Back East

Fall on the backroads in Ashford, Connecticut.  I miss the East Coast so much, especially this time of year.  I think it's time for a mini-vacation!




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2023:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2022:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2021:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2020:  I Can't Get Off My High Horse
2019:  Sorry, no post on this day.
2018:  One More Look
2017:  Not Exactly "Woodland" Creatures
2016:  Hot Is Hot
2015:  Washy Watercolor Morning
2014:  The Piano Man Put Us In A New York State Of Mind
2013:  Eddie Sandwich
2012:  Scenes From An Italian Kitchen
2011:  Living Deliberately But Not Without Scars
2010:  Maybe They Just Don’t Like Oklahomans
2009:  Mexico? Derecho.
2008:  Juxtaposition
2007:  Eddie Sports Pigtails Friday
2006:  Gambling Under The Big Sky
2005:  Sleeping Beauty

Drawbridge Warning

Drawbridge gate warning in Mystic, Connecticut.  



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2016: Driving Into The Sunset With Voices In My Head
2015: Look Away, Look Away, Look Away, Dixieland
2014: Denial For Sale In New Mexico
2013: Friday Night Fright
2012: Ten Things For October
2011: Jane’s Addiction
2010: Isolated Iesolana
2009: WWJD?
2008: Where The Angels Arrive And Depart
2007: Diamonds In The Deep Blue
2006: Everyone Is Doing It
2005: En-Gulfed Coast

Finally Fall

I finally saw some fabulous Fall colors this week in the Northeast.  It's my favorite place to be and my favorite season to be there in. Since we're hanging around the area, I look forward to seeing the trees change before my very eyes.

Bring on the bright yellows, burnt orange and flaming reds!



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2014: Fruit On Main
2013: Circling The Shark
2012: Unlimited
2011: Autumn Leaves Begin To Fall
2010: I Wonder What Color The Ancient Estruscans Wore?
2009: You Ask, I’ll Answer
2008: You Can’t Hide From The Eyes Of A Truck Driver
2007: Flurry Of Ruffles
2006: A Bag Full Of Dicks
2005: Go West Young Man!! Uh, I Mean East. East.

Perhaps You Should Have Hired An Airplane, Not A Truck

So, this week we took a load from Connecticut to Florida.  Apparently, the agent and their customer thought our truck had wings.  Because they called us several times wondering why we weren't there yet.

Really??

Let me give you the basics about the trip.

The number of miles we drove, from our pickup in Connecticut to our delivery in Florida, was 1,430 miles.

At our average speed of 58 miles per hour, if we weren't to take ANY breaks whatsoever and calculate pure driving time, it would take 25 hours.

But, because we have to make stops, inevitably extra time is going to be added to the trip.

One of the biggest time suck is the required load securement check we have to do every 150 miles.  This is a giant pain in the ass, but it has to be done, and has to be logged.

On this trip, we made 10 stops to do load checks.  It takes about 10 minutes to do the check, which meant 100 minutes or 1.66 hours, so about 1.5 hours worth of stops.  Legally we have to log those stops in 15-minute increments, so it would actually be 143 minutes, which translated into 2.38 hours (or 2 hours, 45 minutes) of our log time.

We have to take three mandated 30-minute breaks, which came to 1.5 hours of break time.

And we made one fuel stop, which took only 15 minutes.

So, not counting traffic (we went through NY, Washington DC, Baltimore), stops to pee, getting a snack, making a cup of coffee, or just stretching our legs - which are all perfectly normal and not considered lollygagging at all - the amount of time to make this trip, if you added up all of the above, would be 28.25 hours.

We did it in 29.

I'd say that's pretty damn good time management.  So it would be nice to not be bothered by someone wondering when we're going to get there.  Especially when we gave them an arrival time and arrived within 15 minutes of that time.  Hell, I can't even get my friend to meet me for dinner on time and she only lives 10 minutes from my house.

It always makes me wonder what's going on in the head of the agent that continues to "check in".  Sure, anything can happen along the way (which we'd call and report) and sure, we could goof off and take more time than we should, but generally it's just simple math.  They have mapping programs and a calculator.  They know the minimum time needed to make the journey.  They can make several calculations to figure slower and faster driving times, and give their customers a range, "They should be here in 24-29 hours."

But instead, they interrupt my late night Beyonce jams to find out where I am.

We do everything in our power to deliver on our promises, and have an excellent record of doing so, but sometimes agent and customer expectations are unrealistic.  And until we sprout wings, the only way I can think of to get their freight there sooner, is to put it on a plane.

Here are ten they can start with.



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2014: Another Good Reason For Time Off
2013: I'd Follow Him Anywhere
2012: Yes! We Have No Bananas
2011: Investing In Your Investment – Part One
2010: A Tank Full Of Freightliners
2009: The Sad, Sad Future Of Our Young People
2008: Sighting The American Idiots
2007: Orbiting Out Of Control
2006: Passing Through Life
2005: Texas Pride?

My Boy And I Love Us Some Cheese

Ed discovered a place in the Milford Travel Plaza on I-95 in Connecticut, that serves grilled cheese sandwiches to go.  Cheeseboy, a new franchise currently found in only five northeastern states, has several types of sandwiches available, in addition to the regular 'ol grilled cheese sandwich we knew and loved as children.

We tried the Roast Chief - Italian bread, provolone cheese, premium roast beef, sliced tomato, red onions & creamy horseradish sauce - with a small side of creamy tomato soup.  I thought it was pretty tasty.  And packed individually in heavy duty cardboard boxes, even when Ed got back to the truck with it, the sandwich was still hot and the bread evenly crisped.

I was told by Ed - since he watched the girl make the sandwiches - that the use of an industrial panini press equipped with flat grills, and a double pressing, was the reason they came out so perfectly.

I need one of those things for the truck.


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2012: A Visit To The Island Plantation of Hibernia
2011: Now They Are Heard And Not Just Seen
2010: By Request
2009: The Reason My Ass Is Not Getting Any Smaller
2008: Out Of This World Outport Life
2007: Max Says To Go Placidly, As It Is Still A Beautiful World
2006: Dangerous Beauty
2005: Big Bad Cherry Peppers

Remember One, Remember All

“There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief.”

~ Aeschylus quotes (Ancient Greek Dramatist and Playwright, 525 BC-456 BC)

Some people may see the publication of this list as an invasion of privacy.  And it may be.  But it's online everywhere now and every major news outlet has published it or broadcast it. 

I just wanted to list the names here because I think it has impact.  Hearing about the tragedy made me feel disbelief and anger.  Watching President Obama speak, and seeing him stop to collect his emotions left me with a lump in my throat and holding back tears.  Seeing the names and ages of these beautiful, innocent children made me cry. 

I thought of my young nephews, my best friend's young children, and all of my little cousins, some of who are right around this age.  I can't fathom any kind of feeling the parents of these children must be experiencing, but I will not forget this day.  And I think instead of making the shooter a household name, we should remember  the names of these little kids - commit one name to memory - and when you remember that one, you will be reminded of all.  Think about what their families and friends are going through. 

These are the names and ages of the 26 people gunned down today at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  It is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.  The children are listed first, then the adults.

Charlotte Bacon, 6

Daniel Barden, 7

Olivia Engel, 6

Josephine Gay, 7

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6

Dylan Hockley, 6

Madeleine Hsu, 6

Catherine Hubbard, 6

Chase Kowalski, 7

Jesse Lewis, 6

James Mattioli, 6

Grace McDonnell, 7

Emilie Parker, 6

Jack Pinto, 6

Noah Pozner, 6

Caroline Previdi, 6

Jessica Rekos, 6

Avielle Richman, 6

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Allison Wyatt, 6

Rachel Davino, 29 (Teacher)

Dawn Hochsprung, 47  (School principal)

Anne Marie Murphy, 52  (Teacher)

Lauren Rousseau, 30  (Teacher)

Mary Sherlach, 56  (School phychologist)

Victoria Soto,27  (Teacher)


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2011: History Still Standing
2010: Stay Home: TV And Hot Chocolate Is The Only Way To Make It Through
2009: A Rainy Rainbow
2008: Be Wary Of Women Wearing Skull Panties
2007: Holiday Sparkle
2006: Arizona Sunset
2005: Before And After The Chops

Eddie Embraces The Rules Friday

Ed hanging out (or loitering, if you will) on the Mystic River Bridge in Mystic, Connecticut.


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1 YEAR AGO: They Have A MAGAZINE???
2 YEARS AGO: Planting The Sun
3 YEARS AGO: Training Day
4 YEARS AGO: Cannonball Run

Better Than A Five Dollar Foot Long

I found this little $5.00 Indian at one of my favorite stores in Mystic, CT. It's a unique little boutique called WhyEverNot.

They have fantastic stuff; wind chimes, soaps, jewelry, housewares, clothing, wrapping paper, ribbon, and glass suncatchers like these that I photographed last time I was there. For a boutique, their prices are incredibly reasonable.

The don't have a web site (for shame!) but if you happen to be in Mystic, you can visit WhyEverNot at 17 West Main Street. It's totally worth it!

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1 YEAR AGO: Isn’t This Grate??
2 YEARS AGO: Eddie Gives Me That Smoldering Look Friday
3 YEARS AGO: Bringing The Good Stuff
4 YEARS AGO: The Road To Sin City

How Can I Tread On You When I Can't Even Turn Around?

General Dynamics Electric Boat is a shipyard in Groton, Connecticut that's a customer we work with quite often. It's a place responsible for submarine design and engineering and submarine assembly, testing and delivery. When you enter the main gate, the security offers make you sign in, give you a badge and ask you to leave your cell phones, cameras and any other recording devices with them.

Taking pictures at the plant is strictly prohibited; there are signs everywhere on the fences surrounding the facility stating that you can be imprisoned for espionage under the US Code, Title 18, Chapter 37 if you do, so I don't have any pictures for you, but you can see plenty here.

The place I was allowed to take pictures at was the Submarine Force Library & Museum:

Eddie and I went there yesterday to tour the museum, check out the subs and take a tour of the USS Nautilus, the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine.

In addition to hundreds of artifacts and pictures, getting to go inside the submarine was the coolest part. To see the cramped quarters of a submarine up close was really something, it's completely different than seeing it in the movies or in a book.

The stairways are tiny, the hallways are narrow and the sleeping quarters...oh my God, the sleeping quarters looked like bunk beds for children. My step-brother was in the Navy for years and I can't imagine him being on that boat for months on end in those tight quarters!

And I thought the two of us existing in the truck 24/7 was hard!



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1 YEAR AGO: Popping Good Time
2 YEARS AGO: Touching Down For A Quick Rest Break
3 YEARS AGO: Follow Your Heart
4 YEARS AGO: All About The Benjamins

Help Wanted. Must Have Own Cassock.

This morning as we were driving on Interstate 95 through Connecticut, I saw the following on a billboard:

Is the church doing so poorly that they need to advertise for priests on a billboard?? Or are they hoping to catch the eye of some desperate soul, fed up with his current job and the sagging economy, that while tooling along I-95 in Connecticut, he looks up, sees the billboard, and says to himself, "That's it!! I'll become a priest!"

Can you see that interview?

1. Tell me about yourself.
What's to tell? You're God. You're supposed to know everything about me.

2. Tell me about your experience.
Well, there was that one time I was an altar boy...

3. What is your most important accomplishment to date?
I haven't been able to turn water into wine if that's what you're getting at.

4. How would you describe your ideal job?
Counting money. My money. That'd be a pretty sweet job. But, if I can't do that, I guess working only Sunday might not be too shabby.

5. Why did you choose this career?
I didn't choose it. It chose me.

6. When did you decide on this career?
8:15 am, Tuesday morning, I-95 Northbound.

7. What goals do you have in your career?
I'd like to have a flock.  A large, moneyed flock.

8. How do you plan to achieve these goals?
Cable TV.

9. How do you personally define success?
The same way Merriam-Webster does - the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence.

10. Describe a situation in which you were successful.
I'm here talking to God aren't I? That's a pretty big deal.

11. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
Well, keeping your cassock on is a good start.

12. If you had to live your life over again, what one thing would you change?
I'd be a blond woman.  They get away with murder.

13. Would you rather work with information or with people?
With people I can feed information to. Via a sermon, of course.

14. Are you a team player?
Priests have a team?? What do you call yourselves, The Twelve Apostles? Ha ha ha! I crack myself up!

15. What motivates you?
Money and power.

16. Why should I hire you?
I can wag my finger ferociously at a crowd. I have a booming voice.  Well, not "God" booming, but pretty commanding. I'd be a big hit in the confessional, and I like wine.

17. Are you a goal-oriented person?
If the goal is to get people into Heaven, I'm your guy!

18. What is your long-range objective?
To stay out of Hell.

19. What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Writing a book about my experience on the inside.

20. Where do you want to be ten years from now?
Well, being Pope might be nice. Who do I need to talk to about that gig?

21. Do you handle conflict well?
I put my conflict in your hands. I've been told that you're the man for that.

22. What is your greatest strength?
Getting people to follow my lead.

23. What is your greatest weakness?
Beer and boys. Ohhh, you mean like, "I have trouble delegating."

24. Why do you want to work in the faith industry?
Isn't that obvious? It's a big business, and it doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon. Job security.

25. What do you know about our company?
Well, I know they call you "The Big Guy" , "The Man Upstairs" and "The Almighty Father". I'm thinking this must be a pretty good place to work.

26. Do you have any location preferences?
A little church in the Italian Alps?

29. How familiar are you with the community we’re located in?
I know where the playground is.

30. Are you willing to relocate?
You mean if you have to move me for the sake of the "organization"? Sure.

31. Is money important to you?
Helloooooo. Did you NOT see my answer to number seven?


* That's not the actual billboard - we went by too fast for me to get a picture of it, so I've just recreated it using their words on my photo.


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1 YEAR AGO: It’s All An Illuuuuusion
2 YEARS AGO: Tipping Point
3 YEARS AGO: Snap Decision To A Healthier Life
4 YEARS AGO: Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer

Color Ring