Friday - night

So, the main character starting trouble with me was "schooled" by another driver who told him to simply try and communicate instead of starting s*** every time.  Yes, that's my language, you want to get something done that involves me and potentially a conflict? Try talking to me first before you do whatever you are going to do, it will go over a lot  better if we are congenial and upfront with each other - before the fact, not after the fact. 

Thank you.  So he called me today, asked me when I was going to get up there, I told him and then we had a decent conversation - for once.  He wasn't getting up there that early anyway, he had been held up too long at the loading plant yesterday.  

At the receiving plant in Gurdon today, they were almost empty.  They are cleaning their 2 giant tanks. One at a time, obviously, so they don't have to shut down production.  But you get down to one tank only and you have to keep on top of deliveries. There wasn't even a truckload of glue in the tank they are using and that was causing them great concern.  You don't make plywood without glue - well they call it resin, same difference.  

Anyway, 3 of us went up there today and got them in good shape.  I was back relatively early - the delivery run takes longer so getting  back at 1:15 pm is pretty good time. 

I am loading tomorrow again and delivering on Sunday.    Monday off for whatever reason and then loading again on Tuesday.  

I get a call today. "Do you have a spot available?".  Yes, i do!  Great, we are passing through Jefferson, we'll be there soon.  Funny thing is, there is that brand new park in Jefferson. Right next to the highway. Yup, these are repeat customers and they don't want to spend the night next to a very busy highway with trucks making all kinds of noise.  I wonder if people who tell me how great my park is and how quiet it is don't put up reviews because they want it to remain a hidden secret? 

I thought about paying for reviews.  You give them money, they put up reviews. But, that would be unethical so I uindecided that one.  Yes, I know that's not a word.  When you see a brand new park with 45 reviews in a very short period of time, you know there is something up with that.  Especially when you read the reviews, they give a one sentence "it's so great here!" and you know there is some bs going on. 

I guess I will still try to get people to review the park by sending them a google link that takes them straight to the review section.  They don't ever do it, but  it's worth a try. Just a bit exasperating.  

Oh, yes those people did show up. The tent camper that had my ear for 15 minutes on the phone yesterday? Never showed.  What a waste of time for a few bucks.  The impeller pump showed up for the boat, I'm just going to mozy on over there tomorrow after work and ask Trey, did you get that installed?  

I dunno, but tomorrow? We're going to a local attraction with the kids. It's something of an adventure park, I guess you could call it. Different times of the year they have different themes. I don't think they're calling this halloween, something like harvest festival or whatever.  I had to go back to my Christian roots to remember that Halloween is a celebration of evil.  Sorry, I know people call people who think like this zealots and radicals, whatever.  Witches, warlocks, demons, the devil, etc.  That's what it's hyping. 

It's fun and it's going to be free. We have a friend that works at that place and she is getting us free tickets.  

Insurance. I called the insurance company last week and told them I wanted to cancel. They told me I had to come in and sign something.  Why? Just cancel the damn thing, what on earth.  I was going to go in the next day...and completely spaced it out.  I get distracted a lot with so many different things going on.  I was looking at an insurance ad today on Facebook and it hit me: dangit! I forgot to cancel!  

I went in there today - top priority, get my money back - and it took 15 minutes for this lady to go through a bunch of junk on her computer screen to cancel the policy.  Are you serious? I bit my tongue but the thoughts were flowing.  At some point I finally was handed the paper to sign and then was leaving. Oh no, I am going through all of these screens!  More than just hinting I need to stay, so I did because I stood to lose a lot of money if they don't officially cancel the damn thing.  

I then headed over to Applebee's, pulled into the parking lot and then thought, what the forbearance am I doing? Made a U turn, headed home and made lunch out of the refrigerator.  I've eaten 3 salads today, gag.  Enough salad already.  I have to admit that tho I made it through the day eating low fat/cholesterol junk, I ended up having a scoop of rocky road ice cream.  For shame!  

I'm feeling better tho I didn't sleep worth petunias last night.  I woke up at 3:00 am after 5 hours of sleep and that was it.  Whatever.  I'm used to it.  I hate it, but I'm used to it.  

I am on my laptop btw.  I don't use it much, it works great and yes, using a regular keyboard via USB port. Why? Because the oldest kid is using my computer lol.  

I dunno what else.  I have Monday off, I"m going to buy probably 250 pounds of rye grass. It's supposed to rain 4 days in a row start Thursday.  Wait and hold up. I forgot to see what the temps are going to be for the next month. It's still pretty warm and rye grass doesn't like warm.  No, of greater concern is the fact that it isn't showing any rain after that for the rest of the month. I'm not spending $200 plus tax on seed that is going to end up dying.  

Unless the forecast changes, I'm going to wait. Well, I might buy the seed and have it available, but it's not getting spread until regular rain comes back. We are and have been under a burn ban for a while now and that ban is lasting fully 90 days unless weather comes along to change it.  

Yeah, I do hope we are getting more then 4 days of potential rain in the next 90 days! 

Friday night, just another work night for me. I've had my time off. I was asked to go hog hunting on a farm somewhere with the boy - the kid in the park that brought his tractor. Sounded like fun, let's show them things! But, I have to work.  I'd love to blow some of them things away with my AR. They are a nuisance in these parts and it's always open season on them, no permits needed. 

That's it. It's starting to get late and I am getting up at 5:30 am. 

 Thursday - late afternoon

I have no idea where this week has gone, but gone it has.  

Today was half miserable.  I don't feel very good, whatever everyone else has in this household is now affecting me.  I don't have the horrible coughing but I certainly don't feel right. 

And getting to the loading plant today.  "Well you can pull around and park in the parking lot, when the other truck comes out you can back in there".  What? So another driver beat me there?

Well, yes, sort of. Another driver from another company loading some other type of resin out of the same bay that we load from.  It was and hour and a half before they got him out of there.  I found out later that this product takes fully 5 hours to load! Why? No idea, something to do with the idea that it has to be put into these little square containers first and then pumped into trailer. The other driver had shown up at 5:00 am.  

I wondered how many of these cheaters in our company have shown up early only to find they are going to have to wait for a looooong time before they can get loaded? lol!

It's a good thing there is nothing pressing at the park for it wouldn't get done. Not the way I'm feeling. I have no idea whether the kid fixed the tractor or if the park host son worked on the 4 wheeler.  I am not in the mood for bs right now, tho the kid doesn't really dish out bs, if he says he's going to do something, he does it. 

At least I got the holes fixed yesterday. There is still one area that I need to take a whole bucketful of gravel and dump it and spread it out. Still, it's a much smoother ride in there now. 

A person from the University of Tyler has sent me the form to fill out via email to start the loan process for SBA loan.  I don't have the quote on the project yet, I'm not sure I even want to go this route, but I think I will fill it out and see what happens.  Actually,  I had already filled out the form but I needed to look up gross revenues from last year and never got around to it.  That information should be on the business account on quickbooks.  Dunno, don't feel like doing that right now, don't feel like doing anything, not really sure why I'm sitting here pounding keys on the keyboard lol.

I'm going to have to take tylenol with me tomorrow, I wish I had taken some with me today. I would have downed at least one of them while waiting at that plant.  I don't really care how bad I feel tomorrow, I'm taking this load up there and delivering it and fully plan on working the entire weekend as well. I can't afford to get sick, but since I am, oh well, keep working!

Oh, the loan.  My mind is all over the place about that, I just think that if I do go through with this loan, all of those new lots need covered parking and all of the electric outlets need meters.  Skip the pool and replace that expenditure with the covered parking. Meters might cost a couple thousand extra, worth every penny to have them in there and at least seeing who is using what.  

It is also likely that I will get the 16X40 barn constructed next year - depending on the payments.  It's the same guy that built the shed for the laundry room.  He's about half the price of everyone else.  I can put in an office, a pool room (pool tables that is), another laundry setup, at least another shower and storage.  I really need storage.  So half the building for storage/shop purposes.  I'm figuring about double the payment of what I had for the first shed, so probably close to $500 per month.  

This is something I really need, not want.  I've only put it off because I don't want anything impeding me from getting the SBA loan, but in reality, I could add that to the loan as well. He reduced his price from 10k to 9k.  It's built on-site and is pretty good construction.  A precursory search shows the same barn being sold for almost 23k.  The guy just buys the materials in bulk and has crews going out every day building them of all different sizes.  Even if I weren't to get the SBA loan, I could get it through the ridiculous company he uses for loans, Tower Loans. But I think I'd go another route with it, I don't like that loan company at all.  

I'd go 30 wide but for whatever reason, some rule that he has to abide by by the state or whatever, the biggest he builds is 16X40.  It's a lot of room tho. 20 feet of it being a shop/storage facility, it's exactly what I need.  I think a lot of the 'extras' will depend on the cost of the expanded operation.  But, covered parking and meters are mandatory, at least in my mind.  

I'd really love to add a goofy golf course to the mix, 18 holes with all the crazy gadgets doing weird things that bring the people who have very little else to do in this area with their families.  I do wonder if I could build one of those courses myself.  I really need some earth moving equipment on property, owned and not rented.  It would be an interesting project.  Lots of concrete, artificial turf and pre-manufactured obstacles would be needed. Perhaps not quite a goofy golf, the things they use are pretty expensive, but I am looking prices for obstacles and it's not bad.