Still here, well, I don't pick up the load until tomorrow so I'm supposed to be still here.

Jonesboro is on one of the north-south mainlines for Union Pacific RR and their trains seem to run mostly at night: rumble, rumble, rumble, whoo whoo, rumble, rumble, whoo whoo whoo. Yeah it's less than a mile from the truck stop. There seems to be a rule about siting truck stops: Look for an interstate exit near a railroad track and you get twenty-five extra points.

And, to think I like trains. I used to think I'd like to drive trains. Then I found out train drivers generally only run about 500 hundred miles then they get out, sleep in a motel, then the following morning drive another train back to where they came from. Back and forth over the same track day after day, month after month, year after year. BORING!

Now, I drive big trucks over the same roads, but at least there is a bit of variety. Just a bit.

I'm still pissed at my employer, but my dispatcher doesn't work weekends so I won't be able to bitch at him until next morning. It won't be a big bitch, though. I'm thinking along the lines of: "What do I need to do to ensure I get home in time to go to my doctor appointments, especially for the specialist appointments that are hard to get? The appointment I'm going to miss on Friday was for a medication check that might jeopardize my future driving career." Something like that, put it in his lap, but sound like I'm willing to do my part, too.

I started work on Chapter 18 of The Artists today, even though Chapter 17 isn't up yet. I sent it in to my tech support person yesterday, but he must be away doing whatever it is techies do when they're not being supportive. Hopefully, it'll be up in the next day or so. Of course, this being a long weekend for some (it's Europeans Begin Their Invasion Day), said techie may be lounging on a beach somewhere reenacting the landing of Columbus in the Bahamas and not being smart enough to know he's only about halfway round; or, maybe he's scrambling through the underbrush somewhere in search of the deer he shot; it's that season by the way so bright colors when traipsing the woods doing whatever it is you do rather than pointing deadly weapons a prey animal without a natural predator (because we killed all of them because they were eating our domesticated prey animals, which just isn't cricket).

Chapter 18 is going to be hard to write, probably harder than any of the chapters so far. I'd like to tell you why, but with Chapter 17 still waiting to come up, I can't. Then, again, I couldn't tell you why anyway because to say would give away the cliff hanger at the end of Chapter 17 and I've probably said too much already. So, forget everything I've said and bare with me while I go through some personal trauma dealing with something I'm not very good with.

On the other hand, I could work on Chapter 3 of the new book. It's going to be fun, in a way. Actually, the whole book is going to be fun because I get to create a civilized alien environment that is quite horrible when you get under the surface. Again, can't say or it'll give the whole thing away. Sometime along the way, I'll probably piece together a selection of paragraphs and send them over to the GAzette people for consideration.

Well, I'd better think about getting some sleep. Have to yell at my boss in the morning, then run up the road to pick up a load of something frozen to take to good ol' Massachusetts. I've been to this customer before, they're okay, but they're in Massachusetts, a state that does not like trucks.