Saturday - night

On my way up to Crossett, AR yesterday to load the truck with glue/resin for Ennis, TX, I get texted by the dispatcher.  No, she didn't text me, she called me  now that I think about it.  Well, Gurdon is starting up again, was wondering if you'd rather just take the tanker you have up there, drop and get a Gurdon trailer?  I didn't have to think about it for 2 seconds. Yes!  Still took quite a bit of the day to drive to the yard - that trailer has the ABS light on and needs repaired, then 45 minutes to the tank wash to get a different tanker then the 3 hours 15 minutes back.  

But I was gleefully happy to be done with Ennis.  I've gotten the hang of it now, I just don't like that run.  I don't like going to or near Dallas, I don't like working around formaldehyde, I don't like dealing with the hose with that stuff inside of it - tho I just ended up plugging and capping it and getting a new plug and cap at the shop.  Lots of things about the Ennis run that is far less appealing than Gurdon.  

Gurdon has it's issues, certainly, but it's still more appealing overall.  She asked me when I want to start, I guess Sunday was the start up day so yes, I took Sunday.  I know, "you hate working on Sundays".  Absolutely correct.  However, my financial situation just took a turn for the worse with 3 trailers leaving and not a single phone call yet with my Facebook ad boost.  I also haven't received the check from the welders who have some service paying for them.  Yes, the welders are still there.  

I did not work today.  I spent today depositing money into the bank, going to a few stores and then to the auction place where I won some stuff for the park a while back, haven't had time to get over there.  I was unsure where the place was, been there once but it's out in the boonies.  GPS showed odd routes there.  When it does that, I tend to start moving the screen in closer to see what's going on in traffic.  Sure enough, I-20 closed beginning at the highway that goes by my street and to the next major highway, 59.  All traffic was being diverted to my highway exit and wow, was traffic backed up! As far as the eye could see.  

Turns a portable parking lot - a semi car hauling truck - caught on fire.  And burned to the ground. Not only did they have to deal with the truck, they had to deal with taking all of the cars off of that truck to safely transport all of it out of there.  It caused a traffic nightmare that went on for 7 or 8 hours.  I disregarded the route the GPS was wanting me to take, it was trying to take me WAY out of the way and also the way it must have been showing everyone else. They were all going north, I went south.  It may have added miles but there was no traffic.  

Anyway, I am getting up earlyish in the morning. I won't have to have the tanker cleaned out, that saves over an hour and sometimes much more depending on how long it takes for them to clean it out. It takes 20 - 30 minutes to even get someone out there on a Sunday.  I can just drive straight to Lufkin, load and go straight back to the park.  I'll guess around 5 hours total  I intend on showing up around 9:00 am, if I show up too early I'll just end up sitting there waiting for other trucks to get loaded first.  Means the day should be done by noon.  That's not bad. 

Monday I also have early delivery, leave the same time the kids leave for school, gets me up there around 9:15- 9:30ish, maybe earlier, hopefully get it offloaded relatively quickly and get home - 1:30 ish.  

The great appeal to that run, done much earlier.  

Struggling with how to deal with property taxes, still.  I was again hoping this month - March - to get it paid. I think it will start accruing late fees now.  The hope is that with higher pay, I can afford it, but I didn't count on losing fully 3 trailers all within a couple of days of each other.  I haven't had any calls about spots for a while now.  It was nice while it was full - that lasted quite a while actually.  

I don't know what else. The kids will be gone a week for spring break, I will be spending whatever free time getting my books together and attempting to get taxes done.  I think that's this month sometime.  I mean, I can kick the kids out but it's just difficult to get stuff like that done with them around.  It will be the first year of dealing with business taxes and also coupled with working for a company.  I dread the tax process as well. Anything, really, to do with taxes....

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Time for bed.  Sunday's a coming....