Christmas Day was pretty lousy. Well, not really...it was a beautiful day. We had a great breakfast of ham and egg and toast (my favorite!). The crappy part is that dad had to leave at about 2 in the afternoon to get to Joliet, Illinois for a pickup. He is a truck driver, after all, but it still sucks that he has to leave on Christmas Day.
Mom didn't want ham again for dinner, so we decided to go out. This was an unnecessary trip, because nothing was open. We drove all over the place looking for something to eat. I wasn't real hungry and had a stomach ache, but it was probably more hunger than anything else. I would just as soon have stayed in bed, but mom was hungry. We had no food in the house, save for leftovers, and mother has a big aversion to leftovers. It is a strange phenomenon that dad and I have yet to understand.
After looking around for all our usual places and finding them closed, we drove up to our local Waffle House. It was open! Hallelujah!
I had a double waffle with lots of butter and syrup and an order of bacon, and mother had a cheeseburger and hash browns. I have to admit that I like Waffle House a lot, and tonight's meal was terrific. It was better than the alternatives, macaroni and cheese or a McDonald's hamburger.
We had our Christmas Dinner on Monday, Christmas Eve. This is because dad had to leave on Christmas Day. This sucks. He always has to leave at inopportune times, usually sometime in the early afternoon on Sundays, and usually on a holiday day. It is, unfortunately, part of the job since he has to be where he needs to be in order to get back home sometime Friday, otherwise he might run out of hours and not be able to get back until sometime Saturday.
Being a truck driver is, actually, a pretty complicated job. Sure, the driving is pretty easy, and it can be real easy if it is no-touch freight. But truck drivers have to follow the rules of the Federal Transportation Administration. They have a certain number of hours that they can drive per day and per week before they have to take mandatory breaks or a mandatory length. The rules even cover their "off-duty but working" time. How he, or any truck driver, can figure his schedule around these rules is beyond me. Truck drivers are also required to keep log books of their trips, and even have to account for their off time on weekends and holidays. How invasive is that?!
Some less-than-scrupulous companies and drivers will keep multiple log books. One for themselves and one to show the authorities. If a driver is found to keep multiple logs, this is an extremely serious offense and can lead to prison time. The FTA is very serious about this stuff and for good reason. Tired truck drivers are very dangerous...they are, after all, hauling 43,000 pounds of freight. Luckily, a number of companies are beginning to use technology to combat this problem, and have computers on-board the trucks to automatically log events so the driver doesn't have to.
But, I digress, as usual.
Our Christmas Dinner this year was exceptional as usual. We had ham from our favorite local butcher, mashed potatoes, creamed corn and mom's famous Pineapple Stuff. We don't make a big deal of holiday meals since it is just us. What remains of the family have their own things they do for holidays, so we don't usually get together with any of our relatives over the holidays like we used to.
I love mom's famous Pineapple Stuff. It is weird stuff, it kinda smells like feet, but tastes absolutely divine. I will have to get the recipe and post it, but here is a synopsis of its contents: Pineapple chunks, crushed Ritz crackers and shredded cheddar cheese combined in a casserole and baked. Serve it hot, and it is the perfect accompaniment to pretty much any dinner. We eat it quite regularly.
So, Christmas this year was kinda boring. I took Monday and Wednesday off from work because I felt that I needed the time off. It would not have really mattered because nothing ever really goes on at work around Christmas, so we pretty much use this as some well-deserved downtime before ramping up for projects after Christmas. I used most of the time to sleep and get things organized at home since I have not had time to do it recently.
We didn't make a big deal of gifts this year, either. I got two shirts and some drawers and a gift card. Mother got dad some cologne and a new pair of work boots and a couple of gift cards, and father got mom a Nintendo DS, a new Blue Jackets hockey jersey and a couple of gift cards. Mother got a small bonus at work, so she shared it with us dividing it three ways. It wasn't a huge amount of money, but it certainly helps.
I kinda like the low key Christmas, to be honest. I prefer to spend time with my family and try to eat well rather than fall into the consumer trap of buying, buying and more buying.
I hope all of you have had a blessed Christmas, Hanukkah and/or Kwanzaa, which ever or any you might celebrate, and have a happy and safe new year.
Mom didn't want ham again for dinner, so we decided to go out. This was an unnecessary trip, because nothing was open. We drove all over the place looking for something to eat. I wasn't real hungry and had a stomach ache, but it was probably more hunger than anything else. I would just as soon have stayed in bed, but mom was hungry. We had no food in the house, save for leftovers, and mother has a big aversion to leftovers. It is a strange phenomenon that dad and I have yet to understand.
After looking around for all our usual places and finding them closed, we drove up to our local Waffle House. It was open! Hallelujah!
I had a double waffle with lots of butter and syrup and an order of bacon, and mother had a cheeseburger and hash browns. I have to admit that I like Waffle House a lot, and tonight's meal was terrific. It was better than the alternatives, macaroni and cheese or a McDonald's hamburger.
We had our Christmas Dinner on Monday, Christmas Eve. This is because dad had to leave on Christmas Day. This sucks. He always has to leave at inopportune times, usually sometime in the early afternoon on Sundays, and usually on a holiday day. It is, unfortunately, part of the job since he has to be where he needs to be in order to get back home sometime Friday, otherwise he might run out of hours and not be able to get back until sometime Saturday.
Being a truck driver is, actually, a pretty complicated job. Sure, the driving is pretty easy, and it can be real easy if it is no-touch freight. But truck drivers have to follow the rules of the Federal Transportation Administration. They have a certain number of hours that they can drive per day and per week before they have to take mandatory breaks or a mandatory length. The rules even cover their "off-duty but working" time. How he, or any truck driver, can figure his schedule around these rules is beyond me. Truck drivers are also required to keep log books of their trips, and even have to account for their off time on weekends and holidays. How invasive is that?!
Some less-than-scrupulous companies and drivers will keep multiple log books. One for themselves and one to show the authorities. If a driver is found to keep multiple logs, this is an extremely serious offense and can lead to prison time. The FTA is very serious about this stuff and for good reason. Tired truck drivers are very dangerous...they are, after all, hauling 43,000 pounds of freight. Luckily, a number of companies are beginning to use technology to combat this problem, and have computers on-board the trucks to automatically log events so the driver doesn't have to.
But, I digress, as usual.
Our Christmas Dinner this year was exceptional as usual. We had ham from our favorite local butcher, mashed potatoes, creamed corn and mom's famous Pineapple Stuff. We don't make a big deal of holiday meals since it is just us. What remains of the family have their own things they do for holidays, so we don't usually get together with any of our relatives over the holidays like we used to.
I love mom's famous Pineapple Stuff. It is weird stuff, it kinda smells like feet, but tastes absolutely divine. I will have to get the recipe and post it, but here is a synopsis of its contents: Pineapple chunks, crushed Ritz crackers and shredded cheddar cheese combined in a casserole and baked. Serve it hot, and it is the perfect accompaniment to pretty much any dinner. We eat it quite regularly.
So, Christmas this year was kinda boring. I took Monday and Wednesday off from work because I felt that I needed the time off. It would not have really mattered because nothing ever really goes on at work around Christmas, so we pretty much use this as some well-deserved downtime before ramping up for projects after Christmas. I used most of the time to sleep and get things organized at home since I have not had time to do it recently.
We didn't make a big deal of gifts this year, either. I got two shirts and some drawers and a gift card. Mother got dad some cologne and a new pair of work boots and a couple of gift cards, and father got mom a Nintendo DS, a new Blue Jackets hockey jersey and a couple of gift cards. Mother got a small bonus at work, so she shared it with us dividing it three ways. It wasn't a huge amount of money, but it certainly helps.
I kinda like the low key Christmas, to be honest. I prefer to spend time with my family and try to eat well rather than fall into the consumer trap of buying, buying and more buying.
I hope all of you have had a blessed Christmas, Hanukkah and/or Kwanzaa, which ever or any you might celebrate, and have a happy and safe new year.
2 comments:
I'm right on board with pineapple and crackers and cheese and crackers, but pineapple and cheddar? Hmmm.
Your Christmas sounded nice though it is too bad about your father needing to work. It's always depressing working on a holiday.
I know...I initially thought the same thing: pineapple, crackers AND cheese!? It seems unnatural, and probably is. But I tell you, it is unbelievable...
Dad always has to work strange hours. We never see him all week, unless he is lucky enough to be back in this area and out of hours. He does enjoy his job, except for being away for long lengths.
He does keep in touch and calls mom twice a day, much to her chagrin. He has a tendency to call during inopportune moments...like in the middle of eating dinner.
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