I was home recently looking through some papers that belonged to my step-father Frank, who passed away in October 2011. I found a list. Boy, doesn't that sound like something out of a spy movie? I found a list...
Well, this isn't that exciting. I just found a list of terms with numbers next to them, written on the backs of yellowed depost slips from a bank in our old town that isn't even in business anymore. Frank was a collector of bits of information like this. He always wrote on scraps of papers, backs of envelopes, deposit slips pilfered from the bank. The capitals of every state, frequently used crossword puzzle words, obscure facts. I think doing this kept his mind very sharp, all the way to the end. He always had the answers, especially if it were some obscure fact. He just knew things. He was the search engine we all used prior to Google!
Here are the items from the list I found. Some of them, like the High Society 400 and the Lines of Quatrain, I'd never even heard of. Others are things it seems we've always just known.
Football Team: 11 In American football, there can only be 11 players from each team on the field at one time.
Dinner at: 8 Dinner At Eight is a 1933 film that can technically be called a romantic comedy. It is a study of people during the Great Depression. The movie addresses topics that include wealthy people dealing with the loss of money and prestige; relationships between men and women involving power, blind love, selfishness, and unselfishness; and relationships between the wealthy and those who work for them.
The R’s: 3 The three Rs (as in the letter R) are the foundations of a basic skills orientated education program within schools: reading, 'riting and rithmetic
Golf course holes: 18 The very confusing Scottish history of why courses have 18 holes can be read here.
Bluebeard’s Wives: 7 The story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives.
Supreme Court: 9 The Court currently has six male and three female justices. One justice is African American, one is Latino, and two are Italian-Americans; six justices are Roman Catholics, and three are Jewish. The average age is 66 years, 3 months, and every current justice has an Ivy League background.
Sense: 6 ESP is commonly referred to as the sixth sense. The other five are sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell.
Great Lakes: 5 The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada–United States border which connect to the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes Waterway. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth comprising 21% of the world's surface fresh water.
Tones in Octave 8 In a traditional MAJOR SCALE (a.k.a. Ionian), there are seven different letter names (and usually an eighth note is added with the same letter name, an octave higher than the first). If you start on C, the major scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, B (and C for the eighth note). You can start on any note, but you will get different letters. Wow - way more information than I needed. I'm confused. More here.
The Muses: 9 The Nine Muses of the Greek Mythology were deities that gave artists, philosophers and individuals the necessary inspiration for creation - they were: Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomeni, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania and Calliope.
Zodiac Signs: 12 Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. See what’s in the stars for you.
The Fates: 3 The three Greek Goddesses of Destiny and Fate. Otherwise known as the Moirae, these timeless old hags weave the threads of destiny that control your life. They are: CLOTHO who spins the Thread of Life, LACHESIS who allots the length of the yarn, and ATROPOS who does the snip (the final one). Known Planets: 9 Well, until the whole hullabaloo about Pluto, there were nine planets. Now, there are officially eight. Whatever.
Bill of Rights: 10 The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution is known as the Bill of Rights. I'm not so sure about Number 8 - there are plenty of people that should have cruel and unusual punishments inflicted upon them.
Pentagon Sides: 5 A plane figure with five angles and five sides. The word pentagon is derived from the Greek words for five (pente) and angle (gonia). In the United States, most people are familiar with the five-sided building we call The Pentagon, after its shape.
The Little Peppers: 5 The Five Little Peppers book series was created by Margaret Sidney from 1881 to 1916. It covers the lives of the five children of Mamsie and the late Mister Pepper who are born into poverty in a rural "little brown house." The series begins with the Peppers in their native state and develops with their rescue by a wealthy gentleman who takes an interest in the family.
Wilson's Points: 14 The Fourteen Points was a speech given by United States President Woodrow Wilson to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1918. The address was intended to assure the country that the Great War was being fought for postwar peace in Europe.
The Seas: 7 Many believe that "the seven seas" is simply an idiom that refers to sailing many or all of the oceans of the world. The term is believed to have been popularized by Rudyard Kipling who published an anthology of poetry titled The Seven Seas in 1896.
Apocalypse Horseman: 4 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a "book/scroll" in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals". The Lamb of God/Lion of Judah (Jesus Christ) opens the first four of the seven seals, which summons forth four beings that ride out on white, red, black, and pale horses. Although some interpretations differ, the four riders are commonly[clarification needed] seen as symbolizing Conquest,[1] War,[2] Famine[3] and Death, respectively.
Degrees in a Circle: 360 There are 360 degrees in a circle, no matter how big or small the circle is. A degree of arc is a measuremtn of plane angle, representing 1/360 of a full rotation.
Octogenarian: 80 Technically, not just eighty. An octogenarian is a person from eighty to eighty-nine years old. My step-father was an octogenarian.
Pecks in a bushel: 4 A US bushel is a measure of dry volume and equals approximately 35 litres, or 8 dry gallons. An Imperial bushel equals approximately 36 litres, or 8 Imperial gallons. A peck is also a measure of dry volume and equals 8 dry quarts in both the US and Imperial systems. There are 4 pecks in a bushel. But the only way that I've ever know it was by the song my grandmother always sang to us: "I love you, a bushel and a peck! A bushel and a peck, and a hug around the neck! A hug around the neck, and a barrel and a heap. A barrel and a heap, and I'm talkin' in my sleep. About you."
Baker’s Dozen: 13 A baker's dozen, also known as a long dozen, is a grouping of thirteen.
Faces of Janus: 2 In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. He is usually a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past. The concepts of January and janitor are both based on aspects of Janus.
Men on Dead Man’s Chest: 15 Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest, Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest, Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Books of the Bible: 66 The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the Old and New Testaments. There are 39 books in the Old Testament. There are 27 books in the New Testament.
Blackbirds in a pie: 24 Who doesn't know this nursery rhyme? "Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie. When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing; Wasn't that a dainty dish, to set before the king?"
Disciples: 12 Jesus had twelve apostles, also known as disciples.
Gentlemen of Verona: 2 The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1590 or 1591. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play.
Knights of the Round Table: 12 It doesn't seem as if anyone knows how many knights King Arthur really had, but let's keep the legend intact and just go with twelve.
Alphabet Letters: 26 There are eight letters in alphabet. Gotcha! Go on, take a minute....it'll come to you. Ha! OK, there are 26 letters in the English alphabet, the one most of us English speakers are used to. For other alphabet information, check this out.
Dots in colon: 2 The colon (:) is a punctuation mark consisting of two equally sized dots centered ont he same vertical line. It informs the reader that what follows the mark proves, explains, or lists elements of what preceded the mark.
Piano Keys: 88 Almost every modern piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keys, for a total of 88. Some older pianos have only 85 keys. The rest of the information might only be of interest to pianists. Heh-heh. She said "pianist".
Cabinet Members: 12 Now this one is wrong, according to my research, but it was probably right when Frank wrote it. The information I found is: "With the creation of the Department of Transportation in 1966, the Cabinet consisted of 12 members. This figure was reduced to 11 when the Post Office Department became an independent agency in 1970 but, with the establishment in 1977 of a Department of Energy, became 12 again. Creation of the Department of Education in 1980 raised the number to 13. Creation of the Department of Veterans' Affairs in 1989 raised the number to 14. The establishment of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 brought the number to 15."
Freezing point of water: 32 Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 degree Celsius, if you're into that kind of thing). Don't we all know this one?
Teeth in a human adult: 32 Among permanent teeth, 16 are found in the maxilla and 16 in the mandible, for a total of 32.
Bits in a half dollar: 4 In the U.S., the bit as a designation for money dates from the colonial period, when the most common unit of currency used was the Spanish dollar, also known as "piece of eight", which was worth 8 Spanish silver reales. One eighth of a dollar or one silver real was one "bit".
Lines of quatrain: 4 A quatrain is a stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines of verse.
Lives of cat: 9 It's a common myth that cats have nine lives. The myth is attributed to the natural suppleness and swiftness cats exhibit to escape life-threatening situations.
High Society: 400 At the height of the Gilded Age, the "Four Hundred" represented the epitome of New York Society during the last quarter of the 19th Century.
Basketball Team: 5 Only five players from each team are on the court at any one time - one center, two forwards and two guards.
Tonight I made my friend Vicki's Rosemary Pork Chops and my Roasted Potatoes - as I usually do when I make the Rosemary Pork Chops, I throw a little of the herb in the potatoes - it's so fragrant, I can't help it.
It's super easy. Let's get started.
ROSEMARY PORK CHOPS & ROASTED POTATOES
THE INGREDIENTS (for both) Red Potatoes (or any potatoes, really) Porkchops (I used bone-in, but I've done it with boneless) Beef Boullion Cubes or Beef Stock Garlic (At least 10 cloves, chopped, to use for both dishes) Fresh Rosemary Salt Pepper Olive Oil
THE PROCESS 1. The first thing I do when I make this dish is get the potatoes going. Put the oven on 450 degrees so it can start heating up while you prep.
2. Wash the potatoes, because you're going to leave the skins on when you cook them.. Then cut them in 1 or 1 1/2 inch pieces. Spread in a shallow baking pan.
3. Coat with olive oil, add salt and pepper and some chopped garlic - all to taste, but enough to coat the entire pan's worth of potatoes. Take two sprigs of fresh rosemary, pull off the leaves and mince. Sprinkle that over the potatoes. 4. Toss it all with your hands to make sure everything is coated, then throw 'em in the oven. Don't look at them for at least 25 minutes. I usually check them and mix around at least once to make sure they're browning. If you have to add liquid, add a little water, but not much. You want them to get nice and roasted on the outside. I usually wind up cooking them about 45 minutes, but just keep your eye on them.
5. Now start on the chops. Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with olive oil - I use my electric skillet because it's big enough to fit all these chops - then salt and pepper the porkchops and start to brown them on each side. 6. Once they're browned, throw in your garlic (for the chops, I used about 6 cloves) and mix around. Have your beef broth (or broth made from bouillon) ready to pour. I used one 16 oz. can of Swanson beef broth because I didn't have bouillon - you'll need enough to cover the chops. You'll be adding water also, so if you're short a bit, that's okay. Pour it on! 7. Now it's time to add that fragrant beauty otherwise known as rosemary. I used six sprigs - one for each chop. Maybe it's a little overload, not sure, but it sure did smell delicious. I dragged my sprigs through the broth and threw them in whole. I had the heat turned up so the liquid was bubbling a little, but once I put the lid on the pan, I turned it down to low, so it would simmer. 8. Once everything was done, I plated it. A nice scoop of potatoes, a porkchop with a sprig of rosemary, and the fresh green beans I steamed for our veggie. I like the pop of green. I spooned a little of the broth over the potatoes and the chop and served. It was DELICIOUS!I'm not really sure what happened in this photo - must have been the lighting - and since I only took one shot before I ate it, this is the only one you're getting.
If you want to make it yourself, click HERE for the recipe. Enjoy!
This is what my mother does while she's watching TV. Or sitting at the kitchen table. Or conversing after a backyard BBQ. In this particular instance, she was using a small scissor. Usually, it's a paring knife.
She's a human shredder. This was just the first step. After she cuts the orange rinds into tiny slivers, she cuts the slivers into miniscule bits - each piece measuring approximately 1/16 of an inch. If only I could figure out something to do with the pieces - maybe I'd be able to retire. She claims it's therapeutic. I think it's borderline mental patient.
Well, mental patient until I can figure out how to make a million from it. Then she'll just be a worker getting free therapy.
Have you seen this? The 340 ton rock that was recently delivered to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art? What I love is how the article didn't mention the guy who drove the truck. Not once.
They told us how they planned to do it: "The rock has already been raised off the ground by hydraulic lifts and put in a cradle; steel trusses were built around the cradle, all part of a modular tractor with 22 axles, each with its own set of brakes, and 196 wheels. It will weigh 1,210,900 pounds, including the rock." The guy who owns the company who is doing the moving of the rock said that the weight per axle would only be about 349,950 pounds. "That's not so bad." he said. "The rig will be about 295 feet long and 27 feet wide and require a crew of 12 people to operate it."
They told us how much it would cost. The entire project will cost close to $10 million. Just what the broke state of California needs right now - a ten million dollar rock. What assholes. Michael Govan, the executive director of the museum, said "We're putting more people to work here in L.A. then Obama." Really? So $10 million worth of unemployed people in California are helping move and install this rock? It's just stupid. Of course, if I'm anywhere near LACMA I'll be sure to stop in to see it, so I can blog about it. That'll be $30 they can add to the kitty - unless of course I go on Second Tuesdays or a Federal Holiday - admission is free on those days.
They told us where it would be traveling. They even provided a detailed map and wrote blog posts about where you can see it. The ironic thing about them transporting this rock through four counties and twenty-two cities, at six miles per hour, is the fact that this entire area (and state) is so UN-friendly to trucks. This is the actual route they took. Ask any trucker and they'll tell you that the parking in these areas is very limited, with the exception of the two truckstops in Ontario.
What they didn't tell us was who exactly drove that behemoth through the streets of Los Angeles. They didn't tell us about the person who possessed the talent to make those corners, to safely transport an "art exhibit", to make sure no onlookers were harmed while gawking (and likely touching) the equipment while the truck with the rock was parked. I'm sure at some point, one of the trucking publications I read will do a feature on it, but so far the articles I've read haven't mentioned it.
California is not nice to trucks. The fuel is sky high. The regulations restricting us are many. The parking is non-existent. We can't find a decent place to park anywhere in almost all of Los Angeles, but the stupid rock gets to spend the day in Bixby Knolls - a neighborhood adjacent to Long Beach which we've visited many times (and which has no truck parking). In addition, less than ten miles from there is the Port of Long Beach - ranked among the world's busiest container ports, where they handled 6,061,085 containers in 2011 - where vehicles in excess of 6,000 pounds can't even drive on the streets, let alone park on them. Yet, they've found the time to make accomodations to move a rock.
Overall, I suppose it's kind of cool. When do you really get to see that kind of thing? But it doesn't change how much i dislike California. I'm still mad at them from the last time they screwed with us.
I couldn't remember where the place was - I knew it was a few blocks off a familiar busy intersection, just down the street from one of my favorite coffee joints. I came across it by accident once, and over the years have taken the sidestreets through the neighborhood just to see it again and smile. Today I wanted to show Ed.
I knew I was close when I started seeing sculptures in the round-a-bouts. They must have been fairly new, or maybe it had been a long time since I'd been there. Either way, when I came across this one, I knew I was close. I stopped on a side street to ask a neighbor where the house with the metal sculptures was. She pointed and said, "Two blocks down, on the left." As I got closer, I saw the familiar cluster of characters. As we drove up, the metal yard warrior was the first thing I saw. Her "clothing" is made of rusty metal, detailed with fringe. She's got crazy pipe hair and a small circular breastplate that looks as if it's made from a gear of some sort.
Just in front of the house are these extremely tall - at least eight feet from head to toe - sculptures made from shiny chrome bumpers. They stare down at you, but in a friendly manner.
The sculpture that collects the mail looks like a giant beetle. Draped in Christmas lights, with springs for hair, a motorcycle muffler nose and car frames for legs and arms - the left one reaching out, collecting mail in a turquoise box.
This is one of my favorites - the propane tank caterpillar. He's got two bent springs and casters for antennae.
Right next to the caterpillar is this bench, made of chrome bumpers. Ed loved it. Although, we decided it would be a bitch to sit on in the summer. Perhaps some asbestos cushions to make it more comfortable?
Around the side of the house we found this metal gate. You can see the last name of the artist, Hall, at the top of the gate. It's backwards from the road, but I guess from the inside of the property, it reads as it should. Look at the detail!
This is another favorite - a man made of #10 cans, with a propane tank head and a hubcap "apron". Or maybe it's a codpiece?
I never knew the name of the artist who created these sculptures. It was pre-Google when I first discovered them, and in subsequent years, I guess it just didn't occur to me too look him up. I'd never seen him, or anyone else, on the property any of the times I'd driven by.
Today I learned his name - information that came on the wings of a butterfly, providing me with basic facts - the length of his life. Unfortunately, I'll never get to see him now because he died in October 2010. This date marker is placed in one of the round-a-bouts in his neighborhood, not far from the house.
Once I knew his name, I did some Googling. I don't recall ever seeing anything about him, but I've been in and out of town for years and it's possible I missed whatever was written. The first article I found was this one, published in the local paper after his death. And then I came across a website maintained by Wesley Treat, who took some great detail photos. You can see them here.
If you're in the area, just off Grant & Campbell in Tucson, detour into the adjacent neighborhood and make your way to the corner of Water Street and Highland Avenue. The menagerie takes up the entire corner and the house is purple - you can't miss it.
And if you really like it, it's for sale. Save your pennies!
Today I joined Ed on a little trip to a hobby shop. When we pulled up he said, "Great. It's right next door to a biker bar." While he went into the hobby shop, I walked over and took a few pictures. This mural on the side of the building doesn't look too bashful. Oooooh, big bad biker guy driving his hog or pig or whatever they call their bikes, through the wall. Watch out for flying cinder blocks! TheThe Bashful Bandit has been in Tucson for as long as I can remember, and that's at least thirty years. I've passed it a million times, but have never stopped or gone in. Bikers aren't really my cup of tea.
If I remember correctly, this place really packs 'em in. On weekend nights, it was always packed, people spilling out of the doors and congregating around their bikes. I wonder if they have a bar and/or parking lot brawl minimum - there's gotta be at least one a night. I peeked in the door - saw a pool table, a rack of pool cues by the door and not much else...it was dark and a wee bit scary - and I was there during the daylight hours!
If you plan on going, you can find it here:
3686 East Speedway Boulevard Tucson, AZ 85716 520.795.8996
Last night while watching TV, we heard a noise just outside the window. We assumed it was the javelinas foraging for food, and we were right. I'm so entertained by the little things.
When I was a kid growing up in New York, my mother went through a health food phase. She served protein shakes, made lentil loaf and lentil burgers (her version of healthy meatloaf and hamburgers), ate Wasa Bread and used spices like this Kelp Seasoning.
When I recently saw this Kelp Seasoning in my mother's pantry, I was transported back to that time. I almost fell off the stepstool I was standing on. Worse yet, I'd bet a month's income that it's the same exactcanister we used to have in our spice cabinet back in the late seventies, early eighties.
The labeling looks "vintage" and the sticker on the bottom says she paid sixty-nine cents. Dried herbs and seasonings lose their potency and flavor over the years, but this one still smells as disgusting as the last time I was unlucky enough to inhale its odor. I don't even recall what she used it for, I just know that sprinkling dried seaweed on anything can't be good.
Traumatic childhood food memory. No wonder I eat Twinkies.
This week Ed and I went to look at Vespa scooters. Our SmartCar plan is no longer in the works and our friends recently purchased a Vespa for their truck, which is what has made us start thinking about it. In fact, while they're away in Bangkok this month, they're having their truck outfitted with what they're calling a "garage" on the back of their tractor to house the Vespa. They have ramps planned and everything.
We've only ridden scooters two other times in our trucking years, once in Martha’s Vineyard and once in Key West. We recently considered bicycles (which we might still do), but Ed talked to my brother's friend who is a master with metal, about building us boxes to fit up under each side of our trailer. They took measurements, did drawings and determined that we can carry two scooters on the trailer - one on each side.
I'm not really thrilled about riding a scooter in traffic as it's kind of scary based on my two experiences, but by the end of the two weeks we spent in Key West, I was getting kind of used to zipping around, easily slipping into parking spots, and quickly hopping on and off for photos and sightseeing.
The Vespa is all metal, no plastic, weighs about 335 pounds, and feels very solid. It's much bigger than the scooters we rented in either place, and has a large, comfortable seat. We'd have to get motorcycle licenses to drive them (just to be covered in every state).
This whole scooter thing is just in the thought stage, it's nothing definite yet, but of the three we saw, Ed said he wanted the red one and I've already settled on the bronze beauty.
I got an email recently from a woman who just started driving team with her husband - they're nine months in - and she was curious about how we find loads, that I must have written about it, and which posts should she look at to get the information? It wasn't until she asked that question that I realized I never had written about it.
Until now.
Most of you know we are owner-operators and pull a flatbed trailer. Our freight ranges from building materials, to containers, to military equipment, to aircraft parts to honeybees. We'll haul just about anything they can put on a flatbed if the price is right.
And although finding freight isn't hard, it is a little bit of an art. Knowing where the freight is, knowing how much time is involved loading, knowing if it's going to a good area, deciding whether deadheading (driving empty to pick up) is going to be worth it. These are all learned. Ed is a master at this - you can throw a load and a rate at him and he'll know immediately if it's worth doing. Me? I'm not as quick with the figuring, but I'm pretty good now too.
We have a few agents who will call us outright, if we're in the area, to offer us a load before they post it. They know us, they've worked with us before, and they know we deliver - no pun intended. Most of the time though, we find our loads on the board. "The Board" is the load board where the company we're leased to posts their loads. If you enlarge the photo below (click to enlarge), you'll see a real example of freight that's available to us.
In this particular example, I searched a two-hundred mile radius from Columbus, Ohio. That's how it typically works - wherever you are, you look to see what kinds of loads are available and you do it by searching a radius of the area. Two hundred miles is about a four hour drive, not the most ideal distance to go for a load unless it pays well. Typically we don't like to go further than three hours (150 miles) away, but we've gone as far as seven or eight hours (400-500 miles) to pick up if the load paid well.
You'll see in the photo how the loads are listed beginning with columns that detail the pickup and delivery dates, the origin and destination of the load, how far away the load is from where we are, what kind of trailer is needed, what the total revenue of the load is, how many miles the total trip is, what the rate per mile is, how much it weighs and the commodity. The commodity column is useless in my opinion because it's not useful, so I just ignore it.
If we see a load that we're interested in, we click on the agency code (not shown in photo) and see the details on the load. This is where we find out more - things like the dimensions of the load, what it is, if it needs to be tarped, if there are any stop-offs (we don't like doing stop-offs), and any notes the agent thinks might be pertinent. If we're interested in finding out more information, we call the agent directly to get the details and then decide if we want to do it or not.
To me, that's the best part - deciding how much we want to make and going where we want to go - I really enjoy being an owner-operator for that very reason. There is no dispatcher telling us where to go and when to be there, and there's no one calling us fifty times a day to find out where we are. We don't have a Qualcomm (which is a system that uses GPS to track where the truck is, and to send and receive messages with the driver) so no one ever knows if we're rolling or not, where we are on the route, how fast we're driving (even though Grandpa Ed keeps it at 58 at all times!) or what we're doing. They can't bother us with messages and we don't have to check in with anyone. That said, it doesn't mean we're not responsible to someone. Once we accept a load, we are expected to deliver as requested, and in the time frame agreed to, but we don't have to check in during transit.
Once you get some experience out here, you start to know where the freight is, and isn't. There are places we rarely go to because although there's freight in, there's nothing coming out. Arizona is one of those places. Unfortunately it's where we live, so sometimes we have no choice but to take a load out there. Usually we wind up deadheading to California to get something out when we're ready to get back on the road because it's very rare to find a load anywhere in the state that pays enough. We don't go to Florida very often either for the same reason, lots going in, but nothing coming out. A few of our best areas for freight are Ohio, Illinois, and North Carolina. There are other areas we like for certain reasons - some places have high paying military freight, some places have freight that doesn't need to be tarped, some places have lightweight aircraft parts - it's all something you learn as the years pass.
It's different for different segments of the industry too - where a van trailer might have an abundance of freight to choose from, there won't be anything for a flatbedder. The same is true in reverse. But the great thing about flatbedding is, we don't have to sit in a dock all day long. Hell, half the time we don't even have to back up - we just pull into a yard, untarp the load and they take the freight off the trailer right there, with a forklift. There are usually no appointment times for a flatbed, and we like the flexibility of that.
So controlling your own time and how much you'll be bringing in each week, or every couple of days is part of the draw of being an owner-operator. If you look at some of the loads in this example, you'll see that you can make $3,000 to $5,000 in as little as two days.
Today I went on a hike in Catalina State Park with Ed and my friend Kim. Every time I'm home, she asks me to do some sort of exercise that usually involves being outside. The trail she chose as my "starter hike" was two and a half miles long. Hellooooo? And it started with a steep hill. She said we could do the trail in either direction and tackle the hill at either the beginning or the end, it was my choice. That's a choice?? I decided to do it at the beginning, to get it over with. It was a steep hill. I had to stop at the top to catch my breath, but from there it was cake. We walked and talked, enjoying the cool morning air, and along the top of the ridge were a few benches. Since this was a leisurely walk and we had a lot of talking to do, we took a seat for about ten minutes and chatted and laughed.
The desert landscape in the background gives way to Oro Valley, where you can see the sprawl of homes and businesses.
And, it wouldn't be desert if there weren't cactus. Here's a little grouping to satisfy all you cacti fans.
I do have to say, even though I didn't want to do this walk and I'm not a fan of the desert at all, it wasn't really that bad. I'm not an outdoorsy, hikey kind or person, but I was actually a little inspired to do it again.
And when my friend Marlaina heard about my hike she said, "Good on you for taking the hike. Once completed, physical activity -- I won't even call it exercise because the word has taken on the same bad connotation as budgeting -- is the only thing we don't regret, according to an Australian friend of mine. Unless the activity results in a broken leg, it's always, "I should do that more", not "that was a big waste of time.""
And that's exactly how I felt. I might even say it was fun..but don't let that get out.
I found this metal sculpture in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. I have many days like this, when there are several balls in the air.
I cannot believe we're already into the third month of the year! January and February just flew. We were off in January, but February hardly felt like a work month. We were steadily busy but nothing crazy - we only did five loads.
We're heading home with this last load and while there, I'll be seeing my dentist again. I love her, as I've mentioned in the past, but I'm not too thrilled about having to see her again so soon. It's nothing major - just popping out a temporary crown to put in a permanent one, so I should be in an out in no time.
I gave a tons of clothes to Goodwill last month and bought a few new things, so while I'm home I'll comb through the rest of my stuff and leave whatever I don't need. I'd like to buy a few new things for the warmer weather that's coming, but it can wait. When we're home I like to clean the truck thoroughly and pull things out of the cabinets and re-organize. I also need to tackle the cab - I've been only doing basic sweeping up there but I really need to get into the grooves with a toothbrush and make it shine like new.
Ed will work on installing the rest of our video cameras and set up the DVR to record more exciting road happenings. He's the Gadget King and will probably have the truck torn apart while he runs wires, etc.
So as you can see, there's not much to report. I have several posts which are half-written - ideas, topics I want to cover, things I love, etc. - and I'm hoping to pull at least one of those together to get me up to date.
I'll see you soon - please come back and check in!
As you can see from below, it appears as if I've never done a post on leap year. To be fair, of the past six years, there would have only been one day (in 2008) to do a post and apparently, I missed it.
So here's a photo of one of my favorite New York treats - Drake’s - to get you through the next four years. The Drake's brand can't be found anywhere but in the Northeast - from what the Wikipedia entry says, they tried to branch out to the Maryland and Washington DC area, Florida and California, but those expansions failed. Whenever I come home to New York, I pick up a box - it's one of those wonderful regional things that also involves a childhood memory. Sort of like Yoo-Hoo and Sabrett hot dogs.
My favorite items in the Drake's line are, in order of deliciousness to me, are...the Devil Dog , the Coffee Cake, and the good 'ol Yankee Doodles. Hence the reason I will not be donning a bikini come bathing suit season.
When recently looking for some other photos, I came across this shot I took of a train board. At the time, it reminded me of my grandfather, since he had trains set up all over his house since the day I was born, until the day he died. He had big and small scale trains, N Scale, OO and HO Gauge if I remember correctly. He had a large, extremely detailed train board that my brother and I loved to watch him work on. When he got older and my grandparents moved from their house to an apartment, he had a smaller board set up in the kitchen. It was great.
Today this picture made me think of everything we pass by on a daily basis when on the road. I look at everything - trees, farms, broken down cars in people's yards, swingsets and kids toys strewn about, cows and horses grazing in fields. I feel like my work day is alive, with something always going on. Always different, always somewhere new.
I've mentioned before how I have favorite parts of the country, and mostly it's because of what I get to see while there. I generally hate anywhere that's hot, but if I can't escape the heat, I prefer to be in an area I enjoy. I really don't like the western part of the country at all - especially the Southwest where everything is flat, dusty, dead looking and barren. I like seeing trees, rivers, mountains, fall foliage, spring buds, barns, snow, traffic and urban areas.
I love when I come across something unexpected. Like a week ago this guy in a pickup truck cut in front of me, from the far left lane to the far right lane, speeding of course, to pull into a rest area. I was watching him thinking, "What an idiot. Why is he going so fast into a rest area?? That's so unsafe." when BAM! - his front left wheel completely FELL OFF THE TRUCK and he slid about a hundred feet in a shower of sparks. The entire wheel, tire and rim, just came right off and went rolling behind him down the ramp he just pulled into. I got it on video. I don't know what happened because I couldn't stop, I was already past him, but I watched it happen out the passenger window.
Or today, when I saw a guy in an orange helmet, on a zipline that ran parallel to the interstate - he was crossing the river at the same time I was - him on the zipline, me over the bridge. Very cool.
I see animals all the time playing in the fields with each other - horses running side by side, cows butting heads, calves nuzzling their mothers. I love seeing alpacas, because no matter how many times I've seen them, there's always that moment where I say to myself, what the hell is that?? and then I remember. Oh yeah, an alpaca.
The only time I like to drive at night is when I'm going across an area that I don't like or that's visually unappealing to me. Have you ever driven through West Texas? I happen to think it's beautiful at night. It seems I won't be around for the smattering of snow the Northeast is going to be getting, but maybe I'll be a little luckier on the next trip.
Life, for sure, is passing me by; but in the good way. And I'm not missing a minute of it.
Ohhhhh, so I should be reaching for a cigarette instead of Dunkin' Donuts! Who could have known it was as easy as lighting up? According to this ad, if I don't smoke, I could look like the woman to the left in five years. Oh, shit. I already look like the woman on the left. What should I do now??
These are two vintage cigarette ads I came across on the internet recently that made me just shake my head in amazement. Although I know many vintage ads touted practices that are no longer considered desirable, part of me truly and deeply believes that there are still scores of women out there who'd rather smoke than be fat.
I guess more people would rather die from tobacco use than to not be able to fit into their skinny jeans.
Some people call it global warming, others climate change. But whatever you call it, it's happening. The average person, the one who never leaves their state, city, town or even block, probably doesn't know what the weather is doing in other parts of the country. I'd venture to say they don't pay too much attention to the national weather forecast, they're more interested in what's happening tomorrow and whether they need a sweater or parka.
But lately, it seems neither of those are necessary. It's warm. Hot, even. In a lot of places. I drive all over the country and yes, it's cold in some places, it's February after all, but we've been in the New York and other than a small smattering of snow, there's nothing. Going back and forth across the country brings the subject of weather front and center. You want to know what you're going to run into, so it's best to check every once in a while to see what's happening. All I know is that I haven't had to pull out a winter jacket yet. Not even a sweatshirt.
But it's coming, I'm sure of it. I've been wishing for cold weather, snow, sleet, ice....anything that happens below freezing temperatures. Just a little to make me happy.
It's winter, after all and I need it.
“There is still vitality under the winter snow, even though to the casual eye it seems to be dead.” ~ Agnes Sligh Turnbull, American Writer
I'm not a hard candy chick, but when it comes to Coffee Nips, that's just a big fat lie. When it comes to Nips, I'm all kinds of a hard candy girl.
I don't know when I first discovered these, but for a long time I totally forgot about them because they're not available everywhere - I have only been able to find them at Walgreen’s. They're available online, but when I'm on the road and need a fix, I can't just order stuff on line and have it shipped to me. I must find a Walgreen's.
With truck parking.
For the last few months, I've been on a Nip kick. I bought them when I was home for Christmas and then stocked up again when I was in Florida in January - I made my friend Greg stop at a Walgreen's just so I can go in and get a few boxes. But now I'm out again and I'm totally jonesin' for a Nip.
I like to have a few when I'm driving because they last such a long time and the creamy coffee flavor is like having a cup of coffee caress me for miles and miles. But since I'm out, the only way to get through the day is to push the thought of them of my mind. I'll be getting more this week, and I'll make sure to stash some in the truck somewhere so I will have an emergency supply.
It's a slow week here at The Daily Rant, so expect a few more random posts about nothing until things pick up a little. Nothing planned for the weekend, but things should pick up next week. See you then!
The Daily Rant is the longest running daily blog in the WORLD written by a female truck driver. THIS is where trucking meets travel! I am a professional truck driver. I travel. I write. I photograph. I even snorkel. But never at the same time.
What People Are Saying About Salena And The Daily Rant
"...one of the earliest, most prolific, and more importantly, still published trucker blogs on the ‘net." ~ Tom Kelley, The Deadline Factory
"Tucson trucker is one cool lady and a rare breed." ~ Ryn Gargulinski, TucsonCitizen.com
"This seals it. You are the most interesting woman since Joan of Arc." ~ CT, New York
"OMG, you ROCK." ~ Shelley, New York, NY
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"...you are simply the best truck driver/chef/photographer/diarist on earth. I have checked out the others and they don't measure up. Bravo!" - Charles, Long Island, NY
"It's been a privilege to have crossed paths with you." ~ Martha, Mason, OH
"I believe you have more creativity in your pinky than I have in my entire body!" ~ Mike, Cincinnati, OH
"Great blog...really enjoyed reading it. You can write girl!" ~ Dan, Toronto, ON
"OK, Salena, I don't know you but I adore you!" ~ Lori, Bethesda, MD
“Drink wine. This is life eternal. This is all that youth will give you. It is the season for wine, roses and drunken friends. Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” ~ Omar Khayyám
"Memento Vivere" (Remember To Live)
"There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive." ~ B.C. Forbes (Founder of Forbes Magazine)
"It's OK to show up and suck until you can show up and shine." ~ Baron Baptiste, International Yoga Teacher
"Hell really is other people." ~ Danielle Cantor
"Ain't nuthin' to it but to do it." ~ Charlie's Dad
"There is no sincerer love than the love of food." ~ George Bernard Shaw
"Earth's crammed with heaven." ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." ~ Helen Keller
"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." ~ Lao Tzu
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page." ~ St. Augustine
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." ~ Henry David Thoreau
"Experience, travel - these are an education in themselves." ~ Euripedes
"If you can't annoy someone, there's little point in writing."~ Kingsley Amis
"Only when the last tree has died & the last river has been poisoned & the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money." ~ Cree Indian Prophecy
"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few touch what you are." ~ Machiavelli, The Prince
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." ~ Albert Einstein
"I need this wild life, this freedom." ~ Zane Grey
"Keep not standing fixed and rooted. Briskly venture, briskly roam." ~ Goethe
"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." ~ Miriam Beard
"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." ~ G.K. Chesterton
"A mountain keeps an echo deep inside itself. That's how I hold your voice." ~ Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi
"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." ~ Flora Whittemore
"Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me. The long brown path before me - leading wherever I choose." ~ Walt Whitman
"Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along." ~ Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi
"To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what this world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive." ~ Henri Matisse
"If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?" ~ Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi
"When love is not madness, it is not love." ~ Pedro Calderon de la Barca
"Only the dead fish swim with the stream all of the time." ~ Linda Ellerbee
The Muses: 9
Known Planets: 9
Alphabet Letters: 26
