On the Road with the original florida kid - week 27

"On the Road" with the original florida kid
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 27 and......
you're on the road with the original florida kid..............
Grandma, Barbie and everyone here at the ranch, including Pup the wonder dog... say a big howdy "hey!"
Well let's get to it..wha'dya' say?
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'-
Truckstars - let me ask you something....here today, do you really want to talk about the price of fuel, Qualcom's latest improvements, how bad freight is down, the mexican thing..the price of Goodyears' latest model drive tire.......do ya? Good - I don't either.........
So grab a cup of coffee and an ashtray, pull up a chair and let's see what happens.......
Man, I wish I had a good digital camera to put up some photos on my blog, I see some wild stuff down here in the land of "sun and fun", although it could hardly be called that for some of us, lately.........it's......it's only a dream........it's only a dream.........
I guess I'm just a little nervous(...okay, I'm a lot nervous...) about how slow it's been in the boat haul biz.......this stack of bills just keeps gettin' higher....kinda like the price of fuel........and, well, at least right now, I can't go back on the road OTR or even regional. I went to CF the other day to put in an appl. for a day player LTL gig and the guy said they weren't taking anymore, they had enough to last a year or more, all good candidates too.....and I had called the day before to find out if they were still taking app's, which they were....and I have exp., a Class A - PTX lic. , no tickets, no accidents......ever......it's been since last June 07' I drove a big rig so I'll probably have to do a shortie training period......whaaaaat-ever............
I don't know how the local economy is where you're at truckstars but I can tell you the economy here in south florida is bad, really bad. In fact in 07' the state even admitted that for the first time in florida history, most of the state including my county, broward county, more people were moving out of the state than moving in...............it's a complicated thing having a lot to do with the hurricanes aftermath in a lot of different areas like real estate, property taxes, industry moving in and moving out, labor standards, it's a mess, and let's not forget the insurance co's screwing people on the payouts for storm damage claims and cancelling thousands of homeowner policies, if you can even get one...........people are fed up.....half the time the beaches are shut down because the sewage outfall washes back into the beaches from the 8' or 9' diameter pipes(4 of em' statewide) just offshore spewing barely treated raw sewage 24/7.... oh, you didn't know that? yeah, you can come down to florida(but you better brush up on your spanish first)eat out at an overpriced tourist trap restaurant, then go back to your over-priced hotel room, take a dump in your over-priced bathroom, then go down to the beach and swim in "it" when "it" washes back in the next day....sound like fun?...the local seafood has a flavor all it's own too..........yeaaaaaaahhh buddy!
This isn't the florida my family moved to in the 40's, I don't recognize it , not anymore.......
Go to Branson or Nashville, the people are a hec of a lot nicer and you'll have more fun with your family.......we want to move up to the Nashville area full time we just can't afford it right now.......Please God, Please..............
....I'm the kind of guy that isn't afraid to work, and when I can't, and I see my sick wife still goin' to work when she shouldn't be because if she didn't we'd end up in the street(we live in the foreclosure capital of the world....) it's a lot to deal with, and I'll tell you right now........
I know Gods in control, I can't tell you what he's up to...or why...but I know He IS, and the only refuge I'm finding is in His peace and mercy.....that's it.......Barbie has always, for over thirty years, been able to put her head on my shoulder.....but lately.....she can't.....because it's shakin' too hard......and I KNOW I'm not the only guy in this position, this is a nationwide deal and my thoughts and prayers are with you all, truckstars, and I mean it ! I can only imagine how the single parents out there are struggling.........
Do I have any answers ? No.....I don't....just keep prayin' and believin'......
Yes, I'm a writer, a good one so people tell me, but I'm still a couple of years away from making a living at it full time and the other two industries I spent my life in are in trouble.....is there educational or vocational help for 52 yr. old, able bodied people willing to work? Haven't found it yet......still looking.....
I'm sorry truckstars, I'm just frustrated at the moment........
Alright, alright enough positive re-inforcement.......I guess.........
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Do you ever look at the "contents" on a box or package or bag of food before you buy it? You know, usually on the side or back of the package where it shows the amount of a serving, the fat, salt, vitamin ratio, if any, and the ingredients....? Check out how much "a serving" is and try to gauge how many "servings" you are about to, or have, eaten then multiply the ratios times how many "servings" you've eaten, especially the fat, more specifically the "saturated fat" - this truckstars is the killer....the fat. Trans-fats are just cooking or prep oils that are in a "toxic" chemical state because of additive chemistry in them or to make them cheaper, chemistry added or exposed to them, and it's that "state" that makes them lethal....BELIEVE ME, they would NOT be spending the money to change to 0 trans fat foods if this wasn't serious, it's not just a fad it's a health crisis.......Fast food restaurants are required to post, or make available food info. to customers....
Now a typical diet, and according to the diet expert you listen to, the typical adult "fat" intake, daily should be no more than 75 grams. Now me personally I think that's still way to high, you want to target 35 to 50 grams of fat, daily. Steak, bacon, yes even chicken and fish ALL have fat so you want to get only lean meats, fresh, not frozen, whenever possible, and I've said this before, the fat in regular salad dressings is VERY high and you can push your cholesterol levels off the charts with just salad dressings alone!! Roughage, roughage, roughage - whole grains(both in cereal and breads), celery, cabbage, cucumbers, nuts, raisins, figs, plums, prunes....find the mixture of "whole" foods, natural and/or organic that you like and stick with it....it really is a matter of life and death......YOURS !
Look into my eyes and repeat after me......fruit tastes good and fat tastes bad - fruit tastes good and fat tastes bad - fruit tastes good and fat tastes bad - fruit tastes good and..............
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Laptop mag's Editors Choice in the newest Smart Phones is the Samsung Blackjack II. It's put out by AT&T, and at $99, the rave reviews it's getting ought to push it up front in sales. It will even handle TeleNavs GPS service, for another $10 bucks a month.... I really like these smart phones, or rather, the technology they are capable of....I'm waiting for the two-way video call feature to be affordable, e-mail too....but - short of a laptop that will do all the things we need, these smart phones are the way to go!
Notebooks....everytime I think I have a favorite, the technology advances, so....by the time I put the mony together I'm sure they'll be even better.....for me, it's the ram, the sound and video cards that matter, and also the screen size and whether we're talkin' Blue Ray/HD capable.....and mobile broadband capable too.....
Don't forget to sign up for a good credit monitoring service! I like - www.myfico.com - but all 3 credit reporting agencies have them too. And stay away from the "tri-merge" scoring systems, get your individual credit scores per credit agency....
I'm hearing outstanding things about Lifelock, I may switch to it.......there's a monthly charge usually 5 to 10$ or more a month, do your homework and find a plan you can live with, but - do it !! ....I have a plan where I can pull my own credit report and print it out as often as I want. Did you know that whenever someone checks your credit it pulls your credit score down? It does....
NASCAR- Kyle Busch - say what you want, the kid can drive....I don't think he's to damned impressed with the toyotas' either....I knew I liked this kid.....anyway in the #18 Snickers car he kicked ass...the Kobalt Tools 500 had almost as much politics as it did racing...but if you're a race fan like me then you had a great time too! Carl Edwards, Junior, Jeff G., Jimmie, the whole cast and crew was there but it was Kyle's and Tonys' day......how can those toyotas be so much faster??
PBR-
PBR stop number 11 on the Built Ford Tough Series was the Cabela's Classic in Kansas City over the weekend. Brazilian Guilherme Marchi took home the money bag again this week, the number 2 spot going to young gun J.B. Mauney, followed by Travis Briscoe. Briscoe, in my opinion, and J.B. Mauney are the American cowboys best shot at the world title this year in Las Vegas, come November. Lots of mud flyin', kickin' buck-offs and Thank God - no bad wrecks......
Next week - The Portland Invitational - see ya there!
Before I forget, I didn't get kicked off Chicken Trucker( www.chickentrucker.com) either, last week like I thought, I had written down my log on info wrong and when it wouldn't let me log on I thought they had kicked me off, it's happened before on another site, sooooo......
anyway the guy was real nice who owns the site and the other drivers on there are all just regular drivers, like Mudslinger and bigjackknife, who like to shoot the breeze, this one lady driver LuckyLady7 is the hottest female driver I have ever seen.....she can't be real, can she?......
I don't know how they came up with that name I didn't think to ask the guy........
Also, next week - an update on my, so far fruitless and ongoing saga on trying to find educational financial help to go to helicopter pilot school......
Don't forget about the Great West Truck Show in Las Vegas - June 26-28 here's the link: www.greatwesttruckshow.com
I want to Thank all you truckstars for stayin' with me here "On the Road" with the original florida kid......
*****Take a minute and PRAY for our troops around the world - with me - truckstars....whether you agree with the war or not - I think we can ALL agree that these are OUR men and women over there, our KIDS, and, the politics involved is way over my head, not to mention the idea that there's probably a lot going on we DON'T know about, so......and let's not forget about GOD in this equation....it's HIS will I want done, not my own, I'm just not capable.....how 'bout you truckstar?*****
Here they are, bookmark these sites ;
To find your Representative - www.house.gov ( just enter your zip)
To find your Senators - www.senate.gov - scroll to your home state.
Write them often, tell your friends to write them often....and tell them too that prices are not going to go down on Mexican shipped goods either......just more dope, crime, junky un-safe trucks with bad drivers, accidents and public costs.....Keep it going! Politicians care about 2 things most of all - Votes, and Money, in that order.......we elect em' that means they work for us.....doesn't it???..........
DON'T FORGET TO JOIN THE OOIDA(.com)..............
Okay truckstars - I gotta go - I'm trying to find a haul and a back-haul, so until next week..........
(truck payments....know what I mean vern??)
Don't forget about National Truckers Prayer Day!
Contact Billy Mack on Bozo Radio, or the other radio trucking shows! Let's do this!!
Billy Mack on(XMchannel171) Bozo radio's "Open Road Phone Line"
on-the-air - 12noon - 4:00pm - mon thru fri - you can call into the show at 817-451-6055
Remember - NO load or NO paycheck is worth dyin' for !!!!!
Pray for us all, our nation, the world and the lost..... and try not to worry!!
God hears prayers, trust me - I know...........
As always I want you to remember - I love ya and I'm prayin' for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home...........
Are you ready? Let's roll..........
......you're on the road with the original florida kid...................we gown..........