Long days will be over after tomorrow.  

They dumped 4 loads in there today, none of them are the Ennis run, thankfully.  It's all Gurdon and I far prefer that over this nonsense.  

Didn't help that I had to stop at the office for updated paperwork.  I turned in a bunch of runs I had done, the paper version. All of it is turned in electronically, but they still want the paper stuff for backup.  Note that they didn't ask me to bring it in, I had a huge stack and wanted rid of it.  

Instead of thanking me for bringing it in, I was lectured on keeping each run all together instead of having them just piled together.  Yes, they are all together, the only things that might be out of order are the ones where you contacted me and wanted me to resend it.  

She just continued on the same theme, over and over. I eventually said fine, I'll be happy to take that stuff home and make sure it's all in order.  More of her junk.  I repeated it again. More of her junk. I repeated it again. More of her junk, repeated....she went through the entire pile in no time at all, because, as I said to her, it was already in order.  Ridiculous nonsense.  

Then, after making me wait for her to do that and telling me that "corporate wants us to do this" as if someone had asked me to bring the stuff in - which no one had - she finally got into the book with all of the trucks permits and paperwork.  After that, there was the IFTA stickers and the plate sticker.  SHE had to do it, not me.  At that point, I didn't really care, I just wanted to get out of there, but, I had turned my attention to the manager who is much more laid back. This lady isn't a manager but she acts as if she is the CEO.  

The manager said "in regards to your text, there is no forced dispatch here".  If something is going on and you need to deal with it, reject the load and take care of your personal business.  This was in regards to Superbowl Sunday, where so many things happened. The trailer copper tubing broke and I couldn't get the tanker washed out. Send to Lufkin Loves who told me they don't fix such things. Trying to crimp the line in pouring rain with lightning striking all around.  Having text messages sent to me with pictures of hail damage and the power lines down to our house.  Needing to be back to the yard for a new guest coming in. And yes,  a Superbowl party I wanted to go to. The dispatcher had tried to send me to Crossett to drop and hook to a different trailer.

Forced dispatch is when your dispatcher sends you a load and you must take it. You have no choice and if you do refuse a load for whatever reason, well, I don't know, I've never suffered the consequences. I assume getting fired, disciplinary action which would include what, i wouldn't know for I would tell the company to bug off. I will only refuse a load if there is some sort of emergency going on or if I get so sick I simply can't do anything but lay in bed.  I don't tend to put up with a lot at this point from trucking companies, they are a dime a dozen, they all act pretty much the same towards drivers and I don't need it.  I am not their servant and I will not be talked down to.  

I finally got out of there....oh, forgot, there were no mechanics there today.  They have a full shop....the ABS light is on on the trailer and other minor things I wanted, new gaskets, new chemical gloves, etc.  I'll buy my own gloves somewhere and charge it back to the company since I actually tried to get them from them.  

At the plant, they took me in immediately.  There was no waiting at all. I was out of there in something like an hour, which is great.  On the way back, however, there was a broken down truck sitting in the right lane on the 220 bypass and of course, traffic was backed up for miles.  Then, when I was getting close to my exit off of 20, I noticed GPS was telling me to get off at 59. 59? Why not 43?  I looked and saw a 3 mile backup in between 59 and 43.  Nope, not getting caught in another one of those, got off at 59 and just took a longer route to the property. Only by a few miles tho, nothing horrible.

I get home and the house is unusually quiet.  No one in the living rooms, usually the kids are there watching tv. What's going on? Well, the youngest comes flying out of the parents bedroom and gives me a big, happy greeting. Oh, ok, that's where y'all at. No....he says...and goes off on how the older brother got into trouble.  OIC.  Well anyway, the day is done, I don't have to get up early, tho I'd rather do so and get the day over with, my offload time isn't until 4:30. The other driver told me last time everyone on the second run shows up at noon and that's what I'm going to do again. 

And then? 3 days off.  I didn't ask for them and I'd rather have weekend days off, but, the plant is reopening and we are going to go back to loading in Lufkin and delivering in Gurdon. Actually, one day won't be off, I'll have to take this trailer up to either El Dorado or Crossett to exchange for the other kind that is used to haul the red glue.  The stuff I'm hauling now is white.  Anyway, it'll be more like 2 days off, it's 3 hours up and 3 hours back from Crossett, that is a short day, yes but it's still work.  I'll be asking tomorrow about that.  I will likely go up Wednesday for the trailer if it works out to do it that way.  Get up early, like the time the boys get up for school (5:40 am) and get it over with.  

What will I do with the other two days? Probably cut grass at the park at least. It needs mowed, I let it go because of the rains. It isn't bad, but it's getting longish.  I might even install the security system and I'll definitely clean the amenities shed.  What I"m saying is, the park needs some attention. I did the driveway but there is plenty more that needs to be done.  

I'll dig up some gravel from the rear of the driveway and take it up to where that huge pothole was. There is still a dip there and that's a precursor for another huge pothole. And, of course, the driveway needs storm drainage. I don't know how I'm going to do that.  I will have to dig a ditch across the driveway, so for as long as that takes, no one can drive in or out of the park? I have the pipe already....I dunno, it needs to be done.  Wouldn't mind trying to set all those weeds on fire again now that it's dry again and I figure the next couple of days that should all be dried out.  

I was informed today that I need a haircut.  Yup, it's getting long. I hate getting haircuts because most of them basically butcher my hair and it doesn't look good. Once in a while, you get a person that can do it, most of the time it's hair "stylists" that are in a big hurry to get it over with. I tip accordingly.  You butcher my hair in 3 - 4 minutes, I know it's going to look like hell.  You know, I will sit there and tell them it's uneven and they will argue with me. I'm the customer, cut my hair the way I want it done.  Well, once my hair grows out, to go back to the point, the butchering doesn't look so bad. At the same time, it's ridiculous to take care of it. It's rigid and I have to put what amounts to glue in it to get it to hold the way I want it to.

I'll get that done on those days off.  

What else? I dunno, it's not exactly late right now but I'd like to lay down and watch some TV.  I have a movie recorded, Se7en - that is not a typo, stars Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, old movie but I remember it being fairly decent.  Nice to be able to record stuff you don't have time to watch and then, watch it when you do have time. 

 Monday - relatively early.  I am absolutely not looking forward to this nonsense today.  Not only 3 hours up to the plant but also having to stop by the yard.  I will make that stop as fast as possible, I don't have time to be lingering with people who sit behind desks all day long.  I can chit chat with the best of them when I am inclined to do so, I will not be inclined to do so today.  

I just know I won't be getting back until late, this run takes all day long, tomorrow is a little better.  Well, tomorrow is a lot better for it doesn't take as long to get there. An hour and a half less driving round trip from my place to the plant and back.  I don't particularly care for this run simply because of the time consuming factor.  

It's 3 hours and 5 minutes to Crossett, but can add an hour to the trip up there with the stop in El Dorado.  I can take I-20 to Ruston and head north, which takes me up just east of town, so it's not terrible, but it's not great either.  I figure to be at Crossett by 1.  There is no reason to get there earlier with this other guy dawdling and taking his time.  I found out, however, his load time isn't as early as he stated it was originally.  He still shows up 2 plus hours late.  

I apparently will get the late run as long as I'm doing this and that's that.  They've got us delivering on the same day so obviously seniority will get the early run. But why does he want it so badly if he can't show up up there on time? Otherwise, I'd get up there a little early for the first load and get it done and over with.

The only good thing is that it only takes like 45 minutes for them to load the truck.  I was informed by this other driver that they don't force us to wash out the tanks every time, so I don't plan on doing that.  Otherwise, add an additional hour.  Oh and don't forget the fuel stop.  This is trucking, you do lots of things you don't actually get paid for. In my previous job, I didn't care as much for I was making a lot more money.  The tradeoff with this job, of course, is that I get home almost every single day and I do get some weekends off.  I worked many, many weekends, in fact, most of them, with that previous job. I don't ever want to get entangled with any kind of schedule like that again unless I am forced to do so for financial reasons.

As it stands, giving it some thought, it seems the only real way to quit working is to wait until I'm 65 to get on Medicare.  The only way to bypass that is to greatly increase the number of lots in the RV park.  AS I have said a few times now, that just isn't in the cards.  Maybe a new president will drive this country in a different direction  - if Biden doesn't win another term - but if he does win, I suspect these interest rates will stay up there for the foreseeable future. The Fed raised the interest rates far too many times.  No expert here, but the consequences are obvious and palpable, especially when visiting the grocery store. 

And when you try to get a loan.  Especially when you try to get a loan. It's not even worth trying to get one right now. Were these results what these people wanted when they started doing this?  I don't know.  Dependency on the government is the leftist way.  People go to work, go home and do what, exactly, since many now are struggling just to pay the recurring monthly bills or feed their families.  Work to exist.  That is the revelation that finally go through to me after decades of working for corporations and really, having no life beyond work. Work dictates your life, not the other way around. 

Hence spending my retirement on this RV park venture.  Was it a mistake? Dunno.  If I end up selling it for what it's worth, then definitely not a mistake, I will end up with far more money than what I started out with.  I can tell you, if I were to sell that property, it would just be the RV park portion, the front 7-1/2 acres, I would have a real estate lawyer draw up an easement right through the main gas driveway to get to the rear of the property and keep the 15 acres in the back, which have no bearing on the RV park  excepting there are, indeed, people using the walking trails back there now.  At least 2 different people walk their dogs back there.  

Today is a holiday, President's Day to be precise (wasn't this George Washington's birthday?, oh yes, he was a white nationalist that killed a bunch of Indians and held slaves and so on and so forth, so the woke people tell us that is why we shouldn't be celebrating such a horrid person's life) so the boys are home, the granny is leaving with the oldest, probably pretty soon and I'm spending the day on the road.

I won't complain too much, I just had 2 full days off.  3 days until next paycheck, I keep saying this because I both anticipate a larger paycheck with all of this working and also anticipate that I am going to have to spend most or all of it on property taxes.  

Anyway, it is getting close to departure time, must get busy getting ready to leave.

G'day