Field trip day!

Today was our "field trip" day. Our instructors had to go to a madatory meeting at the other facility that is about an hour and a half (two hours the way us studants drive) away. So we got a lot of highway driving done today and some city driving. I am getting better at down shifting and I am pretty sure I am getting a hold on my "panic" when I miss a gear. I still panic a little bit, but not as much as I was a day ago. So I feel that things are improving.
My goal is to make today better than yesterday. Also tryingto make every event a challenge instead of a dreaded "Oh shit, this again". So when a turn comes up, thats a challenge. When a ramp comes up, that's a challenge. Need to slow down and downshift, that's a challenge. Now, I don't mean "challenge" as in its difficult to do and I have a hard time doing it. I mean "challenge" as in, a new thing to conquer that is in my path. Every new possible encounter is a new adventure and challenge. It keeps me in that competative state of mind and try to make every event a small victory. Thus far, I feel it is working for me.

Aside from training/school, cuz I feel like I am back in trucking school for all intents and purposes, I admit that I am a little homesick. I miss my wife, I miss her company and presence. Other people here are feeling the the pull of homesickness a lot stronger than I am, but it is still there. I guess that means that I am stuck with her for a long while. I'm ok with that. Family is something that I thought I wanted but never could have. It has been years since I tried again once I was divorced for the first time. I figured, I just wasn't good enough at it to work, so I stopped trying. Go figure, when I wasn't looking, family gone and snuck up on my ass. So being here in this field with the potential of being away for long periods of time is a challenge in itself. I know how to be alone and focus on what I need to do. The only thing that I will be missing is a presence of body waiting for me at the end of the day to ask me how my day went and to shoot me down when I am getting too cocky or build me up when I am feeling too down. To have someone that actually cares is a rare thing and I will be honest, I didn't think I would find someone that would give a shit about me enough to stick with me in any way, shape or form. I'm not disrespecting my ex-wife in saying that, I feel that I am a difficult person to get along with, that being the case, having someone that will overlook and/or knock my butt down to point out that I am worth a damn; it's impressive and humbling. So, is that being homesick or just a case of missing someone? Hmm, a ponder to have.

Tomorrow will be all about backing up the trucks. Straight backing, I got that down pretty well and its just practice. Then we are also doing 45 degree (ally docking) backing as well. Now I did well on that at school. However, school used cones and I believe we are going to be using actual trailers as the alley. Sooooo, challenge!! Ugh. Be that as it may, so long as it ISN'T parallel parking, I don't feel the need to throw a tantrum, grab my basketball and go home. :) If you are sensing that I do not like to parallel park, you may be correct. I mean, honestly. It's a 54 foot trailer that you are trying to parallel park. I know people who can't do that with a car. I can do it after about 3 tries and $2000. bucks in property damage, so I prefer NOT to do it. Anyway, I need to actually go to bed at 9pm tonight not 10:30, not 11pm. I am overtired in the morning and thats never a good thing when you are hopping into an 80k lb vehicle.

Hopefully everyone is getting a fun read out of this blog and maybe opening up some insight to this business. I can honestly say that I am enjoying myself no matter how hard it may seem. I would like to ask every one that reads this blog to help me out a bit and click on the ads around the blog. In times like these, every little bit helps. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my life in the trucking industry thus far.