RowdyRebel

Eh, all today is for me is a day I don't get to work...money that ain't being made. Can't use Saturday as a make-up this week...Dozer's got his annual DOT certification physical that needs to be renewed so he can keep on truckin'. I suppose I could get some stuff done around the house...got a radiator to swap on my motorcycle, a room to clean out in the house, a desk to put together so I can get my computer moved out of the living room and into what will be the office.....hopefully if I can't see the computer AND the TV at the same time, I won't waste as much time in front of either. I already moved the work-out stuff (weight bench, punching bag, etc.) to the house next door where I'll have room to use them again (that room had got rather cluttered) to make room for the cacti to be brought inside....even though one ain't making it back in there again. Damn holidays...Fiance was SUPPOSED to be here this month. Just found out that it'll now probably be after the holidays before she can get transferred. Had to postpone the transfer after she got subpoenad to testify on the 20th at the trial of a shoplifter that was caught during her shift, and now it is the big holiday rush and nobody is being transferred out until after it's over. I'm not happy at all about this...Christmas Tree hasn't come out of my attic since I bought the house & moved it up there 8 years ago....and it sat in a closet untouched for 2 years before that. I bought it 11 years ago because the family came through on Dec. 26th on their way to a cousin's wedding shortly after Christmas...so I had the house all decorated and they celebrated "Christmas Lite" with me....basically every gift opened was either to me or from me because they had all exchanged gifts the day before. I just don't see the point in rearranging furniture to make room for the tree, dragging all of the decorations out of the attic & setting them all up....only to tear 'em down and pack 'em up a month later....not when it's just me here. I was really hoping I'd have a reason to set it up this year....but now, I see that ain't gonna happen. Lucky her, though....she's got the first "Black Friday" shift. 5pm tonight through 2am tomorrow. Should be exciting.

If you're gonna buy a Mack, buy a Mack......Gold bulldog all the way.

Talk radio gives you stuff to think about going down the road...different perspectives on daily events. Sometimes I agree with what they have to say...other times they sound like they are out in left field. I don't mind Rush or Dave Ramsey...but Hannity tends to bug me. At times it seems like his radio show is nothing more than a 3 hour long commercial for his television show and twitter feed. Glenn Beck can even be amusing at times when he's not in one of his doomsday rants. My truck doesn't get the best reception on the AM dial, though....

I like the people who can actually play their instruments...Brad Paisley & Keith Urban are talented musicians who could run circles around most others in the industry. Singer/songwriters get my respect too...Taylor Swift just for the way she carries herself with such class....not real big on the american idol winners (nice to look at, but beyond that? eh...) Around here, I usually tune into the "traditional country" station...they play more Hank, Merle, Willie, Waylon, Patsy, etc...and Wednesday nights are bluegrass nights. Whatever "new" stuff they play has more of the traditional sound to it...Josh Turner, Joe Nichols, etc. Every once in a while I don't mind the Jason Aldeans, Miranda Lamberts, etc...and their "redneck rock"....in general, there is a pretty good variety of music played if you find the right country station. I'm lucky enough to have one here locally.

That's all it really needs....some pics of the old Mack. Although I did get a kick out of ...you do realize we're still in 2012, right? Early 2012 wasn't all that long ago. Might leave out the part about when you got into business...just saying you service NJ and surrounding areas is probably enough. Maybe in 5-10 years start with the year you went in business...until then it just makes you look too new and possibly inexperienced. I know we've all got to start somewhere. Perhaps on the "about" page you might make a mention of it...and since you're so new, perhaps what prior experience you had and what it was that led you to start your business....what you thought you could do better than what you saw other people doing.... Overall, the website does look nice. Definitely need some testimonials, though...looks strange having a page for it and none on there. Has anyone ever sent you a "thank you" card or letter that you could scan & post or retype so that it can be included? ...but then again, I don't have a website. I don't even have my own authority...I just lease on to another carrier, so I really don't need a website. In other words, don't take my suggestions TOO seriously, because what do I know?

Where's the Mack trucks? Ain't a REAL trucking company 'til they've got a couple Macks in the fleet...

Rolling Stones should've been dead & buried long before I was born...not sure how they are still at it. I never thought their music was very good. I grew up in the 80's listening to Def Leppard, Poison, Motley Crue, Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth, etc....everything from the hair-bands to heavy metal with some bluesy stuff like SRV thrown in for a little variety. Heck, in college I was even on the radio playing those tunes. Then I grew up. Now it's nothing but country and bluegrass....and talk radio.

....'cept I dont answer the phone if I'm driving...or if I don't recognize the number...or if I'm not expecting a call from somebody.... That's what I have voice mail for. ....'cept I haven't checked my voice mail in probably 3 or 4 years and allegedly, the box is full so you can't leave a message. So I s'pose you could always send me a letter, expressing your intentions to drop by... ....'cept I only check my PO box when I'm expecting something important to be there, so I might not actually receive it before you come a-knockin... I don't know what to tell you.... Well, now, that all depends upon who was gonna get shot!

Thanks for the warning...I muted it before I had to listen to that trash.

Great Neighbors Bring Food. I was sitting around checking out what's new on the interweb when somebody knocks on my door (which of course makes ol' Dozer go absolutely NUTS). So I do what any normal person would do in that situation...I grab my .45 and go look to see who it is. It turned out to be the lady from the church next door....first person I met when I moved into town so many years ago and just a darn nice lady. Anyway, I set the .45 down on the pool table and opened the door to see what she wanted. Her, her son, and her granddaughter are usually my only trick-or-treaters on Halloween, but I missed them this year....haven't talked to them in a couple months. Anyway, they were having their Thanksgiving meal at the church....and decided to make me a plate & bring it over. That's one kind of neighbor I don't mind having....the one that brings me food.

I use an old 2.5 gallon oil jug (that's been rinsed out, of course) to mix antifreeze. A gallon of antifreeze + a gallon of distilled water....swish it around & add as needed. The only time the mix gets disturbed is if I blow a hose on the road & have to add water to top it off and get home.

Yup...because the first parts of the budget that gets "cut" if taxes aren't raised are the schools, police, and fire. The pet projects the politicians might have are NEVER underfunded....but the schools, police, and fire are going to be because they know the taxpayers are more likely to agree to tax increases for schools, police, and fire than they would be for that improvement project that will use taxpayer dollars to boost the value of the politician's rental properties.

The CL log truck I used to drive had an E7-454 and was equipped with a spin-on coolant additive/filter thingamabobber. My CH with an E7-460 has the additive packets that I add to the coolant reservoir at every oil change. Personally, I use Fleet Charge antifreeze....purple in color, but has all of the additives already mixed in for the initial fill and I'm not diluting the additive package if I need to top off the reservoir later on. I still add the packets that come with the filter kits when I change my oil, though. This is the most important thing I look for on any fluid I use in my truck:

The turkey baster thing I bought says to test the antifreeze when everything is cool....

Maybe the mayans were right....12-21-12

An old saying about not biting the hand that feeds you comes to mind....

When I was truck shopping several years ago, I found a fire-department-owned mid-80's Pete with a Cat 3406B 425 with next-to-nothing on the odometer....asking way more than I could borrow on a truck that old, but in prestine like-new condition. I mean heck, when a truck only gets driven once in a blue moon to pull a ladder trailer to a fire a few blocks away.....and spends the rest of it's time in the garage being cared for & kept clean.... That truck is going to have to be a cash-purchase, because no bank is going to loan you that much green for a truck that old....even if it IS all-original and still pretty "new".

It always amuses me how those tough PETA activists can be so willing to throw paint on a rich lady wearing a fur coat.....but they won't say a damn thing to the 6'8" 350# biker in his leathers...

I'd only support the repeal of the 22nd Amendment if the 17th Amendment went buh-bye with it in a package deal.

Most of the work I do is in some relation to coal...an industry in decline due to the regulatory burden his administration is placing on anyone wanting to use coal. Remember in 2008 when he made this comment? @ 2:15: "If somebody wants to build a coal powered plant, they can. It's just that it will bankrupt them because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all of that greenhouse gas that's being emitted." Less coal-fired plants means less coal trucks hauling the coal. Less coal-fired plants also means less lime being trucked to the power plants and steel mills to be used in the scrubbers. That right there makes up a good size chunk of what I haul. ...not to mention his position against the right of law-abiding citizens to keep & bear arms. ...or the fact that he had to "wait until after the election" to negotiate with Russia because he'd have "more flexibility". ...or any number of other issues. This is the first president we have had that does not believe in the basic fundamental principals which made this country great. He swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution...but has worked to weaken it every chance he's had. Sure, we've survived 4 years of Obama in the White House. They weren't easy, and the next 4 won't be any easier. I don't want to JUST survive, though. I want to PROSPER....but under this president, that is a nearly impossible feat. Prosper too much and he wants to tax you right back into survival mode.

I think election day should be the ONLY day you are allowed to cast a ballot absent a damned good excuse as to why you cannot vote in person on election day. This "early voting" is BS...just gives more time for fraud to be perpetrated.

Company I've got my truck leased to is considering trying out a natural gas truck or two...not sure how/where they would fuel them, since there really isn't an established fuel network. But then they are also experimenting with e-logs, too. Funny thing about that is the e-logs cost the company money to instal them and then more money to run them. Then, EVERY driver I've spoken to that has 'em absolutely hates them because they have been forced to get 1 to 2 motel rooms PER WEEK where they used to make it home every night. I wonder how long it will be before those silly things are only placed in company trucks with sleepers....or how long it will be until they stop buying day cabs....because we KNOW they aren't going to go against the ATA and decide that the e-logs are not beneficial. Personally, I'm not going to put one in my truck. I'd rather park it and change oil & tires at Walmart than to run a truck with e-logs or any other electronic tracking device.

Unfortunately, the 24th Amendment prohibits denying the ability to vote based upon a failure to pay "poll tax or other tax". Passed by Congress August 27, 1962. Ratified January 23, 1964. However, there is nothing to prohibit denying a person a vote based upon any of those other factors.

The problem with eating your dog is that your dog will no longer be able to eat your neighbors when they try to help themselves to the rest of your stuff.

That was part of the opening of the CMT awards show a couple years ago....in the skit, Bill Engvall crushed all of Taylor's dreams. It was rather amusing.