Good afternoon from MM #7 on Interstate 10 West just before Louisiana reaches the Texas border. It is early afternoon, windy and my dear virtual truckers, quite peaceful compared to the late night I had. I took over the controls last night at 6 PM just before we hit Houston with a drop and pickup. Luck was on my side as the trailer we were expecting to pick up had not been delivered to the drop yard yet. I was able to get a nap in while waiting and the high temperature in Houston at midnight is unbearable, even for Jorge who has the luxury of having an AC unit in his bunk. As you all know, cold air does not rise so my upper bunk had me wishing I could sleep outside!
I drove four hours in one of the largest electrical/lighting storms I have ever seen! Lighting strikes were so bright and so many, it was as if military rounds were striking in every direction. The storm lit up the night and everything around me as if it was a flash of daylight. If that wasn’t enough, I heard my very first “emergency” warning on the radio that was not a test of the American Broadcasting System. You know which one I am talking about, you have seen on the television or heard on the radio that has those irritating sounds and the announcer stating that this is a test. This was no test! We were being advised to find safety as the weather conditions could lead to tornadoes! Here is this west coast girl, driving in rain so thick that at times, no one was moving more than 40 miles an hour, waiting to be picked up like Dorothy and Toto! Let me tell you, by 5:30 AM, I was happy to give the driver’s seat to Jorge!
I will probably be driving from Houston to where ever our next destination will be. Even after driving most of the night, my body doesn’t want to sleep more than an hour at a time. By the time we clock out in Laredo on Friday, I will sleep like the dead!
James just called me as he is tracking the storms around me and there are tornado warnings from here to Louisiana to Arkansas. On the bright side, we will have lovely weather the rest of the week. So, as long as I stay on the ground (it is windy out), I will touch base with you all tomorrow
4/27/11
Good morning from MM# 807, Hwy 10E on a return trip to Port Allen, Louisiana. As of tomorrow, I will have been away from home for two very long months. My family and friends have been so supportive and patient with me these last few weeks and you have only another month of holding my “whine” bottle before I am home!
I drove another all nighter (without a nap) and by 6:30 this morning, my eyes were red and full of highway sand. Between the lack of good sleep and my frustrations with lack of company support, I haven’t been the best co-pilot but frankly, at this point, I really don’t care. After my weeks with Cancer and the disrespect received from the company night shift crew, I just don’t care at this point whether I drive 8 hours or 11 because either way, I will be on this truck for two more weeks. In all my years as a business professional, I have never seen so much disrespect shown to the employees that make this company, but on the same token; some of these employees are just as guilty. It is a hard ass business and professional courtesy is not in the BW dictionary.
I think Jorge is going to let me drive the hours that are safe for me which are 4 AM to 4 PM. I think it is best for the both of us and my sanity as he is quite the party animal off duty and staying up until near dawn is no issue at his age. Thank goodness it is Wednesday!
As for my eyebrow piercing, I am slowly getting use to seeing it in the mirror and still shake my head on why in the heck I did it! No signs of rejection or infection. Since we are going to be back in Laredo this weekend, I might get a new tattoo as well! My son has been bragging that he has more ink than I do. You are never too old to look like a crazy woman! Why am I changing my appearance after all these years, lack of money for that neck left! ;)
4/28/11
Hello virtual truckers from MM# 728, Hwy 10 W just outside of Houston. It was another long night of driving and I lasted only 8 hours before my body said enough is enough. I only had three hours of sound sleep the previous morning with occasional naps as needed when permitted. I just could never stop feeling exhausted as those lil moments of shut eye weren’t deep enough for me to get fully rested. There is a big difference between sleeping in a moving truck than a parked one at a truck stop!
I am feeling a bit chipper today as I slept nearly 6 hours which in turn fed my emotional need to kill with a peaceful calm so any possible murders can wait another day! You all should be dreaming Hwy 35 and Hwy 10 as that is nearly all we will seen and will see for another week. Today is clear and comfortable, no signs of the havoc that is hitting northern Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. I am grateful that I am in the southern part of the states as I heard tale of a tornado lifting a truck and trailer right off the freeway!
As of this moment, we have 56 hours left of indentured servitude. By my calculations, we should be officially done as a student the end of day on May 6th and then ready to test out the following Monday for our truck. It is about time we add some new material to this blog and with a new truck, new hours, and new people to meet; we can bring this blog back to life! Time to stare out the window for a bit before my final nap and then back in front of the steering wheel!
He looks toooo comfortable behind that wheel! Jorge...........
