Tuesday, May 07, 2019

Hiatus

View from our front yard of the sun setting on the Santa Catalina mountains.
Today marks the 14th anniversary of the start of this blog.  On May 7, 2005, The Daily Rant went live.  The posting during the first few weeks was sporadic, but by June 20th, we were daily!  

I love writing this blog.  I found it to be a great tool to keep my friends and family informed about where I am and what I'm up to.  Over the years I've shared photos of places I've visited and written about things that happened on the road.  My perspective was unique - my vantage point was the cab of an 18-wheeler.

I'm proud of what I've done here.

I have been hired for several writing assignments as a result of my writing here.  I sold photos that were published in magazines and books.  My most coveted assignment was the one for The Guardian in 2013.  Not only did that run online, but it also ran in the print version, and my friend Linda in Manchester, England, was kind enough to send me the weekly copies of the actual newspaper.  Someday I'll frame them and hang them in my office.

Ed's knowledge of trucking coupled with my experience and perspective in the industry was used to secure several paying assignments.  We were both hired as consultants on a secret project (had to sign NDAs and everything!) two scientists were working on to improve a certain aspect of truck performance.  I was contracted to write an article for the Go Daddy Garage Blog about questions to ask before starting a trucking company.  And I was also contracted by an online employment firm to be an SME (Subject Matter Expert) to help develop an assessment for truck drivers.  These are just a few examples. 

Some days gathering content for the blog is challenging and I've written about this before.  During times when we were home, or on dedicated runs, it was difficult to come up with things to write about.  We were trucking, but we weren't doing much traveling to write about.  I've filled in with stories about my family, photos of my mother's cat, recipes and whatnot.  And of course, I write about our vacations and travels out of the country.  I may not be trucking during that time, but it's the trucking that made the traveling possible.  It's not just trucking life, it's our life in general.

Well, our life, in general, has experienced a bit of a hiccup.  And due to that hiccup, I need to take a break from blogging.  Don't be alarmed!  Ed and I are just dealing with a few things related to the truck and the business that will likely keep us off the road until November.  I can't talk about it right now but as soon as I can, I will.  Don't worry about us!

Because we won't be traveling, keeping up with a daily blog will be impossible - there's just not that much to write about when we're home and there are only so many pictures of cactus to post.  So I'll be taking a hiatus and suspending the daily writing until we get back on the road.  

This makes me very sad.  I've put a lot into keeping this blog going daily.  Even when it wasn't the best content, I maintained the daily aspect.  As I said, I'm proud of what I've done here.  I'm proud of keeping it up for so long.  I'm thrilled that I have readers from all over the world and I've been so lucky to have met some of those people in real life. 

People like Mick and Ali, people like Linda from Manchester, people like Irene from Queens, NY, 
people like Gary Goulette, people like Bob and Linda Caffee, people like George and Wendy Parker and people like Marlaina and MacG to just name a few.  Hell, Marlaina and MacG have become such good friends that not only do they spend holidays with us and our family, but we also vacationed with them in Europe for a month last year!  And we still love them!  

So although I'm sad about having to take this break, I'm going to use this time to explore the ideas I've had about changing my blog format.  I'd like to redesign it, figure out exactly how I want to proceed, and figure out whether keeping up with posting daily is even something I want to do.  

I do have an Instagram account and will use that to do a little micro-blogging, with pictures and little snippets about what's going on, so please follow me there.  Be forewarned - there will likely be photos of cactus, mundane daily activity photos, and updates on where we eat.  Maaaybe we'll go for a weekend away and post about that but don't hold your breath.

That said, I will be back here posting periodic updates so please check in once in a while.  If you'd like to receive those updates via email, go to the sidebar on the right side of this page where it says "Subscribe To Me!" and enter your email address.  You'll get new posts as soon as I publish them.

I'd like to thank you for your continued readership and appreciate all the emails and messages you've all sent over the years.  If you'd like to contact me personally, I can be reached at salenalettera@gmail.com.

I'll see you all soon!



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2017: Twelve Years Of Flitting Around

2016: The Magnificent Eleven
2015: My Baby Is Ten Years Old
2014: A Contented Living
2013: Eight Takes The Cake
2012: Seven Years And Still Ranting
2011: Don’t Worry, Daily Rant. I’m On Your Six
2010: So This Is What Niche Feels Like
2009: The Sum Of Its Parts
2008: Look At Me, I’m Three!!
2007: A Trucking Style Birthday Celebration
2006: A Perfectly Uninteresting Event
2005: The Day The Blog Began

Monday, May 06, 2019

A Purple Native

I'm making the rounds in my yard.  I bring you today's blooming cactus.


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2018: Watch Like A Hawk
2017: Folk Parking
2016: Flashback Friday
2015: Rise
2014: Freshly Dusted
2013: Sockless Monday
2012: Extra Virgin
2011: Eddie Makes An Appearance
2010: Watt A Work Of Art – Part Three
2009: The Clouds And Trees Line Up For Bed
2008: The Shimmer Of The Sea
2007: Indian Gallery
2006: Geography Test
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Sunday, May 05, 2019

Feeling Tiny

Flashback to January 2007 when our old truck snuck under the back of a big dump truck.  That's me in the middle.  

Boy, I've never looked so tiny!  



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2018: 
A Small Crevasse

2017: Hawkish Reproduction 
2016: 99 Years Of Cornhusking
2015: Eat A Taco And Be Happy You're Not Having Escargot
2014: Shooting Pool The Federal Way
2013: Cinco De Mayo Came O And Went O
2012: No, That’s Not New Car You’re Smelling
2011: On A Triple D Roll
2010: Watt A Work Of Art – Part Two
2009: Stupid Should Be An Abomination
2008: The Fine Line Between Compliments And Creepiness
2007: The Antenna Ball Beneath My Wings
2006: Mexico? Where In Tarnation Is That??
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Saturday, May 04, 2019

Sunset Lights

Sitting at the light on my way home from the grocery store, watching traffic and admiring the sunset.


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2018: Family Heirlooms
2017: You Can Put A Saddle On These Things
2016: SASsy But Comfortable
2015: ¡Holy Guacamole!
2014: Twisted Sifter Sifted My Photo From The Web
2013: Mine Is Easy To Spot
2012: Oh, For The Love Of Food
2011: Blintzes On Broadway
2010: Watt A Work Of Art – Part One
2009: Salena Javier Barcelona
2008: Road To Bangor
2007: Horton Hatches A Plaza
2006: Crack Whores For Everyone!
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Friday, May 03, 2019

Green Sticks Everywhere

Everything is in bloom right now.  Trees, cactus, groundcover.  Soon the white flowers on the top of the saguaros will bloom, too.

The yellow trees are called Palo Verde trees.  We have several in our yard and although pretty, the flowers drop off and blow everywhere.  

Can I just have something in my life that doesn't require me to clean up after it??


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2018: Designated Office Space
2017: Desert Garden In Bloom
2016: Agile Cat
2015: Future Steak
2014: What Should Have Been Paul's Place
2013: At The Drop Of A Hat
2012: Passing Up A Little Afternoon Delight
2011: Annnnnnd…It’s Back On!
2010: Rise Early. Work Hard. Strike Oil.
2009: It’s All Connected To The Pigskin
2008: The Sorriest Team Drivers You’ve Ever Seen
2007: Ooooooo, A Contest!
2006: Modern Convenience
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Thursday, May 02, 2019

Wednesday, May 01, 2019

Tres A Las Seis

Ed and I had lunch today at Seis Kitchen, located at the Mercado San Agustin.

They serve food inspired by six distinctive culinary regions of Mexico. 

I had the Tacos Grande Platter ($12.50) - three street tacos with a side of Cilantro Rice (Basmati rice with sauteed onions and chopped cilantro).  The tacos I chose for my platter were Poc Chuc (Achiote marinated grilled chicken, cabbage, cilantro, red onion, queso fresco...from Yucatan), Cochinita Pibil (Achiote roasted pork, pickled red onion, cilantro, queso fresco...from Yucatan), and the Adobo Steak (Marinated AZ Grown steak, pico de gallo, guacamole, queso fresco...Northern Mexico).

Ed had the Barbacoa Burrito (Flour tortilla stuffed with black beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, chopped cabbage, and housemade chorizo...$11.50)

The meals were delicious.  Fresh, flavorful, high-quality ingredients.  Even the salsa was fantastic!

This place was recommended to us back in January.  We went to check out the location and wound up having coffee and a few pastries from the bakery.  We had already lunch that day so we made a plan to come back.

I'm glad we did, as everything was delicious.  After looking at their website I discovered there's a location closer to our house, so we'll definitely be going again.  



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2018: Sensory Pleasure
2017: Advanced Rock Climbing
2016: Moist, Crispy, Sticky, And Sweet
2015: Victory On The York River
2014The Siren Song Of Spring
2013: No Pets. No Beards.

2012: Dykes On Bikes