A Look Back
Texarkana, AR
I thought it might be interesting to post some of my more interesting paper journal entries from the last nine months. Obviously, my paper journal is much more private and personal, and therefore boring. To be quite honest, a great deal of it is me dealing with various emotions connected with my divorce. It was a lot more difficult to get over my ex-wife than I initially anticipated. I feel like I finally was able to purge myself of any remaining questions, qualms or quiverings regarding my ex. I wrote her a letter detailing my concerns and such. She never replied, and I guess I didn't really expect her to. But I did feel a tremendous sense of relief. This was before Christmas and I haven't lost a wink of sleep over her since. I'm past it and ready to move on with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A little love along the way wouldn't hurt either. ;-)
Anyhoo, here is an entry from September 1st, 2005.
Milford, CT (50 miles NE of NYC)
Can't sleep. I spent the better part of the day driving around NYC. It wasn't too bad, but I hope I don't get stuck there often. Not that I didn't find it fascinating as hell. It's just that I would like to return for pleasure and not business. And not driving a 65-foot rig. :)
Nonetheless, it was quite exciting. I delivered a load of cloth in Long Island City in NW Queens. It was bitch to get into, but with the help of a friendly Korean dockmaster, I was able to get backed into the dock.
I think, now that I look back on my first real NYC experience, I was struck most by two things. First of all, the sheer length of the Manhattan skyline. The number of tall buildings is impressive. I've been in every major city in the eastern half of the country. NYC has more skyscrapers than any five of them put together.
The second thing that struck me were the cemetaries. I've never seen graveyards like these. Obviously, space is at a premium in this town. There is no discernable room between the headstones. They are stacked so close together, one wonders if the occupants were buried standing up. It looked so much like column after column of stone walls. Very strange.
The city is vibrant and alive. Full of energy and panache. But, underneath that, is a sense of great age. It's a very old town. Not in the sense that London, Rome or Athens are old, but by American standards, ancient. New York reminds me of a once great Broadway diva gone slightly to seed. She has a few extra pounds in the hips and a few grey hairs at the temples, but she's still sexy as hell. If she cocks her eyebrows and gives you a "come hither" with those stunning blue eyes, then watch out! People might get hurt in your mad dash for a piece of that action!
I saw a few interesting items. The world famous Jersey swamps; the Brooklyn Bridge; the Statue of Liberty; the rockslide on the Henry Hudson Highway from some months back; oh, and let's not forget, the World Wrestling Entertainment HQ in Stanford, CT. YEEHAW!!
So, anyway, that was a taste of my impressions of the Big Apple. I'm sure far more accomplished persons have waxed far more eloquently. But, you know, I just calls it like I sees it. ;-)
I have a few more interesting anecdotes from my travels that I'll share at a later date. Until then.
Any Questions? Any Comments? Be Quiet as You Go.
I thought it might be interesting to post some of my more interesting paper journal entries from the last nine months. Obviously, my paper journal is much more private and personal, and therefore boring. To be quite honest, a great deal of it is me dealing with various emotions connected with my divorce. It was a lot more difficult to get over my ex-wife than I initially anticipated. I feel like I finally was able to purge myself of any remaining questions, qualms or quiverings regarding my ex. I wrote her a letter detailing my concerns and such. She never replied, and I guess I didn't really expect her to. But I did feel a tremendous sense of relief. This was before Christmas and I haven't lost a wink of sleep over her since. I'm past it and ready to move on with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. A little love along the way wouldn't hurt either. ;-)
Anyhoo, here is an entry from September 1st, 2005.
Milford, CT (50 miles NE of NYC)
Can't sleep. I spent the better part of the day driving around NYC. It wasn't too bad, but I hope I don't get stuck there often. Not that I didn't find it fascinating as hell. It's just that I would like to return for pleasure and not business. And not driving a 65-foot rig. :)
Nonetheless, it was quite exciting. I delivered a load of cloth in Long Island City in NW Queens. It was bitch to get into, but with the help of a friendly Korean dockmaster, I was able to get backed into the dock.
I think, now that I look back on my first real NYC experience, I was struck most by two things. First of all, the sheer length of the Manhattan skyline. The number of tall buildings is impressive. I've been in every major city in the eastern half of the country. NYC has more skyscrapers than any five of them put together.
The second thing that struck me were the cemetaries. I've never seen graveyards like these. Obviously, space is at a premium in this town. There is no discernable room between the headstones. They are stacked so close together, one wonders if the occupants were buried standing up. It looked so much like column after column of stone walls. Very strange.
The city is vibrant and alive. Full of energy and panache. But, underneath that, is a sense of great age. It's a very old town. Not in the sense that London, Rome or Athens are old, but by American standards, ancient. New York reminds me of a once great Broadway diva gone slightly to seed. She has a few extra pounds in the hips and a few grey hairs at the temples, but she's still sexy as hell. If she cocks her eyebrows and gives you a "come hither" with those stunning blue eyes, then watch out! People might get hurt in your mad dash for a piece of that action!
I saw a few interesting items. The world famous Jersey swamps; the Brooklyn Bridge; the Statue of Liberty; the rockslide on the Henry Hudson Highway from some months back; oh, and let's not forget, the World Wrestling Entertainment HQ in Stanford, CT. YEEHAW!!
So, anyway, that was a taste of my impressions of the Big Apple. I'm sure far more accomplished persons have waxed far more eloquently. But, you know, I just calls it like I sees it. ;-)
I have a few more interesting anecdotes from my travels that I'll share at a later date. Until then.
Any Questions? Any Comments? Be Quiet as You Go.
posted by twistedyoda | 2/26/2006 08:13:00 PM
3 Comments:
Actually, this is very interesting to me. You are on the road, my friend. I love it on the road. I'd love to have driving job (not OTR- I do have a hot finacee). One of my favorite jobs was driving for Zip Express delivery. I drove interstate between Lex and Richmond then Lex and Louisville every day. Radio blasting, cell phone going, dictating notes on my plan to take over the world. Then, I was home every night. Went to work at 11:AM, home by 7:00 at the latest. Didn't have the start and stop most Zip drivers do. Long haul.
I did like that job. I love to drive.
And, by the way, paper journals got me through a divorce and a lot of other crap for several years. I recommend them to anyone.
I wouldn'y mind having a dedicated route where I'm home every day, but my company doesn't have anything like that in this area.
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