Basically DVDVR LiveJournal

[Gonzo]

On 10/31/2025 at 3:28 PM, driver said:

Going to San Antonio the week after next for work. Plan on visiting Bucc-ee's and The Alamo. Also staying across from The Alamo in a hotel that was once a medical office building. Craziest thing has been trying to find reasonably cheap/safe parking. I'm going the week after another of our drivers and I told him to keep in touch on where he parks and any problem areas during his stay.

Did you get a chance to check out the basement?

[Zimbra]

I'm really impressed by how our apprenticeship applicants keep redefining what a resume can be.  For example, I always thought a resume had to have your name on it.  Not so!  Can a resume include no job history, but have a selfie you took in the front seat of your car?  Absolutely.

A whole generation of bureaucratic Man Rays, really exploring the space and challenging our ideas of formalism.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

My yia yia passed away Wednesday. I'm taking this very badly, eventhough she was 97 and not in the best health. I went to work today, which was a mistake after taking yesterday off to help my mom with the funeral arrangements. I left work early since I kept going to the bathroom to break down. My heart is shattered into pieces. 

[Log]

Even when a family member has gotten up there in years and not been in good health, it doesn't make it any easier when they go. So sorry to hear that, Eddie.

[driver]

8 hours ago, Gonzo said:

Did you get a chance to check out the basement?

I made that joke to our lead driver who was there this week. He didn't get the reference...some people. On the downside his flight from ORD-SBN was cancelled. So he and his wife get to rent a car and make the 1:30 drive back.

I go this next week(just in time for all of these cancelled flights). I plan on hitting up the Buc-ee's in New Braunfels as soon as I land. That's the side effect of landing at 10:45am and check in isn't until 4:00pm. I get to do some exploring.

My plan for this week is visiting that fucking beaver that's become my white whale, training some people, speaking rudimentary Spanish, drinking, training, exploring, drinking, training, flying the fuck back out. 
Almost everybody I told I was headed to SA the consensus response was "I hope you speak Spanish". I can speak enough to go along and I figure that even the most redneckiest Texan is bilingual.

Good thing is after this I'm pretty much local until spring.
 

As a person who likes trying different foods I discovered Old Europe Foods and Jolly Good Foods this past summer. Last Friday while imbibing I ordered from both and I only remembered ordering from one of them. Yeah, alcoholism is a bit of an impairment. I ended up ordering a ton of sausage(hurka, polish, lorne), some cheese(Balkan Goat) and some bread(Irish potato(it looks like a pita)).

That was my Xmas gift to myself. Looks like the Holiday season is going to be full of odd sausages and a ton of flavor.

[The Natural]

7 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

My yia yia passed away Wednesday. I'm taking this very badly, eventhough she was 97 and not in the best health. I went to work today, which was a mistake after taking yesterday off to help my mom with the funeral arrangements. I left work early since I kept going to the bathroom to break down. My heart is shattered into pieces. 

So sorry for your loss, mate. I'm on here via PM if you need to talk/vent etc. Take care.

[driver]

I flew out on Sunday an hour later than scheduled(the Lake Effect Snow had something to do with that) and landed in Atlanta just as my connecting flight was taking off. I landed at concourse D and went to concourse C for my standby flight. They had six open seats and I was 12/18 on the list. After that fell through I headed back to concourse D for my guaranteed spot on the next flight. 
I know that ATL gets a lot of shit, but considering their location and the amount of short flights leaving, I don't think the guff they get is warranted. I talked to a woman waiting for a flight to Shreveport, LA at noon on Sunday...and she was due into Shreveport at 8PM on Saturday.................................................

After a trip to a Starbucks I got a Venti Holiday with a shot of espresso and a chocolate chip cookie to keep me from going insane.

After finally landing in San Antonio I got my rental car(Prius),checked into the hotel(and as I checked in I was given two bottles of water and two warm oatmeal raisin cookies. I downed a bottle at the check in desk. After I got to the room and washed the flight off of my face I downed the first cookie and put the second in the fridge, I went for a walk to Leo's Hideout for pizza. It was worth the wait.

[Curt McGirt]

I would suggest they hand out airplane bottles of liquor to people that have to wait on these things but then I thought, "oh yeah, not everyone has the same reaction to hard alcohol as you do". It would make for a more amusing wait though, I'm sure...

[Cobra Commander]

guessing "12 minute long magic routine with just music playing and no words on the most popular late night show in America" is one of those "people used to have attention spans" things

 

[Cobra Commander]

1987 Arnold with a Bruno Sammartino-ish accent to his English?

 

[driver]

On 11/12/2025 at 10:30 AM, Curt McGirt said:

I would suggest they hand out airplane bottles of liquor to people that have to wait on these things but then I thought, "oh yeah, not everyone has the same reaction to hard alcohol as you do". It would make for a more amusing wait though, I'm sure...

Heh. They sell those shooters for $10/ea. Flying back today there were zero snags. Landing at Ohare and having ten minutes to get from one terminal to another to start boarding for the flight home. Made it in time and I could've sworn the pilot said it would take fifteen minutes to taxi out to the runway and then it would be a seventeen minute flight to South Bend.

[JLSigman]

9 hours ago, driver said:

... I could've sworn the pilot said it would take fifteen minutes to taxi out to the runway and then it would be a seventeen minute flight to South Bend.

Those short hop flights fuck me up more than anything. People frequently fly to Columbia, SC, to Charlotte, NC, and I am 99% sure that it would be just as fast if they drove it (around 90 minutes, give or take) considering all the bullshit you have to go through these days to get on a plane. Also, you basically go straight up and then right back down, and I can imagine how that must fuck with your inner ear.

[driver]

5 hours ago, JLSigman said:

Those short hop flights fuck me up more than anything. People frequently fly to Columbia, SC, to Charlotte, NC, and I am 99% sure that it would be just as fast if they drove it (around 90 minutes, give or take) considering all the bullshit you have to go through these days to get on a plane. Also, you basically go straight up and then right back down, and I can imagine how that must fuck with your inner ear.

I have chronic tinnitus and have to sleep with the radio on or the ringing will keep me up, but flying didn't cause my ears to pop at all. Being in Atlanta I got to witness tons of flights to small airports(Meridian, MS/Greenville, SC). Missing my first standby connection(I was #12 and they had 6 open seats), so I went from Concourse D to Concourse C(for the first standby) and back to Concourse D for the guaranteed seat on another flight. Once I was on the flight I breathed an audible sigh of relief. Once we landed in San Antonio I grabbed my backpack and carryon bag(which had to be checked) and hightailed it to the car rental. 
When I got to the rental counter they told me that the payment card had to be the same as the name of the person driving the vehicle or it's considered fraud. Texas doesn't fuck around and I wasn't in the mood for any BS, so I whipped out my own card(my boss had given me hers) and paid for it and they said I could change it back to her card when I returned the rental. I texted her and she said "Whatevs! Just send me a receipt when you return it! 
So I get out to the rental deck and I get a Prius(she had selected a full-size(aka Malibu)). I was just happy to get a car and head to the hotel(supposedly one of the most haunted places in town because it was a hospital of some sort before it was a hotel). The shifter in the Prius sucks. After a few minutes I got myself situated and made the fifteen minute drive.
Once I got to the hotel and found a place to park on the street(metered, but free on Sundays), I checked in and was immediately given two bottles of water and two oatmeal raisin cookies. I immediately downed one of the waters and headed up to my room. Once I got there I immediately washed the day off of my face, downed one of the cookies and headed out to Leo's Hideout(Soledad St, just south of Houston St). I got a slice each of The Coach and The Maddog and a glass of Modelo. Leo's uses Uno cards to denote customers orders. I was a blue reverse card.
After ten minutes or so a couple sat next to me and they were speaking German. The lady asked me how long I'd been waiting and I said "10 minutes or so" and a lady comes out with two slices looking for a RED reverse card...she finally walks over and asks my order and she says something about her coworker being silly or something. Not long after that the German couple gets their order. Man was it worth the wait, especially after such a long day. No non food-related Sunday sales in TX.

On Monday morning I headed to the warehouse and not knowing what to expect. I get there, find out who I'm riding with and we start the day. It turns out the parent company had just bought this company two months ago(they have locations in Houston, DFW, San Antonio) and I was there to see how they were doing with the handheld scanner and software(which can be a little finnicky). My coworker was there the week before and introduced them to the program and had to grade them on a 0-100 scale on how they got the program. I didn't know I'd be grading them, but I was done before anybody asked me for any grades. If they had/do it's "100" across the board. At the end of the day we stopped at a local place called Babe's. I had a kick ass burger and fries and tried their Honey Mustard(which they're famous for). After finishing up for the day I sought out a Specs(a local liquor store chain) and found one and was greeted by a flock or ten of "Crackler" birds roosting wherever they could. 
I got inside Specs and found a sixer of Bohemia and a 750 of Evan Williams BIB(bottled in bond) bourbon. I went back outside and saw that a Crackler had shit all over the Prius. When I got back to the hotel I parked in the lot next to the hotel and paid the $31.95 they wanted for twelve hours because I wasn't in the fucking mood to fucking fuck around with a meter. I got upstairs and realized that I needed an opener to get to my beer. So I went downstairs to the hotel bar and borrowed theirs, went upstairs and cracked two open and immediately returned it. Two beers, some 100 proof and a shower made for a good night's sleep.

I woke up on Tuesday a bit bleary, brewed some coffee and drank five cups before heading to work. I got in and found out that both trucks would be in Austin. Tuesday was also Veterans' Day and some customers were closed(but we had no idea which were) and our first stop(closed) was right where there was a blockade for a parade. We got past the blockade and found that the stop was closed. We got to our next few stops and I noticed a ton of peanuts laying on the ground. Turns out they're pecans and the trees are EVERYWHERE. When we finished up in Austin we headed to New Braunfels and the driver stopped at Buc-ee's(my guy from the week before had told them about my wanting to go there). I bought some merch(including a bottle opener) and a brisket sandwich. It was a fun experience.

On Wednesday I was with the Monday driver again and what a fucking day this was. One of our first stops was downtown SA at a lawyer...The customer was used to getting a physical paper receipt for his servicing. My coworker explained to him that we were paperless now and that when the customer signed our handheld scanner they'd get an email copy. The lawyer explained that he'd be turning 81 the next day and that this was his last big case and he was ready to hang it up after that. At this point he tells my coworker that he'd hunt him down and kill him for the dirty dog that he is if anything goes awry.
He then asks a female staffer if she'd take a pic of my coworker's handheld for proof that the customer signed it. She tries to explain how to use a phone to take a pic and then she flees to do something else, so he asks another younger staffer(probably in his 40s) if he knew how to take a pic with the phone. Then he finally acknowledges me by saying "I bet you don't know how to take a pic with a phone" and my response was "Yes, I do!" at which he refocuses on my coworker(who has a pronounced accent) and asks if he's from SA, coworker says "YES!" and lawyer says "Good. Just in case I need to hunt you down!"
His younger lawyer takes him aside to simmer down or "they won't want to come back again!" 
We finish up there and share a WTF moment. My coworker had laughed it off, but sensed some stank on the lawyer's words. The coworker is black and the lawyer was white, so that might have had something to do with the remarks. I could tell that the lawyer was in performative mode and that I'd hate to be deposed by him.
Then shit got weird...
We went to downtown SA on the Riverwalk for two consecutive Alamo related stops. The first one said to park in the alley behind the building, but the alley was full, so we parked in a parking lot across from the customer. We went up and did our business and as we headed out of the building an F-150 came down the street, the driver hopped out and started taking pics of our truck and gave us an envelope with a ticket for $70 for not paying to park. We gave the ticket to the managerial trainer and the manager when we got back.
Once Weds was over the manager trainer went to a local place to feed us.
Then came Thursday. I was back with my driver from Tuesday and we hit up a local taco place(Los Balitos) for chorizo, egg and potato burritos(3/$4). Those hit the spot and I bought breakfast for them and we headed out for the day. We finished up our route, hit up a Whataburger, got back to work, said our goodbyes and I headed back to the hotel. I got back to the hotel, washed my face and headed over to Leo's for a To Go slice and stopped by Voodoo Donuts for an ODB.
Friday was fly back day. I got to the airport at 2:45 and the rental return didn't open until 4. Once I was through TSA I headed for the nearest Starbuck's(Venti dark roast, shot of espresso, chocolate chip cookie), but they didn't open until 4 am...
So I sat listening to podcasts and it was 3:55 when I headed back to the Starbucks and there was already a line.
My flight didn't leave until 7am, so I took my time savoring the coffee, podcasts, magazines, because I knew once I landed in Chicago I'd have twenty one minutes to get to my flight home. Ohare's moving sidewalks rock. I got to the gate and explained my plight and they it was all good. I boarded and got my seat and next thing I knew I'd landed at South Bend.

[Curt McGirt]

1. driver, how much money did you spend collectively, altogether? That sounds insane, but then, I don't know how much you make (and ain't asking either. That's a no-no with me; that's private). 

2. Not to sound like a dick, but if you are buying a fifth of Evan you should probably know how to get a non-turn cap off a bottle without an opener  Put the corner of that sumbitch's cap on the side of the hotel's desk in your room and slam it! Or use a lighter, if you got one.

3. The first flight I ever got on I think I was 9 years old, and they didn't pressurize the cabin properly. My ears hurt so bad I was screaming and crying. I'd never want to experience that again. 

[Tabe]

I have a good friend that I met through competing in Rubik's Cube competitions who will turn 19 in February. We, along with other rotating members of our friend group, have traveled together to competitions multiple times. He has had a challenging life - father not in the picture, disabled mom who doesn't work, beloved grandmother who passed away a year ago. Dropped out of school at 15 to work to support his family, works full-time at Wendy's. He's also just about the kindest, most generous person you could hope to meet, always eager to share his cubing knowledge and help people. 

He took his inheritance from his grandmother and closed on the purchase of a home this week. 

To say I'm proud of him would be a massive, massive understatement. 

[The Natural]

13 hours ago, Tabe said:

I have a good friend that I met through competing in Rubik's Cube competitions who will turn 19 in February. We, along with other rotating members of our friend group, have traveled together to competitions multiple times. He has had a challenging life - father not in the picture, disabled mom who doesn't work, beloved grandmother who passed away a year ago. Dropped out of school at 15 to work to support his family, works full-time at Wendy's. He's also just about the kindest, most generous person you could hope to meet, always eager to share his cubing knowledge and help people. 

He took his inheritance from his grandmother and closed on the purchase of a home this week. 

To say I'm proud of him would be a massive, massive understatement. 

Cheers for sharing, mate. Good seeing you round here again.

Edited November 16 by The Natural

[twiztor]

We had to put our cat Jamal down yesterday. We've had him for 16 1/2 years. My heart is broken and i may never be OK again. I am not an emotional man- i didn't cry as i've lost grandparents, i was numb when i lost my dad. even the few times i've lost friends i was hurt but processed it. but i have been crying for 24 hours. this cat was my soulmate (apologies to my wife, but it's the truth). we were inseperable at home. he used to love going on car rides with me. I took him to work a few times when i worked in a small office. i am so grateful that we found each other. but mother fucker, this hurts. 

[The Natural]

50 minutes ago, twiztor said:

We had to put our cat Jamal down yesterday. We've had him for 16 1/2 years. My heart is broken and i may never be OK again. I am not an emotional man- i didn't cry as i've lost grandparents, i was numb when i lost my dad. even the few times i've lost friends i was hurt but processed it. but i have been crying for 24 hours. this cat was my soulmate (apologies to my wife, but it's the truth). we were inseperable at home. he used to love going on car rides with me. I took him to work a few times when i worked in a small office. i am so grateful that we found each other. but mother fucker, this hurts. 

What a lovely looking cat, Jamal is. Really sorry for your loss, mate. Here if you need me.

[Mike Campbell]

My trusty foxhound mix (aka the Alabama Slamma' based on where he was bred) is a really shitty guard dog. We're replaceing our sewer line, so we've had the plumbers here pretty much day this week in various capacities. Well Friday night, we get a text from the boss of the company that he's in the backyard looking at what his crew did for the day and can we turn on the back patio lights. We go out to do so, and while there's a guy in the dark using his phone flashlight, the dog is laying there taking a nap.

[driver]

22 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

1. driver, how much money did you spend collectively, altogether? That sounds insane, but then, I don't know how much you make (and ain't asking either. That's a no-no with me; that's private). 

2. Not to sound like a dick, but if you are buying a fifth of Evan you should probably know how to get a non-turn cap off a bottle without an opener  Put the corner of that sumbitch's cap on the side of the hotel's desk in your room and slam it! Or use a lighter, if you got one.

3. The first flight I ever got on I think I was 9 years old, and they didn't pressurize the cabin properly. My ears hurt so bad I was screaming and crying. I'd never want to experience that again. 

1. Company paid for flight, hotel, rental and a per diem of $75/day, and I spent less than $20/day for food.

2. You're not. I hadn't even thought about tapping it on the edge of the table.

[NikoBaltimore]

16 hours ago, twiztor said:

We had to put our cat Jamal down yesterday. We've had him for 16 1/2 years. My heart is broken and i may never be OK again. I am not an emotional man- i didn't cry as i've lost grandparents, i was numb when i lost my dad. even the few times i've lost friends i was hurt but processed it. but i have been crying for 24 hours. this cat was my soulmate (apologies to my wife, but it's the truth). we were inseperable at home. he used to love going on car rides with me. I took him to work a few times when i worked in a small office. i am so grateful that we found each other. but mother fucker, this hurts. 

I'm sorry for your loss.  There's something about losing a pet that's so close to ya that just will mess things up that way.  I still haven't told many people how much losing Oliver fucked me up and if I had it my way I would never have a pet again.  The pain was just too much.  It does get a bit easier with time but it's hard.

[Tabe]

20 hours ago, NikoBaltimore said:

I'm sorry for your loss.  There's something about losing a pet that's so close to ya that just will mess things up that way.  I still haven't told many people how much losing Oliver fucked me up and if I had it my way I would never have a pet again.  The pain was just too much.  It does get a bit easier with time but it's hard.

We lost our black lab 3-1/2 years ago. I am not over it. I will never own another dog because I'm not going through that again. 

[Nice Guy Eddie]

I've lost 2 cats since 2016. Yes, it hurts like hell to lose them, but it's nice to rescue them. I currently have two black cats, Coco who was adopted in 2016 and Toula who was adopted in 2023. 

Edited November 19 by Nice Guy Eddie

[Log]

We have a cat. She's four. She's kind of an asshole. She yells at us and bites us and is only really nice when she wants treats.

I would lay down my life for her.

[Log]

17 hours ago, Log said:

We have a cat. She's four. She's kind of an asshole. She yells at us and bites us and is only really nice when she wants treats.

I would lay down my life for her.

Ok, I think she heard I was calling her an asshole. She’s been the biggest sweetheart to me since I got home from work yesterday. I had a migraine and sinus issues so I laid down in bed. She came in and laid on me for over an hour just purring the whole time. Now I’m up and having my morning coffee and she’s on my lap. 

Edited November 19 by Log