As my way of giving back to my fellow anthropologists (or for the merely curious of you), I'm going to give a blow-by-blow account of a given day in my life. From wake up to bedtime. A little note of caution - this is going to be a long post but I want to make it as accurate as possible.
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| When I have snippets of free time, I like doing sketches like this one. |
So without further ado, I'll choose Friday, June 19 2015 as it's pretty fresh in my mind and it was also a full shift for me. Just for the record, we started this trip in Hagerstown, MD and are headed to Troutdale, OR. This is day 2 of the journey.
My alarm went off at 5:30am. I immediately open the curtain and ask Richie, who's driving, how he's doing. This morning, he's pretty tired so I get up. Sometimes (OK, lots of times) I ask for an extra 15-20 minutes or so of sleep time but today I don't.
So I begin my morning routine. We are in eastern Nebraska on I-80 heading west and Richie is going to stop at a TA at exit 305 so we can switch over. I therefore have about 30 minutes before I need to take over. I quickly get dressed and put into our RoadPro stove 2 hotdogs. Those are for Richie so he doesn't go to bed hungry. They will be done by the time his shift is over.
I then take our other RoadPro stove and get my lunch prepared. It's always the same - chicken and vegetable curry. The evening before, I take a piece of foil and put in onions, green peppers, broccoli and halved cherry tomatoes and wrap it up. Then in the morning I unwrap the foil packet and put it into the stove. I take our Bucket 'O Condiments and add to my vegetables olive oil, jarred garlic, curry powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce. I put the 12-V plug within easy reach of the driver.
Next, I take a plastic disposable cup and proceed to brush my teeth. I find it SO much easier to brush my teeth on the truck than in a truck stop or rest area. As so many places now try to conserve water, one often has to wave one's hands frantically under the faucet to get water to come out. If and when it does, it could just be a mere trickle, making it extremely annoying to brush one's teeth.
I fill the cup less than 1/4 full with water and proceed to brush my teeth. Here's the trick to truck teeth brushing - instead of spitting, THEN rinsing, rinse (using the water in the cup and thumb to get the bristles clean) and THEN spit. I take an extra swig of water and then put the cup contents into a big waste jug that we keep and dispose of the cup.
Next I put my hair up, either into a bun or ponytail and clean my face using my current face wipe of choice - Ponds. It's a bit of a coarser cloth which is great for exfoliating! I then put on my Olay moisturiser and eye cream. Finally, I apply perfume (today was Versace's Crystal Noir) which never fails to elicit a comment from Richie, usually along the lines of "Nice smells!"
Next is breakfast - that's pretty easy. Usually a bar of some sort. Today is an Atkins granola bar. I put that above the driver's head in a netted enclosure where it's within easy reach.
Last, but most certainly not least, I get my coffee ready. For some baffling reason which I don't dare question, Richie has taken it upon himself to fill a thermos with coffee during his shift and wash my cup. This is baffling indeed because I'm the only one who drinks coffee! I grab the thermos and fill my cup and add cream (yup, the proper heavy duty cream!). Now here's the sort of embarrassing part - during this ritual, I have a coffee song that I sing. Um...let's just leave it at that, shall we?
Whew, OK chores are done, I'm ready to drive! (Hey, didn't I warn you that this would be long?)
At the TA, I do all of the changing duty stuff on the computer. Richie does the post trip inspection and cleans the millions of bugs that have committed mass suicide on the windshield. I, meanwhile, go inside to buy 2 bottles of washer fluid from the extremely uncommunicative clerk at the TA. I put in both bottles.
I get my glasses on, get my sunglasses within reach and get my audio book ready to go. (BTW: I'm obsessed with audio books and couldn't imagine doing this job without them. I never listen to music when I'm driving, just books.)
I adjust my mirrors and get going. Richie has his bowl of 2 hot dogs and is munching away and talking about the book he's been listening to. Actually, he's been talking about it ever since I woke up!
Even though it's only about 5:30am central time, it's already beginning to get light. After Richie gets to bed and closes the curtain, I put my book on and drive along, sipping my coffee. I decide to stop at the rest area about 100 miles away to pee. I have to plan these things out or I may find myself absolutely desperate and that is never EVER good!
I have another pee stop at the rest area just before exit 59 in Sidney. By now, my coffee is finished and I have switched to bottled water. Next time I stop will be at the TA in Cheyenne, WY to fuel. Just as I take the exit, I plug in the stove so my vegetables can cook. They'll take a little over an hour to be done the way I like them.
At the TA, I fuel and clean the windshield, side windows and mirrors. Then I see my trainer! It's the third time in 2 and a half years I've seen him in various parts of the country. I run up to him, hug him and we chat for a few minutes. When I return to the truck to start pumping the DEF (diesel exhaust fluid), I find that too much time has gone by and the pump has gone off. Oh well...no matter.
Ready to go, I hop back in the truck but can't move because the truck ahead of me hasn't moved. After about 10 minutes of waiting, I try to find this driver but the queue in the TA is so long that I give up. My trainer then offers to spot me so that I can reverse onto the road, which I thought was extremely kind of him. He even stopped traffic for me!
As I accelerate back onto I-80, I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy to have seen my trainer again. I'm then extra pleased because I have been given the green light on my PrePass transponder which means I don't have to enter Wyoming's Port of Entry and spend an extra 5 minutes getting out and showing my papers. Woo hoo!
I was going to stop for lunch at a truck parking area but decided instead to go the extra distance to the rest area with the Lincoln monument, just before the descent into Laramie. By the time I stop for lunch, it's about 13:00 and I've driven close to 400 miles. I add a splash of water to the stove, add strips of cooked chicken and a splash of cream and stir. I unplug the stove and hop into bed for a 15 minute nap while everything in the stove gets to a good temperature.
After I eat, I clean my spoon and bowl with baby wipes and put everything away.
I get going again, still listening to my audio book. Early afternoons are usually the hardest for me because is is one of those natural lulls in the day. Because of the peeing situation, I'm only able to have one cup of coffee per day so afternoons are strictly water. This afternoon, though, I'm actually feeling pretty good and wakeful. Also, the weather is fantastic which is a minor miracle when driving across Wyoming!
Just before I reach Rawlins (around exit 200), Richie wakes up. It's about 15:30 eastern time (the time we personally go by). I turn my audio book off so that we can chat. He begins preparing his breakfast - a 3-egg omelet. He's a bit sad because he wanted a cheddar cheese omelet but we forgot to buy the cheese the last time we were in Walmart.
I tell Richie I'll probably get to the Little America truck stop (exit 68) arriving just a minute or so after 18:00 EST.
I make another pee stop at a truck parking area (yes, we have ways to pee in the truck!). With about a half hour left of my shift, Richie gets his dinner ready in the RoadPro stove - the same vegetable and chicken curry that I eat for lunch.
If you've ever been through Wyoming going west bound, you'll not fail to notice the gazillion or so billboards for Little America. As we passed the one with the huge ice cream cone (for 75 cents no less!), Richie decided that we needed to get an ice cream cone when we switched over. I, of course, was not one to argue that very sensible plan!
I arrived at Little America bang on 18:00 and the parking lot was pretty empty so I easily found a spot. I did the post trip inspection and switched drivers on the computer while Richie went in to get the ice cream. It had been over a year since we had ice cream from Little America so I wasn't expecting much but the cones were super yummy! You really can't beat them, considering they only cost 75 cents each!
Now my shift has officially ended. I managed to drive just shy of 650 miles for the day. My eyes are feeling a little tired which is to be expected for me after an almost-full shift. However, having sat all day, one must now do some moving! Richie and I do our respective exercises - he jogs on the spot and I march on the spot. I always wear my heart rate monitor when marching and after 30 minutes, I manage to burn anywhere between 200-250 calories.
After we are back in the truck, Richie got underway, As today is not a shower day, I use baby wipes to clean and apply some summery-smelling body lotion and get my clothes ready for the next day. Then, I made myself a caesar salad of mixed greens, parmesan shavings, smoked salmon and caesar dressing. I take my multivitamins and fish oil capsules (which I should have done at lunch but forgot).
Before bed, I get my vegetables ready to go for the next day. I make sure Richie knows where he needs to be fueling (Boise).
We chat until about 20:15 and I say goodnight, close the curtain, brush my teeth (see morning chores) and get to bed. Normally, I'd look at a news website for about 15 minutes or so on the iphone, but we're in Utah by now and don't get any internet connection so I can't tonight.
And that's my day done! I understand that in normal life, one wouldn't give an account of the bathroom breaks taken. But I thought that given the nature and circumstances of this job, it was quite necessary.
Hope you enjoyed a day in my life. If you found it mind-numbingly boring, I at least hope it lulled you into a nice sleep!
I fill the cup less than 1/4 full with water and proceed to brush my teeth. Here's the trick to truck teeth brushing - instead of spitting, THEN rinsing, rinse (using the water in the cup and thumb to get the bristles clean) and THEN spit. I take an extra swig of water and then put the cup contents into a big waste jug that we keep and dispose of the cup.
Next I put my hair up, either into a bun or ponytail and clean my face using my current face wipe of choice - Ponds. It's a bit of a coarser cloth which is great for exfoliating! I then put on my Olay moisturiser and eye cream. Finally, I apply perfume (today was Versace's Crystal Noir) which never fails to elicit a comment from Richie, usually along the lines of "Nice smells!"
Next is breakfast - that's pretty easy. Usually a bar of some sort. Today is an Atkins granola bar. I put that above the driver's head in a netted enclosure where it's within easy reach.
Last, but most certainly not least, I get my coffee ready. For some baffling reason which I don't dare question, Richie has taken it upon himself to fill a thermos with coffee during his shift and wash my cup. This is baffling indeed because I'm the only one who drinks coffee! I grab the thermos and fill my cup and add cream (yup, the proper heavy duty cream!). Now here's the sort of embarrassing part - during this ritual, I have a coffee song that I sing. Um...let's just leave it at that, shall we?
Whew, OK chores are done, I'm ready to drive! (Hey, didn't I warn you that this would be long?)
At the TA, I do all of the changing duty stuff on the computer. Richie does the post trip inspection and cleans the millions of bugs that have committed mass suicide on the windshield. I, meanwhile, go inside to buy 2 bottles of washer fluid from the extremely uncommunicative clerk at the TA. I put in both bottles.
I get my glasses on, get my sunglasses within reach and get my audio book ready to go. (BTW: I'm obsessed with audio books and couldn't imagine doing this job without them. I never listen to music when I'm driving, just books.)
I adjust my mirrors and get going. Richie has his bowl of 2 hot dogs and is munching away and talking about the book he's been listening to. Actually, he's been talking about it ever since I woke up!
Even though it's only about 5:30am central time, it's already beginning to get light. After Richie gets to bed and closes the curtain, I put my book on and drive along, sipping my coffee. I decide to stop at the rest area about 100 miles away to pee. I have to plan these things out or I may find myself absolutely desperate and that is never EVER good!
I have another pee stop at the rest area just before exit 59 in Sidney. By now, my coffee is finished and I have switched to bottled water. Next time I stop will be at the TA in Cheyenne, WY to fuel. Just as I take the exit, I plug in the stove so my vegetables can cook. They'll take a little over an hour to be done the way I like them.
At the TA, I fuel and clean the windshield, side windows and mirrors. Then I see my trainer! It's the third time in 2 and a half years I've seen him in various parts of the country. I run up to him, hug him and we chat for a few minutes. When I return to the truck to start pumping the DEF (diesel exhaust fluid), I find that too much time has gone by and the pump has gone off. Oh well...no matter.
Ready to go, I hop back in the truck but can't move because the truck ahead of me hasn't moved. After about 10 minutes of waiting, I try to find this driver but the queue in the TA is so long that I give up. My trainer then offers to spot me so that I can reverse onto the road, which I thought was extremely kind of him. He even stopped traffic for me!
As I accelerate back onto I-80, I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy to have seen my trainer again. I'm then extra pleased because I have been given the green light on my PrePass transponder which means I don't have to enter Wyoming's Port of Entry and spend an extra 5 minutes getting out and showing my papers. Woo hoo!
I was going to stop for lunch at a truck parking area but decided instead to go the extra distance to the rest area with the Lincoln monument, just before the descent into Laramie. By the time I stop for lunch, it's about 13:00 and I've driven close to 400 miles. I add a splash of water to the stove, add strips of cooked chicken and a splash of cream and stir. I unplug the stove and hop into bed for a 15 minute nap while everything in the stove gets to a good temperature.
After I eat, I clean my spoon and bowl with baby wipes and put everything away.
I get going again, still listening to my audio book. Early afternoons are usually the hardest for me because is is one of those natural lulls in the day. Because of the peeing situation, I'm only able to have one cup of coffee per day so afternoons are strictly water. This afternoon, though, I'm actually feeling pretty good and wakeful. Also, the weather is fantastic which is a minor miracle when driving across Wyoming!
Just before I reach Rawlins (around exit 200), Richie wakes up. It's about 15:30 eastern time (the time we personally go by). I turn my audio book off so that we can chat. He begins preparing his breakfast - a 3-egg omelet. He's a bit sad because he wanted a cheddar cheese omelet but we forgot to buy the cheese the last time we were in Walmart.
I tell Richie I'll probably get to the Little America truck stop (exit 68) arriving just a minute or so after 18:00 EST.
I make another pee stop at a truck parking area (yes, we have ways to pee in the truck!). With about a half hour left of my shift, Richie gets his dinner ready in the RoadPro stove - the same vegetable and chicken curry that I eat for lunch.
If you've ever been through Wyoming going west bound, you'll not fail to notice the gazillion or so billboards for Little America. As we passed the one with the huge ice cream cone (for 75 cents no less!), Richie decided that we needed to get an ice cream cone when we switched over. I, of course, was not one to argue that very sensible plan!
I arrived at Little America bang on 18:00 and the parking lot was pretty empty so I easily found a spot. I did the post trip inspection and switched drivers on the computer while Richie went in to get the ice cream. It had been over a year since we had ice cream from Little America so I wasn't expecting much but the cones were super yummy! You really can't beat them, considering they only cost 75 cents each!
Now my shift has officially ended. I managed to drive just shy of 650 miles for the day. My eyes are feeling a little tired which is to be expected for me after an almost-full shift. However, having sat all day, one must now do some moving! Richie and I do our respective exercises - he jogs on the spot and I march on the spot. I always wear my heart rate monitor when marching and after 30 minutes, I manage to burn anywhere between 200-250 calories.
After we are back in the truck, Richie got underway, As today is not a shower day, I use baby wipes to clean and apply some summery-smelling body lotion and get my clothes ready for the next day. Then, I made myself a caesar salad of mixed greens, parmesan shavings, smoked salmon and caesar dressing. I take my multivitamins and fish oil capsules (which I should have done at lunch but forgot).
Before bed, I get my vegetables ready to go for the next day. I make sure Richie knows where he needs to be fueling (Boise).
We chat until about 20:15 and I say goodnight, close the curtain, brush my teeth (see morning chores) and get to bed. Normally, I'd look at a news website for about 15 minutes or so on the iphone, but we're in Utah by now and don't get any internet connection so I can't tonight.
And that's my day done! I understand that in normal life, one wouldn't give an account of the bathroom breaks taken. But I thought that given the nature and circumstances of this job, it was quite necessary.
Hope you enjoyed a day in my life. If you found it mind-numbingly boring, I at least hope it lulled you into a nice sleep!
Found your blog via MMM forum and I really enjoy it! Very cool to learn about your lifestyle, very exotic to me..
ReplyDeleteAlso found the blog via MMM, and I really enjoyed reading about your day. I read the blog of another tandem trucker, and some of the writings are similar. I like to read about how you both work in your exercise, sleep, and food!
ReplyDelete