Thursday, August 12, 2021

 Brownsville, TX area hotels are pretty strange with their hotel pricing.  One day it's a good price - at any of them - the next it's ridiculous.  Today was in the ridiculous range.  

See, I got in this other driver's truck today, with no small amount of aggravation attempting to remember everything I absolutely have to have from my truck and making several trips back and forth until I was satisfied I had everything I needed - and headed to the plant.  Got in the sleeper to snooze while they were loading.  Horrible bed.

Horrible bed.  Like sleeping on jello or something, the thing was so soft it was more than just  a bit annoying. I can't sleep on beds that soft, I feel like I'm sinking or something, I just don't like them. I already knew I would be getting myself a hotel tonight and oh well, eat the cost and move on.  Not to mention the smell in that sleeper.  Just a non-happening event.

Also of note was the tires on the trailer that I was assigned to that I have reported in the past and that haven't been replaced. They don't need fixed, they need replaced. Last two times I pulled that trailer, there was a severe vibration with other drivers reporting the same.  Well no duh, some of the tires have flat spots on them, someone must have locked them up.  I texted the lead mechanic - he was all of 100 feet away but I have no interest in face to face contact with him at this point after the meltdown he had last time we went through something like this. 

He was cordial at least but told me they don't have those size of tires, they aren't our fleet.  Yes, I know these mexican trailers don't belong to us, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared to fix them and bill the customer.  They do it already anyway.  He wanted me to go to a tire shop to have them replaced.  I just blew that all off, didn't lose my cool and contacted my dispatcher, can I take E001 instead?  This trailer has several bad tires on it.  Sure! Please tell Ryan about the bad tires! Already have, I replied and thank you.

Easy peasy, bypassed, Ryan and got a trailer with decent tires.  Anyway, it only took them 45 minutes to load the trailer and I was only at the scale house for maybe 30 minutes, so I made really good time today. 

Back to the hotels.  No way I am spending the night in that truck.  If I had the misfortune of being permanently assigned to it I would be demanding a new mattress.  I just couldn't believe even normally low priced hotels were in the $70 range and everything decent was well over $100.  I only need a place to sleep for the night, I don't need a fancy hotel for that, just a comfortable bed and a quiet facility.  

After checking all of the places, I finally decided to cave in and just get a pricey place and eat it.  But then I realized I had an hour and a half left on the clock.  I could make it back up the road somewhere before getting to no man's land - it's like 60 or 70 miles of nothing but ranch land, literally nothing else there excepting a miniature post office and a immigration check station, they like to call it.  

Raymondville!  There's a place I have been seeing forever with truck parking, cheap prices and at least some decent reviews.  So I drove the 50 miles here, got the trucker discount and paid $55 plus tax.  The room is nice considering this is just a mom and pop place, the ed at least look comfy, I'll find out in a few, I'm really tired.  Long day and everyone woke up tired this morning.  How that hit all of us the same I have no idea, but it did.  I was half awake/half asleep for several hours after getting up today.  

So that's it.  I'm here, in my room, the drunks out in the parking lot apparently decided to go into their rooms - thank God almighty, not in the mood to have to go ask for a different room away from those people, they were being obnoxiously loud out there. They looked like workers staying here on some work duty, so they have to go to sleep at some point, it's only Thursday there's at least another work day left in this week if they are Monday-Friday workers.  

There is nothing else.  Well, the 6 year old had his first day of 1st grade today.  No masks.  The 4 year old was driving Taylor crazy because his older brother isn't around to play with.  Summer is over, at least school wise, still plenty hot out there. 

I'm just counting the days.  Waiting to be sent the info on how much money I need to bring with me - well bring cashier's check/s and get this property over and done with.  The property I am selling I've heard nothing back, I signed off on the paperwork dunno what's going on with that, I assume the lengthy process I am going through now.  Survey, appraisal and title company.  Title company should be interesting since this is a sheriff's deed.  My realtor sort of stopped when I told her this is a sheriff 's deed. OH, well let me do some research on that!  Apparently she thinks she can get it done - really it's all the title company. If I have to come up with "anything" other than the sheriff's deed?  I dunno what I would do, I have no other documents.  Just that the property taxes are paid up on it.  I'm assuming these title companies have experience with these sheriff's deeds since the sales are every 3 months and people have to have the titles cleared to be able to sell them.  

Speaking of tax lien auctions .... lol no, I don't think I'll be going to the next one or any of them any time soon - unless - this deal with this property goes through seamlessly or close enough to it and make it worth the trouble.  Actually, now that I think about it, the next auction is likely done and over with.  There won't be another one until December. That's the one where they try to sell all of the properties that didn't sell during the year.  They start the bidding out at $30 and it goes from there.  If I can sell 2 of these properties before then I'd likely go to see if I can get more at cheap prices.  

Anyway, enough of that talk, I have no desire to do any of that right now, this 25 acre deal is all that is on my mind for worldly things.  

And sleep.

G'nite

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