“On the Road with the original florida kid” Week 51
Hello again fellow truckstars! It’s week 51 and…
…you’re on the road with the original florida kid………
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy Boy, JT, Neil Ray and the whole gang here at the ranch want to give a big cowboy howdy “HEY!”
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN’- So what are ya waitin’ for? Come on in, check your boots first (Grandma’s on the war-path today, I came in earlier with you-know-what on my boots…) the infamous wooden spoon is on the loose…..
First up I want to ask all you truckstars out there to send up a prayer for Dave Sweetman this week.
Dave is one of trucking’s top writers and a successful O/O in his own right. He writes for Landline magazine, the literary extension of the OOIDA. His column is called - “Dashboard Confidential”. Sometimes funny, as the name would imply, but it’s always informative, insightful, upbeat and professional.
Sadly, I received an e-mail last week from a colleague of his saying that, Dave’s wife of many years had passed away suddenly and tragically from an embolism, this past Sunday. Dave wanted to send a message out to his readers through her. In it he said to make sure you tell your loved ones that you love them because, well, you never know. He wanted to make sure that his readers listened and understood how fleeting life can be and how suddenly someone can just be….gone…..to tell them that you love them and to make the moments you have with them….count.
Now, listen to me truckstars, I don’t know Dave personally, I, like you, if you’re a fan of his, feel like I know him from reading his great column every month, as I have for years, but still I don’t know him. The first thing that struck me, hard and heavy, having gone through the loss of a close loved one myself and also battling for Barbie’s life for many years, the first thing that hit me was…the pure and raw courage it must have taken for Dave, moments after losing his dear wife so suddenly, to want to get a message to all of us, out of genuine concern, who are his readers and fellow drivers. This kind of character is something I could only dream of.
I sent Dave an e-mail expressing my condolences and trying to lend what support and encouragement I could, on Monday, and the next day I received a response back from him thanking me and telling me how much his faith and the support of family and friends meant to him at what he called “..the worst time in my life.”
This, truckstars, is what I’m talkin’ about…..
None of us, not ONE of us knows the day, the hour or the minute when we will breathe our last here on God’s green earth. And, for me, when I look around myself at the people God has seen fit to bless me with I can’t imagine what life would be like without any one of them, Barbie especially. I can’t even think of the possibility of not being able to put my arms around Barbie, something I’m doing a lot more of lately, or to be able to kiss her and run my fingers through her hair, or even just to hear her voice calling my name…Truckstars, I have to be honest with you here…I don’t know if I could cope with it or deal with it the way “Deesel Dave” is….
Yet again this man shows us what he’s made of, the fiber and core character many of us aspire to and, like me, can only dream of. Thank God we have those among us.
The e-mail he sent me :
Daniel,
Thank you very much for the kind words and prayers. I appreciate them and you, more than you know. Although we likely have never met, I have seen your name and heard the radio spots before.
Although this is the worst time in my life, I will say that with my faith and the help of family and friends such as yourself, I will get through this.
Kindest Regards
ds
Here’s the deal truckstars….without each other, without FAITH, we are lost, we are truly alone, our trials and sorrows WILL overwhelm us….and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy…..seriously…..
I’ll be the first to admit it, right here - right now…without the love and support of family, friends and you truckstars out there I don’t know where I’d be, having come so close to losing Barbie several times in the past few years. The cancer is back on he left arm, a very aggressive tumor, and I’m guessing the next few months are going to be a long dark road for both of us…..a road that I don’t want to go down……but if I do then I can look next to me and see a guy like Dave Sweetman and know that, well, if he can do it, then maybe I can too….but this isn’t about me….like ol’ Dave says it’s about faith, family and friends…..
I’m not going to give out Dave’s e-mail here in this week’s edition because I’m not sure it’s appropriate, but if you want to, and I hope you do, send Dave a message, go to the Landline web site - http://www.landlinemag.com/ at the top in the toolbar, do a search for “Dave Sweetman”. At the bottom of his column will be his e-mail addr. And from there you know what to do. I’m sure Dave would appreciate folks lovin’ on him a little bit right now……sooner or later we all need love and support and I’m a firm believer, when it comes to this kind of thing, that what goes around comes around.
What’cha think truckstar?
Out of respect I’m not going to write editions of The Health Dept. or Truckstar Tech this week. I will as promised do a piece comparing the new “smartphones” and netbooks(mini laptops) and APU’s in Truckstar Tech. If you have any pressing questions just call into the radio show from 8:00 to 11:00pm nightly.
Here’s the new link.
Truckstar Radio - Click and Listen in!
In the upper right of the page that comes up you’ll see the different media player icons, just click on the one you have in your computer, then click “OPEN” in the box that comes up and the player will load with Truckstar Radio. Click out of the start page with the map to continue web surfing.
Call-in numbers are: 954-376-8452 or 954-703-7561 or you can “Skype” in at - the truckstar live
(I want to apologize, especially to my listener in north Kansas, and to any other of my listeners who might have tuned in the past couple of nights and just heard country music playing while I was doing some tech stuff in the background. I try to keep that to a minimum but, radio being what it is sometimes I have to.)
Before I close this weeks edition I want to bring your attention to a website someone asked me to send on to you:
http://www.anysoldier.com/
Here, if you’re willing and able, you’ll find soldiers, OUR soldiers stationed around the world who, maybe, don’t have anyone back in the U.S., or they might need a kind word and a little something’ from home.
I believe, and I’m proud to say, that, people in our industry - YOU - are among the most caring, concerned and giving people on the face of the earth. I hope you’ll take a minute to go to this web site and see if there’s anything you can do. Okay?
Don’t ever forget - I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
SADDLE UP…..LET’S RIDE…
….you’re on the road with the original florida kid….we gown….
Showing posts with label "On the Road with the Original Florida Kid". Show all posts
Showing posts with label "On the Road with the Original Florida Kid". Show all posts
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 50
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 50
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 50 and....
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy Boy, JT, Neil Ray and the whole gang here at the ranch want to give a big cowboy howdy "HEY " and wish one and all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Come on in! Hang up your coat by the door - and close the damn door! Looks like winter is here in a big way! This time of year we kind of hold our breath around here when we think about all you drivers out there on the road...all of us here want you to know you're in our prayers...day and night.
Grandma's been a bakin' fool all week, she gets in the mood every year...she's doin' her best to keep her spirit's and her chin up...Barbie and me too! How 'bout you?
I was thinkin'....about everything goin' on in our country, the economy, work and all that, and something dawned on me that I want to tell you about.
It was somethin' Grandma said the other day...she was talkin' about how things were when she was a little girl in the days after the "great depression", and how the headlines seem the same in a lot of ways, now, like they did then. Lots of folks were out of work, businesses shuttin' down, that kind of stuff. Hard times.
I was sitting in my chair totally bummed out about my bad knees(the UPS thing didn't work out, I blew out both my knees on day 7, they crunch when I try to walk..), wonderin' what I'm going to do NOW......Barbie's workin' 2 jobs killin' herself...things are tight...real tight...
She sat down next to me, runnin' her fingers through my hair like she used to do when I was little, knowin' I was upset about somethin'...
"Even in those days, people were still people. We had the same hopes and dreams and we wanted the same kinds of things. It was so easy to get caught up in the struggles of life tryin' to keep our land under our feet, clothes on our backs and food on the table. For your Grandpa and me it wasn't about cars, credit cards and keepin' up with the Jones's, we had no choice but to try and learn to be Thankful for what we had. Each other. When the smoke clears at the end of the day, the things that really matter...God willin'.....will still be there."
She told me the story of her and Grandpa's first Christmas together, as man and wife, and how Grandpa had to hike out to the road in the snow to catch a ride with Tommy Boy's Grandad to the mill over in the next county every morning, and how they were havin' a bad winter that year. She would take care of the animals on the ranch, keep the house clean(which she's still doin'...almost 70 years later...) and make sure supper was on the table when he got home.
"Well, Christmas was right around the corner and times bein' what they were I knew it would be, well, kind of a 'poor folks' Christmas. So, on Christmas Eve, I cut an extra load of firewood, got supper ready and while Grandpa was eatin' and I went into the bedroom, lit a few candles, dolled myself up, got buck naked, tied a red satin ribbon around my waist and waited for him. Wonderin' where I had got off to, and why I wasn't answerin' him, he eventually made his way through the house lookin' for me. He gets to the bedroom door and stops cold in his tracks when he sees me layin' there."
Laughin' like a school girl she said, "You would have needed a shovel and a block 'n' tackle to get his jaw up from off the floor! Grandpa couldn't get his clothes off fast enough and of course fell right on his face with his pants down around his ankles, tryin' to get his boots off. I thought he knocked himself out cold, he just lay there! So, I jump out of bed to help him, and playin' possum the whole time, he reaches up and grabs me, and, well, we spent the night, Christmas Eve, on the floor in front of the fireplace."
(She was lookin' at Grandpa's picture over the fireplace while she's tellin' me this.)
"I'll never forget that Christmas! Love, the greatest gift of all...was all we had to give each other, and so we did.
Love gives birth to faith and faith gives birth to hope....and nine months later I gave birth to your Daddy!"
We were laughin and cryin', both of us, by now, and truckstars, I wish you were here to see the light in Grandma's eyes while she's tellin' me this story...pure love...and nothin else...
I'm kind of thick headed when it comes to learnin' "life" lessons....but.. Thank God I've got enough sense to look around myself and see the true blessings I have. And no matter what's goin' on in this crazy ass world, when the smoke clears at the end of the day, the things that really matter...God willin'.....will still be there....
....and I'll be Thankful for them!
We’ll be on our knees in prayer and thanks!
So truckstars........from our house to yours..from our hearts to yours.......
Don’t forget the reason for the season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS !
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 50 and....
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, Tommy Boy, JT, Neil Ray and the whole gang here at the ranch want to give a big cowboy howdy "HEY " and wish one and all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Come on in! Hang up your coat by the door - and close the damn door! Looks like winter is here in a big way! This time of year we kind of hold our breath around here when we think about all you drivers out there on the road...all of us here want you to know you're in our prayers...day and night.
Grandma's been a bakin' fool all week, she gets in the mood every year...she's doin' her best to keep her spirit's and her chin up...Barbie and me too! How 'bout you?
I was thinkin'....about everything goin' on in our country, the economy, work and all that, and something dawned on me that I want to tell you about.
It was somethin' Grandma said the other day...she was talkin' about how things were when she was a little girl in the days after the "great depression", and how the headlines seem the same in a lot of ways, now, like they did then. Lots of folks were out of work, businesses shuttin' down, that kind of stuff. Hard times.
I was sitting in my chair totally bummed out about my bad knees(the UPS thing didn't work out, I blew out both my knees on day 7, they crunch when I try to walk..), wonderin' what I'm going to do NOW......Barbie's workin' 2 jobs killin' herself...things are tight...real tight...
She sat down next to me, runnin' her fingers through my hair like she used to do when I was little, knowin' I was upset about somethin'...
"Even in those days, people were still people. We had the same hopes and dreams and we wanted the same kinds of things. It was so easy to get caught up in the struggles of life tryin' to keep our land under our feet, clothes on our backs and food on the table. For your Grandpa and me it wasn't about cars, credit cards and keepin' up with the Jones's, we had no choice but to try and learn to be Thankful for what we had. Each other. When the smoke clears at the end of the day, the things that really matter...God willin'.....will still be there."
She told me the story of her and Grandpa's first Christmas together, as man and wife, and how Grandpa had to hike out to the road in the snow to catch a ride with Tommy Boy's Grandad to the mill over in the next county every morning, and how they were havin' a bad winter that year. She would take care of the animals on the ranch, keep the house clean(which she's still doin'...almost 70 years later...) and make sure supper was on the table when he got home.
"Well, Christmas was right around the corner and times bein' what they were I knew it would be, well, kind of a 'poor folks' Christmas. So, on Christmas Eve, I cut an extra load of firewood, got supper ready and while Grandpa was eatin' and I went into the bedroom, lit a few candles, dolled myself up, got buck naked, tied a red satin ribbon around my waist and waited for him. Wonderin' where I had got off to, and why I wasn't answerin' him, he eventually made his way through the house lookin' for me. He gets to the bedroom door and stops cold in his tracks when he sees me layin' there."
Laughin' like a school girl she said, "You would have needed a shovel and a block 'n' tackle to get his jaw up from off the floor! Grandpa couldn't get his clothes off fast enough and of course fell right on his face with his pants down around his ankles, tryin' to get his boots off. I thought he knocked himself out cold, he just lay there! So, I jump out of bed to help him, and playin' possum the whole time, he reaches up and grabs me, and, well, we spent the night, Christmas Eve, on the floor in front of the fireplace."
(She was lookin' at Grandpa's picture over the fireplace while she's tellin' me this.)
"I'll never forget that Christmas! Love, the greatest gift of all...was all we had to give each other, and so we did.
Love gives birth to faith and faith gives birth to hope....and nine months later I gave birth to your Daddy!"
We were laughin and cryin', both of us, by now, and truckstars, I wish you were here to see the light in Grandma's eyes while she's tellin' me this story...pure love...and nothin else...
I'm kind of thick headed when it comes to learnin' "life" lessons....but.. Thank God I've got enough sense to look around myself and see the true blessings I have. And no matter what's goin' on in this crazy ass world, when the smoke clears at the end of the day, the things that really matter...God willin'.....will still be there....
....and I'll be Thankful for them!
We’ll be on our knees in prayer and thanks!
So truckstars........from our house to yours..from our hearts to yours.......
Don’t forget the reason for the season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS !
Sunday, December 14, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid"week 49
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week49
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 49 and....
..."you're on the road with the original florida kid "...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, JT, Tommy Boy and Neil Ray all give a big cowboy howdy "HEY !"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright come on in, you know the drill....grab a cup of grandma's famous cowboy coffee and a chair....let's get her rollin'...
I'm kinda tired and my knees really hurt...Why? Well, I started with UPS last monday and ran 200+ packages a day for 5 days straight, jumping in and out of the truck, up stairs, across parking lots, across streets and intersections. I had no idea these guys work as hard as they do....I like the job, it keeps me close to home where I need to be, for now, and the guy I'm helping, Wayne, is a long time driver of 22 years who really knows what he's doing,....I'm not going to get into a theological debate with anyone about unions right now either....I can tell you one thing, I know a lot of drivers of all kinds and these UPS guys are among the few that can actually pay their bills, and trust me truckstars...they earn their money...
I got hired as a temp for the holiday big bang, a few weeks runnin' packages as a driver helper until Christmas, but they tell me they hire out of this batch of holiday people for the positions in the coming year, the next level up being truck loading, also a part-time gig. I'll let you know what happens. Everyone I've met seems very professional, happy with the company and their job....like I said that's more than I can say for a lot of drivers I know and until now...me included.
I have to tell you....I really miss my F-450....I still catch myself looking in the backyard for it, The Black Beauty, my heart skipping a beat for a second when it's not there....then of course, I remember....I never thought, after all these years of hard work that they, these days I mean, would be marked in my memories this way....yeah it's just stuff, but the blood, sweat and tears, the hopes and dreams behind it all...those things mean something to me and the waste of it all is what breaks my heart.....I look to the left of me, I look to the right of me and I see working people's goodness, rightousness, kindness, and decency stomped down and plowed under every day!
Who do we blame, who do we lash out at, where do we go, what do we do?.....I don't know truckstars, I wish I could answer that for you, I'm just not smart enough to figure this all out, (and Please....spare me that bullcrap session that I'm doin' something wrong here you, uhhh...business experts)..... but I can tell you this....it's the same old story, one that I'm sick to death of hearin'....lying, cheatin' and stealin'.....the sons of bitches we keep electing time after time after time holding hands with the corrupt bosses at these big companies, end up runnin' amuck with our hopes, our dreams AND our money in their dirty little hands....WHY WHY WHY?....WHY are the stories of our lives forever measured against the hopeless ignornace of people who couldn't care less about our welfare?......
The deep dark shadow stretching across this land of ours has been cast by some of the worst things folks can do to each other....and I'm just prayin' for daylight. You?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Salt. Or more specifically - sodium.
The American Medical Association says that 150,000 lives would be, not could be, WOULD BE, saved every year if Americans would cut their salt intake in half....yeah really...
True - lots of companies have lowered the sodium levels in the foods they produce, but others have increased it, fast food french fries, and some of the so-called "low-fat" foods being at the head of the class.
According to a Consumer Reports evaluation of 37 food brands available nationwide including breakfast foods, sweet snacks and low fat foods - the study surprisingly found that even licorice, spaghetti sauce and bagels were found to have much higher levels of sodium than previously thought. Restaurant meals led the sodium "bad boy" list, salt being used not just to add flavor but as a preservative, it's in msg, (which is also linked to cancer), monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrates, and even baking soda.
10% of the sodium we eat occurs in foods naturally. The rest is added!
High blood pressure and related cardio-vascular dieseases are primary results of too much salt in our diets.
What do we do?
Read the labels on the foods you buy! (buy lower sodium foods, just add your own sea salt at home)
Switch to sea salt, (Grandma swears by it.), it's much lower in sodium and tastes better.
Take some on the road with you.
You shouldn't be getting more than 2000 or so milligrams a day, most Americans take in over 4,000 miligrams a day....
Just take it day by day truckstars and train yourself to read labels! Remember - lower fat and sodium foods will take you a long, long way towards better health and keeping the extra weight off!
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Next week I'll show you what to look for in a netbook or a notebook, and what the difference is!
Also - the smart phone match-ups and APU comparisons.
Until then - My buddy - truckingpopeye58 from chickentrucker.com wants anyone with an ACER to have the tech support number -
1-800-816-2237 In case you can't locate it. He's got a netbook and I'll let you know how he likes it.
TRUCKSTAR RADIO - here's the banner links for the players so you can tune into the show and not leave this great site! :
Get a www.Skype.com account, it's free and so are pc to pc calls with Skype! "The Truckstar Live" is our Skype name, so sign up,(it's free) and then Skype In to the show!
I'm usually "on-the-air" nightly from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, sometimes later! Tune in and call-in!
954-603-7561
954-376-8452
New shows coming soon with some of our favorite top trucking sites, like Truck.net, our favorite know-it-all and "seer of all things", (okay well, most things)The Trucking Guru, interviews with cool and interesting people, regional specific weather and directions, a little music sometimes and whatever else we can think of!
And...of course - YOU!
*Check out Dan Little and the OOU at www.owneroperatorsunited.org
The OOU is running a Truckers Toys for Kids Program for the kids a t St. Judes in Memphis, TN. See the site for more info.
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…
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's week 49 and....
..."you're on the road with the original florida kid "...
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog, JT, Tommy Boy and Neil Ray all give a big cowboy howdy "HEY !"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright come on in, you know the drill....grab a cup of grandma's famous cowboy coffee and a chair....let's get her rollin'...
I'm kinda tired and my knees really hurt...Why? Well, I started with UPS last monday and ran 200+ packages a day for 5 days straight, jumping in and out of the truck, up stairs, across parking lots, across streets and intersections. I had no idea these guys work as hard as they do....I like the job, it keeps me close to home where I need to be, for now, and the guy I'm helping, Wayne, is a long time driver of 22 years who really knows what he's doing,....I'm not going to get into a theological debate with anyone about unions right now either....I can tell you one thing, I know a lot of drivers of all kinds and these UPS guys are among the few that can actually pay their bills, and trust me truckstars...they earn their money...
I got hired as a temp for the holiday big bang, a few weeks runnin' packages as a driver helper until Christmas, but they tell me they hire out of this batch of holiday people for the positions in the coming year, the next level up being truck loading, also a part-time gig. I'll let you know what happens. Everyone I've met seems very professional, happy with the company and their job....like I said that's more than I can say for a lot of drivers I know and until now...me included.
I have to tell you....I really miss my F-450....I still catch myself looking in the backyard for it, The Black Beauty, my heart skipping a beat for a second when it's not there....then of course, I remember....I never thought, after all these years of hard work that they, these days I mean, would be marked in my memories this way....yeah it's just stuff, but the blood, sweat and tears, the hopes and dreams behind it all...those things mean something to me and the waste of it all is what breaks my heart.....I look to the left of me, I look to the right of me and I see working people's goodness, rightousness, kindness, and decency stomped down and plowed under every day!
Who do we blame, who do we lash out at, where do we go, what do we do?.....I don't know truckstars, I wish I could answer that for you, I'm just not smart enough to figure this all out, (and Please....spare me that bullcrap session that I'm doin' something wrong here you, uhhh...business experts)..... but I can tell you this....it's the same old story, one that I'm sick to death of hearin'....lying, cheatin' and stealin'.....the sons of bitches we keep electing time after time after time holding hands with the corrupt bosses at these big companies, end up runnin' amuck with our hopes, our dreams AND our money in their dirty little hands....WHY WHY WHY?....WHY are the stories of our lives forever measured against the hopeless ignornace of people who couldn't care less about our welfare?......
The deep dark shadow stretching across this land of ours has been cast by some of the worst things folks can do to each other....and I'm just prayin' for daylight. You?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- Salt. Or more specifically - sodium.
The American Medical Association says that 150,000 lives would be, not could be, WOULD BE, saved every year if Americans would cut their salt intake in half....yeah really...
True - lots of companies have lowered the sodium levels in the foods they produce, but others have increased it, fast food french fries, and some of the so-called "low-fat" foods being at the head of the class.
According to a Consumer Reports evaluation of 37 food brands available nationwide including breakfast foods, sweet snacks and low fat foods - the study surprisingly found that even licorice, spaghetti sauce and bagels were found to have much higher levels of sodium than previously thought. Restaurant meals led the sodium "bad boy" list, salt being used not just to add flavor but as a preservative, it's in msg, (which is also linked to cancer), monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrates, and even baking soda.
10% of the sodium we eat occurs in foods naturally. The rest is added!
High blood pressure and related cardio-vascular dieseases are primary results of too much salt in our diets.
What do we do?
Read the labels on the foods you buy! (buy lower sodium foods, just add your own sea salt at home)
Switch to sea salt, (Grandma swears by it.), it's much lower in sodium and tastes better.
Take some on the road with you.
You shouldn't be getting more than 2000 or so milligrams a day, most Americans take in over 4,000 miligrams a day....
Just take it day by day truckstars and train yourself to read labels! Remember - lower fat and sodium foods will take you a long, long way towards better health and keeping the extra weight off!
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Next week I'll show you what to look for in a netbook or a notebook, and what the difference is!
Also - the smart phone match-ups and APU comparisons.
Until then - My buddy - truckingpopeye58 from chickentrucker.com wants anyone with an ACER to have the tech support number -
1-800-816-2237 In case you can't locate it. He's got a netbook and I'll let you know how he likes it.
TRUCKSTAR RADIO - here's the banner links for the players so you can tune into the show and not leave this great site! :
Get a www.Skype.com account, it's free and so are pc to pc calls with Skype! "The Truckstar Live" is our Skype name, so sign up,(it's free) and then Skype In to the show!
I'm usually "on-the-air" nightly from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, sometimes later! Tune in and call-in!
954-603-7561
954-376-8452
New shows coming soon with some of our favorite top trucking sites, like Truck.net, our favorite know-it-all and "seer of all things", (okay well, most things)The Trucking Guru, interviews with cool and interesting people, regional specific weather and directions, a little music sometimes and whatever else we can think of!
And...of course - YOU!
*Check out Dan Little and the OOU at www.owneroperatorsunited.org
The OOU is running a Truckers Toys for Kids Program for the kids a t St. Judes in Memphis, TN. See the site for more info.
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…
Thursday, November 20, 2008
"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…..
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…..
Thursday, October 30, 2008
On the Road with the original floirda kid Week 45
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 45
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 45 and....you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY"...
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- yeah buddy....it's gettin' cold outside...so hang your coats on the peg by the door, come on in and grab a cup of Grandma's famous, and hot, cowboy coffee. Good thing I cut a bunch of firewood this past summer. We had to clear back quite a few trees that grew in over the gravel road goin' up the hill to 2 of the pastures up there because the shade was keepin' it too wet and slippery....even the horses were doin' the slip and slide, we have to walk them up that part of the dirt road...so...at least we got firewood out of the deal...dry too now…..looks like we'll need it.
Ol' Pup the Wonder dog is gettin' up a little bit slower these days...Barbie says he's got arthritis.....poor ol' boy, he's gettin' up there...sometimes he sits it out when we go up in the hills, not always but sometimes....guess we're all gettin' old....dammit….
JT might just make it...we’ll see…we don't know yet but he found a new load broker...one that actually passes on the fuel surcharges to him...yeah well, like I said, we'll see.....(call me crazy but isn't stealin' money against the law?....I don't know I thought I heard that somewhere...)
I hope everyone caught last week's blog - Week 44 - where I listed the legislation that's
on the table up on capitol hill in several important areas, ones that affect us as drivers I mean....I also listed most if not all of the politicians involved so you can contact them and give them support. If your rep's and senators aren't there you may want to contact them and ask them....WHY ?....
Here's the starting point if you're in the mood....( if you’re not, now would be a good time to get in the mood….wha’d ya say?)
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
Don't think for a second that ONE voice doesn't matter....Have you ever been to a professional football or baseball game at a stadium? One guy starts yellin' and the next thing ya know 60,000 people are yellin' too...the players will tell you it can definitely affect the outcome of a game, not to mention the fact that it can be deafening........get the point?.....
Your voice DOES matter! It matters to, and for, all of us....are ya with me truckstars ?
I'm readin' the trucking news headlines this morning...not that I need anyone to tell me that freight is still going down and the price of everything else is goin' up...or that the economy worldwide is feelin' the crunch....and suddenly - I realize that I'm damn sick and tired of feelin' helpless and scared...and I'm also sick and damn tired of seeing and hearing about good and decent people losing everything...homes, cars, kids in college comin' home, businesses....And while I'm at it here a little word to the critics of the common man out there....they can kiss my ass and go to…....you heard me right....I’m sorry truckstars but there are even many in the trucking industry who think it’s a good thing the ranks are getting’ thinned out, that we’re going under because we can’t run a business or a truck…..
What - I need to be a business expert to survive in America now? Since when? And don't talk down to me while you've got your hand in my pocket either.....
Yeah well it looks like the business experts need to go back to school too.......
No, I mean it....I'm a man's man, not afraid of anything...but the past year or two has been like a really really bad movie....with the keystone cops runnin' around in Washington bumpin' into each other....only it's not funny and I'm not laughin'.....
What the hell man....
I ran a few small boats down to the boat-show settin' up in Ft. Lauderdale monday and tues. and I ran into a veteran boat hauler I know from the west coast, an older guy been doin' it for 35 years, a pro's pro, this guy...well he pulls me off to the side and tells me it's been so slow that he might not be able to make his insurance payments much longer and he may be done for....already sold everything that wasn't nailed down...spare trailers and what not...the ones that haven't been stolen, that is...it was hard to watch this guy's face...the look on his face just broke my damn heart truckstars....it really did....I'm walking away thinkin' to myself, man, if this guy's goin' under.... and right then it felt like an ice cold wind just blew right through me..........tellin' ya.....
The rail and ocean going shipping industries are way down too....worldwide...
Where's it going to end?
Don't know truckstars....don't think anyone but God knows................wonder what He has to say about all this.
I wish I would have asked Him AND gotten more involved in government……sooner..... ……….well...I AM NOW........you?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- I want to make a comment about all these "weight loss" pills, drinks and powders...DON'T TAKE THEM! Why? Because most of them are newer forms of "speed" or enhanced acid based caffeine drugs designed to artificially raise your metabolism and heart-rate in order to burn more calories. Anything with a "drine" at the end of it is basically a synthetic type of stimulant, and there are others that use sugars and caffeine mixtures ALL of which are not, and never will be, good for you. Protein shakes, or drinks, like MetRx or Muscle Milk or Labrada Protein Drinks( http://www.labrada.com/ ), I think the Labrada is the best because they are really high in good protein and also vitamins and minerals(I know I’ve misspelled the name in past blogs…should’ve stayed in school longer…)but Muscle Milk is easier to find, then the MetRx, this is the same co. that makes the best protein bars on the market like the one I eat - MetRx Colossal. Flying J now carries em’. It’s cheaper to get a case of drinks and bring a few out on the road with, that’s what I do.
If you find yourself overweight, with a higher than healthy cholesterol level or even high blood pressure, or feeling sluggish and low energy in general you first need to take a look, a really good hard look, at your diet, that’s where you’ll find the problems..
Now, for starters these so called weight loss potions do not discharge the fats and toxins in your body they raise your "burn" level to cause your body to try to metabolize fats and toxins out of your system, but they don't, they just burn low levels of carbs and some or part of the fats, and make you NOT feel like eating meanwhile they acidify the nutrients in your blood, that's why it still takes someone 6 months to lose just a few pounds when they take this stuff. The power drinks don't do anything but amp you out, fake energy with a nasty downside.
Most health issues originate in or with the diet you eat. Fact. And for you vitamin skeptics out there, vitamins are not drugs - they're food derivatives - big difference. I always talk about "whole food organic" vitamins because they're drawn from organic foods and are in fact food themselves, just concentrated and made for people that can't, won't or don't have a way to eat an ideal diet rich in lean proteins and fruit, vegetable or grain based vitamins and minerals. Make sure you read the labels on whatever vitamins you're taking to see if the source of the nutrient is synthetic or natural or organic based, organic being best. Synthetic based vitamins are useless. You can't run on "fake" fuel, just like you can't be healthy on fake food....Okay?
TRUCKSTAR TECH- I got a new "free" upgrade phone when I renewed my cell phone contract with AT&T last week, got a cool new Razr 3, internet enabled...cool right?
Uh… well….yes and no....
Yes, because I can check my Comcast e-mail and look up "some" stuff on the web, but, no, because I still need G3 or higher speeds to watch movies and the better graphics, and some of the streaming radio, no, most of the streaming "anything" I want to do requires it, not to mention the fact that I also need to get the "unlimited internet plan" to go with it, and, a higher minute plan or the "all in one" unlimited plan for around a hundred bucks a month....and that's not even close to what I really wanted, which was a "smart phone", which is a kind of a - phone/wanna-be computer thing. So...after 2 days of research on the web I came to the conclusion that I'm bagging the cool phone thing and going with a "super" laptop that will do everything including : making phone calls to any computer or cell or landline anywhere in the world, HD or Blue-Ray film watching(on DVD or Flashdrive or download like Netflix), e-mail of course, storing files, map programs, writing work, business software, photos, and well, anything else I will need or can think of, plus I can web surf at very high speeds all for about $60 bucks a month. That's it.
When I save the money for the laptop I need then this phone is going into my outdated cell phone collection and I'm switching my monthly plan to an internet plan. End of conversation. When I want to call Barbie, or anyone else, I have the option of seeing them while I'm speaking with them for pennies.
I'm still looking at the new "mini" laptops, so far the new SONY Z series is the best, they already have the best "after sale service". HP has a deal where you get $200 off the price of the laptop if you go with AT&T on select models...hmmm.....HP's are getting raves in the tech mags too for the new laptops....I'll be taking a look at them too you can bet...I'll let you know, and if you're in the market for a laptop I would wait till the last minute the experts say the prices will be falling......a lot....really soon.....
I want to give a big cowboy howdy shout out to Dan Little from the OOU.com(you need to join up truckstars...seriously...) and my main man in Kentucky - Big Jack Knife aka Harold, he’s a 2 million miler who's laid up at the moment sufferin' from a little bit of "father time".....
So - hats off and heads up - "HEY BOYS !"
Well truckstars, I could ramble on all day here but I better shut er' down for this week and get back to puttin' the line-up for Truckstar Radio together. Technically we're on the air but I'm still lookin' for men and women drivers to host their own shows with lots of call-in options, and also, some of the good folks from all our favorite trucking websites. We'll also be hearing music and on the road interviews from some of country music's up and coming stars, like Stephen Wild, PBR bull riders and a whole bunch of other great people….but mostly it’s all of you together talkin’, screamin’, laughin’ and cryin’ together….I look forward to Kitchen Table Talkin' with all of you around the country here on Truckstar Radio. If you're needin' help just call-in to the station for specific weather, truckstop locations, road service help…whatever you need…I’m here for YOU…
The links are on http://www.thetruckstar.com/, just bookmark em’ or list Truckstar Radio in your player list(RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, Quicktime or the iTunes/Winamp Player for you Mac users out there.)
And remember, you can always listen to Truckstar Radio in the background while spending time on your favorite trucking site, like this one, you read my blog here already anyway…so….
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes…. If you’re a prayin’ person, Please 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 !
So 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…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 45 and....you're on the road with the original florida kid.....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the Wonder Dog and the whole gang here at the ranch say a big cowboy howdy "HEY"...
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- yeah buddy....it's gettin' cold outside...so hang your coats on the peg by the door, come on in and grab a cup of Grandma's famous, and hot, cowboy coffee. Good thing I cut a bunch of firewood this past summer. We had to clear back quite a few trees that grew in over the gravel road goin' up the hill to 2 of the pastures up there because the shade was keepin' it too wet and slippery....even the horses were doin' the slip and slide, we have to walk them up that part of the dirt road...so...at least we got firewood out of the deal...dry too now…..looks like we'll need it.
Ol' Pup the Wonder dog is gettin' up a little bit slower these days...Barbie says he's got arthritis.....poor ol' boy, he's gettin' up there...sometimes he sits it out when we go up in the hills, not always but sometimes....guess we're all gettin' old....dammit….
JT might just make it...we’ll see…we don't know yet but he found a new load broker...one that actually passes on the fuel surcharges to him...yeah well, like I said, we'll see.....(call me crazy but isn't stealin' money against the law?....I don't know I thought I heard that somewhere...)
I hope everyone caught last week's blog - Week 44 - where I listed the legislation that's
on the table up on capitol hill in several important areas, ones that affect us as drivers I mean....I also listed most if not all of the politicians involved so you can contact them and give them support. If your rep's and senators aren't there you may want to contact them and ask them....WHY ?....
Here's the starting point if you're in the mood....( if you’re not, now would be a good time to get in the mood….wha’d ya say?)
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov – (scroll to your home state)
Don't think for a second that ONE voice doesn't matter....Have you ever been to a professional football or baseball game at a stadium? One guy starts yellin' and the next thing ya know 60,000 people are yellin' too...the players will tell you it can definitely affect the outcome of a game, not to mention the fact that it can be deafening........get the point?.....
Your voice DOES matter! It matters to, and for, all of us....are ya with me truckstars ?
I'm readin' the trucking news headlines this morning...not that I need anyone to tell me that freight is still going down and the price of everything else is goin' up...or that the economy worldwide is feelin' the crunch....and suddenly - I realize that I'm damn sick and tired of feelin' helpless and scared...and I'm also sick and damn tired of seeing and hearing about good and decent people losing everything...homes, cars, kids in college comin' home, businesses....And while I'm at it here a little word to the critics of the common man out there....they can kiss my ass and go to…....you heard me right....I’m sorry truckstars but there are even many in the trucking industry who think it’s a good thing the ranks are getting’ thinned out, that we’re going under because we can’t run a business or a truck…..
What - I need to be a business expert to survive in America now? Since when? And don't talk down to me while you've got your hand in my pocket either.....
Yeah well it looks like the business experts need to go back to school too.......
No, I mean it....I'm a man's man, not afraid of anything...but the past year or two has been like a really really bad movie....with the keystone cops runnin' around in Washington bumpin' into each other....only it's not funny and I'm not laughin'.....
What the hell man....
I ran a few small boats down to the boat-show settin' up in Ft. Lauderdale monday and tues. and I ran into a veteran boat hauler I know from the west coast, an older guy been doin' it for 35 years, a pro's pro, this guy...well he pulls me off to the side and tells me it's been so slow that he might not be able to make his insurance payments much longer and he may be done for....already sold everything that wasn't nailed down...spare trailers and what not...the ones that haven't been stolen, that is...it was hard to watch this guy's face...the look on his face just broke my damn heart truckstars....it really did....I'm walking away thinkin' to myself, man, if this guy's goin' under.... and right then it felt like an ice cold wind just blew right through me..........tellin' ya.....
The rail and ocean going shipping industries are way down too....worldwide...
Where's it going to end?
Don't know truckstars....don't think anyone but God knows................wonder what He has to say about all this.
I wish I would have asked Him AND gotten more involved in government……sooner..... ……….well...I AM NOW........you?
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT- I want to make a comment about all these "weight loss" pills, drinks and powders...DON'T TAKE THEM! Why? Because most of them are newer forms of "speed" or enhanced acid based caffeine drugs designed to artificially raise your metabolism and heart-rate in order to burn more calories. Anything with a "drine" at the end of it is basically a synthetic type of stimulant, and there are others that use sugars and caffeine mixtures ALL of which are not, and never will be, good for you. Protein shakes, or drinks, like MetRx or Muscle Milk or Labrada Protein Drinks( http://www.labrada.com/ ), I think the Labrada is the best because they are really high in good protein and also vitamins and minerals(I know I’ve misspelled the name in past blogs…should’ve stayed in school longer…)but Muscle Milk is easier to find, then the MetRx, this is the same co. that makes the best protein bars on the market like the one I eat - MetRx Colossal. Flying J now carries em’. It’s cheaper to get a case of drinks and bring a few out on the road with, that’s what I do.
If you find yourself overweight, with a higher than healthy cholesterol level or even high blood pressure, or feeling sluggish and low energy in general you first need to take a look, a really good hard look, at your diet, that’s where you’ll find the problems..
Now, for starters these so called weight loss potions do not discharge the fats and toxins in your body they raise your "burn" level to cause your body to try to metabolize fats and toxins out of your system, but they don't, they just burn low levels of carbs and some or part of the fats, and make you NOT feel like eating meanwhile they acidify the nutrients in your blood, that's why it still takes someone 6 months to lose just a few pounds when they take this stuff. The power drinks don't do anything but amp you out, fake energy with a nasty downside.
Most health issues originate in or with the diet you eat. Fact. And for you vitamin skeptics out there, vitamins are not drugs - they're food derivatives - big difference. I always talk about "whole food organic" vitamins because they're drawn from organic foods and are in fact food themselves, just concentrated and made for people that can't, won't or don't have a way to eat an ideal diet rich in lean proteins and fruit, vegetable or grain based vitamins and minerals. Make sure you read the labels on whatever vitamins you're taking to see if the source of the nutrient is synthetic or natural or organic based, organic being best. Synthetic based vitamins are useless. You can't run on "fake" fuel, just like you can't be healthy on fake food....Okay?
TRUCKSTAR TECH- I got a new "free" upgrade phone when I renewed my cell phone contract with AT&T last week, got a cool new Razr 3, internet enabled...cool right?
Uh… well….yes and no....
Yes, because I can check my Comcast e-mail and look up "some" stuff on the web, but, no, because I still need G3 or higher speeds to watch movies and the better graphics, and some of the streaming radio, no, most of the streaming "anything" I want to do requires it, not to mention the fact that I also need to get the "unlimited internet plan" to go with it, and, a higher minute plan or the "all in one" unlimited plan for around a hundred bucks a month....and that's not even close to what I really wanted, which was a "smart phone", which is a kind of a - phone/wanna-be computer thing. So...after 2 days of research on the web I came to the conclusion that I'm bagging the cool phone thing and going with a "super" laptop that will do everything including : making phone calls to any computer or cell or landline anywhere in the world, HD or Blue-Ray film watching(on DVD or Flashdrive or download like Netflix), e-mail of course, storing files, map programs, writing work, business software, photos, and well, anything else I will need or can think of, plus I can web surf at very high speeds all for about $60 bucks a month. That's it.
When I save the money for the laptop I need then this phone is going into my outdated cell phone collection and I'm switching my monthly plan to an internet plan. End of conversation. When I want to call Barbie, or anyone else, I have the option of seeing them while I'm speaking with them for pennies.
I'm still looking at the new "mini" laptops, so far the new SONY Z series is the best, they already have the best "after sale service". HP has a deal where you get $200 off the price of the laptop if you go with AT&T on select models...hmmm.....HP's are getting raves in the tech mags too for the new laptops....I'll be taking a look at them too you can bet...I'll let you know, and if you're in the market for a laptop I would wait till the last minute the experts say the prices will be falling......a lot....really soon.....
I want to give a big cowboy howdy shout out to Dan Little from the OOU.com(you need to join up truckstars...seriously...) and my main man in Kentucky - Big Jack Knife aka Harold, he’s a 2 million miler who's laid up at the moment sufferin' from a little bit of "father time".....
So - hats off and heads up - "HEY BOYS !"
Well truckstars, I could ramble on all day here but I better shut er' down for this week and get back to puttin' the line-up for Truckstar Radio together. Technically we're on the air but I'm still lookin' for men and women drivers to host their own shows with lots of call-in options, and also, some of the good folks from all our favorite trucking websites. We'll also be hearing music and on the road interviews from some of country music's up and coming stars, like Stephen Wild, PBR bull riders and a whole bunch of other great people….but mostly it’s all of you together talkin’, screamin’, laughin’ and cryin’ together….I look forward to Kitchen Table Talkin' with all of you around the country here on Truckstar Radio. If you're needin' help just call-in to the station for specific weather, truckstop locations, road service help…whatever you need…I’m here for YOU…
The links are on http://www.thetruckstar.com/, just bookmark em’ or list Truckstar Radio in your player list(RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, Quicktime or the iTunes/Winamp Player for you Mac users out there.)
And remember, you can always listen to Truckstar Radio in the background while spending time on your favorite trucking site, like this one, you read my blog here already anyway…so….
Don’t forget about abused kids…..they really need heroes…. If you’re a prayin’ person, Please 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 !
So 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…..
Friday, October 17, 2008
"On the Road with the original florida kid"Week 42
"On the Road with the original florida kid" Week 42
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 42 and...
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch want to say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, you know the drill...grab an ashtray, a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and pull up a chair, there's more on the front porch by the door. Seems every week more and more people come over to sit around the table and talk about stuff goin' on, but that's okay that's what we're here for..
Well, I've been sittin' here on my butt for 4 weeks now waitin' on boat freight to pick up, but....and it's not just the price of fuel going up and down like it's on a pogo stick either...(yeah and that's another thing...).. fuel prices jumping up and down like they're on a pogo stick(yeah and that's another thing....), the economy in general is what I guess we're talkin' about here.
Like you, truckstars, I'm no economist but I can read and I have ears, so when I read about how, and hear about why the economy is in the shape it's in, I too believe that the problems go back a ways, even before the Bush people got in there. Now before everyone starts pointin' fingers and sayin' this and sayin' that, I'm going to tell you....I'm not playin' it like that. Why? Because I don't want to act and sound like the jokers runnin' the show on both sides of the isle acting like teenagers playin' stab tag every day over stupid stuff, with my future and the American future in their hands...I'm not doin' it...we don't have time to figure it out and I don't know if at this point it matters, other than figuring out what NOT to do over again....WHAT MATTERS...is that we, as Americans take responsibility for the direction and future of this nation and move forward with a better sense of our moral compass(if we still have one, you watch the tv and you wonder....) and more hands on involvement.....much more
Barbie's got that strained nervous look in her eyes, I can see it when she looks at me. Grandma was lookin' out the kitchen window the other day, the way she does when I know she's thinkin' about Grandpa, and the tears were streamin' down her face....then, mine too...
I know it wasn't just for us either, lots of folks we know have hit hard times...people - good, everyday decent working people losin' homes, businesses, cars, land, and havin' to give up things they love just to try to pay bills and put food on the table...seems like we hear of someone every day losin' their rig or home.........even the third world knows you can't keep sending jobs out of the country and hope the economy will survive!
We may be next, I don't know..GOD HELP US....GOD HELP US ALL...PLEASE
This mortgage thing, the AIG bailout, all this business crisis stuff isn't killin' the economy, they're signs of an economy in serious trouble, and I know you don't need me to tell you that, but, I am sayin' that I truly believe we, as a people and as a nation, we need to take more responsibility for our government and economy. I can't tell you how sick and tired I am watching the politicians on tv fighting and mudslingin' like little kids... meanwhile the country is being ransacked by big business and anyone else who can afford to own their own politician.....we must look like idiots to the rest of the world...seriously... There isn't even anyone left for the corporations in this country to screw(except themselves but they're too smart for that, and besides, it hurts...)...man, I'm in the wrong business...how cool is it to run a multi-billion dollar company into the ground screwin' millions of people into the poor house and then gettin' bailed out so they can do it all over again....(do ya think the CEO of AIG has missed a paycheck?....I never got roses, a phone call, hell, he even skipped the foreplay)....what the hell man???
And where does the government get off tellin' me...not askin'...but tellin' me that I'm payin' for it! WHAT??? (tell me - who works for who.....again?)
Meanwhile, I'm sittin' here lookin' at a pile of bills, (including my 8 days over due truck payment), that I can't pay because freight's low, fuel's high and no one's movin' boats...and I know I'm not the only one...I hear from a lot of drivers who are in the same boat...(the one that's sinking, that is....) and if I read one more trucking blogger say that everything is fine and we should quit complaining and it's just a temporary slump, we've had them before, it'll level off, watch your expenses.....and all that bullcrap, I'm going to rip my hair out(after it grows in.....again).
Those of you who've raised teenagers know, most of em', most of the time, you can't trust...as kids I mean....you want to but you know you can't...you only hope they don't burn the damn house down while you're on a run....it's kind of the same thing when you talk about our so called leaders...you want to trust em', but you know ya can't....and this time.....
.....the house IS on fire.......hellOOOooo...
I bet the CEO of AIG gets a paycheck this week, the President of the U.S., the Rep's and Senators, they're all gettin' paid this week...I'm not...are you ?
If someone works for you, and ruins your business...aren't you supposed to fire them?? Voting is how we do that…….
And here's another thought: Why don't we ever boycott the products of companies that have moved out of the country putting thousands of people out of work just to increase their profits...Wal-Mart spends 18-20 billion a year in China...Levi's, the jeans co. fired 7,000 people a few years ago and moved just over the mexican border, like Ralph Lauren and dozens of other co's....Ford and GM are closing plant after plant...textiles - are there any made here still?...
There has to come a point when you realize you're cutting your own throat....why can't our leaders and big business figure that out? Even the greediest thievin' person or company has to come to their senses sooner or later....right?
Truckstars, I don't have the answers....I wish I did...but I can tell you one thing...you can't run a business, or anything for that matter, and not ever show up to the office, especially when the people we've hired can't do it....we're going to have to figure out how to get more involved....not in politics....but in government....
...remember the phrase - "by the people and for the people"...?
Now you know what it really means....I do....now.....
What'cha think truckstar?
Contact your elected officials TODAY! -
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov - scroll to your home state
We know your support and participation had an effect on this mexican trucking thing...the President might veto the House's vote to cut off money but they say they'll fight it.....so let em' know how you feel......
I registered to vote today....you have a few more days maybe 10 or so before the 29 day cut off...just Google, enter your home state name before the 2 words "voter registration" and it'll tell you where you can register in your area, or offer an online option where you enter the info and it makes up an appl. for you then you print it, sign it and mail it or take it to the supervisor of elections office near where you live.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out CNN.comLive and also www.google.com/mobile/gmm - this is a Google program you can load into your phone to give you a gps and a map and direction program, for you techies out there you can also side load it in directly from your computer. Google's new Android phone is cool and most of the cell phone experts like it but it doesn't do nearly enough for me and I'm not payin' for a cell phone AND mobile internet....if I have to choose it'll be mobile internet......where I go my laptop goes......
I'm still trying to fall in love with the new breed of mini-laptops, like the new Acer Aspire One, or the much anticipated Dell Inspiron 10", but I really haven't seen one yet that has the juice I need while I'm on the road, and be careful the smaller ones have screen size adjustment issues, get at least a 10" screen.
Skype, Windows Live and Yahoo Live all have free pc to pc calling phone programs now and all 3 have video too if your laptop has a webcam - you can talk to and see your family at home( or anyone else...) for free! It only takes a minute to load in your pc or laptop. I like the new swivel screen laptops with lots of usb ports, the new air cards for mobile internet come in usb modem, they look kind of like a usb flash drive, and also a 4 or more gig ram dual core, HD or Blue-Ray screen, built in web cam and mic( and make sure they have their own controls...), although a headset is cheap, (they even make bluetooth headsets with a usb plug for handsfree driving while talking). Asus, Sony, Dell, Hp...everyone seems to be making a good laptop just get one with the features you want or need. I'll probably end up with AT&T for my mobile web co, they have the new usb air cards and good connection nationwide, but I'll probably get a new laptop with embedded 3G broadband so I won't even need an air card. Also check out this website - www.fancast.com - for tv shows and movies you can watch for free.....
I need a 10 pixel digital camera with a 200-400 wide zoom lens for photos.
I'm also sticking with XP for now too....
Keep in mind that Sony and Apple have the highest rated customer support, Sony's best help is their phone support, Toshiba is also not bad with customer phone support. Gateway is terrible and they want you to pay by the minute for help, it's a ripoff. Getting some of the new app's to work is tough even for experts and Customer Support should be a factor in deciding which brand and model you buy.
THE HEALTH DEPT- This week’s Health Dept. is going to be short because I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays, M.D. Dr. Mays has written another “bible diet book” like “The Makers Diet” by Jordan Rubin but I believe this one is a good buy and filled with the info I want you to have for everyday food buying and eating habits and why…..you can buy it online from Alibris Books for a discounted price, here’s the link, just enter The Bible Diet in the search line:
http://www.alibris.com/
Remember truckstars the condition of your body is a direct result of what you eat, the better you eat the healthier you’ll be. Don’t be discouraged by the endless stream of info on diets and what to eat, what not to eat. Arm yourself with a good foundational knowledge of food and diet throughout human history and it’ll give you a fix on where we are now and how you too can eat well and be healthy. You don’t have to be a believer to read and learn what’s in the “Bible Diet” books, but don’t discount it either if you haven’t read one of them…Okay? Don’t forget to think about whole grains and raw veg’s in your diet!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
Hello again fellow truckstars! It's Week 42 and...
....you're on the road with the original florida kid....
Grandma, Barbie, Pup the wonder dog and the whole gang here at the ranch want to say a big cowboy howdy "HEY!"
KITCHEN TABLE TALKIN'- Alright, you know the drill...grab an ashtray, a cup of Grandma's famous cowboy coffee and pull up a chair, there's more on the front porch by the door. Seems every week more and more people come over to sit around the table and talk about stuff goin' on, but that's okay that's what we're here for..
Well, I've been sittin' here on my butt for 4 weeks now waitin' on boat freight to pick up, but....and it's not just the price of fuel going up and down like it's on a pogo stick either...(yeah and that's another thing...).. fuel prices jumping up and down like they're on a pogo stick(yeah and that's another thing....), the economy in general is what I guess we're talkin' about here.
Like you, truckstars, I'm no economist but I can read and I have ears, so when I read about how, and hear about why the economy is in the shape it's in, I too believe that the problems go back a ways, even before the Bush people got in there. Now before everyone starts pointin' fingers and sayin' this and sayin' that, I'm going to tell you....I'm not playin' it like that. Why? Because I don't want to act and sound like the jokers runnin' the show on both sides of the isle acting like teenagers playin' stab tag every day over stupid stuff, with my future and the American future in their hands...I'm not doin' it...we don't have time to figure it out and I don't know if at this point it matters, other than figuring out what NOT to do over again....WHAT MATTERS...is that we, as Americans take responsibility for the direction and future of this nation and move forward with a better sense of our moral compass(if we still have one, you watch the tv and you wonder....) and more hands on involvement.....much more
Barbie's got that strained nervous look in her eyes, I can see it when she looks at me. Grandma was lookin' out the kitchen window the other day, the way she does when I know she's thinkin' about Grandpa, and the tears were streamin' down her face....then, mine too...
I know it wasn't just for us either, lots of folks we know have hit hard times...people - good, everyday decent working people losin' homes, businesses, cars, land, and havin' to give up things they love just to try to pay bills and put food on the table...seems like we hear of someone every day losin' their rig or home.........even the third world knows you can't keep sending jobs out of the country and hope the economy will survive!
We may be next, I don't know..GOD HELP US....GOD HELP US ALL...PLEASE
This mortgage thing, the AIG bailout, all this business crisis stuff isn't killin' the economy, they're signs of an economy in serious trouble, and I know you don't need me to tell you that, but, I am sayin' that I truly believe we, as a people and as a nation, we need to take more responsibility for our government and economy. I can't tell you how sick and tired I am watching the politicians on tv fighting and mudslingin' like little kids... meanwhile the country is being ransacked by big business and anyone else who can afford to own their own politician.....we must look like idiots to the rest of the world...seriously... There isn't even anyone left for the corporations in this country to screw(except themselves but they're too smart for that, and besides, it hurts...)...man, I'm in the wrong business...how cool is it to run a multi-billion dollar company into the ground screwin' millions of people into the poor house and then gettin' bailed out so they can do it all over again....(do ya think the CEO of AIG has missed a paycheck?....I never got roses, a phone call, hell, he even skipped the foreplay)....what the hell man???
And where does the government get off tellin' me...not askin'...but tellin' me that I'm payin' for it! WHAT??? (tell me - who works for who.....again?)
Meanwhile, I'm sittin' here lookin' at a pile of bills, (including my 8 days over due truck payment), that I can't pay because freight's low, fuel's high and no one's movin' boats...and I know I'm not the only one...I hear from a lot of drivers who are in the same boat...(the one that's sinking, that is....) and if I read one more trucking blogger say that everything is fine and we should quit complaining and it's just a temporary slump, we've had them before, it'll level off, watch your expenses.....and all that bullcrap, I'm going to rip my hair out(after it grows in.....again).
Those of you who've raised teenagers know, most of em', most of the time, you can't trust...as kids I mean....you want to but you know you can't...you only hope they don't burn the damn house down while you're on a run....it's kind of the same thing when you talk about our so called leaders...you want to trust em', but you know ya can't....and this time.....
.....the house IS on fire.......hellOOOooo...
I bet the CEO of AIG gets a paycheck this week, the President of the U.S., the Rep's and Senators, they're all gettin' paid this week...I'm not...are you ?
If someone works for you, and ruins your business...aren't you supposed to fire them?? Voting is how we do that…….
And here's another thought: Why don't we ever boycott the products of companies that have moved out of the country putting thousands of people out of work just to increase their profits...Wal-Mart spends 18-20 billion a year in China...Levi's, the jeans co. fired 7,000 people a few years ago and moved just over the mexican border, like Ralph Lauren and dozens of other co's....Ford and GM are closing plant after plant...textiles - are there any made here still?...
There has to come a point when you realize you're cutting your own throat....why can't our leaders and big business figure that out? Even the greediest thievin' person or company has to come to their senses sooner or later....right?
Truckstars, I don't have the answers....I wish I did...but I can tell you one thing...you can't run a business, or anything for that matter, and not ever show up to the office, especially when the people we've hired can't do it....we're going to have to figure out how to get more involved....not in politics....but in government....
...remember the phrase - "by the people and for the people"...?
Now you know what it really means....I do....now.....
What'cha think truckstar?
Contact your elected officials TODAY! -
www.house.gov - to find your representative enter your zip code
www.senate.gov - scroll to your home state
We know your support and participation had an effect on this mexican trucking thing...the President might veto the House's vote to cut off money but they say they'll fight it.....so let em' know how you feel......
I registered to vote today....you have a few more days maybe 10 or so before the 29 day cut off...just Google, enter your home state name before the 2 words "voter registration" and it'll tell you where you can register in your area, or offer an online option where you enter the info and it makes up an appl. for you then you print it, sign it and mail it or take it to the supervisor of elections office near where you live.
TRUCKSTAR TECH- Check out CNN.comLive and also www.google.com/mobile/gmm - this is a Google program you can load into your phone to give you a gps and a map and direction program, for you techies out there you can also side load it in directly from your computer. Google's new Android phone is cool and most of the cell phone experts like it but it doesn't do nearly enough for me and I'm not payin' for a cell phone AND mobile internet....if I have to choose it'll be mobile internet......where I go my laptop goes......
I'm still trying to fall in love with the new breed of mini-laptops, like the new Acer Aspire One, or the much anticipated Dell Inspiron 10", but I really haven't seen one yet that has the juice I need while I'm on the road, and be careful the smaller ones have screen size adjustment issues, get at least a 10" screen.
Skype, Windows Live and Yahoo Live all have free pc to pc calling phone programs now and all 3 have video too if your laptop has a webcam - you can talk to and see your family at home( or anyone else...) for free! It only takes a minute to load in your pc or laptop. I like the new swivel screen laptops with lots of usb ports, the new air cards for mobile internet come in usb modem, they look kind of like a usb flash drive, and also a 4 or more gig ram dual core, HD or Blue-Ray screen, built in web cam and mic( and make sure they have their own controls...), although a headset is cheap, (they even make bluetooth headsets with a usb plug for handsfree driving while talking). Asus, Sony, Dell, Hp...everyone seems to be making a good laptop just get one with the features you want or need. I'll probably end up with AT&T for my mobile web co, they have the new usb air cards and good connection nationwide, but I'll probably get a new laptop with embedded 3G broadband so I won't even need an air card. Also check out this website - www.fancast.com - for tv shows and movies you can watch for free.....
I need a 10 pixel digital camera with a 200-400 wide zoom lens for photos.
I'm also sticking with XP for now too....
Keep in mind that Sony and Apple have the highest rated customer support, Sony's best help is their phone support, Toshiba is also not bad with customer phone support. Gateway is terrible and they want you to pay by the minute for help, it's a ripoff. Getting some of the new app's to work is tough even for experts and Customer Support should be a factor in deciding which brand and model you buy.
THE HEALTH DEPT- This week’s Health Dept. is going to be short because I want you to get a book called “The Bible Diet” written by a doctor named Richard H. Mays, M.D. Dr. Mays has written another “bible diet book” like “The Makers Diet” by Jordan Rubin but I believe this one is a good buy and filled with the info I want you to have for everyday food buying and eating habits and why…..you can buy it online from Alibris Books for a discounted price, here’s the link, just enter The Bible Diet in the search line:
http://www.alibris.com/
Remember truckstars the condition of your body is a direct result of what you eat, the better you eat the healthier you’ll be. Don’t be discouraged by the endless stream of info on diets and what to eat, what not to eat. Arm yourself with a good foundational knowledge of food and diet throughout human history and it’ll give you a fix on where we are now and how you too can eat well and be healthy. You don’t have to be a believer to read and learn what’s in the “Bible Diet” books, but don’t discount it either if you haven’t read one of them…Okay? Don’t forget to think about whole grains and raw veg’s in your diet!
Don’t forget about abused kids…..
That’s it for this week truckstars!
If you’re a prayin’ person, Please pray for our nation, the world and the lost…
REMEMBER – No load and NO paycheck is worth dyin’ for…..
Don’t forget! I love ya and I’m prayin’ for ya!
So play nice, drive safe and pull it on home………
Saddle up…..let’s ride!
……you’re on the road with the original florida kid…we gown…..
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