Early Thursday

On Thursday, I got an early start.  Since my air conditioner has been out since last week, I wanted to run when it was coolest and that's usually between Midnight and 11:00 AM.  I woke up at 3:00 AM and left at 3:30 AM.  I was rolling by 4:30 AM from the Sweetwater yard!  I got to Waco at about 8:30 AM, just 30 minutes after they opened.  I was back in Sweetwater by 1:00 PM.  So, my day was over with VERY early. 

I had one glaring low point of the day today.  I was going to charge my air conditioner myself using some cans of freon I had bought and my dad's charging unit.  When I got back to they Sweetwater yard at 1:00, I checked the back of my truck for those items.  They were gone.  I was a little upset.  We have security cameras at our yards and we checked them, but where I parked wasn't on any of the cameras.  So, I want you to remember - don't steal!!  It really ruins someone's day. 

Don't steal!!!!

So, to brighten the outlook of today's blog here's a picture you guys might enjoy.  It's my dog, Bailey. 

Bailey is an English Bulldog.  She's about 4 years old.  She was born in Russia!!  Some relatives of ours used to be English Bulldog breeders and they rescued Bailey from an elderly individual in East Texas that could no longer care for her.  They had a lot of dogs at the time, so they called me up and asked if I wanted her!  I couldn't resist her I'm-so-ugly-that-I'm-cute face.  She is very protective of my wife & baby, so that is comforting to my wife.  She does have some bad habits like snoring VERY LOUD, jumping up on your leg, and chewing up a random household object.  But she knows how to sit (as she did for me in this picture), she knows how to 'get back' and 'get down'.  Overall, she's a very good dog.  Believe it or not, she gets along pretty well with our cat!!  You'll meet him later. 

I thought I would show you guys what my cooler looks like.  My three water bottles are at the bottom, my coffee cup is in there, and my sunflower seeds that will last me a LOOOONG time are in there.  I will put a frozen water bottle in there to keep it all cool and my sandwich on top.  I might have forgot to tell you - I'm a coffee drinker.  Lots of it if I were able to.  I've always liked it since my dad let me drink it growing up on the ranch.  I drink it black, no sugar, no sweetener, no milk, no creamer.  When I was littler he would put milk in my coffee and let me drink a little bit.  One morning he handed me a cup of coffee and it was black.  I asked if we had any milk and he pointed to a cow up on a ridge about a mile away and told me that if I wanted milk, that's where I could find it.  He laughed.  He told me later on that his dad did the same thing to him when he was little! 

Here's my fuel cards.  The one on top is a frequent fueler card (sorta like a frequent flier card) that gets me $0.01 for every gallon of diesel I buy at Love's truckstops.  I also get free shower credits put on there.  Yes, there are showers we can use when we have to stay over night at most truckstops.  The middle one is my fuel card which I use to pay for fuel.  I can also purchase tires, oil, and other things on it.  The bottom one is my Ambucks card.  It's a frequent fueler card for select truck stops like the one I stop at in Tye, TX at the Wes-T-Go.  It also gets me $0.01 for every gallon of diesel I buy. 

Soooo..... another math question for the week!!  IF I buy 100 gallons of diesel every day, and I make 6 trips each week, how many gallons of diesel did I buy that week?  It would look something like this:

100 x 6 = ?

THEN.......  if I get $0.01 for each gallon of diesel I pump, how much money ($) would I have on my card for that week? 

Gallons of diesel for the week x $0.01 = ?

You guys got the last one, I'm sure you'll get this one.  I hear you guys are doing long division and multiplication.  SO cool.  You will definately use that later on in your life when you are an adult.  Very good stuff Mrs. Hnizdo is teaching you guys! 

Well, tomorrow is Friday September 9.  You guys probably won't see my Friday evening blog (if I get one up) until next week.  That means, I will post again after 9/11.  That was one of those events that was like the JFK shooting in Dallas.  Everyone talks about where they were when it happened.  Well, I was sitting in a Rangeland/Ecology class at Texas A&M when the 1st plane hit the World Trade Center.  I was on crutches because I had just had knee surgery and I had to ride the bus back to my apartment.  While on the bus, I heard the radio talking about something strange going on in New York City to the twin towers.  My cell phone rang and it was my Mom.  She told me that a plane had crashed into the twin towers!!  When I got home, I turned on the TV.  Just minutes after I turned it on the 2nd plane hit.  It was surreal. 

I went to my other classes that day, but everybody was in a fog.  Nobody knew what to think or how to react.  I know it's a day that has changed the history of our country and those of us old enough to remember it will always remember it.  Our country was sure different before it happened.  I'm not saying it was better, just different.  I still think we are very safe in the United States and I am very proud of my country and my state!!  I hope you guys are too.  We are very lucky to be Americans!! 

I hope you guys have a great weekend!  Lots of football on TV, baseball is winding down, and warm temperatures are still hanging around.  Please be safe this weekend!  --Robbie