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