It's January and 66 degrees in Memphis!

Beautiful weather today. If Mrs. Grumpy was with me, we'd head over and visit Graceland.

I am planning on doing a Wal-Mart run later. Listened to Fox News on Sirius this morning and heard a great quote: "Congress is the only whorehouse in America that doesn't make any money." I love it.

There was talk about the Dems increasing the minimum wage. Now isn't that special. I'm in a company truck for two days doing nothing. I get paid $25 a day layover. That's a little over a $l an hour. It certainly doesn't cover the cost of my Wal-Mart order. Not only am I an unskilled worker, the minimum wage law doesn't apply to me. This year the fight by interested and concerned folks to change "things" continues on.

Some life, huh?

Well it's Friday. Typically, I would be under a load headed somewhere a thousand miles or so away for delivery Monday. But there is no freight. It's not slow, it's dead. So, here I sit at the Flying J at exit 6 US78 Olive Branch, MS east of Memphis. I am preplanned to pick up a load of lumber in Horn Lake, MS on Monday, tarp it, then shlep it a whopping 294 miles to Fort Smith, AK, delivery Tuesday.

I have the entire weekend with nothing to do. Last Friday, I was at home arguing with Mrs. Grumpy. Some life, huh?

This is one of those times when I'm thinking that some kind of change in my life is necessary. Now I'm not sure exactly what that is, but I feel "something" in the air. Of course, if freight picks up and I get busy and stop thinking so much, my life will continue pretty much as it is now, good or bad.

I think what would make me really happy right now is a ($50K) job writing and editing. If I could drop a few tons and get my ass in an airline seat, I wouldn't mind some (business related) travel here and there. The "lack" of a consistent weekly paycheck because I'm a OTR trucker are starting to really bother me, again.

In many respects, I feel sitting here in this truck, in this truckstop, here in Mississippi, facing a weekend with not a whole lot to do, I'm wasting my time and my life is "fretterin" away. If I wake up on Monday morning and have not written a least two articles for publication and updated my book, I'm a dope.

There are a lot of things I want to do at home, and not only am I not there to do it, my financial resources to accomplish these projects are one hand limited and on the other non existent. As I said earlier, some life huh?

OK, We're back...

Happy New Year! Back on the road again with load of roofing from Lake City FL to Athens GA.
1. Freight is extremely slow, but then you know that.
2. OOIDA for the "holiday's" lowering their membership free from $45 to $25. As they don't represent my interests as a company driver, I'll pass on the offer.
3. My goal this year is to get my carrier to pay real world - practical - miles.
4. The laptop "stand" sold on the internet and at Iowa 80 costs about $275. It is overpriced and I wasn't impressed with the construction. For $15 I built a better version out of wood. Mrs. Grumpy got me a digital camera for Christmas. When I figure out how to use it, I'll try to show you a photo.
5. To the GA DOT that closed the NB rest area at mile marker 112 and the trooper (or local) that woke me up, I hope you all die soon. The cop woke me up at about 5am, along with 6 other drivers, parked (safely) along the get-on ramp at I85 NB exit 129. The medium size Pilot was full, and there was no rest area available. We were told to move or get ticketed. Another example of brilliant law enforcement.
6. Speaking of the law, I pulled into the "agricultural check point" NB I75 in FL. This is a boondoggle if ever there was one. The weigh stations were closed, which is rare in FL. So this DOT "officer" flags me over. This guy must have been on his ass all year long for his supervisor to make him sit here on New Year's Day. I'm driving a 2007 T600 and this clown is trying to find something mechanically wrong to put me out of service. Usually the FL DOT is extremely professional - this guy was the exception. You know the deal - he was going to find something to write up no matter how perfect everything is. He cited me for a winch too close to the rear trailer tire on my spreads. I suggest he spent more time inspecting those owner operators flying out of Miami tailgating everyone at 85 mph.
More later....be safe out there and please do not tailgate!