Well, my trip to Phoenix coming up quick.  Leaving after work on Tuessday, coming home, getting my stuff which will already be packed and taking off to Dallas in my car, get there to pre-planned parking with pre-planned shuttle to airport, get to Dallas Love field and take off to Phoenix.  The flight doesn't take off until almost 11:00 pm, so the 3 hour drive there after work plus short stopover at home - for I want to see my doggy and give him a hug and say goodbye - should be easily doable.

I'm doing it that way to save on usage of vacation hours.  Plenty of other things I want to do this year and I don't want to use them all up on this particular visit.  I would like to plan a 4 day trip over there again later on this year which would include a holiday day so I only  use up one paid vacation or floating holiday - or personal day. Memorial Day would cover such a visit, but we'll see.

General manager coming up tomorrow, allegedly, instead of the Monday arrival date originally planned.  I just - have no great hopes for anything.  There isn't any reason to, they put everything off - intentionally I am quite sure - don't give answers and play the "we don't know yet" game.

I was in Monroe, LA today, attempting to get some pipe that was delivered to a jobsite - the city changed the specs and the pipe was rejected - tens of thousands of feet of it - still sitting there.  We come and get it from time to time as we can sell it, we have no responsibility to take all of that back and the pipe company would take it back, but at a great "restock" fee. Anyway, a very inexperienced backhoe operator attempting to pick up these pallets of 40 foot length pipe and put it on the truck. The problem - mud.  I have been around this kind of stuff for a long time, I can tell when a person hasn't been around the equipment they are operating very long.

He kept getting the backhoe stuck.  2 hours to load the truck.  I just sat there and watched it.  I offered suggestions - such as taking a completely different route with the pipe that would have eliminated getting stuck - but he was stubborn. I'm not going to argue with him, but he kept apologizing for how long it was taking.  Just before we were done - finally done - loading it his boss comes driving up - dude, what is taking you so long? I need that backhoe!  Seriously.  I could have loaded that pipe onto the truck in about 15 minutes.  But it's all good.  Take things as they come.  Enjoy as much of life as you can.  Slow right now, getting that run took up 2/3rd's of the day, this dude making it take longer than it should have? Just made it take that much longer to get back to the yard.

That's it.  I'm just trying to find cheap ground transportation from the airport to and from mom's house.  She will not drive into downtown Phoenix.  I very much like the fact that she knows her limitations - very congested in terms of traffic - and even though it will cause me more expense and time, I don't mind at all.  In fact, I will be arriving late and I figure to find a hotel this weekend with a shuttle that will get me close enough to her place and away from all of that congestion that she will be able to come and get me in the morning - or - I can take a bus.

Whatever the case, this will be the weekend just before Caleb leaves for New Zealand.  After that he is going to Hawaii and I just have no idea what the next opportunity might be that I could see him  - so - gotta make the effort. Mama ain't getting no younger either, this life is never predictable.

I'm not sure what I'm doing next with this life, but at least seeing loved ones is always a good idea.

It was a tough decision, actually, to take that 4 wheeler back.  But after time passed and I continue to think about it I came to the conclusion it was the right thing to do.  I had to go over all of that in my mind again after finding out she is going around all over the place trash talking about me and saying things that are just plain garbage.  But it's whatever.

She erroneously believes that I made my decision based on other nonsense she was saying about me before all of this current episode of antics started, which simply isn't true.  I had made up my mind, I just didn't want to contact her.  I don't want to talk to her in any format, whether Facebook messaging, text messaging, phone call whatever.

Getting the thing back and finding it had been rolled and the exhaust cut off was a bit much to take.  Reading her reaction - she couldn't have cared less, didn't bother her at all-- just sealed it.  The thing still runs great but now facing having to replace the exhaust system and likely the handlebars.

The folks here are all over it, let's get a trailer and haul them things out to the open country and go riding!Of course3, things here aren't all flowers and roses, either.  My "cleaning" activities are not going over well in a strange way.  Because - when I see a dirty kitchen, I pretty much just go and clean it  up.  I don't say anything, I don't complain about it, I don't make an issue out of it, I just clean it up and that's that.  So, I did that the other day and there was some backlash.  Apparently, the lady of the house was not happy that he, the man of the house, hadn't done it when he said he would.  I had thought he was going to do it but when I came home the next day and saw the same mess there, I just went and cleaned it all up and that was that.

I mean, it's like 15 minutes and it's done.  Nothing like the disaster going on over at Val's house where it can literally take and hour and a half to clean up the mess (of which she openly states she doesn't care about).  Well, then the mother in law got involved with it - all behind my back this was giong on of which I was totally unaware, and started trash talking about me because ... why?  I cleaned up a kitchen that her son hadn't?  Here's the thing: It doesn't bother me to clean up the kitchen.  I don't care who gets the credit or whatever, it just needs to be done, is there a problem with me doing it?  Apparently so.

Well, last night's mess is still out there and will be there when I get home today and yes, I likley will clean it all up and be done with it.

Oh well.  Time for work.