Girl's Got Rhythm

*April 24*
   Concord, NC. Home.  But not for long. If I stuck with my original plan, I would be in a truck already or be getting ready to go out for a 4 or 5 week stretch. Well, much like most plans, they changed. I changed them. I'll spare everyone the specifics. But basically, I was miserable there. They kept revealing how the original deal was not what they promised with regards to money and frequency of home time.  They put people out on the road for almost 2 months and right before they set them loose to make some decent money, they open up about how they altered the deal. Well, I wasn't waiting around to see if they altered the deal any further (ESB reference!). A good friend of mine told me that I've been breaking out of my comfort zone lately and that settling with what I've been given doesn't honor what I've done up to this point. He also said that sometimes being a bad ass mf'er  doesn't always mean proving how much shit you can take, but sometimes  being able to take risks and walk away from the safe bet. SOOO.....Friday night I reached out to a contact I made 3 or 4 months ago. I didnt even fish for an offer.  But instead just told him I'd like to talk in 4 or 5 months. Within minutes, he emailed me back "Come work for me. You'll be much happier." Verbatim. So I mulled it over with my wife and a few friends.  Screw it. I bought a plane ticket, packed my bags, and in a few hours I was on a bird coming home.
   Today I signed all the legal stuff.  Went for a road test.  Had a drug test and physical. Bada boom...new gig. Tomorrow I throw a bag on the truck and hit the road. It's a smaller company.  Which makes me much happier.  Big outfits like my previous place have layer after layer of infrastructure and red tape. I have a library's worth of paper and books my last employer gave me. New job? 3 sheets of paper! I'm far more excited about this job. Plus, being that the job is based out NC...I get to see my babe atleast once a week.

*April 26th*
   Beaumont, Mississippi.  Sitting in a lumber yard waiting to get loaded. It's not a logging truck. But it's some wood product. Not sure...don't care. Anyway...the last 2 days have blown by faster than a 1 day weekend.  Yesterday I show up for work. The plan is that he'll start me off with some short runs to the beach and such. Before that, he had planned on ridding with me. I was cool with that. Dude really giving me a shot here. They want atleast a year's experience.  I have not even 2 months.  But he rolls the dice on me.  So if he wants to go bany steps, I'm not offended.  But he goes from wanting to ride with me to the beach for a quick run...to not going with me. And at the last minute, he hands me paper work and a load for Mobile, Alabama.  10 hours. Last minute. That's fine..I knocked it out. Got some sleep around 3 am. Woke up, got my next assignment: Beaumont, Miss  to Marshville,  NC . And it's gotta be loaded by 4 tomorrow evening. I'm up for it. But it's a gonna be tight.  Especially if these guys here keep taking their sweet ass time.
   For the most part, this is what I wanted it to be. You give me directions and a little bit of faith...I'm gonna pull through for you. I understand why people needed to be slowly coached. But I work best under fire. Gimme something to do and tell me to make something happen, I'll figure something out. Might not be perfect, but it'll be more than was expected.
   I also am glad I don't have my old trainer with me. His insistence of keeping me from executing the more delicate maneuvers was maddening. I'm doing them all now with no safety net. Nadda problem.
    I'm driving a Volvo.  Don't really like it but whatever. It's all what you get use to. Yesterday the radio worked. Today...not so much. That sucks. I'm gonna miss hearing the same god awful Bon Jovi songs everytime I leave one city and have to try and find another mediocre classic rock station.  However..I did hear a block of three AC/DC songs..and one of them NOT part of the classic rock radio station starter pack. But..it doesn't matter now. My radio is broke. I'd settle for Living On A Prayer and Thunderstruck right about now. Guess I should stop my bitching.