Tuesday, January 7, 2025

  Tuesday - early afternoon

Oh the luxuriousness of having the house all to myself. No kids on "holiday" (read: Christmas) break whining, screaming, fighting with each other, tattle taling, etc ad infinitum, ad nauseum.  That doesn't happen all day long, in fact, it's mostly just one of them that causes all of the problems.  It was beyond time for them to go back to school. A week off is sufficient, I think 2 weeks plus is too much. They get ample time off during the summer time, they really get distracted and out of focus with that much time off.  Today is their first day back.  

I did get out today.  My hair was looking incredibly bad - thanks to that last haircut and my Keurig is throwing fits and has been for a couple of weeks.  It's stopped working altogether a couple of times and today it stopped pumping the air through the needle to force all the water out of the k cup. That thing ;lasted 5 years and I've had probably thousands of cups of coffee out of it so I'm not going to complain.  I went to Walmart, they have a combo unit that not only does k cups but also brews a pot of coffee.  There are times I want a fresh brewed pot, not a k cup.  

Day off today due to cancellation. I pickup up a load of glue yesterday but not delivering it until tomorrow morning.  I'm hoping I can get done early enough to get over to the shop and get some of this stuff wrong with the truck repaired.  If not, I'll have to take Thursday off driving and go up there and spend the day up there.  That's the thing, if I don't get over there early enough tomorrow - or should I say if I can't - there is no point in going.  I have a long list and I want all of it fixed.  It's minor stuff but it's a lot of minor stuff.

I'm pretty content to sit in my bedroom today until the kids get home and then, well, it's back to normal.  I have 3 more hours : )

There is nothing pressing at the park, at least not that I know of. It's cold, 33 degrees right now and it's afternoon time,  I'm sure they're over there running up the electric bill using electric heat and oh well. Electricity is the biggest down side to that park in terms of costs. If I didn't have that, I"d be making some pretty decent money.  I"m just stuck with it. Install meters and people leave.  

___________

Like 8 hours later, lol.  Made dinner, only left the house today to get a haircut and a new coffee maker. Some people called, came to the park, checked it out and decided it wasn't for them. Whatever, I know I can't please everyone and I don't even try.  I just do what I can and if people don't like it, there are greener pastures from their viewpoint elsewhere.

And with that, time to go to bed. Oh! 20 more pushups and I'm done for the day : )

Monday, January 6, 2025

Monday - night

Still quite cold and it's going to stay that way through Friday - when there is currently showing a 71% chance of snow.  It's not going to be much warmer the days after that, just nothing like what we are experiencing now.  

Today marks the final day of Christmas/New Year's break for the kids from school. It is about time, frankly.  The youngest has been sick the entire time, only starting to break out of it a little yesterday and today.  I will be glad to see them going back to school and having that particular structure back in their lives.  The youngest hates school and clearly defined that yet again to me today.  The oldest likes it well enough. 

Today. I was on my way to the trailer washout in Nacogdoches when my manager called me.  No idea what he wanted, I answered and he told me: your load has canceled. Looks like you're halfway to the washout, might as well go and get it washed out? Yes.  At the washout, he called me again.

2 more loads cancelled, but then they changed their minds and put one back on the board for tomorrow. Can you do it?  Of course, I had planned on working.  But the discussion immediately went to - can I load it today even if it's not supposed to deliver until Wednesday? I'm already down here....let me email the rep.  By that point in time, they had finished the washout.  

I waited, hoping it would be allowed for why come all the way back down here for something I can get done today?  It would also allow me a full day off tomorrow.  The answer was yes after yet another phone call, but I paid for it. For whatever reason, the first load driver was still at the washout when I arrived.  He was already late for his loading appointment time, I wondered why he was there and my manager didn't know either.  He didn't ask, apparently.

When I arrived at the plant, he was still in the bay, I expected that tho.  What I didn't expect but probably should have considering the loader that was working today is that I had to sit there almost 2 hours before his was loaded and I could even get in there to start loading.  By that time, the first loader had gone home and the dude who kicks @$$ showed up, got me loaded quickly and then I was in the control room with him getting paperwork. 

I asked him how things are going? It was going good until I got here and all of  this bs was going on.  I guessed out loud it was the fact that there was a bunch of work left to do that that other guy didn't get done.  YES! He replied quite loudly and went off on that dude.  You 2 have been here for hours, what's the problem? It's 30 minutes and it's done.  I suggested he's the slowest loader there and not very motivated.  He went off on him again, lol.  It's like the guy tries to go as slow as he can.  

Anyway, I finally got out of there and didn't get back until around 4:30.  Still, even with 3 hours at the plant, it was worth it to get tomorrow off.  I would go up and get the truck fixed tomorrow, the thing is, the trailer is loaded and it just adds a lot of time, fuel and just slower progress getting up there and back fully loaded.  It would be like, well, I am up here, I might as well just stay up here and deliver early in the morning.  

I don't want to do that, especially in this icy cold weather.  If that truck breaks down while attempting to sleep in it somewhere, I'm going to be one very cold individual.  So it's likely I will take it up Thursday, hopefully work Friday and Saturday and then basically demand Sunday off. It will have been a month since I went to church and I just am not going to continue to have to work entire weekends all the time.  I'll do them, but not so many in a row.  If that throws them off, tough, that's on them.  I'm not their weekend warrior.  I'll risk getting "moved" to "routes you don't want" to get my church in if it comes down to that.  

I wasn't particularly happy when these people finally showed up - after dealing with them on the phone and text incessantly and then finding out they didn't like it, thought it was too small. The lot is 60X40, it's not as big as other lots I have but it's still quite large plus ample room behind the trailer for another 50 feet to do whatever.  Not to mention that wasn't going to be their permanent lot, which is much bigger. 

But whatever.  It happens I just thought I had spent far too much time dealing with these people to have it turn into a dud.  As far as I know, the lady from - Minnesota? - is coming on the 10th.  

100 pushups done for  the day. A bit late getting them done admittedly, but taking another look, my man boobs are actually slowly starting to straighten out.  I think I'm a but too critical of myself in this drama of trying to lose the gut and the boobs and actually look like some semblance of a man again. Ok, that's probably a bit much, lol, I'm just saying.  I was lean and trim from the age of around 12 to near the 50's and then the fat started piling on.  Then I got a job that was mostly driving 11 hours a day and really getting no exercise whatsoever, which really set this over the top.  

It was just that tipping point, I guess, 33 days ago? where I said enough. This is getting bad and it's not good for you to be that fat.  That's scientific study that will back that up all day long on hundreds if not thousands of articles online.  

Oh, the oldest got me started on the game Fortnite. It's a battle game where you basically just go around killing everyone - 100 people in any given match - until everyone is dead, the last person standing is the winner, Victory Royal!  I find the royal word strange. It is pronounced as royale and royale is the correct word?  Why don't they have an e on the end of it?  I dunno, but you can play alone or with teams of 2, 3 or 4.  

The only thing is, if you want to talk on there with your team mates, you find out that most of them don't have microphones and the ones that do are kids.  Acting like kids. Yeah, no. I've only encountered a few adults actually speaking. I had to look this up: LOTS of adults play the game but I guess they either just do the solo version or they just don't speak on the microphones.  I can see how people get addicted to gaming with stuff like that, you have to develop a skill set that you definitely do not have if you don't play video games.  Which I don't.  Or didn't. I only play that one and I just limit myself, but it is adventurous and entertaining.    Honestly, I am bringing the Switch with me on these runs in case I get stuck somewhere as I did today.   

Enough. It's 10:00 pm and I'm going to get into bed, watch a movie and drift off into sleep. No kids to make a bunch of noise in the morning - well they will when they are leaving for school but I hope that I can get back to sleep....







 

Sunday, January 5, 2025

 9:00 pm and it has dropped down to 31 degrees.  I was wearing a T shirt this morning when I went to get into the truck. I always love Texas weather doing stuff like that. 

Today was interesting as it stood. 3rd Sunday in a row I've had to work, first off.  In Gurdon? Thunderstorms, rain, tornado watch which eventually turned into a tornado warning.  I didn't hit any tornado warnings but people were driving like mad Max.  

I have second load tomorrow and I'm actually fairly happy about that.  I don't much care for getting done with the day late but I also don't much care for ice I can't see on the road because it's too dark.  Just makes for some white knuckle driving at times.  

Day 31 of the 100 pushups per day for 100 day challenge and I"m still at it. 80 done today, only 20 left to go.  My arms are noticeably bigger.  My chest? Not so much.  I wasn't looking for miracles, I figure it would take all 100 days and then some to get rid of man boobs.  Plus eating right.  I'm getting the eating aspect into post-holiday stuff that means eating smaller portions and more good stuff with low calories and low cholesterol/fat content.   

As for work, I have 2 days to go and then up to the shop for probably most of a day.  That is because there are many things on that truck and trailer that need repaired.  A small oil leak on the power steering pump, the lights that are shorting out, the fuel gauge, heated mirrors, a spot mirror that just flops in the breeze, a trailer tire that is beginning to show steel cords (funny wear for the trailer), a bad u-bolt, several air line  gaskets that need to be replaced and whatever else I'm not remembering.  They'll probably do an oil change while I'm there as well.  

When I let them know in advance, like a couple of days anyway, they drop whatever they are doing and focus their attention on the truck.  They work on it until it's completely done, tho nothing will stop them from taking an hour long lunch break lol.  That's kind of a tall ticket of things to get done in one day.  If they don't all get done, I'm ok with that but they need to get the priority stuff fixed and that would start with those lights.  I have looked all over for a short and I can't find one.  It may very well be in the fuse box or the switch itself.  

I'm going to take my laptop up there and my Switch with me, that will keep me entertained for however long it takes them.  

The people showed up to move in their very large trailer.  Looked like a cross between a mini-house and a park model.   A park model is more like a mobile home but they call it sort of an RV. it was pretty big and it was new.  They didn't stay. They thought the lot was too small.   That was a back in lot about 60 feet long and 40 feet wide.  I don't know where they went, but I doubt they found anywhere with lots that big excepting a couple trailer trash parks. Maybe they don't care, I dunno.  

The bummer part about it was they said "we were going to be there a very long time and need more room".  I do have that giant lot but it's not available.  It's 2 more weeks before those people leave, they just contacted me today and asked for another week.  I typically don't force people out.  

The lady is still coming in - allegedly - on the 10th.  That will fill that lot but then another back in lot is opening up on the 12th.  It's a constant shuffle.  

The old man is probably leaving.  He is obstinate and won't put his dog on a leash and throws his cigarette butts everywhere.  I'm at my wits end with him, I've had a couple of discussions with him about it. He just walks off grumbling and then....lets the dog run everywhere. I doubt he's picked up a single piece of that dog's poop since he came in there.  "He goes out in the woods". Oh? I wonder because I see dog poop lying around and it's a larger dog doing it.  

I hate to see him go, he's a nice guy otherwise but this nonsense has to stop.  His dog has actually run up into other people's trailers who had their doors open. It will just run up to everyone and anyone. He's a totally tame dog but not everyone wants dogs running up on them and I have rules.  It's just that it means having to have yet another lot empty and who knows how long before I can get someone in there? I dunno, maybe not that long. 

I feel like my business ethic is better followed than pandering to a person who doesn't want to follow basic rules. Most people understand their dog needs to be on a leash, not just in my park but in society in general.  There are many exceptions of course, like on your own property or out in the woods hiking. The RV industry is full of RV'ers who expect rules to be followed by everyone and they get upset if they aren't enforced, that is one of my biggest issues with this dude and his dog AND his damn cigarette butts. I'm really tired of it.  And most people but definitely not all understand that if your dog poops - well when, not if - you need to clean it up immediately, which means carrying the bags around with you.  

If only the 3 welders were still around.  Guaranteed income.  

Well enough of this. I'm going to do my last 20 pushups for the day, watch some tv and then go to sleep.  





Saturday, January 4, 2025

  A long night of below freezing temps coming up starting tomorrow night.  But, we seem to have everything covered. The people living there? Well I hope so.  I wasn't feeling so spunky when I got back so my visit was short and sweet.  I dunno but that shed will definitely have both heaters going. On low, but going in case one can't keep up with it. Saving my pipes/seals/gaskets from damage is the point.  

I won't have to drive night time hours in the icy road conditions. Tomorrow morning is regular nice weather - well a bit cool but nothing like what's coming.  Monday I have late load.  I guess thank the good Lord for a late load considering it's a bit dicey driving in the dark and not being able to see the road surface knowing it's 24 degrees and black ice/ice/frozen bridges might be ripe for serious problems.  

Today went relatively well. The guy that takes forever to washout trailers has apparently been given the revelation that most people don't want to wait an hour and a half to 2 hours for the same results as the other guys doing it in 25 minutes.  The loading plant was crazy.  One of the plant's drivers took the wrong product to a similar place as what I deliver to - and same product I deliver. He  got under the wrong trailer, went down there, unloaded and of course all hell broke loose.

2 jobs ago, I was taking pipe and product down there to build that plant.  At the very beginning when they were working on storm drainage and such.  And really, throughout the project we took down  truckload after truckload of stuff. Those types of plants use a lot of water.  I don't know the outcome, I assume they would have had to shut that plant down, drain everything out, clean everything out and refill before firing up again.  I am guessing the plant is going to have a big bill coming their way.  

Well, there is no possibility of that for us. The only product coming out of the hose that fills our trailers is the glue for various plants - mostly GP plants - making plywood.  This driver had the right paperwork but the wrong trailer, that was the issue.  

That's my world currently.  It's just dealing with people and their stuff. Like, whoever is blowing up the toilet. No way to figure out who is doing it, but it really sucks to walk into a bathroom and see dried liquified poop all over the bowl  

The truck still has the issue with the bank of lights not working. I'm not going into the fuse panel to try and figure it out, not my job. I do minor stuff, sometimes mid-level stuff but that's more than I'm getting myself into.  Our mechanics will have to figure it out and I will end up wasting many hours on whatever day that's going to happen. Soon, I can say that, I can't be driving it like that forever. It's not a safety issue, it's just a lot of extra lights for looks, not for law.  But, if they're on there? Troopers want them to all work.  I would guess there is a raw wire touching the frame somewhere the way it instantly blows the fuse.  But it really could be a lot of things.  Not my job, as the old saying goes and in this case, quite the truth. 

That's about it.  A few birthdays going on around here, one a few days ago and another coming up in 4 days.  

As for me? Time for bed. 

 Saturday - early

In trying to keep a park full, you try to keep track on people and when they think they are leaving.  If there is a long term wanting to go, I want to know about it. Not to try to talk them into staying, they are free to leave whenever, but to understand that that lot is going to be empty and I want it full. 

So, this lady is moving - from Minnesota? =- I think she said.  She's coming on the 10th.  I have one open lot right now, btw.  Even the overnight lot has someone staying in it for another week or so.  I had a family come in late last night - "we just want a place to park overnight and then leave" - yes, you mean you like my rates and don't care about the extra trouble it's going to be to get that thing parked in there.

In there- meaning one of the behind-the-shed spots.  It was all that was available at the time.  And they did, I am dumping a lot of stuff on Trey now, he's going to do his job or he's going to leave.  I gave him some money at Christmas as well. No great amount, and nothing that's going to be repeated over and over, but I've finally gotten it into his mind that he has a job to do and sitting around his house doing nothing isn't a part of that equation.  

Anyway, this other person called last week and told me he wants to bring his family even if that means he has to move once to make it work.  Unfortunately, it actually means he's going to have to move twice after I found out the people staying for a month at the end lot are staying until the 12th.  That's 12 more days than expected for them, but I wasn't going to make them leave because I have someone else wanting to come in.  Then there's the people at the huge lot, they are there until the - 12th I think.  It means a completely full park and no where to put him excepting in the spot I am holding for the lady moving here from Minnesota. 

So, he wants to move in to that lot, then over to the behind-the-shed lot for 2 days and then to his "permanent" spot.  He's actually a worker but apparently it's going to be an extended stay.  For what, I have no idea, we didn't get that far with it. He had contacted me via text message yesterday asking me if I could take him in or not?  I found out all of the info and informed him the only way I could make it work is if he moves into spot 11 until the 10th, then over to lot 15 - behind the shed - for 2 maybe 3 days - and then to his spot he can stay at for however long.  I told him that and 4 hours later he agreed to it and said he's coming - today actually. 

Yes, he's coming in late tonight.  2 reasons I won't put him behind the shed right now versus 6 days from now.  1, because he's coming in late.  It really needs to be daylight to park back there and 2, because I don't have 50 amp setup back there - yet.  I don't really want 50 amp back there for it's a huge draw on that power system.  The fact of the matter is, however, is that it's winter and AC units aren't running all day long, it's heating units that will turn on and off.  At this time of the year, the power system running over there can handle it, it's during the summer it definitely cannot, at least not with the current setup. I can fix that problem but not without a lot of work and some money spent.  

I have projects I need to do and it's the money situation that has kept me from doing it. It's a business expense and I'm not spending personal finances on that stuff anymore. If the business can't afford it, it is going to be put off until it can.  With most lots full, I can get back to getting some real money in the account.. 

However...property taxes. Let's not go into that, I have a month before it's not going to be late and tho I have the finances in there for that, it would drain it down pretty good.  Get 15 or so lots bringing in money and that will change.  I have to pay property taxes before I do any of these projects.  

Speaking of heat, it's going to get down to 24 degrees tomorrow night and it's going to keep doing that for 4 nights in a row.  That's hard freeze territory and I've been warning people that they need to do something about their hoses and such.  If they don't, they may end up with a costly mess on their hands.  I am definitely not responsible for anything after the spigot.  That's all on them.  What I have to do is cover up all my exposed plumbing. 

I instructed Trey to do that yesterday and he claims he did. Most of it is still covered from last year, not that much to do, but I will be inspecting all of it today after work.  

Yes, I have to work again for the 3rd weekend in a row.  Someone is off sick. I actually was asked to do a full turn yesterday and today, but that went away after the second person off got his act together.  He forgot to get his medical card updated and sent in to the state.  I wonder about this company and not keeping up with that and sending notices to drivers about it. I dunno, but I fully expect this company to pay for mine coming up later this year.  The driver - who has been destroying equipment as well - got his card updated in their system and I didn't end up having to do all of that.  I agreed to it just to make him happy - him being the manager.  otherwise, you get into his unfavorable district in his mind and he can just shuffle you off to OTR stuff.  In other words, you will quit and he doesn't even have to fire you. 

I would definitely quit if I was placed into the OTR system.  They have runs going into Canada and they were begging me to take one of those routes when I first signed up for this place. No thank you. But you have a passport! Yes - no thank you.  

Well, I got up half an hour early.  Not on purpose, I just woke up, decided I wouldn't get back to sleep and got with it, hence the time to write this morning. I didn't get up early to leave early, I just got up to start the day. 

The FOMC meets again on the 28th of this month.  Wondering if the interest rate will be lowered and by how much.  And then, ensuing interest rate reductions on loans.....

Enough. I'm leaving a little early.  I'm out of coffee pods for my Keurig - totally spaced that yesterday - so I need to stop somewhere and get a cuppa this morning before getting to the truck.

G'day. 
















Wednesday, January 1, 2025

 Wednesday - night

What a hoot New Years Eve was!  I took one of the boys to the Piney Park place - the other one is still sick and didn't want to do anything.  He's still coughing his lungs out and we're finding out this can last months. It's a good thing he doesn't have to go to school until next week, but what if this thing goes into next week? We're talking a good 2 plus weeks of this already!  I just hope and pray he gets better before then, because right now? He doesn't nothing but sleep all day long, won't eat much, coughing all the time, etc. 

In other sad news, their dog has torn an ACL, it costs 5k plus to fix it and they're going to have to put her down.

And even more unbelievably sad news, a former pastor's wife from AZ that was a really sweet, loving and kind person passed away.  I didn't know anything about it until today, actually. Well, she apparently passed away today.  I wasn't keeping up with them so I don't know if this was out of the blue or some illness or disease type of thing.  The pastor and her such wonderful people.  She will be missed by a lot of people. 

2 people moved in today.  Behind the shed. I wouldn't have them in the regular part of the park.  Their pictures made the thing look better than it is. But, the door is good, the windows aren't broken, it's just old.  I gave them a list of thing to do to make me happy with the place.  She wasn't particularly pleased with my decrees, shrugs shoulders.  It may be out of sight for the most part, but I want it looking as good as it possibly can be.  Which means painting some things and just tidying it up.  

I don't really have much time here. 25 more pushups to go today, that doesn't take long but we stayed up until 2 am last night, I slept in this morning but I'm still tired.  Really didn't do much of anything today.  ]

I couldn't figure out what's wrong with the bank of lights that went out and the fuse box keeps blowing fuses.  I had Trey look at it, he said he couldn't really pin it down but thinks there is a short in or behind the fuse box itself.  That's too much.  I completely forgot about that until today.  I wish I would have thought of it sooner, I could have taken it to a shop, perhaps.  I'm afraid they'll want me to bring it to the yard and that's going to be a sucky day, I haven't even told them about it yet.  It isn't actually illegal, it's just a bunch of running lights for looks, not for legality.  But, if they're on there, most cops are going to say they have to work.  

It isn't going to fix itself.  I won't even bother telling them until tomorrow after I get back to the yard.  Then they can tell me what they want to do. Tomorrow will be the first day back at work after 3 days off, sitting at a shop for hours isn't on my list of things I will want to do. It won't even be visible excepting in the dark and that is only for maybe 40 minutes tomorrow morning.  After the sun comes up, I can turn the lights off and I won't attract attention.  I don't figure I'm "due" for another Trooper inspection for a while, only meaning that I just had one done recently, hopefully that means I won't get pulled in again any time soon.

Yeah, I have to get off of here. 

It's 9:15 pm and it's almost time to go to bed.


Sunday, December 29, 2024

  Sunday - late

I've been neglecting my journal.  Again. Lol.

Last night, we had the annual Christmas party at one of the friend's houses. This was an assigned-gift affair with a $25 max.  I don't think anyone kept to that, most of us spent over $50.  I think the lady that gave me stuff was in the $100's range.  A Trump inauguration shirt, a very nice pocket knife with my name engraved on it and several other items.  Actually it was her husband but she did all the shopping.  I had her on my list and I gave her everything on the list she wanted excepting Hobby Lobby - just wasn't wanting to go over there and I spent plenty of money on her stuff.  

It was a fun time together.  

The water heater fiasco/ordeal plows on.  They didn't sent out the part on Thursday, they did get it out on Friday - but even with the $30 expedited delivery, I still am not getting it until tomorrow.  Which is absolutely ridiculous and got into it with a very combative person on the phone with Rheem.  She was being ridiculous.  I mean, just rambling off company policy to the point of crassness.  

So I started giving her a dose of her own medicine, which caught her by surprise.  It got to the point where i said, hey, why don't you come over here and join the hot-waterless party? Kimberly?  ?That is her name.  At the end, she asked me what I wanted her to do?  Isn't it obvious? I need a functioning water heater? This one is only a year and a half old and it's already failed? I've seen them last 20 and longer years!

She felt the need to lecture me that most water heaters don't last that long. Yes, that is probably true, but also true that most water heaters last longer than a year and a half! 

So, the parts are being delivered tomorrow but I can also go get a free water heater. I'm opting to  get over there tomorrow, unhook the heater, drain it and haul it back to Home Depot where they will allegedly give me a new one when I show them the PO number in the email Kimberly sent me.  I'd rather just get a new heater, even if it's going to add several hours to the end result of having hot water again. People are grumbling a lot, but short of buying a new one out right for almost $500, there isn't much I can do about it. Sorry, I'm not shelling out a bunch more money.

Today was the second run.  Well, yesterday, I got to the washout and the first load driver hadn't arrived. I got to the plant and they hadn't been there either.  So I contacted the manager who informed me the first load had canceled.  Thanks, I thought, for letting me know. The day wasn't terribly long so I just let it go.  Today, I took the first load slot since I knew no one else would be up there and got it done quickly.  

I have 3 days off starting tomorrow and tomorrow is definitely going to have a good portion of the day spent at the park.

I told Trey today I was tired of having to discuss the trashed out lot. Clean it up or else. Else being goodbye.  That was this morning while I was on the road, by the time I got back, he had moved the whole cooking setup to the rear of the trailer, which we had agreed on and another tenant was helping him clean the rest of it up.  I was just fed up.  I can't deal  with it.  I am operating a business and an RV park is not a mobile home park.  People expect them to be clean and tidy.

I also gave the porch people their second notice.  Clean it up, I just gave the other lot in the park that looks like that an ultimatum.  You have FAR too much stuff out there.  On the porch, below the porch, underneath the trailer, behind the trailer. Get rid of 75% of it and I'll be happy.  She responded a few hours later that she is trying to sell her excess stuff to get rid of it. Apparently the previous park allows people to have all kinds of junk laying around. Now I understand why they have problems getting people in there.  

MOST people do not want to pull into an RV park and see disarray and mobile-home-park-style-trailer-trash-sh** going on. It really sets me off, especially with Trey of whom I have discussed this situation dozens of times. Today was the final straw.  Nothing changes. He says he'll do it and then he doesn't do it.  Screw that.  I didn't stay long, I chatted with him a couple of minutes and left. 

That's because I am very tired. 2 nights ago the storms kept me awake, last night some noise woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep.  I've had 3 nights of very poor sleep and I am hoping tonight I can get some quality sleep in.  I'll stay in bed tomorrow morning as long as it takes to get enough sleep.  Screw the water heater, it will wait.  

13 of 14 regular lots are filled, another is coming tomorrow, allegedly anyway, another long term.  There is also another one allegedly coming tomorrow to look at the lot behind the shed.  Well, there's 2 lots but I'm thinking of one specific lot.  She sent me pics.  She took close ups of some damage on the rear.  I'm not concerned about that, the rear will be backed up to the shed and hardly noticeable and certainly not visible to the main area of the RV park.  The rest of the trailer looks good.  So, if they both come, I will have the park full except for Jason's lot who said he will be coming back in January. Those 2 lots in the rear are hard to fill, I don't actively try to fill them anyway unless all other lots are in use.  

In fact, if the lady that wants the regular lot tomorrow shows up, I won't even have an overnight lot available for 2 weeks. I just charged the dude's credit card that came in that is using the giant lot 1.  

Lot 8 will come available either on the 7th or the 14th. I finally found out why they are here: they are closing on a house but not sure exactly when they are going to close on it.  Makes sense.  They don't really talk to anyone in the park at all.  The are on the far end and just keep to themselves. I have no problem with that, if that's what they want, that's what they get.  

Anyway, I have worked it out that I don't have to turn anyone away and I only have one problem coming up on the third with an overnighter.  I'll wait until tomorrow and see if the new long term is coming in. They said they are coming from Alabama to put down roots in this area. I always wonder why people would want to move here. If I said the name of my town, unless you are from this area, you would not know about it.  

Pushups. Somehow, I am still doing this 100 pushups per day for 100 day challenge. I don't even know which day it is.  I have it recorded in this blog, I can go back and figure it out.  I've had days where I really, reeeaaallly, reeeeeeaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyyyyy did NOT want to do ANY pushups and today is one of them.  I just got done with 20 of them. 80 to go.  It's 8 pm, I want them done by 9 so I can get into bed early.  As I stated in a previous entry, I don't even think about trying to do 100 in one set or even 2 sets. I'm still stuck at 5 sets tho I do 25 here, 30 there at times.  Tonight, I struggled to do 20 on the first set, so it's going to be 4 more 20 pushup sets.  As I said, I'm tired and I don't feel like doing them.  I've made it this far, it's at least. ....20? .... days now.  I think, lol.  lemme look now that I've gotten started on it.  

Wow. I've made it 24 days.  Amazing.  For me, that is amazing, lol.  I'm behind on the bicep workouts, oh well. I'll do a protracted workout on them tomorrow.  And the pushups, lol. Yup, you aren't "supposed" to do triceps and biceps on the same day.  Nothing can be done about it. I can't end up with huge or very toned triceps and nothing biceps. 

I am starting to actually feel muscle in my "boobs", lmao.  It doesn't look like it - yet - but it's definitely there.  I don't know that it will look like it.  This challenge is not a New Year's resolution, I may do a 30 day extreme diet to help along with this pushups tho, starting January 1st.  A lot of people are talking about it, but you know how that goes. People start diets or whatever January 1st and 2 weeks later? they are done.  In fact, there is a day for people to quit: Quitters Friday.  The second Friday in January is where most people quit.  That's apparently a data-backed fact.  

I fear making a resolution out of a diet for this fact alone.  I have made New Year's resolutions and have not kept them. Haven't we all? Lots of us anyway.  I didn't make any of them last year knowing that I would fail and I'd rather not try than make one and then start bashing myself for failing.  But, I could ride the quitter's train who start and give up, at least start with them and hopefully just keep on going.  

I have already resolved to lose the boobs and the gut, this is what keeps me going on the pushups.  I don't even know if they will end up helping me get rid of them, but I can definitely tell you they are building muscle.  

Enough. I need to get on the floor and do some more and other things needing to get done. 

Saturday, December 28, 2024

 Christmas Day entry sort of ended abruptly. 

Oh, it's Thursday - early afternoon

I was cooking a brisket all day long yesterday and then I switched gears to cooking a rather old ribeye roast. Like, 3 years old lol. I had it labeled from 2021 and I had no idea we had meat in there that had been sitting in there that long. The brisket was from earlier this year.  I don't think they recommend keeping food frozen that long, eat it within a year or so?  So I kind of was out on a limb on that one, was it going to taste okay or taste like puke?  

I seasoned that ribeye roast quite well. I pulled it out at 122 degrees internal temperature and frankly? It was delicious.  No freezer burn - tho I had quadruple wrapped it when I put it in there. The Brisket was very fine as well.  I cooked that pretty much perfectly. I kept the fire temp around 250 all day long. Note that this is not a pellet smoker, this is  a wood fired smoker and a small enclosure so it takes time to figure out how to set the exhaust flap and the air intake flap to get you to where you want to be with keeping the fire down enough to not torch the meat.

Having not had smoked anything in quite  a while, I was pretty proud of myself.  

Today was a relatively easy day.  It's usually like that when certain people are working at the washout and the plant, I was blessed at both places. The manager said the stuff wasn't coming off of the walls, oh well. I said oh well too, hope they don't reject it. No, the dude that was loading didn't care.  I was out of there in 49 minutes total.  It wasn't a surprise when I pulled into my yard at noon.  I mean, literally at noon.  That's about as good as it gets. I've beaten that time by maybe 15 minutes a few times before. 

The only glitch today is that I lost the fuel card.  I couldn't fuel, tho that's not really an issue for I have over half tanks whenever I leave the loading plant.  Yes, I can go 2 full rounds on full tanks, but that's all I can do. Last time I tried that, I left the loading plant and ran out of fuel 2 blocks from the truckstop.  

I searched high and low in my vehicles for 20 minutes (at least). I went back to the truck and there it was, laying on the floor, right there in plain view.  Face slap.  No worries, I can get fuel tomorrow, it just wasn't so great. Now I have to waste time tomorrow fueling.  I don't ever fuel on the Gurdon portion of the trip. Well, almost never lol.

And now? It's raining.  I have zero plans for today.  The only thing I would do is install the water heater parts - but they aren't here yet. I knew they wouldn't be, the order was placed Christmas Eve Day, late. They probably aren't open Christmas Day - I don't blame them - and who knows about today? I was informed they would be emailing me when the parts are shipped. Well, nothing yet. I paid for 1 day shipping, that's all I can say.

To my friend that sent the airplane pic that was a great story.  I am considering a trailer but it'd have to be at a good price and at the same time not need a lot of work.  I don't want a project trailer, I already have one of those and just don't have the time for it.  Park it, set it up, use it.  Those are usually much more expensive, at least if in decent condition.  I have not been able to find anyone to renovate that coach.  I suppose I could get in there and start tearing stuff out - that's what needs to happen first. The entire kitchen center and the shower stall, it's old, junk and needs replaced. Preferably with regular household style stuff. Much cheaper and looks nice.

Yes, I have been looking at pics of how other people have fixed up old stuff and if you do it right, it is charming and looks incredibly inviting.   




















  Tuesday - early afternoon Oh the luxuriousness of having the house all to myself. No kids on "holiday" (read: Christmas) break w...