Thursday misc.

Tuesday I had a DOT examination – a federal requirement for commercial drivers.  It was, incidentally, the first doctors exam I’ve had in 6 or 7 years. I passed, of course, and all the stats like heartrate, blood pressure, pulse were as normal – on th low side, cuz, I’m, you know, such a calm and relaxed guy.

Yesterday, I took the completed doctors form to the DMV and, lucky me, dealt with that cute DMV woman with the dark hair and cream highlights for the third time.  She smiled when she saw me. 

With that doctor’s form and my $18 check, I got a …

Ta-daaa!

A commercial drivers learners permit.

Good for a year.  At this point, I can train to drive anything out there.

It is the best picture on a driver’s document I’ve ever had – I have a real smile on my face.

(just between us, I was looking over in the direction of that cute DMV woman – who wouldn’t smile?)

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TJ, the transportion dept. driver trainer just called and I told him the above.

Another Ta-daa! please.

I am scheduled to begin driver training on real buses tomorrow morning at 9 am.

(Of course I will tell them I am not available Tuesday or Wednesday September 4th or 5th, cuz, you know, K* will be arriving on that Tuesday.  Yeah, new job and all, but some things trump mere jobs)

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The week I’m working this week will be the highest paying week I’ve had in over 8 years.

Kinda sad, really, but on the other hand, Yipeee!

I can make good payments on the rapir work bills on the van that I ran up myself.  You know, the stuff I did to the van that the boss didn’t pay for, all of which is paid off and the van is mine.  Les Schwab tires gave me a credit account, and so I got the brakes done all around, and new shocks and struts, and the van stops nicely and quietly everytime and rides really smoothly too.

In fact, it is so smooth, that this morning, when my south route papers came down after my Portland papers – ya know, in, like, reverse order – I had all 935 papers in the van at once.  It didn’t sit much lower than usual, and it had no trouble moving around, unlike the four cylinder cars of my past.

By the way, since having the (broken) timing belt and the fuel injector replaced (Yay!  Multi – point fuel injection may be "better", but replacing one injector vs. four or, gasp six is way cheaper)  this spring, the van runs smoothly and economically, getting superior gas mileage, and does what I need it to do with without complaint.

I did borrow $900 some dollars from my bank (at a high rate of interest, yeah, but I needed that radiator and misc, on the engine) and am chipping away at that, kind of, but I drive the van daily and it starts and runs, so it’s ok.

And, once I get going with the school bus driving job, my income will double, so that will go away much quicker.

And, most cool, is that my van will carry K* and I everywhere we want to go.  I’ve, umm, had used cars that were not, ahh, overly reliable, and, like, dumped money into them with a startling lack of positive results.  I haven’t gotten to that thread of the life yet, but I’ve mentioned cars before.  The next thread to weave is the saga of the Volvo years.

Some other time though.

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It’ll be so good to see K* again.  You know, that’s one thing in my life that I am extremely proud of.  I’ve had this one friend more than half my life.  We’ve lived this life (or, our lives, I guess) together, for most of the time.  Married for 11 and a half of it. (well, it has been more than ten years since we lived in the same country…), but, as she says, I get the best part of her, those weeks she comes to see me every year.  I would hope that she’s getting good parts of me too.

She keeps coming back, so maybe so, eh?

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Upwards and onwards.

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