Packing and loading at a shipper’s house I notice these. I said to myself “Self… pirates live here and how would you like to be wearing a skirt and step on this” .  

The driver and I know a helper who tells us ‘I got a friend who lives in the woods”  “He’s got a wood burning stove and some solar panels ain’t nobody gonna bother him out there”. I’m intrigued I’m thinking “shit I live in truck and I wanna compare. So I  continue with the questions “What about his mail?” Correspondence is sent to his brother’s.  In the morning he goes to McDonald’s eats  breakfast and reads the paper and he showers  at work.  His alarm system is 8ft  string  around perimeter of his place with a jar of nails sitting on a post.  He sees wild turkeys, foxes and of course deer.  I see a few jive turkeys giving me the eye and I wish I’d see some foxes (1970’s term for hot guys lol)which would cause me to say Oh dear.  Our friend says he takes him to the laundromat and the store then drops him off on the side of the road.  “It’s a crooked path he knows his way…Drinks his beer and no one bothers him.” “He ain’t got no lady so he got no trouble”. Railroad ties elevate his floor and lawn chair to relax in. I’m listening to him describe a way of life that makes me feel like a little kid listening to some crazy tale that’s true.  My hat’s off to Winchell.  And to the helper who shared this with us.

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Today was delivery day for a shipper who moved to one of my most favorite cities in the US.  Originally,  one of the 13 colonies. New York where at anytime you can yell scream and honk and no one really cares. Ticket tape parades and $15.00 for a pack of smokes. Sabrett hot dogs on just about every corner.  $3500 for a tiny 1 bedroom  flat with uneven sloping floors. You can easily tell who lives on the 22 square mile island (black clothes no smile good hair) and who doesn’t (everyone else)  I hear this place is becoming so pricy even the lower east side has got scruples. I loved New York for all the movies ever filmed here.  Grand Central Station pre Giuliani. I wanna be co-op girl and take the BQE to visit the Heights.  Russian Tea Room and Tavern on the Green are still my 2 favorite places , one tacky one classy. Neck strain and real good genuine fakes at canal.  ABCarpet and City Bakery were 2 places my sister turned me onto when she lived in Hells Kitchen. But my best memory was a head nod to Iggy Pop (walking on Madison Ave with hot Asian chick) and then later that night eating at Nobu’s in booth next to Mr. DeNiro. Because of him I now order “extra dirty Ketel Martini with a sheet of ice”

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Oh my goodness,  get ready to rumble if you pull into a truck stop later than usual leads to the following.  Jockeying for a space has led the driver to get out his  truck and go over to another driver who is  reluctant to see that one must have a little wiggle room to park 76 foot plus truck. He choose some   kind words for the parking lot (flat bed truck). I choose to stay inside the cab. I asked ” What happens if he comes over here?” Driver replied “Hit him with something” I was hoping more along the lines of ” don’t worry you’ll be fine”. I’m regulated to watch the show.  Driver hops back in and says “Tonight we are the Show” The CB chatter concurs. 

Ps. That driver was a weenie.

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More than one Elvis. Another glorious truck stop but alas this one had pizzazz.  Colorful blankets, the ones you see for sale off the freeway or on your Latina girlfriend’s bed. I turned the corner and saw the King.  I was very young when my  father worked in Las Vegas. And for a time, my mom  with kids in tow, would  make the trip to go hang out. The Hilton was his home and before Cher or Madonna it was all ELVIS on the marquee. And to this day he has staying power. When you read or hear the dozens of interviews of people who worked or cared for him,  it is usually nice.  So its no surprise I want to sleep with the King.  Once for  $19.99 or twice for $35.00

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At the eleventh hour Mika will live out the rest of her years at a nice persons home. With 2 German Shepherds and another cat.  I may not have handled this whole catastrophe with grace or a  good attitude but God knew the pain I had. Now as I go to Las Vegas to celebrate a friends birthday I will also  celebrate how I went from pet owner to pet guardian.

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My dilemma with my cat has caused great  sorrow. I received the following text “what’s up with the cat?”    I replied I’ll go there today. Meaning my mom’s pad  “Do you want me to take the cat?” My friend said. This I where I got myself in big bad spot as I assumed she meant she going to take my cat. And she is  but to a vet. And maybe this vet will keep her for a while and maybe he won’t.  The driver said a cat will  not do well in a truck given she is older and ” when we are not in the cab for several days she can’t just live there. She, said cat, has a cattitude. I got her when my ex husband brought her home one day and because she was from a feral set and ugly no one wanted her  but us. 17 years later she essentially just eats and lays around.  I called about 12 cat related offers of help. No one wants an old cat. A humane shelter that is “no kill”  will in fact do that. The gal over the phone in a calloused response “ya we will put her to sleep in a week”. For 5 thousand dollars I can take a 3 hour drive and she can live out the rest of her 9 lives.  Here’s lies the rub she is not your average cat she had the cord wrapped around her twice when she was born she a little off. I don’t like her but I love her.

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 I remember a trivia question from long ago, “Which state has the most Tornadoes?” . Most said Kansas some said Oklahoma. Texas is the state for having the greatest number of Tornadoes.  Passing thru Texas just outside of Fort Worth the rain and wind reminded me of that fact.  I was scared  while the winds  caused the truck to rock back and forth and when I looked out the window I saw the American flag just stopped high up on a pole and this ominous sign was a clear signal.  We pulled over I saw plenty of debri blowing all around. The lighting did nothing to squelch my fears, and I was ready for something  that never came.  Later and further down the road I shared with driver that my thoughts have been like the weather and I was not looking forward to facing my cat dilemma and the anger I’ve been holding on to.  The driver tells me “You gotta let that shit go” headed west I gonna keep singing  that Frozen song. 

$2.25 per cycle in the laundry room here in the ATL Petro in Atlanta Georgia. Spring  showers outside makes a nice go of things.   6 loads sure beats folding 280 moving pads. Driver asks 3 locals 100.00 bucks to fold. One of the guys says “each? ” driver tells him “F*** you”. I guess that how they talk to each other, so the two stay behind and get paid. You see sometimes you just don’t want to fold pads and since it doesn’t happen often paying seems reasonable.  Meanwhile I got to contend with “dirty old man truck driver” that is trying to engage me in conversation just so he can “go there”. No takers buddy!. I avert his eyes and pretend I don’t hear him when he asks me if they said “naked” on TV. I say “I hear the Pope is coming to Philadelphia” and that does the trick. He changes his way and I helped him fold his Kirkland T-shirts. And he says to use certain dryer because it’ll give you extra time.  Pays to ignore then be nice.  It also pays to look in between the machine because eighty five cent  gave me extra time to stay in my most favorite place..not really.  Zia Jian

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Back in the truck and everything is familiar

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