Apparently I forgot to publish the last post before leaving.
Mapleton was a plain old trip. I got up there, they unloaded it, I drove back, got back into town earlier this afternoon.  In fact, when I got up to the plant, they told me they had run out of ethylene a few hours earlier and I was just in time.  Oh, well if y'all had called me I could have been here sooner.  No, the guy replies, we had other stuff we needed to get done, no big deal. We stood there and discussed everything on the earth I think for 2 hours before the thing was unloaded and I got out of there.

I was determined to get up early this morning because I figured that I would only have today to relax at home before getting sent back out tomorrow.  I was right and wrong about that deduction.

When I was at the yard, my manager was on the phone, but said don't leave yet!  She's a really nice lady, she doesn't "yell" at people in anger or anything, it was just a please stay a moment type of thing.  It turns out every single driver has complained about the changes that have come with this new company and several drivers have threatened to quit.  One was on the phone with her and she had it on speakerphone and he was informing her about the changes to Qualcomm (logging device) and that he wasn't going to drive for a week and just wait for his truck (he's an owner operator that was using a company truck) to get out of the shop.

Other drivers with same sentiments. It's like this company is working against it's own drivers to make the job as difficult as possible.  I was very glad to hear I was not the only person that is extremely unhappy about all the bs going on with this change.  Very happy indeed.  I only asked to switch to a different division - it would still be the same bs with this new Qualcomm crap, but at least I would be home every day.  Whole different set up delivering gasoline. 

Anyway, she wanted to see what I was talking about this noise making stuff. She thought it was the Qualcomm, I said no, it's this radar unit. If you get into heavy traffic, you can kiss your peace goodbye because this thing is going to beep and beep LOUDLY.  She had spent half the day telling these people that know everything about all the sentiments against this new setup.  Hey, there's only 20 of us in this division and this stuff doesn't deliver  like anything else in the rest of their divisions. Enough people quit?  Same as my last company, you are kissing your experience goodbye and good luck.  I'm sure this company wouldn't care about that, tho, seeing their attitudes but it's always nice to give them a dose of their own sundry medicines. 

After all this time - I've been there 10 months now - they finally got a driver that was given the "driver training" promotion. That guy has been there a long time, he knows his stuff, he's definitely qualified to train others.  I don't need training, they deemed that from the beginning. I figured most of this nonsense out on my own through force of being there and doing that without anyone's help.  Ridiculous. 

Anyway, she said she was sending me out tomorrow. I said great and left.  Might as well fly home, get the dogs and relax for a few hours anyway.  I got to the other house and found 2 cop cars and an animal control truck out in front.  My heart sank immediately.  What is going on here?  I didn't see my dogs so I was wondering if they had them in the truck?  I started freaking out - not saying anything but definitely going haywire on the inside because all of those people were inside the house and one of them came out with one of those noose things they use to capture stray dogs. 

Rene was sitting there. ???  Your dogs are fine, it's Donny's dog.  Dang.  What happened?  My friend from church came over yesterday, I opened the door Helga (his dog) ran out and viciously bit the man on the leg. This dog has been biting people since the first day I met it, when it bit my twice and I ended up kicking the damned thing half way across the yard.  It started in on Addler, who finally had enough and bit the s*** out of that dog.  It then went after Aspyn who also tore into it after it kept going at her and wouldn't stop. It's bitten all kinds of people, in the house, with owner present.

Lack of training, obviously.  So, they hauled the dog off and are doing a 10 day hold of it.  I don't know what they expect to do or find out, but apparently Donny can get the dog back after that.  No clue on that one.

I got home, got out a beer - yep it was have a few beers time - and then my manager called.  Oh, wait, she had called earlier and said I had my choice. Pennsylvania, Corpus Christi or Pasadena.  I'll take Pasadena thanks. PA is a 7 day trip.  Corpus Christi is the new plant and a 2 day trip, Pasadena is in theory a 1 day trip - it can be done but everything has to go right.

When she called again, she said she had "manuevered" some things around and was sending me to Pasadena on Sunday.  Meaning a full day off tomorrow! Yay!

Well Taylor is home so I'm going to go visit with her and the kids.