Congratulations, Valerie!!! Where's the more details?

Lilion, So sorry to hear of doggie troubles. Poor baby... and poor you.

Barb, hope workplace things turn out better than expected.

Terri, Glad things will be less stressful at work, even with more reponsibility.

Thanks to all for the hugs and support. I know at this point I need to be in therapy. Maybe next semester, when I have a more flexible schedule and a little more money. I've got to start thinking in terms of making some plans instead of just drifting.

Rainy gray day here today. Hope there's some sun where you are.

Angela: I had just went and copied my Do Not Post Here message and when I got back up here you'd already done it. Beat me to it! Hope things are looking up for you. If your friends are really your friends, they need to learn to forgive. Life is NOT always a bowl of cherries.

Valerie: CONGRATS on the job! Did you say you were going to be driving tankers? I thought I read that you weren't accustomed to driving with two trailers, or did I just dream that? Anything's possible these days.

Off to work, gotta go. I'll catch up with the rest of you all later.

DETAILS: Actually, THIN, I'm not accustomed to driving with even ONE trailer anymore. There wasn't any trailer on our truck - just a permanant box. Now I'll be pulling just one trailer, but it will have like 5 compartments of fuel of one type or another. The sloshing will be new and perhaps even , but I've been told that there won't be more than one partial compartment at a time. It's the part empty ones that endanger the tank from tipping on turns or coming around the tractor if you hit the brakes. In fact he asked me in the driving test yesterday what I would do if a deer came out in front of us suddenly... the answer is NOT hit the brakes! You hold the wheel steady and cream the poor sucker with the really bad timing.

I took a couple days of driving lessons and it started coming back to me really well - including the enthusiasm for the job. When I took the test again yesterday, he told me after the first turn that I was already 100% better. By the third turn he said 'Are you nervous?' and when I said 'A little bit', he said 'Don't be - you've already passed.' After that we were approaching an intersection & he kept telling me to pull up and over and I didn't - I was staying back and he started telling me more emphatically what to do and then he spotted the other truck - the one I was making room for. He apoligized sincerely because HE hadn't seen it and now realized that I was doing the right thing even while he was telling me to do something else. Only room for ONE driver in "The Seat" as we say. During the whole test I only scraped one gear, and that was a huge improvement, too. The transmisison is a 10-speed, and for the last 7 years I've been driving a 9 or a 13-speed. The shifting patterns are different and occasionally I forget and go for the old pattern. I love the truck transmission on the one I tested on tho - it was like warm butter, it shifted so smooth!

Anyway, I did some training videos & testing yesterday, had my DOT physical and drug test, and I start on Monday morning... at 5 a.m. He's already warned me that these guys, from the trainer up to the company owner, are all chauvanists (this is trucking - what else is new?) but we're both sure I can do this thing. And if not, well, there are other jobs! The truck school where I took my brush up even expressed an interest. My trainer's days off are Tuesday and Wednesday, so I'll work one day and have two off, then go back for 5. Once I'm on my own I'll be working 12 hour shifts, starting at 4 a.m.

Did I say ? And maybe a little bit of !

I've got some studying to do over the weekend, and a bunch of paperwork to fill out. I'm excited about the really good benefits (YEAH! Health Insurance!) - even 401k starts at 90 days and that's unusual. Bill keeps asking how much I'm making but I haven't told him yet.

Went to see 'Flicka' last night - what a tear-jerker. Tim McGraw is definately very fine, and the horses were great, even if the story line was a little rediculous at times. The wild horse doesn't even spook when she comes bursting out of the brush and rolling down the hill? Instead it stands there, then attacks a mountain lion??? Whatever. I still liked it, and I thought the casting was pretty good. Especially of the horses - ha!

Well, I guess I'll go buy that 'Loser' workout video with my hero, Bob. I've got a gift certificate I might as well put to good use.

It's raining here... I hope it's sunny where YOU are!

Good Morning Ladies!

Yes, I have changed from my normal purple opening letters in honor of the WORLD CHAMPION St. Louis Cardinals!!!


(Sorry Thin! Missouri girl here!)

Umm, didn't think the world series is over yet. Another game tonight isn't there.

Valerie - I am so thrilled for you. I love "hearing" the excitment in your "voice".

I'm off again today. We went out for lunch and then to the bank to finally change my name and new signature cards. What a pain in the rear. We've had so much rain lately. The sun has finally come out here so it isn't quite as gloomy as it was this morning. I had planned on going to a chili outing with the Sunday school ladies but am feeling more like hibernating tonight instead of making the trek. But we're back to church on Sunday so I should see them then.

Think I'll have a small snooze and back to cleaning out the office.

to everyone!

Darn.

I was hoping I'd get back and change that before anyone saw it.

I actually hate baseball. I was just teasing Thin.

Consider it a pre-emptive nanabooboo! (Although it doesn't seem to have the same impact now. )

Lilion, you're jumpin' the gun, girlfriend. No time for celebration just yet!


Valerie: Thanks for the explanation. Sounds like you did real good. Don't ya love it when you can outsmart the trainer? GREAT job!!!


Terri: We've started to get your rain. I was out in it all day. What's this about ANOTHER day off?

By the way, did I happen to mention:


See ya later!

I saw the previews for Flicka and I will pass on that one. I am too in love with the book to go see it. I do love a good horse book.
Did well at my weigh in with a 2.5 lb. loss bringing my total to 30! The best part is they didn't have to put the little attachment thingie to make the balance scale weigh my largeness. I cried.

Valerie: We're in the last inning my "tiggers" may be going home!

Lilion: Maybe your cheers weren't so advanced. Maybe you're psychic! Either way, neither the Cardinals or the Tigers have won the series in decades, so more power to 'em!

CONGRATS to the St. Louis Cardinals.
They deserve the WIN. My Tigers played like crud last night with so many errors and then more errors tonight. Guess it was their own dang fault. It did make for an interesting series though.

Mother: CONGRATS to you on your 2.5 pounds! It's awsome that the mechanism on the scale is no longer needed. I bet that really made your day!

Mother - on your loss and what a great achievement. Crying is cool! Keep working at it, you're doing great.

Angela - Continued while you're going through unhappy times. Keep taking care of you.

Thin - I would have been happy for either the Tigers or the Cardinals. As long as someone won and I didn't have to watch baseball on the big TV or hang out in the bedroom. Yep, another day off. Yes, I have way too much work to do to take off work but I won't get anymore time off until Thanksgiving. And I told myself I deserved these days to regroup and regain my life now that mom is almost moved and work stress has eased a bit. Not that I got anything done while I was off the two days because of the weather. But I needed the down time.

I think I'll go hit the shower and take DH out to breakfast. The sun did finally come out yesterday afternoon so maybe today can be an outside day.

Have a great one!

SLLLLooooowww weekend on this little thread. I hope everyone has enjoyed themselves and behaved better than I did. I had a bunch of stupid halloween candy last night, and probably since the weather was so yucky, I had tons left over this morning. My original plan was to dispense it to friends with children, but when I started getting into it this morning, I walked the bowl out to the outdoor garbage can... the one where the dead mice and dog messes go... and threw every last piece of candy into it. I've been missing it all day, but tough noogies! That stuff will kill ya!! And JUST when I was finally getting the sugar out of my system and back on track!

Oh well, tomorrow is another, bigger and better day! New job. New stuff to start the new job. New chance at an empowered and financially solid life!!! YIPPEE!!! ...If only it didn't have to start at 3:30 in the morning. On the bright side - I don't have to wear makeup!