1,000 miles and 180 degrees from Thursday

My-my, how things can change in the blink of an eye. Last Thursday I was ready to climb inside the microwave and push the '9-button'. By Saturday noon I was so happy my euphoria was almost overwhelming. And it's only gotten better since! Paradise will do that to you.

Yes, I am back in Florida. Unplanned and un-budgeted but so essential to my mental health that it had to happen. And boy am I glad. I have mentioned many times that my motorcycle is therapy for me. That therapy is significantly influenced by the weather. Cold and rainy = bad. Sunny and warm (even hot) = good. It's quite simple.

My last post - a week ago now - touched on the boredom that was becoming a factor in my life. Sitting around waiting for the phone to ring was getting to me. Several days of rain and high temps in the low 50s was making it worse. Add to that mix the difficulty my oldest son is going thru and the emotional (and financial) strain I was feeling and I was stressed to the MAX.

Thursday morning it came to a head and I nearly blew a gasket. In his defense, my oldest was a factor but not the main trigger to my stress. This public forum is NOT the place to 'air my personal laundry' but I will go so far as to say; only family can send you to such crazy extremes of emotion. At least you get to pick your friends. You're even allowed to change your mind.

Coincidentally, I had a follow-up doctors appointment Friday. I went in for the results of my blood labs drawn a couple of weeks ago in the course of a regular, annual check-up. My BP was off the chart; the highest it has EVER been. Family will do that to you.

I had planned on going to FL later in December for a couple of weeks. My need for vitamin D out-weighed the financials and by 1 PM Friday I had my motorcycle loaded in the pick-up and I was heading south! I am living proof that sunshine is good for you. Even the 'thought' of sunshine will brighten my mood. So here I sit on the Sun Coast looking out my kitchen window across sandy beaches and out into the Gulf. I'm happy.

I was going to GA and have Thanksgiving with my parents this week. I have not missed very many Turkey Days with my parents. They are about 6 hours from here. I'm not sure what my agenda is now for this week. You may have picked up that I'm rather spontaneous. I have more than 72 hours yet to make a 'final decision.'

One other item of note, Saturday night - the day I got here - there was a huge party on the beach just down the island. The Bilmar Resort sponsored a Sand Castle contest complete with vendors, music and fun. Just what I needed.




AHHHHHH! Paradise! How good it is!

It's not like I don't have TIME to do this

As posted last - almost TWO WEEKS ago - I have lots of time on my hands these days. Perhaps I'm not as good at 'time management' as I think. I need a goal to force me into action - like a delivery schedule. I'm very good at getting where I am suppose to be WHEN I'm suppose to be there.

But now I sit around alot waiting for the phone to ring. I have to be available because when it DOES ring, they expect me to respond within the hour. So there are limitations on what I can do Mon-Fri from 7 until 4.

My last two weekends have been an educational experience tho. My best friends own property on a lake in south-eastern Illinois - about 130 miles from here. It is pretty much in the wilderness. A rocky mountain top - at least what qualifies as a 'mountain' in Illinois - covered with trees on a dead-end road overlooking one of the fingers of the lake.

They cleared a path up the hill last spring and have had electric and water run to the top where their house will eventually sit. Weekend before last, we began building a 24' x 40' metal building. I have never done anything like this before. It was physically challenging for me. I don't do this 'manual labor' thing very much anymore (as my 640 skeletal muscles frequently reminded me). Fortunately I had an old prescription for muscle relaxers. I now need a refill!

But it was also a lot of fun. Besides learning something I had never done before, I spent time with great people that make me laugh until I cry. Occasionally I just cried. Like that time the ladder I was on - 8' in the air - was in the way for a piece of sheet metal being hoisted. My pal just pushed the ladder - with me still on it - a few inches off the building so they could slide the sheeting up! What the heck. it makes for great memories - and stories around the campfire. Just add Grey Goose.

There was plenty of that going around each Saturday night, both stories and Grey Goose. I think that is one of the best parts of life; building memories for when you get old and sit on the porch in your rocking chair.

Another significant event last week was progress on getting our Authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The trucking industry is highly regulated by both the state and the FMCSA. For interstate commerce - carrying freight for hire across state lines - the FMCSA mandates certain things be in place. Once all the requirements are met they will issue a Letter of Authority, or permission to conduct business. We have completed that process and are now waiting (hopefully) for the letter.

This letter will allow me to get back On-the-Road again. Which means I can get back to Paradise (Florida) more often. I am looking for a part-time CDL driver to cover for me here when I'm 'out.' Our main account here is in the construction business and they are going into a seasonally slow time of year. Their 'slowness' is compounded by the economy. But we still have to be available for their needs.

And speaking of slow, we have had two weeks of BEAUTIFUL weather - until today. It's raining now and forecasted to continue until Thursday so I'm not too optimistic about alot of work this week. Next week is a short week as we celebrate my personal "Favorite" holiday Thanksgiving. I will be going to Georgia with my middle brother and his youngest daughter for 'The Feast.'

I will probably have more to say about Thanksgiving in a future post but I'd like to remind everyone to consider that regardless of your current situation there are many, many people out there that have it much worse than you do. Be thankful and share some of your good fortune even if it's just a smile.

And don't forget all those people that make it possible for you to have the life you live. I don't care if you are a hermit-survivalist or a radical ratchet-mouth standing on the street corner spouting your crazy ideas. If you live in the United States of America there are a lot of people making sacrifices for you to live the way you want. Thank a veteran!

Borrrrrrring

My life has gotten rather boring of late. As expected my driving has been cut down dramatically, along with my expenses. The little bit of driving I AM doing pays pretty well so the result is: the money is okay (at least I get paid in a timely manner now) but I'm sitting around a lot more than I like.

At least the weather for the past few days has been nice, nice enough to ride my bike anyway. And this coming week-end forecast looks good for even more 2-wheeling. All the rain has knocked most of the leaves off the trees, but not all. I'd say we are 'past peak' now anyway.

I got my (renewed) insurance license in the mail last week. I am going to talk with some folks about what I might can do with that. I think it's at least another 2-4 months before Obama's health care reform is hashed out. I still believe there maybe some opportunity with that. We shall see.

Something you may not have known about me, I spent a lot of money several years ago learning how to trade the stock market. To be perfectly honest, my results were less than hoped for. I think it is more because of my risky ventures than bad decision making (is that an oxymoron?). It wasn't so much that I was picking bad companies but more an issue of the way that I was playing them (options vs stocks). Regardless, I have developed 'selective amnesia' and have got back into the 'game.'

An added benefit is that I will now have more fodder for my blog. Since my travels are dwindling, I can now write about my trading adventures. Perhaps I'll rename my blog, "Trading the USA." Just kidding.

One trip I am planning is over Thanksgiving - my MOST favorite holiday. I will be riding with my middle brother (the one that returns my phone calls) and his youngest daughter down to Savannah, GA where we will feast with my parents.