Not as needed, dog gone, pump it

An odd thing has been slowly shifting over the last year or so, my SSR has become less and less of a focal point in my existence.  It is not abnormal at all nowadays for it to sit untouched in the garage for 2-3 weeks not making even the slightest rumble.

When I first got the truck I was taking it to work at least once a week, typically on a Friday.  In addition I was taking every opportunity to take the SSR out on the road.  Driving the truck made me feel proud, successful and alive.

It doesn’t take a PhD to identify buying a vehicle like this in your mid-40’s is classic mid-life crisis behavior.  There is no question that at the time of it’s purchase I was indeed dealing with several things in my life that were tough for me to handle.  The monster truck was a great way to divert my attention elsewhere.

Once I got separated the SSR really became my crutch as I took it out repeatedly on mostly unsuccessful first dates, perhaps thinking it’s mere presence alone would help make up for my instinctive awkwardness when meeting most people for the first time.  The truck was truly my companion in sorrow during that time.  No matter how down I felt, a quick spin with the top down was better than any anti-depressants on the market.

Since I started dating Cindy (whom is the only other person I have allowed to drive the SSR more than 100 feet), the SSR has steadily been pushed into the background.  I no longer bring it to work regularly, rarely participate in the SSR Fanatics forum, and generally speaking pay little attention to it.  It’s an odd thing.  Hell there have been moments when I considered the financials of selling it versus keeping it, something that would have been beyond taboo two years ago.

My amateur analysis of this shift seems to point towards whatever potholes I was feeling in my life have now become more filled, evening out my mental highway.  Don’t worry, the truck isn’t going anywhere.  I still love driving it, Cindy loves driving it, so it will remain my on demand, expensive joy ride for the foreseeable future.

After work last night I dropped the dogs back off at Ali’s place.  She was not home from work yet.  I always feel guilty when I drop them off at an empty house.  Perhaps the sadness I feel coming from them is self manufactured but it doesn’t make it any easier to feel.

Cindy and I already knew the chickens LOVE cracked corn.  We now know they love corn on the cob nearly as much.  Cindy bought a couple cobs which I chopped in half with my machete.  We have been giving them one half cob a day in the morning.  By the time we get home at night the cob is completely picked clean.

The house has been giving off symptoms of the septic tank needing to be pumped out including some smell coming from open drains and the guest bathroom toilet (closest to house drain) not flushing well.  I contacted the company that pumped it before to have it sucked out this afternoon.  I am not sure how long it has been since I had it pumped but I know in the 13 years I have been in the house it has only been done twice so I am surely overdue.

Getting out of work early will work out well since I need to pack and get ready for my trip to PA which starts very early tomorrow morning due to a 6:10AM departure.  The flight is with US Air whom I dislike.  I am trying to come up with a way to get everything I will need for the 5 day trip into my small suitcase that fits in an overhead bin.  I have a very adverse reaction to paying additional fees for checking luggage.

I think the trip will be fun with the first half spent at a conference for event planners/race timers and the second half hanging with my buddy Troy whom I have shared some of my most memorable experiences of my life with.  We always have lots of laughs.