Driving through the Rockies in Idaho a few months back.

Always look in the glovebox.

It was a rainy day in Bridgeport CT a few months back, and I was working early in the morning. My umbrella was in the trunk, so I quickly opened it, found my umbrella, and set my keys down so I could open the umbrella to try and keep as dry as I could in the pouring rain. In a hurry and pretty tired, I closed the trunk with my keys still sitting on the trunk floor where I sat them when i opened the umbrella. Quickly noticing this, I calmly opened the drivers door to find the trunk release button, since I hadn't locked the car yet. Fuck, it didn't work. So I tried it agian. Fuck, it didn't work again. After a few more tries, I admitted defeat and tried to hatch a plan to get the keys out of the trunk. My tools were in there, and I needed them fairly soon,or so I thought. Apparently I would be needing them sooner. The trucking company who was delivering the machine I was supposed to be installing, didnt have the proper tools so they needed mine ASAP, as they were blocking traffic and were getting soaked in the rain. I had it. I would rip the side bolster off the driver side rear seat, stick a flashlight in there and have a looksee. There they were, but out of reach.. All I needed now was a coat hanger to stick in there to retrive them. I "borrowed" a coat hanger from where I was working, grabbed the keys, and saved the day. A real American hero; Mr Coathanger Key Retriever Guy. I put the seat back together and didn't think much about it the rest of the week, until the last day when I went into the glove compartment to get my rental car paperwork. The last photo will show what I found.

The "fixed" seat.

Bolster removed after yanking and yanking.

Close up of bolster removed looking into the trunk.

The spare key in the gloveox. Always look there first.

Big Tepee

 

 

 

Finally made it to Medicine Hat

My flight to Toronto left late, which made me too late to catch my flight to Calgary. The next flight to Calgary from Toronto wasnt until 7:30pm. By the time I went through Customs, Immigration, retrieved my bag, and went to check back in, it was 2:30. 5 hours in the Toronto airport went by surprisingly fast. When 7:30 rolled around, I hopped on the plane for the 4 hour flight to Calgary. Luckily the plane had private screens, so watched "The Dark Knight" which I have to say I enjoyed. It was long, but that didnt matter too much since I had a 4 hour flight in which to kill some time. I got some sleep too. When I arrived in Calgary, I had to take a short flight to my final destination, Medicine Hat. I knew I would be on a small plane, but I wasnt expecting what I saw when I walked to it on the runway. A 19 passenger Beechcraft 1900D. It was basically a cargo plane with some seats. No overhead room for carry on. It was neat though to be able to watch the pilots navigate it and to be able to see the runway though the windshield as we landed. Anyway, it has a been a long day and it's time for bed. I have another long day tomorrow.

Bismarck ND

Large Toyota. Larger snowbank.

Corkscrew hand

V8 Powah!!!

Bully.

Another loooooong day.

15 hours at Safeway today. I am so damn tired, and I have to be back at 6AM. This combination of long days, daylight saving time, and PST are all really killing me. I cant seem to stay awake.

So when i finally did get back to my hotel room, I noticed I lost my room key. I swear this happens every week, or I leave it in the room, or my cell phone demagnetizes the key. The old lady at the front desk asks for my ID so she can issue me a new key. She notices my NC license and tells me her "honey" is from there. I ask where her "honey" is from in NC, and then replied with "Welll, you're supposed to ask you my honey".  I wanted to just tell her to fuck off, but my better side prevailed and I played along. "Clay", she said. Lady, come the fuck on here. The last thing I want to do after a 15 hour day on my feet is talk about Clay Aiken. She met him ya know. Yeah, Ok....g'night.

RIP friends and teenage memories

Susan informed me today that a friend of ours passed away last night. I wont claim to know Scott very well, but we did hang out a few times and from what I knew of him, he was a passionate individual. Sorry you never got to fly again Scott.

Also, I heard this morning that a guitiarist of my favorite band as a teenager died on Halloween. Milo Goes To College was my soundtrack for years. It still sounds great.