"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…

"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…..

"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…..