More Impressions

Hello, again!
Well, it's Monday morning, and I go back to work tonight. Today is my running-around day,
trying to get as much done as possible before I leave. Of course, there is never enough time to get everything done, so you do what you can. I try to get to bed by 3:00 or earlier, so I can wake up by 9:30, get ready, and get to the base by about 11:00. There always seems to be something amiss, so I try to get there early, in case I need to fuel the truck/trailer, flat tire,
you name the problem, I've experienced it. Sometimes the truck is hooked to the wrong trailer,
so you have to correct that, but more and more lately the load is not ready, so you just have to wait - grrr! See, I like to just get there, load my shit in the cab, and go!
I was talking before about my general impressions - and I also mentioned smoking. I am a heavy smoker, and I was even before I became a truck driver. It seems to me that a large percentage of drivers are smokers (I hesitate to use the word "most"), and that's ok, I guess.
It's a nasty habit, we all know, but very difficult to quit. In fact, I told my wife that there is no chance of me quitting as long as I'm a trucker. Why? Well, it's one of the only jobs I know of where you can smoke in your workplace without offending anyone, and there's really nothing
to stop you from firing up one after the other...
Despite the inroads made by minoritites (African-Americans, women, Hispanics, even Eastern-
Europeans) this is still a "good-ol'-boy" network. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the following, "Imo till yew whuuut!". They are at every truckstop I walk into, which is why I try
to get a booth, and not sit at the counter. Don't get me wrong, these guys are knowlegeable about some things: trucking, for sure; guns (huntin'), cars (the NASCAR effect), etc. But
honestly, I wouldn't even try to carry on an intelligent conversation, because many of them can't. I'm just not interested in anything they have to say, especially regarding the above topics.
And their appearance! OMG! I know it's hard, being out on the road, really, but c'mon! Spend a few bucks on a shower/shave/haircut, for God's sake!
So, now I've offended a large percentage of the "brothers and sisters" I referred to in an earlier post. Does that make me a hypocrite? I dunno. I'm really not trying to be anti-social, just calling it as I see it. Time to get my daughter off to school, then prepare myself for work. Next topic:
CB Radios...

More soon,

Steve