Friday December 20, 2007
It's Friday and the last day before I take off 11 days for Christmas. I am headed to Florida for a few days. I will post more when I get back after Christmas. Merry Christmas to all.
Nana Tech
One of the nice aspects of what I do is being involved in lots of different technological advancement. One area that I have been involved is in alternative energy. I have some knowledge of solar, geothermal energy, biomass, wind, and hydro. I have a close friend that converts automobiles to electric. In the plastics design, material properties have move from the micro to the nana tech. The nana technologies far outreach anything that we have experienced in micro technology. We are all familiar with the micro: computers and the microchips that is in everything that we use that has electronics. Nana doesn’t only apply to electronics but to materials as well. Examples in materials are the strengths, weight, and insulation properties to name a few. But there have been a couple of resent developments that we will all see in the near future. On is a battery that will store 10 times the energy of current batteries and a solar panel that produces power for under $1.00 a watt. Currently a solar panel cost about $4.00 a watt making it more expensive to produce electric with solar than coal or oil. The $1.00 gets that cost into a cheaper range than the coal or oil. This is going to change things. The other issue with solar is the storage of that power when there is no sun. In the past it has taken a lot of batteries. This new battery will definably help that. The next item is the electric cars. The issues with it are the cost and weight of the batteries that are required. My friend that converts cars to electric has vehicles that will go between 75 – 150 miles on a charge. These are good for getting back and forth to work but not for any distance driving. 10 times that distance and you have something. He has one that recharges while at work with solar panel. It doesn’t completely recharge but it does add a few miles that he can drive between charges. As you can see with these new inventions how it will help the development of the electric car and the hybrids. Can you imagine having 10 times the battery power in your truck? You could have heat, AC, and all the other niceties that require electric. There are no ends to the changes these inventions will bring. These items are already developed and are in the patent stages and will soon be available in the items we buy. Expect to see many new developments that are more life changing in the next few years than we have experience in the pass.
Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907 :
***** *******************
The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years old.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. Had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City Cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more Heavily populated than California With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st Most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
The average wage in the U.S. Was 22 Cents per hour. The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, A dentist made $2,500 per year,A veterinarian $1,500 per year, And a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. Took place at HOME . Ninety percent of all U.S. Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death in the U.S. Were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. Adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. (no wonder we miss the good old days)Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
There were about 230 reported Murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!
Now I sent it to you and others all over the United States, possibly the world, in a matter of just Seconds!
Just Try to imagine..... What it may be like ....In another 100 years !
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ready to End This Chapter
Thursday, December 20, 2007
I am ready to end this chapter in my life. When I reflect back on what I have done for over 40 years it is with mixed emotions. I have enjoyed the most of it but I should have left 10 years ago. I could then have a much better feeling about what I had accomplished. I hate what has happened to this industry.
I taught classes at Nashville State Community Collage in Cookeville for a while but just didn’t have my heart in it. I hated to see students working and studying to learn an industry that wasn’t going anywhere. When I would be asked what the prospects were I could not honestly tell them that it was worth the effort. We still have a lot of manufacturing in this country but the jobs have become more completive and the pay is less in comparison to what it has been most of my career.
As you know if you have read any of my blog, we have mostly Mexicans where I work. I don’t have anything against them. They are very hard workers and take a lot of bull from the owner. But we are in an economically depressed area because of several plants moving to China and Mexico ant the companies here had rather hire a cheap Mexican. I am not going to get on my soap box with this right now but it is only a matter of time that we have foreign nationals in ever aspect of labor in this country including truck driving. When our plants went to Mexico the skilled jobs stayed here but that is not true with China.
Back to the main subject of this blog: I am ready to call it quits. Truck driving may not be the eternal answer but it will be a change for me. I will be turning Sixty (did I say that) when I start this new career. My goal is to drive a million miles before I leave.
I am ready to end this chapter in my life. When I reflect back on what I have done for over 40 years it is with mixed emotions. I have enjoyed the most of it but I should have left 10 years ago. I could then have a much better feeling about what I had accomplished. I hate what has happened to this industry.
I taught classes at Nashville State Community Collage in Cookeville for a while but just didn’t have my heart in it. I hated to see students working and studying to learn an industry that wasn’t going anywhere. When I would be asked what the prospects were I could not honestly tell them that it was worth the effort. We still have a lot of manufacturing in this country but the jobs have become more completive and the pay is less in comparison to what it has been most of my career.
As you know if you have read any of my blog, we have mostly Mexicans where I work. I don’t have anything against them. They are very hard workers and take a lot of bull from the owner. But we are in an economically depressed area because of several plants moving to China and Mexico ant the companies here had rather hire a cheap Mexican. I am not going to get on my soap box with this right now but it is only a matter of time that we have foreign nationals in ever aspect of labor in this country including truck driving. When our plants went to Mexico the skilled jobs stayed here but that is not true with China.
Back to the main subject of this blog: I am ready to call it quits. Truck driving may not be the eternal answer but it will be a change for me. I will be turning Sixty (did I say that) when I start this new career. My goal is to drive a million miles before I leave.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
December 19, 2007
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Congress has just passed an energy bill that will require automobiles to get 35 MPG by 2020. I might be off on details but you get the picture. The radio talk shows are coming up with all sorts of problems and solutions. One is switching to diesel and saving 30%. One was using cooking oil and one is producing fuel from corn, excreta, and excreta. Any of these ideas may be part of the solution but any one way will not solve the problem.
We are in another oil crisis. This is nothing new. We experienced our first in the mid 70’s with the oil embargo. Americans realized that we were seriously dependant on oil that is controlled by countries that we don’t consider friends. Nixon was to get us independent of foreign oil by 1980. Oops we didn’t make it.
If we get in a crisis such as a war the effect of oil supply would create a serious impact on our way of life. It could even affect the outcome of that war. It would certainly have a major impact on our economy. During the 70’s oil embargo, interest rates went out of sight. With a limited supply of raw material such as plastics we experienced a slow economy, inflation, and interest rates above 20%.
Over thirty years later and we have done little to improve the situation. We have debated drilling in Alaska and other sensitive areas as if this is the answer. We know what the answer is but have not been willing to commit to it. Use less oil! No amount of drilling is going to alleviate the problem. With the increase of the oil consumption in China and the world we need to be looking at what can be done to conserve.
It is time to move into a new chapter of how we do things. As sure as we moved from horse drawn carriages to automobiles, it is time to advance our sociality once more. We need leadership to do that. Eisenhower after experiencing the Autobahn during WWII in Germany implemented the interstate highway system. It is hard to imagine not having it today. We need someone that will do that today with a national mass transit system.
Oil Consumption: Where is the oil used? We have three major categories of large oil consumption. We have the heating and cooling of our homes and businesses (oil, gas, and electric energy from oil); transportation (planes, trains, and automobiles); and raw materials (plastics, chemicals, and building material).
The problem: Demand is higher than supply. Or at least at a rate that makes the suppliers in control. It is a sellers market.
The solution: Decrease the demand on oil. We keep hearing the politicians using the catch phrase of “Decreasing our dependence on foreign oil.” We are in a world market so the real phase should be “Decrease our dependence on oil.” How do we do that without changing our way of life? Well it is going to change but not necessarily for the worse. Do we change it under our control or do we let the oil supplies control and change it. It has already changed. With gas at $3.00 a gal and going up it has taken away our buying power. Not only are we paying more each time we fill up but there is an ever increasing cost in everything we buy. We have higher manufacturing cost on the products that we buy. We have higher shipping cost, increase food production prices, and an increase in the cost of heating and cooling of our homes. It has caused a major impact in our life styles. But it is time we took charge!
There are a lot of areas where we can change things, nuclear power, solar and wind power, and even better design and insulation of homes.
But what I propose here is related to transportation. We need to design and build a national transportation system that works. For it to work well we need to be able to get from point A to point B anywhere in the country comfortably, efficiently, and economically.
We would no longer be limited to where we live and work. We could live in a rural area and commute miles away to a city or vise versa without increasing our time and expense in travel. Factories could be located in areas where land, space, and taxes are cheaper and workers commute from all directions to the plant.
How can we accomplish that?
We need to build a national high speed train system for passengers and for cargo. It can be similar to the interstate system in that it services all the large cities and has limited access and stops. It should be serviced by local trains that move people and products from areas that don’t have convenient access to the limited access high speed trains. These in turn should be serviced by buses. In rural areas that don’t support a large bus system Jitney buses could be used. A person would call or go online, give an address of where he or she is leaving from with the time and date and an address with the time and date to arrive. A computer schedules a pick up will best accommodate his schedule. If it is for transportation to and from work, you enter your daily schedule. The Jitney’s need only to go where there is a pickup instead of a regular route saving both time and fuel. Airports in some cities use this system for picking up and delivering passengers to and from airports and it works very well.
If you are going a long distance for example: You wish to travel from a rural area in Tennessee to a rural area in Florida. You enter the addresses and times and you get a travel agenda of pick up time and arrival time. You will be picked up at your home and delivered to either a train that moves you to the high speed train that will take you to Florida or depending on your location you may go directly to the high speed train. You can relax, read a book, watch a movie, or dine in the dinning car, and arrive at your destination point in Florida. There you would transfer to your bus or train that will take you to your final destination. You do this all on one ticket and your bags are transferred for you. Time in distances of less than 1000 miles could rival flying times.
There are a lot of ways and systems to get you to the major part of the transportation system (the high speed train) including your private vehicle but also systems like San Francisco that has electric cars. You use a key card and you drive any car that is parked and then leave it for someone to use.
Getting people to use the system is crucial for its success. It will require a comfortably, efficiently, and economical system that meets the demand of the people. We should have a weekly, monthly, and yearly passes where you can travel wherever you wish to go in the system. Next a family plan is needed so that a family can travel more economically that driving a private car. Underage children passes should be cheap. Most families now have several vehicles, especially if it has teenage children. We would need to keep it cost efficient for families.
We have a large part of our population that shouldn’t be driving at all but is forced to because of no good means to get from point A to point B. Some people would chose not to drive because of the expense of owning a car, some because of driving records, DUI etc, some because of age, and we all know that someone that just don’t need to be driving. We could stop giving repeat DUI offenders driving privileges without hindering their ability to get to a job. Also they would be more likely to use public transportation if it was convenient to use thus avoiding a DUI to begin with.
Improved Life Style: Our life style would improve. A family now has a major expense in transportation. With the price of a car, maintenance, insurance, and fuel cost for it, especially in a multi car family, it is often a greater expense than our home. We would have more money to spend on goods and vacations.
The decreased demand on oil will lower oil prices therefore decreasing the cost of manufactured goods and food cost as well as the cost of getting these goods to us.
If we moved enough people off the highways into the trains we could stop paving over more and more land and start maintaining the roads that we do have.
As anyone that has traveled around the country knows that our roads are crowded, poor conditions, and are under constant construction. These we are sharing with the trucking system that is so important for the delivery of everything that we have.
Cargo: Here again we should have a rail system for moving these goods. Trucks deliver to a train, that train moves them efficiently, and economically where they are picked up by truck for delivery. Companies such as FedEx and UPS could have stations at these points to transfer directly to the delivery trucks. They could possible even have sorting areas in the trains to sort while the train is in route to an area. With the use of computers and communications it could be done efficiently and economically.
A new age of transportation is not only desirable because of the oil prices but it is essential for the economy of our country.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Congress has just passed an energy bill that will require automobiles to get 35 MPG by 2020. I might be off on details but you get the picture. The radio talk shows are coming up with all sorts of problems and solutions. One is switching to diesel and saving 30%. One was using cooking oil and one is producing fuel from corn, excreta, and excreta. Any of these ideas may be part of the solution but any one way will not solve the problem.
We are in another oil crisis. This is nothing new. We experienced our first in the mid 70’s with the oil embargo. Americans realized that we were seriously dependant on oil that is controlled by countries that we don’t consider friends. Nixon was to get us independent of foreign oil by 1980. Oops we didn’t make it.
If we get in a crisis such as a war the effect of oil supply would create a serious impact on our way of life. It could even affect the outcome of that war. It would certainly have a major impact on our economy. During the 70’s oil embargo, interest rates went out of sight. With a limited supply of raw material such as plastics we experienced a slow economy, inflation, and interest rates above 20%.
Over thirty years later and we have done little to improve the situation. We have debated drilling in Alaska and other sensitive areas as if this is the answer. We know what the answer is but have not been willing to commit to it. Use less oil! No amount of drilling is going to alleviate the problem. With the increase of the oil consumption in China and the world we need to be looking at what can be done to conserve.
It is time to move into a new chapter of how we do things. As sure as we moved from horse drawn carriages to automobiles, it is time to advance our sociality once more. We need leadership to do that. Eisenhower after experiencing the Autobahn during WWII in Germany implemented the interstate highway system. It is hard to imagine not having it today. We need someone that will do that today with a national mass transit system.
Oil Consumption: Where is the oil used? We have three major categories of large oil consumption. We have the heating and cooling of our homes and businesses (oil, gas, and electric energy from oil); transportation (planes, trains, and automobiles); and raw materials (plastics, chemicals, and building material).
The problem: Demand is higher than supply. Or at least at a rate that makes the suppliers in control. It is a sellers market.
The solution: Decrease the demand on oil. We keep hearing the politicians using the catch phrase of “Decreasing our dependence on foreign oil.” We are in a world market so the real phase should be “Decrease our dependence on oil.” How do we do that without changing our way of life? Well it is going to change but not necessarily for the worse. Do we change it under our control or do we let the oil supplies control and change it. It has already changed. With gas at $3.00 a gal and going up it has taken away our buying power. Not only are we paying more each time we fill up but there is an ever increasing cost in everything we buy. We have higher manufacturing cost on the products that we buy. We have higher shipping cost, increase food production prices, and an increase in the cost of heating and cooling of our homes. It has caused a major impact in our life styles. But it is time we took charge!
There are a lot of areas where we can change things, nuclear power, solar and wind power, and even better design and insulation of homes.
But what I propose here is related to transportation. We need to design and build a national transportation system that works. For it to work well we need to be able to get from point A to point B anywhere in the country comfortably, efficiently, and economically.
We would no longer be limited to where we live and work. We could live in a rural area and commute miles away to a city or vise versa without increasing our time and expense in travel. Factories could be located in areas where land, space, and taxes are cheaper and workers commute from all directions to the plant.
How can we accomplish that?
We need to build a national high speed train system for passengers and for cargo. It can be similar to the interstate system in that it services all the large cities and has limited access and stops. It should be serviced by local trains that move people and products from areas that don’t have convenient access to the limited access high speed trains. These in turn should be serviced by buses. In rural areas that don’t support a large bus system Jitney buses could be used. A person would call or go online, give an address of where he or she is leaving from with the time and date and an address with the time and date to arrive. A computer schedules a pick up will best accommodate his schedule. If it is for transportation to and from work, you enter your daily schedule. The Jitney’s need only to go where there is a pickup instead of a regular route saving both time and fuel. Airports in some cities use this system for picking up and delivering passengers to and from airports and it works very well.
If you are going a long distance for example: You wish to travel from a rural area in Tennessee to a rural area in Florida. You enter the addresses and times and you get a travel agenda of pick up time and arrival time. You will be picked up at your home and delivered to either a train that moves you to the high speed train that will take you to Florida or depending on your location you may go directly to the high speed train. You can relax, read a book, watch a movie, or dine in the dinning car, and arrive at your destination point in Florida. There you would transfer to your bus or train that will take you to your final destination. You do this all on one ticket and your bags are transferred for you. Time in distances of less than 1000 miles could rival flying times.
There are a lot of ways and systems to get you to the major part of the transportation system (the high speed train) including your private vehicle but also systems like San Francisco that has electric cars. You use a key card and you drive any car that is parked and then leave it for someone to use.
Getting people to use the system is crucial for its success. It will require a comfortably, efficiently, and economical system that meets the demand of the people. We should have a weekly, monthly, and yearly passes where you can travel wherever you wish to go in the system. Next a family plan is needed so that a family can travel more economically that driving a private car. Underage children passes should be cheap. Most families now have several vehicles, especially if it has teenage children. We would need to keep it cost efficient for families.
We have a large part of our population that shouldn’t be driving at all but is forced to because of no good means to get from point A to point B. Some people would chose not to drive because of the expense of owning a car, some because of driving records, DUI etc, some because of age, and we all know that someone that just don’t need to be driving. We could stop giving repeat DUI offenders driving privileges without hindering their ability to get to a job. Also they would be more likely to use public transportation if it was convenient to use thus avoiding a DUI to begin with.
Improved Life Style: Our life style would improve. A family now has a major expense in transportation. With the price of a car, maintenance, insurance, and fuel cost for it, especially in a multi car family, it is often a greater expense than our home. We would have more money to spend on goods and vacations.
The decreased demand on oil will lower oil prices therefore decreasing the cost of manufactured goods and food cost as well as the cost of getting these goods to us.
If we moved enough people off the highways into the trains we could stop paving over more and more land and start maintaining the roads that we do have.
As anyone that has traveled around the country knows that our roads are crowded, poor conditions, and are under constant construction. These we are sharing with the trucking system that is so important for the delivery of everything that we have.
Cargo: Here again we should have a rail system for moving these goods. Trucks deliver to a train, that train moves them efficiently, and economically where they are picked up by truck for delivery. Companies such as FedEx and UPS could have stations at these points to transfer directly to the delivery trucks. They could possible even have sorting areas in the trains to sort while the train is in route to an area. With the use of computers and communications it could be done efficiently and economically.
A new age of transportation is not only desirable because of the oil prices but it is essential for the economy of our country.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
I Added a hit Counter to My Blog
Tuesday December 18, 2007
I added a hit counter to my blog. Now I can keep count of the thousands of hits that I get each day. So far it doesn’t seem to be working.
This is the last week before Christmas Vacation. I had stayed with this job till the end of the year to get my vacation and year end bonus and to get my house finished. The company has done so poorly I don’t expect a bonus and I haven’t got the house finished.
I haven’t gotten into Tennessee Tech @ Nashville for the January 2 class. I may still get in if some don’t show at the beginning of class. I hope that I can get into it but if not then I will have another 8 weeks to get prepared. I hope this job holds out till then.
The company is down 2 ½ million dollars this year from a 4 million dollars year before the family took over the business. They keep quoting jobs but not getting anything substantial. Most of the work we do is for automotive companies for handling parts in their plants and for shipping them between plants. Each job we do is run in days or weeks. If a new supply of jobs are not constantly added then we get slow. We are down from 30-40 employees in the plant to 10 and they work 4 days a week half the time. The office (including me) is still full staff. The ratio of the overhead personal to the workers in the plant that are actually producing product is way out. Since most of the management is family I become the most expendable one. The only problem with that is they don’t know how to do what I do. If they get rid of the people that do the work then they will have to get in here before 10 AM and do it themselves. That is going to suck (for them). Life can be cruel.
I added a hit counter to my blog. Now I can keep count of the thousands of hits that I get each day. So far it doesn’t seem to be working.
This is the last week before Christmas Vacation. I had stayed with this job till the end of the year to get my vacation and year end bonus and to get my house finished. The company has done so poorly I don’t expect a bonus and I haven’t got the house finished.
I haven’t gotten into Tennessee Tech @ Nashville for the January 2 class. I may still get in if some don’t show at the beginning of class. I hope that I can get into it but if not then I will have another 8 weeks to get prepared. I hope this job holds out till then.
The company is down 2 ½ million dollars this year from a 4 million dollars year before the family took over the business. They keep quoting jobs but not getting anything substantial. Most of the work we do is for automotive companies for handling parts in their plants and for shipping them between plants. Each job we do is run in days or weeks. If a new supply of jobs are not constantly added then we get slow. We are down from 30-40 employees in the plant to 10 and they work 4 days a week half the time. The office (including me) is still full staff. The ratio of the overhead personal to the workers in the plant that are actually producing product is way out. Since most of the management is family I become the most expendable one. The only problem with that is they don’t know how to do what I do. If they get rid of the people that do the work then they will have to get in here before 10 AM and do it themselves. That is going to suck (for them). Life can be cruel.
Friday, December 14, 2007
The 5 Minute Rule
Friday December 14, 2007
I am sure that I have too much free time.
The 5 Minute Rule
We have all been in public places (such as a grocery store line) when some bratty kid is throwing a temper tantrum and the parent is not getting control of this disruptive child. It makes for an unpleasant experience for all that has to tolerate it. Very often it is because he wasn’t given something that he wanted. It is time to stop this ill behavior. These parents need help.
What I am suggesting her is what I refer to as the five minute rule. The rule would state that if you can not control your child within 5 minutes from the time he becomes disruptive then it is open for someone else to step in and do it for them. I am sure there would be plenty of volunteers for this. Smacking the kid would be allowed.
The resulting changes would soon become apparent. Parents that don’t want some stranger smacking their kid would take control. All that would need to be done is for someone to look at their watch and start timing it, which would create an immediate reaction on the part of the parent. The second thing is the children usually will not try to get away with as much form strangers as the do their parents. The have already figured out the limit to which they can push parents.
I am sure their would be a few problems that would need to be worked out such as are you allowed to slug the parent if they try to interfere with you enforcing the rule. In states that don’t allow spanking (big mistake) the law would need to be revised. My mother sure believed in spanking and look how I turned out (well let’s don’t go into that).
I am sure that some of you will be outraged with this suggestion but you have to admit that there would be less misbehaving children in public places.
I am sure that I have too much free time.
The 5 Minute Rule
We have all been in public places (such as a grocery store line) when some bratty kid is throwing a temper tantrum and the parent is not getting control of this disruptive child. It makes for an unpleasant experience for all that has to tolerate it. Very often it is because he wasn’t given something that he wanted. It is time to stop this ill behavior. These parents need help.
What I am suggesting her is what I refer to as the five minute rule. The rule would state that if you can not control your child within 5 minutes from the time he becomes disruptive then it is open for someone else to step in and do it for them. I am sure there would be plenty of volunteers for this. Smacking the kid would be allowed.
The resulting changes would soon become apparent. Parents that don’t want some stranger smacking their kid would take control. All that would need to be done is for someone to look at their watch and start timing it, which would create an immediate reaction on the part of the parent. The second thing is the children usually will not try to get away with as much form strangers as the do their parents. The have already figured out the limit to which they can push parents.
I am sure their would be a few problems that would need to be worked out such as are you allowed to slug the parent if they try to interfere with you enforcing the rule. In states that don’t allow spanking (big mistake) the law would need to be revised. My mother sure believed in spanking and look how I turned out (well let’s don’t go into that).
I am sure that some of you will be outraged with this suggestion but you have to admit that there would be less misbehaving children in public places.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
End Product Safety Warning Labeling
Thursday December 13, 2007
Disclaimer: You were warned in the heading of my blog that I have a twisted sense of humor so read at your own risk.
End Product Safety Warning Labeling
End Product Safety Warning Labeling. Product safety warning labeling has caused Americans to become dumber and to shirk their responsibility for making informed decisions on what to buy and how to use it. We should not try to protect the person that doesn’t reason that he should not put a plastic bag over his head because he will suffocate. He should be eliminated and therefore not produce offspring that is dumber than him. Nature’s way of improving the species is for the weak and dumb not to survive (or survival of the strongest) so that the species can evolve up the food chain. We had reached the top but now our evolution is declining. We now have a dumber and less educated generation that the previous for the first time in our known history. If we ended out product safety warning labeling and put a limit of liability on products for law suites, people would then start paying attention to what they buys and how they use it. Since we evolved from a rodent like creature (and we thought descending from the ape was degrading now it’s a rodent) and we made it to the top of the food chain who knows what will be next on top. We had better watch our backs. I personal will put my money on the cock roach. So the next time you step on a roach watch out, your grand children may become servants to them. And all this is because of product safety warning labeling.
P.S. If you relate to this, go to rehab and get help quick before the brain damage becomes more severe. Say no to Drugs.
Disclaimer: You were warned in the heading of my blog that I have a twisted sense of humor so read at your own risk.
End Product Safety Warning Labeling
End Product Safety Warning Labeling. Product safety warning labeling has caused Americans to become dumber and to shirk their responsibility for making informed decisions on what to buy and how to use it. We should not try to protect the person that doesn’t reason that he should not put a plastic bag over his head because he will suffocate. He should be eliminated and therefore not produce offspring that is dumber than him. Nature’s way of improving the species is for the weak and dumb not to survive (or survival of the strongest) so that the species can evolve up the food chain. We had reached the top but now our evolution is declining. We now have a dumber and less educated generation that the previous for the first time in our known history. If we ended out product safety warning labeling and put a limit of liability on products for law suites, people would then start paying attention to what they buys and how they use it. Since we evolved from a rodent like creature (and we thought descending from the ape was degrading now it’s a rodent) and we made it to the top of the food chain who knows what will be next on top. We had better watch our backs. I personal will put my money on the cock roach. So the next time you step on a roach watch out, your grand children may become servants to them. And all this is because of product safety warning labeling.
P.S. If you relate to this, go to rehab and get help quick before the brain damage becomes more severe. Say no to Drugs.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Christmas is Fast Approaching
Wednesday December 12, 2007
Christmas is Fast Approaching
Well the company decided today that the plant will be closed from the end of shift Friday the 21st till Wednesday the 2nd. Let me qualify that. Even though the plant will be closed they will need some to work during that time and they haven’t decided who that will be yet. So other words no one can plan on what days they will have off. They love the godly control they have over people. I had put in for my vacation days but they still haven’t been approved. Not that that would mean anything they can change their mind and take it back. I have never worked for such arrogant people before. I will be glad to get out of here.
I am planning on a trip to Florida to see family for Christmas and then back to work on my house. My home owners’ insurance company has a problem with my 16 foot high deck not having railing around it. I can’t imagine why! The real story is that I am going to build a roof over the deck before I do the railing and I haven’t had the time to do it. I guess I will go ahead and do a temporary railing. I hate to spend the time to do anything temporary but it will take the pressure off to get the roof done. I hope the weather is cooperative during my time off.
Speaking of weather, we have record breaking high temperatures this week in Tennessee (77 degrees) but snow is predicted for Saturday. We are expecting a 50+ degree drop by then. You’ve got to love Tennessee weather. It is like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates ‘you never know what you’re going to get’. We are also making up for our lack of rain during the summer. But I love rainy days when I not having to drive in it.
I posted some links on my blog today to some blogs that I watch. I am living on the road through them for now. But I am a doer not a watcher so I get anxious to be out there.
Christmas is Fast Approaching
Well the company decided today that the plant will be closed from the end of shift Friday the 21st till Wednesday the 2nd. Let me qualify that. Even though the plant will be closed they will need some to work during that time and they haven’t decided who that will be yet. So other words no one can plan on what days they will have off. They love the godly control they have over people. I had put in for my vacation days but they still haven’t been approved. Not that that would mean anything they can change their mind and take it back. I have never worked for such arrogant people before. I will be glad to get out of here.
I am planning on a trip to Florida to see family for Christmas and then back to work on my house. My home owners’ insurance company has a problem with my 16 foot high deck not having railing around it. I can’t imagine why! The real story is that I am going to build a roof over the deck before I do the railing and I haven’t had the time to do it. I guess I will go ahead and do a temporary railing. I hate to spend the time to do anything temporary but it will take the pressure off to get the roof done. I hope the weather is cooperative during my time off.
Speaking of weather, we have record breaking high temperatures this week in Tennessee (77 degrees) but snow is predicted for Saturday. We are expecting a 50+ degree drop by then. You’ve got to love Tennessee weather. It is like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates ‘you never know what you’re going to get’. We are also making up for our lack of rain during the summer. But I love rainy days when I not having to drive in it.
I posted some links on my blog today to some blogs that I watch. I am living on the road through them for now. But I am a doer not a watcher so I get anxious to be out there.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Please Stand By
Tuesday December 11, 2007
Please stand by we are experiencing technical difficulties.
1. I wish to set up my laptop with a broadband wireless connection. I had checked with Verizon my service provider for my cell phone and it seems like it may be a good way to go while trucking. I welcome comments and suggestions on this. What do you use to connect to the internet?
2. Does trucking companies provide computers? Anything!
3. I also have an old version of Microsoft Streets and Trips but I plan on upgrading to one with GPS. What is my best way to go here?
4. I am thinking of installing cameras to monitor my home while I am on the road. We have cameras all through our plant that can be monitored from anywhere that you can connect to the web. My understanding is all that is required is a router and I can log on anywhere to view them. This seems like a good method to keep an eye on my house while I am gone. I would love to have some input from anyone with knowledge on this subject.
I am trying to get prepared with the items that I will need while on the road but until I know which company is going to hire me and I get a truck it is difficult to know what I will need. I have started a need list so that I can start acquiring these items. Of course I don’t know what the company policies are for power convertors excreta.
I have done a lot of camping, canoeing, motor cycle travel, horse back riding, and back packing. I had a to take list for each. I have made three extensive trips where I was gone for months traveling and camping. I have been in 44 states in my travel. This can’t be too different other than being told where to go and when to be there but I don’t have to foot the bill. My wife hasn’t been on these trips so I am looking forward to sharing this with her.
Please stand by we are experiencing technical difficulties.
1. I wish to set up my laptop with a broadband wireless connection. I had checked with Verizon my service provider for my cell phone and it seems like it may be a good way to go while trucking. I welcome comments and suggestions on this. What do you use to connect to the internet?
2. Does trucking companies provide computers? Anything!
3. I also have an old version of Microsoft Streets and Trips but I plan on upgrading to one with GPS. What is my best way to go here?
4. I am thinking of installing cameras to monitor my home while I am on the road. We have cameras all through our plant that can be monitored from anywhere that you can connect to the web. My understanding is all that is required is a router and I can log on anywhere to view them. This seems like a good method to keep an eye on my house while I am gone. I would love to have some input from anyone with knowledge on this subject.
I am trying to get prepared with the items that I will need while on the road but until I know which company is going to hire me and I get a truck it is difficult to know what I will need. I have started a need list so that I can start acquiring these items. Of course I don’t know what the company policies are for power convertors excreta.
I have done a lot of camping, canoeing, motor cycle travel, horse back riding, and back packing. I had a to take list for each. I have made three extensive trips where I was gone for months traveling and camping. I have been in 44 states in my travel. This can’t be too different other than being told where to go and when to be there but I don’t have to foot the bill. My wife hasn’t been on these trips so I am looking forward to sharing this with her.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Christmas is Getting Close
Monday December 10, 2007
Nothing much to report. I worked on the house Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday was raining so I finished the tile work that I had started on the kitchen counter. I am glad to have that finished. It looks good. The old counters had a Formica top and needed something better. I had considered different finishes but settled on covering them with tile because of the cost and time required to do it. I might do something else at a latter date. I only have about $40.00 in doing them. I got my tile from the tile outlet in Crossville for less than $20.00 and used glue that is made for vinyl flooring to secure it to the Formica and then grouted the seams. I wouldn’t use this for tile flooring but the counters don’t carry the weight. It is handy having the tile counters for setting hot pans on from the stove however don’t drop anything breakable on them.
Sunday had quit raining so I was able to finish the time on the outside windows. The windows that I had left to do all required climbing a ladder. I was up and down on the ladders all day. Today I am sore in my legs. It is amazing how little time it takes to get out of shape. Trimming out the windows has been as big a job as replacing them. I still have the trim to paint. I hate painting on a ladder.
My sister-in-law and family are coming to visit this coming Saturday from Kentucky. They have a beautiful farm. I enjoy visiting with them and getting in some horse back riding.
I miss my horses but I am now living in town and I wouldn’t have been able to keep while traveling around the country in a truck. I probable won’t have horses again. I will probable keep the house that I have for retirement and that doesn’t allow for horses. I like living on the river as Shelly and I are both water people. She isn’t able to ride after being thrown from a horse and having back surgeries.
Christmas is getting close. I am anxious to get some days off and head to Florida to see family. Also it gets that much closer to getting my trucking career started.
Nothing much to report. I worked on the house Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday was raining so I finished the tile work that I had started on the kitchen counter. I am glad to have that finished. It looks good. The old counters had a Formica top and needed something better. I had considered different finishes but settled on covering them with tile because of the cost and time required to do it. I might do something else at a latter date. I only have about $40.00 in doing them. I got my tile from the tile outlet in Crossville for less than $20.00 and used glue that is made for vinyl flooring to secure it to the Formica and then grouted the seams. I wouldn’t use this for tile flooring but the counters don’t carry the weight. It is handy having the tile counters for setting hot pans on from the stove however don’t drop anything breakable on them.
Sunday had quit raining so I was able to finish the time on the outside windows. The windows that I had left to do all required climbing a ladder. I was up and down on the ladders all day. Today I am sore in my legs. It is amazing how little time it takes to get out of shape. Trimming out the windows has been as big a job as replacing them. I still have the trim to paint. I hate painting on a ladder.
My sister-in-law and family are coming to visit this coming Saturday from Kentucky. They have a beautiful farm. I enjoy visiting with them and getting in some horse back riding.
I miss my horses but I am now living in town and I wouldn’t have been able to keep while traveling around the country in a truck. I probable won’t have horses again. I will probable keep the house that I have for retirement and that doesn’t allow for horses. I like living on the river as Shelly and I are both water people. She isn’t able to ride after being thrown from a horse and having back surgeries.
Christmas is getting close. I am anxious to get some days off and head to Florida to see family. Also it gets that much closer to getting my trucking career started.
Friday, December 7, 2007
A Day That Will Live in Infamy
Friday December 7, 2007
A day that will live in infamy
Note: Shelly’s dad was in Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 where his ship was hit. He suffered burns and received a silver star for saving fellow sailors lives.
Our plant is closed today (not because it is December 7) but because it’s another 4 day work week. I have made $20,000 less this year that I did last year. I started here at the end of September last year. The owners had just bought the company back and it was still busy. They have lost the family business twice. The founder got it back once after being injured on a cruise ship and receiving a large settlement. The son (the current owner) lost it again but bought it back after his wife received a large inherence. It has been on the decline since they have taken over. When I was hired in they had just loss several of their top management people. They replaced them with family members that show up to work when they feel like it.
I am sure that you have figured out that I don’t have much respect for my employer. You are right. Maybe it is because I have been fortunate enough to have been in good positions and worked for good people. Then again maybe it is because I have been in this industry too long and have seen it decline and that I no longer wish to work in this environment. I hate negativity and I hate it even more when it is I. I have always been a very positive person and dislike being around anyone that isn’t. It is hard to change in this environment and around the people that I work with.
When I had my business the top criteria that I considered for hiring someone was attitude. If someone didn’t show an enthusiasm for working in my company I didn’t hire them regardless of experience. One person that wouldn’t cooperate or was a complainer would bring down everybody that had to work with them. If I had someone that wanted to learn and advance their experience and skills I could work with that even if they lacked the experience needed. Attitude was the most important factor.
Leadership: Attitudes of the ownership are reflected throughout a company. I can tell what type of a person the owners are before I ever meet them by the attitudes of their management teams. Companies succeed in many ways. Managers lead by intimidation or by example. Both can get results. But I don’t care to work under a dictator. Life is too short to be doing something that you don’t enjoy.
A day that will live in infamy
Note: Shelly’s dad was in Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 where his ship was hit. He suffered burns and received a silver star for saving fellow sailors lives.
Our plant is closed today (not because it is December 7) but because it’s another 4 day work week. I have made $20,000 less this year that I did last year. I started here at the end of September last year. The owners had just bought the company back and it was still busy. They have lost the family business twice. The founder got it back once after being injured on a cruise ship and receiving a large settlement. The son (the current owner) lost it again but bought it back after his wife received a large inherence. It has been on the decline since they have taken over. When I was hired in they had just loss several of their top management people. They replaced them with family members that show up to work when they feel like it.
I am sure that you have figured out that I don’t have much respect for my employer. You are right. Maybe it is because I have been fortunate enough to have been in good positions and worked for good people. Then again maybe it is because I have been in this industry too long and have seen it decline and that I no longer wish to work in this environment. I hate negativity and I hate it even more when it is I. I have always been a very positive person and dislike being around anyone that isn’t. It is hard to change in this environment and around the people that I work with.
When I had my business the top criteria that I considered for hiring someone was attitude. If someone didn’t show an enthusiasm for working in my company I didn’t hire them regardless of experience. One person that wouldn’t cooperate or was a complainer would bring down everybody that had to work with them. If I had someone that wanted to learn and advance their experience and skills I could work with that even if they lacked the experience needed. Attitude was the most important factor.
Leadership: Attitudes of the ownership are reflected throughout a company. I can tell what type of a person the owners are before I ever meet them by the attitudes of their management teams. Companies succeed in many ways. Managers lead by intimidation or by example. Both can get results. But I don’t care to work under a dictator. Life is too short to be doing something that you don’t enjoy.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
The Decline of the Middle Class:
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Another Day, another 50 cents and if you figure inflation then about a quarter.
The decline of the middle class:
First let’s take some mathematical facts into consideration about the decline of the middle class. If you take the average annual income or the net worth of all Americans, then take the top 25% for the upper class, the middle 50% for the middle class, and the lower 25% for the lower class and see what percentage of the population is in each group. Then use this same formula and compare to 20 years ago. The Upper and Lower class has grown and the middle has declined. So what does this say? The wealthy is getting wealthier and the poor is getting poorer and the middle class is disappearing. This is a mathematical fact.
I don’t oppose the wealthy but I believe that the greed is out of control. I am not in favor of redistribution of wealth. I also believe in the middle class working man/woman. If you look at the gap between the wages that are being paid for the typical employee and the corporate managers, it has never been as great as it is now.
I was in business for 25 years. It has gotten very hard for small business to compete today. We have so many government regulations, tax disadvantages, high medical cost, foreign competition, and the never ending quest of people to sue; it is extremely difficult to stay in business. Small business has accounted for over 50% of the patents and new products that were being made in this country and accounts for a large portion of the middle class. Small businesses are disappearing. It is becoming Wal-Marts, Lowes, Home Depots, and chain stores that are large enough to have a legal department and with purchasing power to import goods. We end up with companies like Wal-mart that pay people less, keep them under 40 hour work weeks without benefits, and treat them as a number on a time slip. In the end we loss completion and we have little or no savings for the consumer. So what does this mean? We will make less but pay more. Our life style will deteriorate.
Many people believe that the wealthy does not want this to happen because it would in effect limit consumer spending. It is true that it would but it would not hurt their life style and that is what we are talking about here. The amount of money that you make is not a true measuring stick of your life style. But it is the gap that determines that. For an example: in a third world country you can hire full time domestic help for $25.00 or less a week. Now how many of us would not have someone at that rate cooking our meals, doing our laundry, and cleaning our house? Would it not improve our life style?
Where I work we use mostly Mexicans in our plant. A few years ago this was unheard of in this area. They are hard workers and they get paid a wage that you can not reasonably live on. Because of this import labor and the high unemployment in the area, companies are paying less than they have in years. It is supply and demand. It is now a buyers market in the manufacturing labor market.
So why am I becoming a truck driver? Someone has to deliver the goods make in China to the Wal-Marts.
Another Day, another 50 cents and if you figure inflation then about a quarter.
The decline of the middle class:
First let’s take some mathematical facts into consideration about the decline of the middle class. If you take the average annual income or the net worth of all Americans, then take the top 25% for the upper class, the middle 50% for the middle class, and the lower 25% for the lower class and see what percentage of the population is in each group. Then use this same formula and compare to 20 years ago. The Upper and Lower class has grown and the middle has declined. So what does this say? The wealthy is getting wealthier and the poor is getting poorer and the middle class is disappearing. This is a mathematical fact.
I don’t oppose the wealthy but I believe that the greed is out of control. I am not in favor of redistribution of wealth. I also believe in the middle class working man/woman. If you look at the gap between the wages that are being paid for the typical employee and the corporate managers, it has never been as great as it is now.
I was in business for 25 years. It has gotten very hard for small business to compete today. We have so many government regulations, tax disadvantages, high medical cost, foreign competition, and the never ending quest of people to sue; it is extremely difficult to stay in business. Small business has accounted for over 50% of the patents and new products that were being made in this country and accounts for a large portion of the middle class. Small businesses are disappearing. It is becoming Wal-Marts, Lowes, Home Depots, and chain stores that are large enough to have a legal department and with purchasing power to import goods. We end up with companies like Wal-mart that pay people less, keep them under 40 hour work weeks without benefits, and treat them as a number on a time slip. In the end we loss completion and we have little or no savings for the consumer. So what does this mean? We will make less but pay more. Our life style will deteriorate.
Many people believe that the wealthy does not want this to happen because it would in effect limit consumer spending. It is true that it would but it would not hurt their life style and that is what we are talking about here. The amount of money that you make is not a true measuring stick of your life style. But it is the gap that determines that. For an example: in a third world country you can hire full time domestic help for $25.00 or less a week. Now how many of us would not have someone at that rate cooking our meals, doing our laundry, and cleaning our house? Would it not improve our life style?
Where I work we use mostly Mexicans in our plant. A few years ago this was unheard of in this area. They are hard workers and they get paid a wage that you can not reasonably live on. Because of this import labor and the high unemployment in the area, companies are paying less than they have in years. It is supply and demand. It is now a buyers market in the manufacturing labor market.
So why am I becoming a truck driver? Someone has to deliver the goods make in China to the Wal-Marts.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Our Shipping Department
Tuesday December 4, 2007
Today is my anniversary. Shelly is an early riser and was up before the alarm this morning anxiously waiting for me to get up to give me an anniversary gift and card. We are quite opposites about the mornings. She gets up wide awake and animated and I need time before I talk to anyone. We both love the mornings but in different ways.
We get several trucks here at the plant each day. Some days we have only one or two but then others as many as ten or twelve. We don’t have a shipping department. The shipping person was good but she quit after a disagreement with the owners wife. Now the owner’s wife is in charge but she is seldom here. Their son (an arrogant 20 something year old) they couldn’t find anything he could do so they made him the plant manager. When trucks come in to be loaded he will let them sit for hours without loading them. It is his power thing. I have known of trucks sitting for 5 to 6 hours before being loaded. This practice has stopped now, I am sure they had complaints.
Yesterday I had spoken to a driver from Estes Express about his job. He really liked it. He had been driving for 2 ½ years doing local Pickup and Delivery. He said that the company OTR drivers make $60-$70 K a year. He said that he made less but didn’t work as much and was home every night. He did say that he was paid well for the hours that he worked. Of course what is good pay for him might not be for someone else.
I get very anxious to get the schooling behind me and get on the road.
Today is my anniversary. Shelly is an early riser and was up before the alarm this morning anxiously waiting for me to get up to give me an anniversary gift and card. We are quite opposites about the mornings. She gets up wide awake and animated and I need time before I talk to anyone. We both love the mornings but in different ways.
We get several trucks here at the plant each day. Some days we have only one or two but then others as many as ten or twelve. We don’t have a shipping department. The shipping person was good but she quit after a disagreement with the owners wife. Now the owner’s wife is in charge but she is seldom here. Their son (an arrogant 20 something year old) they couldn’t find anything he could do so they made him the plant manager. When trucks come in to be loaded he will let them sit for hours without loading them. It is his power thing. I have known of trucks sitting for 5 to 6 hours before being loaded. This practice has stopped now, I am sure they had complaints.
Yesterday I had spoken to a driver from Estes Express about his job. He really liked it. He had been driving for 2 ½ years doing local Pickup and Delivery. He said that the company OTR drivers make $60-$70 K a year. He said that he made less but didn’t work as much and was home every night. He did say that he was paid well for the hours that he worked. Of course what is good pay for him might not be for someone else.
I get very anxious to get the schooling behind me and get on the road.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Designing for Batesville Casket
Monday December 3, 2007
Back to work today. I am working on a design for a lid for a casket for Batesville Casket Company. This is not one the more enjoyable parts that I have design. I am not fond of having a casket in my office. It’s not a completed casket, just the metal stamping without the covering. I don’t have a fear of death, probable less than most people, but I don’t care for the morbid either. I know somebody has to do this stuff but I had rather it not be me. I have design some weird stuff before but this is my first casket. I have design a vase for funeral flora arrangements. That was okay, it had other uses also. You might have had one at your wedding, not that there is much difference. I had designed a part for baiting Ballyhoo which I had frozen so I could work with them without spoiling. Thank God they didn’t send a corpse with this job. I usually get educated on any project that I work on but this one I am trying to avoid knowing anymore than is necessary. Some of the parts that go into this you don’t want to know. I never realized what happens after you are in the casket. Cremate me and get it over with. Well I will get it designed and move it out.
Back to work today. I am working on a design for a lid for a casket for Batesville Casket Company. This is not one the more enjoyable parts that I have design. I am not fond of having a casket in my office. It’s not a completed casket, just the metal stamping without the covering. I don’t have a fear of death, probable less than most people, but I don’t care for the morbid either. I know somebody has to do this stuff but I had rather it not be me. I have design some weird stuff before but this is my first casket. I have design a vase for funeral flora arrangements. That was okay, it had other uses also. You might have had one at your wedding, not that there is much difference. I had designed a part for baiting Ballyhoo which I had frozen so I could work with them without spoiling. Thank God they didn’t send a corpse with this job. I usually get educated on any project that I work on but this one I am trying to avoid knowing anymore than is necessary. Some of the parts that go into this you don’t want to know. I never realized what happens after you are in the casket. Cremate me and get it over with. Well I will get it designed and move it out.
Cajun Spiced Chicken
Saturday – Sunday, December 1, 2007
Saturday and Sunday I worked on my house. I am trying to get as much work done on it as I can before I start trucking. What I don’t get done now won’t get done for a long time. I can’t get it completed but it is getting quite livable. The summer has been hot with little rain. The draught has not been good for the farmers but it has helped me to get work done on my house. I haven’t had to deal with rain causing construction delays. My home is on the Calf Killer River. The river has been low all summer and not looked so good. I haven’t had the time to enjoy it anyway. I do wish that I could have got a dock built while it was low.
The weekend has brought snow storms in the north. I am not looking forward to dealing with that. I being from the south haven’t had to deal with much snowy icy conditions. When it threatens snows here the schools closes, the grocery stores get bombarded like a hurricane warning in Florida, and they salt the roads. More often than not we don’t even get any snow but it makes for good TV news rating. We have closed schools just because it has threatened snow. I don’t know of every being snowed in where we couldn’t get to the grocery store. But we don’t want to starve to death in the few hours that it takes for the roads to clear. But people continue to stock up with every snow warning in the hopes of a really good snow. It could happen!
I haven’t heard from TT@Nashville so I assume that I am not in the first round of students accepted for the January truck driving class. I could still get in because everyone on the waiting list doesn’t show. If I don’t get into the January class I should be in the March class. Either way I have a lot to do to my house before I go trucking and I would like to get some driving experience before I start dealing with the icy roads.
I cooked dinner Sunday which I do occasionally. I have several specialties that I make. Sunday I made a chicken pasta dish. I believe that it would be one that I can make on the road easy. Here is the recipe for two people:
Ingredients for two servings:
2 boneless chicken breast
½ box of Ziti
½ bag of frozen vegetable mix of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
2 tablespoons Cajun spice
1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Grill two chicken breasts and cut them into strips. I don’t bread them.
Sprinkle them with Cajun spice while cooking. I add a little extra Cayenne pepper for taste.
Set grilled chicken strips aside after cooking.
Cook ½ box of Ziti per instruction on box.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil after draining and blend in.
Heat a jar of Alfredo sauce.
Add a half bag of the frozen cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots mix. I let them thaw before cooking but you can add them frozen and give them more time to heat.
Add Cajun spice to mix.
Serve over the pasta with the chicken strips.
Tip: I measure out about 2 tablespoons of the Cajun spice and one of the Cayenne pepper onto a piece of wax paper of aluminum foil and mix and use about half to coat the chicken and the rest in the sauce. This is not real spicy but enough to give it a good taste. Adjust to your own personal taste. It is rather easy to fix and everyone loves it. Disclaimer: It may become addictive.
Saturday and Sunday I worked on my house. I am trying to get as much work done on it as I can before I start trucking. What I don’t get done now won’t get done for a long time. I can’t get it completed but it is getting quite livable. The summer has been hot with little rain. The draught has not been good for the farmers but it has helped me to get work done on my house. I haven’t had to deal with rain causing construction delays. My home is on the Calf Killer River. The river has been low all summer and not looked so good. I haven’t had the time to enjoy it anyway. I do wish that I could have got a dock built while it was low.
The weekend has brought snow storms in the north. I am not looking forward to dealing with that. I being from the south haven’t had to deal with much snowy icy conditions. When it threatens snows here the schools closes, the grocery stores get bombarded like a hurricane warning in Florida, and they salt the roads. More often than not we don’t even get any snow but it makes for good TV news rating. We have closed schools just because it has threatened snow. I don’t know of every being snowed in where we couldn’t get to the grocery store. But we don’t want to starve to death in the few hours that it takes for the roads to clear. But people continue to stock up with every snow warning in the hopes of a really good snow. It could happen!
I haven’t heard from TT@Nashville so I assume that I am not in the first round of students accepted for the January truck driving class. I could still get in because everyone on the waiting list doesn’t show. If I don’t get into the January class I should be in the March class. Either way I have a lot to do to my house before I go trucking and I would like to get some driving experience before I start dealing with the icy roads.
I cooked dinner Sunday which I do occasionally. I have several specialties that I make. Sunday I made a chicken pasta dish. I believe that it would be one that I can make on the road easy. Here is the recipe for two people:
Ingredients for two servings:
2 boneless chicken breast
½ box of Ziti
½ bag of frozen vegetable mix of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
2 tablespoons Cajun spice
1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Grill two chicken breasts and cut them into strips. I don’t bread them.
Sprinkle them with Cajun spice while cooking. I add a little extra Cayenne pepper for taste.
Set grilled chicken strips aside after cooking.
Cook ½ box of Ziti per instruction on box.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil after draining and blend in.
Heat a jar of Alfredo sauce.
Add a half bag of the frozen cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots mix. I let them thaw before cooking but you can add them frozen and give them more time to heat.
Add Cajun spice to mix.
Serve over the pasta with the chicken strips.
Tip: I measure out about 2 tablespoons of the Cajun spice and one of the Cayenne pepper onto a piece of wax paper of aluminum foil and mix and use about half to coat the chicken and the rest in the sauce. This is not real spicy but enough to give it a good taste. Adjust to your own personal taste. It is rather easy to fix and everyone loves it. Disclaimer: It may become addictive.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Friday
TGIF
I am an engineer for a plastic Thermoforming Company. We manufacture large plastic parts from sheet material by heating it in an oven similar to a pizza oven and then pulling it over a mold with a vacuum which stretches it to the shape of the mold. It is then cooled and ejected from the mold and the excess material is trim away. The excess material is removed with hand routers and holes and other shape are cut into the part. It is physical and hot work. Parts can measure up to 4 X 12 ft and are heated up to 500 degree. It the summer temperatures reach 120 degrees in the plant and even hotter around the machines. While the next part heats in the ovens and cools on the molds, the part that is pulled from the mold is being hand routed. They are still hot as they are being worked on.
Mexicans make up about 90% of the working plant. They are paid $6.25 - $7.25 an hour. They are hard workers and will take a lot of sh** from the owner. They are hired through temporary service companies that check for their legal status. The company keeps them as temporaries for a year or more with no benefits before hiring them as a company employee. The company lost a lot of their employees when they started cracking down on the illegals. It has gotten harder to get them because now they are checking the SS numbers. Also very few here speak English.
We are in a very economically depressed area. Carrier Air Condition Company, Emerson, and several large well paying companies moved to China. These moves have then in turn caused several support companies to close. It has left the area with a lot of unemployed or under employed skilled workers that are now competing for low paying jobs with the Mexicans.
We have a large Mexican population in this area due to it being a large nursery area. Nursery work is physically hard work. When we had higher paying jobs here the only people that nurseries could get besides the Mexicans were broke down alcoholics. They didn’t show up for work 3 days a week. The nurseries pay $6.00 an hour and the Mexicans flock here for these jobs. They work long hours and live in cheap housing that is owned by the nurseries. Health insurance for them is non existence. Where I work the company pays 60% of the insurance for the employee and non for family. I pay roughly $50.00 week for my portion of my insurance and an additional $160.00 for my wife. That is weekly! So you figure it out. The Mexicans makes $6.25 hour grosses $250 week with 40 hours before deductions. The plant only works them 5 days or 40 hours every other week. The rest of the time they work 4 days or 32 hours. Most of them choose not to take the insurance even for themselves, forget insurrecting the family. This saves the company another $300.00 month when they don’t take the insurance. Between the unemployed and the uninsured Mexicans we have a large percentage of the population uninsured in this area.
I guess the next question would be what would happen to the area without the Mexicans. I can only speculate on that. For one thing crime would be less. The Mexicans account for 50% of the crime in this county. The companies would have to pay and treat employees better. Some owners would have a hard adjustment to make.
The owner of this company could certainly afford to pay better. They just finished a two year remodeling of their home complete with elevators. They purchase a very nice 500 acre farm and that included 5 houses and horse barns. They live very well traveling, buying expensive vehicles, boats and toys, etcetera. They have complained about having to pay so much. How are they expected to compete against foreign completion with our minimum wage so high? They have actually said this. A company needs to make a profit or they won’t stay in business but greed has its way of becoming addictive. Where is the balance for this? Without the cheap labor of the Mexicans there would probable be a better balance between the owners and the employees. The nurseries would have the biggest issue. They would have a difficultly getting the help needed even with the slow economy. I don’t advocate sending the Mexicans back unless they are illegal’s. We do need to control our borders and limit immigration based on employment of our own people.
I am not trying to trash anyone here but only to inform you with the issues. The solution is complicated. But for me, I am ready to try to find a better situation than I now have. Driving a truck may not be the answer but I need the change. I have become resentful of doing a job that I am over qualified to do for less than I made 20 years ago. I may not make more driving a truck but it is not all about the money. I refuse to be taken advantage of!
I am an engineer for a plastic Thermoforming Company. We manufacture large plastic parts from sheet material by heating it in an oven similar to a pizza oven and then pulling it over a mold with a vacuum which stretches it to the shape of the mold. It is then cooled and ejected from the mold and the excess material is trim away. The excess material is removed with hand routers and holes and other shape are cut into the part. It is physical and hot work. Parts can measure up to 4 X 12 ft and are heated up to 500 degree. It the summer temperatures reach 120 degrees in the plant and even hotter around the machines. While the next part heats in the ovens and cools on the molds, the part that is pulled from the mold is being hand routed. They are still hot as they are being worked on.
Mexicans make up about 90% of the working plant. They are paid $6.25 - $7.25 an hour. They are hard workers and will take a lot of sh** from the owner. They are hired through temporary service companies that check for their legal status. The company keeps them as temporaries for a year or more with no benefits before hiring them as a company employee. The company lost a lot of their employees when they started cracking down on the illegals. It has gotten harder to get them because now they are checking the SS numbers. Also very few here speak English.
We are in a very economically depressed area. Carrier Air Condition Company, Emerson, and several large well paying companies moved to China. These moves have then in turn caused several support companies to close. It has left the area with a lot of unemployed or under employed skilled workers that are now competing for low paying jobs with the Mexicans.
We have a large Mexican population in this area due to it being a large nursery area. Nursery work is physically hard work. When we had higher paying jobs here the only people that nurseries could get besides the Mexicans were broke down alcoholics. They didn’t show up for work 3 days a week. The nurseries pay $6.00 an hour and the Mexicans flock here for these jobs. They work long hours and live in cheap housing that is owned by the nurseries. Health insurance for them is non existence. Where I work the company pays 60% of the insurance for the employee and non for family. I pay roughly $50.00 week for my portion of my insurance and an additional $160.00 for my wife. That is weekly! So you figure it out. The Mexicans makes $6.25 hour grosses $250 week with 40 hours before deductions. The plant only works them 5 days or 40 hours every other week. The rest of the time they work 4 days or 32 hours. Most of them choose not to take the insurance even for themselves, forget insurrecting the family. This saves the company another $300.00 month when they don’t take the insurance. Between the unemployed and the uninsured Mexicans we have a large percentage of the population uninsured in this area.
I guess the next question would be what would happen to the area without the Mexicans. I can only speculate on that. For one thing crime would be less. The Mexicans account for 50% of the crime in this county. The companies would have to pay and treat employees better. Some owners would have a hard adjustment to make.
The owner of this company could certainly afford to pay better. They just finished a two year remodeling of their home complete with elevators. They purchase a very nice 500 acre farm and that included 5 houses and horse barns. They live very well traveling, buying expensive vehicles, boats and toys, etcetera. They have complained about having to pay so much. How are they expected to compete against foreign completion with our minimum wage so high? They have actually said this. A company needs to make a profit or they won’t stay in business but greed has its way of becoming addictive. Where is the balance for this? Without the cheap labor of the Mexicans there would probable be a better balance between the owners and the employees. The nurseries would have the biggest issue. They would have a difficultly getting the help needed even with the slow economy. I don’t advocate sending the Mexicans back unless they are illegal’s. We do need to control our borders and limit immigration based on employment of our own people.
I am not trying to trash anyone here but only to inform you with the issues. The solution is complicated. But for me, I am ready to try to find a better situation than I now have. Driving a truck may not be the answer but I need the change. I have become resentful of doing a job that I am over qualified to do for less than I made 20 years ago. I may not make more driving a truck but it is not all about the money. I refuse to be taken advantage of!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Beginning
The Beginning
Well it’s not the very beginning of my change in careers but the beginning of my post. The real beginning started about 3 months ago when I decide that I was going to go this route (no pun intended). I talked to people that drives and did internet searches. I have learned a lot of what is going to be required to do this.
I have gotten my CDL learners permit and my DOT physical. I have applied to Tennessee Tech @ Nashville and now I am waiting to get into a class (hopefully January 2008).
There are a lot of ways to get your training. Pay for it yourself with a private school ($4,000 - $5,000). Or you can go to one paid for by a company and be obligated to them for one to two years. These schools are for about 3 weeks, 5-7 days a week and 10 hour day boot camps. I chose a community college for $1,200 that is 7 weeks and 7 hours a day 5 days a week and am paying for it myself. Quite honest I couldn’t afford the cost of the other schools and didn’t want to be obligated to a company for that long. I plan to work some part time also while going to school, something that I couldn’t do with the others.
How did I decide to get into this field? Well I have looked at many things without finding one that I feel that I could apply myself to. If you look at my profile you see that I have been in manufacturing for 40 years. I love to build things and recently have built a couple of houses and remodel a couple including the one that I am in now. I enjoy that and even started a remodeling company. I did a lot of quoting, spent the time and travel just to have people to do it themselves or not at all. I was getting too much quoting and too little work. It is hard physical work and I wasn’t established enough to make any money at it. I could probable have stayed with it and build a reputation and made it work but it was going to be more work that I wanted to put to it. Besides the jobs that I was getting wasn’t jobs that I enjoyed.
I have always tried to live by my motto; if you aren’t excited about a job, don’t take it.
I try to live life to the fullest. I do things with enthusiasm and make ever effort to be the best. If I don’t enjoy it or be good at it, then I can’t do it. I won’t settle for mediocrity.
I am not delusion about driving a truck. I know that it is long hours, hard and stressful work, neither of these brother me. I have always worked hard and long hours. If I am doing something that I enjoy then it isn’t hard. I can make more money doing what I have always done if I was willing to stay with it but I am not. I am burnt out and want to change. I will be 60 in March 2008 and plan on working at least 10 more years. I can not bear to think of doing what I do now for 10 more years.
What do I want and expect from driving a truck? I want to do over the road for a few years. I love this country and have been in 44 states with my other travels. My wife is going to ride with me so we can see the county together. I can travel and be paid for it. I want to visit all 50 states before I go to that big truck stop in the sky. I am sure that it will grow old but doesn’t every job.
I am now in a holding state waiting to go to school so much is not happening here for a while. I plan on posting regularly but for now it will be more about my life than about trucking. Once I get into school and on the road, I will focus more on the trucking aspect.
I hope these posts will help someone or at least that you enjoy them. I welcome your comments positive or negative.
Well it’s not the very beginning of my change in careers but the beginning of my post. The real beginning started about 3 months ago when I decide that I was going to go this route (no pun intended). I talked to people that drives and did internet searches. I have learned a lot of what is going to be required to do this.
I have gotten my CDL learners permit and my DOT physical. I have applied to Tennessee Tech @ Nashville and now I am waiting to get into a class (hopefully January 2008).
There are a lot of ways to get your training. Pay for it yourself with a private school ($4,000 - $5,000). Or you can go to one paid for by a company and be obligated to them for one to two years. These schools are for about 3 weeks, 5-7 days a week and 10 hour day boot camps. I chose a community college for $1,200 that is 7 weeks and 7 hours a day 5 days a week and am paying for it myself. Quite honest I couldn’t afford the cost of the other schools and didn’t want to be obligated to a company for that long. I plan to work some part time also while going to school, something that I couldn’t do with the others.
How did I decide to get into this field? Well I have looked at many things without finding one that I feel that I could apply myself to. If you look at my profile you see that I have been in manufacturing for 40 years. I love to build things and recently have built a couple of houses and remodel a couple including the one that I am in now. I enjoy that and even started a remodeling company. I did a lot of quoting, spent the time and travel just to have people to do it themselves or not at all. I was getting too much quoting and too little work. It is hard physical work and I wasn’t established enough to make any money at it. I could probable have stayed with it and build a reputation and made it work but it was going to be more work that I wanted to put to it. Besides the jobs that I was getting wasn’t jobs that I enjoyed.
I have always tried to live by my motto; if you aren’t excited about a job, don’t take it.
I try to live life to the fullest. I do things with enthusiasm and make ever effort to be the best. If I don’t enjoy it or be good at it, then I can’t do it. I won’t settle for mediocrity.
I am not delusion about driving a truck. I know that it is long hours, hard and stressful work, neither of these brother me. I have always worked hard and long hours. If I am doing something that I enjoy then it isn’t hard. I can make more money doing what I have always done if I was willing to stay with it but I am not. I am burnt out and want to change. I will be 60 in March 2008 and plan on working at least 10 more years. I can not bear to think of doing what I do now for 10 more years.
What do I want and expect from driving a truck? I want to do over the road for a few years. I love this country and have been in 44 states with my other travels. My wife is going to ride with me so we can see the county together. I can travel and be paid for it. I want to visit all 50 states before I go to that big truck stop in the sky. I am sure that it will grow old but doesn’t every job.
I am now in a holding state waiting to go to school so much is not happening here for a while. I plan on posting regularly but for now it will be more about my life than about trucking. Once I get into school and on the road, I will focus more on the trucking aspect.
I hope these posts will help someone or at least that you enjoy them. I welcome your comments positive or negative.
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