7 Quick Takes Friday ---Becoming Habit Forming

1. It's been an interesting week with lots of things to cover.  First, I attended my first March For Life in Washington D. C..  You can read all about it in my post by clicking ---> HERE.  There were close to 300,000 God-fearing, pro-lifers there, all enthusiastically standing up for the unborn and in-firmed.  I took as many pictures as I could, and posted some of the best on the link above, and the rest on my Flickr page (see link on March For Life post).
   
   
2. Last Friday's March For Life post on this blog got a lot of attention, in large part because the main stream media had little or no coverage of this mammoth event, and people were searching for pictures and stories to read about it.  But I also got linked to by some friends of mine (and a couple of strangers who became new friends) who know much more than I do about how to BLOG BIG with a million plus visitors each.  Among them are the following:  American Power, Brutally Honest, The Other McCain, The Curt Jester, The Anchoress, Chicago Ray, and JivinJehoshaphat.  There are other notables, including Athos of Chronicles of Atlantis, whom I seem to have tricked into thinking I know Latin.
   
   
3. Two years ago my employer, a trucking company, issued an edict that pets would no longer be allowed in company vehicles as of the following April.  This was both alarming and odd to hear.  Alarming for obvious reasons, not the least of which was that for most of us truck drivers, our pets are all we have anymore.  And even if that's not the case, we have grown very attached to them having traveled over 120,000 miles each year, all over the country and parts of Canada with them.  Odd because only 3 years prior to that edict, my employer (who shall remain nameless) encouraged drivers to get pets to relieve depression and lower blood pressure.  Within 3 months of this announcement, over 500 drivers had given notice to quit, causing said employer to rescind its rule.  However they still said no pets in new trucks.  Read THIS for clarification on why that caused a problem...  A couple of days ago, I got the announcement that pets would be allowed in newer trucks which don't require idling in order for the cab to maintain a livable temperature in which to live.  I get to keep Buster, my cat, after all.   Hooray!
   
   
4. Whenever I get some free time between load assignments or a vacation or whatever, I like to go exploring... usually within large cities or other interesting areas.  And when I do, I tend to run into familiar faces.  Not people who know me, but ones I see on TV or in movies.  The most recent was last Friday after the March For Life mentioned above, when I ran into Carl Cameron of Fox News.  Others I have written about HERE.  And still others I have chosen not to include in print, like Laura Ingraham, Mark Steyn, Michelle Malkin, and others.
   
   
5. The week before last I was able to spend the day with Kevin and family, meeting his wife and kids for the first time, and celebrating his eldest son's birthday.  During the visit I got to attend my first ever Latin Mass, celebrated by Father Brankin of St. Odilo's in Berwyn, IL.  It wasn't quite what I expected.  It was beautiful in its own way, but not very participatory.  In fact most of it seemed to be Father Brankin with his back to us, looking up and mumbling in Latin.  But true to form, he was and is one of the best Homilists I've ever heard in any Mass.  There are a few I've posted on my left column if you're interested....
   
   
6. A few days ago I delivered a load of toilet paper (several hundred cases of 80 rolls each) to a warehouse who rejected three of the cases.  It seems that an overly enthusiastic forklift driver accidentally stabbed those cases with one of the forklift forks, making them unacceptable, even though the product inside the cases were unharmed.  So the consignee threw the three damaged cases back on my trailer.  Upon contacting my employer about this, I was told to keep them, throw them away, or use them at my pleasure.  So now I'm driving around with 240 free rolls of toilet paper scattered about the interior of my cab, making me feel like a very rich man indeed.  I think I'll donate most of them to my church.
   
   
7. Drove from Augusta, GA to Oak Grove, KY through snow storms on icy roads earlier today (Friday).  Still have over 1,500 miles to go to deliver in Utah.  Praying for good weather and feeling glad I have a job.  Feel free to check out other Quick Takes at Conversion Diary.