Santa's Reindeer

Watching one of my coworkers walk by with a set of antlers on got me to thinking of Santa's Reindeer. A few years ago I was with a friend and her young nieces when they visited a local farmer's market advertising "Live Real Santa's Reindeer." I walked up to the little petting zoo area with Emily, a three year old at the time to look at the reindeer. It was only 2 days before Christmas and Emily in all her three-year-old-wisdom looks at Dasher and Prancer and then back at me and says, "If Santa's Reindeer are here, how is he going to fly his sleigh?" I swear every mother and child in the area stopped and looked at me.
Thinking fast I replied, "Well, these are the back up reindeer. You see, Santa has his first string team that he always uses but there are also extra reindeer in case one of the regulars gets sick. These are some of the extras that Santa lent to the farm so you could meet them. He still has his regular team and some of the backups at the North Pole."
After a short pause Emily simply said, "Oh. Can I feed them?"
While she put the change into the feed machine a mother walked past me and quietly said, "You're good."
Another Christmas crisis averted. Whew.

Speaking Up and Speaking Out Part II

We have been getting more involved in St. John's MCC since moving to North Carolina in September. Pastor Belva often says no one comes to the church by accident. I think we are a pretty good example. Last spring Tara and I sat down and said okay, we don't want to spend the rest of our lives in Erie and quite frankly we don't really want to spend another winter in Erie either so if we could choose anywhere in the U.S. to live where would it be? After much debating we put our finger down on Raleigh, NC. The weather is much better, the job opportunities are there and we are still not too far from family. Plus NC has mountains, ocean, rivers, etc. that we enjoy. Raleigh also has a Metropolitan Community Church, an inclusive Christian church.
So we did pretty well, in September we moved to Rocky Mount, NC, 50 miles east of Raleigh when I was promoted to Training Manager. We attended the church as guests the first time and were greeted warmly. By the third service we were assisting, and now 3 months later we are members of the choir and about to become full members of the church.
It's funny to me to look back at the past few months and see all this fall into place. The skills that Tara and I have are ones that were lacking to help in the coming year. The past two weeks we have been attending the annual members forums and vote. Mainly to observe and this week to help count votes for board member positions since we are not yet members ourselves. We both had an opportunity to speak during the forum last week and I had a chance to see the power my words can hold. Thankfully I'm using them for good.

Speaking Up and Speaking Out Part I

Saturday was World AIDS Day. A day to remember the disease is still out there and still growing. I was an HIV/AIDS educator in college and used to keep up on the statistics. I learned a few scary ones today. The vast majority of people contracting the disease right now are between the ages of 15-25 and over the age of 55. It seems the young still think they are invincible and the old think it doesn't apply to them. Every 60 seconds another person under the age of 25 gets the disease.
I lost an uncle to the disease in 1997. Now parents are facing losing children. Apparently, we need to step up education in school. Unfortunately, just saying, "don't have sex" doesn't work. Education also needs to be stepped up for the AARP crowd as well. Just because you are old enough to get an AARP newsletter doesn't mean you are safe from a sexually transmitted disease.
BTW, one of the fastest growing groups of people getting HIV are straight women. There's some interesting food for thought.
I had the good fortune to be present in the 1990's in Washington, D.C. to witness the last time the AIDS Quilt was laid out in its entirety. The Quilt is composed of large panels created by friends and family in memory of someone they lost to AIDS. The reason the whole thing hasn't been laid out since the 1990's it it is now too large to do so. When I saw it, the Quilt took up the entire Mall. If you stood at one end you couldn't see the other due to the curvature of the Earth. I can't conceive of it's size now. Different organization can request a section of the Quilt to display. Part of the agreement is you will read all of the names of all of the people who have a panel. The list takes days to read non-stop. It's a powerful experience to see a Quilt section. It puts a face to such a large epidemic.
I know, I sound like I'm lecturing but I stepped away from educating others on this disease years ago and feel like I should take some steps back toward that.
The visiting pastor in church today spoke of Linus from the Peanuts. She mentioned that if you go through life with your thumb in your mouth like Linus, you can't speak up for yourself or others who cannot speak for themselves.
Take a moment and remember those who have HIV and those who have lost the fight. Most importantly, take a moment to think about those who are at risk for contracting it, especially the teenagers.

back in black

I've been quiet for awhile mainly because I've been rather busy with life and all the amazing changes that can and have been happening.
Funny how all tends to work out. When we moved to North Carolina we looked up and found a Metropolitan Community Church in Raleigh, less than an hour from us so off we went to church at St. John's. For me it has been a really long time however, I used to go to the MCC in Pensacola, Florida so I was actually looking forward to going here. It has been a good experience thus far. We are both now in the choir and often help with some part of the service or another. We've also found a great group of people.
In the mean time there has also been work going full speed ahead. It is a slow uphill battle to get my teams in shape. Most have never worked in a professional setting and have poor to non-existent work ethics. I keep feeling like I'm channeling my former training manager Kyra when talking to them which is really a good thing overall since she taught me quite a lot.
On top of all of this we have quit smoking. I pained myself into quite a corner by starting a quit smoking club at work. I can't smoke at work or some of my coworkers would hunt me down! I was pretty angry on my first non-smoking day but then, I knew I would be. It's worked so far though to use my own morals against myself.
There is so much more it is just bunching up in my head right now so I'll just come back on a regular basis again to get it all out.

Watch those spines

And I thought our cat Charles had to loose some weight...

Week in Review

Another work week has come and gone. I completed interviews for one of my positions and after much agonizing between two canidates, picked the one I think will work best. I know, however, that my choice will cause a lot of waves since the one who didn't get the job has been temping in this position for a couple of months. We'll see in the next few months if my choice was wise.
We finally got some significant rain here in eastern N. Carolina. It was desperately needed though sad to say, desipite 3 straight days of rain, the extreme drought is still present. The down side to the switch in weather was the headache I've been walking around with for three days. It was strong enough to keep me from the weekly basketball game. I went to bed last night instead and awoke to Curious George chasing his own tail on top of me at 4 am. Despite almost 2 years of serious effort on his part, his tail is still firmly attached to his ass.
Life continues to shift and change all around me. I think for the better though sometimes the changes and realizations happen frighteningly fast. I just strap myself in with my trusty 5 point saftey harness and hold on for the ride.
THe headache is still twinging at the edges so I'm off to relax some more...more on the changes later.

more random things

This week has been as busy as ever. I'm slowly filling the holes in my two departments. It never ceases to amaze me how slow the corporate machine can run.
We're still playing catch up from the move. I anticipate getting all the bills up to speed by November just in time to start buying Christmas gifts...
I had a moment of insanity this week and signed up for NaNoWriMo this year. I've been writing for a long time, for pleasure, for work, for this for that, now I'm actually taking a shot at writing a novel. If you are interested in joining the insanity look it up at http://www.nanowrimo.org. 50,000 words, one month. Here's to one hell of a challenge.
I've discovered a way to feed my reading habit inexpensively. http://www.paperbackswap.com. The site allows you to list books you're willing to give away and swap them for other people's books. List 9 books, you get 3 credits to use. Every time you ship a book to someone, you gain another credit. Every time you request a book, you use a credit. So far I've gotten two books and given away one. I have 175 other books listed so if you are interested, go take a look. All you pay is the cost of shipping to get your books out to others.
Despite still playing catch up we splurged big time on the cats this weekend and bought them their very own Supreme Commander Kitty Tower. A carpeted monstrosity with a hiding hole and four platforms. It is a HUGE hit. Curious George, the lowest cat in the cat hierarchy claimed the top spot first and spends hours a day up there guarding his new domain.
If you are the praying type, please keep Tara's son, Robert in your prayers. He is on his second tour in Iraq right now on guard duty. 14 hour shifts and he is wearing down. He really wants to come home and we want him to stay safe and sane. Keep him in your prayers, his unit is there until May. He was due to be released from active service in the National Guard last year but the military used Stop Loss to keep him. He's a good guy with a great wife waiting here for him. We're putting together a care package for him. Apparently cookies and beef jerky are hugely popular items with his unit. So are calling cards. It is very expensive to call home. A 500 minute calling card will give him 60-90 minutes of talk time but the phone can be a life line.
On a totally different note, I joined a church basketball regular Thursday game. A few of my subordinates invited me and I surprised myself by actually keeping up. I've learned to stay out of the inside when the boys get rough but I'm not half bad at defense. I've even bought a pair of basketball shorts! I figure it's a good way to get some exercise and get out of the house during the week. Now if I could just make a basket under pressure I'd be doing really good. What's interesting is the cross section of people playing. I'm having a good time of it though.
Last but certainly not least, A huge Congratulations to my best friend Gary. He got promoted to training developer back in Erie, my old job. He'll make an excellent developer and should be a big help to the team there.

Random Thoughts

• Curious George has decided I need to be up at 5:30 am every morning for the express purpose of giving him attention and playing with him and his toy mouse on a string.
• My alarm does not go off until 6:30 (not including 2 snoozes I allot).
• Terminating someones employment never gets easier and unfortunately, as a manager of a training department, I'm going to have to do this more often when trainees don't meet goals.
• Hiring people is also not an easy task. I have open positions in my department and there are times in the course of interviews that I wish I had a real magic 8 ball to ask, "Will this person work well on my team?" Alas, I have to go with facts and instincts. I guess I'll find out over the upcoming months if those facts and instincts were right.
• Having carpeting in the new apartment is apparently a great thing for the cats. We now have a nightly Kitty NASCAR Race Circuit though the apartment (including over me in the bed) as the cats celebrate their ability to corner like a BMW.
• Neighbors in an apartment building are both a blessing and a curse. They will give you good things like a free beer as you walk to your apartment. They will play old school country music with a top notch stereo system providing a free vibrating foot massage for those who live above them (namingly me).
• Chic-Fil-A has the best chicken nuggets EVER.
• That's about all my brain can handle for now...

Technicalities

My other half took me to dinner last night at Red Lobster for my birthday (see previous post). I told her on the way in, "Absolutely, under no circumstances, do I want anyone in the restaurant singing to me tonight." She agreed and promised. And then proceeded to tell the waitress, Ashley, not to sing to me.
So the end of the meal comes and Tara has that evil look that cats get when they are plotting something and I emphasis again I don't want anyone singing to me. She promises again.
Then Ashley and three other servers walk out with a scoop of ice cream with a candle on it, set it in front of me, I give Tara the look of death and then....
the servers proceed to HUM the entire birthday song. Patrons joined in...
Tara looks me in the eye and says, "You said no singing. You didn't say anything about humming..."
Caught on a technicality. Next year I'm going to say No musical interludes...
Revenge will be sweet and I have until March 31 to figure it out...

Happy Birthday

I'm going to have a rare egotistical moment and say:
Happy Birthday To ME!
I've made it through another year with flying colors.
Now I have a whole new year to try to figure out if getting a year older really makes me a year wiser...
I can't wait to see what the next year brings...

The Death of a Great Author

James Oliver Rigney Jr. better known to millions of people as Robert Jordan passed away last week from a rare blood disorder, primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy which caused the walls of his heart to thicken. He was 58.
Rigney Jr wrote the Wheel of Time series, a sweeping fantasy epic that I've been addicted to for years. The books were amazingly detailed, rich in a multitude of plots and character depth. I always made it a point to start rereading the series about 3-4 months before a new book would come out so I could catch up and remember all the important items.
My friend sent me a link to his obituary last week and I've been struggling with a little guilt since then. My first thought on reading the obit was, "@#$%, he died before he finished writing the series!" I did find out he was working on the last novel when he died. It's release date has been pushed back due to his illness a few times. I also know he was quoted as saying he had extensive notes so hopefully someone will be able to finish it and give his millions of loyal fans some closure on the fate of Rand Al Thor.
Reading his obituary I realized there was an extraordinary man behind the pseudonym with a family, hopes, dreams and I'm truly sorry to see him go as a person not just because he died before he could finish his life's work.
So here's to James Oliver Rigney Jr. I hope he's found something wonderful on the other side.

It's Been Awhile

I know it has been many weeks since I've posted. My life has required a five-point harness and safety bar as of late and I didn't have a way to let go long enough to catch everyone up. I'm just going to fair warn you now...this will be a long one. SO MUCH to talk about.
First: Dad Update
My father had a resistant bacterial pneumonia that effused into his chest cavity. I'm happy to say after 3 weeks in the hospital, major surgery, 28 days of IV antibiotics and a lot of TLC he is doing fine. No more tubes, no IVs and he is down to 1 liter of O2 that he only uses for about an hour a day so that will be going away soon as well. He is also gaining weight back and is happily at home puttering around.
Second: Jewelry Update
The website will be up in a week. We went to a festival in Ohio and did not do as well as we would have hoped due to rain through most of the day but, we learned a lot, met a lot of fabulous women, and plan to return next year as well as attend some other festivals on the east coast.
Third: Job Update
This is the single biggest reason I haven't been online in so long. I was promoted to Training Manager at our Rocky Mount, NC location and was given slightly over two weeks to 1. find a place to live 2. pack my house 3. rent a truck 4. move to new location 5. sell trailer. Believe it or not, we did it all. After the festival in Columbus OH we drove to my parents in Pittsburgh, PA, stored our festival stuff there and visited. From Pittsburgh we drove to Rocky Mount, had 1 day to find a place to live. Accidentally ran into a wonderful Realtor and actually almost bought a house. We will actually be able to buy one in 6 months to a year. In the mean time we found a very nice apartment, signed all the paperwork for that, I met my boss and toured the site and the next day we drove all the way back to Erie. That was Wednesday, September 12th. On Thursday we picked up the truck and started packing. Friday more packing and loaded and a friend of a friend mentioned his brother-in-law might be interested in the trailer. We loaded 95% of the truck Friday, went out Friday night and closed the bar saying goodbye to everyone. Got up Saturday morning, finished loading and left. Tara's sister stayed to clean for us and her daughter brought the interested party in to look at the trailer at 1pm.
We left at noon on Saturday for what should have been an 11 hour drive. We arrived in Rocky Mount at 730 am Sunday.
Did you know 2 cats can meow non-stop for HOURS? Tara had Charles in the truck and he was perfectly well behaved. She had the cage door open and he happily sat in that crate for the entire trip. I had Cali and George. Cali successfully escaped the crate once and after we locked her back up she started to meow and George joined in. From 730 pm to 730 am, non-stop. We stopped every 2 hours and got them out on harnesses and leashes (oh the indignity) but even so, 12 straight hours of, "Mow. MEOW. MEW."
Despite there best efforts we survived and arrived safely. We hired some help from EMove.com to unload the truck. $140 for 2 guys for 3 hours. Money very well spent. They are professionals, treated our stuff with care, climbed the steps 400 times and even hooked up the washer and dryer. Thank you Ed and Jeff.
The guy that looked at the trailer loved it. Payed for it on Monday and we are out from under the trailer. He is already having the last few items fixed before he and his family move in. I'm really happy for them. They seem like great people.
I started my new job Monday and have by trying my best to keep my head above water. I have a lot to learn but the other managers are good people and I have a really positive outlook on this.
Last note. As far as the apartment manager knows we have 1 cat. So we have 2 fugitive cats and 1 fugitive bearded dragon. I figure we can pull it off for the few months we'll be there.
Happy blogging to all. I'm back!

Photos

So I have some wonderful photos of my new car to put on my blog and some great shots of jewelry to put on our eBay store all taken on our nifty little digital camera. I went to download everything and low and behold, I can't find the cable to plug the camera into my computer. It turns out that while I have the camera and case, Tara has the cord in her computer bag. On her truck. In Texas this week....
She'll be back Friday or Saturday and I'll load everything then.
In the mean time, I'll be ghosting around this week but not very involved in the blogging world. Dad is getting better and should be able to go home at the end of the week and I'm playing catch up on the rest of my life.
Have a good week all.

General this and that

I will post photos of the new car later today, I promise! I've been working like mad to make up for being at the hospital on Monday and Tuesday and it's been dark by the time I get home and can take some photos. The Escape's color is officially Black Pearl Slate so in honor of the Pirates of the Carribean movies she has now been named The Black Pearl or Pearl for short. I still don't know how to use all the options on the stereo but I did figure out the bass. I've also become a fan of the sensor in my rear view mirror. The mirror dims automatically so now I'm not blinded when the idiot behind me doesn't shut off his brights.
It amazes me how many new toys they've come up with for a vehicle in the past 11 years.

Work has been interesting. There's nothing like opening your e-mail after missing two days and finding 136 e-mails to deal with. I've been creating like a crazy woman and still have a ton of work to get done but that's ok, it makes the time go by quickly.

The jewelry making is going well. I've found I'm good a stringing beads. Who would have figured. We have our eBay store but, with everything, I haven't loaded the inventory yet. If you are a jewelry type person there will be earrings, necklaces and bracelets of various styles. Tara is also very good and custom jewelry to fit an individuals personality. I'll post our link as soon as the inventory is even partially loaded. Probably by Monday.

The cats, specifically the boys Curious George and Charles Baron, have been unusually attentive to me the past few days. They've been very cuddly and have been generally glued to me since I got home Tuesday night.

George took his addiction to leather cord to new heights yesterday. I didn't properly place the lid on the storage container that has our cords, string, wire, etc. for Jewelry. He apparently went onto the kitchen table (big no, no) repeatedly and pulled one pre-cut leather cord at a time out and then carried them to the bed where he proudly showed them off to me yesterday morning. I got my revenge and tied one loosely to his collar. He chased himself around for 10 minutes before he got it loose.

On a final note, my Dad continues to improve. He is now driving the staff in CCU crazy since he wants to get up and go and he still has 3 chest tubes...He refused his pain medication last night saying he'd be fine without it. That lasted until he had a coughing fit and became distinctly aware of those tubes again. He humbly asked for his drugs at midnight. His nurse just smiled and gave him his medication. I give her credit for not saying, "I told you so." I'm going back home tomorrow to visit him again. Hopefully his last air leak will close today and he'll get to go to a private room.

Good News Good News

It has been one hell of a ride the past 5 days. There is the whole sick Dad thing (BTW, off the respirator and doing really well!) and then there was the my car died thing. Two big negatives. The positives:
1. My Dad will be fine and is now a non-smoker
2. dead car meant I had to get new car and boy did I ever get a new one (pictures to follow in next post). My other half, Tara, and I got a 2008 Ford Escape XLT with lots of shiny buttons and toys!!!!! It is an amazing, wonderful, stupendous vehicle.
3. I've had 2 sets of job interviews, both for positions in North Carolina - one with my current company and one with a new one. All interviews have gone well.
4. I may have a chance to be promoted to a coordinator if all else fails and stay here in Erie
Like I said, up and down but a lot more positive than negative.

Dad Update Part II

The surgery took over 4 hours today. My Dad had a really bad infection in the space between his right lung and his chest wall. The bacteria/infectious material was dead thanks to the antibiotics but it all needed removed. They drained the fluid and scrapped the gunk out and placed 3 chest tubes in to keep the negative pressure in his chest and drain the last bit of fluid.
That was one of the hardest moments of my life-to walk in to the CCU and see three chest tubes, a ventilator, 3 IV lines, 1 arterial line, pressure cuffs, etc. all hooked up to my Dad. I hope I never have to see him like this again.
The ventilator is so his lung gets a chance to heal. As of this evening they were already begining to adust the respirator down very slowly so he can be weened off of it no later than Thursday, sooner if he is up to it. He has two leaks in his lung right now from the scraping, apparently this is common. The chest tubes have to stay in until these heal.
He was sedated and on some really heavy pain medication but he still managed to nod a few times and smile a bit before he passed back out.
The plus to all of this: 3-4 days in CCU, 4-7 days in a private room, then home. In 4-8 weeks he will be completely back to his old self, puttering around the house, working a few hours at the gas station to keep from driving my Mom nuts, mowing the lawn and eating his favorite, T-bone steaks.
The scary stuff: if he smokes again, he dies. He has the beginning stages of emphyzema and this infection weakened his lungs as well. Scary stuff part II: If he hadn't gone to the hospital on Sunday, he would have been dead before Monday dawned. Scary stuff part III: he has to be very careful of colds and flu now.
Thank you sooooooo much for your thoughts and prayers. My Dad is an amazing guy, quiet, dry sense of humor, strong sense of ethics and morals, very big on the Do Unto Others rule, smart, strong and confident and I am so grateful I'm going to have all of that around for a lot longer. I may be creeping up fast on 31, but I'm still Daddy's little girl (I'm the youngest and the only girl in the family) and I still need him around.

Dad Update

Well, the down side is my Dad is still in critical care, the upside is they figured out what is wrong with him. My father is a stubborn, stubborn man. 2 months ago he had a chest cold that he refused to go to the doctor for. My Mom managed to get him to at least call the doctor who prescribed an antibiotic. Ever since then he has not been right. He has lost weight, been lethargic and generally unhealthy. Apparently, 2 months ago my Dad had pnemonia, not a chest cold. The anitbiotics took care of the infection but not the fluid. The fluid in his right lung effused to his chest cavity and has sat there for 2 months putting pressure on his lung and causing all other issues. If you can't get enough oxygen, you dont' have any energy, can't eat cause as you are chewing you loose even more oxygen 'cause you aren't breathing.
Last Thursday my Father was hit with a stealth, strong sneeze that doubled him up and put enough added pressure on his right lung to collapse it. Despite the sharp pain he still refused to go to the doctor. He finally went on Sunday to the ER where they discovered a blood saturation of 74%, hense the critical care. The doctors drained 1/2 gallon of fluid out and got his lung to reinflate. The doctor's tested the hell out of that fluid and discovered: A: it was not congestive heart failure - his heart looks fantastic and B: it was not cancer. It is left over icky fluid that is no longer infectious.
He has surgery at 8 am on Tuesday to remove the scar tissue and fluid so his lung can finish inflating and he can return to normal life. The surgery will be painful but necessary so I'll be at the Hospital with Dad for Tuesday and Wednesday. All should go well and he should be on the mend soon.
He just needs to be less stubborn in the future or my Mom, brothers or I might kill him.
The positive thoughts are so greatly appreciated. Keep them up. Despite the painful surgery, this was the best outcome possible. NO cancer, infection or mystery diseases.
Exhaused and need to be up in 4 hours. I'm off.

Thoughts and Prayers

My father, Paul, is in critical care this morning in Beaver, PA and the doctor's don't know what is wrong with him. It started Thursday with sharp pains on his right side and now his lung is showing up white on the x-ray. They didn't know yet whether it was fluid or air. Everyone, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I want my next post to say he is getting better and will be fine. I'll be off line for a few days.

*****Update, the doctor drained 1/2 a gallon of fluid out of my Dad's chest. He said after initial testing it is definitely NOT congestive heart failure but the fluid is an inflammatory response. They are doing further testing to see if it is an infection or something else. In the mean time, with the help of draining the fluid and a CPAP machine (used for people with sleep apnea) his oxygen levels are good, he's feeling better and starting to joke around. He is, however, still in critical care. More in a day or so as I get info. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Keep them up, they are helping.******

Geek and Proud of It

I've come to accept and love all my personality quarks, the biggest of which, I think, is my basic status as a Geek. I was a smart kid. My parents have a photo of me trying to read when I was two. Never mind that the book was upside down, I wanted to read. I went to school a year early, I was only 4 when I started Kindergarten, and drove the teacher nuts because she would hand out an activity and I would read the directions and start. She would say, "Heather, don't start yet, you don't know what to do." and I would reply, "It says right here, 'Color #1 blue and #2 red."
I was a smart kid with a nice personality but I never quite fit in at school. My style never quite matched, I was never the cool one, never with the "in" crowd. Don't get me wrong, I had friends, but I was never in that really popular click. Come to think of it, that popular click really irritated me in high school.
I read and still read voraciously, finishing the Chronicles of Narnia very young and Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time series right after. Reading was a great escape where I could be anyone and go anywhere.
In middle school I cemented the Geek status by joining the band and playing a decent flute, even making it to honors band 2 years in a row for the Catholic Diocese (did I mention 5 years of Catholic school?).
High school brought an academic track of study, volleyball, newspaper, yearbook, health careers club, VIP peer group, oh and a little dabble in chorus and a musical.
It wasn't until college that I truly fit in or rather became comfortable with who I was and found others of a similar mind set. I was still a geek there getting a BS in Science while running the college newspaper, joining the AIDS action team as a certified HIV/AIDS educator and being a very happy member of Alpha Phi Omega coed international service fraternity where I learned to play pinochle and learned the call backs to Rocky Horror Picture show and all the lines to Monty Python's Holy Grail.
Now I revel in my geekdom. I love computers, writing, bad scifi movies, good scifi books and I'm even an admitted Trekker.
I'm the person full of useless bits of knowledge who likes to consume books and play on the Internet. I love to tell a good story and make people laugh. I've learned that I am way too geeky to ever properly speak some of the slang I hear in my training classes and unless I've got a significant amount of alcohol in me, dancing is not an option.
I am who I am and happy about it. I mentioned in the last post that I'm a proud Pittsburgh native. Believe me I am (Go Steelers!) but I'm also just a proud to be a geek.

Pittsburgh at Heart

I grew up 26 miles outside of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in Raccoon Township, Beaver County (yes it's alright to snicker). Both of my grandfathers worked the steel mills and my father worked for the airlines for 40 years before retiring.

Though I don't live in the area anymore, Pittsburgh is still a big part of me. I caught an article about TV shows being filmed or based in Pittsburgh yesterday. That turned out to be an interesting read. When I was a child the Steel Mill industry was still very active and Pittsburgh was not an attractive looking city. Over the past 30 years the city has been transformed and has, in my humble opinion, one of the best skylines ever.

What I found interesting is the quote about Pittsburghers in the article, "A Pittsburgher is "somebody who is more down to earth, somebody who is a little more tougher,"

We Pittsburghers have, at heart, no matter what our professions and where we go, a blue collar outlook on life, you work hard, you play hard, you take care of each other.

If you don't believe me on the play hard thing, watch the fans when a Pittsburgh Steelers or Penguins game is on tv.

We also have our own version of English that is quite a bit different that anywhere else. First off, when a group of Pittsburgh natives get together enunciation goes out the window. Words are slid together and often not pronounced correctly: East Liberty is Ee sliberty, a sandwich is a sammich. We also have a lot of our own words: yinz - you guys, read up -- clean up or ready up, jagger bush -- a bush with thorns, jag someone -- poke fun at someone, gum band -- rubber band, crick -- creek, nebby/neb nose -- a nosey or overly curious person. If you want to learn more check out Pittsburghese. We also know how to poke fun at ourselves. Check out Chipped Ham Sam a Yappin Yinzer doll

My English is quite clear now thank-you-very-much however, the roommate had knee surgery in Pittsburgh (150 miles from home) two weeks ago and I went with her for her follow up appointment on Monday. Both her and my other half looked at me toward the end of the day and said, "Boy, it doesn't take much, does it?" I asked what they meant and they pointed out that 5 minutes of talking to a Pittsburgher and my Pittsburghese came back loud and clear. I can't help it though (nor would I) because I am and will always be a Proud Pittsburgh native.

End of an Era

When I was a sophomore in college I went to buy my first car with the assistance of a stack of savings bond and a boost from my parents. The initial plan was to buy a used car but the universe, and my Mom's outgoing personality, conspired and I bought a brand new 1997 Ford Escort sedan in silver. She had 12 miles on her when I drove her off the lot. I put 6 of those miles on her myself test driving. I named my car Stardust (Dusty for short) after my CB handle (yes I grew up in the country and my friends and I all had CBs).
Dusty has gone everywhere with me, surviving winters in Erie, PA and 2 years in Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, FL. She's been in New York City and Washington, D.C. rush hour traffic and up and down the East Coast. She's survived someone putting bathroom cleaner in her gas tank and a Coke being spilled into the gear shift. Dusty has gone through mountains, countryside, cities, interstates and dirt roads and has for the past 10 years been a faithful and steady part of my life.
On Saturday night during a return trip from my parents (a trip we have done 100's of times), Dusty drove her last mile. The lifters went in the car 50 miles from home. I cried while waiting for the tow truck because I knew this was the end of the line.
I will say, she went out in style. We ended up on the side of I79 in a very dark area. Since there were three of us in the car, one of which was on crutches, the tow truck driver did not want to endanger our lives by having us get out of the car to get into our friend's car at that location. All three of us remained in Dusty while she was pulled up onto the flat bed and road a few miles up the road to a gas stations where our friends were waiting and cheering at us like we were in a parade.
Dusty is currently sitting silent in the driveway. I have her listed on Craig's list as a parts car or challenge. She is fixable, only has 130,000 miles, 2 new tires and a new radiator. I just don't have the means to do it myself. If you know anyone who would like to buy her, send them my way. I'll even tow her up to 100 miles for them. In the mean time I have to figure out how to get my next car, a Ford Escape. We've been talking about getting an Escape for 3 months now and there is a part of me that thinks my car died in such a spectacular manner just to push me along on that purchase. I realize now that if she hadn't chosen to bow out, I would never have willingly given her up.
Here's to all the great travels with Dusty. Looking forward to 10 years with another great vehicle.

Driving Mystery

I drive 25 miles in one direction to get to work every morning. Almost the entire drive is on I90. Last winter the 10 miles of I 90 near my house went from smooth interstate to a lovely game of Dodge the Crater. Potholes big enough to seriously damage a car. The road shouldn't have fallen apart like that for a few more years if ever so PennDOT had to scramble to get funds to repair it. The repairs began on Monday this week and are currently on the Eastbound side only so I drive I90 to work and take local roads home. When they switch sides, I'll switch my pattern as well. So far this week the construction has caused a 10 mile back up a few times and I'd rather not be a part of it.
So, I was on the way home on Tuesday following 38th St to the Winter Green Gorge, a fun section of road with steep hills and sharp bends. From there to Station Rd to one other side street to get to Rte 20 that will take me home. Somewhere between 38th and Station I found myself behind a male drive that obviously had some issues. Ask my friends and they'll tell you I don't tailgate and am a far from aggressive driver. I've been known to get stuck in one lane on a multi-lane highway because I don't want to cut someone off to move over.
I had my blue tooth headset on and was discussing my day in general with Tara who was stuck in Baltimore, MD waiting to be loaded. I followed this gentleman down Station onto the other side street and was about 2 car lengths behind him when he suddenly slammed on his breaks and came to a complete stop. I stopped behind him in plenty of time and the person behind me got a little close to my fender for comfort. The man in front then stuck his left hand out the window and flipped the middle finger all the while staring out into his side mirror at me. I commented to Tara that this guy was acting strange and stated what he just did. I actually thought he was flipping off a house across the street!
He then punched the gas and tore off down the hill. I started up much more slowly however, the light was red at the bottom of the hill. A few hundred yards short of the light he slowed way down, I caught up and he proceeded to repeatedly slam on his breaks until he reached the light. He was then able to turn right on the red. I waited for the green light.
Now we are on a 4 lane road and sure enough he is moving very slowly up the road in the right lane. I stayed back for about a half mile and then decided to pass him. As soon as I sped up a bit and moved to the left, he swerved to the left. When I moved back to the right, he whipped in front of me again; each time slamming on the breaks.
At this point I was very concerned and just wanted to get away from this man so I pulled into a parking lot for a construction machinery company and counted to 100.
When I pulled out he was now 8 cars in front of me and after the next light, turned into a dirt driveway on the right. He had a companion in the passenger seat, arm hanging out of the car and seat tilted way back.
I honestly don't know what caused the burr under his saddle. Maybe he saw my lips moving and thought I was making nasty comments (those didn't start until after I got away from him). Maybe he was paranoid, maybe he thought I was someone else or that I was following him. Maybe 2 car lengths was too close for him. Then again, maybe he was drunk or just an asshole.
The unfortunate part of this is it keeps running through my head that he pulled into a driveway, which means he might live there, which means there is a good chance I'll see him again on the road. There is no other decent, timely way for me to get home so on the same route I will go but now I'm wary of the crazy aggressive driver that somehow picked me as a target for his anger.

Messing with Nature

Tara makes jewelry and we are in high gear of jewelry making for an upcoming womyn's festival in Columbus OH. Consequently, we have lots of strings, leather cord, hemp cord, etc around.
Anything dangling is absolutely irresistible to Curious George and Charles Baron. My cat, Cali, could care less but the boys are addicted. After saying, "NO" for the 100th time I finally just cut a strip of leather cord and tossed it out for the boys to play with. George is now completely addicted to this 1 foot stretch of leather. If you pick it up and dangle it for a moment and then throw it he will tear after it.
I couldn't resist tossing the strip of leather and then calling George back. If he brought the leather cord with him I gave him lots of love attention and petting. Now George plays fetch.
I know, I know, it is against a cat's nature and I'm sure there are some blog kitties that would be upset to hear this but George and Charles both come when called and both now play fetch - Charles with the caps from plastic bottles and George with leather cord.
As far as the jewelry production goes, Tara will have a website on eBay up and running this weekend and I'll pass on the website and more info on the jewelry then. As far as the fetch thing goes....well, I'm an evil cat owner. I'm going to keep playing fetch and encouraging the practice. I just can't resist.

Expanding Possibilities

I had a job interview today for a position in Raleigh, NC. Tara and I have talked about moving there for awhile now since it is still east coast, four seasons, ocean, rivers, mountains but has a much shorter winter. I've had my resume out for a bit and this is the first big hit I've had and it is a job that sounds like something I would really, really enjoy.
I'll hear back next week and if all is well I'll move on to round two where they will fly me out to meet the management and do a face-to-face interview. I feel really good about this one. Send some positive thoughts my way!

Fun at the hospital

The roommate had reconstructive surgery on her left knee on Thursday to repair a torn ACL. The first doctor her company sent her to was one of the most rude, condescending individuals I have had the misfortune of meeting. He told her her ACL was torn but plenty of people get along fine without one and then proceeded to look her up and down and say, "Besides, you don't ski or play basketball." Apparently he only provides surgery to people who are the perfect weight and in their 20's. Thankfully, the roomie has a wonderful workman's comp nurse/case worker who immediately said, "You are out of here. You will never see this doctor again. I know a great doctor in Pittsburgh that one of my other clients went through and you are going there."
Enter Dr. Greer. This guy knows his stuff, has a great bedside manner and the right level of confidence to inspire a reluctant patient let alone someone like my roommate who wants to be up, back to life and work as soon as possible.
So Thursday morning we went to Allegheny General Suburban hospital and off she went to have her torn ACL replaced by a tissue graft. The staff in Ambulatory Surgery was fantastic and the surgery and recovery went fine. Everything was delayed slightly when the tissue graft was not at the hospital however, they were able to get a suitable graft from a hospital up the road and she is now on her way to being good as new.
We were the first people there along with our friend Jay and oddly, had a great time while waiting. I had the remote for the television in the waiting room and at 7 am I asked the room in general what channel NBC was. JK Rowling was going to be interviewed on the Today show and I was hoping to catch it. The Dad from a couple sitting across from us with their young daughter, also named Rachel (who was having surgery on a broken arm) replied, "Channel 12 but it's SpongeBob time." I said, "Oh," and looked at the young Rachel and asked, "Well, what channel is SpongeBob on?" They replied, "You don't have to put on SpongeBob." I said, "No problem. I like SpongeBob, especially the episode where he teaches Squidward to blow bubbles. 'Bring it aaaarrrooounnd town' (with hip and hand motions)"
I need to say I was running on 3 hours of sleep. We were up at 3 am out of the house by 330 and at the hospital at 545. It is 120 miles away. This is my only defense for actually doing the 'bring it around town" motion. It did break the ice though. Everyone in the waiting room began to chat and we chatted throughout the day as we ran into each other, checking up on how each family's patient was doing.
My loopy sense of humor, and Jay's, continued when the let us back to see our Rachel before her surgery. Since they had to wait for the tissue we hung out with her in pre-op for 2 hours cutting up, making jokes and laughing frequently. At one point the anesthesiologist nurse came by and said, "Hey, she shouldn't be this happy. I haven't given her the fun drugs yet!" The nurses joined in on the jokes and we generally raised every one's spirits.
Rachel is home now with a passive motion machine and one of the coolest ice packs I've ever seen. She's doing great overall and should move through all the healing pretty fast thanks to a good surgeon and hospital staff and a lot of laughter. Tara, my other half, came in from driving truck for the week on Friday evening and was able to help take care of Rachel but I told Rachel for all the care I've been taking of her and for getting me out of bed at 3 am, my birthday gift from her in September ought to be absolutely fantastic.

Breath Taking

The Grand Canyon is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. We made it shortly before sunset after a whirlwind 230 mile drive from Mesa, AZ to the South Rim. The entrance fee was well worth it for the view and the sunset.


Mather's Point South Rim

Yavapai Observation Station, South Rim

Biblical Proportions

Tuesday was my first full day in Phoenix, AZ and the area gave me quite a greeting. We watched a larger, seething mass of black clouds build over the mountains while waiting for dinner and by the time we left dinner, the sandstorm was upon us. Thankfully the storm was dying by the time it reached us and it was followed by a fabulous lightning show and a short burst of rain.
This has to be one of the strangest things I've ever experienced - like something out of the bible or for a more recent reference, the sandstorm attack in the movie The Mummy. Pretty awesome display of natures raw power - sand, wind and lightning sheeting across the sky.

Stick a Fork in Me....

I'm done!
Flew from Erie, PA to Phoenix, AZ today. 57 degrees at 600am this morning in Erie, 97 in Phoenix at 1005am local time when I landed. By the time I left work this afternoon it was 110. I know, I know, everyone says it's a "dry heat." They forget that July is "monsoon" season which apparently the definition of monsoon here is there is a very slight chance of rain. Humidity is up to 33% so the heat is NOT dry.
How did I handle the heat? Air conditioning everywhere and a great hotel pool. I can stand to be in 110 degrees if I'm in a pool. I plan to get one hell of a tan this week while working my but off. Always take your fun where you can get it.
I was here months ago and had a weird experience at the hotel. Apparently they notated that on my account cause I am styling it on the concierge floor. I feel like such a yuppie: free munchies, drinks, breakfast, desserts....no complaints from me!
They just delivered milk and chocolate chip cookies to me...I'm going to be spoiled by the end of the week!
I didn't want to come but decided I would have a fantastic trip anyway...so far so great!

Messages from the Other Side

Tara and I along with the roommate took a drive to Lily Dale on Friday 7/6/07. This was there first trip there and my third. Lily Dale is a Spiritualist community that has existed for 128 years. The residence are all trained and sanctioned mediums. It is its own gated community where outsiders are welcomed however, you do pay a fee to get through the gates. The fee goes toward upkeep and equipment for their fire department so I can't really complain. You can actually make an appointment with a medium or just walk around the grounds and go to various Message Services to possibly hear from someone on the other side.
One thing I truly love about Lily Dale is how peaceful the area is. There is a Old World virgin forest surrounding it and some of the meeting areas are within the forest. the whole place seems to settle peace over you.
We went to various message services and throughout the day the roommate and I received 2 messages. Mine were very positive and bright and quite accurate. Hers had a lot of hope and the one medium really hit home on some issues for her. The most fun for me though was running into an old friend. Janice Dreshman. Janice was the crisis counselor at my high school and I haven't seen her in 13 years. I was involved in a lot of the programs she ran and she was one of those bright spots in a school faculty. Someone who really cared about the students.
When a message service is happening there is a person who facilitates and the facilitator calls on various mediums: student mediums, registered mediums and guest mediums, to come forward and bring a message to 2-4 different people. Each service lasts an hour. At the message service at the Forest Temple the hour was winding up, I had received a message and the facilitator called the last medium, Janice Dreshman. My head whipped around and sure enough, here comes my old high school's crisis councilor. She didn't pick any of us but after the service concluded I quickly caught up with her and said, "Janice!" she turned and looked and all I had to say was, "Hopewell" and the light bulb went off. I look very different from when I was in high school so give her credit. We spent a few minutes catching up and then she went back to her house and we went on to the next service. Janice is now a registered medium! Pretty wild.
At the end of the day we went to Bob Evans in Fredonia, NY. On our way out Tara and I talked about the fact that she didn't get picked in the services but she was pretty good with that. We sit down to eat and a husband, wife and 2 daughters were sitting across from us. They kept looking at Tara. Right after our food came the wife finally stands up comes over and says to Tara, "I don't normally do this and I'm very sorry to interrupt but I have a message for you." Tara's father was coming in loud and clear to the husband and wife who, it turns out, both live in Lily Dale and are mediums there. The comment from them was that he started bothering them from the time we sat down and while they normally make it a point not to give unsolicited messages, they just couldn't ignore him anymore.
Leave it to Tara to spend all day at a Spiritualist community and then get a message after we leave in a Bob Evans of all places.
It was overall an amazing day and a peaceful recuperative one.

4th of July

Happy Fourth of July everyone and Happy Birthday USA
Despite the small amount of rain today we are looking forward to a great fireworks show this evening. Hope you have a great one!

Personality goes a long way

I don't necessarily agree with the Old Geezer and cynical comments but, this is what I came out as...

*** THE EVERYTHING TEST ***

There are many different types of tests on the internet today. Personality tests, purity tests, stereotype tests, political tests. But now, there is one test to rule them all.


Traditionally, online tests would ask certain questions about your musical tastes or clothing for a stereotype, your experiences for a purity test, or deep questions for a personality test.We're turning that upside down - all the questions affect all the results, and we've got some innovative results too! Enjoy :-)



PERSONALITY
You are more emotional than logical, more concerned about others than concerned about self, more atheist than religious, more loner than dependent, more workaholic than lazy, more traditional than rebel, more engineering mind than artistic mind, more cynical than idealist, more leader than follower, and more introverted than extroverted.
As for specific personality traits, you are intellectual (74%), greedy (57%), adventurous (56%).

STEREOTYPES
Old Geezer (100%)
Punk Rock (73%)
White Trash (68%)


LIFE EXPERIENCE
Sex (38%)
Substances (22%)
Travel (35%)


POLITICS
Your political views would best be described as Liberal, whom
you agree with around 54% of the time.

SOCIOECONOMIC
Your attitude toward life best associates you with Upper Class.
You make more than 77% of those who have taken this test,
and 24% less than the U.S. average.

If your life was a movie, it would be rated PG-13.
By the way, your hottness rank is 55%, hotter than 29% of other test takers.

TAKE THE TEST
http://www.thatsurveysite.net/take.php?id=eay

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Best Opening Line

I mentioned in yesterday's post that John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" has one of the best opening lines I've ever read. If you've seen the movie Simon Birch, then you have heard this line spoken by Jim Carey of all people. Simon Birch was a miserable failure at converting this book to a movie though a decent movie on its own. Irving sold the rights to Owen Meany but asked them to change the character's name and the title of the film since it was so different from the book.
Opening line from memory; I apologize if the punctuation isn't correct:
"I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice--not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany."
The book does have some failings, Irving tends to side track on some political commentary via the narrator, John Wheelwright, but the overall story is worth reading.

Reread Again

I'm working my way back through some of my books. I have a fairly large selection but, I'm out of books to read for the moment so I picked up John Irving's Cider House Rules for probably the fourth time. Funny how a story reads differently when you are in a different part of your life. Irving rights some great tragic characters and I really like this book, A Prayer for Owen Meany (best opening line ever), Hotel New Hampshire, Widow for One Year.
Some of my friends and coworkers think I'm nuts for rereading books but a good book I've read in the past can seem like curling up with a good friend with good insight in the future.
Looking ahead on my reading, come fall I'll pick up the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan again http://www.tor.com/jordan/index.html. His usual schedule is a new book in the series every 2 years so there should be one in the spring. The schedule of his book writing has extended due to illness. The story line is so in depth that I lose track of too much in two years and always reread before the new book comes out.
I need some reading suggestions. I've recently read some mystery books and I've always been a fan of good fiction and science fiction. If you know of anything let me know. The good friends have been nice to visit over the past few weeks but after Cider House Rules I'll be ready for something new.

Accident Prone Update

The roommate did not actually break a bone in her knee. It turns out the radiologist who read her x-rays was a short bus rider. She had strained the MCL tendon last year and when you do that a calcium deposit tends to form where the MCL and the bone meet.
On the down side, she definitely messed her knee up. The doctor doesn't think she tore her MCL or ACL though she probably strained both. There is also a slight chance she tore the meniscus cartilage but that is a fairly easy fix. She has an MRI this week and a doctors appointment in 2 weeks so she will know more then. In the mean time it's physical therapy, ice and frustration for not being able to do what she likes.

This Blog has not yet been rated...

Mingle² - Online Dating

Dang, I may have to get more creative in the future...I thought for sure I'd at least be a PG

Say What?!

My friend, Gary, one of the best people I have met on this planet, had an amazing business opportunity present itself to him. Gary now has a fledgeling business selling shirts with outrageous sayings very inexpensively ($7.50 + S&H). Right now he is selling off the current stock. Then he has a notebook he has been adding to for years filled with some great sayings that he will slowly turn into new stock. Go check out his E-bay store. Warning: not all shirts are children appropriate, some make me laugh hard enough to shoot water out my nose though. Buy a shirt! Get a good laugh! Tell your friends! If you buy one from this link add the word ZEBRA into the comments. Every 5 ZEBRAS earns me a shirt!

Accident Prone

All additional repairs and major work on the house are now on hold for at least 6 weeks. Rachel, a.k.a. the roomie, a.k.a. the girl who fell off her bike and broke her nose a few months ago, stepped up into her booth at work (she powder coats metal) and broke a bone in here knee last Thursday. The step is tall and Rachel is not and something in her knee just didn't like the experience. So, she is in an immobilizer and on crutches and has an appointment with the specialist on Wednesday. Keep positive, healing thoughts for her. I'm praying the fracture is all that is wrong so she'll be up and mobile very soon.
Regardless, I'm still going to call her Hop-A-Long for quite awhile...

Repairs

The shed in my yard is like an extra room in the house with electricity, phone line, vent fan and loft. The original owners, our good friends, John and Mary, built the deck and shed. The shed was not just storage but also John's workshop so it is quite large. the loft space is great to store the camping supplies in the winter and the Christmas stuff in the summer. The workbench is handy, the shelving is great and the floor space allows for the bikes and lawn mower to be stored while I still have room to walk from one end to the other.
Our home was beautiful at the time John and Mary bought it and raised their kids in it. When they moved to Cincinnati, OH, they land leased it to someone who seemed nice. The land lease didn't work out. The person didn't pay on the lease, allowed the dogs to destroy the carpeting, ripped out a bathtub and water softener, the damage goes on and on. The land lease was withdrawn and the person was kicked out. Mary and John decided to sign the deed over to Tara instead of selling it to her. The damage was too great for them to feel right about selling. Since we have taken the place over we have done quite a bit of remodeling and still have quite a ways to go. The latest endeavor was the shed. The inside was fine, outside the concrete pylons on the right side were tilted significantly and I was beginning to fear the she would slide off into the house.
The roomie, Rachel, and I took a house jack and jacked the shed up off the pylons, discovered the front and back ones were tilted and the middle one had broken in half.
We then dug out the pylons.
Did I mention John is an engineer?
He builds things right. The pylons sunk over a foot into the ground. They were not meant to shift.
The shifted due to bad drainage.
My soil is full of rocks and roots.
It took a heck of a lot of work to get them dug out and leveled.
But in the end we prevailed and the shed is now sitting on beautifully squared and level concrete pylons.
I smile every time I look off the porch at them.
The entire time Rachel and I were working on the shed the cats were watching. Three cats in the window taking turns yelling at us for having the audacity to be outside, within their sight and not inside giving them attention. MEOW, MEEEWWW, PICMOW! It adds a bit of fun to the work when you know you have an audience. Even if it was a furry one.

Sunny Day

The maker of my clock radio had a twisted side, placing the snooze and off buttons side-by-side on the top. They even have the same feel to them so you have to remember your left from right when not yet awake. Today I must have confused them and hit the off button so I woke up late.
But I didn't panic.
Full night's sleep, waking up on my own, not to the sound of loud beeping, two kitties curled up beside me and sun light sneaking through the curtains. I actually had a relaxing morning.
My work is at a desk so coming in 45 minutes later than usual is not really an issue. I stayed a little later yesterday and I can do the same to day and I'll be on time and still get to enjoy the sunshine.
The late start actually made the day better. It's going to be a fabulous day.

Shipping Out

Tara's son, Robert has proudly served in the US Army National Guard. He spent close to two years in Kuwait and came home safe. He has been going to school and serving as part of the honor guard for military funerals. Two weeks before his service was up he was informed that due to a demand for more soldiers in Iraq Stop Loss was being inacted on him and he was being held in the National Guard for two more years.
Robert is currently with his unit in Texas going through dessert training to return to Iraq no later than the end of summer.
Regardless of your thoughts on the war and the US presence in the Middle East, please keep Robert, his battle buds and the other soldiers in your thoughts and prayers.

Semi Travels Part 4

We had two days in Florida and spent a wonderful afternoon on Delray Beach. Due to Subtropical storm Andrea, the waves were very high and surf was rough which meant no swimming. We did have fun dodging the waves by standing on the beach and waiting for them to come in. We weren't fast enough at one point and ended up drenched.

The surfers, of course, ignored the red flag warning and were excited to get in the water and ride the waves.
The parking on Delray Beach is limited to road-side parallel parking. We left the trailer at the hotel and bobtailed to the beach. We took two spaces and paid both meters. An older gentleman in a Delray Beach sheriff's golf cart pulled up and started off by telling us trucks aren't normally allowed to park there (meanwhile, he forgot to set the break on the golf cart and it rolled a short distance before coming to rest on the curb). Tara turned on the charm and he relented saying, since we took two spaces it should be safe for someone to pull out from behind us or in front of us since we'd only be there a couple hours.
From Delray, we went back and hooked up the trailer, worked our way across Florida (I had no idea there were large cattle farms in central Florida) and picked up 10,000 lbs of plastic lids that went to Evansville, Indiana. From Evansville to Hawsville, Ky to pick up 45,000 lbs of rolled paper Bright white Xerox that hadn't been cut and delivered to Washington Court, OH. From there, back to the yard then the homeward load.
Overall, it was a great week together. I saw quite a bit of the East Coast and learned a lot about truck driving. It is a hard and demanding job and most of the drivers do a great job at it.
One thing I heard over and over is the truck drivers wish that 4 wheelers (people in cars) would be more careful. A truck fully loaded can weigh up to 80,000 lbs which means it cannot stop on a dime. The brakes are mainly on the truck. If a car jumps in front of a truck and slams on the breaks, it is in danger of being run over. Most truck drivers will sacrifice themselves and their load to save the four wheeler but the whole thing is needless. Truckers are the lifeblood of North America. No trucks, no goods delivered to stores and businesses. When you see a truck driver, respect them and don't cut them off or slam on your breaks.

To my Alpha Phi Omega Brother

I joined Alpha Phi Omega in college. No, I am most certainly not a sorority chick. Alpha Phi Omega is a co-ed international service fraternity. Leadership through service. It was a great time with a great group of brothers.
I found out today, one of my brothers, Ed Dick, passed away two weeks ago from complications of liver failure. Ed was one of the bright people in my life, a lot of fun. During a regional conference in Louisville, KY one year we held a costume contest and 300+ lb Ed wore a nurses outfit (complete with skirt and hat). He didn't shave his face, legs or arms and stood there and said "Sponge Bath?" holding a sponge and basin. He won the contest by a landslide - way scarier than the monsters.
Ed, you were a great big brother and I hope you've gone on to a great party in the next life. Tonight is my evening to grieve, tomorrow I will go and party with the brothers as you requested. I hope you join us in spirit for awhile.

Here's to Alpha Phi Omega
Loyal Brothers we.
True to self and to each other
Firm in Loyalty
Daily working daily striving
Ever more to be
men (and women) of Alpha Phi Omega
Our Fraternity
Brothers clasp the hands of brothers,
Strong the circle we.
Ever mindful, ever serving
All Humanity.
Now we raise our grateful voices
In our song to thee
Men of Alpha Phi Omega
May we always be
ALPHA PHI OMEGA TIL THE DAY WE DIE! (and beyond)

We'll miss you Ed, God Speed.

Semi Travels Part 3

On Saturday we got our load assignment; take garage door parts to Pompano Beach, Fl and oh by the way did you want to take two days off down there? Woohoo, Florida! Spring was very slow in reaching Erie this year so the warmer weather sounded like a welcome break. Tara had to drive her limit of 11 hours per day in order to make it on time though we did stop at a Huddle House off Exit 11 on I75 in Kentucky that had the best breakfast EVER! Fantastic short order cook, really nice waite staff and the best sausage gravy I've ever had. If you happen to be traveling that way I highly recommend a stop there. I one day we went from southwestern Ohio through Kentucky, Tennessee, North and South Carolina into Georgia. The next day was on to Florida all the way down I95.
The mountains in Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina are absolutely amazing. We went over Jellico Mt. and down Black Mt. in the Smokey's.
View from Jellico Mountain

The Smoky Mountains really do look smoky. Black Mountain was beautiful and very steep but was so overwhelming there was no way to get it into a photo.

On Sunday night we were only 100 miles from our destination and stopped for the night. We got up early to make it to Pompano Beach on time only to run into stopped traffic near a Rest Stop. Apparently a dump bucket truck was entering I95 from the rest area and pulled in front of a semi that did not stop or get out of the way in time.

Hopefully everyone was ok. We saw the dump bucket - solid steel construction meant no damage for him.
Finally we got to Pompano Beach where it took the hard working gentlemen at the garage door place 4 hours to unload the fully loaded semi. They did not have a dock so they had to pull the parts off by hand. The load was 33,000 lbs so most of those parts were fairly heavy. After delivering we went to a hotel in Boca Raton compliments of some rewards points I had and got a chance to stretch out and relax at the pool. Next up: the day at the beach and return travels.

Semi Travels Part 2

Off to Vermont on Friday afternoon. North from Connecticut, through Massachusetts to the Great state of Vermont where there were actual Moose Crossing signs. I really wish I would have gotten a picture of that or better yet, actually saw a moose. We picked up a load of rolled fiberboard in multiple bright colors. I have no idea what you use fiberboard in bright blue and pink for but it was important to someone in Indiana. We only took the load as far as a small town in central Pennsylvania called Sayer. There we met another truck driver named Kris who has been driving for the same company as my partner for a number of years. He had our load. Apparently it was going to be a 3 way switch. We dropped the trailer containing the fiberboard and he dropped his trailer with its load. We hooked up to his trailer and he had to wait for a third driver. The third driver was going to take our old trailer and give Kris his.
Confusing but gave Kris and the other driver a chance to go home for the weekend and us a chance to go to the yard in southwestern Ohio to get our load to Pompano Beach.
Friday and Saturday are a bit of a blur with a ton of driving and swapping out trailers.
Saturday afternoon we finally made it to the yard. Her company takes great care of their equipment and the yard was filled with neatly parked trailers and trucks, a very nice office building and a nice shop for truck and trailer repair. They also have their own fuel island. We dropped the one trailer, she turned in her paperwork which I have learned is fairly extensive - attention to detail and good addition and subtraction skills are key, and headed to get our load of garage doors for Florida.
Next...off and running: 6 states in 2 days, mountains, ocean and accidents.

Semi Travels Part 1

Adventures in Legoland.
For the first time in my professional career I took and entire week paid vacation off. Any other time I've had a week off I was either switching jobs or switching locations for the same company which meant trying to move all my stuff.
I've been planning to go on this trip since last November and I should have gone in mid-April but, the boss asked me to move my plans to be available for a major project. I'm glad I waited.
My partner, Tara, has a CDL (Commercial Driver's License) and has driven a Semi for over 15 years. In that time she has driven flat bed, dump buckets, reefers (refridgerated units) and standard trailers and is amazingly good at her job. I can't be trusted to safetly back up my Ford Escort, she backs up a 53 foot trailer multiple times over the course of a week into some really tight locations.
I've had the opportunity over the past couple years to go out on the truck for a day or overnight but never on a long trip. The short trips were like training for the real event. In those short trips I learned how to dolly up and dolly down the trailer. This means I get out of the truck, put on some work gloves and crank a large handle on the driver's side of the trailer toward the front to bring the trailer legs up or down. I've also learned how a lot of other truck terminology which I'll explain as it comes up. I also learned that a truck driver can see everything in a person's 4 wheeler as it goes past and I mean everything. That can get quite interesting.
This time Tara picked me up on Thursday, May 4 in the evening and we left Northwest Pennsylvania for Conniticut and who knew where else over the next 9 days. She drives a Freightliner Columbia that she calls her two room condo. It has a single bottom bunk, a fold down upper bunk, tv with dvd player, microwave, plugs on a converter for anything else and even a port-a-potty for those desperate situations. There is a lot of storage and being neat is an absolute necessity for sanity.
Our first load, 35,000 lbs of vegetable oil bound for a distribution center that send the oil out to McDonalds. We were carrying the key ingredient to those tasty McD fries. A truck driver relies heavily on a Motocarrier's Atlas to get from point A to point B. We took off Thursday night, slept at a truck stop somewhere in New York and woke up bright and early to deliver in northwestern Connecticut. Information on loads including directions are sent to many truck drivers, including Tara, via an on board computer called a Qualcom. The Qualcom signal tells the truck driving company where exactly the truck is and is a life line between the driver and the dispatcher. The directions on the Qualcom were less than clear and we did our best to figure them out, ended up on the correct road however, we passed the consignee (receiver) and accidentally turned into Lego Headquarters. That was one of the coolest business buildings I've ever seen. There were Lego sculptures everywhere. Unfortunately, we weren't supposed to be there and the drive was not designed to handle 75+ feet of truck and trailer. The picture of the police officer at the pickup - the officer and the hydrant (not shown) were made entirely of Legos, was directly in our way to make the turn. Tara had to be very creative and in the end, the tandems (tires at the back of the trailer) went up over the curb and a little grass by the giant Legos. No real harm done, the grass was flattened but not killed and no one came out and yelled. In the end, we made it out and two blocks down the road to the distribution center, where I watched a lot of McDonald trailers with really good looking food on the side drive back and forth.
The Qualcom is a vital piece of daily truck driving. Every morning Tara checks in with her dispatcher, when a load is picked up or delivered she has to send that information in, calls for directions, where to fuel, and other info all goes through the Qualcom. Tara has a dispatcher named Cheryl who is one of the most wonderful dispatchers on the planet. I've learned to always be good to the dispatcher, she gives you the loads and if you make her angry you don't get miles, no miles, no money. Drivers are paid by the mile so it's good to treat the dispatcher really well.
After the Oil for McDonald's fries we headed for Vermont...more on that later. 9 day, probably 9 entries and lots of photos to follow.