying the vigorous wind and portent of rain. 

( good deeds ... )
Well, not only do I not have answers ... my low battery signal is on.  Consider yourselves lucky ...

I just completed a highly questionable run for my new company.  We shan't discuss that here.  But I am sitting at a truck stop in El Paso, TX and reflecting a bit as my DOT clock and Real clocl resynchronize.  It is not raining, so you are saved from the truly profound bits of genius I am occasionally capable of.  But here are some thoughts, heavily influenced by driving for too long on Diet Dew and a couple of 5hour energy shots.

The I-10 W out of San Antonio, TX is pretty damn beautiful!  It is a useful highway to know as it goes from FL to TX (and beyond for all I know) but after S. A. it heads up into the mountains (probably just Texas sized hills) with accompanying scrub and mountain type vistas.  I hope I get to use it again.  Upshifting and downshifting is a little annoying, but it feels like a whole different world.  And with the proliferation of Starbuck's, Kroger's, Wal-Mart, etc. it is getting increasingly difficult to even FIND a different world. 

I define my days, indeed much of my life, by the animals I see.  I was excited to see, on my way out of FL, a peacock standing off to one side of the highway just doing peacock things!  Indeed, my goal once I heard I was going to FL was to see a little lizard.  Mission accomplished, albeit briefly, at some random rest area.  Last night I saw a rather large owl on a speed limit sign.  Not to mention the too many birds I can NOT identify yet because I have not learned their soaring outlines.  I saw turtles on the edge of the asphalt, sunning themselves in the most dangerous manner I can imagine, and was hoping to see snakes doing the same here in TX.  Seems I am a little early for snake season.  Or on the wrong roads.  But I feel like the little kid that looked forward to my next copy of Ranger Rick when I see animals in the wild.  I have no desire to stop at the variety of roadside attractions.  And the more I listen to Life of Pi on audiobook the less I find zoos offensive.  But there is something ... cool! ... about seeing animals.  Some truck drivers call it a good day when they get flashed.  Or score at a truckstop (shudder!).  It made my night to see a couple of small deer type objects disappear off the side of the road unharmed.

I am not religious.  That is as far as I will go into my personal views.  But it is interesting to me that EVERY SINGLE successful society in the history of history (sorry, watch Bill & Ted recently) has a religious aspect.  And of the religions available today, that seem to generate such furvor, they seem to me to have more in common than different.  Yet often we define ourselves and those we want around us by what we believe, and kill those that disagree.  Why?  I believe what I believe, you believe what you believe.  Where is the problem?  I just do not understand people who believe something so fervently that they have to change what I believe.  I was looking for song lyrics a while back of a Nickleback song (don't judge!) and found a blog of some woman that absolutely HATED Nickleback.  She went on and on and on about how stupid the lyrics were.  OK ... ummmm ... don't listen to Nickleback.  I believe God is something different to almost everyone on the planet.  Different name, goal, personality, friend, figure.  Yet most of us believe in something.  Even those that believe there is no God.  But maybe we don't need to kill any and everyone that disagrees with our view.

I thought, for probably much too long, that not taking care of your kids, driving nice cars while living in shacks, and generally what I consider to be antisocial behavior to be a "black thing."  Turns out, influenced by my sister (have you ever put forth an idea JUST to see her eyes roll?), her husband, and my girlfriend, it is a "poor thing."  Not all poor people of course.  Just like nothing is "all" black people.  So what is it about being poor that means you feel such hatred toward those people who "get out"?  He's an Uncle Tom!  She's too good for us now!  He thinks his shit don't stink!  Is it just that, in being poor, you have settled for the least life has to offer and resent those that continue to fight?  And no "program" is going to change these people.  Because they have learned that you can keep getting what you have always got by doing what you have always done.  So why try?  Why bother?                
I just don't understand. 

Things I have learned from Dick Francis:  being a jockey is dangerous ... on and off the track, English men have largely disappointing marriages, and there is a lot to be said for having a passion of some kind in one's life.

I was going to put something here about the amazing life of Jacques Yves Cousteau.  But the muse is fading in the early afternoon Texas sun.  So let me just say, if you know as little about him and his life as I did, read or listen to The Human, The Orchid, and The Octopus.  It is fairly quick and very illuminating.  Diver?  Check.  Inventor?  Check.  Father of SCUBA?  Check.  Government agent who led a daring operation to obtain the codebook and the cyphers of the Italian military intelligence?  Uh huh!

Until next time ...

I realize a job is a job.  I am ignoring the 'careers' option today.  And those of you who love your jobs so much it doesn't feel like working?  Ptttttbbbbbbttt!!!  OK, so if a job is a job, what is the difference between one and another?  In my mind, it is the boss.  Unfortunately, a good boss is all too rare.  I bet if we sat around, nursing our favorite drink, we could each remember one or two good bosses.  Sad, isn't it.  As many jobs as most of us have had, and we can only recall one or two.  There are, of course, decent bosses.  Leaders that did not make much of an impression on you until you moved on to your next job.  I am not talking about them either.  I, myself,  have had a bad couple of bosses recently that have one thing in common.  Arrogance.  They both assumed, having what they consider to be extensive experience in the transportation industry, that they could run a business.  Which I suppose is a place to start.  Making the leap into your own business involves so many decisions, easy and hard.  But you have to be willing to listen to people.  And you have to be willing to spend the money to keep your trucks in good working order and their fuel tanks full.  Finding loads, getting drivers where they want to be on weekends, making sure they get their money, are all of secondary importance.  But then, obviously, I am a driver so my needs come first.  ;-)  So why am I writing this?  My current boss has been screwing around, trying to keep/get a few trucks on the road, by any means necessary.  Which ultimately resulted in me sitting for weeks at a time, waiting for him to get insurance.  So I gave up.  I went looking for a new job.  And I found one.  Except they have to have a good reference from my current boss or they can not do anything for me.  And I am not sure my boss wouldn't lie just to make sure I do not get the job and have to keep working for him.  But I have to work.  So I sent my boss an email letting him know what is going on, that he will get a phone call, and to please let them know I have done a good job for him.  His response?  To call me at 9:00PM and tell me the insurance came through and I can call the brokers and get a load.  WTF???  SERIOUSLY??  I have been sitting for how long now?  And when I tell you I have found a new job you tell me you have insurance?  Why do I get the feeling that if I sat here longer I would not have received that phone call?  I was so pissed off last night I did my laundry and watched My Dog Sklp.  (Animal movies tend to push past my current emotions to remind me what I am really feeling.) 

So now it is Monday morning.  I tell the brokers I can work.  They say, OK we will find you a load.  Except I have empty racks that should have been dropped off in Dayton, OH ages ago.  Turns out they have a load, from Warren, MI to GA.  Yea!!  Long distance!!  But I will not only have to drive to Dayton, drop off the racks, and be back in the morning (no big deal) but a UACL truck will have to pick up the load and I am just a contractor "for" UACL.  And all the while, I am wondering if my boss will give me an honest reference or not.  Grrrrr!

My new job, if I get it, is not perfect.  I will be OTR 14 days, home for 2.  But those 2 days will be spent at the local truck stop of my choice.  My other options, although probably paying more, would leave me in Columbus, OH or Mechanicsburg, PA.  And I will be driving flatbed, which means tarping my load instead of driving a regular trailer.  But it is the right season to drive a flatbed and I can honestly give them six months to see how well I fit.  During which time I will be driving, more verifiable miles for my resume, and more time to show that I am a better driver than my MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) says I am.  So it would be worth it to me.

I have left my professional success in the hands of other people.  And I have paid for it.  It is time to become my own 'good boss.'

Here endeth the lesson.

... for people with (near) perfect vision.  With my level of vision correction, you have to be pretty close to be seen as you really are.  Which means if you are standing pumping your gas while I am waiting for my boss, I will notice your heavy curves and curly dirty blonde hair and think you are pretty attractive.  It's kind of like having rose colored glasses built in.  Of course, five minutes later when I pass you in the store I shudder and wonder wtf I was thinking.  Distance makes the heart grow fonder?  No, but it does give you that sort of soft indistinctness that people pay lots of money for at Glamour Shots.  So walk on by, or stand and look lovely as I go past, just don't come close enough to be heard using your indoor voice and I will see you as you want to be.

Lasik?  Not right now thanks.  I like my fantasy world. 

My favorites are in italics

TOP TEN SONG TITLES ON THE POPE'S NEW ALBUM

10. Girls Just Want To Be Nuns

9. Wind Beneath My Vestments

8. Pretty Fly (For A Celibate Guy)

7. A Whiter Shade Of Robe

6. Exactly Like A Virgin

5. Sistine Candles

4. Take This Job And Read It

3. Gettin' Popey Wit It

2. God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On Me

1. Papa's Got A Brand New Encyclical

TOP TEN WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE PMS...

10. Everyone around you has an attitude problem.

9. You're adding chocolate chips to your cheese omelet

8. The dryer has shrunk every last pair of your jeans.

7. Your husband is suddenly agreeing to everything you say.

6. You're using your cell phone to dial up bumper stickers that says, "How's my driving? Call 1-800-EAT-SHIT."

5. Everyone's head looks like an invitation to batting practice. (when Tonya reads this one I guarantee she says 'HELL YES!' outloud!)

4. You're convinced there's a God and he's male.

3. You're counting down the days until menopause.

2. You're sure that everyone is scheming to drive you crazy.

1. The ibuprofen bottle is empty and you bought it yesterday.

I am sitting at home, again, waiting for a load of auto parts.  I have a truck and trailer ready to go.  There just aren't any loads.  So I have been looking for other driving jobs.  And in between the tedious online applications that most trucking companies have, I amuse myself with various things.

According to HelloQuizzy I am Passionately In Lover, Kermit The Frog, a SpellSword, and (in 1400AD) I would have been a Paladin.  Interesting, huh?

Then I found this website while looking for silly looking custom cars.  The website is called 'things black people hate' and the link is a rant on custom cars.  I will warn you, this person is VERY irritated.  And by that I mean lots of swearwords.  I am not saying that any of you are too sensitive for such things.  Just a generic warning.

So while I am surfing for a job, Miss Tonya is sitting at home working on schoolwork and her laptop goes POOF!  No heat, no noise, no warning, just black screen of death.  Now, for those of you who don't know (which included me), there is one very easy thing to do to begin diagnosing the problem.  Take out the RAM chips and try to boot the computer.  If it doesn't beep at you (i.e. the laptop version of 'UMMMM ... SOMETHINGS NOT RIGHT HERE!') that means it can't tell you took out the RAM and your motherboard is fried.  Cost to replace the motherboard, typically, is $400-500.  Cost of a new laptop is $400-500.  Cute, huh?  So I/we are working on alternatives (like finding a refurbished motherboard and attempting the obviously intricate surgery ourselves) but Miss Tonya will not be laptoping for a little while.  (Oh, if you just happen to have a two year old, or so, Gateway laptop that works but you indelicately tweaked (broke/smashed) the display, we would like to talk with you.)

( Resut for The Chakra Test )

Take The Chakra Test at HelloQuizzy

</div>

Your result for The Golden Compass Daemon Test...

Jokester Soul

Take The Golden Compass Daemon Test at HelloQuizzy

I have been watching a show on Lifetime called DietTribe. It features five good friends, one of whom is getting married, and they all want to lose weight for the wedding. Who doesn't, right? It is, more or less, a typical weight loss show. They have a trainer, who pushes them and demands more and more as they get fitter. They have a psycotherapist who does group and individual therapy. The cool thing about the therpist is that she has lost sixty-some pounds herself, which allowed the Tribe to identify with her. And of course, like most TV shows, they are slaves to the scale. The only two things I would have done for this group is a) at the first weigh in I would have let them know that, while seeing their weight is traumatic, it is just a number (I am so good at this, I know my girlfriends "number.") and b) take measurements (off camera, of course) so that on the weeks they lose one or two pounds, they can redo the measurements and see that there has, indeed, been positive changes.

So anyway, what struck me enough to blather on at all of you is the changes in the way I perceive the five women. On day one I dismissed two immediately as being too plain (Anna (the bride) and Megan), two as being pretty (Lydia and Shawna), and one as really cute (Morgan). Now, as I am about to finish episode four I see them very differently. Now I see who gives up easily, who always offers excuses, and who just keeps going even though losing thirty pounds in ninety days is a daunting task. Anna (the bride) is still plain to me, but always happy and bubbly. Megan is almost pretty to me now simply because of her personality and resolve. Lydia is prettier simply because of her confidence. Morgan is moving from cute to beautiful as now only does she maintain a positive attitude but she is a good friend and person. Which brings me to Shawna. Shallow, whining, never pushes herself, Shawna has been downgraded all the way to ugly. During the therapy session on episode four, she is the only person sitting with arms folded, facing away from the therapist.

First impressions are important of course. But what is really important to me is who you are and how you treat people. All the rest is icing on the (rice)cake.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Moderate
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

... that America occasionally falls behind in the compassion department (don't mind the attitude, I am irritated as I write this).

Belgian Homeless Shelter opens doors to dogs

Mind you, they are limited to eight "couples" (dogs and owners) per freezing night.  But it seemed pretty awesome to me.  And I can use all the awesome I can get at the moment.

... and grumpy thanks to almost no sleep last night thanks to a visit by the god of caffeine, WHY DUH WAY K..  But here are a few of my thoughts on this momentous day. 

I value intelligence.  Though I may effect the ignorant blue collar truck driver, at the end of the day I want an intelligence person talking to me.  That ... was NOT George Bush.  And while I know that speeches are prepared ahead of time, and the real depth of Barack Obama will be seen when he has to make his first 'off-the-cuff' remarks, I am glad to be looking into the eyes of someone that I can respect.  I was not glued to a TV today.  I drove to Jackson and spent some time with Ms. Tonya.  But as mom and I watched the recap I was struck by how young and intelligent Pres. Obama is, and how refreshing THAT is.  Now, you may get the impression  that I overstated the 'grumpy' part.  Nope, just saving it up.  1.4 million (approximately) people showed up today to witness this historic event.  And I suspect 1.3 million people will go home and wait for Obama to fix everything for them.  Yes, it IS historic.  Yes, it is the realization of a dream had by millions of people 'of color.'  And how many of those people only showed up to the polls because he was black.  I am glad Obama is president.  But we have not yet achieved the dream of electing someone regardless of their color.  I know ... baby steps.  He will do what he can.  The nation is in an economic and identity crisis.  But he will not fix everything.  Though, let's face it, Bush is an easy act to follow.

So we followed that coverage up with Simon Schama 'What is an american?'  I made it through about ten minutes of his coverage of the influx of Mexicans and the white people telling them to go the hell home.  Then I gave up and went to wash dishes.  I do not want to be reminded of just how stupid people can be in groups.  But here is the issue for me.  Mexican people, in my experience, want to work so badly that some of them will sneak over the border at great personal cost rather than work in their own country.  So they want to come here and they are willing to work. That, people, is all I need to know.  Welcome them all?  Not exactly.  Kick them out just because they didn't 'go through channels'?  No.  They don't seem to think we owe them anything.  They just want to work and get paid.  Sounds pretty damn reasonable to me.  But don't expect me to learn Mexican.

I hope I am wrong.  I hope that Obama invigorates not just the economy, but people everywhere to get involved and make a difference.  But here is what I am taking away from tonight as I chase two dramamine with a flagon of hot chocolate.  One, when this president speaks, I do not roll my eyes.  Two, babies today will grow up in a world where there has always been a black president.  And three, I raise my voice and join with millions of people around the globe and sing, as the helicopter formerly known as Marine One disappears ...

NAH NAH NAH NAH

NAH NAH NAH NAH

HEY HEY HEY

GOO-OOD BYE!

... at least make people laugh.  Here, for your enjoyment, is Monty Python & The Holy Grail (ok, just one scene but give them credit for being done pretty well) in LEGO

I am sure many of you already saw this (at my house this is how we start the day) but this one was too funny not to pass along.

Pen Trick Fail

I happened upon this while surfing and while most of the posters fit the website, despair.com, this one almost seemed like good advice.  Something along the lines of ... make sure your feet are planted before you look up.

I recently found this on AlbinoBlackSheep.com and, for some strange reason, thought a few of you might find it as amusing as I did. Enjoy!

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/plaid