"On the Road with the original florida kid" week 47

"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week47
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 47 and …..you’re on the road with the original florida kid….
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy, JT and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY! "
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Well come on in, check your boots, hang up your coats and grab a chair! Grandma has a fresh pot of her famous cowboy coffee goin'...a second pot..maybe I can get her to bake us up a batch of them extra large chocolate chip muffins of hers...come on boys back me up here...
Ain't it funny how hard times make some of the little things in life seem so big...and maybe even special? I don't know about you truckstars, but I'm one of those who tends to get caught up in the day to day bump and grind of life...Barbie says, sometimes, that I take things too seriously and I know she's right...I do. Hard times, I'm finding out, also have a way of showin' ya what you're made of...in more ways than one......tellin' ya..Hard times bring out the worst in people...but, they can also bring out the best....too.
The other day Barbie brought home this little bag from the animal hospital she works at over in the next town, so I asked her what was in the bag and she says "Never mind, just grab a chair out on the porch and sit down"...so I did, and here she comes walkin' out with this giant electric dog hair clipper in her hand, has it already plugged in, says she's cuttin' my hair, ( I’m thinkin’ “Okay save the twenty bucks…right?....the ol’ mop was getting’ a little bushy anyway…so..) ) then she wraps a big towel around my shoulders, barber style, and proceeds to givin' me a haircut....uhh...what ? wait a minute… dog clippers ?......I've never had a "home" haircut before...didn't know my darling wife of several decades had such a skill either(turns out she didn’t…so…at this point truckstars I need to be careful what I say because I know she'll end up readin' this....get me?), so there I am sittin' in this chair , kinda cold out too, Barbie's choppin'...I mean...cuttin' away on me...the hair starts flyin'...keep in mind it was just her and I home at the time(I had no back-up and Grandma and Pup are almost always on her side anyway...so..). Truckstars, sadly, but honestly, I can't remember the last time, years maybe, we had so much fun together...laughin'(and I'm still not sure what about...)and just plain havin' fun(she even sat on my lap and kissed me…wohoo!).... but both of us realized, without sayin' anything, that we really needed that...her and I...and that we both still truly love each other....just for a few moments it seemed like God turned the clock back thirty years and there was this bitty little woman who loved me so much it scared me, standin' here in front of me...still…tellin' me not to move…..fussin' over me with such a “one of a kind” love in her eyes...just for a little while the world and all it’s problems were gone....I’ll take a couple of shaved bald spots for an afternoon like that anytime….
Truckstars, I know times are hard for a lot of us, but the other day taught me somethin' about what really matters in this life we live, and however tough it gets, the things in this world that really matter - will still matter - and will always matter more than any trial or trouble we might be going through...I only hope I never forget that again...the things that are right in this life mean so much more than the things that are wrong.....and, what you're made of, today, is who you're going to wake up being tomorrow.
Yeah, unless a bag of money falls out of the sky, I'm losin' one of my trucks this week, I've got thousands of dollars worth of bills on my desk I can't pay...don't know when I'll work again, Barbie's health is takin' a little turn for the worse, I think we have termites in the roof....the economy seems more like the “great depression” every day....These things too, shall pass....but..God's grace and the look in my wife's eyes...never will...and I count on them both…. (and Please - don’t anyone think I’m sittin’ here thinkin’ I’ve just passed on this great and profound piece of wisdom, the fact of the matter is that I’m really not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I am a lucky son of a bitch and sometimes I even get to realize that…)
Oh right...the hair...Grandma says “It'll grow back”....Tommy and JT just point...and laugh. I think I even heard Pup snickerin' behind the couch.......damn dog....
TRUCKSTAR RADIO: I’m tryin’ to ramp up my broadcast hours to 24/7 so I’m still lookin’ for mobile internet active drivers who have a laptop, headset and http://www.skype.com/ installed(it’s free) or a cell phone or landline they can call into the station on to host their own show!(I also recommend for you mobile cell phone users to get a “hands free blue tooth, or a regular corded headset) Truckstar O/Owners of some of our favorite trucking sites are on board but we need everyday men and women drivers too….I’m usually on the air from 8:00 – 11:00pm most nights.
If you’re interested here’s the call-in numbers and the player links to Truckstar Radio:
954-603-7561 - or – 954-376-8452( cell or landline phone)
Just click on the player, below, that you use in your computer to play music and Truckstar Radio will start playing, “click” us into your playlist, reduce the screen and you can stay on this great site while you’re listening in the background to “The Truckstar Live”, if they're not here just go to http://thetruckstar.com/ and click on "truckstaradio" to find your banner link to your player! Okay?
Windows Media Player: Real Audio(RealPlayer):
I Tunes & Winamp( for Mac users):
(Also, don't forget! If you have http://www.skype.com/ search "the truckstar live", add us as a contact and “Skype-in” whenever you want!)
TRUCKSTAR TECH- My dream laptop? The new Sony VAIO Z Series Ultra-portable, or if I’m really in fantasyland the “AREA 51” by Alienware…Okay now with this class of laptop we’re talking serious money the Sony being way cheaper of the two….(shhh…don’t wake me I’m dreaming….) Most of us will end up with one of the mid-range models, maybe even a “mini”..I really do like the new VAIO Z Series(#1 on my wish list…hint hint…), but I’ll take an HP Business Class anytime too…or the “mini” MSI Wind NB. For us “sound junkies” the new ACER Aspire 8920G is “the beast”(6-speakers a subwoofer and Blue-Ray baby, Blue Ray…) and so is the VAIO FW Series(both are “big screen laptops). DO NOT forget to ask about service, parts/labor warranties!
The Big 4 – AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile - all have high speed for both mobile internet “smart phones” and mobile broadband laptops, it’s just a matter of what you need and want to do with the mobile technology. I may end up with just a mini-laptop but it’ll be 3G speed and as high def. as I can get it. Blue Ray, hopefully….
Smart phones definitely “rock” but they’re not nearly as versatile as a laptop, even a “mini” and the monthly is more expensive when you’re talking about “unlimited” web use per month and using different applications available for each model and carrier. Keep in mind if you want to stream MP3 music, watch video or films over the web,(and most of the cool new applications can do it) you need the 3G speeds. Also a little tip - if you’re a GPS person, look for a notebook with GPS “built-in” then all you need is a software program like Garmin MobilePC, one of the highest rated, is only $59.99 ! Think power adapters too! You’ll need one so you can charge your battery. Don’t forget to ask or check to see if the laptop you want comes with one. I highly recommend making a list of features you need, and want, in a laptop and use it when you shop!
Shop both online and walking at an AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint or Verizon store to ask about prices and service, then compare, remember to ask about rebates and discounts for different computer models BEFORE you buy! Air card models work great and so do the new Gobi(built in modem) models. Need help? Contact me through this website or call into Truckstar Radio and I’ll be happy to talk it over with you! I’ll be doing a weekly “Truckstar Tech” show “on the air”, but I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, anytime. Okay?

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Winter time is also “germ” time….I always bring a container of “dis-infectant” wipes and a container of “moisturizing” wipes with me, I even use them here in my office to wipe down my keyboard every night when I shut er’ down, the dis-infectant ones that is, but particularly, when on the road I wipe down my door handles, shifter, steering wheel, toilet seats, pay phones, and lastly – my hands - before I touch my food or anything else, (like my phone), because winter time is also “cold and flu” season and it’s all the more important to do a little germ control. People who have colds and other issues are always touching themselves and then touching everything else in public places and some don’t wash their hands after using the restroom either….just keep that in mind this winter….and spring and summer and next fall too!
Now let’s talk vitamins!…Most of us have a “health food” store near where we live or somewhere out on the road we see them occasionally, and next chance you get, if you haven’t already, stick your head in the door and ask about “whole food organic” vitamins, if they have em’, grab a bottle, but check the dosage per day and get the ones that say “1 tablet per day”, some of the brands have you taking 3 or more tablets, or capsules, per day, that’s too much for most of us to screw with, but, they’re also a good way, the best way, to keep the mental and physical “burn” going stronger, longer! THINK protein shakes and bars too! So - it’s your call truckstar! You can also go online and order them, I do…try http://www.luckyvitamin.com/ and http://www.bodybuilding.com/ (protein shakes and bars, these guys rock!) Keep your body’s immunities up with a good diet and “whole food organic” vitamins!
*Next week we’ll talk about the cardio-vascular system in the body, and the subject of arterial and vascular plaque! Problems.Causes and Cures.
Did you know that arterial plaque in the brain has been directly linked to stroke and Alzheimers?


NOW would be a good time to get acquainted with your elected and newly elected officials (like em’ or not)Washington goes back to work in early January! HR6630 – (this is the Mexican trucking pilot program bill) It looks like we’re in for a fight over this thing, (since the President in his infinite wisdom for some reason vetoed it) but the congress(and everyone else)is on our side, this is do-able, and every voice counts! It’s in committee right now getting ready to be voted on by the Senate! Get involved!
www.house.gov – (to find your representative enter your zip code)
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)

Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes….YOU? PLEASE! Say a prayer for SOMEBODY today, pray for our nation, the world and the “lost”…. I was once lost but now am found because someone prayed for me.......
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t ever forget – I love ya…and I’m prayin’ for ya !
Play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up truckstars…..let’s ride……
..you’re “on the road with the original florida kid”…we gown…..