Quality

I like tools. I like creating something. At the end of the day, I like to look at something tangible as the reward for my efforts.
Although I'm responsible and reliable, I prefer to stay "down here" as a worker-bee because it makes me happy. Granted, I'm not a 20-something anymore, and I have to guzzle a gallon of coffee to fake it, and I can't run circles around the boys like I used to... I'm still really good.

I have two young guys on my crew who work like squirrels on crack. I love it. Then I have two older guys (my age...) who hate being on my job. They talk all the time about how they've worked for the past 10 years trying NOT to use their tools. They consider it a slap-in-the-face to be demoted to pulling cable. Their words are poison to my soul.

They are trying to make their case to me by telling me that I'm not a kid anymore either, and someday I'll wake up and my hands will be arthritic and I'll realize that I should have been climbing that ladder to be in management. I should have been wearing that business suit and making the big money. I should have been an engineer, etc.

I've given this a lot of thought. Nope. I won't regret it. I'm not geared that way. I cannot find satisfaction in a paycheck. I find my satisfaction in a job well done. I LIKE creating, building, working with my hands. I shall work until I can't. I don't seem to be able to express this very well, they don't understand me any more than I can understand them.

You may disagree with me, but the paycheck means nothing but "we appreciate you". I deserve a raise, but it's not the amount of money that I make that turns me on. A raise would just show that I'm appreciated. Gosh, I give away more money than I spend on myself. That's terribly unheard-of these days, but I really don't give a damn about money. I can make money standing on my head. It's simply a means to get what you want. If you don't use it now, it will expire and disintegrate. (I know that's not really what happens.) I am happy every day just knowing that I have another project to complete. It's the work that I love.

I do intend to teach telecommunications someday. When I'm too old to keep up, I'll teach it, but don't expect me to stop DOING it.

It is starting to drag me down to listen to them go on and on about their dis-satisfaction with having to work physically. They consider themselves "above" this menial labor. I'm trying not to take it personally, but neither one is better than me. In fact: if I had to give them a report card, they would barely make a "C". I'm sure the reason for their lack of quality is their lack of enthusiasm. They just don't give a shit. I was raised to do everything to the best of my ability. If I'm digging ditches, I'll dig the best ditches you ever saw. If I'm washing dishes, I'll wash the dishes, the wall, the backsplash, clean the oven, and take out the trash. If I'm folding sheets, I'll have a daydream that I'm in the National Sheet Folding Contest and I'm contending for the trophy. I guess that's just the way I am.

Their poisonous words are starting to affect me in that I'm losing heart. I almost have to drag myself to work. I wish they would just go away. Silly, I know. I smile and listen, try to inject my enthusiasm into them. The negativity is causing a little resentment with my young guys also. They are feeling a little resentful that they are uncomplainingly carrying all the weight of the job, but the two older guys are carrying all their self-importance around.

Imagine working with guys who think they are too good to do the job, they lack the quality, they won't go the extra mile, they question every decision ("I'm just saying, if this were MY job I would...") and honestly: their bearing and manners just aren't fit for public. They talk loudly and inappropriately for an indoor environment. I almost want to hide them in the basement sometimes.

These really are small matters. Nothing big enough to request help for. Just minor, temporary aggravations.
I wish I could just do the job. Plug in to my music and get in the groove and make some beautiful artwork out of a perfect installation.
But no, I'm the project manager. I have to balance the personalities with the abilities and get the job done.

But if I were able to really call the shots?

I would never hire anybody over 30. I would train my crews myself and we would get it done. I have so much knowledge to teach, and so much enthusiasm, and my love of quality. I would turn out some magnificent technicians if they could hang with it for just one year. Senior technicians if they could hang for two.
This stuff really isn't hard. Like my old boss used to say: "If it were easy, a girl could do it!".

I still say that to myself from time to time and chuckle.

You have a great day.

MsAmber

Don't Forget...

The four day work week drags on and seems to never end. The three days off fly by and I can never get everything done. Perception, I'm sure.
I don't know whether I'm coming or going.

I sometimes have these weird nightmares about bathrooms. In one of them, it's a big house with lots of nooks and crannies that have toilets, but no doors. I get panicked that I can't find a private place to go to the bathroom. In another dream, it's a big long chicken-coop type structure with screened windows down both long walls and a double row of outhouse holes running down the center. It kinda feels like a concentration camp but that's not the distress: I can't find a private place to go to the bathroom. I have bathroom nightmares. Not all the time, but often enough that it makes me think and I laugh about them.

The other night I had the opposite dream. I was sitting in a restaurant having dinner with friends and there was this little booster chair in the booth beside me. It was a little porta-potty. The urge hit me so I just slid it under myself and started straining to poop. I was suddenly snapped to embarrassment when the woman across from me leaned over and said: "Amber, there ARE bathrooms." I was flabbergasted and humiliated. It was like I just forgot myself and started shitting in public. I was mortified that I just started to do that without realizing. I turned red and felt the worst kind of embarrassment ever. I was relieved when I woke up and discovered that it was just a dream. It left me with the impression that I just lost my mind and forgot what NOT to do.

When I went skydiving, I remember overriding my brain. My brain said "NO!" and I deliberately fell out of the airplane anyway. My punishment for such a crime was to dream that I broke that safety mechanism in my brain and I would jump off buildings and fall off cliffs with regularity. My brain got even with me for forcing it to do something that it was hard-wired to stop. I even imagined that I felt the little "pop" of circuits breaking. I've had my doubts since then, if overriding safety protocols is really an okay thing to do. The bathroom dream reminded me of this because the falling dreams made me wonder if someday I might "forget" not to jump off a building. Now I wonder if I'll "forget" not to take a shit in public.

I might laugh about this later, but right now, I'm just a little disturbed.



Change Subject:

When I first came here to Altus, there was a guy Frank, and his live-in pregnant girlfriend Ellen and their little boy Junior, who lived in a decrepit rv right behind me. I befriended Ellen and I've taken her shopping a few times, and we got our nails done together every Friday, and I hire her to help me with stuff around the house. Frank was a real piece of work. Couldn't hold down a job. Prioritized beer over his kid or pregnant wife. I really didn't care for him much.
Friday, Frank fell off a grain elevator and died.
Ellen is 7 months pregnant and though she's a gold-hearted little gal, she's severely under-educated and I'm afraid for her future. She now has to figure out how to bury him and feed Junior and house herself. She told me that his employer may not help pay to bury Frank, and it seems to me that the situation is pretty near hopeless. I don't know what to do. I'm actually scared to get involved and I don't want to step-in and fix everything and take on all the responsibilities. I don't want her to know that I feel Frank's loss wasn't terrible. I don't know how to help. I'm sad for her.

That's what's on my mind right now. I'm out of words.

MsAmber

Insecurity is very unattractive...

I am dynamic, powerful, enigmatic, confident, and self-assured.

I am competent, imaginative, caring, and a good listener.

I am hard working, honest, loyal, and practical.

I am intelligent, well-read, open-minded, and adventurous.

I walk with purpose: an important destination, with a clear rhythmic heel-toe sound.

These things are Good. I should keep them.



I worry about my weight.(I'm 140)

I worry about not being feminine enough. (yeah, I work with men.)

I shop when I'm upset (Bought $300 worth of tools one night last week at 2:00 a.m., now I own two full socket sets and a dremel and a new set of diagonal cutters. Just lucky I didn't buy a power-washer.)

My "fall-in-love" thingy is broken. I break hearts with startling regularity, but not intentionally. ('nuff said.)

I chain-smoke when I'm not working. If I didn't work, I would probably smoke two packs a day.

I don't drink enough water - ever. The Most Dehydrated Person On The Planet.

I have a temper and can fire off sarcasms far too easily.

I can't forgive and forget. I may intentionally forgive, but the forget part never happens, and I have to keep reminding myself that I forgave that person. I keep revisiting a hurt and re-forgiving the person, trying to move on, but it never sticks. I need an amnesia pill. I'm holding grudges for two decades or longer.

I push people away when they get too close to my vulnerabilities. Over and over, lather, rinse, repeat.

I don't work hard enough to maintain my friendships and family relationships. I haven't even called my father for father's day last month. Thank goodness most of them know me well enough to forgive me. But still, it is just a phone-call and I still can't bring myself to do it. What's my frakkin' problem?

These things are Not Good. I should do something about them.


Is it Rosh Hashonah yet?

Have a great day.
MsAmber

My constant companion: the Headache

I know it's only been a week, but it seems like forever that I've had this stupid headache. Yesterday, I woke up feeling great. The headache was gone and I was thrilled. This morning it's back. First sip of coffee and it throbbed at me. "Knock, knock - I'm here." It's not an unbearable headache, just a nagging one. A slight tension over my right eye, until I move the wrong way or exert myself just a tad, then it thumps at me until I stop what I'm doing and let it settle down. An ever-present annoyance. It's no wonder I'm a little irritable. I feel like I want one of those little rubber hammers so I can thump it back.

So, I've been having a lot of time for personal reflection. I haven't had any huge epiphanies, just some sad realizations about myself. I'm really not that good of a person. The parallels between my Mother and myself are disappointing. I thought I had broken some chains, changed my destiny, made some better decisions. I find that my temper and impatience is very similar to hers. My famous stubbornness. Independence, and inability to forgive, and constant running, and cynicism, and seriousness. My bearing and posture. My selfishness. My chain-smoking. My solitude. My inability to trust.
God, I'm a real mess. I'm becoming what I despised.
The only REAL differences are that I never dragged children into this mess and I don't have a drug/alcohol habit.

So, from this lesson am I supposed to: Find forgiveness and compassion and understanding for my long-dead mother? Or am I supposed to take inventory of my life and make some changes so that I don't become what I hate?
Do I accept and love myself for who I am or change into the kind of person I want to be?
Forgive, Accept and Love?
Change?

I know better than to choose the path of least resistance, which would indicate that I need to change. But is that REALLY the answer?

Option number three: Distract.
This is the option I usually choose. Learn something new. Get completely involved in something else so that I can distract myself.
This is the reason for my utter absorption in my work sometimes, or the plethora of hobbies that I've undertaken, feigned interest in, then dropped.


Do I need someone to call me up and say: "You're okay."? Are these doubts about myself precipitated by negativity and a slight sensitivity to scrutiny? Maybe. I've been hit with a lot of "advice" lately.

Change subject:

It bothers me that I work for a company that has some people in it who actively hate me. They are ready to cut my throat at any opportunity. And I'm not being paranoid, I assure you. Little victories seem to keep me going, but I'm getting worn down. Part of me wonders why I'm so hated. Is it me? Then I get told (kindly) that I'm perceived as that "bitch". Which is a word I've never appreciated much. There are people who smile at me and pretend that they are on my side, but I know that they are split-tongued and the words they use are designed to plant seeds of discord in my brain; supposed to inflame me and make me actively join the fight to defend myself. I'm going to learn to dismiss all this eventually. But does it damage my self-image? Yes.

I don't think people who tell me the "latest gossip at work" are truly my friends. They are distracting me. I don't want to know. I don't want to know who is hating me, and what they are saying, and how I'm being held over the fire.
I don't need to know that somebody is drunk-dialing somebody else and starting shit about my job. I don't want to know - because it just makes me angry.

I used to say that the biggest problem with working with women is the petty jealousy. As women we need to be building each other up, not tearing each other down. Celebrate and encourage one another's victories. It's hard enough competing with the men without the women holding each other down. Now I realize that it's just as bad with the men. Those twirps are worse than an office full of women. They golf together, hunt and fish together, drunk-dial each other, all so they can further their petty agenda. How often am I the subject of that discussion?
Nope, I'm still not being paranoid. I swear it, I KNOW...

I fantasize that someday I'll snap and I'll just work like a maniac and save a bazillion dollars and buy the whole company and fire the bad guys and watch them denigrate into plumbers or sanitation workers...
Not very imaginative, I know. But still it gives me pleasure.

In reality, I believe the best revenge is to succeed. This is why I persist in the face of so much resistance. But why must I tear down every brick wall? Why can't I just go around it or turn around and go another way? Do I really only make the choices that are the hardest? Is that the right way or am I just hard-wired to always choose the toughest paths?

Okay, I've thrown down. I'll re-read all this tomorrow and think some more.

You have a great day, I'm going to work.
MsAmber

I am grumpy...

There is no particular reason for me to be grumpy. My job is going well, I'm fed and warm, I should be content.
I am never content. Why is that, do you suppose?

I went OCD on the van yesterday. Removed all the trim and pulled the seats out and removed all the carpeting. I hung it on a tree and blasted the dirt out with my hose. I only put the front carpets back in, and most of the trim. I washed the van inside and out, and re-blacked the bumper, tire-shined the tires. Re-packed the toolboxes and put them back in. I am leaving the back carpeting out for a week so that I can keep working on getting it perfectly clean. There was black mold underneath it in the back where the water leaks in. I degreased the engine and got the mouse-nests off the intake manifold. Then I wiped and shined all the black rubber hoses and the breather. The van looks brand-new under the hood and inside. I washed the outside and windexed the glass. Scraped off the little fairy stickers from the back glass.
Nothing is clean enough for me right now. I washed down the ceiling and walls in the RV the other day, hanged new curtains, organized my junk drawers... the only thing I haven't done is shampoo the carpets, but you can bet I'll get to that within the next 48 hours...

I've also just started my period. I know you are thinking: "Ah hah, that's what's wrong with her!"
I really hate that that's the only explanation for my obsessiveness. I've been feeling sick: muscle soreness and a tension headache, constipation and heartburn, sweating when it's cold, cold when it's hot, a lump under my armpit, and I've chewed a sore on my upper lip. I'd almost be willing to bet that I'm grinding my teeth in my sleep again. Somehow in my mind, I believe it will all go away if I take care of everything that's bothering me. I'm tired but I'm restless.

It also just dawned on me that I was admiring a big full moon last night.

The house is clean, I'm drinking my fourth cup of coffee. Two scented candles are lit. My paperwork is done. I'm too antsy to sit here and write any longer. I have a nagging feeling that I need to stock up and hunker down... I wonder where that comes from?

Well, I've got to go shower and get my fanny to work.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Too bored...

I got out the dremel last night and polished all my jewelry. I sorted through all the lagniappe and threw away pieces-parts of broken jewelry and mismatched earrings. I was about to throw away an old silver filigree and coral ring that I've never gotten to shine, but since I was bored, I took the dremel to it. I'm glad I didn't toss it. It looks very nice now. Boy, a dremel tool is cool! I obsessed with it for 5 hours last night. I have a pair of earrings that I haven't worn since 1997, but since they shined up, I have them on now.

The flies around here are awful. Little biting flies. I try to get them, but they are elusive little buggers. As soon as I pick up the flyswatter, they disappear. As soon as I'm trying to concentrate on something else, they buzz my face or bite my ankles. Aargh! Freakin' flies!

I think I'm going to give up on the computer tower. It has a browser hijacker that has been evading all attempts at finding and destroying. In fact, by fixing an error, I think I've fixed the hijacker. It's working wonderfully. It opens browser pages and redirects me to advertising pages perfectly! If I ever meet the programmer...
Anyway, the point is, I'm going to force myself to work exclusively off this laptop. Vista and all. I need to set up my Outlook and VPN account for work on this thing. I will slowly and surely get all my personal files transferred over. Just waiting for a rainy day...
I need to hook this thing up to the docking station, though. I can't stand a laptop keyboard. I keep touching the stupid touchpad - I'll just be typing along and find that my cursor has jumped to the middle of the previous sentence. Also, the screen on this laptop is glossy, it reflects too much. I need to either: hook up my monitor, or black-out the room.

Well, I'm going to go sand on my cedar chest for a while. It's nice and breezy outside today. I also need to go pick up my laundry.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Yup, still in Altus.

Okay, this is really a one-horse town.
There is nothing to do except play Bingo on Friday/Saturday nights.

I bought a Keurig coffee maker. My old one takes too damn long to serve me up a cup of coffee in the morning. It was also getting pretty kruddy inside, so I was due for a new coffeepot anyway. I'm drinking my first cup of hazelnut coffee right now.

I bought a Stevens Savage model 620 - 20 gauge shotgun. It's an old pump action that has been well taken care of. It has a poly choke 5-way on the end of the barrel. It's a very pretty little shotgun. I want to buy some shells and take it out this weekend to see how she does. I'm going to break it down and clean it tonight. I looked up the breakdown instructions, already tried it, seems very simple. It had a wooden block in the shell cartridge so that it only holds two shells. I called uncle Chuck about the gun, he has some good information, but was unable to tell me anything about the poly choke. I removed the wooden block, but when you are hunting duck, you are only allowed to have three shells in the gun. I asked why you can't just put three shells in, why do you have to put a wooden dowel in it? I suppose to make sure you never have more than three shells in the gun. That seems a little silly to me.

Anyway, I like it. Maybe I'll show it to Rob and get his take on it. Uncle Chuck suggested sawing off the barrel. Nah. I like it just the way it is. No scratches or dents - it's beautiful for a 50+ year old gun.

I'm getting pretty close to my time of the month, so I'm exceptionally irritable and easily annoyed. I've been feeling sick for three days. Back aches, neck aches, top of shoulders ache. My stomach is sticking straight out like a big fat cow (Moo!). I can't go poop. I'm covered with bug bites and bruises, and big bites WITH bruises, and bruises with bug bites. I have a sore on my top lip (actually it's from chewing on my top lip) from tweeking on caffeine. I'm cold when I should be hot and I break out in a sweat 15 minutes after I'm back in the cold air conditioning.
This is what happens when I work in an air conditioned building in the heat of the summer. I always come down sick - what? Strep? A summer cold?
Yeah, I'm feeling sorry for myself today. This is day three of feeling like crap.

I already wiped everything down with pine-sol, just in case.

Freydis is still crazier than hell. Four ounces of badass. I really need to get some pictures of her at her funniest. You should see how she looks if I wake her up in the middle of the day, she sits back on her tail and has a three-point stance with one arm sticking straight out to the side. She looks like a drunk squirrel reaching for her bottle. I feel guilty keeping her in her cage, so I let her roam too much. I have to hunt for her every morning to make sure she's okay. I've plugged all the important holes - like the center cone of my bass speaker. This morning I found her in the toaster. Now that's ruined. Good thing it was unplugged. I don't mind when I find her in a vase or behind the books on the shelf, but I kinda got spooked to think she would climb into a toaster. Talk about kid-proofing a house... have you ever had to squirrel proof? There are all kinds of little dangers lurking around. I'm glad she's not a rodent. She doesn't have the desire to chew on stuff or I'd worry myself to death.
I just hate to keep her in a cage all the time. So far it's working out okay to let her have a little freedom - I just wish she would return to her cage when I tell her to instead of having to CATCH HER!
There's slapstick if I ever saw it.

You have a great night, I have a gun to clean.

MsAmber

Two in two days... wow.

We had a very productive night. New Guy is going to work out just fine.

Once again, I woke up too early this morning. Maybe I can get in a nap before work; I'm sure I'll need one.

I found the name for my Sugar Glider.
I remembered a story about a Viking princess; daughter of Erik the Red. During the initial exploration and colonization of North America, the Indians kept attacking and killing the early explorers - these were the "Skraelings", (which is where JRR Tolkien got the idea for the name, I think. I'm just too lazy to look it up and get my facts straight.)
Anyway, Leif Erikkson's sister, Freydis, was pregnant at the time. She tried to rally the men to fight, but they ran away. So she turned to face the Indians, bared her breasts, slapped the sword across her chest and screamed at them. The Indians ceased their attack and turned around and left.

This mental image has amused me for a long time. So I think "Freydis" is the perfect name for my Sugar Glider. She sometimes spreads her arms wide and bares her chest at me and screams... it's just too funny. All she needs is a little Viking helmet and a little sword.

High temperature today of 101. Lovely.
Yesterday was officially the first day of Summer.

I need to brush my teeth, put on a hat, and go get my nails filled.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Update ... finally.

I'm still at Altus AFB in Southwestern Oklahoma. It looks like I'll be here until mid-September (or this Wednesday if I win the 97 million dollar lottery).

It's incredibly hot during the day here. Instant melt when I step out the door. I do so hate to be cooped up in the air conditioning, so I open the door and turn off the a/c until I just can't stand it anymore. Which is usually noon.

I bought a Sugar Glider. It's a little marsupial critter. Kinda like a cross between a flying squirrel and a kangaroo mouse. She's funny. I haven't named her yet, but I think it's hilarious that a little 4" critter thinks she's bad enough to attack me. Can you imagine the audacity it takes to be only a few inches tall and want to attack a big human? I need to find the perfect name for her. If she were male: I'd name her Quixote! She spreads her little arms out to her sides to look bigger and chatters at me. She's starting to settle down, I'll be handling her within the week, I'm sure.

We are working from 4:00 pm until 2:30 am, and this schedule is kicking my ass. I'm having a hard time making myself sleep past 7 am, but I know that if I don't; I'll be crashing midway through the night. I have to drink a 5-hour energy shot at 9:00 every night to refresh my energy.

Uncle Chuck called me this morning and asked me to call my Grandmother. He will email me her contact information. That seemed kind of strange to me. I didn't think that she even really cares that I exist. But apparently she wants to hear from me...
That's just odd.
I keep up with my Uncle Chuck, and let him know how I'm doing and where I'm working, etc. I figure if anyone inquires as to my whereabouts, he'll get to answer that I'm fine. Regarding the tad bit of affection that I have for those people who are related to me by blood; they know me not: nor I, them.
Uncle Chuck is the one exception, however. He and I have forged a good friendship and I am proud of that. I actually LIKE him.

I know some of you would argue that "blood is thicker than water", and that concept should inspire in me some sort of unequivocal loyalty, but I've been alone in this world for 25 years to forge my own way. No friendly advice, no safety net, no big brothers/cousins to defend me... the isolation has made me a stronger person, no doubt, but now my independence has become an ingrained habit. Hard not to be skeptical of those who want to cleave to me when I'm finally succeeding. I always remember that I was 15 years old when abandoned to make my own way. Just a few months into the 10th grade...
I'm not a resounding success, by any means, but I'm doing just fine. I COULD have wound up toothless with 5 children living in a trailer in the hills and soaking up welfare, or a strung-out junkie on the streets of some big city. That would be the average expectation.

Why, Yes, I DO have abandonment issues... how did you guess?

Okay, this is creepy. Roy Orbison just came on the radio singing "Crying". Ha ha ha. Time to pull my head out of this little pity party.
Frankly, I have no regrets.

C'est la Vie.

Today should be interesting. My Harris contact is coming in from Italy to see how we're progressing. I have no idea when he'll be here. I should take my shower and be dressed and ready for a phone call at any time.

I think I'm in the market for a motorcycle. Rob sent me some links to some cheap but nice bikes for sale in the area. I could pick up a nice little cruiser for $2500. I'm thinking about it. I'm only apprehensive because I would have to transport it in the back of the van while I'm hitched up to the RV.
The gross weight of one of the smaller 250s is about 350 pounds. Plus 1000 pounds on the hitch with the RV. Think my 3/4 ton can handle it? Maybe. Then again, I wonder if extending the frame on the back of the RV for a bike carrier is plausible.
I definitely need to figure out the logistics of this little venture before I just "up-and-buy" a motorcycle.

Anyway, I need to get moving and get ready for my day.
You have a great one.

MsAmber

What a weekend!

This weekend, I washed the outside of the RV, did two weeks' worth of laundry, shampooed the carpets, washed down the walls and ceiling, serviced the air conditioner, and waxed the cabinet doors.
Today, I'm bathing the dog!

We start working nights this week. I tried to stay up late so that I would sleep in. That didn't really work out like I had planned. I still woke up at 6:30 this morning. I'll try to take a nap today. We will be working from 4:00 pm to 2:30 am.

So far last week, we built out the CMR and cored the 7 penetrations. Then built the 8 penetrations downwards onto the ladder rack. We've pulled the 3/0 copper halfway - it's very heavy and hard to pull. Today we'll finish that up.

Every firewall penetration has to be logged and labeled. There are tons of them.
But the job is coming along just fine.

I need to call the office and make sure everything we need is added to Mike's truck this morning. I'm also getting my new laptop battery today, yayy!

You have a great day.
MsAmber

...and the project begins.

Mike and I did our walk-through yesterday. This job is going to be as perfect as I can possibly make it.
There are requirements for inspections and random testing. I have to keep a log of all wall penetrations. Ten-foot service loops at each end, support every 5 feet, a drop density of three cables per 60 square feet, complete clean-up nightly, split the bundles and terminate from left and right, perfection, perfection, perfection. I love it. If I have a good crew, this should be the acme of installs. I've made my notes of subjects to discuss, and written down today's goals.

I do have a spot of great news:

Yesterday morning, I went and met with my neighbor Ernest(with the dogs), and asked him for a dog-whistle. I mentioned that I wouldn't mind helping him to train them not to bark, as I will be working nights and sleeping days. He seemed fairly receptive to the idea. When I walked Megabyte, they went into hysterical barking, so we just stood there and let them wear themselves out. I went to work at 10. When I arrived back home at 3, I walked near their cage and they barked, so I told them to hush and they did. I was really surprised.
This morning, Ernest knocked on my door, and I told him that the dogs are doing great, I told them to hush and they did, and I was happy about that. He told me that at lunch yesterday he bought a barking-trainer. It's a birdhouse that hangs from the tree and when the dogs bark, it emits an annoying sound. It works great, the boys have stopped their incessant barking. I thanked him and told him it was working wonderfully. I'm so happy! That was so nice of him. The problem is solved and Ernest and I aren't enemies. Isn't that cool?

The only obstacle left to peace-and-quiet is the shrew with the toddler. It turns out that the toddler isn't the noisy one, it's his mother. She has such a grating, loud nature. She hollers at the kid like she doesn't like him. Quit! Stop! No! Don't! --- Just like a shrew. She's pregnant, and smokes cigarettes worse than me. You should hear her coughing and hacking in the morning. Ugh!

Oh well. C'est la vie.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Sometimes, everything is hilarious.

So I called around at the three rv parks here in Altus. Only one seemed to have plenty of space, but the lady didn't know. She walked around and called me back. She said she and her husband just bought the place and was still quite new at it.
I got here and took a look at the two spaces she had thought of for me.
I decided on one with a big tree, got permission to cut a branch off, and wiggled my rv into the spot.

My sewer line runs over to my front yard, the water is located at the front right corner, only the electricity is in it's proper place. I got set up, and only then did I realize that the two gigantic barking dogs next to me never shut up and the family right behind me have a screaming toddler. This will be fun! We will be working nights and sleeping during the day.
I shall invest in ear plugs, I'm sure.


Today, Mike and I will go get our badges and do our walk-through. He is the PM, but he's still obligated to another project, so I'll pretty much be running the thing. He stopped by my rv last night and we sat out on the patio and discussed important matters such as: fill ratios, working hours, the location of the nearest Wal-Mart, etc.
I am really very glad to be back on a project. I was getting a little stir-crazy.


It's 6:00 am, I was awakened by the cacophony of hundreds of birds singing in the tree that overhangs my bedroom. Now that it's starting to get daylight, they seem to have simmered down a bit.

I think I will invest in a dog-whistle. It seems the best solution to the barking dogs next door. They spend the day in a 10X10 chain-link kennel, and they are huge black labs. Their owner didn't show up until 9:00 last night. I'll just train the damn things. Wish me luck.

Well, today has begun, you have a wonderful one.
MsAmber

I'm feeling hopeful again.

The boycott of Amber is officially over. It was silly to begin with. They've put me back on a project, I'm headed to Altus AFB down in the Southwest corner of Oklahoma. I know I'm not everybody's cup-of-tea, but goodness, it seems once you get on somebody's shit-list, it takes a while to get back off of it. In this case: it took seven months. Meanwhile, I had to stay stubborn and pretend I didn't care. Grovelling wouldn't have improved the situation, and with these guys: you can't show weakness or they'd have eaten me alive. The pecking order is restored, all is right with the world.

It's a cold, rainy Saturday in Blanchard Oklahoma. It's been rainy and stormy for a couple of days. I'm drinking coffee this morning, playing some Bob Dylan, simmering some cinnamon oil, have the door open and the heater on. I like living alone. No-one to nag about my wasting electricity or annoying me about being in a Bob Dylan mood. Megabyte doesn't seem to mind.

My agenda for today is to get the propane tank filled, re-organize the van, and start securing the floatation in the rv. I have to meet Rusty some time today to pick up a Lucent Partner processor. Monday morning first thing I have to do a quick service call to Frederick USPS. Their phone system took a lightning hit. I have to rig up tomorrow and drive to Altus, run the service call on Monday, then go to the AFB to start the project. I should be on the project for two months, but I'm not the PM this time, just the lead tech. They wanted to keep me freed up so I can leave the project if another comes through.

I finally ordered a new battery for my laptop. It should be in next Friday, I'll pay for it over the phone then send my boss to pick it up and transport it to me. It was actually only $108. If I'd have known that, I would have bought one sooner.

The big knuckle on the pointer-finger of my left hand has hurt for three weeks now. I'm not sure how I bungled it up, but it is really annoying. I told my Dad about it and he gave me a roll-on bottle of a supposed horse liniment: DMSO Dimethyl Sulfoxide. I'm a little wary about it. It's only indicated as a solvent, and the instructions declare that any use other than as a solvent is strictly the responsibility of the end-user. Hmmm. Several people swear by it, I'll give it a try; I'll try anything if it will help this pain. The laughable part of it though: whoever heard of a roll-on solvent?
It's not really a stretch, I've heard of people using WD-40 for arthritis, and it reminds me of the Greek father in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" who declared Windex as the cure for everything. That still makes me chuckle.

I borrowed a really neat old book. The 1946 edition of "Pauline Bonaparte - A Woman Of Affairs". She was the youngest sister of Napoleon. I'm pretty enthusiastic about reading it. It's a fragile old book. I just love old books.

Well, I should hop in the shower and try to get my task list knocked out before I have to go get that processor. You have a great day.

MsAmber

I don't wanna get out and work.

It's Sunday morning. It's still raining. I have a slight (ever so slight) hangover from the four beers I drank yesterday. I was chilled to the bone when I left the mud races. It must have been 45 degrees out there. Soaking wet and buzzed and cold; I had the full-body shivers. It was a hoot though. The van has chunks of mud over the whole driver's side. Apparently everyone slung mud on it as they were leaving. I was worried about getting out of there myself, but I just gunned it and ramped out. Poor van! We went to the Cherokee truck stop afterwards and ate dinner - I had a buffalo burger. Megabyte acted as though even HE was cold and he stayed in the van the whole time. Wimp-dog!
I woke up to the coffee pot beeping this morning and decided not to get out of bed so I went back to sleep. I roused myself up around 8. I have to do laundry this morning and figure out what's wrong with the slide-out motor, get the rv rigged back up and move back to Norman. Set-up again at the other rv park and go to work tomorrow.
Man, weekends just aren't long enough.
It feels like winter here. Cold and still raining this morning.
Can't I just pretend it's not Sunday morning and go back to bed?
I think I'll drink that little energy shooter in my refrigerator, take two ibuprofen, and suck it up.
Lots to do.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

Sorry, sorry, sorry.... um. No I'm Not.

I've dropped off blogland for a while.
Internet connectivity has been a major part of it.
I've been working on the road, but I left my RV parked in Lafayette for a few months, so I've been staying in motels and in my van a lot. I rarely boot up the computer when I'm on the road. Just to upload timesheets and delete my junk emails. I haven't been to my blog or Myspace or Facebook. No playing around at all.

It's a rainy Saturday morning in Norman Oklahoma. I have my RV back on the road so I'll be blogging more.

Since last I updated: I've been to Tuscaloosa, Al; Jackson, MS; Homestead, FL; New Orleans, LA; Ozark, AR; and other places I just can't think of right now.
This week I've been organizing the shop in Norman, Oklahoma.

I bought four new tires for the RV last week. Pretty tires. I wonder how much spinner rims would cost for the RV? I think that would be downright hilarious, don't you?

I'm headed to the Mud Races in Geary, Oklahoma today. It's raining, so that should be quite fun! Wish I could participate. I haven't decided yet whether I should take the RV up there - it's about 70 miles away. I think I might. Just in case I get muddy and cold, I won't have to worry about driving all the way back down here.

You have a great weekend.
MsAmber

It's 2010.

The irony of the opening song to CSI Las Vegas being "Who Are You" by Pete Townshend just struck me.

I'm so easily amused sometimes.

This past couple of weeks have made me blue. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's the season, or maybe it's just that time of the month... who knows.

I came back to Lafayette. I bought wiring and repaired the brakes on the trailer, I bought a new refrigerator vent cover for the roof of the rv and replaced that which was dry-rotted and disintegrated.
Chad and I removed the bathroom wall and door. He refinished the end cap of the wall and trimmed out the damaged area on the ceiling. I have much more room in the bathroom and bedroom now - it was fairly claustrophobic in there before.

It's raining today, the driveway is a mudhole again. I called work and fairly begged them to find me something to do next week. I have $27 left and an automatic draft coming out of my checking account for $79 on the 13th. Better fill that void quickly!

I don't have the motivation to get out of the house, much less fix my hair or paint my face. I managed to get out of bed today, but that's the extent of it.

I took the dogs to the vet last week while I still had money left. The vet was a real bitch - she labeled both my dogs as "aggressive". Not true.
I guess part of what I'm angry about is she diagnosed Spotsky as positive for heartworms. Megabyte is still negative, thankfully. A couple hundred dollars later, all I really came out of it with was bad news and a bottle of antibiotics for Meg's mouth.
I'm not sure of how I'm going to deal with Spotsky's diagnosis, I bought the heartworm medication to keep them from multiplying, but that doesn't kill the adult worms. My research suggests that the cure is about $400 and it involves injecting poison into the dog and keeping him sedate for a few weeks until his immune system dissolves the dead worms. This, I can neither afford, nor do I think it a good idea for a dog who has epileptic seizures. He had two seizures this morning - albeit not bad ones.
I'll just keep the heartworms from multiplying and hopefully it will buy some time until I can comfortably afford the treatment.

My girl Tayla had her baby last weekend. She was in labor for 17 hours, but she and the baby girl are doing just fine. I'm hoping to see her when I blaze through town next week.

It's raining and cold outside right now. I'm torn as to whether I want to go outside and get cold and wet and then take a hot shower, or simply lay down and take a nap... what do you think?
Yep, a nap.

MsAmber

Biloxi, Mississippi

When I finished El Reno, I hitched up and was ready to leave and discovered that the brakes weren't engaging on the trailer. So I pulled in to Happy Trails automotive: the same guys who installed the rear air-assisted springs on my van. They took the trailer wheels off and discovered that my brakes were completely Kaput. The new brake systems weren't in stock so I drove to OKC to buy four of them at $70 bucks apiece. It took nearly all day to install them. Then, we figured out also that the power wire on the trailer only works one side. The other side doesn't work. So I only have brakes on one side of the trailer. I told the guys that I can't afford any more labor so just install the wheels and I'll take care of the wiring when I get home. This week I need to run new wires over to the other side of the trailer.

I drove to Rob's house and did my laundry. I stole two things: my ceramic grease pot with the little mouse handle, and the feather mattress. I called Rob and told him what I stole and told him that if he wants the feather mattress back, it'll have to wait until Spring. Man, is it nice. It really helps when it's cold in here. He said I could keep it. Thanks, you may have saved my life with that one.

I loaded up equipment and drove down to Biloxi Mississippi. I was joined by Travis and we got the job knocked out in four days. Racks, power, ladder-rack, switchtails, MUXs, CSU/DSUs, PC, KVM switch, alarm monitoring panel and all peripherals. It looks great.

Well, I paid for a week at the RV park here, so I called Chad and he was free this weekend so I drove to Lafayette and picked him up. We are playing in Biloxi this weekend. We walked on the beach yesterday, ate breakfast in Waffle House, took a long nap, ate at the IP buffet for dinner, and watched "Inglourious Basterds" last night. Definitely Quentin Tarrantino's style - but not as much squirting blood as I expected: he typically uses gallons of fake blood, spraying everything red. The last scene is perfectly Quentin though... LOL.

It is now Sunday morning.
I got up early, the dogs were rattling their collars at me at 5:00 am to go potty, so I'm drinking coffee and blogging.
The weather is cool - a high of 55 degrees, but it's still nice. Chad's driveway is completely mudded up from all the rain they've had in the past week. I'm not sure where I can park when I get home. But I have to be off for the holidays, so I'll figure something out.
We still have one more day to play at the beach before I have to worry about that.

I bought a spare serpentine belt for the van. One less thing to worry about. I may put it on next week, when I wire up the brakes on the RV. Always something needing fixed, right?

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Leaving El Reno . . . again.

Yayyy. The job is done.
Wednesday, the mission was to install a T-1 card into the old switch and Ma-Bell was porting over all the phone numbers to the T-1.
Well, Ma-Bell ported the numbers at 2:00, but the T-1 card wouldn't come up in the old switch, so we made the decision to install the NEW switch. We set out all the sets, swung the customers over to the new cables and patched them over, and created the database and installed the new switch - in one night.
In order to get out of there early (2:00 am) we just installed the old voicemail on the new switch. Thursday morning we found a little problem with that solution. You couldn't leave any new voicemails. So the new voicemail was installed and the contents loaded over - presto, no missed messages. It sounds exactly like it did before. So that was accomplished Thursday morning at 8:30 am. Then Thursday evening we went back and finished the programming, brought up the last 20 phones, hung the backboard and mounted the paging equipment, cleaned up the old cabling and replaced the ceiling tile, then cleared out the room and swept up the mess. We were out of there at 7:30 pm on Thursday night.

Cutover wasn't actually scheduled until Friday night and Saturday.
So... what shall I do with myself today?

It's been freaking COLD here. Tuesday night the wind blew constantly at 40 mph, I thought the RV was going to blow away. My water froze up solid. Wednesday, I did what I could with my hair and went in for a 14 hour day at work. Then had to try to thaw some water out to clean myself up on Thursday to go back in to work in the morning, then I got to come home for a while and take a nap, then back to work that evening at 5 - but we got finished up at 7:30 last night.
Today I shall work on getting some water thawed out, take a shower, then hitch up, drain my tanks (if they're thawed), and drive to Norman. I may see about dropping by my ex's house to do some laundry.

Sunday morning at 8 I am going to the shop to load equipment then I'm heading SOUTH!
Biloxi Mississippi, to be exact. Near the beach in the dead of Winter! Woo Hoo!
I hope that job lasts a few weeks... I'm petrified that I'm going to wind up working in Erie Pennsylvania in January.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Okay, I'm blogging one week at a time now.

On Monday, November 30th, I hitched up in Lafayette, Louisiana and drove to Tuscaloosa, Alabama (412 miles). On Tuesday I did the walk-through meeting at the VA. Wednesday morning I refilled a propane tank and got the oil-changed in the van and raised the hitch. Then I rigged up and drove to Norman, Oklahoma (738 miles). It rained nearly all the way to Little Rock, Arkansas. I pulled in to Norman at 2:30 this morning. It is now 9 a.m. and I just hooked up the water so I can have a shower and I'm drinking my coffee. I need to wake up just a little more so I can go in to work.
Man, am I tired. Pulling a trailer in the rain just drains me - plus I have a caffeine hangover. I drank black coffee all day long yesterday. It's cold here, there is frost on the ground. That's why I didn't hook up the water last night when I set up the camper. I didn't want my hose to freeze. It was 35 degrees inside the camper last night so I fired up the furnace and I'll bet it ran for two hours straight to get it up to 65. I didn't stay up to wait for it. I turned on my heating pad and curled up and went to sleep.
I DID learn something though. I had traded mattresses with Chad to see about making more room in the RV and lightening the load a little. We moved the Sealy Posturpedic into his house and I got his Tempurpedic. That Tempurpedic mattress is temperature sensitive. When it's cold, it's hard as a rock. The place where I turned on the heating pad sunk in nice and soft, but the rest of the bed was hard as a rock until it warmed up.
Spot wiggled himself under the covers last night to warm up. I think I shall prohibit this new activity - I don't want dog hair under my covers - but I understand it was cold so I let him snuggle for a little while.

I lack the imagination to make this blog entry interesting.
I'll write more later, I suppose.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

Gosh, this week has FLOWN!

On Monday I re-wired the trailer wiring harness and mounted the connector into a bracket on the bumper. I added a couple more wires to control the brake module. I installed the trailer brake module and I'm pleased to report that it's working. I mounted the two 30 amp self-resetting breakers to the firewall behind-and-above the battery. I also cleaned the battery, re-mounted the ground to the frame and smeared no-ox on all connections. I tuned up the engine and installed new plug wires, plugs, pcv valve, distributor cap and rotor. The engine has really come alive. I broke traction the other day and peeled out! Mu wa ha ha ha ha haaaaa.

On Tuesday I turned in my timesheet (late). Then I cleaned and rewired the RV's battery. The wingnut was completely corroded through, so I dug until I found the right nut to replace it. Smeared everything with no-ox; it looks real good. Then I organized and oiled ALL my tools. I emptied out the big black toolbox and filled it with automotive tools - jack, pry bar, four-way, oil, ps fluid, brake fluid, carb cleaner, fuel injector cleaner, Heet, extra fuses, jumper cables, reflective cones, pully puller, gear puller, extra bulbs and flasher relay module, air gauge, air pump, fix-a-flat, gap tool, etc... Yep. It's full and heavy.
Then I vacuumed out the entire van, washed down the ceiling and walls, and cleaned the windows. Then I performed the most amazing task ever: I sorted through all my nuts, bolts, washers, screws, terminals, and lagniappe and put them into a big compartmental case. Yes! Really! I did this! I now know where to find any kind of screw or nut-and-bolt that I need. I also was able to throw away any that were damaged or oxidized. The case is very heavy, but the dividers are solid so the stuff won't migrate into adjacent compartments. I love it. It was a gift from my friends at Builder's Best. It used to hold router bits. I went in there and talked to them about my last road-trip and bought a new tape-measure, I happened to mention that I needed something with dividers and was having a hard time finding exactly what I wanted. John went into the back and dug it out for me. I'm so happy! I'm finally organized!

On Wednesday I went to the DMV. It was $393.00 for tags for the van! $355 for taxes and $38 for paperwork. Man! What an expensive friggin' set of plates. Then I came home and I was so frustrated that I washed all the curtains in the house, starched and ironed them, washed the windows, changed the sheets, re-hung the divider curtain to the bedroom, fastened all the pictures in the house to the walls so they will never fall down again, and added a hook-and-eye to the cupboard so it won't fall open when I travel. Cleaned out a junk drawer (still have one junk drawer left), gave all the aquarium supplies to Nicky (a few less things to carry around), filled my shampoo/conditioner/soap dispenser in the bathroom, killed all the mildew in the shower, and shampoo'd the carpets. Yeah, I should get pissed off more often!

Yesterday (Thanksgiving), Chad built and installed my new bookshelves. It's like a hutch over my dresser. Three tiers high. I dug out all my books from under the bed and filled it immediately. Then I got out my gold wire and a mess of miscellaneous beads and made retainers across the front of each shelf. It looks really cool. I won't have to take my books down when I travel, hopefully. I randomly strung up the beads and some old necklace pendants so it looks like a funky-chunky charm bracelet across the fronts of the shelves. I should take a picture.
Then we went to Golden Corral for dinner - stuffed ourselves silly on steak and ribs. Who needs turkey?


Today, I am going to tackle the LAUNDRY, the second junk drawer, the shoe storage, and the space under the bed. Fill my empty propane bottle, and get the oil changed and an inspection sticker for the van. I should top off the gas while I'm in town. There's also a slew of dirty coffee cups in the sink. (Damn, I'm an addict.)

I have to be in Tuscaloosa Alabama on Tuesday morning, December 1st.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

In Lafayette for the week.

After work on Thursday, I took off for home. I went and rigged up and started driving. I stopped in Ardmore and drank two pots of coffee with Jerry, then tackled the DFW traffic. I made it all the way to Alexandria, LA. Actually, I was only 86 miles from home when I had to stop and crash at 4:30 in the morning. I just pulled into a truckstop, let the boys tinkle, crawled into bed and crashed for 7 hours. I got here on Friday afternoon.

Saturday I went to the Auto Parts store and spent $213.00 on parts: I bought plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, PCV valve, heavy duty flasher, trailer brake module, four colors of wires, two 30 amp self-resetting breakers, bracket for my trailer wiring harness, gap tool, and I splurged on a pair of wire-pulling pliers. On Sunday, I tuned up the truck and installed the trailer brake module, and re-wired the trailer wiring harness. That took all day.

I'm proud it's all done, and now I don't have to worry about my stopping distance. Heavy traffic was scaring me to death with the extensive amount of distance it takes me to stop 9100 pounds of forward momentum with just the van's brakes. I feel so much better about hauling this thing around now.

Today, I am going to clean and reconnect the RV's battery leads, vacuum out the van, and re-organize my tools.
I suppose I should throw some laundry into the mix. I'd best be keeping up with that.

I switched the dogs first to Pedigree senior formula - it supposedly is easier to chew, and they snarfed that bag right up. I went back to the store to find some more and there wasn't any. So, I've switched them again - this time to Beneful. They really love that stuff. I've decided to stop buying Pedigree. The boys eat the Beneful much easier and seem to like it more. Meg is full of energy - he's the first one to bust out after a squirrel. If I'd have known that switching his food would have this kind of effect, I would have done it sooner.
So Rob... consider changing Brinka to Beneful if you think of it. It's kinda stinky, must be the salmon, but not excessively so.

Well, I'm going to get after my day. You have a great one.
MsAmber

El Reno. . . Again?!?!

Still here.
The job isn't going blazingly fast. The crew is out of Tulsa, and they schedule themselves pretty short.
I'm kinda in a quandary: I have a reputation for not liking the quality of work by subcontractors, so my bosses roll their eyes at me when I give disparaging reports of others' work. Fact is: I could do the entire job myself, but that's not the reason I have critical eyes towards their work. But I know that if I complain about yet another subcontractor, that it won't change anything and I will simply be reinforcing my reputation as a malcontent.

I see things like: Not showing up on time. Not staying as long as they should. Terminating cat6 without using the retaining clips. Not using the box connectors on the Valcom speakers. Taking 8 hours to terminate 48 cables. Not doing exactly what they said during the conference call. Not adhering to the schedule that they announced during the conference call. Pulling some cables too short. Labeling cables without underlining the numbers (is it 99 or 66? 81 or 18? etc.) If I didn't nag so much about labeling the jacks, I think they would bypass that step also.
My new boss wanted me to watch how THEY do things so that I can duplicate their quality during the next install. What a joke! I feel like my talents are wasted sometimes. The subcontractor is really hating having a babysitter (me) and is doing their best to keep their work away from me - they gave me the task of dressing-in the closet on Wednesday. That kept me busy in the closet all day - it looks real good, by the way.
They are a small-town company. The son works for the dad. Remind you of someone? (Ardmore Tel-Comm, Jerry and Terry Bateman! I love those guys!) Stubborn as all hell - "This is the way I've always done it!" (It took me forever to re-train Terry Bateman from stripping cat5 all the way back. Ah the memories!)

"Yeah? Well that doesn't mean you've been doing it right. Where did you learn to terminate Cat6?" (This is what I wish I'd said.) He says the cat6 clips get in his way. I think he just doesn't know how to use them - I thought they were a pain-in-the-ass the first time I used them, but then I got used to them and I find that they work beautifully and save a little time in a high-density panel. Besides: nowadays the cable sticks out straight from the panel, not bent to the side. I hope his cables pass, but I kinda doubt they will with that sharp bend. We'll see. Today we test! Unfortunately he won't be there. He is going to a wedding today, so they are sending a substitute technician to finish the punching-down.

Well, I've ranted enough. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about anyway.
Just smile, Amber. This job will be done, and nobody will care about retaining clips and box connectors when it's through.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

More El Reno

Well, we got the cabling roughed in. I installed the paging speakers and wiring. I tested that with a toner and everything appears to be working fine.
I'm off today, but I need to change out my air filter on the van, find a place to refill my propane (on a Sunday, no less) and do my laundry.

I was out of propane when I woke up this morning. Since I went to bed with wet hair, it was quite a mess and I thought I would take a quick shower to tame it down a little. Surprise! No hot water!
How... ummm. Invigorating!

I've repainted my nails this morning, and drank a gallon of coffee, so I think I'm ready to bundle up and head outdoors.

You have a great day!

MsAmber

Where the hell am I? Oh yeah, El Reno, OK.

On Thursday, October 15th, I was headed to work at the VA in Billings and the electrical system in the van died. I called the replacement technician and told him I would be a little late and started troubleshooting the electrical problem by the side of the road at 7:15 a.m. I tore apart the dash, I took out the fuse block, I chased the wires down, I pulled the stereo out. I found that my ignition wire was a dead short to ground - but WHERE? By 11:30 I couldn't solve the puzzle so I called a tow truck and had it towed to Speedo & Electric in Billings. Guess what he found? Mice! Yep, I had mice chewing all over my wiring harness under the doghouse. The ignition wire was absolutely shorted to the block. At least we found the problem(s) and fixed them before I hit the road. I was leaving Montana on Friday, so the timing was perfect. That was $260 bucks. Then I rented a car-dolly and towed the Nissan all the way to Shreveport. I stopped off in Norman to unload some equipment and picked up Megabyte. Dropped off the Nissan in Shreveport, returned the car dolly to U-Haul in Shreveport, dropped off a KVM switch to the VA in Shreveport then drove home to Lafayette.
It rained nearly every day that I was in Lafayette. The yard was so full of water that the van got stuck in the driveway. I just knew I wouldn't be able to pull the RV out.
Friday, October 30th was my 39th birthday. It rained all day. When Chad got off work, I cooked dinner for everyone and he baked me a pumpkin pie. I didn't want to call it a night - being as it was my birthday and all, so I waited for my friend Nicky to get off work, she showed up finally around midnight and we sat around and got drunk and talked until 2:30 in the morning. Then the next morning I whipped together a couple of caveman costumes for Chad and myself, painted up and fixed up his youngest daughter, and we all went trick-or-treating. I may have been a little on the grumpy side - tad bit o' hangover and all...
It didn't rain at all on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday; so I thought maybe I could get the camper out of the yard after all. I packed up, hitched up, wired up a trailer harness, and Tuesday morning I pulled it right out. I drove the 631 miles yesterday. The transmission is real weak, but it pulled it just fine - I just took it easy. I got here in El Reno last night (well, this morning), found a camping spot, set up the camper, took a shower, and went to bed. I got up this morning, drank my coffee, walked the dogs, checked my emails, and went to work.
I'm done now - and I don't have to work tomorrow except to sit-in on a conference call at 1:00.
Whew.
I just opened a beer - say goodnight Amber.
Goodnight Amber.

(Grin)
MsAmber

1995 Dodge Ram 2500 PowerWagon

...with the Magnum V8.
I bought it! It's mine.
I'll be spending the next few days loading my stuff into it and getting it ready to roll. I have to wire up the trailer wiring harness, unbolt the toolbox from the back of the Nissan and move it into the van. Remove the back seats. Get a power inverter so that I can charge my cellphone and laptop. This is going to keep me excited for the next 4 days.
Gotta go. Worky worky, busy busy.

MsAmber (grinning)

It's Snowing!!!!

I woke up this morning, it didn't seem like an extraordinary day. I got dressed and brushed my teeth. Then I stepped outside...
There is an inch of snow on my truck and it's still snowing. It's a peaceful snow - didn't hear a thing, the wind is not blowing, just a silent blanketing over everything. It's warm snow. Slushy and wet.
I'm at work now, facing a window watching as everything turns white.
It's cool. I'm enjoying it. Except for the whole "my feet and pants-cuffs are wet" thing.

You have a great day!

MsAmber

Counting down the days...

I put a Dodge Ram 2500 van on layaway. I've already paid $1800 on it, I just owe $1700 more. It just came out of the shop - I made a deal with the guy to have a tow-hitch installed. I'm counting down the days before I can pay it off and start packing up to get the hell outta here. I'm free to leave on the 15th, but I don't get my paycheck until the 16th, so I'll pick it up then and rent a car-dolly to tow the Nissan back to Louisiana. I'm starting to get excited and impatient about leaving, that'll make the days drag on...
I can't wait to see Chad again. He hitched up my trailer and moved it to his place to re-pack my wheel bearings and fix the mushy spot on the floor. The prognosis is good, he found the source of the water that damaged the floor and the wall - it was a bad assembly problem. I'm so glad he's a carpenter!

I slept in until 7:00 this morning, and I'm feeling a little strange today. Kinda light-headed, shaky and unsteady. I don't know what that's all about. Maybe too many cigarettes and too much coffee and not really being acclimated to this elevation? I did sequester myself to my room this weekend instead of getting out and walking around. The weather is turning cold, threatening snow, according to the weather reports. I just don't like to be out in the cold wind. (wimp!)

I usually have my laundry done by now - I've been making it to the laundromat by 7:30 on Sundays to beat the rush. It's now 9:30. Now I'll be fighting for a dryer. I may just wait until this afternoon since I'm not feeling all that energetic right now anyway.

I bought a subscription to "unclaimed money" and I've been searching names of everyone I know and relatives. It's kept me busy for a day now... What shall I do next? I'm tired of reading books, don't want a nap... I know, maybe I'll paint my toenails? That'll take up all of 20 minutes.

Man, the waiting is KILLING me!

MsAmber

Two More Weeks! Yayyyy!

Had a final meeting yesterday. My boss, the COTR, the heads of the Billings OPC, and myself had our MOU meeting yesterday. Everything is good. I have to babysit the system until the 15th of October, then hand the baton to the onsite tech and I'm outta here.
Isn't that awesome?
The honchos are all getting on their planes this morning and leaving with a warm fuzzy that it's all handled.

This morning, I woke up with my right eye swollen shut and a bit of an allergic reaction. They just changed my sheets yesterday, and they might not have rinsed all the soap out. I usually react to laundry soap, so I think that's the problem.
Funny. The timing is perfect.

Well, I gotta go.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

Saturday in Billings...

I went in to work this morning. I hanged (hung?) both alarm panels and discovered that the manufacturer did not include power cords. Lovely.
So I set out phones. I actually set out more than half the entire clinic. So it was a pretty productive day.
The switch tech got his remote access device working, and ran a few of his cables - dressed them in perfectly. I couldn't be happier with the quality of his work. I made some changes to his database as I was setting phones, so he's going to work on the programming from his motel room tonight and tomorrow.
Everything is progressing just fine.
I still need his alarm contacts so I can put them in the panel. I have the alarm cable from the rectifier bay, and I have the link cable to the remote ran already. Just need power cords and the alarm system will be functional. Easy cheesy.

I went shopping today. Yeah, I know. Booo.
I bought a dress on sale at Dillards: 70% off. Bought two new brassieres at Victoria's Secret (not on sale). Then I went to Pier One and bought a lap tray for working on my laptop in bed, and a smelly thing to make the motel room smell good. Oh yeah, and a new coffee cup with lid. I'm drinking Chai tea in it now. The microwave soup cup that I had bought to drink coffee in just isn't working out. It's too big. I will use it for soup, and my new coffee cup for coffee. So kill me already.
Yeah, I know. I'm saving up for a truck. I'm sure two bras and a dress isn't going to break me. I need to put my blinders on until I buy that truck though.

I had a pretty good day. At least I wasn't bored, sitting in my motel room stirring up trouble on Craigslist.

You have a great evening.
MsAmber

Oh my dear blog, how I've missed you...

This has been an exciting week. I'm here in Billings working, as you may already know. I got my power plant built. I have the electrician running my circuits now, maybe tomorrow I can fire it up. I can't wait for it to come alive. My back has been aching for days now after stacking those batteries. But thanks to Icy Hot patches - or as Chad calls them: "Aphrodisiac pads", I can nearly walk straight again. I go around all day and I keep getting a whiff of mentholatum. It takes a while to realize the smell is coming from me. Ha ha ha.
All the ladder rack is up, my power cables are ran. I'm waiting for the electrician to finish before I connect the battery leads to the rectifiers. But it's all assembled and bolted down - ready to go.
I bought a 5-wide punch down tool. I've always wanted one of my own - so now I have it.
I drove downtown and parked at the corner of Montana and 27th. I started walking... I saw that there were people so I went that-a-way. There is a Farmer's market. They were just closing up, so I asked somebody where the car show was. They told me to jog over 4 blocks and turn right and it's at the end of the street. OK.
I walked 31 blocks to the car show. Then I had to walk 31 blocks back to my truck. Oh my. My feet were sore and blistered from that. Like a dummy, I wore my cowboy boots. It was fun anyway - I took hundreds of pictures.
I found a thrift store that I like. I bought some books and a new (used) set of laptop speakers. I also found a pawn shop that I like, and I bought a DeWalt reciprocating saw. I determined to quit spending money now, since I still have to buy a truck. So, I spend every evening now reading in my room or messing around in the Rants and Raves section of Craigslist. Those guys are always good for a laugh or two. Most of the time they just look for ways to offend, hoping for a good argument or an insult session.
I was staying at the Extended Stay hotel, but that was costing me $381/wk, so I found a cheaper place. The only problem is the train tracks. Those trains run all the time and blow their horns constantly. I'm learning how to tune it out, but I just hope I don't get so deaf in my sleep that I can't hear my alarm clock. "Life ain't nothin' but a funny, funny joke." (John Denver song - Thank God I'm a Country Boy)
Landlady called me yesterday and asked me for $100. I put a check in the mail to her. I don't mind helping HER out, but I guess I do resent being asked for money. Usually I'll call her and volunteer, this time she called me and asked. If the vagrant son wasn't in the picture, I wouldn't resent it - but I know the reason she is broke is because she's supporting him. He confronted Chad (who was house-sitting my place) and asked him for money last week. What a freaking loser. I wish he would drop off the planet. Do us all a favor.
I just get so mad when I hear anything to do with Larry. He's just three months younger than I am. I want to scream at him: "Get a job, quit sucking Tit!" He makes life miserable - for her and me, and I'm just a tenant. Did I tell you he threatened me again, the day before I left for Montana? Yeah, he "KNOWS people" and will "take care" of me.
My evil daydreams are carrying me away again. Change subject.

I told Chad that if he's feeling up to it, I would appreciate him moving my trailer to his place and maybe re-packing my wheel bearings and fixing the mushy spot in the floor. I may need to take it to Fayettville, NC next month when I'm done here.
If not, I'll re-pack the bearings before I take off. I know it needs done anyway.
Hey Chad - this isn't a "girlfriend deal" - how much to do the job? I'll pay you.

I think I'm starting to acclimate to this elevation. I haven't had an episode of heart palpitations in about a week. I still see wigglies in my peripheral vision sometimes, and that's a little disconcerting, but I'm starting to feel more energetic than I did when I first arrived. I do hate the fact that I'm in a more Western time-zone, so getting used to the time on the East Coast will be interesting. I don't get out of bed until 6:00 here, which is 8 on the East Coast. Damn.

Well, I've written enough for now.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Friday Morning in Billings

I wrote a blog entry last night, but I must not have published it.
I wrote a comprehensive, inspired dissertation wherein I solved all the worlds' ills. It's a shame it's lost forever. I certainly can't remember what it was...

I got my batteries in. It's an 880 pound stack. Each battery is 220 pounds. These are just little baby batteries. Certainly easy enough to maneuver compared to the big honkin' things we usually install. Today I'm hoping to receive my rectifiers and inverter bay. I'll be ready to rock-n-roll then.

I have a three-day weekend coming up. There is a classic car show going on downtown I was thinking of checking out. I'm also going to move to less-expensive accommodations. I would like to buy a truck real soon, and the more money I save the sooner I can realize this.

Anyway, that's about all. If I think of the solution for all the worlds' ills again, I'll be sure and save it this time.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

Today was ok.

I assembled the racks and got them square. Staged and inventoried the equipment that has arrived already. Bought plywood and painted it.
...and then stood around all day.

The floor crew is sealing the tile and I had them bump my area up in priority because I will be bringing in heavy equipment to install soon and I need them to be done with their work in my switchroom and a path to the outside door.

I'll probably be standing around all day tomorrow also. I don't have much to do until equipment comes in, and I have to be there to receive the equipment...
I'm always bored and impatient until stuff starts to happen, then I have lots to do and not enough time to do it in.

Fun, fun.

MsAmber

I'm just a little bummed tonight

Sergeant St. Ann called me today. I've been blocked from joining the Army. Many years ago I had an episode of depression. My Dr administered a test, and prescribed Cymbalta. I took the anti-depressants for a year or so, then I just quit taking them. Partially out of embarrassment for having to take a daily medication, and partially because I couldn't afford them.
When the Army requisitioned my medical records - they flagged the Depression diagnosis as the reason for my rejection. I tried to argue it, but they won't budge.
So, I'm not going into the Army after all.
That's a shame, because I would have been really good at it.

Well, here I am in Billings Montana. I met my POC today and we did a walkthrough of the facility. I met the electrical contractor and I got him started on making me a bid for some electrical circuits and conduit that I need. I looked at the materials that have already been delivered. I have enough stuff to get me started. This will be a fairly easy job. It's only 300 phones, and the power plant is small also. I can handle it by myself.

I think I want to go to the bar down the street and drink a beer. Just one.
I'm feeling a little stir-crazy.

Have a great night.
MsAmber

I made it to Billings

I left Lafayette at 10 p.m. on Friday and drove to Norman, Oklahoma. I stopped at Rob's house and did two loads of laundry, visited awhile, and slept. Saturday evening Rob, Kandelyn and I went to dinner at Applebees, then we sat around and chatted until 'way too late. I didn't leave there until 11 p.m.
Megabyte heard me and nearly tore the back door down trying to come in and see me. It was good to see my boy, I miss him.
The starter on the truck is starting to act up. When I was in Gainsville, it went out. I was at a gas station push starting the truck and some guy was leaning up against the fuel pump. He hollered out: "You're gonna have to go faster than that!", I hopped in and popped the clutch and it fired right up. I couldn't help but laugh. So far, that was the only episode. It's worked fine ever since, but I know that is my warning shot. It WILL go out, I'll just watch how I park it in case I have to push start it again.

It was a hard drive, but rather uneventful. Yesterday evening I saw a guy struggling with a flat tire. I was bored so I pulled over to help. It was a large chevy 3500 duelly and he'd blown a front tire. I saw that he was using the scissor jack, so I pulled off to see if he would rather use my big floor jack. He declined, but he didn't have a 4-way and couldn't break his lug nuts. I handed him my 4-way and a can of WD-40, and helped him get the spare out from under his truck. For some reason he wouldn't let me touch a tool, but I could tell he wasn't accustomed to changing tires...
Turns out he's a Ph.D. Yeah. I don't know a single doctor who would change their own tire. He struggled with it and I thought he might pop a vein, but by golly he got 'er done.
I was amused by the fact that he was treating me like a girl when I've certainly more experience than he in automotive mechanical work. It was quaint and cute.
Then: he tried to give me money. I wouldn't take it - I mean the dude wouldn't even let me help, did he think I only stopped to con him out of a few bucks? I took his business card though. I think I'll make him an offer on his truck. Now that it's got a fender-bender on it, it might be within my budget. He's a Dr., and he'll probably be too uppity to drive a truck with body damage. Maybe not though, it's still a really nice truck. Might be out of my price range for 8 more years or so. Though it wouldn't hurt to try...

I pulled in to Billings at 10 p.m. last night. Found the Extended Stay America and got checked in. The price is too high. I got her to knock it down a few bucks, but still: $381/wk is too much for what you get. I paid up for a week, but I'm going to look around for more reasonable accommodations. I would like to save a bit more of my perdiem to help pay for the truck I'm going to buy.

I toted 3/4 of my stuff up here to the 3rd floor and got unpacked. I'm strange that way: I have to set up the bathroom counter, unpack my clothes, and arrange the room to suit me before I can go to bed. No matter how tired I am.

My lower back took a beating on that ride. I had a muscle spasm in my right hip all day yesterday. Pinched nerve. I can hardly walk a straight line this morning. I've taken two ibuprofen and I'm drinking my coffee now. I'll be right-as-rain in just a few more minutes.

Mike called this morning already. I told him I was going to call him later to get the "Who, what, when, where, and why." He just wanted to make sure that I didn't show up on the jobsite this morning until he got approval. That's groovy, I wasn't planning on just showing up with no clue anyway.

I'm going to shower and get myself ready for the day. Maybe I'll get to have a meeting with my new crew and get oriented. The weather is beautiful. I opened the window to my room last night because it stinks of stale smoke in here, but the temperature is perfect. I slept like a baby! My window faces the highway, and beyond that is some mountains. I like being on the 3rd floor. The view is good, and I can open it up and get some air. Not too claustrophobic in here.

I was thinking to myself: wouldn't Chad just shit if I told him I liked it so much here that I'm staying? (not funny, MsAmber!)
I do love my mountains though. I'm really an Appalachian girl, but I loved the Rockies for over 9 years. I nearly forgot how much until I saw them again.
Actually, I tend to find something to love about every place I've ever been. Fickle, fickle, fickle.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Alright Peeps - I'm on the road.

Truck's all packed, gear stowed. I just have to take a shower and hit the road.
I think I have everything...

Landlady's son poked his head in the door and said: "You're going to Montana?" I said yes. He said "Well, lemme tell you something..." I didn't catch all that he blurted out but it was something along the lines of: I better not hack into their computer and get their personal information and spread it all over the web in Montana or he KNOWS people and he will take care of me.

HUH?

My goodness. Was that a threat?
And why in the world would I even bother to "hack" into their computer? Like I don't have anything better to do than to hack into some old lady's computer and see how much trouble I can cause. Shit. If I wanted to hack something, I'm sure I could think of someone MUCH more interesting than my landlady and her son...
Geez.

Can you say: Mental?!

Have a great weekend.
MsAmber

Had a great time powerwashing!

Man, I want one!
Fired up the 5.5 hp powerwasher and went crazy. I washed two houses. That's a hoot. The cool part is that it may be 105 degrees outside, but with all the overspray, you stay nice and cool. In my opinion, that would be the greatest outdoor job ever. Sunshine, water, and a real sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I really want to buy one. I never knew how much fun that could be.

Yesterday we went and installed some mortar between bricks, a vent flue for a stove exhaust, and a microwave. Then went and unloaded two semi-trucks full of lumber. It was a good day.

Today I'm off. I need to start getting ready for my trip to Montana. I called Nicky and told her that if she doesn't come see me this evening, then I won't see her for two whole months. She was surprised and said "It's that time already! Oh shit!"

The slave cylinder on the hydraulic clutch is acting up, so I'm going to run by my mechanic's place right quick.
Gotta go, gotta go.

You have a great day!
MsAmber

Monday fun.

Did roofing repair yesterday. Pulling up old leaky shingles and replacing them with mismatched ones. Early in the morning, went downtown and replaced two parking stops. Pulled up the old ones, carried the new ones out of the parking garage, re-drilled for the pins and placed the two new ones. I had a funny little "oops". I was pushing the dolly with the new parking stop on it and I had to get a running start to get it over a hump. Well, I made it over the hump, but the forward momentum pitched me upwards and I nearly was catapulted over the handles. It was funnier than hell. Thank goodness I wasn't hurt, but it did give me a real perspective on my weight in relationship to a big ol' chunk of concrete.

Today I get to powerwash three or four houses. That sounds like a hoot, and I think it will be a bit easier of a day than roofing, or heaven forbid, insulation!

I'm counting down the days before my big road-trip. We bolted down a toolbox in the back of the truck and I've packed all my tools. I got the spare tire, and the truck is ready. I moved the wringer washer over to Chad's carport and cleaned out my storage. The RV is squared away. I'll just need to do laundry and pack my clothes and I'll be ready.

Having a visit from Mr. Monthly. I'm feeling a little irritable and serious, so don't mind my post, if it appears to lack my normal affability. The timing is perfect however. I'll be over it in time for the physical on Friday, and the driving to Montana. That'll be good, I really hate going through that during a long drive.

I would like to solve the music problem before I leave. It would be nice to have some tunes to listen to during the trip.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Saturday fun...

I went to the junkyard this morning to find a spare wheel for the Nissan.
I've been driving without a spare for quite a while, and it concerns me. I have my jack and 4-way, but that would do me no good without a wheel.

I've got to go to Billings Montana next Friday. I will work construction here Monday through Thursday, then on Friday I have my Army physical, then time to pack up and hit the road on Friday night. That will make for a loong day. I have to get up at 3:30, leave at 4:00 to go to New Orleans, then stand in lines all darn day. If they fail me, then it's all over for my going into the Army. I'm going to try not to install insulation this week, that tends to mess with my lungs too much. The last time my physical was scheduled, my boss had me installing unfaced insulation for two days prior. If they put me through a breathing test I might be somewhat compromised.
Otherwise, I'm healthy as a horse and strong as a mule.

I have a serious hankering for a rare steak and some raw spinach. I hate to let go of the money, but I've gotta feed that craving. So tonight it's steak, raw spinach salad, and watermelon. Mmmmm.

I've got to go clean out the back of the truck and drain my blackwater. Chad made me a pseudo-pressure-washer wand so I can rinse out the tank. The gauge has been reading 2/3 full even when it's empty, so I need to hose it out real good.

We went to play bingo last night... the kids had fun in spite of themselves. The little one insisted that she didn't like bingo, but I think she liked it afterwards. Oh how terrible it must be to be forced to sit and play bingo with the old people for a couple of hours.

Dumbass, the landlady's son, just poured two-cycle mixed gasoline into the lawnmower. It's smoking something awful. I thought even HE would know better than that. He has a history of breaking lawn implements, now he's torn up the lawnmower. Ms Doris will have a fit when she sees that. What a dumbass.

Hey! When did the design on the penny change? I just looked down and picked up a penny. It has a log cabin on the back, instead of the Lincoln memorial. Am I the only one who didn't know about this?
Geez.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

I'm back in Lafayette.

The drive home was a little hairy. Thunderstorms all the way. That Mitsubishi Gallant hydroplanes like a bitch! You wouldn't expect that from a front-wheel-drive car, but it's really quite dangerous to drive through heavy rain. I wouldn't buy one.
Otherwise, the car did fine. It got me there and back and the gas mileage was great.

While I was gone my hot water heater plug blew out and it dumped 3-400 gallons of water on the ground. Chad came by after work to pick up the dog and he found it. He shut off the water and the two switches (gas and electric), but alas, it was too late. My electric heating element is fried, and I'm out of propane. So I came home to NO HOT WATER. I need to refill my propane tank today.

I got all my survey stuff together and fed-ex'd it to TT, then I faxed my timesheets. I'm hoping they pay me for drive-time, because I didn't make a penny off of mileage - having to rent a car... Anyway, I submitted 31.5 hours. Here's to hoping that they accept my time as submitted. Since it DID cost me 4 days' worth of work at my other job, I think it's only fair.
You never know, though. TT can be real sticklers about stuff sometimes.

I have to get fixed up and run down to the recruiters to finalize my paperwork and set my physical appointment in stone, then I'm going to refill my propane tank so I'll have hot water this evening for a shower. I also need to do the dishes...

You have a great day!
MsAmber

In Memphis...

Okay, so I understand you may be a bit confused.
Things have been moving rather quickly so try to keep up.

I worked construction last week and got paid on Friday. On Saturday I went to the thrift store and bought $45 worth of new clothes. I gave the landlady another $100 for her prescriptions (just a donation to the cause because she's in pretty bad shape)I worked Monday, then I rented my girlfriend's car to drive to Memphis.

It's a little Mitsubishi Gallant. She's getting behind on her payments so this benefits both of us. TT fronted me the mileage reimbursement, so I offered her $100 per day for three days. That left me enough to pay for gas, and she spent a few dollars to fix the tire and replace the headlight bulbs, and cleaned it up for me.

I left Lafayette at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, drove to Memphis and got a hotel room about a block away from the VA hospital. I'm here to do a VA walkthrough and RFP meeting with all the "Suits". My mission is to gather all the pertinent information and see what it would take to install a new DC power plant, phone switch, and 3000 phones in this VA hospital. I was at the meeting this morning in my nice pink button-up blouse, dark jeans and cowboy boots. Most everyone was in dress slacks - you know - salesman clothes. That's why I call them the "suits". There was actually only a couple of technicians - me, and a Blackbox technician who was representing my company also. I think I left a good impression. I never really can tell - so riddled with insecurities sometimes - especially when I'm surrounded by "suits". I think I prefer being a tech to anything.
I was talking to my girlfriend Nicole afterwards and she said that I shouldn't feel that way, those guys were probably just saying "uh-huh" to everything so they don't look stupid and I was actually visualizing what has to be done, so my site survey is a lot more practical. I know I'm the only one who brought a measuring tape. I guess they will be leaving all the details to their technicians to figure out how to make it work. Unless they are all just SOOO professional that they can see a solution without any research... ya think?

I see challenges here. The switchroom is too small to accommodate two sets of everything. The customer doesn't want the new phones working in tandem with the old phones, he wants them replaced during the weekend of cutover (that would take a lot of manpower). There is no room to stage the equipment, so a storage trailer would have to be rented, and possibly an office trailer. A lot of small obstacles. I can think of workarounds to some of the issues, but that would require some after-hours work and some delicate-finesse work. In a way: I would like the opportunity to tackle these issues, in another: I hope we don't win this bid because these challenges make this installation VERY precarious. I see a high chance for mistakes in which I wouldn't want to be the girl standing there wearing tools and a nametag when the magic smoke is released.

Ah, good times.

Anyway, Sergeant St.Ann called me and all my medical records are in. I told him I won't be back in time to take my physical this Friday, so schedule me for Friday the 28th.
I've decided that since I'm getting paid to be here for two days that I'm going to join the bid meeting again tomorrow and get more measurements. I've compiled all my notes and my drawings, just need some more measurements of the switchroom. Then I'm going to drive back to Lafayette.

Chad and I have a Bingo date on Friday night and we're taking the kids.

After my physical on the 28th, I'm heading to Billings Montana for an install. It should last through October 24th. Mike is requesting a company vehicle for me, but if he can't get me one, then I'm going to have to buy something rather quickly. I wish they would let me know soon, because I may have to use my mileage reimbursement for a down-payment. I would hate to obligate myself to a stupid car payment only to have them insist that I take a company truck to haul equipment, and on the flipside, I'd hate to expect a company vehicle and find out at the last minute that I need my own car. Mark Sorrells is a pain. He refuses to communicate even rudimentary stuff to me. No consideration at all. Leaves me hanging every time...
Oh well. C'est la vie.

Mike tells me that coming up are: Asheville, NC; Clarksburg, WV; and somewhere, PA. I'm a little excited about Clarksburg, WV. That's 40 miles from my old home. Wouldn't that be interesting? Last time I was home was in March 2003 when I buried my mother. I told everyone that would be the last time they ever saw me, I ain't coming home no more. But lately I've been talking about my mountains, and thinking about my mountains, wanting to smell wood-smoke again and sit in a maple syrup shed. Louisiana has it's charms, but it's not Appalachia. Like I've always said: I don't care for the people, but I love my mountains.

I suppose this means that I may be getting back on the road with Trans-Tel. Well, depending on what happens with my Army physical. One project at a time. Let me get Billings Montana done and we'll see what comes up next. At least Mike is happy to have me back. He has always been encouraging and helpful. It really is nice to feel appreciated.

Anyway, I just have one more day of work here then I'm headed home to Lafayette. I may get to work on Friday, then four days next week before my physical. Gosh I really need the money, I'm so broke I can hardly pay attention! Wouldn't it be nice to win the lottery right about now?

This entry has taken 'way too long. I've always used an external keyboard and I find that some of my keys on the laptop are gummed up badly. Especially the F and C. I have to backspace out my sentence and re-add the F's. Too unny.

And my thumb keeps hitting the touchpad, so I'll just be typing along and find that my cursor has jumped somewhere else.

I'm going to hop on Craigslist now and see what the price for short-term rentals are in Billings.
You have a great evening.

Ciao
MsAmber

Tuesday, August 11

The construction company called me to work on the 5th. I carried 20' studs all day the first day, then on the second day I installed unfaced insulation all day. I got a call from the recruiter saying that he had a waiver for me to go ahead and get my physical on Friday (right after breathing all that insulation: thanks), that the MEPS didn't need all my medical records since the surgeries weren't life-threatening. So on Friday I got up at 2:00 a.m. and the recruiter picked me up at 2:45, we drove to New Orleans. I spent half the day standing in line and following hard-to-hear instructions, getting paperwork, filling out forms, and being shuffled around. Then, just as I'm getting in to see a doctor, bang! I have to stop. They want to see my medical records. So I went home.
I lost a full days' worth of work, and it will have to be rescheduled when I get all my medical records. Shit!

The collections' office started calling yesterday about July's RV payment. I was nice enough, but I told her I would make a payment when I can. You've got a job to do, and so do I, have a nice day. So I suppose I shall receive a call every day until I get that caught up. Oh well.

I almost had enough money saved up for the RV payment but the landlady asked me to pick up the water bill for her because she ran out of money (just days after she received her SS check), and I had to put some groceries into my house and gasoline in the truck. THIS time I'm not going to choose to pay my RV payment over eating and other necessities. I can't go hungry while working. They'll get over it.

I have more insulation to install today, and the boss asked if anyone wants to do some extra work this weekend painting - I think I will volunteer. I need to catch up. My ox is in a proverbial ditch.

But at least I have coffee!
It's all more tolerable with coffee.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Medical Records.

The Army can't schedule my physical until they get my medical records. I spent a bit of time trying to round them up. My primary care doctor had quit private practice and now works the E.R. at Norman Regional. I finally spoke with him yesterday evening. He was/is a great doctor.
My surgeries were over 3 years ago so all my records are in "off-site storage" and they estimate a couple of weeks to retrieve them.
One of the hospitals where I had a surgery has changed their name and was nearly impossible to find.
Goodness. Had I known all this ahead of time I would have kept copies of all my medical records any time I had a procedure or a visit.

My background check is coming back good. Every ticket and transgression that I 'fessed up has come back fine - just like I knew they would. I've kept all my tickets and receipts since like: 1990. The Army recruiter was amazed at my record-keeping. Now if only I had kept my medical records as diligently...

Today I should like to clean out my truck and empty my blackwater tank. Maybe I'll even get around to doing a load of laundry. I have several irons in the fire to get work - if I'm lucky I may get a phonecall... still hopeful after all the disappointments.

Well, I feel pretty good today. I'm going out the door to embrace the sunshine and get moving.
You have a great day!
MsAmber

Yesterday - Monday

Yesterday I fixed myself up and went down to Universal Communications. I got there early and waited for the owner to show up. He said he just wanted to know what kind of talent was in the area, he didn't have any work for me yet, but he would call if he got any big jobs.
Then I called Jay (carpentry), and inquired about his laborer opening. He said to give him a couple of days to think about it.
So I drove over to Paul's. He said he had a couple of days' worth of work for me. I went with him and pulled nails and tacks out of old cypress. What he thought would take me a couple of days I finished in 6 hours.
I came home and Mike Samples called. He wanted me to consider something. He asked if I would be interested in doing the Billings Montana job, then staying up there to support the system for a one-year contract after cutover. I'm really thinking on it, but my camper trailer would be of no use in Montana, so I would have to get an apartment and still pay for my trailer down here. I also told him that Mark Sorrells is putting me off and that I need work, so he said he would call around. He thinks he may need me to go to Houston and run a DC circuit off a power bay to a Siemens 400. I'll take all the work I can get right now.

I should probably be using this time to get my camper squared away, do the laundry, clean everything up and organize myself for travel. Bolt down a toolbox in the back of the pickup truck, vacuum it out and wash the windows. I should be prepared in the event that something comes through and my participation will be required immediately. That's the way things work in this business. When they need you: they need you NOW. (As opposed to when you need THEM: you can wait a few weeks.)

I also expect to be called for my physical any day this week. As soon as they requisition my medical records from Oklahoma, it will be scheduled.

I haven't made my trailer payment for July, I am $105.00 short of the payment amount and I don't want to give up the last of my money right now because I may need to float my own travel expenses until I get reimbursed. So I expect that the collections' division will start calling any minute now. But the electricity, rent, insurance, and phone bills are paid.

Larry (the landlady's son) has been creeping around lately. He asked me for a cigarette. I said no. He asked me for gasoline for the lawnmower, I gave him what was left in my gas can. He asked me for $1.60, I said no. He got mad. I told him that he has no right to bum off me, especially since I'm struggling to make ends meet and I'm working odd-jobs. He said at least I get paid for my work, (Well, duh!) and he's been mowing MY lawn for free. I said that I've mowed it all 5 times for free myself, and I'm not paying him to mow the lawn, besides, he always uses MY gasoline, AND he still owes me $10 bucks! I noticed that Ms. Doris is back from her daughter's house. She must have gotten her Social Security check. I expect that Larry will hang around until that's spent then he will leave again. Isn't there something wrong with a man who thinks it's alright to suck money from struggling women? He tries intimidation and bullying, and spouting violent nonsense, it ain't working with me. No mo'. No mo'. Mr. Wilton said Larry was over at his house trying to bum money and was all in his face and bumping chests. Mr. Wilton is 76 years old. Larry really needs to be knocked down a peg or two - imagine bullying women and old men! When Larry doesn't get what he wants he has a temper tantrum. Sometimes I worry about repercussions. I worry that he might snap and burn my house down or stab my tires or poison my dog. I think he knows it, too. Every time I look outside I see him creeping around somewhere. He stays within view of at least one of my windows. I don't feel comfortable hanging around outside in my lawnchair in the evening anymore. I can do it in the morning because Larry doesn't get up until about 9:30 or so, but during the day I shut and lock the door. That boy is mental.

Well, I'm going to run through the shower and start cleaning up. I don't have any paid work to do today.
You have a great day.
MsAmber