Category: My Life

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Are There Safe Dog Treats Anymore?

About a year ago, I was devastated to find out the my dog’s favorite treat in the whole world, chicken jerky, was killing dogs. We found out that the treats were being made in China and the Chinese were adding something to the treats and other pet food that was poison to dogs. Everyone looked to the FDA to find out what was going on and to stop it, but the FDA didn’t seemed to worry about it, as it was dogs being poisoned, not humans.

Everyone eventually stopped buying the chicken jerky treats and passing the word along to other pet owners about the thousands of dog deaths and the stores stopped selling it. Notably, WalMart was one of the very last retailers to stop carrying the poisoned dog treats. That kinda pisses me off in itself. WalMart should have been the first to raise hell with the Chinese and make them clean up their act. But, no.

I have now become suspicious of any dog food or dog treat that is not made in the USA. I was OK with the fact that dog treats are made from the less desirable parts of the animals and that it was not human grade food going into the pet food and treats. But poison? No.

Have you found any dog treats that are made in the USA and are similar to the chicken jerky treats that we used to buy? I have seen some knock offs, but they are lying on the label, saying they are made in the USA when they are actually just packaged here. The poisoned dog treats are just being put in different packaging and using deceptive wording on the label to make you believe that they are not made in China. I’m too smart to fall for that bull shit.

I have money I am willing to spend on an American made, safe dog treat. Why isn’t someone making them and selling them?

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Stuck Behind a School Bus – Ugh!

Now that school is back in session, my drive to work has gotten longer by at least 15 minutes in the mornings. So you would think that I should leave 15 minutes earlier and I will still get to work on time, right? Wrong! If I leave 15 minutes earlier, I end getting stuck behind a school bus. It is stop and go for a very very long time and that 15 minutes gets eaten up by the bus stopping at every corner to pick up kids. And you cannot pass the bus. There is no safe spot on my commute to pass a school bus. By the way, forget about the bus pulling over once in a while to let everyone pass – the bus driver does not give a hoot about the long line of cars behind him that can’t get by.

So now, for me to get to work on time, I have to leave my house 30 minutes earlier than I did over the summer when there were no school buses dragging down traffic. And then I end up arriving at work 15 minutes early. I sure could use that 15 minutes to sleep on some mornings. But no. I am at work early and there is no advantage to getting there early. It’s not like I can leave 15 minutes earlier or even take an extra 15 minutes longer at lunch. It is 15 minutes wasted or gifted to my boss. I’m screwed either way.

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Jamming to a Great Playlist on Spotify

All this work on web sites can get really tedious, but it helps to have some good music playing while I’m slaving over a hot keyboard! I’ve been jamming to a great playlist on Spotify. I’m not even sure how I found this playlist, but some chi calling herself Leathrn has put together an “Adult Contemporary” playlist of great songs.

They are all relatively current songs that are easy on the ears. It’s not easy listening – that’s a different style. I mean that there is not disco, no teenybopper and no rap on the list. It is all stuff that you an sing along to, chill on while you are driving, and in my case, you can listen while you work.

She has so many excellent songs on her playlist that you can listen to this all day long and not hear the same song twice. About 300 tracks, each at about 3 minutes means about 15 hours of music. And I really like her picks of the songs. She has a great ear for music and I wish she would put together some other playlists, like country songs or even jazz, for the nights at home.

Spotify is really great – much better than Pandora. On Spotify, you can pick the exact songs you want and in the order you choose – or you can do a random play, too. There is a free version, but I believe in supporting business that I really like, so I subscribe for just $5 a month, which lets me access my playlists from any device, not just my home PC.If you have not tried it yet – give it a go and tell me what you think.

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Trainer

I am so tired, I finally got the hang of sleeping while driving and let me tell you we are on the go all the time. I love this job I have already been some very cool places. One of my life long dreams was to see California and I was really lucky that my first trip was to San Francisco. I can’t get use to the eating on the road I miss my home cooked southern food already, truck stop food consists of fried food or nothing, I am afraid I will get fat so as soon as I get my own truck I will have to get me plenty of exercise tools and weights. I am really glad the guy that’s training me is really cool and laid back. He said that it helps that he already trusts me because I am a good driver, he told me most of the time it is two weeks before he can sleep with a student driving but by the second night of me driving he was snoring up a storm. That made me feel really good and I wasn’t as nervous about making a mistake after that if he trusts me why shouldn’t I trust myself. Well wouldn’t want to get in trouble my first week so I will keep you posted and every time you pass a big truck think of me.

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Get ready here I come

I am so excited I finished school and officially have a CDL. I can’t wait to get going with my trainer, I haven’t met him yet and know nothing about him so this should be interesting. I am heading to California for my first load and that’s a long way from here in Nashville. I really hope I get along with my trainer because we will be spending twenty-four hours a day seven days a week together for the next four weeks. I have everything packed just waiting for the call from him telling me when we leave. I have to be prepared for all kinds of weather so packing is a little hard. I also have to go buy some twin sheets for my bunk in the sleeper. I am so ready just want to get on the road already. I know I will miss home and I’m sure eventually it will get old but I want to travel and this just seems like a great way to see this great country I live in.

I am glad our first trip will be out west I have always wanted visit California but never had reason to, and the best part is now I will be getting paid. I just hope I can get use to sleeping while moving and the odd hours I will be keeping to make my deadlines. I really want to make a good impression, I am a really hard worker and I want them to be able to depend on me and know I can get the job done the right way and on time. I will keep you posted but for now wish me luck!

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No work some fun

I have been training and studying so hard I think it’s time for some fun so me and a couple of my friends are going out. We are going to go have a nice dinner and then go to a movie. I really want to see Zero Dark Thirty but everyone else wants to see Django Unchained so I guess that’s what we will go see. I just can’t wait for a night of nothing but fun with all my friends this may be the last time I will be able to go out like this because after school I will have at least a couple of weeks of training over the road and won’t be home for weeks or even months.

I am worried about missing my friends and family and holidays but once I get settled I will try be home for all the important things no job is worth sacrificing whats really important.

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Passed

I was nervous over nothing, I stayed up most of the night studying and passed the test to get my CDL permit, I am now legally able to drive with a trainer on the highway. I am so ready to get out there and go get it. We are training in backing right now and I’m not so good at that I always worry about the trailer sticking out to far or backing into something or someone.

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Training School

I start my training school tommarrow and I am nervous. I have never drove anything bigger then a F150 and the only manual I have drove is a little Eclipse. I know it will take some getting use to especially when training is over and I will be on the road more than I am at home. I know my apartment is small but from what I hear the cab is about the size of a closet and when I am training it will be two of us in there talk about cramped. I at least don’t think I will have to worry about the physical exam because of all the workouts I have been doing every day because of my wrestling training.

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Job opportunity

I have decided that after quitting school and being lazy enjoying the holidays these last couple of weeks I need to grow up and get serious about getting a job. I have always wanted to see the United States and I’m still young so I am thinking about learning to drive a truck.I have been looking into this and I think I can do it. I have to take a training course and pass the DOT exam to get my CDL and then I’m on my way. Can’t wait for this new chapter to begin I just hope the living on the road doesn’t get old.

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A Surprise

I was reading an article today about women drivers. The article stated that contrary to popular belief, most women are better drivers than men. I was quite surprised by this statement. I have spent most of my life believing the opposite. After living through many of my own experiences, I thought that girls were bad drivers. Surprisingly, according to the numbers women are safer drivers than men.

I was also unaware that in many cases, car insurance for women is cheaper. There are companies that actually seek out women drivers in order to get the lowest rates. I always say that the numbers don’t lie and I guess I’ll have to change my opinion. There are also other ways for to obtain cheap car insurance for women. By taking advantage of discounts and enrolling in driver education courses, women can get insurance that is very affordable.

I guess the battle between the sexes will go on for awhile longer, but I am certainly disheartened to find that men are on the bottom end of this deal. I will be glad to know that at least my wife will be able to afford the coverage she needs while driving around. I guess the insurance companies haven’t seen her driving yet!