Day 2

Tuesday Lunch

I do not really know why this calms me. This is something that I have started doing a few years ago. Whenever I am on the road, or away from home, and I eat, I will park my car somewhere facing traffic and watch the cars go by. I don’t really like eating alone. Especially, if there is any other favorable option. But, when I am forced to eat alone, I like to watch the cars drive by. It is relaxing in a way. I don’t really think about anything. I just eat and watch. Maybe that is the appeal.

I am sitting in my hotel room sipping on a cup of green apple flavored green tea. The day was mind-numbing. Way, too many hours sitting behind a computer screen trying to absorb information all the while trying to fight off the sleep. I dare anyone to read a CDL manual and for 10 hours a day for three days straight and not try to rip out their brain. Its impossible.

Two people left the class today. One had really bad vision. He apparently did not think this career through. The other had family issues and had to leave. My class went from 19 to 17. I have heard good things and bad things about Roadmasters. I have read some bad complaints placed with the BBB. They were mostly about how the recruiter did not tell them that they needed money down for a loan. Those people got to class and about 3 or 4 days into the program the business office calls on these people asking for 1500 dollars for their loan down payment. Well, having been caught by surprise, they admit they do not have the money nor where they told about the down payment. The school, then, sent the students home and said you can come back when you have the money. All three decided not to go back. I can’t really blame them for their decision either. I wouldn’t want to go back either. The school then bills them for the time spent in class. Well, as you can imagine the students do not want to pay so things then escalate.

To me, it seemed like there was some miscommunication between the recruiter and the student. It seemed that, these complaints, being one a year for three consecutive years, were just isolated incidents. But, having enlisted, twice, I am no stranger to a recruiter. So, the situations could have gone either way. I did some research and asked some questions  and I got the responses in writing. Feeling like I have thoroughly protected myself, I pulled the trigger and signed up.

So far I have been impressed with the teaching methods of my classroom instructor. Like all institutes of instruction they have their flaws and strengths. I will not go into these only to say that the instructors do seem to care. They also have a lot of veterans on staff. That is a plus for me.

The hotel we are staying in is not a happy place. When I checked in there were 3 lights burnt out and the microwave didn’t work. After the first day the lights were fixed but the microwave is still broken. Turns out the outlet is damaged and needs to be replaced. For the money we are paying for this place, I should not have to complain more than once to get this fixed.

Well, my tea is getting cold. I need to sign off and do some more studying,

Escape

Granny Green Apple flavored Green Tea

My girlfriend and I broke up about a month ago. We had been together about a year. In fact, we broke up one week after the anniversary of our first date. That was in September. September was a “sucky” month. First, my grandma passed away. Then, one week later, my girlfriend and I break up. Being the longest and most serious relationship I have ever been in, the breakup was a little tougher than I though it would. There was not one place in town that I could go to escape one memory or another. The emotions became pretty overwhelming so I left.

I was sitting around one day wondering how I could handle the situation. The only reasonable conclusion was to get out of town for a while. Go somewhere else and do something else. Travel. Visit friends. Something.  So visit friends I did. I meandered down to Fayetteville, AR to have lunch with a friend that I have not seen in about a year. After an o.k. hamburger from a local shop. I headed out. I have been speaking with a few other friends about my situation and they seemed to come to the same conclusion, “do what makes you happy.” Not a very useful piece of dialogue. It was not too long that I remembered a story told to me, by a rabbi, a few years ago. He had announced a trip to Israel to his congregation and was taking questions from those with them. A women came up to him and mentioned how she wanted to go but the time was not right. There were other things that needed to be done first. He responded to her saying, basically, that, there was really no better time than now. If she could find an excuse to not go today she will find another excuse the next time around. Opportunities, like that trip, need to be acted upon.

That story got me to thinking, “What have I been putting off that I could be doing now?” I now have a general direction to direct my search. Wichita is something that I am done with. I have been looking for a way out for a while. Truth is, I would have left last year but I ran into my, now, ex. Other than bad memories, there is really nothing left. I have a few friends that I care about in town, but nothing really holding me there.

• CDL A license
• Build a house
• Scuba Certified
• Dog Trainer
• Photographer

As I am typing this, I am sitting sitting in a shitty hotel room in West Memphis, AR. I am sharing a room with a complete stranger for 18 more days. I am attending a rather pricey CDL training school in order to get a start on my list. I have been working out the order of my list in my head. I am developing a plan, but, unfortunately, I am about a year out from starting anything. DEBT! I will have all of my debt, with an exception to my student loans, paid off in a year. I will then be able to place my plans into motion and begin building my future. I will be running the open road chasing a dream, looking “for the next big thing.”

This blog will be about my journey from day 1 until I finish life, I guess. I will be adding video when I get a chance and speak on camera. That is a little easier and faster than finding the time to type.

This is all for now. Its 936pm here and 5am comes early.

:insert witty tag line here: