What a Day/Month
 

So I've officially been on the road for 1 month today working the Hurricane restoration efforts from Gustav and Ike in Louisiana and Texas. Like I wrote in my previous thread about this, I've been working 7 days a week, 16 hours a day, so needless to say, I'm drained.

Anyway, my crews and I left Texas this morning and started our long travel back to Philly (~1800 miles). About 400 miles into the trip, my company pick-up truck started acting very erratically........ And as of now, I'm sitting in a hotel room, stranded in Southern Mississippi, with my truck in a Ford dealership (I drive an F-150). The fuel filter and fuel pump is failing, and I can't accelerate past like 40 MPH right now, and it will only continually get worse as I keep driving on it. So the part is arriving tomorrow morning and I should be ready to get on the road again around 10:30AM they're estimating.

It just pisses me off, because I was so excited to be getting on the road, getting home, and seeing my fiance and puppy after a month hiatus... I'm probably just going to drive for 20+ straight hours tomorrow and get home ASAP. Hopefully they don't find anything else wrong with my truck and I can get on the road.

Oh, and to top it off, they didn't have any cars/trucks for me to drive around for the night, so I've been walking everywhere - About 0.5 miles to book a hotel with all my luggage and the laptop computer I'm typing on right now. On the way, I stopped at a gas station that had a Papa John's attached to it, picked up a medium pepperoni pizza and a 12 pack of Miller Chill (never had it before, and it's decent), and I'm just sitting in my room, getting my fat on, watching ESPN...

Good stuff! What a fucking trip...

It's tragic that this has happened to you, since I know what it's like to be seperated from your signifigant other for that long, and it sucks. However, I have to say, that's why you get the big bucks. With rare exceptions, to make good money you really just have to work harder. I know you know, but just in case some people don't :P.

Sounds like a well deserved hotel room, medium pizza (Papa John's is bomb), and 12 pack of beer. Even though it disrupted your travel home, it's just a little rest/perk you needed.

I may have missed it, but what company do you work for that had you head down to help the relief effort? That's pretty badass.

I work for a utility contracting company. Our company went down through Mutual Aid to assist in rebuilding the power line damage caused by the hurricanes. Gustav wasn't that bad, but since Ike hit a major metropolitan city (4th largest in the USA), there was a catastrophic amount of outages (over 9 million outages). Just imagine living without power in a state that has 90+ degree temperature during September... It's pretty rough. Then again, like WKFF, I did get paid a shit load of money... :D

Yep, but despite how much you and others like you are paid, you do a good enough job to keep things running and are worth more than your cost. Go free market! :P

Sorry to hear about the delay but kudos on the work ethic, man. Very few people would be able to deal with a schedule like that and I'm sure you earned every cent you made down there.

Woe is the life of a volunteer, though mine are of a different nature. Not nearly enough people do volunteer work, however, and you have my respect.

Hmm, yeah sounds like Florida.

And sucks to hear about the downers.. you'll be fine though dude.

In Arizona it's 90+ in the winter... We had power outages when I lived with my parents, sometimes they would last 2-3 days.. It was basically hell, quiet literally. We got real good at chess/checkers back then.

I'd rather have 90 winters than -20 winters. That way you only need one set of clothes.

That's why I moved out here. Az ftw.

Titus, how the hell are you doing buddy? I havent spoken to you in what seems like 2 years. How's the finance, i remember when you started dating her and i gave you so much Sh#% for it. Sorry to hear about all the misfortune, but its people like you that make America so great, helping others when they are in need. Hit me up when you get back, i am actually living in NJ on my own, so maybe if you have some free time, we can meet up and grab some beers, maybe a giants philly game perhaps??

In Arizona, occasionally the temperature drops to around 45 in the early mornings durring winter, around noon it will have climbed up to the 70's. You know it is winter in Az when people are digging their jackets out of the closet when the thermostat says 78.

Winter in Texas means 45 degree mornings and 85 degree afternoons.