Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Serious Sniffles

tsavory, you must've coughed on your keyboard! Voice got raspy yesterday and spent a snotty, sneezy and coughing night. Starting to dry up this morning, plan to kick back, see if it'll just pass.

Read Captain Zoom's thread. He and wife went from Celadon to Gordon in late December, already bailing. Started out positive and hopeful and went down from there. Well, Gordon has more < 100 miles loads than > 600 mile loads after all and someone's got to run those. Complains about 300-400 mile average--well, that's Gordon/Heartland average run, 300-400 miles. Do six of those you end up around 2,000 miles/week (or less). Good equipment.

Captain Zoom thread: http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...king-company-here/268280-im-baaaaaack-24.html

Also, not happy with mucked up dispatches, overly tight appointments, 'Service Watch' loads not expected for a day or two by receiver, yada yada, after you bust butt to get there 'in time'. First I learned of the secret 'service window' was when I rolled up just in time for my 'Service Watch' delivery and learned wasn't due for 100 hours!! Started to demand to know what the window was and for a while even got that info until FM (Fleet Manager) told DM (Driver Manager) not to provide to me.

Yuppo, been there, done that...

Last night's mouse was a good mouse. Deceased. Must have been 2, though, and one dragged or pushed a trap all the way around refrig and got away. It'll be back. Traps'll be ready...

 

Bright One's Lunch Counter Story

That post, msg 1284, in addition to entertaining, shows Bright One could (maybe should) figure out some way to save his trucking nickels and put himself through law school.

The research to make effective objections in court's not trivial...

Always nice to hear of the little guy prevailing against THE MAN, even if despite himself. Part of what makes our country strong, in fact.

 

Met many lawyers who darn well wished they'd gone to med school instead. Hours unpredictable, a lot like ours. They don't know from day-to-day what's ahead until they open their mail and see what they have to respond to. And notoriously slow pay, no pay. When I did Writ of Certiorari assistance, made very clear, no tickee, no washee, required payment in front at each step of way and sign-off on each page of brief before I would make the book (unlike other briefs, the cert writ is a 'perfect-bound' paperback book with 40 copies to the US Supreme for the justices and all their clerks).

Mentioned med school to John, the attorney I often worked with and where I had an office in his office. He said, "MDs bed their women clients, too, as much or more often than we do; difference, Vic, theirs are sick... "

Home every night, too. Surprised me to hear that from John, 11 kids and very Catholic, very absent father. I guess there's always Confession!

 

My MO is rest, think I'm okay, over do it, relapse and get much worse. Main concern is upper respiratory. If cough persists or gets worse, I have a problem.

Use neti pot when stuffy, sometimes often.

Not feeling too bad, a little headachy.

Kicked back all day...

 

Oh, Accuweather!

If Accuweather's to be believed, the runout to the end of the month (January 2015) will be mild and all highs above freezing. Forecast has 40s for next few days, coldest next Thursday and Friday at 34, and otherwise all 40s and mid-40s. Hey! I'll take it. We've had enough of single digits and subzero wind chills. How quickly we get spoiled, eh?

I'm ready! Sign me up for a mild rest-of-January!

Tomorrow's run is KY. Bright and sunny out right now, still kind of stuffy myself, plan to visit Spencer Y and step up a small notch, move from flat track over to treadmills. Have been doing 10 minutes around track and then 5 minutes sitting (to let pulse drop to 70). Will do 5 minutes on treadmill, fairly slow speed (2.7 mph) and 10 degree elevation.

Doc said elevation's more important than speed...

Plan to bring the finger pulse-oximeter ($20 from Amazon), which shows pulse and % oxygen hemoglobin level. Will sit after 5 min on treadmill like that until pulse drops to 70, then repeat since my challenge (besides need to lose pounds) is cardiac recovery rate.

Half days, Denali, half days... that's all truckers work, half days.