Wednesday, November 4, 2020

 So now our company is back to installing cameras in every truck.  Forget that the fleet is aging and most of the trucks need replaced - we're talking as much as 900k miles on many of them in the fleet. Mine has half a million miles and THAT is considered well over the threshold of most major trucking companies for how long they will keep a truck before getting rid of it.  

The thing that bothered me about this camera stuff was the inward facing junk.  I would have seriously considering quitting over that.  They don't need to see what I am doing inside of the truck.  We LIVE in those things when we're on the road, we do things other than just driving it. They want to be able to "coach us" if they see something that they don't think is "safe driving". How will they know when that happens? Are they going to have staff going over countless hours of driving to find ever driver's mistakes? Who is going to coach us? I've been driving 36 years, I doubt there is much of anyone available that is going to show me anything different than I already know.

Knock on wood, I have never had an at-fault accident in a truck and I intend on staying vigilant to make sure it doesn't happen in the future.  Anyway, they canned the inward facing thing - drivers gave their opinions and it wasn't anything the company wanted to hear - people talking of quitting.  I worked for a very short time for a company that had inward facing cameras AND microphones listening to everything you're doing in there. Just won't do that again.  I'd hate to have to leave this job right now, but I'd find something else even at lower pay before putting up with that nonsense. My reaction to such foolery is to ask them if they are going to have cameras in their bedrooms as well that we can see? They look at me funny. Exactly, those trucks are also our bedrooms at night.  We take our clothing off in there and we sleep in there.  I don't want you watching me doing my private, personal stuff, thanks.  

And got a text from my manager, I knew this was coming sooner or later as the news of at least 47 loads going there came at me a few days ago: Cheniere.  I don't need to tell you how I hate going to that place since y'all already know. I'll just grin and bear it and hope that by some miracle I can get it done tomorrow and not have it dragged into a second day!  The truck is filled with fuel, at least. If it were to come down to a time thing and I could possibly make it back tomorrow night, getting fuel on the way back up can be bypassed. 

The truck arrived with the dirt.  It's a lot of dirt lol.  More than I wanted but it's on the property now.  I am not doing any of that today, the jackhammer was enough of an ordeal for me.  I just wanted it here so my next day off I can start hauling dirt to various places around the property, both out front and mostly in the back.  Since the hole in the front was my doings and also the hole for the in ground pond in the back also my doings, I had no problem paying for this load of dirt in here.  It was a lot more than it's likely worth, just needs to be done and spending too much time looking for that "deal" wasn't worth it to me.  I can get stuff done, including mowing the back yard as low as the mower will go and shave it down to the ground.  Then plant rye seed. It has transformed into very little grass and some sort of low lying weed that doesn't grow high enough for the current setting for the blade.  Smart weed? I have no idea, but that sucker will go to almost ground level. Rye grass grows easily, like weeds really.  And it's beautiful, even if only for the winter.  It's going to take turning up all the dirt with a machine next season to actually get some bermuda grass growing in there.  

Not sure I'm that motivated.  Just a lot of work.  And rather costly for renting the machine and buying all of that grass seed. And even more work maintaining it with all of these trees dumping garbage all year long all over it. And then dogs pooping all over it lmao.  

FINALLY!!! The no bark collars finally arrived. 3 of them.  These aren't shock collars, they let off a vibration that dogs don't like and on high setting, also some sort of noise they apparently doing like either.  They will all be set on high setting the first day.  Aspyn has gotten them all barking. Even Adler is barking far more than normal.  I've had enough of it and they aren't going to like it, but for our sanity and the neighbor's we had no choice.  My cop neighbor says he never hears them barking, considering they bark all day long on their side of the house, that's amazing. But still, they drive us nuts with the incessant noise. 

I just increased my 401k savings by one percentage point and apparently started a Roth IRA account - which I didn't know I had available - and decided to put 1% in that.  Yes, that's a pittance but what with what I am having deducted to my 401k and the automatic deductions going into my savings account with Chase bank, it's really getting up there on the savings stuff.  I'm around 25% of my income being saved now.  Funny how making good money allows for that and still live your life and do pretty much whatever you want to do within reason.  Beyond my automatic deductions, I dump a lump sum into my savings account every month - up to $500 depending on the income that month and where I want my savings account to go to.  If I'm at $9,100, I'll put in $400 to bring it up to a nice $9,500. stuff like that.  

Truck purchase put on hold.  No way of knowing what's going to happen today or whenever the presidential candidate is declared and what's going to happen next.  I don't think it prudent to be getting into a higher monthly payment with the uncertainty that lies before us.  And, I have decided that I don't want to pay 35k for a used truck.  It's probably a good deal for what it is, but it's too much money. I'm frugal in some things and not so much in others, but with used vehicles? This is why I wait for a while and let reason and analyzation have time to kick in over the "wow that's awesome i want to buy it today" stuff.  My limit will go down to 20 to 25k - lower payments, will result in needing to buy a bit older vehicle, which I'm okay with.  My thought process, tho, is buy a brand new truck that will last me the rest of my life.  Fun, yet unreasonable. 60 plus thousand will be a pricey monthly payment.  

I've seen plenty of older trucks that I would love to be in.  In fact, the alien type design of new GMC vehicles I don't even like.  Amazingly, I love the look of the new Fords and could handle that - but - no thanks.  A GMC diesel, 4 door with long bed.  That's my "dream" truck.  

______________________

Wednesday morning.  The presidency is still in limbo.  Both sides are claiming victory.  Talk of people burning flags? Wisconsin running out of ink? Millions of ballots still needing to be counted in Pennsylvania and other states... The only good news I have heard is that Republicans have retained the Senate, regardless of which way the presidency goes, the Republic is saved. From what? AOC types taking over Congress and pushing this nation off the far left cliff.  That's what.  The House is still undetermined by they are calling it for Democrats.  That's kind of a downer since the House controls the purse strings of the nation and Pelosi has done nothing but play political games with it. Didn't expect that to flip, tho, and was holding my breath about whether the Senate would remain under Republican control. So, even if Biden does win, there will be gridlock for 4 years. McDonnell easily won his state, we'll have the same majority leader who has, imo, done an excellent job at least in recent days of standing up to Pelosi and her minions.  

But, I will still stand my prediction that if Biden wins, the stock market will crash at some point in the near future, if not immediately.  

Whatever the case, I'm going to watch some news and try to get caught up and try to wrap my mind around a Cheniere run coming up today.

G'day.  



 Friday late-morning Typical morning when there is no work.  It was, I should say, until the new guy called.  "There's nothing wron...