Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Iowa the Sequel

Once again I am sitting on my arse in the Flying Jackass here at exit 125 on I-80. I delivered bright and early to those crack smoking scumbags at Sysco. I hate Sysco and I hate anyone that works there...I want to kick their puppies in the gut and abuse their home appliances with dung. I mean it, I hate that place and it doesn't matter the location. Denver Sysco? Assholes. Olathe, Kansas?, assholes. It does not matter one bit as they collectively suck goat nads. They really suck. Anyway, I had to go up to Ankeny, IA for the second part of operation dough drop. My appointment is for the 15th at 11am but I was able to talk to the guy and finaggle a 2000, we will fit you in sort of thing. Not perfect, but what the hell is in life.

I go in and grab a shower and I notice this freakish looking girl/pig staring at me. She had been acting strange since I had arrived there. She approaches and asks if I have a spare shower for her which I oblige her. She says that she is looking for a ride which I cannot oblige. I bought her a couple egg rolls and bid her good luck. I get uncomfortable with the homeless as you never know what kind of unruly behaviour to expect. I am not a taxi service however. Don't get me wrong, I do not have anything against the homeless or unfortunate losers in the travel game. It just seems that there is a growing number of people that act as if it is my problem that they are where they have ended up somehow. I do know what it is like to lose my job and end up in very bad shape. I never thought once to head out and travel using someones source of a job as my travel mode. I would feel too self conscious about that to actually pull it off.

Now is the interesting tidbit of the day. After long hours of research, grilling recruiters and filling out applications and talking to drivers, I have a replacement company that I have recently been accepted by. They have a terminal not far from my house. They will pay far better than my current employer will even discuss paying. They have a good home rotation of 7 days or so. They represent one factor that I have desired in trucking in that it would be just frigging nice not to have to deal with a reefer or a van trailer for that matter. The best part is that when I am not driving and am waiting to load/unload, I am on the clock after 2 hours. That is worth more than all the other benefits. That tells me that they value the time on the truck and are willing to do something about it.

I would like to say that this chapter coming up is in some way bittersweet and that I wish that I did not have to go, but, I can't. I would be lying. That is not to say that everything at Jim Palmer Trucking was bad as it was not all bad. Here is a list of the good and the bad as I see it.

Good-They do not anally rape you as part of the orientation process.
Bad-For a decent pay raise, you might just accept anal rape as a negotiation tool.

Good-Their trucks look good when they are broke down on the side of the road.
Bad-Somehow, their trucks look good when they are wrecked as well.

Good-They have rather attractive recruiters of the female persuasion.
Bad-Lying ass bitches to hell with all of them.

Good-The management team is competent and forthright.
Bad-Competent about screwing up drivers lives and forthright about lying about it.

Good-The place has not caught fire yet.
Bad-The place has not caught fire yet.

Good-The payroll lady is very accurate and I have never once had to call about a shortage.
Bad-How the fuck can you screw up 191.00 a week? 5 of my paychecks were that or less in Dec, Jan, Feb...

I know, I am spoofing their sorry asses and I guess that I am sorry. Really there are quite a few nice, competent people working at Jim Palmer Trucking. It is unfortunate that none of them are at the top of the power ladder. Kudos to Dave Zohner, Dick Horst, Judy the logbook lady as you tolerated my shenanigans with poise, Lisa, as the pay was always there and accurate and you are quite the nice person, Heather, as she made some sense of my notes on job history and compiled it so it could be read by those not on depression medication... and a few I cannot remember to name as I have a bad memory caused by traumatic stress disorder from banging my freaking head on the steering wheel. Those people have made my life and the job easier in their own way. Bret, made my life here a living hell for 11 out of 12 months...too little too late and I do not want to see it go back to where it was all last year. Aubrey, I saw your snotty little look at me when you did not think I was looking and you can go to hell. You are better than no one you stuck up bitch. I think that all but sums it up.

I have been asked whether I will continue to write about Jim Palmer Trucking. I would have to say that I have plenty of contacts there and with as bad at they are currently being run that I would be dumb to switch now. Those guys have the capability of running a good company but they are just too damn full of shit to do it. Thus, I must continue to write. Dedication >:\/

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

You All Are A Bunch Of Hicks, Put Down The Chainsaw

I am here luxuriating is the hickness that is Kentucky. I just like to dog out KY which is where the lubricant got its name as that is where my good friend JD lives and occasionally, he reads this. I really shouldn't be rattling cages and such but it is good fun until someone decides to rattle back. I can take it though as there really is not much rattling to do when your cage is lined in foam.

Got a return on an email to a very old friend...yes he is old like me and the friendship has been on ice due to different locations since the mid 1980's. It exhausts me to think about the relationships and struggles of the last 28 years. It is a wonder that children don't scream when they see the mileage on my face. The Saint was influential on me in some ways that average friendships are not. I don't remember ever going to a bar with Saint. We did not hang out in any way shape or form outside of ship life. He was always writing music and playing guitar and it intrigued me. He returned an email and It just made my day. Sometimes, that is all it takes. Now I can call my wife and exclaim, "he said yes!". Different story and shame on you. Greetings Saint and Velkommen to my sick little world. It however, is no more sick than on the USS Pyro. Remember when some prankster painted Psycho over the letters PYRO. Cool stuff...Dedication:/