Friday, November 7, 2008

Week 3, is it getting better or am I going Mad.


What started off to be a decent week took a bit of a turn around Wednesday night. I have been gone about a week and getting close to running out of US hours of service to run. Well, I thought, no issue, I am on my way to Calgary and then home to White Rock...I will just run Canadian cycle which would allow me a bucket of hours to work with.

This is not the case at all, in fact I had to shut down in Swift Current, Sask. to gain some hours back. That really sucks and if you have been to here you would understand.

Otherwise the week was decent, left last Wednesday and headed to Calgary, then to South Sioux City, NE and sat for a short time. From there off to Darien Wisconsin and loaded for Calgary. Well, until I hit Swift Current that is.

I was spoiled with the weather in the Heartland as every day was about 60 to 70 degrees. Again that all came crashing down once I hit Canada and the 30 degrees of Swift Current.

WHile away and driving have have a great deal of time to think, stew, muse.....what ev. I do go through all of those processes but spend most days thinking about where I came from, why I am here now and whether this was as great an idea of mine. I mean i had a cushy government job that I could have rode to retirement, been home every night, weekends hanging in White Rock.

Sorry, slipped in to stew mode for a second....

I am learning you cannot look back only forward, what is behind you not important, who you have left behind and the good memories are of massive importance. So I try and keep perspective and stay out of stew mode.

Musings range from, why are deer always wanting to run at my truck and scare me and why do I eat cows but feel bad for them. In the midwest there are deer all over the place...of course as you grow tired they seem to target you...buggers. As for the cows....I have always been a meat eater...now though I haul beef from those places that the cows walk into but not out of....so yeah I eat them but believe me they have no fun.

When it comes to dispatchers I mostly stew....I have a tendency to blame them for my lack of experience. In fact being stuck in Swift Current I lay at their feet. Wrongfully, as it is my own fault I ran out of hours...not theirs. I think i need to just chill and think each day through properly and take more accountability for me. Makes sense.

I will try and post some pics this week however the Heartland is not that picturesque. I did travel through some historic areas and hopefully once I get more settled I can see some. They include the Tetons, Rushmore, Wounded Knee and alike.

Later.

3 comments:

Mick Flynn Images said...

Cushy jobs here as well Al, but did you really want to ride it till retirement?
We don't.
See you sometime in Canada.
Mick

Al said...

Yeah, you are right Mick. I sometimes wonder if this was the right thing but weekly it gets better and I adjust. Hope to see you folks when you arrive. Al

Anonymous said...

Hey what's wrong with Swift Current where the people are neither. Remember to stop in Regina next time :-)