Well, that didn't take all day, anyway.

Learning how to adjust brakes was easy. I hadn't done it in 30 years and it turns out, it hasn't changed in that amount of time either. Exact same setup. So that took 10 minutes and I was done with that. 

Back to the orientation  room and doing Hazmat stuff for about 4-1/2 hours I cranked all of that stuff out.  Read, take a test. Read more, take more tests. A few tests were difficult, most of them were either common sense or just pick an answer type of stuff based off of what you had just read. The most difficult testing was on formaldehyde.  I don't even know how many I got correct because it grades you automatically but doesn't show what you got right or wrong.  I don't know if I got them all right, or a few wrong? No clue.

And, after doing a Hazmat module for an hour and a half, the rest of the modules after that were all repeating the stuff that was in the long Hazmat module.  Just a lot shorter versions of it.  The safety guy came in while I was doing it, said he was leaving, finish up what you're doing and then you can leave.

Well, I left around 1:45 pm.  Tomorrow is learning the tablet. I have no idea how long that will take, I can't imagine it will take all day, but maybe? he wants to drag it out so that I have something to do on Friday so I'll get paid for it.  Well, I don't want to spend 8 hours doing something that takes 4 hours to do, or however long it takes in reality.  But whatever, I'll do whatever he wants, I'm not the guy making the decisions here.  

Got done with that and the other guy in this house and I went to town to go to Walmart to get some food.  I was getting low and I don't want to be here without food.  

Got back from that, made some dinner - first time I had eaten all day besides a very small bag of crackers - and then Taylor contacted me. Said the oldest boy wanted to talk to me on the house phone. 

Well, why not.  He was quite chatty and it went on for 35 - 40 minutes telling me about how life is going for him, lol and the tree cutting operation James is doing around the house. He cut down a tree out front and I was watching it on one of the cameras since the kid was too.  

That over, I'm just sitting here listening to highway noise, writing in my journal and thinking about things.  I got 4 calls today about spaces. 3 of them were overnighter calls coming up in the next month and the 4th was wanting long term. Too late, those 3 had already booked, that lot is taken - tho I need more overnight type reservations to make it equal a month's worth of a long termer. The people that disappeared for 2-1/2 weeks paid up for another month so I have no idea who is leaving next.

Let me think about that for a second....oh yes, lot 1 is leaving - no, they have another 3 weeks.  Lot 7 is the railroad boss, he didn't know how long he was saying, but probably 2 months.  Lot 10 said he might leave in September a few months ago...lot 14 is still dealing with closing on the 3 turned into 4 properties....I can't tell people I have  a lot available until it's actually available.

I say that because people have told me they were leaving before only to have their circumstances change and end up staying, sometimes for months longer.  I don't really mind that much having one lot open for overnighters, but if there was going to be anyone wanting to move in before anyone else got an spot for a night or two here and there, they were going to get it.  I could probably go ahead and rent it out after these first 2 get done with their stays, the 3rd isn't until the end of next month and I will have people leaving before then.  I'm pretty sure that family that is closing wants to be on their own land as soon as they can. However, they just paid for another month 2 days ago.  

Apparently the dog - Obi/Obito (I call his full name when I need his attention) - is doing ok.  He hasn't torn my room to shreds, that's a plus.  We didn't really get to spend enough time together to really have him missing me. In his mind, I'm probably like his previous owners: gone.  I like him, but we haven't grown seriously attached to each other yet.  That takes time, a lot of time, like a year or something.  

Next week will be much more grueling than this one. Apparently the main trainer is up early - picks this other guy up here at 3:30 am.  They were out until around 1 today. At least they didn't have to work the entire daytime hours.  I used to get up early on occasion for the previous job, but it's not something I actually like, lol.  I don't really care at this point what I have to do to get out of here. If it's up at 3:00, to be ready by 3:30, then so beit. They think he'll be ready to leave by Friday. I'd like to get the same results.  They load and unload the trucks, so there will be some new variables thrown at me on that, but I am confident I can learn whatever and have it memorized by the time 4 full days of it is done.  

Anyway, I'm getting offa here. I want to get caught up on some of the news.

 Wednesday - early

After spending the entire day doing modules, I went back to the = house is what they're calling it, I'm calling it a boy scout camp host room - and at some of the food I bought on Monday.  I won't last much longer on that food, I'm ito have to go to town to get some more and it will have to be during working hours.

This is because you are only allowed to use their compnay vehicle between the hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. If you want to go to town on the weekend? That's apparently on you.  I can imagine the cost of an Uber/Lyft for whatever it is pretty well up there and I just looked at hotels, pretty pricey stuff.  But, it's Oregon and they have a hotel tax here, I am understanding, that is outrageous. The kind of thing you'd expect to find in a Dem run state where taxation is loved by the many. 

This other dude showed up yesterday while I was making dinner.  We got into an hours-long conversation about this company and other stuff in general.  I was wondering if he was seeing this place through the same eyes that I am seeing it as.  He went off on them, lol.  

And off some more but was relieved because he only has a couple of days left here and then he gets to fly home. And yes, he spent the weekend here doing nothing for they don't have weekend drivers available to train.  I can tell ya right now, I am not spending an entire weekend sitting in this - place.  I'll spend credit card rewards points on a hotel and go spend a couple of nights in town, eating at restaurants and seeing whatever sights there are to see.  

I'd rather work, get into a truck with whoever, get the training started and get it over with and get the Borg out of here.  I'm preparing myself mentally for the idea that I'm going to be stuck here doing nothing, which is ridiculous.  You aren't getting paid to sit here and do nothing, btw.  

I mean, it's my fault I'm here I guess. I started getting the instinct that this place isn't really right for  me once I started getting information close to departure date.  Now that I'm here, I'm going to struggle through this ridiculousness, get it over with and go home.  I have no intentions of going straight to work even if I "pass" all of this stuff, I intend on going home and spending time with family and making sure everything in the park is going good. Rest assured it will need mowed by then.  

Well, the morning rituals come and go in these days, another long day ahead of me as I was informed by this other guy that after I get done with learning how to adjust brakes, I'll be spending the rest of the day doing hazmat modules on the computer.  In other words, a repeat of yesterday, different subject matter. He said they intentionally dragged it out at the brake learning portion for they didn't want to go do more modules.

Yeah, well, teach me how to adjust brakes, I'm sure it takes 10 minutes and get me back in the building. I don't want to drag this thing out any more than I have to, get it over with and move on to whatever is next, which I believe after hazmat is learning their tablets.  That will probably take some time, new electronic devices and learning the functionality of them usually does. But I think tablets are tomorrow. 

Basically, the safety guy wants me to go slower and drag it out so I can get more pay.  Thanks, no thanks, get it done so I can head home - or just to get it over with.  It's a daily pay anyway, not an hourly pay and if they try to screw me on that, well...

The tent lady finally figured out that "someone has hacked my card".  She claimed that someone took $100 out of it. You know, I've offered to her several times to just reduced the bi-monthly payment to make it more affordable.  She keeps talking about "getting behind" on it, I don't really care as long as she makes some kind of payment that is at least $250 every 2 weeks.  In other words, pay the lot rent and pay something on the motor coach itself.  I don't know if she's telling the truth or not, I just   said well, we can put off this payment if you like. No, I appreciate the offer, etc.

So I took out $200 on the 4th try. I don't like all of these declines I have going on the card site.  I want her to check to make sure the money is in there.  I asked her to this time and she was sure it was there.  No, it wasn't there and tho I haven't heard anything from the card company, I do wonder if it looks bad on me in making several attempts for a declined card?  Or worse, that I'm getting charged each time?  Ill have to find that out, they take out a lump sum of a percentage every month of what I have run through their system.  It's why I raised my nightly rate by $3, to cover that charge.  I'm not paying it, so to speak, I want the customer to foot that bill.

Ok, well I guess I best get ready to leave. I just realized I haven't really looked a the news lately, guess I'll get caught up today

Oh, and sleep.  Well, I must have been too tired to care about the road noise last night because I slept a full, much-needed 8 hours and only woke up once and fell right back asleep.  I feel much, much better this morning, quite thankfully. At least I won't be dragging through the day, dead tired.

G'day

Probably before then.