As regular readers of this irregular blog may know, I recently started a new career path. I am an independent contractor, delivering bulk volumes of newspapers to retail outlets and also to news racks. This takes place between 2300 and 0600 hours, at least in theory.

The main publication is a statewide newspaper, with sections specifically printed for the different towns and cities in Arizona. The plant I pick up the bundles from also loads out to Yuma, Flagstaff, Tucson, and other areas.

Within the Phoenix metropolitan area, there are many zip codes. Each zip code, because of the density of the population here, is basically a retail route. The routes are grouped in zones. The zones that are further out from the loading dock are loaded first. My two routes (they used to be one, then they got split, then they got recombined, now they are split again – it’s complicated) are about five miles from the dock, each route is in a different zone, so I have two load schedules to watch and I am usually one of the last ones to load. Monday and Tuesday mornings are first come first served, so I get in line early so I can get home early.

The two routes take me about five hours to run. One of them is a two hour route, the other is two and a half hours. If I leave the dock no later than 0100 hours, then (this is where theory is proved wrong night after night) I can complete both routes by 0600. Otherwise, I need someone to run the shorter route in order to have both completed on time. Mondays and Tuesdays I can run the route myself; the rest of the week I’ve been finishing between 0700 and 0730 hours due to the late load times.

I pull a 4×8 utility trailer with my Infinity QX4. The trailer is rated at one ton. I push that limit every day.

Things I have learned this week:
1. Certain people think it’s a crime to pull a utility trailer with a “luxury” SUV. I keep telling them that it’s just a fancy Pathfinder.
2. I can get two route runs out of a tank of gas. Gas prices have been climbing all week. Ouch.
3. Before 0600 hours, or sunrise, whichever occurs first, certain traffic rules do not apply.
4. Like full stops.
5. And right on red after a full stop.
6. And Stop signs, No Left Turn signs, and those pesky “Speed Limit” signs.
7. And what exactly does “Exit Only” mean, when the drop box is right there?
8. Speed rules.
9. There is a difference between “speed” meaning velocity of travel and “speed” meaning efficiency of movement. Guess which one matters most when you have two hours to complete three hours of work?
10. Red lights are at least five times longer at 0230 than they are at 0800, and green lights are diametrically shorter.
11. Explaining the type of vehicle you have to the new lady guard working a graveyard shift since I’m retired and really haven’t had anything to do since my dear husband departed and just sitting around the house will kill you faster than anything especially of you don’t have family close by because my husband, God rest his soul, insisted that retiring to Arizona was a wonderful idea, since the weather was always pleasant and we both enjoyed golf so much and there are so many courses here to choose from; what kind of truck is that? An Infinity? I’ve never heard of that before my husband used to drive over the road in a Mack, have you ever heard of those and he would take me along sometimes and we would travel the country I would have to take vacation time to do that since my job at the county courthouse was pretty strict about taking time off on a regular basis to avoid burnout you know that will kill you faster than anything if you don’t take some time off to relax once in a while and what model is it? A QX4? I’ve never heard of that either but you know what it looks just like the Pathfinder our oldest grandson just bought, used of course, no sense spending that much money on something that won’t be worth half as much as soon as you drive it off the lot you know what I mean? it seems they entered the wrong information on your entry sheet is your license number ______? Yes, you see, they have it down as something else entirely here I swear it seems like no one takes pride in what they do any more. My husband was very proud of the fact that he never once had an accident in his Mack, not even a fender bender takes forever.

Number six probably surprises a lot of you, especially considering how adamant I am about speed limits during commutes and driving long distances. OK, just commuting time. When your stops are clustered about a mile apart, it takes f o r e v e r to get to the next one. Ten over takes some of the anxiety out of whether or not you’ll ever get there.

Things I have known, but have been refreshed this week:
1. Trailers pull easier with a little more weight in front of the axle.
2. Unloading a trailer unevenly is worse than loading it wrong in the first place – loading shows the problems when you pull away from the dock, unloading unevenly increases problems exponentially over time.
3. Backing a trailer with a shorter hitch-to-axle length than the tow vehicle’s wheelbase is touchy – one wrong move and the trailer gets crossed up very quickly.
4. Knives are sharp. Especially twine knives, which are worn like a ring on your cutting hand, and are handy to have when stocking store shelves. However, the non-cutting index finger needs to stay out of the way.
5. Sleep deprivation can produce auditory and visual hallucinations.
6. Policemen have NO sense of humor at 0430.
7. Getting adjusted to a night shift schedule makes sleeping interesting – the sleep you do get never lasts long enough.

Well, that about sums up why I haven’t written in so long. What’s up with you all?

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

I got a notification from the Spanish Sweepstakes Lottery today. Seems I won! Isn’t that great? Only problem is, I never entered it, and I make it a habit not to reply to announcements that I won something when I don’t enter.

It’s drizzling again this morning. My neighbor is a little worried – she wanted to have a garage sale today, and it’s the kind of rain that settles in and goes on and on …

I figured out how to have the last word in any conversation: “Yes, Dear.”

Tomorrow NASCAR debuts the Car of Tomorrow at Bristol. Not the best track to showcase this innovation of safety and parity. Bristol’s the kind of track where you bring a tank, and hope no one else brought anything stronger. Beatin’ and bangin’ and rubbin’ paint – that place is rough. I love watching it. It’s like swimming in a jacuzzi with a dozen sharks.

An article in yesterday’s paper talked about Proposition 100 here in Arizona. The gist of it is that if a person who is in this country illegally commits a crime, then the court may not set bail or bond. One case in particular has caught the eye of some legislators recently – a female, illegally in this country, drove through a red light while under the influence and t-boned the car of a citizen. The citizen was killed. The invader, under questioning by the police at the scene, admitted to being too drunk to drive. She also told the police officers that the ID she offered was purchased, along with a Social Security number, so she could work in the states. The police officers notified ICE, and they confirmed the information.

Naturally, the judge set bond. Bond was met. I don’t know if the location of the invader is known.

The Department of Homeland Security had to bear down on the judge in order to get the bond revoked. This happened the same day some legislators talked about introducing laws that would remove judges that ignored Prop 100. The Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court assured the lawmakers that prop 100 was being followed, when all conditions were met. The CJ assured the lawmakers that during a recent 15 day audit period, there were 44 instances where the criminals did not qualify for bond or bail due to Proposition 100.

Great. On average, three illegal invaders per day are being arraigned in court. How many haven’t been arrested each day? I think I just figured out what jobs these illegals are doing that Americans aren’t – robbery, murder, assault, rape, and driving drunk! Not that there aren’t American citizens doing the same thing, but if national lawmakers continue to use that excuse while passing amnesty legislation, then they deserve to be removed from office also.

All together now, towards Washington D.C.: “Stop the invasion of this country by foreign nationals!”

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

Go here. Buy a shirt, wear it on Fridays, and declare your support for the troops.

Normally, I tell you to wear red and leave it at that.

Today I dedicate my wearing of the Red to the staff and command structure at Walter Reed. You may have heard about this place. It’s the Army Hospital of all Army Hospitals.

The scum-sucking media and entrenched Career Politicians (ptew!) would have you believe that the entire campus is mildewed and molded beyond redemption, and all patients going through or staying at Walter Reed have been living in filth. Once you run these stories through the filters of light and truth, you realize that only one building (Building 18) had these issues. Yes, it’s still a travesty of epic proportions that these conditions should exist at all. However, the commander that got relieved had only been on post for six months prior to his relief – days after money he requested for repairs four months prior was approved. The previous commander, who knew about the issues, never tried to fix anything.

Walter Reed was established for the medical care and rehabilitation of service-connected casualties. Question Number One: Why are members of Congress allowed to be treated there, if they had no service time? You can bet that the wing that treats them is in tip-top shape – no expenses spared for the comfort of the Career Politicians (ptew!)!

If the leadership of this country had any brains, the military hospitals would only treat those with a service record, and non-military would go to regular hospitals. This would solve two things – not enough room at military hospitals, and Congresscritters would see how the REAL world gets treated at a hospital.

Speaking of real world, I still stand strongly behind getting the Career Politicians (ptew!) off their private retirement fund and into the Social Security system. That would guarantee a fix of the system, and put a stop to the plundering of that fund for other items. This would also serve to start getting them to realize that We the People are being used as stepping stones and booster stools by the Career Politicians (ptew!) in order to further their on goals. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of tired of supporting their bloated carcasses.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008

It rained today in the Valley of the Sun. There was even some hail mixed in, and if I had still lived back east I would have been heading for the storm shelter. Since everything in this subdivision is built on slabs, there was only one thing to do: enjoy the beautiful fury of a desert thunderstorm.

Then, I had to drive places.

Note to anyone wishing to drive here in the rain: The roads are SLICK due to a build up of oil and dust, since it doesn’t rain often enough to keep them clean. You will need to allow MORE distance between vehicles (that’s especially for you, Mr. “I have a four wheel drive jacked up to the sky and I can tailgate you with my foglights on”). You will also need to reduce your speed a bit. Yes, I know these two items are the EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU WERE OBVIOUSLY TAUGHT but, like any behavior, the new rules can be learned.

Speaking of foglights – why do you have them on? There hasn’t been fog in the Phoenix Metro area since – well, since never, I suppose, because there is not enough moisture in the air (even when it’s raining!) and enough of a temperature differential between the air and the ground to suspend droplets. There really needs to be a law.

I drove across the valley twice, and up and down once, and saw more than twenty certifiable instance of obliviots behind the wheel. My personal favorite was the teenybopper girl behind the wheel of an Altima on my way home this evening from church. She was on the phone, her head barely cleared the steering wheel, the rain was coming down pretty hard, and she decided that she needed to turn into the gas station. Not bad, except she was in the middle lane, I was in the left lane, and the gas station was to the left. No turn signal, no mirror check, no shoulder glance – nothing. Thank God for protecting me, and giving me the reflexes and awareness of my surroundings. I hit the brakes, was able to swerve right, and she missed my right front fender by about two inches. She didn’t miss my horn, though. I’m pretty sure she heard that – she looked at me, all disgusted, like I was in her way. Well, obviously!

Two guesses on the nationality of the driver, and one guess as to the nation the car was registered in. (Hint: not the US of A. Think further south.)

No wonder Phoenix has some of the highest insurance rates in the nation.

Good news – I’ve been assigned a route, and I start with Monday’s deliveries. I’m really looking forward to being a productive member of society. Again. I don’t see how these leeches can stand not doing anything all day. I was busy with my job search, and I still felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. (Full disclosure: I did not collect any benefits while out of work. We were able to provide, with God’s Grace, and not siphon off funds needed for other purposes.)

At any rate, it looks like I’ll be shifting my time frame this weekend. This should be fun.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

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May I have the attention of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, and anyone else with the temerity to run for President?

Thank you. Just wanted to let you know that you are going about this the wrong way. Telling the American People that you are going to change your ways if you are elected is not a good way to gain our trust.

Hillary – do you really think that this country has forgotten who was ramrodding the Whitewater affair?

Barack – how gullible do you think we are? OK, Ellison made into office, but that was just one state that got stuck on stupid last fall.

McCain – sir, your cards have been played out. War hero, former POW, history of service to the country – great! Time to retire. Let the next generation step up.

No, MAKE the next generation step up.

All Career Politicians – you should know that We the People are tired of being told we “don’t understand how government works” – really? Then why allow us to vote at all? Why not just declare yourselves royalty and never step down? Heck, you do that already, even when you get voted out of office you keep your nasty, sticky fingers in the national cookie jar anyway. With a few exceptions, there needs to be new blood in the running of this country.

That’s where the voice of the nation needs to come in.

The nation needs to rise up and be heard once again. The voice of the nation was heard when it was founded, and things have kind of gotten away from the “citizen statesman” ideal – now, you need to be born in the right family, or have the right trust fund, or have enough money to buy an election outright in order to get into office.

I am asking everyone who reads this to mention me to everyone you run into. Tell them, “Vote for Common Sense – Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008.” Say this to everyone you meet – I do. Sooner or later, word of this will reach the right ears. Then, maybe the Career Politicians will be made aware of the fact that they are not representing us anymore. Actually, I’m pretty sure most of them already know that, they just don’t admit that they are in it for themselves instead of the country. If there were such a thing as an Honest Career Politician, he or she would admit that the don’t have the best interest of this country at heart when they are in session.

I, for one, am tired of being told that while my viewpoint is valuable, it doesn’t count toward anything. My representative (I didn’t vote for him, but since he’s representing my district, shouldn’t he be listening and hearing what is being said?) is tired of getting faxes and letters from me. Mainly because he believes that “normalizing” “guest workers” is vital for the continued success of this nation. I say amnesty in any form is bad news. He says these people are woven into the fabric of our nation – I say these leeches are sucking the life out of our entry level jobs.

You know why teenagers can’t start out at the bottom and work their way up? Because some illegal invader is willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get false papers and then work for minimum wage for the rest of his life, and the employer will gladly never give a raise. And that entry level position is now lost to the legal citizen forever.

You don’t see teenagers mowing lawns for spending money anymore – because the illegal invaders are doing it for less than the teenager would.

Politicians, wake up. You are selling this country down the Rio Grande and not even listening to the watchmen on the towers.

America, wake up! Don’t let them continue on this path – or we will lose this country and no one will be the wiser. Think about that the next time you have to “press 1 for English.”

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008