Rockin' Rockaholic Haul

This week we thought we had a fuel injector issue, so on our way to California we stopped in Tucson at the one shop we've found that knows what they hell they're doing and had them take a look at it. Turns out, after a quick diagnostic test, that it was nothing.

While we were there, Ed ran into a guy who was driving the TIGI Bedhead Rockaholic Tour Bus:Since I had driven the night before, I was still sleeping and didn't get to see the bus or talk to the driver but Ed spent quite a bit of time chit-chatting while they were both waiting for the shop to get to them.

When the guy was ready to leave, he gave Ed a mini-tour of the inside of the bus and then handed him a backpack full of goodies for me. Look at the haul:

Among the sample packs of products are:

Rockaholic Livin’ The Dream Shampoo & Conditioner, Bed Head Some Like It Hot Shampoo & Conditioner, Rockaholic Way Out Super Hair Glue, Bed Head Urban Anitdotes Resurrection Shampoo & Conditioner, Re-Energize Shampoo and Conditioner and Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner.

With all this stuff, I better have one rockin' head of hair!


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1 YEAR AGO: Just Don’t Call Me Late For Dinner
2 YEARS AGO: In This Case, R & R Means Recumbent And Recuperation
3 YEARS AGO: Posthumously Famous In The World Of Cheap Lodging
4 YEARS AGO: What Better Reason To Dine Out?
5 YEARS AGO: Hudson Valley Summer

Listen, Learn And Laugh

I listen to a lot of radio when I’m driving and I find some of it to be quite educational, others enjoyable enough to pass time with and some full of side-splitting humor. Which could be dangerous when driving. Here are some of my top favorites:

Doctor Radio
Powered by the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, the doctor hosts of the shows on this station are super informative and they answer a LOT of phone calls. Not only do I get to learn about all sorts of ailments, diseases and cures but I hear a good bit of what’s wrong with a little slice of America (and sometimes, Canada). My two favorite shows are Dermatology and Cardiology. Not sure why, they’re just incredibly interesting.

Car Talk
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE these guys. Brothers from “Our Fair City” (Cambridge, MA) who are both MIT graduates, talk primarily about cars but in such a way that I listen so intently I can probably tell you what’s wrong with YOUR car if you tell me what kind of noise it’s making. Their laughs are infectious and their humor one of higher intelligence. I never miss a show.

AC360 with Anderson Cooper
If I weren’t driving, I’d be plotzed in front of the television ogling Anderson in his tight t-shirts. But if I’m driving at night, he’s usually there with me. I just like his voice.

The Joy Behar Show
Born Josephina Victoria Occhiuto, this Brooklyn-born broad (who has Calabrian roots) just makes me laugh. I love her sense of humor although I’m not sure if it works in her own talk show; sometimes I find her sounding awkward when she’s in the middle of an interview. It's kind of like she's a newbie instead of the seasoned comedienne and current talk show personality she already is. Whatever it is doesn’t keep me away though, because I love most of the guests she has on and my absolute favorite part of the show is the fact that her crew laughs out loud in the background and she often talks to them off-screen (well, what I would imagine is off-screen since I’m only listening).


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1 YEAR AGO: Where Is Robin Hood When You Need Him?
2 YEARS AGO: All American Eddie Friday
3 YEARS AGO: A Hippie Dippie Woo Woo Town Sporting Lots Of Leg Hair
4 YEARS AGO: Flowering Rocks
5 YEARS AGO: The Cool Mom

Back And Forth, Back And Forth, Back And Forth...

Here's the main reason I'm behind on my blog this week: 80 towns in 33 weeks. And it feels like most of it has happened in the past seven days. I'm catching up now. Bear with me.

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1 YEAR AGO: Eddie Enters A Copper Mine Friday
2 YEARS AGO: Oshkosh B’Gosh!
3 YEARS AGO: Queen Of The 21st Century
4 YEARS AGO: Sketchbook
5 YEARS AGO: A Queen’s Life

Bridge Over Troubled Roadway

The average driver would never notice the contradiction present in this photo.

Look hard. Study it.

See it yet?

One more time. Scan sloooowly. See it now?

OK, I'll tell you.

TRUCK ROUTE. 12' 10" CLEARANCE.

First I have to say that prior to becoming a truck driver, I wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with this underpass. But since I've started driving, one of the first things my instructor mentioned when we went "on the road" for training was that most tractor-trailers have a height of 13' 6" and that you should always look at the signs.

I also had the good fortune to be under the fine tutelage of my Eddie and during my time in our rolling classroom, I have learned many things; one of them being that most of the bridges in New York are usually incorrectly marked. Most of the times, you can fit under them.

BUT..unless you've been there before or you see another truck going under it, you should heed the warnings. It's never wise to ignore the clearance signs.

We've all seen the pictures of what happens when you do.


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1 YEAR AGO: If Only The Streets Were Truly Paved With Gold
2 YEARS AGO: She Reigns Supreme
3 YEARS AGO: A Match Made In Heaven
4 YEARS AGO: Proof
5 YEARS AGO: Caped Crusaders

Paneful Outlook

Shading the sun or drying the towel...

Creative use of silouhettes...

Fading Puerto Rican pride...

Windows in the South Bronx, NY.

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1 YEAR AGO: Gray County Silhouette
2 YEARS AGO: This Little Piggy Went To Market
3 YEARS AGO: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
4 YEARS AGO: The Heat Bog
5 YEARS AGO: Five

His Charm And Understated Humor Is Totally Contagious

When we were in New Jersey this past weekend, Ed said he had a thought while he was standing in line at the Dunkin' Donuts.

He said, "I was thinking...what if I just went up to one of these girls behind the counter and said, 'Hey, you guys are from Jersey. You must know 'The Situation' from Jersey Shore, right?'"

And when they confirm that they do, in fact, know who The Situation is, he was going to say...

"Well, meet The Epidemic."

This is what I live with, people. And no, I've never seen the show.


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1 YEAR AGO: The Creature Comforts Of Home
2 YEARS AGO: Checklist
3 YEARS AGO: Happy As A Clam
4 YEARS AGO: Two Things
5 YEARS AGO: Good For Licking

No Escape

Fire escapes in the South Bronx, NY.

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1 YEAR AGO: Help Wanted. Must Have Own Cassock.
2 YEARS AGO: It’s All An Illuuuuusion
3 YEARS AGO: Tipping Point
4 YEARS AGO: Snap Decision To A Healthier Life
5 YEARS AGO: Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer

Live Longer. Live Better. And Be Sure To Have A Devil Dog Once In A While.

Guess what?? This month, my first published article can be found in DriverHEALTH magazine!!
Yep, that's right, an article written by me for a trucking industry print magazine. I'm super-excited! And yes, I completely see the irony of a fat chick who loves Dunkin' Donuts writing for a magazine that touts driver health. I even said that to the guy who asked me to write for the magazine. I asked, are you sure?? Yep - he was sure.

Thing is, although I love Dunkin' Donuts iced lattes and would stow away in a Drake's Cakes truck just to get close to Devil Dogs, I do eat good food. Very often, it's just too much good food! I grew up eating food that my parents and grandparents made from scratch. We never had jarred spaghetti sauce, I never saw canned soup in my house, I didn't know what a Twinkie was (since I never had one in my lunchbox) and when we asked to go to McDonald's, my father would tell us he could make a better Big Mac at home, special sauce and all. Every time I think of my father doing that, it reminds me of that old Eddie Murphy skit.

So because I was raised with real, fresh food and learned to cook that way, the food I usually make in the truck is typically always from scratch. Don't get me wrong, I'm no stranger to the McDonald's Big Mac, but I've been trying to eat less crap and more non-crap. The non-crap is a large percentage of the food I cook because I like making great meals. And I always have good snacks on hand, even if they occupy the same pantry shelves as my Devil Dogs on.

We all know what we should do. The more you try to eat well, the more your body appreciates it. That's the subject I chose for my first article in DriverHEALTH; making good choices and eating things that our grandmothers can pronounce. (I got that line from Michael Pollan's book, Food Rules.)

To read my article in DriverHEALTH Magazine, click HERE. That'll take you to a PDF document, where you'll just have to click the arrows on the right hand side of the page until you come to Page 50. That's where you'll find my smiling face and my article! Be sure to let me know what you think.

My second article, titled "Oh, The Pastabilities!" will be out in the August issue. Look for it in truckstops nationwide!


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1 YEAR AGO: How Can You No Be In Love With The Man Who Invented Kisses?
2 YEARS AGO: And We Wonder Why We’re The Fattest Nation On Earth
3 YEARS AGO: Star Gazing
4 YEARS AGO: Only A Southerner
5 YEARS AGO: Do You Take Wolfgang Winkelmeyer To Be Your Lawful Wedded Husband?

A Real Truck Driver Meets A Real Housewife

Today Eddie and I went to the Barnes & Noble in Hamilton, NJ. We've been here several times before, most often when we're stuck at the Petro in Bordentown since it's only a few miles away.

We parked the truck across the street and walked over to the store and as Ed was holding the door open for us, three people walked out. The first guy caught my eye, the second person was a woman and I just thought to myself, she's so Jersey with all her Italian-ness, nice outfit and jewelry and then there was a third guy. It wasn't until I was in the store that I was like, heeeey, waaiit a minute... realizing that it was Teresa from The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

So I whipped back around, went out side and called out, "Teresa!" She turned around and I babbled about how I've seen the show a few times but my mother was a fan and can I get an autograph and a picture. Apparently, she was there to promote her new cookbook (which I didn't know at the time) and she was just leaving after the event. Ed was nowhere to be found, so I asked one of the guys she was with to take the picture. It's not the best shot (of me!) but here it is:

I don't watch the show but when I did see a few episodes with my mother. I happened to catch one of the better known episodes where Teresa flips the table over during an argument. Classic.

Anyway, I don't know if it was a matter of being starstruck per se, because I don't consider her a "star" but it was just surreal seeing a person on TV coming out of the Barnes and Noble where I was planning to go in to suck down a latte and read magazines for a few hours.

And for anyone wondering...she looks EXACTLY the same in person as she does on TV or in any magazine I've ever seen her in. Now go flip some tables, people!



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1 YEAR AGO: Stars Glowing, Wine Flowing, Sax Blowin
2 YEARS AGO: Western Ed Friday
3 YEARS AGO: Salena Kandinsky
4 YEARS AGO: Bam! Traumatized.
5 YEARS AGO: Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Putting Death On Hold

Ed's Mom recently had a scare when she wound up in the hospital because she was having trouble breathing after having been extremely fatigued for quite some time. She had some blood testing done and they found she had a pulmonary embolism.

Well of course, we were worried because she's alone a lot of the time and it's definitely not a good thing to have. After she was seen at the hospital, she was given some medication and sent home.

When Ed called his father today to find out how she was doing his father said, "Well, hospice is coming this afternoon."

"Hospice?" Ed said.

"Hospice???" I whispered in the background. "I don't think he means hospice."

"Hospice?" Ed repeated to his Dad.

"Yeah, they're coming to give her a shot or something." his Dad said.

"Dad, I don't think you mean hospice. Maybe it's a home nurse or health aide?" Ed said.

"Well, whatever. Hell, I don't know the names of these things. Some nurse is comin' to the house to give her a shot."

Ed and I breathed a sigh of relief. When Ed got off the phone, he said to me "Next thing I know, he'll be telling me the coroner is there....."

"And then I'll find out it's his new golfing buddy."


To read about someone who really put death on hold, check out Art Buchwald's enjoying every minute of his hospice experience by clicking HERE.

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1 YEAR AGO: Eddie Brings A Guest Friday
2 YEARS AGO: The Things We Do For Love
3 YEARS AGO: A Million Comedians Out Of Work And I’m Lucky Enough To Live With One
4 YEARS AGO: Ah, The Primitive Beauty Of The Desert
5 YEARS AGO: The Perfect Storm

Urban Rest Area

Roadside "rest" area in Philadelphia, PA.


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1 YEAR AGO: Within Striking Distance
2 YEARS AGO: An Island Of COWS, Lobsters And Girls In Imaginary Prairie Dresses
3 YEARS AGO: Freakin’ Ewww!
4 YEARS AGO: And People Say All The Good Ones Are Taken
5 YEARS AGO: Ahhhhh, Bahston

Natural Light in Waterloo

Taken in natural light from the window and then one click of the "colored pencil" tool in PhotoShop and this is what you get. I love it.

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1 YEAR AGO: So, What Brings You To My Neck Of The Blogosphere?
2 YEARS AGO: Eternity Is Going To Be SO. MUCH. FUN.
3 YEARS AGO: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
4 YEARS AGO: That Eddie Guy
5 YEARS AGO: Pee Bum Head

It Never Ends

I don't know where the clothes come from, but they seem to be breeding and creating very large families. If this keeps up, I'm going to need to install a washing machine in the truck.


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1 YEAR AGO: 275 Square Miles Of Brilliance
2 YEARS AGO: Four Standards, One Newbie
3 YEARS AGO: Semantics
4 YEARS AGO: 36 Hours Of Hell On Earth
5 YEARS AGO: 11:11:11

Social NOTworking

I just wrote a post about my 88-year-old step-father getting a cellphone. Now my mother is on Facebook.

WTF??

OK, truth be told, I have been urging my mother to get on Facebook for a long time. I know everyone says they're not doing it, they hate it, they have no need (like me) but then once you're on there, it seems to open up a whole new world of connections. Or past connections, in some cases.

With my mother, it's like the same thing that happened with American Idol. I'd been telling her from the very beginning to watch American Idol, that she'd really like it and that it's super-entertaining. She refused. I don't know if she thought there wouldn't be any talent or if it was too "tween" for her, but she finally got on the boat. And now if I call when American Idol is on, she's abrupt and distracted and tells me she'll have to get back to me. She also votes like she's the one person their future career is hinging on and has even learned how to use re-dial on the phone to get through in a more speedy fashion.

But back to the Facebook thing. First, because she's a scaredy cat, she has joined with a fake name. I did that too intially but realized that no one was going to "friend" someone they didn't know and it was impossible for anyone to find me if they were looking. So I caved in and put my real name. As it is, my name seems to be all over the web. My brother called me one day to tell me he Googled me and he said, "Do you know the first five pages of Google are about you??" Yeah, I know. There's nowhere to hide now.

OK...so she's on there and she's made connections, fake name and all. And I have been inundated with questions from her, most of which I cannot seem to sufficiently answer.

"So what do I put in the "status update" box?" she asks.

"Whatever your status is. Like, "Washing dishes again - my life would be easier with paper plates!" or "Just got back from the pool. Loving water aerobics." or "Best Law & Order ever. I heart Chris Meloni."

"Why does someone need to know I love Chris Meloni?" she said.

"Well, they don't need to know. It's just what you do on Facebook." I said.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's someone in your friend list who also loves Chris Meloni and then you can talk about it." I said.

"Why do I care if someone else likes Chris Meloni?" she asks.

"I don't know, Ma. People want to know. Sometimes, people will just "like" it...then you don't have to talk about anything. You'll see on your comment that they chose "like" with a thumbs up." I said.

"So these people talk to me? But without talking to me? They just "like" things?

"Uh, sort of. And they like to look at pictures of people." I said.

"But I don't have any pictures." she said.

"Yet. We'll get a nice one of you and set you up with a profile picture."

"OK, so what else do you do on this Facebook thing?" she asked.

"Well, some people play games..."

"I do Pogo. Why would I play games on Facebook?"

"Some people post political stuff..."

"I don't talk about politics. My father always said never to talk about politics or religion."

"Okaaay. Well, some people just like to be able to pop on and see what everyone is up to. Who just got back from the mall, who just had a baby, who is tired of their boss and wants to scream at them..." I said.

"But if I wanted to talk to all these people, wouldn't I just email them? And I don't know why people want to tell me about their day at the mall or how work was. I just don't get it."

Oh. My. God. I'm starting to think I don't get it either. I can't even explain why the hell I'M on Facebook. I have no good reasons. I'm doing a really shitty job of selling this social networking thing here.

"Just try it and then let me know what you think." I said.

"Fine. But I don't even know what I'm trying. And how is it some people have over 300 friends? You have 300 friends. You know 300 people??" she said.

"Well...yeah...kind of...no, not really...well, some of them I know-know and other people I just like, know. You know?" She does not know.

This has been going on for the past week and I've made some headway and now she's actually kinda liking it. I think. She's been found, even with the fake name (because of the real email address) and friends are adding her left and right. And each time someone does, she calls or texts, "I have another friend!" It's like she just crawled out from under a rock.

I plan on watching her very closely and monitoring her usage. I don't need her to make a Joe Bidenesque gaffe on her wall in front of everyone. She doesn't quite know all the ins and outs yet and she's not aware that the mic on her wall is always "on".

I just pray she doesn't discover Farmville.


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1 YEAR AGO: Scattegories
2 YEARS AGO: Time Isn’t The Only Thing That Flies When You’re Having Fun
3 YEARS AGO: Anything I Want
4 YEARS AGO: Burglar And Idiot Proof
5 YEARS AGO: Virginia Is For Lovers

Bakin' It The Fake Way

I need a tan. Not so much want. NEED.

Thing is, I hate heat and I hate the sun. I'm more inclined to spend time in Alaska during that time of year when their days are mostly nights but since I'm not an Ice Road Trucker and I don't really want to be sitting on the top of the world by myself, I often ponder how I'm going to go about getting that golden glow of summer.

We haven't really been anywhere this summer where we've had time at a beach or pool. I'm not a huge fan of the beach anyway (sand, ick), but I don't mind doing the pool every now and again. Problem is, I'd need to be there on a regular basis to build a tan. And ideally, I'd like a little bit of a tan to even make a public appearance in a bathing suit (as my Aunt Ronni used to say, "Tan fat is more attractive than white fat") but I don't see how I'm going to make that happen either.

I really don't do the "laying out" thing like girls used to do in high school; setting up your folding chair in the backyard, slathering yourself with Hawaiian Tropic and sitting there for hours talking about boys. I didn't do it then and I don't do it now.

But, I need this damn tan. I'm feeling very pasty and my bronzer is just not cutting it. I really have no inclination to put my ass in a lounge chair under anything that resembles daylight with heat, so I think I might have to resort to a) spray tan, b) tanning booth or c) self-tanner.

I've had a spray tan before and the results were just "eh"; it wasn't quite dark enough for me. The tanning booth is okay and it's quick, but I'd have to find one with truck parking, which might be a possibility if I scope out a place at a strip-mall (or regular mall). And the self-tanner thing is just out; besides not wanting to have orange cuticles for three weeks, I cannot rely on Ed's help for this at all. There is just no way he'd be interested in meticulously applying self-tanner to every inch of my body no matter how much he loves me. And I'd just be a Nazi telling him how to do it; where to put it, how much to use, how to apply it to reduce streaking, how not to get it on his clothes. And no matter how hard he'd try, I'd likely go all control freak and tell him how he's doing it all wrong anyway. There's no way it would be as sexy an experience as Cosmo leads us to believe it would be.

Since I have to chose the lesser of those three evils (four, if you count the actual sun), I guess the quickest and easiest way for me to get color is going to have to be the tanning bed. And I'll have to do it soon because summer is halfway over as it is.

Unless there's some miraculous way I don't know about. Any suggestions??


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1 YEAR AGO: The Elegant Gathering Of A Life
2 YEARS AGO: My, What A Nice Berg You Have
3 YEARS AGO: The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Grapes Being Crushed Into Wine
4 YEARS AGO: There Are No Words To Explain The Misery Of A Three Digit Temperature
5 YEARS AGO: New York State Of Mind

Los Links!!

Have you ever seen that Bing commercial where Juan Carlo screams out, "Los Links!!" as Filomena is taken away by the mysterious stranger on horseback?

Well, that's what I thought of when I took this picture. I need to stop watching so much TV.

Here's another picture of the truck. The chain was part of it and it was used to turn the concrete drum on the back. Really cool.

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1 YEAR AGO: Here Kitty Kitty Kitty
2 YEARS AGO: Intense Eddie Friday
3 YEARS AGO: It’s An iPod, Not A wePod
4 YEARS AGO: Doing The Wade
5 YEARS AGO: It’s A Numbers Game

Stop The Presses!

I have news! I never thought the day would come that I would hear what I heard this week. After eschewing call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding, cell phones, special ring tones, text messaging and almost all things modern...

My 88-year-old stepfather got his very own cell phone!!

And he's on it CONSTANTLY! Who the hell is he calling?? He usually uses my mother's or mine (when I'm around) but apparently he's got a very active telephone social life none of us were aware of. I don't think he's texting yet but I suspect that's not too far off.

Although he poo-poos most of the modern technology we use today, he's still fascinated by it. He's amazed that we can do practically everything via computer while we're on the road. Although, he still seems to have a hard time with the digital camera thing; every time he sees me taking hundreds of photos, he's in the background mumbling to my mother, "Jesus Christ! Why is she wasting all that film??"

But now that he has a phone, he's catching up with me and I think I might be a little scared.

Next thing I know, he'll be pissing away the family fortune in an online poker game!!


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1 YEAR AGO: Fiesta Ed Friday
2 YEARS AGO: Crotchety Old Woman
3 YEARS AGO: One Side Of A Coin
4 YEARS AGO: Why Oh Why
5 YEARS AGO: Sign Of The Times

Boy, Have Times Changed!

I couldn't even imagine driving this thing. It had a milk crate for a seat!


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1 YEAR AGO: I’ll Have A Short Stack With A Million Scrambled Eggs On The Side Please
2 YEARS AGO: It Came At A Perfect Time
3 YEARS AGO: Experimenting With Scrotum
4 YEARS AGO: Can Anyone Spare A Roll Of Pennies?
5 YEARS AGO: Matching Purse And Flip Flops??

Two Truck Drivers, A Writer And A Photographer Walk Into A Bar

Today Ed and I attended the Trucker's Jamboree which is held every year at the Iowa-80 truckstop in Walcott, Iowa. As I've mentioned, we've been here before, but never at the time the Jamboree was being held.
It was nice to see all the show trucks and old trucks (the biggest collection we've ever seen) but the real reason we are here is to meet with two women, one an author and one a photographer, to have photos of us and our truck taken for a book. Here they are, in our truck, taking pictures and making notes for the project (I don't think I have to tell you which is the photographer and which is the writer.) The author, Linda Sands, is writing a book titled "We brought it. You bought it." which is to be a unique photo essay book which goes on the road and behind the scenes with 50 modern truck drivers. How cool is that??

Linda is the founder and editor of Scratch, a short fiction writing contest; a writer who, in addition to having completed three books, has also written articles and short stories for a long list of publications; and the winner of a FULL scholarship to attend a writer's workshop in Southhampton, NY where she got to study with prestigious writer, Amy Hempel (a name I did not know prior to meeting Linda, but now one that I can drop into literary conversations to sound like I know what the hell I'm talking about).

All that impressive stuff aside, Linda was down-to-earth GREAT. We were in contact with her along our route to let her know when we'd be here and got in touch with her this morning to let her know we just needed a little time to spiff up the truck and get ourselves ready. We had already taken showers (gotta smell good!) and had the truck washed, but I wanted to make the inside presentable since we'd be taking pictures of it.

When we were ready we pulled around, picked them up in the truck and then found a spot to take pictures and do our interview. The thing I liked immediately about Linda was that she was a hugger. I extended my hand to greet her and she waved it away requesting a hug instead. You gotta love a hugger.

While we were talking to Linda, the photographer Avital Aronowitz, was busy snapping away. She got shots of my gorgeous red bell peppers on the counter in the kitchen, numerous shots of the cab area, a snap of my pantry and even one of the bathroom! I couldn't even keep up with all the stuff she was looking at and photographing but I did really well and contained my bossiness. Well, except once in the very beginning when I told her I had an idea for a shot...

I really liked Avital and thought she was beautiful; she reminded me of Natalie Portman. But I was so interested in her job and her photography background (she had six years of schooling for it, four of them at the School of Visual Arts in NYC) and her equipment and her experiences behind the lens and her desire to learn about life on the road, and and and...

OK, I'll admit it. I have a girl-crush on her.

She did tell us that her initial plan was to become a truck driver to travel the country and take photographs as she did it, but there were a few obstacles along the way which prevented her from pursuing that and then she got so darned busy in New York with her photo assignments, her photography work became her primary focus. The trucker plan sort of fell to the wayside. Which doesn't seem to be such a bad thing since she's done work for TV Guide magazine, People.com, TIME and Conde Nast.

But if she does decide she ever wants to "try it out", I offered for her to do a ride-along with us where she could come on the road for a short haul and really experience life "behind the wheel". Well, kind of. We couldn't let her drive of course. I mean, Ed barely lets me drive.

I have to say, being photographed in so many situations and so many positions was harder than I thought. I was hoping she had a "skinny" lens for her camera but apparently they don't make those. WTF? All I know is that I was doing a lot of talking and she was doing a lot of photographing. I don't know how she'll find one picture in the group where you won't see my tonsils. Ed held his own too - he was super-chatty and very accomodating with all the posing he had to do.

He even admitted to watching Project Runway when Avital told us that she and her mother had been on the show! Read more about Avital's Project Runway experience here, here and here.

Overall, we had a great time with them - they spent hours with us and really showed a genuine interest in our lives and the lives of drivers in general. I feel this book is going to be a great way to show what this profession is all about and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

And although the title of this post may indicate otherwise, that is not a joke.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO: Taking The Express To The Heartland
2 YEARS AGO: TIT-illating Sights On The Road
3 YEARS AGO: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
4 YEARS AGO: Embracing Your Inner Bike Riding Hussy
5 YEARS AGO: It Takes A Village To Wake A Child

Amid The Corn

A truck at the Trucker’s Jamboree in Walcott, Iowa. Although we've been to the Iowa 80 numerous times, this will be our first time at the Jamboree and we're looking forward to exploring more of it tomorrow.


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1 YEAR AGO: I’m Going To Be A Millionaire!!!
2 YEARS AGO: How I Do Love A Colorful Lunch Plate
3 YEARS AGO: Lucky Sevens
4 YEARS AGO: My Head Has Been In The Clouds For Weeks
5 YEARS AGO: Chunky Cheese