Tuesday

Busy day at work. Got out of town around 6:00 am for some early deliveries, back at 9 am for another delivery, then back again for another delivery and yet again for yet another delivery. Sorta went that way today. In recent times, seems like we get a lot more business near the beginning of the month than near the end.

Tomorrow doesn't have too much - but neither did today and it ended up cranking all day long.

I passed through an accident scene on a 2-lane highway this morning - problem is, I didn't see what was on fire. LOTS of fire trucks and related equipment and personnel, but it was too dark to see what had happened. When I came back through that way, they had completely shut the highway down, making traffic go through the outskirts of a residential area of Sacaton in the reservation. I don't know who thought up the idea to track that much traffic through dirt roads in an area with kids - the roads were narrow and I had to take up the oncoming side to make the turns.

People weren't being so giving, so I just pulled up there and waited for them to back up. That or NEVER move. So these people are throwing up their hands and reluctantly backing up - I would have NEVER made that turn with the amount of traffic that was coming through there if I had just waited until it was clear to go. Dunno what to say, folks, trucks are big, large pieces of heavy equipment. They bring you food, clothing, parts to fix your car, materials to build and repair your houses. Do they get in your way? Of course they do, but not intentionally. We can't just maneuver around corners like in a car or pickup truck.

On the same kind of note, this morning on the same highway where I assume there was a death - they rarely shut down a highway like that unless someone died and they have to do an investigation. Oh, well anyway, a pickup truck comes barreling down a side road that stops at the highway I'm on. State Route 87 to be precise. I'm going 65 mph in a ....65mph zone. This guy drives right through the stop sing - probably going 25 mph through that thing, right out in front of me. I'm flashing my headlamps trying to get him to get out of the way, I just went into the oncoming lane since there was nothing coming to pass him.

This person decides to speed up and play games as I'm ahead of him and getting close to being able to pull back over. This is one of those deals where the person neither wants to let you pass NOR let you slow down to get back behind the person, the person who just cut you off BADLY in their vehicle. Now a vehicle IS coming from the opposite direction, I have my signal on, I just started coming over. I will not get into a head-on collision. I would far rather shove this guy's vehicle right off the road (assuming it's a guy) then kill an innocent person.

These are not games worth playing - I wasn't playing the game here, this guy was. I will never be able to figure out why people drive like that. Do they not realize they are risking their own lives? Maybe they just don't think it will happen - they can do anything they want to and that's the end of it. The accident where the dead person is - guessing anyway, haven't heard anything on the news yet - was the same kind of thing. Right at a side road that stops at the main highway. Undoubtedly, someone pulled out in front of an on-coming vehicle. There was thick, black smoke everywhere. It was eerie looking.

So, much further down the road- this driver stuck behind me and we pass through the accident zone - I have to slow down for a truck that is turning in front of me. After he turns, it takes my truck forever to get back up to speed, this guy comes zooming around me, flipping me off. The epitome and heighth of arrogance and aggressive driving.

Whatever. Just another day driving a truck in the Phoenix metro area. I fully expect this crap and I try to prepare for it before it happens. When my truck is heavily loaded, I go below the speed limit - like 5 to 10 miles per hour slower - I stay out of the way of faster traffic and try to keep a HUGE distance between my truck and whatever's in front of me. If something happens in my lane ahead of me and that truck is anything even close to 40 tons, there is hell to pay if I don't have enough distance to slow down, and trust me, a truck needs a LOT of distance to get stopped or slowed down enough.

Enough. I called the guy that committed to the room today - he said he still wanted to move in, but.....always a but in things with Craigslist ad respondants - he can't move in until next Friday instead of this Friday - but again - he'll come over this Friday and hand over $400. Okay, I said, thinking it's only 3 days away, might as well see if he's on the up and up. If not - well it's just such a game with people trying to get them to even show up when they say they are, and then if they do, getting them to actually just move in. I hate it, but I have no choice in the matter. Another whatever. It wears me out sometimes trying to get and keep people in here. You never know when a person is going to move out. It just happens - bam and they're gone.

I don't quite understand why money has to be SUCH an issue in life, but one thing I know: I'm totally not alone in that department. The ex-Marine is supposed to pay me Thursday and this new guy - no clue how long he's staying - but if is staying, handing over another $100 Friday or Saturday. It's float money, sort on the tilting towards sinking side. I'm getting a few extra hours at work on each paycheck, every little bit helps. Spending money on anything but food, electricity, bills or gasoline is pretty much cancelled at this point. It's the only way I can survive right now with only 2 tenants.

Anyway, enough. I am going to go to bed early again tonight - not sleeping terribly well at night but I tend to feel better in the morning when I go to sleep earlier, I still wake up but I get more sleep in.

G'nite.
ben