Plainville, CT

I'm kinda ticked. This run delivers monday 0900. It's non-standard; the particular people who loaded these machines (trade show display models) onto my trailer in Chicago have to be there to unload me here in Plainville. Early delivery wasn't an option.

I reconned the facility I'm supposed to unload at, and it's going to be hairy.

Anyway, before I thought about it, I asked Korena to set me up for 1400. I wanted to watch the Browns game on the way, and of course drink some beer. She said it was 0900. I had just talked to the guy who would be personally unloading me, and he thought it had yet to be determined.

My first reaction was anger--I suspected that Korena was lying to me. This rapidly gathered steam, and I called back two minutes later and left a message on her machine whining about it.

Then I thought. I hadn't been thinking. I hadn't slept much. I remembered that this was an awesome-paying load. And that she had got it to give me time to clear up my loose ends. It was already snail-slow. And I should be grateful.

THEN, I did what I should have in the first place, and searched for Sports Bars and hotels near my reciever in Plainfield. The Browns game is sunday, and all I wanted was a place to sleep after watching it.

Enroute, I got my APU PM'd at Sapp Brothers In Clearfield, and at long last got my cab shocks changed. I mailed my insurance check. The money has started hitting my Comdata account. All the loose ends are tied.

...until my EZ Pass was invalid. I must owe them money--and I need to chenge my carrier information with them. Could be either. I told my email program to send all correspondance from them directly to a special file...then forgot to check the file...I haven't yet. I'll more likely just call them monday and deal with it.

Anyway, thanks to modern technology, these perpetual loose ends I can tie up without slowing or stopping, and overall I can see clearly now the rain is gone.

Anyway, I digress. So I pinned down a Sports Bar. I didn't call them to ask if they had the NFL ticket. Shouldn't have to. It's a Sports Bar. The last one I walked a mile and a half to get to didn't have the NFL Ticket--but they must surely have been the only SPORTS BAR in the US that didn't have the NFL Ticket during football season, right?

So: I DID call the hotel to ask about big truck parking. The Indian lady said sure sure. I looked at the aerial photos to confirm that there was a big open space behind it.

So after reccing my reciever, I get ready to turn into the hotel and alarm bells go off in my head "abort-abort!!!" I continued on about one block and got lucky with this Bowling Alley. Plenty of space to park, and I got permission.

I walked back to the hotel to look it over. There's the Indian woman pointing at where I should park.

The field is big enough, but it's grass. If it rains, there is mud, and the grass offers the same traction as permafrost. Even if it doesn't, there are holes I can't see, and a potentially soft surface I could get stuck in anyway.

I could easily have manuevered into the field, even past the parked cars, but I would then have to turn around in the field of tall grass, and the turn would be tight. Tight turns can take your drives off the ground, and the trailer fights you whenever it's own wheels don't turn freely. You get further resistance when your steer tries are jacked to the side. I've been stuck--often. I'm an expert.

A couple years ago, I might have risked it, but not anymore.

However, here I am at the Bowling Alley. One mile from the reciever, and three blocks from the Sports Bar, with permission. There's even a Walgreen's I can walk to to look for one of those as-seen-on-tv eyeglass repair kit so I can patch my scratched vipers.

I'll hang out here and then do a foot-recon in the afternoon to confirm that this SPORTS Bar has the NFL ticket during football season. Meanwhile I got a good signal so I'll watch the last couple games on the laptop.

0900 is best: She'll have me preplanned and I can get out of the area before tuesday. I hope that one will go all the way to the west coast, but more likely she'll have to get an intermediate load to move me.

Life is good.