Rumors of me moving this blog elsewhere were premature. I'm staying here. Stay tuned for a travelog entry from Charleston, South Carolina.

Now, I'm not complaining, but this heat just zaps the energy out of me when I'm working. When it's 93° outside, it's probably 20° hotter in the back of my UPS truck.

Like I said, I'm not complaining. I absolutely LOVE the summer. And I like it hot. But nevertheless, the heat does take its toll. So glad I have air conditioning @ Nine Forward.

I leave for Georgia and South Carolina on Thursday morning. Brant will be holding down the fort while I'm gone. I'm going with Eric, Amy and their daughter Abigail back east to watch Eric in a bodybuilding competition. Afterward, on Sunday, Abigail is getting baptized (Amy is from South Carolina, and her family is all back there). From there, Eric, Amy and Abigail are going to Myrtle Beach and I am renting a car and will be exploring Charleston, SC and nearby environs. I'm really excited!

I'll be back after a week or so, and then I'll still have a week and a half of vacation left before I have to return to work. Looking forward to THAT.

I'll try to post pictures of the trip, along with informative and interesting updates.

So Jenni, I anxiously await your debut blog. And by the way, I don't have your e-mail address, do I?

As is my wont, I am sitting here at Starbucks, typing away. I often find a Starbucks, whip out my laptop and start typing-- usually on my journal. Today, I thought I'd share this moment with you, the gentle reader. The community atmosphere here is friendly, and even though I could do this kind of writing at home (and with a lot less logistical maneuvering to boot), I find that setting up shop here can be a grist for my writing.

People can be so interesting. Right now there is a man sitting about 7 feet in front of me, at a table, reading a book that is written in Chinese, or some other Asian characters. And he's not Asian. Interesting.

I called in to work this morning and asked for the day off. It's a situation where if they have enough drivers, and if the volume of packages is at a place that doesn't require that they work all of the drivers, then they make last minute changes to the routes and set the number of routes to be dispatched, thereby, allowing any excess drivers on the roster to have the day off (if there actually IS an excess). Well, as it worked out, today I was an excess. I have to call in at about 6:00 AM and let them know I'm interested in getting the day off, and then I have to call in again, just after 7:00 AM to see if I got it. By 7:00 I have to already be on the road to work, because if they DO need me I'd be late if I weren't already en route. So, I called on my cell phone at 7:00 (or so) and Sue in the dispatch office answered.

"So, what's my status?" I asked.

She said, "Well, what are you going to do today, play golf or go fishing?"

"Maybe a little of both," I answered.

"Okay," she said. "We'll see you tomorrow. Have a good time."

Actually, I neither golf nor fish, so I hope I don't get in trouble for lying.

They're instituting new security measures down at work, which, to my disgruntlement, entails the prohibition of bringing laptop computers in through the guard shack. I usually pack mine (on which I'm currently typing) in my tote and then use it to type my memoirs (well, maybe) during my lunch break. I've also been known to frequent the Starbucks on my route (yes, isn't it amazing how many of them there are) and connect via wi-fi to the Internet. But, alas, if I am unable to circumvent the new restriction, that lunchtime practice will come to a screeching halt. I must needs find a way to implement said circumvention. ;) I'll keep you posted on my efforts. (I hope the people @ loss prevention don't read this blog).

Oh, it's going to be a lazy day; probably a little more lazy than our forefathers spent the first Independence Day.

I've been busy with the regular things lately. I'm trying to learn more about web design, using the Dreamweaver program. I figure since I love stuff like that, it'd be good to learn more and become proficient at it. Maybe I can make some money at it!

Last night I got home from work and sat down with my laptop in my lap (profound), and I went to wikipedia to look up something on Constantinople. Well, as is often the case with me and encyclopedias, I spent pretty much the rest of the evening looking up things and just reading about stuff. I landed on the topic of flags. (Those what know me will know that I have a thinkg for flags.) Very interesting. I didn't know that the city of Portland's flag had been modified in the last few years. They took the city seal out of the canton. Not that interesting to most people, but it is to me! Personally, I think the Portland flag is beautiful. I wish they'd redo the state of Oregon's flag. Booooo-ring.

Anyhoo, I was up 'til 1AM! So, like any good American, I slept in 'til 10:00 this morning. Right now I'm sipping my macadamia coffee that Brant brought back to me from Hawaii. Thanks Brant.