Stuck at the plant for almost 7 hours yesterday, Very little time to get anywhere after I left.  The roads weren't too bad, tho, considering it had been snowing all night long.  I made it all of 400 miles before I quit.  I added the "exception", it's a button you push when you have been delayed out of your own powers that add 2 hours to the 14 hour on-duty clock. Not the 11 hour drive clock, the 14 hour clock.

But I got to 15 hours yesterday and I said enough.  Pretty typical trucking lifestyle - push your self 14 hours a day and if you have to, use the exception rule.  You can only use it once per 70 hours.  So I'm told, I've never looked it up and th company doesn't say anything to me about using it.  Not that I would care at this point, this new company sucks.  Head-Up-Their-@$$ syndrome, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.  Ostrich's in a sea of sand with their heads buried, the only thing that will get their attention is even more people quitting.

Which I threatened yesterday and was quite serious about.  Anyway, I stopped in Mount Vernon, Illinois at one of the large number of truck stops there - this place has a huge parking lot and it was almost full at 8 pm.  I got a spot tho and then went next door to Chili's for a hot meal.  Not a lot of keto options there, I just ordered a 6 ounce steak and double broccoli - instead of the potatoes that normally come with it.  After that I went and crashed.

The 3 nights before that I hadn't slept well? Caught up with me.  I was out like a zombie and the alarm went off too early this morning.  I mean, it went off the time I set it at, but I was sleeping so hard when it went off I woke up with a fried brain, my head was aching.  I went back to sleep for half an hour - it seemed like I had reset the alarm for half and hour, went to sleep and woke up a minute later. My head felt a little better, but I really had to force myself to get up this morning.

But get up I did. I had 610 miles to drive and I was determined to get it over with and get home.  And that's where I'm writing this, in the comfort of my office chair on my desktop computer. However, I preceded that trip to the Huddle House to get a helping of ham, bacon, eggs over easy and some sausage.  There are at least a few perks to this diet, you can eat meat like that and not screw up your plan.

Anyway, excepting some fog in Illinois this morning, the trip went trouble free, actually.  Upon arrival at the yard, I encountered another driver watching a movie in the "driver's lounge", which isn't a lounge at all, the terminal there sucks for drivers. I don't care for my own concern since I just leave and go home. The OTR version of drivers - those that don't live near there - have it pretty horrid.  No showers, no laundry, no kitchen, just a sh**hole.

This other driver - yet another in a long list of them I have encountered with the same gripes - went off.  I sat there and listened to him complaining about the same thing we've all been complaining about.  Lack of work, paychecks being shorted, people getting short fuses.  And a company that doesn't seem to give a shit.  It's the same thing, over and over, from every single driver I've spoken with.

But I didn't stick around long.  He was enjoying a movie and I wanted to go get my dogs and go home.  The grandma and grandpa are here again.  The kitchen was a disaster and 2 more mice were in my glue traps.  And someone had been sleeping in my bed, apparently.  Tho I had offered it, Taylor had stated that since I was only gone one night of their stay here, wasn't worth it. Whatever, it doesn't bother me, excepting the kitchen and the mice.  After sitting around in a truck in frigid temps, I decided a bit of activity cleaning the kitchen wouldn't hurt.

Oh, Addler. He was grumbling and making all kinds of noises when I saw him at the other house. Lol. The poor giant dog just doesn't get the attention from anyone else that I give him.  I got the reports before I got back earlier today: He's getting cranky.  I miss the dog when I'm out but right now? I'd take another 4 day run back to back to get my finances back up.  Instead, I have tomorrow off and then up to Oklahoma.  It's a 24 hour run, basically.  It's around 680 miles. Because of going through a bunch of small towns and speed limits, you can't make it back in one day, but you can get close. This is the run that takes me by the casino if I'm so inclined.

But it's a very late load tomorrow and I doubt I'l l want to do any gambling at the blackjack tables - but - you never know?  I'll be back home in time for my birthday.  I officially - in my mind anyway - turn old man at 55.