New Jersey

Being almost busy didn’t last long. After going through Queens and Long Island (I love this part of the country! No, really!) Me and Willie are settled in at the Petro in New Jersey. A really large lot with Idleaire. Some Idleaire locations have free electric, so trucks with shore power (like mine) can plug in and it’s free. So, I have heat, TV and microwave without idling the truck or even the generator. It is pay to park so I will have to pay something to get out of here.

Petro is the worse chain of truckstops that allow people to try to separate truckers from  their money. There must be five different little vendor booths in the truck stop selling something, including a charity of some sort that harasses you as soon as you walk in the door, a couple of Chinese massage tables setup behind dividers and the normal vitamin and cell phone vendors. It’s like running a gauntlet of homeless people asking for money. Look straight ahead, don’t acknowledge comments or make eye contact. Or maybe it’s just me.

I try and take Willie out for a walk at least once a day, I should do it more often, but it’s not the safest area. Outside the truck stop there aren’t any sidewalks and inside the truck stop, well… it can be like a game of frogger sometimes. Good thing trucks don’t have much in the acceleration department.

I made a new podcast over on Life on the Road. It was my idea to do a podcast, but I was hoping I could get someone else to actually do it. I need a new microphone or speech lessons, I’m not sure which. I sound like I have a lisp and my dentures are loose. (I didn’t think I had either!) Plus I’ve been working on a new design for that site. I’ve tweaked a few things, but I want a brand new design for several reasons. There are a few things this design doesn’t do, especially handling pictures and some of the inner workings could be better.