Thursday - late afternoon

I can tell ya one thing, sleep deprivation caught up to me today and I slept 2 hours when I got home.  2 solid hours of sleep.  I feel so much better.

However, getting up to Gurdon today? Not so great.  I apparently still have an "internal problem" that decided it wanted out shortly before I got to the plant. But the time I made it through the scales, back out to the highway and into the entrance to deliver the resin?  

Ohhh myyyyy.  I didn't even park the truck at the delivery shack, I found the closest bathroom I could park near and ran, not walked, to it.  I barely  made it in time.  

I didn't spend much time up there, the product came out amazingly fast considering the outside temperatures now. When that stuff gets cold, it thickens.  When it thickens, it slows down the delivery process.  So it was a bit perplexing that I got that entire truckload out in 50 minutes. That's very fast. I had no more "issues" on the way back such as yesterday. When I got back yesterday? Someone was in the bathroom at the park and headed straight for the woods.  Any more info would likely by TMI so we'll leave it at that. 

I've been assigned another run starting tomorrow which concludes on Saturday, Sunday off and then another on Monday.  All of my loads lately and the 2 ahead of me have been the first load. I have said nothing to the manager about any "infractions" from other drivers, but it's really only one now that is doing the line cutting. He has been with the company 20 years and feels like he can do whatever he wants and no one can say anything to him about it. 

The other dude that was regularly cutting me has backed way off from that after the last encounter where he said he didn't even care what the manager had to say about it. The manager had something to say about it and I didn't hear from this dude for quite a while. And then, all of a sudden, he calls me asking me when I'm going to be there.  And now he texts.  I have no problem with this, it's actually quite effective to keep people from tripping up other people's load or delivery times. 

I had tried to start this with him originally.  Yesterday, he texted me asking me what time I would be there this morning. I told him 8:45 - 9:00 am. So, I got a text this morning at 7:20 am that "product is flowing", meaning he should be done by the time I get there. I have no problem with this, excepting the possibility if, after he is done offloading, there is no room in the tank for another load. That rarely happens, but it does  happen.  

I saw him driving the other direction from the plant about 10 minutes away from it. I got there and found that one tank was full but the other tank had room for 2 more loads.  So  much nicer when people communicate and make their intentions known and then if there are any foreseeable problems, attempt to work it out in advance.  Now, I don't know what he's going to do tomorrow.  I'll be at the washout at around 8:10 am, that's pretty much when I get there. I haven't run into him there, either, in quite a long time.  

Anyway, the manager finally called me today. Not that I had asked him to or even expected it, he just keeps dumping stuff into my tablet and I just do it without any other communication.  And so it was, "I just keep putting stuff in your tablet I just wanted to make sure all of this is okay?". Yes, yes indeed. I can work through Saturday, go to church Sunday and then start it all over again Monday.  If he does like he normally does, then Wednesday I will have off. He pretty much always gives me a day off during the week.

I don't ask for it but I'm used to it now and I welcome the ability to sleep in on a day when no kids are home making all kinds of noise and if Taylor is home, she doesn't make any noise at all.  She relishes her peace and quiet time away from the kids as much  as I do.  In fact, if I am sleeping in, I have to get up early, let the dog out for 10-15 minutes and then bring him back in. That dog ...

He'll start barking at something and always on my side of the house where my room is.  So, if I don't bring him back in, well, I might as well just get up.  Fortunately, the dog doesn't mind coming back in, laying down on his new bed and lazing around.  He's just like Addler was, very quiet.  To the point of a fault when he's in the house. I've left him in a few times when it's raining and found him still in there after I get home.  I forget to tell anyone he's in there and he won't make any noise to get out.  It only took the first time doing that and forgetting to tell anyone to figure out - let him out for a while in the morning if the weather is foul and I want him in.

That way, he takes care of his elimination needs and he won't do it on the carpet. 

Today was the boys' Thanksgiving meal at school. We typically go and meet them at each of their schools and have a meal with them. Today, however, no one could go. I've taken too much time off of work and Taylor was working, James is on a crazy schedule now working 12 hour days.  I didn't really like missing it but we are compromising to make them happy. McDonald's for dinner, in about 25 minutes actually.  

I like to go to the school thing to make sure the kids feel like they are a priority in our lives and of course the actual meal, which is a full turkey dinner.  Oh well, maybe we can go next year?  Maybe by next year I'll have more spaces and ...well let's not go into that.  The what-ifs can get  me going down rabbit trails of thought endlessly.  

That's my day. Saw no crazy accidents today but the usual with people playing games with trucks in traffic. I'll never understand that.  Faceboo, YouTube and TikTok are rife with videos of people doing such things that end up very badly for them.  Maybe they don't see such videos or maybe they just don't care.  I do see some such videos, tho, where the truck driver isn't being proactive and attempting to stay out of an accident. They just stay right there and force the issue.

Nice and fine if you don't mind killing and maiming people, destroying property and ending up in hospitals and time off.  Even if the trucker isn't hurt at all, their truck has damage that will have to be repaired, meaning they can't drive until it's fixed.  Or, have to get a rental truck.  Any way about it, it doesn't matter if it's going to be the other driver's fault, you, the trucker, should make every possible attempt to avoid an accident, even if it means swallowing your pride and ego and letting the "idiot" in - or whatever stupidity they are doing.  

I say something on the comments sections of such videos and I get all kinds of wrath.  Whatever, people, you are causing yourselves more problems than you need to have if you just let it go, let these other drivers do their thing and go about your day.  

Oh, I've been following the people Trump is nominating for the various positions that need to be filled.  The one that really caught my attention was Matt Gaetz, lmao.  I'm not to go into all of that right now, I have to leave in a few minutes but I find it funny. Republicans having herds of cows for Trump to attempt to put him into such a position.  

And another one that caught my attention was Pete Hegseth, of which the left are also having cows about.  He isn't qualified!  Oh? Why? I asked one person and he went off with a script that was straight from (or appeared to be anyway) an article from CBS. Not qualified, a warrior but not a leader, yada yada yada, blah blah blah.  Straight from Fox News! is the other one, yes he is on Fox News.  He's not a hoaxster, he's the real McCoy as far as I'm concerned.  

I'm still reading people saying all of the left are going to be placed in concentration camps. I guess these people actually believe this crap, enough of them are saying it?  

Well, off to McDonald's! The home of high cholesterol and saturated fats! LOL!