Exhaustion

Worked 10 straight hours today. No breaks, no stopping for nothing, grind - grind - grind all day long. I don't mind working like that, mind you, but I woke up with a sore throat; headache and a low grade fever. It didn't get worse throughout the day, but it definitely didn't get any better, either. I was so extremely thirsty all day long - more than normal, I drank a couple of gallons of water. Yes, it's still warm outside and yes, the workload causes you to sweat out in the hot sun and yes, you get really thirsty.

So, I am at a job-site for a municipality that is replacing "trunk-line" water transmission line. I learned something today at that site. When thinking of replacing 36 inch diameter and larger pipe, you can't just shut the water line down. I didn't know that. The city waterworks department has to reroute water through other lines and keep it flowing. It sounded like the principle of electricity, where they re-route lines whenever main transmission lines go down, and yes, they call these waterlines either trunk lines or transmission lines. Interesting, if nothing else.

So, at the end of getting the truck unloaded - which took quite a while and they were using a giant trackhoe (excavator) to get the material off of it with, I finish my conversation with the foreman when I sense eyes. You know the feeling, someone is staring at you/watching you. I did an about face and was almost shocked to see what was there: at least 100 elementary school kids, standing in line, at the fence, with teachers interspersed amongst them. This job-site is directly next door to an elementary school. Apparently they were making it some sort of learning lesson, I guess. I dunno, but I got into the semi and backed out of there. This is more-often-than-not the scenario: go in reverse the way you came in forward. Frequently meaning long backing distances and going around turns and all kinds of interesting things that test a truck driver's backing skills. My statement to new or wannabe drivers is always this: if you are driving a truck but can't back it up, you are in the wrong business. Some of them don't always want to hear that.

Well, I didn't feel like doing anything after work, but not 5 minutes before I left the building, a man calls asking to come over and see the available room. Can't turn it down, gotta get it re-rented. So, he seemed to like it but admitted he was going to look at another place. No problem. Said he wouldn't move in until the 15th if he wanted it, that's a problem. I don't hold rooms, I inform him, without a cash deposit - non-refundable. I am straight forward and out with that. I did say that the other room was going to be available by then if he thought he liked the place and wanted to move in.

So, whatever. Writing up another ad after this entry and get it going, it's the end-of-the-month and this is a good time of year for renting out rooms. The middle of the summer never is, but for some reason, October and November usually bring a lot more prospects to the table.

Later.

ben