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Posted a year agoThe fox is moving!
Well, to be more accurate, the dragon is moving. It was high time I updated my FA to better reflect who I am. And since I can't simply change my username, a new page had to be created.
You'll be able to find me at
umikodragon
This account will be up for a while as I get things migrated. Just be aware that, eventually, it will be shut down.
Eventually.
I'm still around, of course. I'm just changing the wallpaper and the name over the door.
Well, to be more accurate, the dragon is moving. It was high time I updated my FA to better reflect who I am. And since I can't simply change my username, a new page had to be created.
You'll be able to find me at
umikodragonThis account will be up for a while as I get things migrated. Just be aware that, eventually, it will be shut down.
Eventually.
I'm still around, of course. I'm just changing the wallpaper and the name over the door.
Story commissions open for December
Posted 2 years agoAdulting sucks. Bills and insurance come due. So I’m open again for December story commissions with a clean queue. $.05 a word, so 1,000 words is $50.
What I’ll do:
General stories
Macro/Micro
Size changing/theft
Muscle growth
Hyper
Inflation
Transformation
I will not do:
Scat/Watersports
Excessive filth
Bestiality
Pedophilia
Hate Speech/bigotry
Feel free to hit me up for more info. You can find examples of my work in my gallery.
Thank you!
What I’ll do:
General stories
Macro/Micro
Size changing/theft
Muscle growth
Hyper
Inflation
Transformation
I will not do:
Scat/Watersports
Excessive filth
Bestiality
Pedophilia
Hate Speech/bigotry
Feel free to hit me up for more info. You can find examples of my work in my gallery.
Thank you!
Story Commissions are Open
Posted 2 years agoWow, it's been four years since my last journal? Time flies. Either that or I'm just a pinhead.
I figured I'd post here, too. I'm accepting story commissions, if anyone is interested. I'm not hugely active here but I do check notes. Or you can find me on Twitter. A nickel a word, and you can find examples of my work in my gallery.
Want to be a superhero? A witch? Just some dude/dudette that goes to get a burger? I’ll do it!
What I’ll do:
General stories
Macro/Micro
Size changing
Muscle growth
Hyper
Transformation
I will not do:
Scat/Watersports
Excessive filth
Bestiality
Pedophilia
Hate Speech/bigotry
Feel free to hit me up for more info. I'm working on a Trello of my own so hopefully that will shake out before too long.
I figured I'd post here, too. I'm accepting story commissions, if anyone is interested. I'm not hugely active here but I do check notes. Or you can find me on Twitter. A nickel a word, and you can find examples of my work in my gallery.
Want to be a superhero? A witch? Just some dude/dudette that goes to get a burger? I’ll do it!
What I’ll do:
General stories
Macro/Micro
Size changing
Muscle growth
Hyper
Transformation
I will not do:
Scat/Watersports
Excessive filth
Bestiality
Pedophilia
Hate Speech/bigotry
Feel free to hit me up for more info. I'm working on a Trello of my own so hopefully that will shake out before too long.
Level Up! Happy birthday to me.
Posted 6 years agoWell, I made it to 34 today. Nice and quiet night at home with the family. Just the way I like it. Now for a drink and some Resident Evil 2!
This last year has been good to me. New friends, new job, new outlook and perspectives. I hope this year is just as good.
This last year has been good to me. New friends, new job, new outlook and perspectives. I hope this year is just as good.
Relief Efforts
Posted 8 years agoIt's been nonstop Houston runs for me since the weekend, and I'm exhausted.
We're trying to inject as much backlogged freight into the market as can in order to mitigate the shortages some of our clients have been facing. In addition to a virtual train of trucks carrying bottled water out of the Grand Prairie bottling plant...
It's only Wednesday and I'm ready for a break. But as long as I've got the hours, I'll make the runs. Keep the product moving, especially the water.
Give a wave to the trucks on 45 this week. They're running hard to get life back to normal.
We're trying to inject as much backlogged freight into the market as can in order to mitigate the shortages some of our clients have been facing. In addition to a virtual train of trucks carrying bottled water out of the Grand Prairie bottling plant...
It's only Wednesday and I'm ready for a break. But as long as I've got the hours, I'll make the runs. Keep the product moving, especially the water.
Give a wave to the trucks on 45 this week. They're running hard to get life back to normal.
General Quarters! All Hands to Battle Stations!
Posted 8 years agoSo, I just last night got back into World of Warships, thanks to Snowfyre. I played it a long time ago when it was still new. Now, I'm happy I got back into it.
I love naval warfare, especially WWI and WWII-era battles and tactics. I studied a lot of USN and IJN stuff when I was in college. I'm actually having a great time, and I only just started again!
Good times!
I love naval warfare, especially WWI and WWII-era battles and tactics. I studied a lot of USN and IJN stuff when I was in college. I'm actually having a great time, and I only just started again!
Good times!
Back to Work
Posted 8 years agoI've spent a week at home recovering from some significant dental work. Two root canals and a long-overdue extraction. Cost me a pretty penny, too, not to mention the wages I lost sitting at home. But, thanks to federal regulations, I had to wait for my pain meds to run their course before getting back behind the wheel.
Tonight, my first night back, I'm heading to Lafayette, LA. It'll be good to be back on the road.
Hook 'em, crank 'em, yank 'em. Let's get back to business.
Tonight, my first night back, I'm heading to Lafayette, LA. It'll be good to be back on the road.
Hook 'em, crank 'em, yank 'em. Let's get back to business.
Forty Tons
Posted 8 years agoMy second week on the road is in the books. I can safely say that I've had more fun doing this than any other job I've ever had (aside from the film stuff) and I'm honestly surprised that it took me this long to get into it. I would highly suggest to anyone and everyone to get a commercial driver's license. Most of the major carriers (Swift, Schneider National, Knight, Prime, etc) offer tuition reimbursement at most commercial driving schools. It's guaranteed work for a long as you hold the license.
This week was primarily regional loads, running back and forth between Dallas and Houston. I've gotten to know I-45 very well in the past two weeks, that's for sure. In addition, every load has put my truck right at the maximum allowable vehicle weight for Texas roads: 80,000 pounds. That's forty tons, and you can feel every single one when you do any kind of maneuvers. Even the power of the DD15 struggles to move that much weight.
Next week starts off with a doozy: Edwardsville, Kansas. It's Kansas City, basically. Nine ours straight on the road. And that's just on Monday! It's shaping up to be a long week.
Also, I wanted to take a moment to make a PSA for all your drivers out there. Please exercise added caution around tractor-trailers. In the past two weeks alone I've seen dozens of drivers put themselves and other motorists in danger simply because they aren't paying attention or they assume that trucks will give them space. Twice I've had drivers shoot across two lanes or more to catch an exit, missing the front of my truck by about twenty feet. I can see why "four-wheelers" get such a bad rap from truck drivers...
Guys, it's very hard to stop 80,000 pounds. If I have dry pavement, new tires (all 18), new brakes, and perfect reaction time, I can mash the brake pedal and get the truck stopped just inside 600 feet. That's two football fields, and that's assuming anti-lock brakes are working on the truck and the trailer. This doesn't take into account the myriad situations a truck might be in, from shifting loads (especially tankers) to bad tires to wet conditions... If you dive in front of me to catch an exit or to leave a driveway, I will not be able to stop in time to avoid an accident. No matter what you're driving, 80,000 pounds will roll right through you and the truck driver will barely spill his coffee.
So, eyes up. These vehicles are hard to miss: they're eighty feet long and thirteen and a half feet high. If you're going to miss your exit, go up to the next one. If a truck is almost on top of you and you're waiting to exit a driveway, let the truck go by. Please don't let yourself become another statistic, another footnote in a trucker's training manual. Drive safe and don't hit shit.
This week was primarily regional loads, running back and forth between Dallas and Houston. I've gotten to know I-45 very well in the past two weeks, that's for sure. In addition, every load has put my truck right at the maximum allowable vehicle weight for Texas roads: 80,000 pounds. That's forty tons, and you can feel every single one when you do any kind of maneuvers. Even the power of the DD15 struggles to move that much weight.
Next week starts off with a doozy: Edwardsville, Kansas. It's Kansas City, basically. Nine ours straight on the road. And that's just on Monday! It's shaping up to be a long week.
Also, I wanted to take a moment to make a PSA for all your drivers out there. Please exercise added caution around tractor-trailers. In the past two weeks alone I've seen dozens of drivers put themselves and other motorists in danger simply because they aren't paying attention or they assume that trucks will give them space. Twice I've had drivers shoot across two lanes or more to catch an exit, missing the front of my truck by about twenty feet. I can see why "four-wheelers" get such a bad rap from truck drivers...
Guys, it's very hard to stop 80,000 pounds. If I have dry pavement, new tires (all 18), new brakes, and perfect reaction time, I can mash the brake pedal and get the truck stopped just inside 600 feet. That's two football fields, and that's assuming anti-lock brakes are working on the truck and the trailer. This doesn't take into account the myriad situations a truck might be in, from shifting loads (especially tankers) to bad tires to wet conditions... If you dive in front of me to catch an exit or to leave a driveway, I will not be able to stop in time to avoid an accident. No matter what you're driving, 80,000 pounds will roll right through you and the truck driver will barely spill his coffee.
So, eyes up. These vehicles are hard to miss: they're eighty feet long and thirteen and a half feet high. If you're going to miss your exit, go up to the next one. If a truck is almost on top of you and you're waiting to exit a driveway, let the truck go by. Please don't let yourself become another statistic, another footnote in a trucker's training manual. Drive safe and don't hit shit.
Sailboat Fuel
Posted 8 years agoMy first solo week on the road is coming to a close. I'm shut down in Palestine, TX for my 10-hour break and then it's back to the barn with an empty trailer.
Hauling sailboat fuel, as they say.
After two days of OJT, I was finally given my truck: a 2014 Freightliner Cascadia Evolution. Real trucks don't have spark plugs! This truck has a Detroit Diesel DD15 six-cylinder turbodiesel engine measuring 14.7 liters of displacement and producing around 500 brake horsepower. It is mated to the Eaton 10-speed Fuller Roadranger transmission.
The Cascadia (and its predecessors Century and Columbia) is the workhorse of most modern freight companies, mainly due to the fact that they're inexpensive yet robust. It's a trait shared with the International ProStar (and TriStar); they offer no-frills Class 8 vehicles that last a while. Most of what you see on the road these days, especially company trucks, are Freightliners. Kenworth and Peterbilt build better trucks that are more recognizable (since they had the wherewithal to license their trucks to American Truck Simulator, something Freightliner and even Volvo haven't done yet) but Freightliners are more common. Just another cog in the machine...
It's been a week of adventure through the lower Great Plains, mainly pulling rescues and relays not on my particular account. My first ~2,500 miles is in the book. Next week, the real fun begins.
Hauling sailboat fuel, as they say.
After two days of OJT, I was finally given my truck: a 2014 Freightliner Cascadia Evolution. Real trucks don't have spark plugs! This truck has a Detroit Diesel DD15 six-cylinder turbodiesel engine measuring 14.7 liters of displacement and producing around 500 brake horsepower. It is mated to the Eaton 10-speed Fuller Roadranger transmission.
The Cascadia (and its predecessors Century and Columbia) is the workhorse of most modern freight companies, mainly due to the fact that they're inexpensive yet robust. It's a trait shared with the International ProStar (and TriStar); they offer no-frills Class 8 vehicles that last a while. Most of what you see on the road these days, especially company trucks, are Freightliners. Kenworth and Peterbilt build better trucks that are more recognizable (since they had the wherewithal to license their trucks to American Truck Simulator, something Freightliner and even Volvo haven't done yet) but Freightliners are more common. Just another cog in the machine...
It's been a week of adventure through the lower Great Plains, mainly pulling rescues and relays not on my particular account. My first ~2,500 miles is in the book. Next week, the real fun begins.
Sugary Goodness
Posted 8 years agoThose of you in Houston who drink soda can thank me for having a hand in keeping you supplied.
Seeing the other side of the shipping business has been an entertaining experience. It's given me a new appreciation for what truckers go through. It also sheds some light on why some of the drivers I'd dealt with at Amazon were raging assholes. It's frustrating to be on the road that long only to have to wait at the shipper or receiver to finally finish and get some rest. If I ever get back into the warehouse side, I'll be sure to not judge them so harshly...
This week has flown by and I finally have my first 2,400 professional miles in my logbook. I can safely say it's been the most fun I've had at a job in a long time. This is true even though it was mainly sitting in a chair for 8 to 9 hours a day piloting 76,000 lbs. of truck and trailer down the freeway. Am I ready to do this solo? Well, I think so. My trainer thought so, else he wouldn't have signed off on me today. After the final week of school. I'll get my truck...
We drove a Freightliner Cascadia this week, outfitted with the mighty Detroit Diesel DD15. We're talking one hell of a heavy-duty motor: a 14.8-liter inline-six turbodiesel pushing 505 bhp and 1750 lb-ft of torque. All mated to Eaton's tried-and-true Fuller Roadranger 10-speed transmission. Truly the king of the road (unless you count the heavy-haulers out there.)
One more week to go before I'm in my truck. It's an otherworldly feeling being a "professional driver." I can't really describe it.
Seeing the other side of the shipping business has been an entertaining experience. It's given me a new appreciation for what truckers go through. It also sheds some light on why some of the drivers I'd dealt with at Amazon were raging assholes. It's frustrating to be on the road that long only to have to wait at the shipper or receiver to finally finish and get some rest. If I ever get back into the warehouse side, I'll be sure to not judge them so harshly...
This week has flown by and I finally have my first 2,400 professional miles in my logbook. I can safely say it's been the most fun I've had at a job in a long time. This is true even though it was mainly sitting in a chair for 8 to 9 hours a day piloting 76,000 lbs. of truck and trailer down the freeway. Am I ready to do this solo? Well, I think so. My trainer thought so, else he wouldn't have signed off on me today. After the final week of school. I'll get my truck...
We drove a Freightliner Cascadia this week, outfitted with the mighty Detroit Diesel DD15. We're talking one hell of a heavy-duty motor: a 14.8-liter inline-six turbodiesel pushing 505 bhp and 1750 lb-ft of torque. All mated to Eaton's tried-and-true Fuller Roadranger 10-speed transmission. Truly the king of the road (unless you count the heavy-haulers out there.)
One more week to go before I'm in my truck. It's an otherworldly feeling being a "professional driver." I can't really describe it.
Pumpkinheads
Posted 8 years agoYou gain a new respect for big rigs when you actually drive them. You also get to see first-hand how absolutely no one cares about them. I don't understand how something eighty feet long and weighing up to forty tons seems to go unnoticed by motorists. Yet, every day, we're getting cut off, brake-checked, tailgated...
And I'm only a week into training.
Schneider drivers are called "pumpkinheads," at least to each other. This is a nod to Schneider National's long-standing company colors of orange and black, orange tractors, and orange trailers. This is in spite of the fact that there are more and more silver and white company vehicles on the road these days and the orange tractors are all getting sold off. Like airline pilots, there's a sense of franternity among truck drivers. The last time I felt this welcomed as a new associate was when I worked for American Airlines. It's a warm and comforting feeling.
Next week I'm training over-the-road. My trainer is a laid-back guy who loves video games. His favorite is Undertale (like me!) and we had a very good discussion about that and more yesterday. At least I get to hang out with a cool dude for a week before taking possession of my own truck. There's no such thing as "student freight." They're throwing us students right in...
As long as I keep the rubber side down, I'll be fine.
And I'm only a week into training.
Schneider drivers are called "pumpkinheads," at least to each other. This is a nod to Schneider National's long-standing company colors of orange and black, orange tractors, and orange trailers. This is in spite of the fact that there are more and more silver and white company vehicles on the road these days and the orange tractors are all getting sold off. Like airline pilots, there's a sense of franternity among truck drivers. The last time I felt this welcomed as a new associate was when I worked for American Airlines. It's a warm and comforting feeling.
Next week I'm training over-the-road. My trainer is a laid-back guy who loves video games. His favorite is Undertale (like me!) and we had a very good discussion about that and more yesterday. At least I get to hang out with a cool dude for a week before taking possession of my own truck. There's no such thing as "student freight." They're throwing us students right in...
As long as I keep the rubber side down, I'll be fine.
Welcome to Big Orange
Posted 8 years agoIt's been rough at work these last few weeks. A lot of policy changes came down the pipe that I disagree with and were implemented in such a way that morale and productivity in the warehouse dropped. The shipping team is under more pressure to do work for the Operations team. I agree with working as one team toward a common goal but the Operations team wants us to do that over our regular duties. Our jobs aren't so easy that we can set them aside to scan boxes or unload trucks.
On top of that, I'd been passed over for promotions five times in three months. I normally wouldn't be as upset about that if I'd at least been given a chance to interview and the guy they put in to fill one of the roles I was gunning for actually knew the job. He's my manager now and I'm the one teaching him and doing his reports and his work.
So I walked.
I accepted a job to drive a truck for Schneider National, making the same money starting as I do right now after 3 years. I love Amazon and maybe I'll be back one day, but right now I have to do what's best for me. Besides, I like driving trucks more than sitting at a desk.
Thank you for the memories, Amazon. It's time for Big Orange.
On top of that, I'd been passed over for promotions five times in three months. I normally wouldn't be as upset about that if I'd at least been given a chance to interview and the guy they put in to fill one of the roles I was gunning for actually knew the job. He's my manager now and I'm the one teaching him and doing his reports and his work.
So I walked.
I accepted a job to drive a truck for Schneider National, making the same money starting as I do right now after 3 years. I love Amazon and maybe I'll be back one day, but right now I have to do what's best for me. Besides, I like driving trucks more than sitting at a desk.
Thank you for the memories, Amazon. It's time for Big Orange.
Back in Atlanta
Posted 8 years agoSo, I'm back in Atlanta. A little less than 2 years ago I was here for a month fixing broken shit at one of our buildings. Now I'm back. Same hotel, same room, same building. At least this time it's only 3 days.
Being dependable is great. It slightly offsets the fuckery of my current job.
Being dependable is great. It slightly offsets the fuckery of my current job.
Thirty-Two
Posted 8 years agoIt's my 32nd birthday today. What am I doing with it? Working! And then going to Phoenix. Why? Work!
I can't complain, though. I made it this far. Here's to another 32 years.
I can't complain, though. I made it this far. Here's to another 32 years.
