13 hours and 45 minutes so far.

Detention pay at hourly rate : )

There was a trailer waiting for me down here when I got here - Brownsville that is - but my manager said no, I need to wait for another particular trailer to show up. That was yesterday, I pulled in at 12/45 am - exhausted, out of it, but wanting to get here since I knew the earlier I get there, the more money I make doing nothing.

Now, I texted my manager earlier and confirmed - there is a trailer here, but you want me to wait for this other one?  Yes.  Okee dokee.  So that's that.  About half an hour ago, I went into the office of the person that runs this yard and asked if he knew when the trailer was going to show up? Well, it's sitting at the plant right now. We were going to have it here today, but for unknown reasons there is a hold up. It won't be here until tomorrow.

That's when I said fine, I"m going to a hotel.
See, they had me do that other run down here a few days ago for the same thing: a particular trailer. Except I didn't even pull a loaded trailer down here on that run.  I just wanted to confirm with my manager this is what she wanted me to do since it's going to cost someone a large amount of money to keep me down here - but that's what they do in this business and waiting is expected. She even said to me today: everywhere you go, you wait. Yup.

So, with that in mind and not wanting to sit in a truck for the rest of the day and all night, I did indeed go and get a hotel room at the place I normally stay in down here.  Clean rooms, well upgraded, very nice for $47.  It's sort of a gamble getting the room cause I don't know if they know that the trailer isn't going to be here today, but since I already asked her about it and she said yes, wait and  yes, it's a lot of waiting - I wasn't complaining at all - I can sit back and relax and let them do their jobs.  I have gone beyond what I am supposed to do - most drivers wouldn't even ask her, they would just go get a room right away and not even wait.  The only ones that don't are the owner operators, I don't think they get detention pay but since they're making so much money it doesn't really matter.

So whatever.  I'll be over there at around 8 am tomorrow and just sit there and wait until it shows up - tho I will ask again if it's showing up for sure?  People have waited down here for up to 3 days, this is nothing new.

Meanwhile, I also asked about the truck purchase program they have in this company. She didn't know the exact details, just that yes, they have one and she would ask her supervisor about it.  Okay.  I want the full details to mull over for a while and see if it's anything I want to get into.  I dunno what kind of truck, new or used (used tho, I don't want a note for $150k), how much the payments are, all the particulars on company help with discounted fuel and tire pricing, things like that.  There's no dentention pay but with the money you are making you don't need detention pay.  But, I want to see the fact sheet. What they expect and how it all works.

Anyway, it's after 3 now and no word from manager, I'm hoping to stay until tomorrow, that would be a huge payout for one run that's usually only 2 days.  At least 32 hours of sitting around pay, it only takes 2 hours of detention pay to pay for this hotel, the rest is gravy and more money than the actual run itself is worth.  Well I take that back. It's worth about the same as the run itself is worth.

Well enough of work. Donny sent me a message via Rene's phone today. He understands he totally screwed up. It's strange tho, it wasn't a "I just screwed up" and quit deal, it was a " screw up for 3 days" thing.  Not that I want to judge him.  But, when you are addicted to a substance like that, you both have to want to get freed from it and you really need people to help, preferably licensed therapists that have a plan to bring you out of it.  The thing is, you know it's getting to the "really bad" point when you steal other people's money and then after that, take your valuables and pawn them off.  That's not a casual user.  God bless him tho, I hope he finds his way out of this, he's going to pay back my money.

Meanwhile, what to do here? I think nothing but surf the net and check out whatever movies might be on.  Or play a movie on my notebook since it's free data useage.
________________________

Wednessday Morning.
I ended up finding this cookoff show on the Food Network that was pretty interesting.  They took accomplished chefs from various different cities and pitted them against each other in a challenge that I ended up watching 5 episodes, I think? before they had the final cookoff between the finalists and an ensuing champion. The reason it was interesting is because they only gave these chefs 30 minutes to come up with the various aspects of dining.  One was the appetizer, then the entree and then the dessert.  They gave these chefs some rather bizarre foods to have to make a delicious meal out of and it obviously threw some of those chefs for a loop.

It really was fascinating.  I'm trying to learn more about cooking and what foods work together and how to make different foods and what spices you can mix together for a good result.  Just a challenge to myself to become a better cook. I've gotten heavily into smoking meats in the last few years but I am also doing all kinds of other cooking based on oven baked to frying to crock pot. 

Anyway it's almost 8 am and I think I'm going to get out of the hotel and go play the waiting game over there.  I don't want to be sitting here when the trailer shows up over there. In reality, that could be 5 hours from now, but I'm used to waiting in the truck. Can't say it's a lot of fun, but the sooner I leave here the better chance I have to make it home tonight.  After around noon? Probably  not unless I really want to drive late at night to get it over with. 

Not much else.   I sort of miss the days of newspapers and sitting down with a cup and opening up the local and world news versus getting on the internet.  I guess they still produce newspapers, none available around here lol.