Month: July 2004

I am home again at last as my last entry said the flight was Ok and we had a good Monday Tuesday was nothing but work, Dinner, then sleep I can’t even remember where we had dinner Tuesday, Wednesday we worked all day and went to the Chinese Buffet it was good eating Now Thursday the fun started. We worked till 2:15 and needed to go clean up and meet back at the shop at 3:30 there was a big fancy van waiting to take us to New York City, I was never there before so you could imagine how excited I was
[album 78237 statue.jpg]

We could not get close to the Statue of Liberty due to the time factor but at least I did get a picture it was way too cool to see it I was in my glory in that City, Next stop was Ground Zero.
[album 78237 groundzero.jpg]

That place is so sad to see it totally destroyed it is just hard to imagine it the way it was it is sooo big of an area it just tears you up to think of all the people who senselessly lost their life but it was a place I really needed to visit and to say a prayer for all the innocents who are no longer with us……

After that we went to the South Street Sea Port there was a band playing and we went and had dinner there I took a disposal camera so I will have more pictures, after we ate we toured the City, Greenwich Village, China Town, Little Italy, Just so many things there to see we saw Central park, and the Aircraft Carrier Intrepid it was closed so we could not tour it, Oh we was at Times Square, and Trump Tower I went inside and took a picture it is so cool in there I also saw where they do the Today Show. I could go on and on I love New York I want so bad to go back and spend a week there maybe after I finish School I will take some time to go back….

Going to get going I need a shower and to get to bed I can hardly keep my eyes open

Enjoy Life
Tim 😉

Well I am back in Connecticut the weekend flew by so fast I could not believe it this morning it was raining terribly bad so bad it was one of those rains where you need to run the wipers fast all the way to the airport which is 50 miles from my house and you could not run the right lane because the water would make you hydroplane it was horrible but I made it and still had plenty of time to have breakfast and relax before the plane took off it was bumpy for a while till we got out of the storm then it smoothed out and was a nice flight
[album 78237 plane.jpg]
We got to the shop around 11:30 then went out to lunch and went back and got what we could done the inspectors are coming Wednesday and we hope to get at least 10 buses done and inspected and ready for school I hope it works out, After we got done we came back to the Motel and checked in then went to eat we found this great place by the ocean what a view
[album 78237 ocean.jpg]
We hung out after dinner and I got Swordfish again it was delish and came back to the motel now I am going to take a shower and get to bed big day tomorrow
Enjoy Life,
Tim 😉

Finally I am home again for another 2 days the week went by fast and we got tons of work done we retrofitted a total of 36 buses to Connecticut Spect’s in a total of 8 days not all the parts were in so there is still more work to do next week another crew is coming in from the Chicago area so it should be fun working with new people. I did not get near enough sleep after working till 5:00 then cleaning up and going out to dinner then back to the motel to sleep it is hard on the body we did manage to have some fun one evening we got to visit a Submarine museum
[album 78237 subase.jpg]
That was fun we blew off work around 2:00 stopped and ate and drove up the the base about 2 hours away it was a nice break I never got to see the inside of a submarine before even though thee is one in Pittsburgh on the river I never made it down there but this is the Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine first launched in 1954
[album 78237 nautilus.jpg]
We tried to have dinner at different places Monday Night we ate at an Italian resturant with a French Waitress LOL Imagine that I thought it was funny I could not hardly understand her accent but the food was great,. Tuesday we had Chinese Buffet I ate till I was ready to explode I love Chinese. Wednesday the dispatcher took up to a private club after the sub museum, it was in a really nasty part of town but was worth it good food and really good people. Thursday our area supervisor took up to his house for dinner his wife cooked a great meal for us and we sat around bullshitting way too late he lives in Springfield so we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express nice motel but I did not get to sleep till almost midnight. Friday was a real treat in the way to the airport we stopped and ate at Hooters LOL and the food ?? Who cares the view was great.
Our flight was delayed about an hour due to bad storms at the airport so we were late getting home I did not have nothing here to make so we stopped at Applebee’s, which really made me late getting home but I slept good. So now I need to get busy I have to do laundry and get my jungle mowed my grass is getting way out of control..
Enjoy Life
Tim 😉

It has been nice to be home unfortunately it is a soggy weekend and it looks like I will not be riding so I have just been lazy, except for my former GM called and asked me to help him with some wiring, he is adding an office to a garage he owns he already wired the room but wanted to put in a temporary power feed until he gets the new meter put in so I spent a few hours there with him running new wires and figuring out how to tap into the breaker box in the main garage we got it all done and powered up. It is funny how many people ask me to do electrical work just knowing I am going to school for it but every job I do adds some experience and if it is this easy to find work before I get the education it should not be a problem after I graduate with a degree. I did what laundry I had to do and just been repacking for Monday I think I figured out how to put everything into one suitcase that will make things easier. I think here in a little bit I am going to go visit Mom and Dad things have been going OK with Dad he is home recovering.

I was suppose to go camping next weekend but due to my traveling I am not going to be able to pull it off they are all leaving for Wellsboro Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM it is about a 7 hour drive with my flight as late as it is I will be getting home at 9:00 then for me to drive up there I would get there at 4:00 AM sleep for a couple hours then get on a horse and ride all day, sleep in a tent, then ride all the next day, I figure I would be getting home at midnight then have to leave again for Connecticut at 4:30 AM Monday morning so I decided it would be too hard to do all that and I would really not have all that much time to relax from working up there all week I will lose my $125.00 deposit but it is just another sacrifice I need to make I really needed to keep the paycheck coming as long as I can. Crissy said she is going to try to find someone else who would want to go that way I might be able to get my money back.

I never realized how hard it would be to work out of state like this there is not much to do but work, eat, and sleep but my days go by fast, I think by the end of the week I was getting more used to the physical labor I am not used to that for the last 2 years I have been just managing all the work and people and doing tons of paperwork, and dealing with all the problems which are many in this kind of business, but now no responsibility other than just getting the work done it is good in a way but on the other hand I miss being important and not being involved in all aspects of the business. I have been hearing more and more about people losing their job like I am going to do through no fault of their own and they are all surviving so I am not alone here with the sudden job loss in fact there are a lot of people worse off than me my house is almost paid off so I don’t have that many bills except for my bike so I feel a lot better I guess because I know I am not alone. I am still getting job offers to stay with this company and move out of state but since I am accepted in school I am determined to follow my dream but I have to admit it is tempting Connecticut is a beautiful state I hope to get more pictures this time and I am determined to see the ocean, but in the end I will continue to live here in PA

Enjoy Life,
Tim 😉

What a week this has been We left my house at 4:30 AM Monday Morning and arrived around 9:20 we waited for a couple people from Chicago to get in then went to the garage to meet everybody have lunch then we had a meeting on how we are going to tackle the conversions that pretty much took up Monday we just had dinner at the Motel..

Tuesday Morning we got started at 6:00 and dove right into the work we got 4 conversions done and finished up at 5:00 went back to the motel changed and went and found this restaurant right next to the water it was not the ocean the part of Connecticut is at the Southern part still right beside the ocean but just little inlets I had fish of course and we did have a nice view of the water then back to the Motel..

Wednesday Morning 6:00 AM back to work we did 5 buses that day and Damn was I tired and I noticed this large tray of corn sitting at the corner of the garage I did not bother to ask then all of a sudden I found out why it was there
[album 78237 squirell.JPG]
He was a cute little guy and I guess it is their pet he or I guess I should say she has a next in the rafters with little ones it was something to see this Squirrel being in the shop just like he owned it..

Thursday was another busy day after work we ate at this restaurant right beside a Marina I has stuffed Swordfish it was great there were so many boats big, Small any kind of boat you could imagine was there.
[album 78237 marina.jpg]
we had originally planned on going to a shipyard to tour some big Navy boats and a submarine but we just could not get off work in time, Maybe next week..

We started early again today and finished up at 2:00 total retrofits 17 for the week I have never worked so hard it was all Work, Eat, Sleep for the whole week Finally I am home all is well here I am just going to rest and do laundry and be off again Monday Morning..

Dad’s operation went good he is home the weather looks good so I am going to break out my girl and ride down to see him I really felt bad not being here but it is important I continue working till the last day before School starts to make the best use of my unemployment..

Enjoy Life,
Tim 😉

A few minutes ago I went to visit the little boys room and I looked out the window and there was this big Doe standing in my back yard eating green apples from the ground I hurried to get the camera but she was almost gone but I did get a quick shot through the screen
[album 78237 deer.jpg]
It is a little hard to make out but you can still see her Bertha hates the deer I am glad she was inside I like having wildlife so close it probably was about 100 feet from the back of my house…
Enjoy Life
Tim 😉

I recieved my letter of acceptance from School on Friday I did not see a problem but still it was nice to see and to know for sure I am in Classes start August 25th Wednesday and Monday the 23rd is orientation day the last time i was there it took 1/4 tank to drive up and back I am now wishing I did not have a 4X4 truck but I will be glad in the winter, Oh speaking of my truck in PA you need to have a yearly State inspection performed my truck is due August you can get it done up to 3 months ahead, The last time I had it inspected I was told next time I will need brakes So I made arraingments to have it done while I am away, on the way to the races last night I hit the brakes to pull into the lot and heard that horrible grinding sound, *sigh* I drove home without using brakes unless necessary which with a stick shift it was not too hard to do then this morning off to the auto parts store for brakes and unfortunatly Rotors at $57.00 each but from the grinding noise I heard I knew I would need them. Once I got home I realized I am back to working on my truck in the drivway it has been a long time since I had to do that but at least I had all my tools here and the job went good now it is all done…..

I am not sure what to do the rest of the day I am still on laundry and packing then I realized I am going out of town all next week so I decided to not do much of anything I might as well be lazy since next week is really going to be busy the sun is out right now so maybe I might wax my girl and go for a little ride, I still have not cleaned it up from last weekend and I would not get caught dead on a dirty Harley…

I saw a sign down the road at the local veggie farm the have Sweet Corn for sale I might go get some for dinner I have to get everything used up today and tomorrow that could go bad while I am away and I am going to go see Dad he has surgery on the 15th I guess it is nothing major just a problem with the stints for his Dialysis hook up at least I hope it is not major at least another of my brothers are going down i hate being away for this but if it goes bad I will be on the first plane home…..

Enjoy Life,
tim 😉

[album 78237 b&me.jpg]
As per Bobbi’s request here is myself and my buddy we just have been loafing tonight I am working on some laundry Oh which reminds me I need to switch from washer to dryer right now I have a load of towels in, Ok that is done, mom could not believe I use the same towel more than once but I figure I am clean when I use it so I just hang it up to dry and use it again the next shower it works for me.

I finally down loaded the pictures from my digital here is the poor empty shop so sad at one time we ran 120 buses from this location now it is totally empty makes me sad I don’t know why I took a picture I guess I just needed to keep one
[album 78237 mtshop.jpg]

Kelly stopped over I had her do some notary work for work and I had her payment and she is going up to Niagara Falls this weekend with all the girls in the bridal party for the wedding she is in so she also wanted her birth certificate I told her she would not need it but she wanted it just in case and it was good to see her she is so busy with life that we don’t get to spend much time together so every chance I get to see her I do….

They recently passed the slot Machine bill in PA that means legalized gambling in PA I am not sure if it is good or bad I guess good for money coming into the state but bad for people who are addicted to gambling, I like to go do the slots from time to time but I think it is more I like everything that goes with the casino especially Niagara falls there is so much to do up there ..

Enjoy Life,
Tim 😉

I had my workshop with Career Track today it was a 3 hour workshop on filling out resume’s and making up cover sheets and filling out applications and it covered many other parts of job hunting which I did not exactly need this right now but it is just one of the hoops I need to jump through to get my $5000.00 grant toward my further education I did pay attention and learned a few things I was worth going…

After that a pretty slow day at work I started at 6:00 since one of the guys are off so I finished up around 3:30 so nice I came home and took a nap, after I was rudly awakened by my cell phone I decided to make another picture of Ice tea and do some dishes and get dinner started this is when I realized it was getting hot in here so I found a pair of shorts and tank top when putting my shirt on I could not see here a lense fell out of my glasses *Great* I felt around till I found the lense Now what ?? I have my safety glasses from work outside in the garage they are perscription but my perscription is for bi focals my broken glasses are progressive bi focals and my safety glasses have a line where the bi ends and they give me a headache so I found my way out to the tool boxes and found them what a relief It has to be my lucky day because the screw is till in my glasses but the problem was finding my repair kit with that little screw driver in but I could not find it so back to the tool box and found the smallest screw driver I could and ground it down on the bench grinder till it was small enough to fit the little screw it worked and my glasses are fixed but already I feel a headache coming on from the other glasses but I should not complain they did the job but you can bet I am going to buy 3 of them small tool kits and put them where I will remember where they are…

I am leaving Monday morning for Conecticut so I am starting on laundry I want to be ready way ahead this time so I am not rushing around Sunday night as usual, Dinner is ready ….

Enjoy Life,
Tim 😉

I decided to go to the party I was invited to instead of the bus demo it ended up being a good party and great fireworks I left right after the show and still did not get home till after midnight. Yesterday I tried out my new Ice Tea maker it is great I have always wanted one and Crissy got me one for Fathers day..

Last night I had a message from a friend wanted to know if I wanted to go for a ride today I had plans to go with another friend but she usually backs out so I called this morning and went I left my house around 9:30 this morning and got back home at 7:00PM we went south to West Virgina to this river side resturant called Pier 12 it was really good food and nice view we had a great time it was just a little over 100 miles down there it is near Mountaineer gameing resort but we did not go there. Next we stopped at Oglby park that was a nice place we hung out there for a while then headed home I was really feeling it on the way home this was my first 200+ mile ride of the year My ass is tired of sitting on that seat and my left wrist was really starting to hurt that is a new one, I never had that problem before, it was getting painfull everytime I worked the clutch but then again it was the first semi long ride of the year I will see how I hold up this weekend we are going again before I leave for Connecticut, I think I will take my Advil with me LOL maybe old age ??. Oh right on the West Virgina border it started to rain we kept running till it started to get pretty heavy so we stopped for rain gear change but it let up and quit raining so the rest of the ride was pleasant.

That is pretty much my day now I am just going to relax the rest of the evening I could not decide on dinner and now it is after 9:00 so the heck with it I have nothing here to cook and don’t feel like going out anywhere I am not all that hungry so I am in for the night

Enjoy Life,
Tim 😉