Things I miss while out on the road

Dec. 25, 2008

Current mood:relaxed

Since I work on the road, I am away from home for over a month at a time.  I get questioned all time on what I miss the most.  Here's my list of what I miss.

1.  A comfy chair.  That's right.  I don't have access to a nice recliner.  It's amazing how uncomfortable life can be without a comfy chair.
2.  All my guitars.  I do carry an acoustic guitar with me, but sometimes I just want to go electric.
3.  Internet access.  I am used to checking my e-mail a couple of times a day.  On average I get to check my e-mail every 10 days. 
4.  Regular news.  I do listen to CNN on Sirius radio, but it's only national news.  I don't get Florida or local news. 
5.  Seeing my fish.  A lot of people are close to their dogs or cats.  I'm close to my fish.  I am very good at keeping my tank clean, so I miss cleaning and decorating it.
6.  Cooking food.  I am a pretty good cook.  I like my cooking almost too much.  I also miss my special recipes and spices.
7.  Going to the bathroom whenever I want.  You can't just pull a 73 foot combination vehicle over anywhere.  Just to avoid having to pee for a while, while driving I have to limit my liquid/ water intake.
8.  Having room to move around.  The cab of a Freightliner is roomy compared to a lot of other vehicles.  However, that's like saying your prison cell is kinda roomy.
9.  Talking/ e-mailing to all my friends.  I have always sent out a ton of e-mail, but now I can't. 
10.  Getting to see lots of different movies on my Netflix account.
11.  Seeing all my favorite TV shows.  I'll admit, I have a lot of shows that I watch, but now I can't see any of them since I'm out on the road.  Sometimes, I will be able to catch an episode here or there, but I miss most of my favorite shows.
12.  Working on all my woodworking projects.  It's one of my hobbies to do all sorts of woodworking projects.  I haven't gotten to work on any of my projects in almost half a year.
13.  Having access to my any and all of my stuff.  I can't carry too many things in my truck.  There's just not enough room.  So there are times that I would like to have (fill in the blank), but I'm 2000 miles away.
14.  Living in decent weather.  The next time someone in Florida says it's cold, I will punch them in the nose.  I just came from Omaha, Nebraska where it was so cold the landing gear on my trailer froze.  Snow looks nice in a postcard, but you wouldn't want to live in it. 
15.  Watching football on Sundays.  I do get to hear the NFL games on Sirius, but I miss getting to yell at the TV.
16.  Ice Tea.  I make a great pot of ice tea from a select blend of teas.  Wait, it is ice tea or iced tea?  I cant never remember.
17.  Being able to drive a nice small vehicle that can fit anywhere.  Also driving an automatic.  It's great to drive an automatic after driving a 10 speed.
18.  Sleeping on a normal scheduale.  Frankly, in my time off, I am all messed up.  I have been driving the night shift for the last two weeks, and I just can't seem to get on a normal daytime scheduale.
19.  Working on a normal scheduale.  There is a lot to be said for knowing when you have to go to work, and when you get to take time off.
20.  Being able to play video games.  I haven't played a game in roughly half a year or so.  I really like RPG's in that, it's like playing a science fiction book. 
So that's my short list.  I'm sure I'm forgeting something.  Life on the road can be tough, but I'm happy that I have job in these tough times.  In fact, even though most truckers complain about the money, I am ok with what I get paid.  Even with my education level, I can't find another job that will pay as much as I make right now.