Objects In Flux

The job at Britton doesn't seem to be paying off. I talked with the personnel director again this morning, he assures me that as soon as a truck comes out of the shop, I'm in...but that if something else comes up in the meantime, I should take it.

All sorts of scenarios are going through my head. Is he being honest? Is he jerking me around, because; a) he doesn't have a truck, b) doesn't know when it'll really become available, or c) doesn't really want to hire me, but isn't man enough to say so? I could go through this over and over, driving myself crazy, but something is happening here.

So now I feel like I'm starting over again. Today I called Path Truck Lines, they run flatbeds in the NY/NJ/PA area and their drivers are out for a day or two at most, home every weekend (with early Fridays, no less). They sound real optimistic, so I applied and will call back tomorrow.

I'll also call PittOhio, who wants me to interview. Their position is local delivery or line haul, which is either home daily or every other day.

Ryder would like to see me also, for their CVS account. This position comes with a lot of work, basically unloading an entire trailer every delivery...by hand. But it's home every day (it also happens to be night work), so it's local but back breaking.

Waiting in the wings I still have Xpress, which is home every weekend after 1 month on the road for training. Add to that list CFI (5 days out, similar training period), Werner (regional, 17+ days out but 6-8 weeks of training), and Arrow (regional, 3 weeks out, 3-4 weeks of training in Oklahoma).

Although I'm done with Papa John's, the manager said I can go back if I need the money, even if it's on a day-by-day basis. I'd rather not go back, but in a week or so I may have to if I don't have something permanent lined up. Personally, I'm going to see how Path Truck Lines and PittOhio shake out, then probably Xpress, and so on down the list.

Napoleon Dynamite

This film is funny in a weird sort of way, definitely worth viewing.

What's even weirder is that, apparently in the spirit of the film, the Idaho state legistature passed this resolution, commending the makers of the film. While the bill goes on to laud all the aspects of Idahoan life featured in the movie, this bit from the top of the second page is my favorite:

WHEREAS, any members of the House of Representatives or the Senate of the Legislature of the State of Idaho who choose to vote "Nay" on this concurrent resolution are "FREAKIN' IDIOTS!" and run the risk of having the "Worst Day of Their Lives!"

See, government is good for something!

F.E.A.R.

Yesterday I purchased F.E.A.R. It's a PC first-person-shooter that's gotten high marks in many reviews, higher even than Quake 4, DOOM 3 (or the add on), or any of the other recent shooters.

My only problem with this game is my machine...I've got the fastest CPU and as much memory as the motherboard can handle, which meets the minimum requirements for this game. Needless to say while I can set the game for crystal-clear clarity, as soon as anything happens the action grinds to a halt. Unfortunately I've had to set my graphics to the lowest possible settings to ensure smooth gameplay, so now the game looks like the original Half-Life. Ugly, but playable.

With that said, my graphic problems are quickly forgotten once I start playing.

Basically, I'm dealing with cloned spec-ops agents, who are all guided by one telepathic guy who I'm trying to track down.

What sets this game apart are all the supernatural elements, it makes the game downright spooky. It's a lot like Half-Life in this way, violent action mixed with horror movie moments.

There are no spoilers here...I haven't gotten to any in game, and have avoided them in print & online. With that said, my guy keeps having these...episodes...where he sees things and people who aren't there. Usually it's just a person who vanishes or dissolves into flakes, like the vampires in the first Blade movie. Sometimes my guy has a vision or hears the voice of the telepathic mastermind I'm trying to track down, who usually drops a hint or two as to what's in store for me. But most eerily, I keep seeing a little girl in a red dress who oozes menace. I don't know if these are ghosts or what's going on, but it's really freaking me out. At times I'm thankful for the action sequences when all I have to deal with are guys shooting at me!

I Got A Job!

I landed a job with Arrow trucking on the 21st.

Since that's a regional position, my plan is to keep looking and applying until then.

I'll miss Thanksgiving, but that's not such a big deal...I've missed holidays before.

Guy Delisle's Pyongyang

I took a break today to hit the bookstore, where I saw a hardcover graphic novel called Pyongyang. It illustrates the journey of a Canadian cartoonist who works in the North Korean capital for 2 months. Other than the author's wry wit, it's full of chilling and sad observations on the human condition in that oppressive country. Definitely worth checking out.