My Path to Financial Freedom

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The Above video is follow up to previous blog.

Why do I think I told you this, but I find no trace of it on these pages? A couple of years ago, a really great gal I know from doing background work, offered the services of her husband to me. I took her number and let her know that I would reach out when I was ready. You know, because beggars / choosers? Just kidding, she had just offered because, apparently her husband is very good with personal finance stuff and loves to help people. It did seem too good to be true. I was living with my lovely then husband, Calvin at the time. All my energy was going towards survival but I never forgot the offer. A Few years later, I am now working as a trucker, I'd saved a decent amount of money for buying a house. We were in the middle of a pandemic, I was sitting with what I considered a ton of money. Opportunity cost anybody? My head was spinning, and my hands itching.

Honey, we're going to Washington!

 The guy from downstairs I mentioned on the previous blog? He should have not looked me in the eye after what he did or didn't do upstairs! I found the toilet seat closed. Never trust a closed toilet seat! I have brothers and I have lived with men. Just because someone closes the toilet seat, doesn't mean they're such a gentleman, they must've picked it up before they used the toilet. Also, ladies, and some of you gents, who sit on the toilet; just because the toilet seat isn't wet, doesn't mean it's clean. I know guys who will wipe their pee with tissue after wetting the seat. I sometimes prefer them leaving it all the way up. But that's also a false sense of security because, they probably put it up AFTER using it. I know! I have more issues than Vogue! Back to the (t)issue at hand: I don't take my own advice by flushing before I lift the toilet lid. And that was not a good move! That fcking Air BnB guest had had a number two and didn't bother to flush! Who are you leaving this movement for, Sir? What theeee phuckkkk? I was so mad! And pressed. Instinctively, I flushed as soon as I saw it. I wanted it to disappear, sht! ( no pun intended sht). Afterwards, I went to the landlady equipped with my translator. I told her what had happened.

Welcome to The Shit Show!

Alright, let's go straight to the shit show first job with the temp agency!  I had to drive one hour to the hotel where they park bobtails. Bobtails are just the tractor / head part of the tractor/trailer. I was to leave my car there, take a tractor where I was to pick up a trailer in another location. I logged on into their in truck computer device. I punched in destination where I was picking up trailer and drove... around... in circles. I had the destination in my cellphone maps as well for backup. As someone who wasn't familiar with the area, I didn't want to take a chance in that residential area and end up with a bridge on top of my trailer. That's the reason for my patience in driving around in circles. It got to the point where I contacted the manager and asked him what was up with the truck computer. He told me those don't work for directions, to use my cellphone. Well, thanks for telling me that beforehand! And it's my cellphone, will I be remunerated for its use? In 200 ft, stay on the left lane; said the GPS lady as I was stuck in the middle lane during rush hour traffic in Southern California. There was no way I was going to be able to squeeze in. Definitely not in a truck.I made it to the first USPS (United States Postal Services) location.

Real Estate buying and selling

 Waking up in my second new home felt good.

My New Room

My landlord's room was right next to mine. There's another room on the other side of mine; vacant. There are a few other closed doors on the upstairs floor. We also have a laundry room near my bathroom, so that was convenient. There are plenty of closed doors downstairs as well. the house is humongous! When I first arrived the previous day, I bumped into a stunning young lady at the main door. I was like 'Woah! you're gorgeous!' I mean, I was literally stunned. Turned out, she lives at the house as well. 

Thank Goodness for AirBnB!

 I made it to my Air BnB, thank Gosh! The guy was nice and welcoming. He had a nice black matt finish Porsche in the garage, which we passed on the way to the house entrance. He rents out several rooms in his house. I booked one whose entrance was outside by the pool. When we walked into the main house, I got a little confused and asked. That's when he told me a lot of people always ask for that room blah blah blah. That was weird, cos how would I have known about it if it weren't available when I made my reservation. That's gonna already leave a weird taste in one's mouth (she said). He led me upstairs to my room, through many entrances and nooks and crannies and then showed me another way out the house. I assured him I was going to get lost there. I'm not great with directions.

Driver, Give me your Truck Keys

 Where were we? Bed Bugs in the truck. After having survived a rat in a truck. Only to get fired abruptly. The countdown was on. They wanted me out within two hours of being terminated. I was crying to my sister, who was, unfortunately in a different time zone, and thus, in the middle of the night. Sorry, Pru and thank you; and I was packing. When you've put everything neatly in its place, it doesn't seem like you have a lot of stuff until it's time to move out! That was the case here! After talking to my sis, I called my ex husband, Calvin. He was very good in making me feel better about the way forward. He told me that he had an appointment with a client but would postpone, or do whatever it took to help me move. That was comforting to hear. I did tell him not to make any moves until I let him know. I guess I more so needed some sort of security blanket more than anything else. It's always crucial for me to do things for myself, so that was going to be my first option; failing which, I would then reach out to the wasband.Thanks again, Cal, I know you read my blog!

Bed Bugs in My Truck

 OK. We've all now established that our dearest #TruckerBrook has been fired from my the one and only trucking job I've ever had. Two years in and they were done with me. They gave me two hours to vacate the premises. Must've been an hour for ever year I worked for the company. How Generous! This, after having endured Bed Bugs in their trucks for the first time in my entire life. First, I'd no idea what was biting me but I had super itchy pimples. Whenever I did some Googling, I kept seeing Bed bugs in my results. What are these people talking about? Why do they all think it's bed bugs? The trucks have lights inside but none bright enough to be able to see like you would in your at home bathroom or kitchen. You know, your most brightly lit rooms at home? I have lost things such as credit cards or such, that are dark, simply from the truck not being well lit enough for me to see the dark colored cards. I searched fort he bugs along the rim of the mattress and couldn't see a thing.

Drug Test | Being Fired?

 (continued from previous blog) That was close! Imagine if I had actually gotten fired? I thought to myself! It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. I had a feeling the ladies in the office hated me. They all did. That is out of the realm of possibility. Generally, people like me. I get along with people and never really show how I feel about someone in certain environments because, what's the point, really? So that it's awkward? And then what? 

I went out, happy to prove to the guard that I was right that WAS my truck! I wasn't stealing it! And I wasn't fired!  I did what I needed to do out there, came back without any issues at the gate with the guard. I went to my parking spot, by my trailer. I always reserve an empty trailer, that I keep lock while I'm on my off days cos you never know and looking for an empty trailer is no fun. They will have you go from company to company looking for company trailers. The companies don't want to part with the empties because where are they going to load when their customers place orders? Not fun! And for someone who gets paid per mile, you can end up being paid $0. They put one zip code that they sent you from and the one you went to. Which can be the same zip code (postal code). Thereby totaling 1 mile or zero miles. Hours of work for no pay. That sht heartless af, if you ask me! Some folks will get paid $50 to $100 or whatever random figure, per empty trailer. It just depends on who is doing the dispatching and who's doing the hunting. In my case, I was only working with the same three ladies who wished I were dead, so. 

Have I been Fired?

 Happy New year, my loves! I hope you entered 2022 with so much to look forward to. Sometimes hope is more than we can ever ask for. Just hope! A feeling that somewhere down the line, the sun will shine on us again. Here's to you and yours this year! 

Thanks for showing up again. Funny thing about this little blog of mine is that, I get more clicks when I don't update. That's not why I don't but I find that very interesting! I will get as much as double the amount of views in a month if I hardly post than when I post often. Make that make sense! 

It's beautiful outside right now in Southern California. I am thankful for that. It has been dark and rainy for what felt like weeks. Not the kind of day I thrive in. I need brightness; sunshine! How about you? 

Speaking of life: Let's see where we left off!

Counting My Blessings

 To those of you who took the time to do research and get back to me about my health issue that I mentioned on my previous blog, Thank you! I do intend to make another appointment with the doctor before year's end, one that I will, hopefully be able to honor. As some of you may know, I'm so into new beginnings. I love the start of a new month as I have minimum of 30 days to tackle a goal. October was good to me, overall. I'm thankful for that. I've just jotted down my November goals, they're also very similar to what I would've wished / hope for beginning of 2021 in some ways. In that, the end of 2021 is around the corner. Whatever I may have wanted to resolve this year, that I may not have, yet, I had better get to in the next 61 days. Having said that, I also have just updated my gratitude journal. It was when I was writing today's date that I had an Aha! Moment! in 2014, 7 years ago (you're welcome for the Math), I was living in my studio in Las Vegas when I started Gratitude journaling. It was part of a desperate attempt at changing my life.