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I was "randomly", once again, for the God knows how many-eth time, selected for a complimentary bag un-packing and cavity probe at the airport.

And my co-workers wonder why I'd rather rent a car and drive to conferences than fly...

Howdy to all you boys that have been here a while and remember me, and to you fellas that are newer and do not...

Just popped in to wish you all the best, and assure you again that it all gets better - even fully back to normal - with time.

I have to grab an enchilada and get back to the nudie bar before the kegs freeze through.

Merry Christmas gents.

You guys past 50, I have this insane desire to hop in the truck and disappear. Start over somewhere else, maybe even take up truck driving, I could live in the truck like a nomad, & see the country. Walk away from it all, and not look back.

I cant tell if it is simply turning 50 or this affair bullshit.

Anyone else experience somethng similar? Am I just wantng to run away?

Logically it makes no sense to walk away from all my possessions but none of that seems to matter at times.

I think I made a huge mistake getting married and staying in the marriage after the A- It just doesnt go away. I wonder how life could or could have been different.

And my co-workers wonder why I'd rather rent a car and drive to conferences than fly...

Yeah, does anyone remember when airlines acted like they actually wanted your business ? Instead of the random fees, lack of customer service and literally beating you up ?

I will literally spend two days driving to avoid dealing with the airlines.

I have this insane desire to hop in the truck and disappear. Start over somewhere else, maybe even take up truck driving, I could live in the truck like a nomad, & see the country. Walk away from it all, and not look back.

You are not insane, or at least not alone.

I'm 51 and there are moments that I would burn it all down just to start over.

Hope things go better for you

Oh, it wasn't really that bad. Yeah I had a bad cold for half the week, and I need to replace at least $500 in broken gear, but it was warm, sunny, warm and not cold for a week. Now I am cold again.

Anyone else experience somethng similar?

Ha, I'm currently sitting on a pile of paperwork to apply for a residence permit in a European country wondering if I am going to take it to the consulate or not.

Ok so at least I am not alone. I dont have much but have some cash with which I could do something. Maybe just a state away or something. My Dad is overseas.....

You're not alone, 64fleet. Every once in a long while I get this fleeting thought of going nomad. Long distance truck driving, maybe. I'm 67. But then I think I've got this ranch and cows and 8, soon to be 9, grandchildren and my daughters and SILs and my brothers and sisters and the thought fades away. But I do think it once in a while.

The trouble with OTR trucking is that you need to make deliveries and pickups to make the idea work, and you have to deal with deadlines.

The trucking companies and their clients just want their stuff delivered.

They don't give drivers time to see the sights.

Time for a new fantasy: lottery jackpots, perhaps....

Dang it Sisoon, stop it with the practicality already.

We're all just fantasizing here.

Besides, OTR trucking isn't like that up in Canada!

There aren't any sights to see, so you don't feel like you're missing out on anything.

It's just one great big open sea of land. It's like sailing only with less exotic "ports" and no Godzillas or perfect storms or cool pirate culture to scare the weenies away.

[This message edited by Cephastion at 12:41 PM, December 23rd (Sunday)]

Yeah, Sisoon,

stop it with the practicality already

. Those thoughts have no place in a fantasy. I actually got trucking out of my system over 4.5 decades ago. And you're right Sisoon, long distance truckers have deadlines, are making a living and are away from home. The nomadic life, on which the fantasy is based, is a mirage. Nonetheless, fantasy away. I don't buy lottery so it'll have to be something different.

Now Ceph you know we have lots of sights in Canada. We have polar bears and Canada Geese in the summer (July 13th, most years) and the West Edmonton Mall. So there.

Now Ceph you know we have lots of sights in Canada. We have polar bears and Canada Geese in the summer (July 13th, most years) and the West Edmonton Mall. So there.

Well then!

Damn those deadlines! And Damn the torpedoes! I'm on my bloody, blooming way!

Look out, Slim! This "now-former" Texan is coming to the West Freaking Edmonton Mall, come hell or high water! YEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!

John Candy/”Slim" Hitches A Ride

https://youtu.be/HiylZS3ZaT4

(Speaking of somewhat arguably impractical, OTR trucking fantasies in Canadaland...

...btw, John Candy was Canadian so maybe we should just change the name of this fictitious country to Candyland to keep from hurting any Eskimos' feelings...)

But just to keep it real here, this one's for Sisoon, so he knows I'm not just fantasizing warm fuzzies about going Christmas shopping or going OTR ice trucking/sight-seeing in Canada...

(I just cannot for the life of me tell which one of those three or four things he's doing here, because it all just looks the same...)

[This message edited by Cephastion at 12:14 PM, December 24th (Monday)]

Just one question, SteadyChevy...

When I get to this fabled mall you speak of,

With all the men burgeoning full of whale blubber and bacon and waffles with syrup and blood-covered, fur trimmed mucklucks and red flannel and mudboots, bundled up like they're all ready for nuclear winter... and with copious amounts of facial hair and personal "ballast" and red noses thanks to their own home breweries and legendary apathy and sedentary culture...

How am I supposed tell which one is Papa Noel (French Santa Claus)?

[This message edited by Cephastion at 11:47 AM, December 24th (Monday)]

Great. Now I have C.W. McCall's Convoy song stuck in my head...

Merry Christmas Menz! Hope everyone is doing as well as can be expected and the holidays are treating you fair! I'll be enjoying today with my son up at the golf club drinking whiskey and smoking cigars. Could be worse

Well, I did work with a guy who relocated, had a horrible experience buying first house, and bought a camper instead. We were road warriors on longer term engagements, and he and his W just moved his camper as appropriate.

They were Deadheads, too, so they got some scenery going to concerts. A happy young couple, and a great colleague, despite their strange musical taste....

Merry Christmas/Happy Christmas to all.

It'll be the one smiling, Ceph. Got to be careful because the smile might be fake. Most won't have reindeer with them either.

Merry Christmas Sisoon and (edited to add: SteadyChevy!) and Menz!

Here's a little short skit my wife and I enjoyed this year...

And you wanna talk about fake smiles! Mr. Neeson really gets creepy with his fake one on here...

Liam neeson auditions for Mall Santa Claus

https://youtu.be/VqG621-drmk

[This message edited by Cephastion at 9:42 AM, December 25th (Tuesday)]

When I was a kid we had a family friend whose wife cheated on him. As part of his healing, he built a sailboat from scratch. Not just a little dinghy. This was like a 55-foot full-keel ocean-going heavy duty yacht with a ketch rig. Took him years to make it. Like 5 years plus or minus. From time to time we'd visit him and his family and look at the WIP in the back yard. He was quite skilled as a craftsman and his work was meticulous and beautiful. Teak decks. Brass. Etc.

Meanwhile, during this whole time he and his wife were basically living in-home separation. She expressed regret and apologies, but my perception was that there was no healing between them, just "staying for the kids" sort of détente.

Finally, the yacht was done. It was water-tested. I took a short sail on her. She handled as magnificently as one would expect. He spent about another year getting her tuned up and ocean-ready, then stocking her up with provisions.

The next year, early in summer, he got out of bed, went to the boat, headed out of the harbor, and never returned. She was served with D papers that day. She was utterly gobsmacked. Along with his meticulous boat building, he had also meticulously separated their finances and set up his own private accounts, etc. He had simply used the 5-6 years to get the kids through high school and plan his escape. It was brilliant.

It sounds like if he was gonna go looking for other fish in the sea, he didn't want to just look for an easy catch bottom feeder hauled into a used, half patched inner tube full of his own hot air, but wanted a more worthy first mate or even "first date" than that.

Merry Christmas all! So 64fleet - not sure if it is age or the situation we find ourselves in after being betrayed, but wholeheartedly yes.

I am 51, and seem to fantasize about heading down to the coast and not returning. I grew up fishing on the coast, and salt water bay fishing is something I could really get used to every day. My youngest is still in HS, so until he is gone, it is just a fantasy. No boat in current inventory, but a very detailed and often fantasized about boat may or may not be blue with a center console...

And just to add, my wife is the picture of remorse and there is really nothing more that she could be doing in recovery. She has basically had an Olympic Gold Medal award winning recovery, and I still fantasize about riding off into the sunset...