Almost shocking to see tomorrow's paycheck up there near where it should be. The whole thing will be gone today before I get it, lol. The SUV repair, total, is over $1,400. That's struts, alignment and oil change. I'm hopeful I won't have to spend any more of that kind of money on it anytime soon. It runs great, everything works - so far - so I at least have some confidence that it will stay good for a while. I really did not want to fork out this kind of money right now. But the thing was bouncing like a seesaw every time I hit even a minor bump in the road. Highly annoying, I finally gave in and thought, well, I"ll just have to make it up somehow.
Basically, I need a 3 or 4 day run. Or another Brownsville run. Tomorrow preferably. And keep it up with only a day off in between runs for a while. Pipe dream, but one can wish. Cold temps - not below 0 but still cold by my definition - in Palm so I'm taking enough cold weather gear with me to be able to withstand a blizzard. Ahhh, just remembered. To be able to use the inverter in the sleeper, I have to have an extension cord. I have to hook the invertor up to the truck battery pack to make it work. It actually has the spring loaded clamps - it has enough watts to just use my microwave. I'll be finding out. Otherwise, stop at any major truck stop to heat up food in their microwaves. A pain, but a necessary pain.
I don't absolutely refuse to eat truck stop food - but I mostly reject it. It's impossible for me to pack all of the food I would need into that small refrigerator. I focused on the main meals - replete with salads and avocado sliced and tomato slices. I've been on this diet for 5 months now. It's become a way of life. The weight came off, I came to a stall here and there ...yes....but.... the weight doesn't come back on. I probably need blood tests to determine if my vitamin/mineral contents are good.
Regardless, a very busy day is coming to a close. I fortunately do not have first or even second load. Third load works - out late but not anything past 10:30 pm. I can get the second day done by 5 or 6 pm at the latest and only have a hundred plus miles to go on the third day, unload and turn around and head back. Enough miles on the third day? Turns this run into a 5 day run instead of the 6 or 7 it's been touted to be. We have drivers that aren't really motivated. They are in their 60's, they're tired of driving, they are only in the company for the health insurance benefits and waiting out til they're old enough to receive whatever level of social security benefits they want to get.
It's a strange life, the trucking world. I'm not really OTR - I am by their definition but I really am not. These OTR drivers tho - living in those trucks for months at a time. And they think nothing of it. Here I am busting ass to just take care of 6 days? lol - but that's the diet that is motivating me. And a couple of others now are cooking their own food, stopped drinking straight liquor and are trying to lose weight as well. I think that's a good thing Especially two of them are in their 60's but facing early termination of life if something doesn't change. I could only tell them the results I had and reinforce what they already know: obesity is a killer. What they do with that is up to them, but they have both looked up the Keto diet and they have both taken rather serious steps towards changing their eating habits.
You simply cannot live off of truckstop food and expect to maintain a normal weight. Not to mention clogged arteries and high blood pressure. But like them, I found weight loss to be hopeless until this diet. It seemed like you'd follow a plan and not lose much weight and then - gain it back.
Well, this show is about over for tonight. I've been feeling good for several days now - much better than I've felt in years. I have no explanation for it and I have no understanding if it will last. I can't say it's the Keto diet - just no evidence at the moment that that's the source of it. Yesterday I could have driven the entire 600 miles without stopping. I had to stop for fuel and the mandatory 30 minute break, but if that weren't the case? I could have done it non-stop. Today I've been going all day long as well. No rhyme or reason to it. Just a feeling I haven't had in a long time and had even forgotten that I ever had.
Whatever the case, I am actually looking forward to this trip to Pennsylvania. I just wish it took me through my childhood home town of Pittsburgh.
Ugh. I'm looking on a map and 2 different map apps how to get to Palm. 2 different routes claiming almost identical time to get there. But it seems to me the route taking Interstate but not going through many big cities is likely the best way.
Anyway, day over, time to go to bed, g'nite.
