Thursday - late

So I went up to Gurdon today, was unloading and noticed a bunch of suits across the street staring, glaring, watching me.  There were several of them with arms crossed and talking like people who are mid to upper level management in large corporations talk: down their snoots at people they consider lessor and lower than themselves.  

I didn't care as long as they didn't actually say anything to me.  I won't tolerate being treated like trash such as drivers in the trucking industry are treated all over the place.  I can be respectful and even professional while snooting back at them.  It is totally uncalled for and I don't believe any man is better than any other man.  We are all equals in the eyes of God and we are all mere specks of dust.  

I turned my back on them, completely ignored them after that and did my job.  They never said anything to me, I don't know why there were staring at me, I just kind of thought they were going to start trouble for whatever reason.

I was actually in and out of there quickly.  

I got back to town and went to Kroger's and got some food to eat after the fast.  I couldn't do any more, it was close enough to 72 hours, I just had to eat. Started by drinking an entire bottle of chicken bone broth - which was quite delicious and will do that again next time - and then went into having 4 fried eggs, 2 pieces of keto toast and some tomato slices.  Later, I ate a Burger King "low carb" burger.  that's just a burger with no sauces on it and no bun.  It's very low carb and I wanted something good while not breaking ketosis.  

We also went for the third Halloween outing in 3 days in a row.  1st day was the train station, second was the church Fall Fest and today was Trunk or Treat.  They don't want to call it trick or treat around here for this place is loaded with Christians who object to such stuff. An entire street was loaded with people handing out candy for different business and charities.  We got there early so we got done quickly even going through all of them.

After that, the kids wanted to play with the bubbles, so we did that and there it was: the entire area filled with people, 50 people waiting in line so their kid could get a single piece of candy. We were oh so thankful that we got there early.  

I have tomorrow off.  I am going to the property and try to finish the line markings.  I thought to do the first 4 but that doesn't make any sense.  I should do the first 7 worth of trenching even if I don't have the money to do all of them.  I won't try to do all 14, I'm nowhere near financially sound enough right now to pay for all of that material.  I'm trying for 4, I know I said 2 at first and then 3, but 4 would bring in enough money per month that I could quickly add more lots and get it all done faster.  

Basically, the cost of gravel is ridiculous, couple that with the cost of pedestals, the thick underground wiring, the absurdly high cost of water and sewer pipe and it just makes trying to do all 14 or more lots (however many I can fit in there) untenable.  I don't want to go into any more debt with this stuff via credit cards.  I'm working on getting out of cc debt, that's going to take several years.  I mean, I probably could justify the debt via taking the new lot rent payments coming in to pay it off and to some extent, it might make sense.

It's all a business expense, so I don't end up having to pay taxes on that income for it's paying for the property upgrades.  I dunno, I don't want to go there right now, I don't need to go there right now.  

Well, there's more but it's almost 11:00 pm. I want to be able to sleep in a little - like until 8 am - and then get out there after going to Lowe's for more line marking paint and get with it.  Measure everything out, marking the locations of where the pedestals, sewer and water outlets will go, marking the sides of each lot.  I'll need probably 6 more cans of that paint, it doesn't last near as long as I hoped it would.

 Wednesday- evening

Fall has hit.  The temps have cooled and the wind has been blowing giving us a pretty chill real feel temp.  

I am on day 2 of a 3 day fast.  Yesterday was rough, today I was just weak but not particularly hungry (well not yet anyway) and who knows about tomorrow, but I intend on finishing out today and getting at least 3/4 of the way through the hours needed for fasting tomorrow.  The health benefits are what I'm looking for an really need to do the full 72 hours, but I never beat myself up for quitting a little early.  

I've gained considerable amount of weight in the last few years, but in the last several months, the amount of fat has increased to unacceptable quantities.  I may HAVE to go back on keto after this fast just to get rid of the fat, but this time - cut out the fat.  Just keep the carbs low but also keep fat products down.  

Tonight is fall festival at the church. They don't call it Halloween for obvious reasons, mostly because Halloween is really more of a demonic symbolism than anything Christian.  I am taking one of the kids, the other one? Got booted out of church last week. Yup, his behavior is so bad even a church can't deal with him and told him/us that he needs to stay out a week.  I'd say more like a month or more, but that's just my opinion.  Completely rebellious, listens to no one when he doesn't want to, even his own parents.

They have struggled with trying to find a path inward in terms of disciplinary action, nothing works.  Well, some sort of pills work, but that is given to the child in the morning and usually has enough longevity to make it through the school day, but after that? It wears off. 

Anyway, I have delivery tomorrow and then Friday off, working yet another weekend.  Working last weekend apparently paid for the previous entire weekend off, working this weekend apparently pays for the 2 days off coming up next week.  Friday will be spent making sure I have everything ready to dig those trenches.  I may even go get the pipe and see about getting at least some of the sewer pipe installed.  It's much easier to get the pipe ends to insert into each other with the use of a mini ex - but - at the same time - that really means needing a helper and I doubt I'll find anyone that is worth half a shekel in this area to do physical labor, even if I offer $20 per hour.  

It's the reason I won't be doing a 5 day fast this time, what I really wanted to do. I'll need the energy to be able to go through 8 hours of working on a machine out there and maybe longer if needed.  That's why I took 2 days off in case I needed it.  I'll need it for laying pipe if nothing else, I just wanted the assurance that I had enough time to get this project moving along.  Really want to get it done before the bitter cold hits as well.  

I have been watching the news regarding the government shutdown. Not just news, but interviews with both sides. I'm not sorry to say but Democrats have a problem here.  They keep blaming Republicans but they won't sign off on a continuing CR - something they have voted on many, many times in the past and not even that long ago and passed it saying "we can't have the government shut down". They have shifted their talking points repeatedly.  Now they are saying Republicans "refuse" to give SNAP benefits tens of millions of Americans, attempting to not only shift blame but also to cast aspersions and basically intended to make Republicans look like they don't care about "the American people" and have stated it as such.  

Sorry, but anyone following a speck of news knows that Democrats are the people refusing to sign off on the CR and have attempted to couple Obamacare to it.  It doesn't work that way.  At all.  That is a completely separate issue that has nothing to do with the operation of the government or whether federal employees get paid or not.  Their attempts at coupling the two are pure and evil hypocrisy, two facedness and they are just plain liars.  

At some point, which is pretty much when food stamps run out which is going to be what? Saturday?  the "American people" are going to say enough and start demanding Congress open the damn government and deal with it.  I just watch these elected officials playing games with the lives of everyday citizens and wonder how they can live with all of this going on? Well, THEY don't care is the end of that story. The love of money is the root of all evil, whatever they are doing, it has it's roots in riches, power and fame.  I don't know about the fame part, more like infamou

 Tuesday - late morning

After 8 days of working, I finally get a day off and I wasted the morning doing what? sleeping. In fact, the only reason I'm awake now is that my dog was out there barking incessantly.  I finally got out of bed, went out there and yelled at him to shut up!!! and then came back in, decided it was time to get up and now? Drinking a cup of black coffee, no sugar, no creamer, just coffee.

Coffee, or black coffee anyway, is allowed on a fast.  I have started another one today and hoping to make it 3 days at least.  3 days is the minimum where you start getting all the internal benefits of fasting.  5 days is better and 7 even better. But, 5 and 7 days are long times to go without food.  

I dunno, but my sleep has been so bad, today was an excellent day for it to kick in and say, yup, you gonna sleep!  I literally could sleep another 2 hours and think nothing of it, but, I have things I want to get done today.  Drink my coffee and head over to the property and start marking things out.  I think I forgot the paint tho, I'm gonna have to go to Lowe's if I did, first, and get some.  

I'm hoping it will only take a couple of hours and get it over with, I really don't want to spend a day off work to -.....- work.

______________________

 Evening

I spent hours out there beyond going to harbor freight, lowe's and other places.  I got half of it done, amazingly enough I thought it wouldn't even take that long to do ALL of it.  However, I have it outlined in my mind now, it will be easy enough to finish it up before Tuesday of next week. 

-I just had to decide how to run the sewer pipe since it's got a pretty good long way to go from the furthest pedestal to the tanks.  That was the hardest part, digging it out will be even harder. It has to be at a slight incline and I'm no expert at doing that.  1 inch fall per 10 feet if I recall correctly. I'll be watching some videos if there are some available on the subject matter.  Electrical is easy, it doesn't care if it's going up or down or nothing.  Water line the same, under pressure.  Just have to decide where to tap into it.  

It runs along near where the septic tanks are, I will likely tap in there since there will already have to be a trench there anyway.  No, the sewer line is going to be the hard part.  In fact, it just dawned on me that I will have to lay out all the lots for the south side so that I can install sweeping wyes for each lot.  Easier than it sounds, I have all of it dialed in how I want it now, just have to finish marking it.

The sewer line is going to be pricey, too. Talking at least 400 feet.  It's $50 per 20 feet.  Yeah, that's 2 grand just worth of sewer pipe lol. That doesn't include fittings and outlets.  

Anyway, it's getting late and I'm getting offa here.  

 Monday - night

8 straight days of working is over with, I get a single day off tomorrow.  I asked for 2 consecutive days off and I had to force the issue today. I won't get it this week, which is ok, I just need it soon.  If I don't get busy with this project it's just going to have a near 10k septic system in the ground, a power pedestal, a couple grand worth of dirt work and nothing to show for it in terms of income.  I refuse to just let it sit and stagnate, tho the septic system is  concrete vaults, they aren't coming apart any time soon.  Maybe not even my lifetime.  

Anyway, I intend on going out there tomorrow, my day off, and using it to mark everything out.  I need to go buy the marking paint. I have wood stakes and string but I forgot the paint.  I think? I haven't been driving the pickup that that stuff is in because...the tailgate won't open and the bed has a cover on it. I can't get into the bed so I just haven't been driving it until I get it fixed. Going to ask to get a ride back from the shop tomorrow, I want to drop it off and have that tailgate fixed and an engine oil leak.  

I have kind of been putting off marking stuff because i just keep trying to figure out what I want to do with it.  Lots far apart and more appealing? Or lots closer together and less appealing but also not charging as much money for it?  I think, really, closer together.  I think "elite" lots should be in the back.  More level, way far away from the road and very appealing to anyone wanting peace and quiet.  

I'm motivated, it's just I've been working a LOT lately and it wears on me.  The manager said we have a new driving coming in to do our lanes, but he hasn't been released yet.  He's going through the same hell I went through in Oregon. They will keep him there until they are satisfied he knows what he's doing.  For good reason, yes, but they way you are treated there is akin to what one would consider earthly hell.  Well, not that bad of course, but it IS bad.  I NEED that person here, now.  I need more time off, this constant working s*** got old a while back.  I don't care about the paychecks, it's hindering me from getting my goal done, a goal that is getting closer and closer to being realized.  

So I just told him today I need those 2 days off and I don't even try to hide it, at all. I'm expanding my business so I can get out of trucking, YES.  Lord willing of course.  I need to say that because Christians are compelled to say that via  a particular verse in the Bible.  "13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow [h]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."

 It can't get any plainer than that?  I've lived most of my life with the awareness that life can end in a moment's time, without any warning at all. You see it in the news all the time.  Any time I say something about tomorrow or next week, month or year? I always think and almost always say out loud: LORD WILLING.  Cause' if He's not willing? Yea, you get the picture.  

The first thing I need to do tomorrow as far as marking things is to stretch a line down where the driveway will go. It will simply be an extension of the existing driveway so the borders will be easy. But, I need that marked out first so I can mark out my first several lots.  I would reeeeeallllly like to put up 4 lots at first; I just don't want to use all my cash up come even close to doing that.  

That's $2,000 worth of meters, a couple grand of wire,  a couple grand of water and sewer pipe and incidentals such as mini ex rental.  Very likely 2 grand per lot.  Maybe more with the gravel.  And this time, I want to put up metal borders along the driveways to keep the rocks from spreading.  I'd far rather do concrete or asphalt - that's a LOT more money.  Maybe someday.......

I'd change the subject and get onto politics, but I  don't want to.  I HAVE received some warnings from people that allegedly "know" stuff that people need to get out of big, blue cities.  They won't cite what they know and it doesn't matter to me, I am gone from the big city life, probably forever.  

Basically, I'm going to try to come up with a figure for 4 lots tomorrow or more to the point, price per lot and see what I can comfortably afford  I am still getting frequent calls for lots, long term.  I don't know if people are being forced into trailers per the high cost of housing or lack of jobs or jobs that pay well or what?  It's not all that tho, I can attest from the people I have living in my park.  ds

Okay, I'll touch on one thing I find both amusing and ridiculous going on in the news.  The Ballroom. If you are following the news, you'll know exactly what I'm referring to.  The left is having a literal meltdown over Trump tearing down the East wing and replacing it with a ballroom. A very pricey ballroom. A ballroom that is described as being "world class" when it is completed.  Something that I believe will complement the WH, not take away from it's grandeur.  

I had the thought: will democrats demand the ballroom be torn down when they eventually reoccupy the WH?  And then, there it was: Swallwell demanding that if anyone wants the democrat nomination, they MUST agree to tear that ballroom down with a wrecking ball the first day in office!  The man isn't particularly intelligent to begin with, many democrat politicians are rather stupid as it stands, but this statement is stupidity.  By that logic, you should also demand the entire White House be torn down for the stain of Trump has infected it with his "Thou King" ism and needs to be completely eradicated, right? 

And then there are the endless reels showing democrats saying the government should never be shut down for any reason! I didn't need to see a reel to know this, I REMEMBER them saying this countless times in the past.  But seeing specific examples was amusing.  But, as always, Democrats defend their hypocrisy by the thinking that the means justifies the end.  What republicans are doing is EVIL! We don't care how we stop them, they MUST be stopped by ANY means! And we are seeing that now to the point of attempted assassinations and assassinations.  

We are living in perilous times and I don't have the answers beyond pointing to God.  God's will WILL be done, that's a fact. The forces of evil will do the things the Bible says they will do.  If you aren't saved, if you don't know Jesus, if you haven't believed in Him for everlasting life, try at least to look into it.  Look at the Bible with objectivity instead of attempting to dismantle it.  There is a God but it takes faith and a portion of faith is given to every man.  

It's getting late, I'm going to bed.  

Editing: My plans may be dashed for tomorrow as there is now a 72% chance of rain where there was a 2-4% chance all the way up until - tonight.  

 Saturday - late afternoon

Up at 3:55 am - just happened to wake up 5 minutes before the alarm was going to off, out the door at 4:25 am and then? I saw the forecast: Rain at 4:45.  Rushed over there, got the truck fired up, the elog going and then...it started to rain. Light rain, big drops tho.  I got out of there as fast as I could and got lucky: beat the rain and stayed ahead of it all the way up there.  

Once in Gurdon, got everything done and then.....it started to rain just as soon as I left.  I don't like driving in the rain but I have no problem doing it, I don't like getting drenched in the rain even worse. As typical, I was wasted tired because I stayed up too late last night.  We went to a haunted house, a lot of jump scares in that place where you go through houses in tight corridors and they have it down. They will jump out at you out of the shadows and there is no way to see them before it happens. They were picking on the kid, lol, he was terrified. 

Anyway, I slept for a n hour and a half this afternoon and felt better after that.  I still have to work tomorrow, I'm assuming this is because I asked for 2 consecutive days off during the week, but they have not confirmed that I am actually getting that this coming week.  I need to know in advance so i can get a mini ex lined up and I need to get out there in advance and lay out the first 3 or 4 lots, get them flagged and then spray paint where the trench will go.  

Wednesday -  night

Took the kids to church at 5:30 - as is customary during the school year and on Wednesday nights.  They were both in good spirits, thought cool, this will be fine.  

Came back 2 hours later. The youngest was sitting on a bench outside of the children's church with a "look" on his face.  It's sort of a cross between a frown, anger and sadness - well, let's put this more clearly: defiance.  I knew instantly without anyone saying anything that he had started his shit with someone, don't know who, but someone and he had gotten into trouble for it. 

Then the ministry leader - she's actually a salaried employee but has a big heart for kids and is over all of it - motioned me over. We had a discussion.  He had not started it with another kid, as I had thought, he was disrespecting the ministry person that was trying to work with him. When I say that, I'm talking about a many with a great  amount of patience and love, a hearing ear, someone that isn't easily put off.

But tonight?  He brought the child to her, the ministry leader and said I can't deal with him, enough of this.  I was not happy, of course and I'm not even the parent.  I then got into a discussion about asking for forgiveness? No, he didn't do that. Do you want to go apologize to him now? No.  Are you sure?  No.  The leader said well, we want him to stay home for a week. Even the church doesn't want him in there! 

I don't blame them either and I also don't blame the parents. I have watched them try every method under the sun from belts to treats, to timeouts to everything you can imagine and none of it, literally nothing works.  He .... doesn't....care.  When we got outside of the church I addressed him directly: Don't even try that on me.  

++++++++++++++++++++++\\

Total distraction and many hours later, it's time to go to bed.

I've been given work through Sunday, unfortunately.  I think it's because I asked for 2 weekdays off in a row either next week or the week after - no specific days excepting not on Mondays.  I need the time to get stuff done for the project.  I can't work this job and get that stuff done at the same time, just not working for me.

Anyway, time for bed. 

 Tuesday - night

I know, I haven't been writing much. Just too much going on what with work and all the bs that has been going on with that, the park tho that hasn't been as bad and then helping out with the kids now that the guy is out again.  He's still trying to get his CDL and then? He's going to be on the road.  He failed the driving test by one thing: he dragged the trailer tandems over a curb and that is an automatic fail.

The reason is simple and valid: If you pull your tandems over a curb in certain places? The tires/wheels will fall into a ditch and the entire trailer will flip over on it's side and pull the tractor over with it, destroying both and potentially doing harm to people and also if there are spills. IN other words, it's something you avoid at all costs. However, I see drivers doing it all the time and they are lucky it isn't in a place where that would happen.  

There has been a lot going on and I don't even remember what I have posted about.  Wow! Just took a look, I haven't posted since I had the truck in the shop and was in a hotel room in Arkansas! Dang!

Well, here's one thing that happened last weekend.  The kids came home from grandma's, also in Arkansas and we left for Tyler.  We went to the hotel, went to the pool, went swimming, then to the gym - they wanted to - then got some food and spent the evening playing games.  Next morning, we got up, played some more video games and then headed to the zoo.

That is where there was going to be a birthday party we had been invited to.  Spent 3 hours there, had a great time both looking at all the animals and also in a private party room there doing the party.  

Yesterday?  Yeah.  I was at the loading plant.  I was 8:00 am load. But, they didn't have me down for 8:00 am, they had me down for the 1:00 pm load.  This is a rather long, involved story I don't feel like going into all of it.  Basically, there is a person there, low level management, that decided I should wait. I figured and found this out after being there 4 hours waiting to get loaded and then, after going to the control room, having this dude tell me that I would have to wait at least another 2 hours. 

Now, these people know that we had 3 trucks loading there yesterday and yes, even after 4 hours, the other 2 hadn't shown up.  That's because they had been running a different run trying to play emergency catch up and they were then yanked from that and put on this detail.  The point here is, all 3 loads going to the same plant and delivering the same product.  This "manager" apparently wanted to teach me a lesson about showing up early arbitrarily. Not, it was on my tablet, I looked again to make sure.  

The problem was, after contacting my manager the first time and telling him he needed to make some phone calls RIGHT NOW, is my manager had forgotten to ask the plant rep to get us the 8:00 am time slot.  To really get a grasp on this, this low level manager who decided that I was going to end  up waiting a total of 7 hours to load, is a known a-hole. This coming from another driver who is normally quite level-headed and doesn't even speak like that.  

Anyway, after having long talks with my manager including me, getting extremely annoyed with the waiting,  well I figured they must be getting stuck on my load number, so please give me the first load number, the 10:00 am one, and I will give THAT to them and see what they say.  So i went back in there, they were cranking on me as if I were lying about my load time.  "I don't get up at 3:45 am unless they WANT me to".  I said fine, switch me to the 10:00 am and yes, this a-hole manager was there and he said, well, that's all well and fine, but since we didn't have "that" truck here, we have made other plans, you'll just have to wait.  

NO.  I knew this guy was trying to get my goat, I just walked out on him, outside the doors but plainly visible to this dude standing there staring at me, likely taking great joy in making people unhappy for from what I ended up hearing, this person is a miserable man with no life.  I got out my phone, called my manager and said you need to call our rep and tell that guy to pressure them into getting us loaded and getting me the hell out of here. This is ridiculous!  

After making sure he saw me on the phone, I walked back to my truck,  I wasn't going to entertain another word from that dude.  10 minutes later? The loader comes out, you can back in now!  HAH!!   I figured someone higher than him would be reasonable and see that there is absolutely no reason to make us wait, it's already 2 plus HOURS past the 10:00 am loading time, much more the 8:00 am slot!  

I probably had a smug look on my face and quite intentional later on when I walked in to get my paperwork and he was just standing there staring - glaring? - at me.  He lost his power trip and I was more than happy to see him eat it.  

I will not be taking another 8:00 am load without calling the manager and verifying that he has CONFIRMED that it's ok to show up that early. I don't even ask for that slot, they just dump it on me.  But that was the second time in a row that this has happened. The only difference is, the first time was with a different loader and he didn't ask management for permission, he loaded me after he got the truck he was already working on completely.  

Anyway, I was supposed to have tomorrow off - didn't ask for that either, they just had it in there.  The manager called me and texted me and left messages for me this afternoon.  I didn't answer because I came home tired from getting up so early and needed a nap. It was more like deep sleep,  I slept an hour and a half and had to force myself to get up.  I knew what he wanted before I ever called him back, there is no other reason he blows my phone up like that: to ask me to take a load tomorrow. 

His concession without my asking for one is that I will have Sunday off. Ok!  I didn't need tomorrow off, I do need 2 days in a row off, during the week and I asked him for that today as well as a couple days off next month for the lady of the house has to go to Dallas for a work convention and assuming the man of the house won't be home.  You can't really know what he's going to be doing, likely he'll be in a truck with a trainer driving somewhere with some mega trucking carrier learning the ropes.  

I feel kind of sorry for him, what I have seen? They don't know how to train people to be drivers, they train them to be "steering wheel holders", that's a rather derogatory term given to drivers who really don't know what they are doing.

I have to go to bed in a few minutes so cutting this one short. Have been following the government shut down. Democrats have really dug themselves a hole. They are hypocrites for shutting the government down in the first place.  They are trying to use healthcare as a tool. They desperately want - and need frankly - a win. I have seen the GOP cave on these things before, I hope they do not this time. Republicans have done a good job in conveying the message that they are offering a clean CR and also that Schumer has voted for the same thing 13 times previously.  

Democrats need points, if republicans hold their ground, however, democrats are going to have to cave in sooner or later. Constituents will be none to happy as more and more government services get shut down and the fault laid squarely at their feet, they are the side that is refusing to sign off on the CR, something they have condemned Republicans for many times over in the past. 

Nothing new under the sun or to see here.

Nothing else I can go into, either, not without it eating into my sleep time. 

Monday - evening

Sitting in my hotel room, Hampton Inn, somewhere in Arkansas. Today was a long day.  It wasn't going to be but I was asked to do something once I got the truck up here, got into the shop and was about to go sit in the driver's lounge for most of the day and play games and get on the laptop.  

I popped my head into the office, said hello and then I was thrown the question that obviously they don't expect anyone to say no to:  Will you do me a huge favor?  My thoughts went directly towards them dumping me into some other truck and heading down to Lufkin to load, a long drive and something I definitely didn't want to do.  It turned out to be something like that, excepting it was to take a truck from the yard, cruise over to Crossett, load and bring it back to the yard.  Some other driver would take to somewhere in New Jersey.  

The truck I was put in was infinitely nicer than the pile of junk I have been driving.  It was explained that it was a lease purchase truck, the OO turned it in and moved on.  In other words, no you can't have it, we'll keep you and the other drivers on our detail in junky equipment that breaks down often.  Whatever.  All I knew was?  My truck would be completely fixed today, no ifs and or buts and if it goes into tomorrow, so beit, ya'll can get me a hotel.

I'm at the plant, pull up to the loading bay and sit there and wait before entering it so that one of the workers can guide me in.  They're supposed to be spotters and watch for things.  Things like smoke stacks being too tall to fit under the canopy.  Yup.  I was pulling in, slowly, and bam, kaplaaaam! BANG and I knew instantly that the stacks had hit the canopy.  It didn't damage their canopy at all, the stacks his I- beams, solid, heavy metal.  I spent hours there today, is how I'll just end that.  I eventually got out of there after one of our mechanics came and hit the things with a sledgehammer lmao. 

I got contacted later that yes the truck is done, but we are putting you up in a hotel tonight.  I wouldn't have made it home with the hours I had available.  And, they had more favors. Can you stay tomorrow and go load again at Crossett?  Gag me with a spoon, I reluctantly agreed.  The lady of the house was none to happy to hear I wasn't coming home, she doesn't feel particularly safe there alone at night. But, there is a giant dog that is very protective and there are plenty of firearms that she knows how to use.  

Anyway, I get into the hotel room after going to Brookshire's for deli dinner and find that the thermostat isn't working, the battery is low.  I was not happy, getting grumpy in fact, I'm very tired.  I want to go to sleep early tonight and try to get a decent night's sleep.  `I went back down, they wanted to call maintenance in. Ok, fine. The problem? Maintenance is on call, not at the property.  I was getting a little unhappy but I bit my tongue.  At the end of all of that nonsense, I was given another room. "Did you want to relax a little or are you ok waiting?".  I want to relax, I have literally been going all day long.

Sunday, the kids with dad left for Arkansas and I decided to skip church.  Just didn't feel like going after 10 straight days of working.  I'll do this load tomorrow, which hopefully won't take more than 5 hours, go home and then I have Wednesday off, working Thursday and  Friday, have the weekend off.

I'd go into more and I will edit this post if I feel like it later, but for now? This is enough.  

Nintendo Switch 2 - screen size v original Switch OLAD

 I'm putting this out there for I have seen nothing about this in any review I've read.  The reason I didn't immediately buy the new Nintendo Switch 2 is because they aren't coming out with the OLAD  version until 2027. I wanted the larger screen size and saw no reason to pay that much money for the "normal" version. 

There have been glowing reviews about the Switch 2 everywhere, but nowhere, and I mean nowhere, did I see any reference to it's screen size.  It's important to me for I am getting older and I need as much screen as I can get to be able to play effectively. 

Well, we bought Switch 2's today at Walmart.  I already have the  old version.  I pull the Switch 2 out of the box and was absolutely amazed: The screen size is FAR bigger than even the OLAD!  Why isn't anyone talking about this, this is news!  I have them both sitting side by side right now, transferring the info and there is no comparison, the Switch 2 is a LOT bigger than the OLAD, by far!  

That's it.  I don't even have the system set up yet, I'm working on that now, but to a lot of people, I think this is information they have been looking for.  

 Sunday - afternoon

The federal government shutdown continues on.  Otherwise known as the Schumer Shutdown, he is being consistently blamed by all members of the right that I have seen thus far for creating this shutdown and continuing on with it.

It's the same thing Pelosi did to Trump when Trump refused to sign off on a CR way back when he was President the first time around.  She framed him as a lunatic and stupid, basically without actually saying that and he ended up losing that war.  I doubt he'll lose this one, at all.  This shut down will likely continue on until the communist left realize that they are hurting their political future by continuing on with this charade.  This is a CR, which I despise but that's the way the government has been being operated for a long, long time now.  

To defy it is to defy logic and the popular opinion of citizens.  The left has to somehow "save face" on this one even as some of their own rank is beginning to question the validity of this move on their leadership' part.  I think they only need 5 more democrats to defect and I suspect that will happen sooner or later.  However, I also suspect the left is concocting some plan to end this checkmate while at the same time blaming Republicans and coming up with some "new" tactic to do so. It will be so absurd that even democrat moderates will reject it at it's face even if they don't openly say that.

Then we have the chaos in Portland and the state's top officials attempting to state that they somehow have control of the situation while ICE agents are blocked in by rioters - or whatever you want to call them, perhaps terrorists.  A federal judge blocking Trump's attempt to send in national guard to help defend these agents and a basic deprivation of human rights, as far as I see it, for the general citizenry that lives there and are exposed to this violence and mayhem. Calling democrats  that party of violence is really quite fitting looking back at their history starting when Trump came down the golden escalator. Earlier than that, yes, but the lunacy of their actions cannot be overstated.  

I don't need anyone to tell me how to think about these situations, btw, I often draw my own conclusions long before I read or hear anything in the news about this stuff that ends up having the news and it's media faces concur with my thoughts.  This is about facts, not emotion.  Democrats engage in emotional outbursts all the time, the right more often engages in factual reasoning and rebuttal.  I've seen some democrats trying to claim that they are using facts, but when you dig into their version of it, is a distorted truth at best. 

_______________

Onto my personal stuff. I woke up at 2:15 am this morning, 5 hours after i went to bed, tried to get abck to sleep for 30 minutes and ended up giving up on it. I got up, did my thing, went to the truck, turned it on and drove it to Arkansas in the night and was emptying it out at daybreak.  I made it back in time to take the kids to church. I sat down in the main auditorium to hear the sermon, but I was so tired I decided that I would have to leave. I would have just fallen asleep during the sermon and that probably wouldn't have gone over too well.

I went out to my vehicle, turned it and the ac on, set  my alarm and fell asleep.  I felt much better after that and ended up at Applebee's, our weekly tradition before coming home aaaaand....falling asleep again. Today was the last of the 4-day-in-a-row wake up call so early that my sleep has been completely disrupted to the point I feel like I'm in a fog half the time.

Tomorrow is normal 5:20 am wake up call.  It is almost 3:00 pm right now and highly likely I will take another half hour nap just to try and get to feeling normal again.  1 of these runs with 2 days of early wake up calls is ok, 2 runs with 4 consecutive days of getting up super early? No thank you.  I fully expect after this next run to have at least a day off.  That would put be on a run Thursday and Friday and then what?  Work another entire weekend?  I've got the next weekend after that off for the Tyler event. 

That is up in the air however as well, as i have now found out the kids are going to grandma's for the week off. I made these plans long before they came to this decision and I made it known that I already paid for everything. They'll be back, said the mom which I fully believe, however, the grandma and I don't get along too well - fully on her side I don't start trouble with her, I am an imposition to her plans with "family" of which she doesn't consider me any part of.  She made this glaringly clear a while back when the oldest kid called me and asked if i were going to the restaurant with them?

Well sure! Then I heard the grandma, snooping in the background as the child had it on speakerphone, say NO, I want this to be FAMILY only!  I laughed at her out loud but I bit my tongue and I haven't spoken to her since. Whatever is up her crawl is her problem, not mine.  I've been listening to her talking disparagingly about family members where she lives for many years, I'm sure she now feels that way about me for whatever reason of which I am completely ignorant of. 

She also mentioned another time that "despite our differences" she would "allow" the kid to call me regardless.  What differences, I thought? but didn't feel like getting into. I knew it wouldn't end well and she is the mother of that dad in this house and I will respect him enough to not start a war with her even tho her tongue has mouthed off enough to me to warrant me to say something back to her.  I don't know that I'm taking any high roads, I just don't want to engage with her. I now ignore her completely when she comes here and she does the same to me.  

Oh, yes, I remember now: she's jealous of my relationship with the kids. Tough shit, I live here, she doesn't and she lives 4 hours away.  Even if she DID live her or near here, she wouldn't and couldn't have the same relationship, she smothers those kids to death. That will end up backfiring on her when they become teenagers and completely independent - or as much as a teenager can become that way.  They don't like being smothered and they will openly show that to anyone that tries to do so.  I just chill with them, if they want to hang out, cool, if they don't, I definitely relish peace and quiet.  

They will be gone a week and I will love it.  I love those kids, yes, they are like my own children, but I also love just not having people fighting with each other and screaming, kicking, crying, rambunctiousness, all the things that come with kids.  You get a week off and you're like, yes!~!!

Thursday - middle of the night

I was watching Schumer complaining about how Republicans completely bypassed democrats when coming up with the current version of a bill - the CR bill- there was no consultation, they did it behind closed doors, cry me a river.  Ring any bells?  Pelosi ramming through bills without ANY republican input AT ALL? And then Republicans complained about it and democrats completely ignored them.

Do these people really think we are going to forget so easily? Maybe citizens that don't pay attention to this stuff, but people like me?  I am dismissive of both sides in these kinds of issues, they both do it and they both act like little babies when it happens to them.  Remember Reid and his nuclear option?  Lowered the threshold for votes for federal judges from 60 to a simple majority of 51.  Years later, Republicans followed suit and did the same with SCOTUS judges.  The left had a major meltdown over that and then they were reminded of what they did.  

But, neither side is apologetic in such things and are all hypocrites.  I'm not in love with politicians from any bent, tbh.  I think they all get greedy and fall in love with their positions of power and become corrupted.  There are a few exceptions, of course, but not many.  It's a worldly system and therefore exposed to demonic influences.  Satan is the prince of the power of the air, the father of liars and goes around seeking whom he may devour.  These people become innately exposed to such endeavors of the evil side of things, they are the people that can push public policy and therefore, the people that can push propaganda and attempts to slowly take over the entire society with authoritarian principles. 

Yes, it was in the 3:00 am time range when i started this blog entry, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. When facing a 4:00 am rise time, who cares, might as well just get up, I will end up sleeping a couple hours later on today after I get done with my work.  I would get some stuff done at the property, but I will be too tired to do so.  These super-early loads have their pro's and con's.  I like getting done by 11:00 am, I don't like getting up so early and especially if I had trouble sleeping that night.  

 I will make it through the day, Lord willing and that will be that.  It is likely, however, that after my late morning nap, I will head back over to the Park for I have an empty lot where the man left a bunch of stuff behind that needs either chucked or stacked elsewhere. I hate to throw blocks in the trash, they can be used for another camper coming in at some other point in time.  

I'm just sitting here amused by this government shut down.  Watching the news, both sides blaming each other but the Republicans have coined it the "Schumer Shutdown" and that has a certain ring to it.  Hard core democrats will become incensed at such a statement, others that don't ascribe to either party might actually give it some thought.  

The tree service is allegedly arriving this morning to take down that dead tree. Not the giant one up front, it poses no threat to anyone currently or even power lines.  It's a sight to behold but there is no one living there and I can see the only way to bring it down is to bring down the giant tree that's holding it up. To do that, one must stand underneath that giant thing to cut it down.  I am not risking my life to cut down a dead tree and I will let it sit there like that for a while and see if it somehow "works itself out", for it would cost thousands of dollars to have a company come remove that thing.  If it were a danger to anyone, then yes, I would have to consider paying a service.  

As for this tree? It's $400 to cut it down. My deductible on my insurance policy is a grand.  It would make no sense to take a risk of either having it fall down and hit that trailer and possibly injure people inside of it or cut it down myself and have the same result, tho I would have everyone moved out of it.  Pay now so i don't have to pay later.  I'm glad those guests saw it. It blends in with other trees and still has bark on the bottom. So, glancing in that direction or even taking a half serious look? You don't see it unless you look up.  Even then, it's nestled inside other trees and it's hard to make it out.  

But once you do, you realize it's an imminent threat, if it comes down, it's coming down towards that trailer.  

Once you know about a thing like that, especially trees and the dangers it poses, you become liable if something happens and people are injured/killed and/or property is damaged.  If you have to go to the point of legality to get you to do something about it, let's have a discussion about your views of things.  I didn't have to take it there, I don't want people injured is my underlying reason. Otherwise, I would watch YouTube videos of how to fell a tree in a direction against the angle it's leaning to and do it myself.  But that would be irresponsible and extremely risky.  

All I can say is, I am going to keep a much closer eye on trees now, especially in the area where I intend on putting new lots and make sure that any bad trees are cut down before anything or anyone is put in harm's way.  

Now then, there is this sprinkler system for the aerobic septic system. I can do that work myself if I so intend.  It's trenching, pipe and pipe primer/glue.  I may consider it, this isn't rocket science and a ditch witch is cheaper to rent than paying a crew of people to come out and do it.  Yes, I'll have to buy pipe but I'd have to pay for that anyway with the contractor. 

As for now? I need to get offa here and face another day of driving.  

G'day

 Wednesday - afternoon

I make no bones about the fact that I do not enjoy having to do all the work by myself at the park.  Today was trim everything along the driveway, pick up trash and do some weed eating along with have a tree company owner come over and quote me on felling the rotted tree along the driveway.  He said $400.  I knew it would be expensive even if they are only cutting it down and not even removing it.  I have no choice, it's that or get the man to move his trailer and give him a month's credit to do so? Might as well just have them come take the tree down.  

That stuff wore me out, I'm not in the greatest shape anymore tho I've been slowly building myself back up to doing the workouts I used to do.  I think I really need to add cardio stuff to that list.  

I was watching this fiasco in Washington earlier where GOP is blaming Dems for the government shutdown and saying it's a "clean CR bill" while Dems are saying it's partisan garbage and blah blah blah.  I'm am totally biased in my views, just saying that right here, but there is one thing that sticks out to me and I didn't have to have a TV anchor telling me this: Dems have stated endlessly in the past how evil and horrible a government shutdown is and should be avoided at all costs.

MOST of the people on the left that said that are STILL in power today and now taking a totally different stance? Please spare me the total bs. They would go on about how Medicare, SS payments, food stamps, and endless list of services would be shut down and how our seniors would suffer. I've heard this multiple occasions, btw, not just one incident, this has been going on forever now.  I'm sure the right outlets will be playing  clips of what I said above and how are they going to defend it?  

Is it true they want to continue funding health care for illegal aliens?  WHY?  Look, these people are here, I'm not heartless.  Feed them, clothe them and send them back to where they came from.  That's that.  I'm sorry your country is a hell hole, I TRULY am, but there are legal methods to become a US citizen and illegally crossing the border isn't one of them.  You are taking advantage of our generosity and good natured citizenry.  We understand that much of the world is a 3rd world dump.  

I know there are billions of people that have to forage for food every day and walk for miles to get clean water.  I feel for all of them, but we aren't God and we aren't the Provider. We can be used of God to help feed them and bring them relief AND the Gospel, btw, but in the end? The US can't take care of the entire world. ONLY God can do that.  

But the free health care stuff? I went for years at a younger age without health care coverage because  I COULDN'T AFFORD IT. It would cost me around $1,200 per month right now if I weren't working and getting it through my employer. It still costs me almost $500 per month - JUST FOR ME. IT ISN'T FREE FOR US, WHY SHOULD IT BE FREE FOR PEOPLE THAT DON'T EVEN BELONG HERE?

Sorry, not sorry, healthcare is not a right even for US citizens but it sure as hell costs the working man/woman a large percentage of their paychecks to even have the coverage and peace of mind.  Its why I am not retiring at 62, coming up soon.  I'm either waiting til' I'm 65 - Lord willing I even live that long - or the business grows to the point I can afford good healthcare on my own without any other input - Lord will the business actually grows to that size.  

I firmly believe in feeding the hungry.  Giving them water. Trying to arrange for shelter if possible.  Finding ways to get them in to a better situation - but they have to have the motivation and drive to want to change their lives.  Jesus said, however, that the poor will always be with us and we have specific instructions on how to treat the poor.  We should help them.  Any of them, regardless of race, religion, gender or even what nation they came from.  But, I have not problem with the government putting them on airplanes and sending them back to wherever they came from.

I'll get off the high horse now.  I'm going to have to have the sprinklers for the septic system moved.  Where they placed them is not going to work.  They said as such and gave reason why they placed them where they did and I'm not going to go into that here.  There is no legitimate reason, however, that I cant have them placed another 20 feet towards the west and in one case, about 100 feet.  

________

Many, many hours later lol.  I got stuff done at the park, got stuff done at home, talked to some people about moving in - but - I never heard back from them.  So, I just blow people off when they do that.  Like, they were sending money today and moving in today.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  Don't really care,, it happens a lot but if they call again? I'm going to be a bit blunt with them. Are you moving in or not? I don't have time for games....but I always wait to hear the "story".  I never know what to believe.  

Time for bed, 4:00 am wake up call.  G'nite. 

 Monday - evening

I didn't watch any news but I did read some of it online. Trump is considering allowing Ukraine to use Tomahawk missiles that can obviously go further into Russia and inflict significant damage.  This would be a huge provocation of Putin and his ilk and I wonder what his response will be.  The idea of giving a dose of Putin's medicine back by firing missiles potentially into Moscow itself?  Well, I don't doubt Putin's ability to "resolve" the situation with nukes.

Would he actually do that? I have no idea, would like to hope he would think that one through, it would affect him and his country since they are literally right there.  Fallout would surely spread into their region.  And other, uninvolved regions as well.  

These church and school shootings have been ramping up, very concerning.  The schools around here at least have cops at every school. We even have them at church on Sundays.  They don't come inside, tho, so an attacker could potentially kill lots of people before a cop could get in there.  I read Texas laws, there is no prohibition against concealed carry in a church.  The law suggests the church can, of course, put up signs saying they don't want guns inside.  I doubt I'd ever see that at our church and I'd guess there are definitely people concealed carrying

I'll be one of them soon enough.  I need to find a gun sized for the occasion. I take kids to church and I would regret the rest of my life if something happened to them that I could have done something about if I had been prepared.  I just got my renewed concealed carry license in the mail, I think it's good for 5 years.  Likely will carry one for the rest of my days.  An armed society is a polite society.....

I was wasted tired this morning.  I didn't sleep well and I got up at 3:45 am.  I couldn't sleep, there was no point in just laying in bed.  I was out of the house by 4:30 am and I had the day finished at 10:30.  I had to come home and sleep for 2 hours to get to feeling good again. 

 Sunday - night

Preparing to go to bed early.  I have a 4:00 am wake up call from a noisy phone telling me it's time to get up.  My payment for having the entire weekend off was to have to do a super-early load. Which reminds me, need to text the washout and let them know, they want advance notice now that a particular person that was helping run that operation is in jail.  No sense into going into all of that, not judging him either, I just know they are suffering at the washout without him. That dude has all the knowledge and the only other person that has that much knowledge about that operation is the owner, who doesn't want to do anything but have others run it for him.

I get that as well, but at some point, he may have to get involved with it again.  There is no date as to when the guy is getting out of jail, something he did long ago. He is still on probation and got caught DUI, which they put off for a whole year, but he knew the day was coming and he knew when he had to go before the judge, he would most likely be incarcerated again until they could do a hearing for release. That hasn't happened yet.  I feel for the guy, he isn't like that anymore - the person that was doing the things that got him busted (bank robbery).  

I have paid very little attention to politics this weekend.  I just take breaks from it for I know what's going on from a historical standpoint.  Lefties are blaming Trump for something, or, taking credit for something they didn't do - or - denouncing something that they once love or vice-versa.  

That's the news in a nutshell lmao.  

I haven't done a whole lot this weekend either.  Yesterday we went and got haircuts and that was about it besides chores and things around the house. I did nothing at the Park.  Today, church, Applebee's, home.  I've been doing much of nothing beyond games and TV after we got home and I don't regret a single minute of it.  It's probably good I still work for I would be tempted to do nothing at all.  I'm tired of working, I'm tired of dealing with certain types of people, I could travel around the world and see the sites of everywhere and be content doing so.

That's it in a nutshell and I don't have time to do any writing about any particular subject.  

Wednesday - evening

Just got back from taking the kids to Wednesday night kids church stuff.  They get 2 hours of worship, teaching, fun and then eating.  They are not forced to go at all. I don't believe in forcing people, even kids, to go to church. It doesn't work and it can actually turn people against God, which is something I certainly do not want to do.  It's  a 2 hour reprieve from endless questions, noise, screaming, fighting, horseplay, etc. on a weeknight.  And the lady of the house isn't feeling well so that makes it even more of a plus to have them somewhere else.  

No, they enjoy going tho for separate reasons. The oldest is into the Lord as well as the play and eating, the youngest? Not so much about God, but the playtime and the eating at this church are pretty good. They have an amazing youth program.  I do not much care for that church for it is too big and you get swallowed up in a mass of people who I don't know. Didn't care for the version of meetings they had, I would have to try another one.  

Anyway, it was raining when I left for Arkansas this morning and it rained almost all the way up there, then it stopped maybe 5 miles out from the plant.  I hoped it would stay, my hopes were dashed.  It was all wrong. There was a train blocking access to the building, number one.  That happens frequently enough, but this train didn't move.  It was just sitting there for who knows what reason. You would have to walk about 400 feet down and then that far back to get to where I needed to get: the air pressure control valve and a manager to sign off on it.  

But it was odd to begin with. There was a trailer dropped right there next to the delivery shack..  It wasn't one of our trailers and I had to do some serious maneuvering to get my truck into position. Not a big deal and then I found out the plant was trying a new grade of glue out.  A faster process, allegedly, they can make the plywood faster with this glue. That is, if it works out. So, they had hooked a line up to it and were running off of that trailer for little spurts here and there and then today was the day they were going to check the finished product. It's from the same plant we load at now, it wouldn't change anything for us if they switched over.  

I managed to hitch a ride all the way around.  In fact, the gentleman took me all the way into the plant on a golf cart and very close to the manager's office - who wasn't in there and took a while to find him.  The golf cart driver has been working at that place for 43 years!  He said he has less than a year til he can retire at 62. I said I had less than 6 months but don't plan to retire until 65.  I don't know if that's really going to be the case, it's just a loose guesstimate and knowing I can get on medicare. 

But the part that really was not pleasant? It started pouring rain.  I mean, a heavy downpour  The valve to hook the line up to to offload the liquid from the trailer to the plant is directly underneath the trailer. You have to get on your knees to open that valve, which takes 62 turns and to hook up the line.  Yea, well water was pouring down my back while I was doing that.  My upper body was drenched and butt was wet and eventually, my entire body. I think the worst part of getting that wet is having wet socks and shoes.  

The rain continued until I was done offloading, tho it did subside a little when I was unhooking the line but I was just getting even more wet doing that.  I was not a happy camper and I had forgotten about replenishing my shirt, underwear and sock supply from the last time this happened.  When I finally got home, I just went straight to the shower, kicking the dog out in the process. The lady of the house had let him in because it was pouring rain, but he was on my bed.  I do not allow dogs on my bed and I can smell the pee in here.  I'm going to have to use the carpet cleaning machine on everything and wash everything, I don't know where, exactly, the deed was done. This is why he is not allowed in my room anymore when I'm not here. 

A grown adult dog, never had this problem until they got the puppy. She comes in here and he marks where she's been.   I'll have to get a giant crate for him for winter time I guess.  Those are cheap - not.  Great Dane size is $300 and up.  

Because of the rain going up AND coming back plus horrid driving conditions, ie: people who have no clue how to drive in wet weather, I really didn't watch any news today.  I guess I'll turn that on now and see what's up.  I have no energy left right now to be using a carpet cleaning machine for probably 40 minutes to do everything plus putting everything in the washing machine, just gonna have to wait until tomorrow. If it was late enough, I'd just go to bed right now, but alas, it's only 6:00 pm, far too early for bedtime.

I take that back, someone mentioned a shooter in Dallas, I'm not very far from there, 157 miles, so I did look at that briefly. A person in an apartment had opened fire on illegal immigrants at an ICE facility, no ICE agents were harmed, I think they said 2 people were killed but I haven't followed up on that, one moment....

Ok, they are surmising ICE agents were targeted and considering the left' hatred for ICE right now, that seems quite plausible.  The left is fomenting this violence whether they want to admit that or not.  They wonder why ICE agents wear masks and this is exactly the reason why: they are being targeted at their homes and now even at their facilities.  Ahh, they are showing what appear to be sniper rounds with one of them that says "ANTI_ICE" on it.  

Oh here's a goody! The Justice department has until sometime next week to bring charges against Comey - former FBI director, total @$$ and a complete jerkoff - for lying to Congress while under oath giving testimony.  Remember, this is the dude that thought 8647 was a joke.  This was a Trump hater and instrumental in this Russian collusion hoax and yes, people, it is a PROVEN hoax now, there is no doubting it.  

__________

Many hours later and after watching Kimmel giving a non-apologetic apology,  it's time for bed.  Democrats - inciting people to do things they might not otherwise do.  I'm getting tired of hearing it.  As for tomorrow, my day off is no longer a day off and I have to get up at 5 am.

Goodnight.  

     Monday - afternoon

I got a text from an individual last week from a gas company indicating they want to purchase a lease on 2 of my properties to engage in horizontal drilling under my land. There will be no surface operations, they claim yet state the potential otherwise elsewhere in their literature.  

The gas company is the same company that owned the gas well on my property when I first bought it. It's also the company with that jerkoff senior manager who was treating me quite poorly - putting it mildly.  We were having disputes over use of  the land - my land not their lease - and use of "their driveway", so they claimed and I summarily dismissed and other things such as this dude telling me "You can't drive over our lease".

The hell you say.  If that were actually true, I would be losing a significant portion of my land due to no access, for their lease blocks entrance to the rear of the property, so to speak.  I also dismissed that and the tones became hostile as I was not about to let some dude at a company with lots of money and interests dictate to me what I can and cannot do on my own land.  

It's not true and I've had quite a few conversations with people about this situation over the last 3 years.  Mineral rights owners can sell their interest independently of the land owner if the 2 are not of the same ownership, but that doesn't give the gas company right and license to tell the landowner what he can and cannot do. In all the condescending emails and conversations I had with that individual, I never once said I was trying to restrict their access to their lease at all.  The same didn't hold true coming from them, they had had full use of that land for 60 years and couldn't stand the idea of someone coming in and setting up came alongside them. 

Once you start getting disrespectful with me and I haven't been that way with you, you are barking down the wrong trail.  I have a long memory for things such as this and I almost puked when the man texting me said he was with that particular gas company.  I told him directly that I would not voluntarily be doing business with them.  The matter continued until today, the man kept pushing it so I started doing some digging for I had forgotten the man's name.

I found it and all the memories came flooding in, I wrote about that stuff extensively on this journal, I will revisit if this situation deteriorates.  I told the man texting me the name of the person - who is a senior manager in the company - and that I would not be doing business with them.  I'm sure this isn't the end of it, they want the use of the underground and they have to have permission granted them from the landowner, even if their intended usage is not on the surface area of the proposed project at all.  I've done my homework.  

I texted him the name of that dude and I have heard nothing back. Not surprising since the man I'm referring to has been working there forever and has a lot of weight and pull in that company.  I won't budge.  They are only offering me a little over $200 for rights to both properties, that doesn't even phase me at all.  I can spend that much in a single outing at a finer restaurant in town or nearby. 

As for today's day off, my alarm went off at 6:30 am, I don't know why for I didn't set it last night. I dunno if I accidently pushed something or not.  I laid in bed a couple of hours - awake - after that, I wanted to sleep in.  I eventually got up, got coffee and then went over to the property and finished ALL of the mower over there.  Hours worth of work, I now need to go pull grass around the water, sewer and power lines on the ground and then spray it with grass killer. 

I am not doing that today.      

 Sunday - morning

I would say it is a nice, quiet, peaceful morning - which it was until the kids got up.  I got my sleep at least, I am off work today and tomorrow/Monday, which is quite nice.  Tomorrow, I will be able to laze around in bed until I decide to get up with no interruptions. However, I had to get up early anyway and get the riblets dressed out with the sugar mix and then the nice rub, burn them in the broiler for 25 minutes, then dump them in the crock pot. 

It says 7 hours on low so that should work out pretty well, I think anyway.  Maybe not, but I promised to make them today so there it is.

I finally had the kid move the trash dumpster to next to the shed. That is fully 800 feet back from the roadway and should stop these people from trespassing onto my land and illegally dumping their trash in my dumpster.  I take it a step further and call it theft of services for I end up pay an extra up to $240 per month because the dumpster gets "snow coned" - where the trash is dumped so high it is piled up in a cone shape at the top - which is grossly overfilled and yes, they charge you for overfilling.

I don't have an issue with being charged for that, the options are to sit out there 24 hours a day, lie in wait and catch them in the act and have them arrested, or, get cameras out there with same-said ending, or move the damn thing and there ya go.  If those people have the nerve to drive all the way up into the RV park, they are going to be in for a rude awakening as some of the people living there feel like they own the place and stick their noses into everyone's business.  Meaning, "who are you and why are you dumping trash in here?".  I'm actually going to ask the closest people - who sit out frequently in their yard and enjoy the views (they have arguably the best lot in the park) - and have a clear view of the dumpster now.

I figure if I could enlist them to write down license plate numbers of vehicles that obviously don't belong in the park, I can get the Sheriff involved.  I can give them a deduction on their rent.  

I have no idea ;what I'm going to do Monday, but it should entail getting some stuff over there done, such as finishing mowing, what I started last week actually.  It's still hot out during the day and I'm just rejecting all of that.  I need to get busy with the project, I dug out around the power company pedestal attempting to find the wires but so far, I haven't found them. Dig deeper I guess, that's hard work. The soil isn't exactly loose, I called the engineer and asked if he could tell me the size and type of wire going into it, but he never returned my call.

The other option is to have them come out and remove the padlock on it so I can see what wire is going in there.  That's probably the only option I really have unless the electrical supply company knows.  I tried going into the panel on my side but the wire showing was at a part where there is no identifying words on it.  

I can at least say I tried, really hard at that.  I'll have to try harder tomorrow I guess.  

As for today? Church, Applebee's, home to do nothing (laundry tho) and then dinner.  Kids go to bed early, I don't, lol.  I didn't ask for tomorrow off and I would have like 2 weekday days off consecutively.  But, I want to go to church as well and getting up at 3 am to accomplish that isn't particularly high on my list of things I want to do in order to be able to complete work assignment and also get to church on time. 

Wednesday - my current version of late

Jimmy Kimmel has been fired.  He made the comment on his show that republicans are trying to frame the Kirk assassination as a leftist originated killing when we all know it was the right that did this (paraphrasing). This is an obvious lie as the killer's own parents have stated he was a leftist, far left leftist.  The FCC chairman Carr basically forced Disney to deal with it voluntarily or he was going to involve the FCC.

It's the endless propaganda from the left that annoys me more than anything.  They make a lie into the truth - in their minds anyway - and attempt to sway public opinion. They are desperate as it stands for the mid terms are coming up and they want that power back.  I don't know what the FCC could have done, but it's under the Trump administration now so whatever it is, it probably would have been enough to make Disney squirm.  

The other thing that is still going on is lefties celebrating Kirk's death and even more reported firing from large corporations giving their employees the signal that that taking glee in the assassination of a person isn't anything to have a party about.  

That was one thing that I was looking at today, the other thing was these endless reels showing up on my Facebook feed with Patel taking on leftists at a Senate Oversight hearing.  He called Schiff a buffoon and a coward among other things and was firing right back at Schiff.  But he was also taking other leftist senators to task after they made outrageous statements about him.  It was actually quite entertaining to watch Patel giving a huge dose of their own medicine right back at them while being broadcast live for the entire world to see.  

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I have to go to bed soon hence I'm cutting the politics short on this entry.  I had the truck loaded today and somewhere well into loading it, they cut it off, came up to the driver's window, said they had pumped the wrong product into the truck and that I would have to pull out and then head in instead of backing in in order for them to take it off.  I was horrified.  Okay, maybe a bad choice of words, but it was rather petrifying to think that they had 1, loaded the wrong product and 2, just how long was this going to take? And would I have to have the trailer washed out again?

At some point in the unloading process I asked one of the guys.  He said no, you won't have to washout, this wrong product is almost the same as what we normally put in your truck, it just has one ingredient in it that we add a lot more of.  I didn't ask for him to go into detail, that was enough for me.  I just went back to playing video games on my Switch.  

I wasn't feeling it today so I didn't continue with the mowing. It was hot, I was tired from getting up so early and I have to get up super early not only tomorrow, but for the next 3 days and then Sunday off. 

The other guy in the house acquired his  CDL. He came back this week but is heading back up there tomorrow for 4 weeks of hands on training versus the book/paper/paper testing training he just got done with.  I can't imagine the test being that hard. I CAN imagine the hazmat test I will have to take in the next few months to renew my CDL is going to be hard, it is never easy. I'm hoping this will be the last time I need to renew it.  5 years from now, I am definitely not going to be trucking.  

Never say never, I guess, but I don't want to do this for the rest of my life, thanks.  

Well, I have to go to bed or I'm going to be super tired tomorrow.  

 Tuesday - late afternoon

I'm going to make a few more statements about Charlie Kirk since everyone is going there, literally everyone.  

Charlie Kirk, first off, undoubtedly knew the risks of being the firebrand he was for truth and reality.  He had his own security team, he knew he could be targeted.  It's the last what, 10 years that Communism has been embraced by the left? We're not just talking Socialism here, we're talking full Stallin, Mao, Marxist style communism. 

They say it will be "different", we all know the history of communism but if you don't, just do a quick search. Look up Stalin, Castro or Mao.  Or a myriad of others. It always leads to suffering, misery and death.  ALWAYS.  Kirk knew he was standing in the face of this type of teaching coming from the Universities he was always speaking at and that people hated him for it. 

His words flew in the face of ultra-liberal professors who believe their knowledge is akin to the god of the universe.  These people elevate themselves in their own minds and don't even understand how far off they are or how arrogant and ridiculous they are coming off the way that they do. They indoctrinate college-aged kids minds with worldly flatulence, a kettle full of lies, half truths and embellishments.  

In the place that Kirk is in now, I doubt he is surprised that he was assassinated.  I seriously doubt he wants any of us to enact violence for violence, that's not the type of man he was.  No, he was a godly man following after the heart of Jesus.  He never replied in kind to college students defaming him, calling him names and even cussing him out.  I saw it over and over at his rallies being broadcast on YouTube.  

Second off, just stop.  Think about those next words you are going to say to some flippant detractor who is likely and atheist and where the real root of this problem was derived. It wasn't because he could outsmart people and fly off statistics as if he were some type of human computer. No, it's because he was Christian that people hated him.  Not only was he Christian, but he held a platform that affected millions of people nationwide.  He could speak the Gospel to so many people at one setting whether those people wanted to hear it or not.

I just find it so unbelievable the amount of lefties that are prominent figures that are roasting Kirk and saying he deserved it.  Let them have their opinion, it is useless to argue with these people, I have tried many times over in the past on various hot-topic subjects.  There is no reasoning with them, they think they are right and in their minds, that gives them permission to act out any way they please. 

"An armed society is a polite society".  Not sorry to say that.  People saying things without any fear of consequences is the major problem here.  -   

Charlie Kirk

Monday - mid afternoon

The maligning of Charlie Kirk continues on, with major corporations announcing firing people for engaging in such vileness even if the employees were doing it on their own, personal social media.  

Sick, disgusting people and I see it all over my Facebook feed coming from democrats who hated Charlie because they had been fed copious amounts of propaganda from left/communist run media outlets and commentators, politicians and Hollywood elites. 

However, what would Charlie say about this if he were here right now? He'd just shrug it off. I've watched hundreds if not into the thousands of his videos over the years.  People would come up to the mic at one of his rallies, insult him, call him names, whatever - denigrate him - and he would not respond in kind.  He would instead address whatever their dissent was directly.  

You see, Charlie was a Christian and if you are Christian, you are more interested in the person's soul and heart and seeing them come to the Lord Jesus Christ, receive the free gift of salvation simply by believing in Him and get their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  As a Christian who has endured the same kind of treatment from same-minded people in previous engagements, I can attest to the fact that you simply have to have thick skin and understand what the Lord wants to do. 

If you want the honest truth, if Biden or Harris were to have heart attacks today, keel over and die, I would take no pleasure in it at all.  I detest their politics but I do not detest the fact that they have also been created in the image and likeness of our God.  Their policies are from the pit of hell but their lives have been created by, who else? The Creator.  He said that he would have all come to know him, that all would come unto salvation.  That doesn't mean everyone will, of course, but that was and is His desire. 

When these people start maliciously destroying Kirk's name, pray for them.  Speak the Truth of the gospel to them. Talk about Jesus and point people to Christ.  That's what Charlie would want us to do and more importantly, that's what Christ wants us to do.  

I've even heard Christians talking trash about Charlie Kirk. I just don't receive it, I am not going to get into an elongated argument with them.  I will speak my mind about it, Kirk was always pointing to Jesus and quoting scripture that fit the conversation.. If you don't believe he's with the Lord, that is your right and choice. That doesn't therefore make it true, but getting into heated back and forth about it is simply not what I'm into anymore, not the things about Christ anyway.  

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Back to my normal stuff, if you came here looking for content about Charlie Kirk, that was it. This is actually my personal blog and I just go into stuff about current events in my life and yes, current events in politics as well.   Today's offload took 1 and a half hours, still a lot more than it should take but I guess there's nothing clogging the tube under the trailer.  

I don't know why it's taking longer, other drivers are reporting normal offload times for them. My manager texted me this morning asking if I would do an 8 am load on Wednesday?  That means getting up at 4 am and getting moving.  I said yes.  I didn't ask anything, I just said yes - otherwise I'd probably get stuck with the 2cd load and I don't want that.