My texting with the manager today resulted in no work tomorrow.

The first text series was that her computer was down, she'd have to get back to me later.

She didn't get back to me later, as expected, so I got back to her. Did your computer system ever come back up?  No loads until Wednesday.  That's 4 days off.  I informed her I had already been off 2 days and she said she knew. No explanations, just that's the way it is.  

4....more....days.....off.  And this person is hiring more drivers?  So I checked this competitor's site i was referring to the other day that is taking some of our business.  Their current job list doesn't have any Ethylene positions.  So I wrote them an email instead asking if they think they might have any positions open in the near future.  

No idea on that one.  But worth checking out. Two major haulers that go into the plant I go into - Groendyke and Martin - simply do not have a good reputation and they don't pay that well.  So I'm not even going to bother checking with them, but I have heard some good things about GenX haulers, so that is next.  

I can deal with 2 days off in between runs, I cannot deal with 4, 5 and 6 days off on a continuing basis. That's just not something I can sustain for any length of time.  I'm also going to apply with Gemini - they haul fuel for all the Love's Truck Stops around the nation.  The driver I spoke with says he has good off time, never out overnight and makes around 75k per year.  That would work for me, tho they'd have to be interested in teaching fuel delivery. 

Okay, their application appears to be quite long and involved.  Most of them are, unfortunately.  Anyway, after hearing that from her earlier, I have decided it's time to go full tilt looking for a new job.  Learn my lesson from Ferguson and not wait around - while going broke -forever.  I'll be doing that tomorrow.  I just came to this conclusion a little while ago and then started looking at openings available in my area.  

Well well well. The dogs and I were sitting in here minding our own business earlier when I heard a crunching noise. Sounded like one of the dogs eating dog food.  Looking across the room? There was a mouse in Addler's food bowl, right there, in front of us, chowing away!  I have all kinds of glue traps left over from when this house was infested with rats.  We got rid of them long ago. I had seen a mouse running into my room a few weeks ago, but it seemed like the cats had dealt with that issue.  Funny there are mice in here anywhere with 2 cats lurking around.  I let them come into my room at will to look around and establish their presence.

Anyway, I put out a huge rat trap - that's what I have lol, the glue kind, those giant ones are the only ones that will keep a big rat on it without letting it go - and now? I have an itty bitty mouse in it.  But where there's one mouse there's more, so I'm letting it sit there and make it's noise. I'm curious if it's calling its friends for help. They can most certainly come and save him!  He's sitting smack dab in that glue, no way he's getting out of there tho.  

Well, anyway, the news about not working until Wednesday was disconcerting.  But motivating.  I absolutely hate the idea of quitting yet another job and starting up again somewhere else, but what am I supposed to do? I will ask, tho, about getting transferred over to fuel delivery.  It's worth a shot, I just don't think they pay as much.  

Well, my manager just told me "it's fixing to get better".  That would be very nice.  She is short on specifics tho.  Why does she believe it's going to get better? Does she have information she could pass on? Why keep everyone in the dark? It makes no sense.  So how long should I hold out? A week? A month?  Months? Just weird that this job gave me more work than I wanted at one time and now - every single driver - is experiencing the fact that we are sitting around - a lot.  2 34 hour resets in a week is not normal in the driving field but that's what's happening with everyone.  

Okay, I'm going to hold out a little longer.  The worst that could happen is resorting to credit cards again - bad idea but it's available if it got that bad - and deal with it.  That's a worst case scenario.  I have lots of savings right now, but that can get eaten up quickly if the paychecks aren't cutting it....

and with that, I have a mouse to deal with. I was going to let it sit there calling it's friends but the racket is getting ridiculous.

......edited - the racket worked and now two of them in the same trap - itty bitty things, there's probably a whole family of those suckers.  

This diet is really strange how it works.  I get down to 202, then up to 207, then 205, then 203, then back to 202. 

These readings are taken first thing in the morning after I get up.  It isn't the only time during the day that I take a reading if I'm at home, but it is the one experts recommend to use because it shows your actual weight before eating and such occurs during the day.  I take readings later in the day to see what the high weight is as well. That has been steadily going down over the last 3 months that I have been on the Keto diet. 

My high at the beginning was 228 pounds.  That was the point where I was very uncomfortable in size 35 jeans and was going to go out and by a whole set of 36's, but that's also the point when I said no to myself, I'm going to lose the weight.  My friends wanted to diet as well and the lady friend is actually the one that got me started on Keto - she quit the diet long ago.  It isn't an easy diet to follow because you have to keep your daily carb intake to 20 or less to get into ketosis and stay in ketosis.

When you can't eat your favorite foods - paste, rice, bread, sugars, potatoes, well, you really have to stay focused on the long run and the ultimate success of getting your weight managed, eliminating any possibility of late-in-life diabetes and reducing other health risks related to obesity or extremely or even moderately overweight.  I've read countless stories of people going off of the injections for diabetes - which are very costly btw - or even getting rid of the disease altogether on this diet.  I have heard from people saying doctor's actually instructed them to go on the Keto diet or some version of a low carb diet.  It's the sugars that will kill you. 

America is way too far in love with fast food.  I see Dairy Queens and Whataburgers in most towns I go through, even the tiny little ones.  McDonald's and Wendy's abound as well.  But beyond that is high sugar drinks, even ones that label themselves as healthy.  You start looking at carb counts and sugars in those drinks - it's ghastly.  And the money they want for those drinks!  It is highly likely that I will be making the Keto diet a go to for maintaining weight for the rest of my life.  I may not stay on it forever, it likely will be a on and off type of thing.  There's lots of controversy about this diet but I've read that even doctors use it to keep their weight down.

Anyway I finally hit 200 pounds this morning.  I haven't been at this weight in years.  A call to celebrate? Not just yet.  I went to get below 200 before taking a day or two of eating my favorite food just for once - and then going back on Keto.  I may gain weight back doing that, but it won't be enough to deter me from proceeding forth to finish this journey out and at least get into the 180's range - unless my body just says no, 190's is fine.  I'm good with that as well.  I just want the percentage of body fat down to acceptable range and not anywhere where I might get disqualified on my medical card for my CDL. 

As for today, it's Monday morning going on afternoon.  I have stuff to do before hopefully going out on a run tomorrow.  I'm just hopeful it isn't a Mapleton run - that would have me up there in the are where it's going to be 20 or more below zero on Wednesday.  I mean, I"ll take it if nothing else available.........I've got thermals, I've got all kinds of cold weather gear, but I'm afraid that with those temps, no amount of clothing is really going to protect you from the bitter cold.  I was in that cold in Massachusetts last year - 17 below - with wind blowing - you felt like you were naked when you got out of the truck.  I wouldn't turn it down tho because paychecks are more important and as long as the truck runs?  It will stay warm in there.  I think.  Actually, in cold that low, you really have to put a cover over the front grill to keep air from flowing into the engine compartment.  You don't turn the truck off - at all. And you hope the fuel doesn't gel up, tho nowadays they add treatment to the fuel at the truckstops so you don't have to. 

And for that, a run to Walmart.  Out of dog food and other things I need.