Well, those who frequent this blog know of the troubles I've been having with my Chevy S10. I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a new(er) truck. Luckily, my dad had a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 with only 68k miles that he allowed me to take up the notes on.
So I put a "For Sale" sign on my truck and within hours, the phone was ringing. I sold it for slightly less than what I was asking, but more than I would have settled for, so all was good.
My "new" truck has some nice performance goodies, like a K&N filter and a sweet-sounding dual exhaust. I spent today putting my two-way radio and siren in it. Needless to say, they were alot easier to install on the Dodge than they were on the S10, there's so much more room.
Now I've got to wash and wax it and make it look really nice....
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
My week of hell... errr... Hale
Just got home from spending a week at the world's greatest firefighter training school at Texas A&M University. I learned a whole helluva lot this week, taking the Pump Maintenance class. This meant I got to tear apart and put back together pumps from the Big Three -- Hale, Waterous, and Darley, as well as valves from those three and Akron and Elkhart. Real, macho, manly stuff going on there. Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor would be proud.
So now I get to go back to my Department and place what I've learned into action. I've got a pump that screams like a banshee on my tanker that I'm going to fix next week. Well, either fix it or break it so bad it'll require a complete new pump...
So now I get to go back to my Department and place what I've learned into action. I've got a pump that screams like a banshee on my tanker that I'm going to fix next week. Well, either fix it or break it so bad it'll require a complete new pump...
Friday, July 21, 2006
Do as I say, not as I do...
You've got to love the people or organizations that'll get up on their soapbox and preach, laying forth the rules that they expect everyone else to follow... and then they break those very rules themselves.
And like the proverbial playground bully that has been shoving all of the little kids around, when someone finally stands up and points out their hypocrisy, they get angry.
That's what I can't stand about our current Democratic party. They'll preach about separation of church and state till they're blue in the face, then have a politician speak ABOUT POLITICS at a church service. Listen, you can't bitch about prayer in schools or "Under God" in the pledge and then have Gore or one of the Clintons speak in church. Not preach a sermon trying to save souls, NO!!! This is a political speech deriding the conservatives in a church on a Sunday morning!!!
They'll preach about equality for all, but then by their actions let it be known that they think they are smarter than everyone else. That they are the only ones that "get it." Elitist bastards!!!
It's simple, if you're doing it, don't complain when someone else does the exact same thing.
And like the proverbial playground bully that has been shoving all of the little kids around, when someone finally stands up and points out their hypocrisy, they get angry.
That's what I can't stand about our current Democratic party. They'll preach about separation of church and state till they're blue in the face, then have a politician speak ABOUT POLITICS at a church service. Listen, you can't bitch about prayer in schools or "Under God" in the pledge and then have Gore or one of the Clintons speak in church. Not preach a sermon trying to save souls, NO!!! This is a political speech deriding the conservatives in a church on a Sunday morning!!!
They'll preach about equality for all, but then by their actions let it be known that they think they are smarter than everyone else. That they are the only ones that "get it." Elitist bastards!!!
It's simple, if you're doing it, don't complain when someone else does the exact same thing.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Sunday mornings at 7:30AM...
... and I don't mix well. It's the weekend and I'm s'posed to be able to sleep late. But no, today I had to get up and assist on a controlled burn. At least the coffee was good (Thanks T, Gevalia rocks).
Little did I know that it was the start of the day from hell.
Managed to make it out to the site by around 8:30 with three firetrucks and six firefighters. Minutes later several of the fires are blazing, but the weather conditions are perfect to keep things under control. All we have to do is sit back and watch.
At 9:30, First Responders are toned for a call, so the 2nd Ass't Chief leaves in her PV to run the call. About fifteen minutes later, I hear my Chief request a helicopter and an LZ. I leave a captain in charge of my remaining two trucks and two firefighters as I head to the LZ site with the third truck and another firefighter. The bird lands, the patient is loaded, the bird takes off, and we go back in-service. My truck and another that had responded to the LZ are low on fuel, so we head to the city to fill up.
Talk with the chief and we decide to take everyone out for lunch, so back to the station to wait for the crew to return from the controll burn. About 11:30 everyone is back, so we head back to the city for some chow.
Around 13:00, I finally make it back home. I chat with the neighbors, let the dog out, water the plants, and intend to go take a shower and take a nap.... but no... the man who we were doing the contolled burn for calls on my cellphone. Seems the wind has picked up and it's threatening to get into the woods. I head to the station, calling firefighters on the phone to see if I can get some help. One answers the call, so we head to the scene. About midway there, the man calls back and said it's really getting bad, so we up our traffice to full Code 3 and advise dispatch to tone the Department.
We get on location and start working to put the fire out, only to high-center the truck on a hidden stump. Get the winch hooked up and pull the truck out. Others trucks show up and we knock the fire down.
Back home, I finally manage to get that shower and brief nap. A dear friend shows up and I spend some quality time with her, curled up on the couch with her and Buford.
But it's not the end of the story. Nope, we were dispatched to another LZ at around 21:30. By the time I get home and get showered (again), it's after 23:00.
What a day!!!
Little did I know that it was the start of the day from hell.
Managed to make it out to the site by around 8:30 with three firetrucks and six firefighters. Minutes later several of the fires are blazing, but the weather conditions are perfect to keep things under control. All we have to do is sit back and watch.
At 9:30, First Responders are toned for a call, so the 2nd Ass't Chief leaves in her PV to run the call. About fifteen minutes later, I hear my Chief request a helicopter and an LZ. I leave a captain in charge of my remaining two trucks and two firefighters as I head to the LZ site with the third truck and another firefighter. The bird lands, the patient is loaded, the bird takes off, and we go back in-service. My truck and another that had responded to the LZ are low on fuel, so we head to the city to fill up.
Talk with the chief and we decide to take everyone out for lunch, so back to the station to wait for the crew to return from the controll burn. About 11:30 everyone is back, so we head back to the city for some chow.
Around 13:00, I finally make it back home. I chat with the neighbors, let the dog out, water the plants, and intend to go take a shower and take a nap.... but no... the man who we were doing the contolled burn for calls on my cellphone. Seems the wind has picked up and it's threatening to get into the woods. I head to the station, calling firefighters on the phone to see if I can get some help. One answers the call, so we head to the scene. About midway there, the man calls back and said it's really getting bad, so we up our traffice to full Code 3 and advise dispatch to tone the Department.
We get on location and start working to put the fire out, only to high-center the truck on a hidden stump. Get the winch hooked up and pull the truck out. Others trucks show up and we knock the fire down.
Back home, I finally manage to get that shower and brief nap. A dear friend shows up and I spend some quality time with her, curled up on the couch with her and Buford.
But it's not the end of the story. Nope, we were dispatched to another LZ at around 21:30. By the time I get home and get showered (again), it's after 23:00.
What a day!!!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Gotta love customer (dis-)service...
I've been wrestling for the better part of two weeks with customer service at a certain company that shall remain nameless in the interest of not getting sued. The people have been very nice and friendly, but to date they've been unable to alleviate the problem.
I need a part, a certain part, to make a possession of mine function. So I call the company and they promise that they'll ship it out via (once again, no company names) and that I'll have it the next day. The charge of the part shows up on my credit card.
A week later I still haven't received the necessary part, so I call again. Seems there was a problem with my address and the first person I talked to hadn't gotten all of the required technical information. They worked to correct both problems and promised I'd have the part the next day. Sound familiar.
Three days later, still not having the part in my possession, I call. Seems the address is still the problem. Their computer system refuses to accept it and now they're having to "escalate" the problem to Logistics and have them solve it. I may get my part in a week or two.
Today, they call to have me do a customer satisfaction survey. OH BOY!!! That one should have upper management scrambling.
Then tonight, I log on to find out that they had charged me again for the part the second and third time I had called. I'm really, really, really happy about now. So I call and get them to credit my account for the additional two times they charged me.
Once again, everyone has been very polite and did their best to help, but I still don't have what I need.
Like the title says...
I need a part, a certain part, to make a possession of mine function. So I call the company and they promise that they'll ship it out via (once again, no company names) and that I'll have it the next day. The charge of the part shows up on my credit card.
A week later I still haven't received the necessary part, so I call again. Seems there was a problem with my address and the first person I talked to hadn't gotten all of the required technical information. They worked to correct both problems and promised I'd have the part the next day. Sound familiar.
Three days later, still not having the part in my possession, I call. Seems the address is still the problem. Their computer system refuses to accept it and now they're having to "escalate" the problem to Logistics and have them solve it. I may get my part in a week or two.
Today, they call to have me do a customer satisfaction survey. OH BOY!!! That one should have upper management scrambling.
Then tonight, I log on to find out that they had charged me again for the part the second and third time I had called. I'm really, really, really happy about now. So I call and get them to credit my account for the additional two times they charged me.
Once again, everyone has been very polite and did their best to help, but I still don't have what I need.
Like the title says...
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Size really does matter...
Ok, I really love getting e-mail, though if you send ANYTHING requiring a forward, be warned, it will stop with me. I DO NOT FORWARD ANYTHING!!!!
But please, check the size of your attachments. For those of you on DSL, cable modems, or satellite internet, large attachments mean nothing. For me on my slow-as-hell, 28.8kbps-on-a-good-day dialup, large attachments are a no-go. I don't even bother with them, I log onto my web-mail and hit delete.
I long for the day when I can get DSL here. I've got friends that live in BFE that have DSL, and I live less than a half-mile from the school and can't get. Life isn't fair...
But please, check the size of your attachments. For those of you on DSL, cable modems, or satellite internet, large attachments mean nothing. For me on my slow-as-hell, 28.8kbps-on-a-good-day dialup, large attachments are a no-go. I don't even bother with them, I log onto my web-mail and hit delete.
I long for the day when I can get DSL here. I've got friends that live in BFE that have DSL, and I live less than a half-mile from the school and can't get. Life isn't fair...
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Singing in my sleep?!?!
I awakened from a very, very odd dream this morning. Seems I was at my parent's house, trying to explain to some faceless person (don't you hate when that happens in a dream) the old Red Sovine song "Phantom 309." In the dream, I even struggled to remember the words to the song.
Whiskey...
Tango...
Foxtrot?
I haven't heard that song in years. Why in the world would it pop up in a dream? I mean, it's a great song, but what the hell is the meaning of it showing up in a dream?
For those that have never heard it, here are the lyrics:
I was out on the West Coast, tryin' to make a buck
And things didn't work out, I was down on my luck
Got tired a-roamin' and bummin' around
So I started thumbin' back East, toward my home town.
Made a lot of miles, the first two days
And I figured I'd be home in week, if my luck held out this way
But, the third night I got stranded, way out of town
At a cold, lonely crossroads, rain was pourin' down.
I was hungry and freezin', done caught a chill
When the lights of a big semi topped the hill
Lord, I sure was glad to hear them air brakes come on
And I climbed in that cab, where I knew it'd be warm.
At the wheel sat a big man, he weighed about two-ten
He stuck out his hand and said with a grin
"Big Joe's the name", I told him mine
And he said: "The name of my rig is Phantom 309."
I asked him why he called his rig such a name
He said: "Son, this old Mack can put 'em all to shame
There ain't a driver, or a rig, a-runnin' any line
Ain't seen nothin' but taillights from Phantom 309."
Well, we rode and talked the better part of the night
When the lights of a truck stop came in sight
He said: "I'm sorry son, this is as far as you go
'Cause, I gotta make a turn, just on up the road."
Well, he tossed me a dime as he pulled her in low
And said: "Have yourself a cup on old Big Joe."
When Joe and his rig roared out in the night
In nothin' flat, he was clean out of sight.
Well, I went inside and ordered me a cup
Told the waiter Big Joe was settin' me up
Aw!, you coulda heard a pin drop, it got deathly quiet
And the waiter's face turned kinda white.
Well, did I say something wrong? I said with a halfway grin
He said: "Naw, this happens every now and then
Ever' driver in here knows Big Joe
But son, let me tell you what happened about ten years ago.
At the crossroads tonight, where you flagged him down
There was a bus load of kids, comin' from town
And they were right in the middle, when Big Joe topped the hill
It could have been slaughter, but he turned his wheel.
Well, Joe lost control, went into a skid
And gave his life to save that bunch-a kids
And there at that crossroads, was the end of the line
For Big Joe and Phantom 309
But, every now and then, some hiker'll come by
And like you, Big Joe'll give 'em a ride
Here, have another cup and forget about the dime
Keep it as a souvenir, from Big Joe and Phantom 309!"
Whiskey...
Tango...
Foxtrot?
I haven't heard that song in years. Why in the world would it pop up in a dream? I mean, it's a great song, but what the hell is the meaning of it showing up in a dream?
For those that have never heard it, here are the lyrics:
I was out on the West Coast, tryin' to make a buck
And things didn't work out, I was down on my luck
Got tired a-roamin' and bummin' around
So I started thumbin' back East, toward my home town.
Made a lot of miles, the first two days
And I figured I'd be home in week, if my luck held out this way
But, the third night I got stranded, way out of town
At a cold, lonely crossroads, rain was pourin' down.
I was hungry and freezin', done caught a chill
When the lights of a big semi topped the hill
Lord, I sure was glad to hear them air brakes come on
And I climbed in that cab, where I knew it'd be warm.
At the wheel sat a big man, he weighed about two-ten
He stuck out his hand and said with a grin
"Big Joe's the name", I told him mine
And he said: "The name of my rig is Phantom 309."
I asked him why he called his rig such a name
He said: "Son, this old Mack can put 'em all to shame
There ain't a driver, or a rig, a-runnin' any line
Ain't seen nothin' but taillights from Phantom 309."
Well, we rode and talked the better part of the night
When the lights of a truck stop came in sight
He said: "I'm sorry son, this is as far as you go
'Cause, I gotta make a turn, just on up the road."
Well, he tossed me a dime as he pulled her in low
And said: "Have yourself a cup on old Big Joe."
When Joe and his rig roared out in the night
In nothin' flat, he was clean out of sight.
Well, I went inside and ordered me a cup
Told the waiter Big Joe was settin' me up
Aw!, you coulda heard a pin drop, it got deathly quiet
And the waiter's face turned kinda white.
Well, did I say something wrong? I said with a halfway grin
He said: "Naw, this happens every now and then
Ever' driver in here knows Big Joe
But son, let me tell you what happened about ten years ago.
At the crossroads tonight, where you flagged him down
There was a bus load of kids, comin' from town
And they were right in the middle, when Big Joe topped the hill
It could have been slaughter, but he turned his wheel.
Well, Joe lost control, went into a skid
And gave his life to save that bunch-a kids
And there at that crossroads, was the end of the line
For Big Joe and Phantom 309
But, every now and then, some hiker'll come by
And like you, Big Joe'll give 'em a ride
Here, have another cup and forget about the dime
Keep it as a souvenir, from Big Joe and Phantom 309!"
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