Meinmt’s Weblog
Just another WordPress.com weblogMystery Shopping has Its Perks
I’ve been a mystery shopper off and on for a few years. Stopped for a while due to time constraints. But I’m back now with a few companies – some better to work with than others.
One I’ve really enjoyed, and that pays better when you figure it per hour than the others, is Gap Busters, based in Australia. They handle McDonalds. Probably some other companies, but not around here.
Last week I did three McD’s shops in the Bozeman area. for the two that weren’t so close to home, I worked in some other errand running, so the day wasn’t wasted. Basically, I got free breakfast and lunch, more to take home (the kids don’t mind it being a few hours old) plus $20, while going in to do shopping and research anyway. I can handle that!
Next week, I’m heading out to West Yellowstone. Gap Busters called a few minutes ago and we negotiated a rate to make it worthwhile to spend half a day driving 180 miles to eat lunch. Of course, if the snow doesn’t let up, I’ll have to reschedule. But they’re very workable when they don’t have someone closer.
Might have to check out the Bear/Wolf Discovery Center while I’m there. Haven’t been in a while.
Fourth of July
From last July 4th – a perspective on dogs
For a few wonderful nights each year, Americans honor their heroes and forefathers by blowing things up. Most of the time, it’s all prepackaged, professionally prepared showers of colored sparks, accompanied by whistles, screamers, and of course, the inevitable KaBooms.
I have two dogs, both Labbies. This time of year, one may not qualify for the canine specie. More like a 100 lb. chicken. He HATES kaBooms. A hundred examples of why he would never make a good hunting dog will just have to wait for another day. Suffice it to say that Buddy spends one week each July cowering in my bathroom, praying for it all to end.
It’s a pathetic sight, but that’s just part of his charm.
Then there’s Bear. (Full name “Ginger’s Honey Bear”.) We really missed with her. Got her just shy of her second birthday and never took her bird hunting. She would (and probably still could) be awesome! Loves birds, loves guns, loves everything we do.
Loves 4th of July.
I have videos of Bear back when we lived in Clarkston about 10 yrs ago, trying to eat the fireworks. We had to physically hold her back to keep her from jumping on them and chewing them – while they were going off. The burns grew back in, the smell of singed hair eventually left. And in the years since, she hasn’t learned a durned thing!
So, come July 2008. Here we go again. July 2, 3 & 4th, we’re holding her back and lighting off fountains, artillery shells, and everything we could afford to blow up. Wasn’t extravagent, but enough. Bear had a good time and didn’t get hurt. That’s a good holiday.
Oh – note to all food storage fans – matches have limited shelf life. I found some that weren’t exactly new, and out of an entire box, probably about 3% were still viable.
I had a few artillery shells left for the 5th, so we got to light off some more fireworks. The kids’ favorites were these spinner things. Don’t know what theyr’e called. (Okay, probably something obvious like “Spinners”.) Bear seems to think these are wonderful toys created just for her. She was all over them! You’d think I’d turned her loose on a flock of geese. You know, she actually gave Bekah and me Thank You kisses. For real!
Give a labrador a tennis ball and you have an ecstatic mass of quivering energy. Now, make that ball smaller, but make it spin, whistle and (best of all) bounce! Bear was all over it – well, them. These were better than braised bones. Possibly better than ducks on a lake. So, while we were trying to convince stale, four-year-old matches to stay lit, she came up and gave a very quick little lick to both Bekah and me. This is a dog that is so proper she almost never looks me (alpha) in the eye, let alone gets up on my bed. That just isn’t done!
Well, with that in mind, we torched the spinners, few fountains and finally the artillery shells.
Okay, let me state here that I am no EOD tech. I’m borderline pyromaniac, but that really had nothing to do with the explosion. It would have happened to any idiot who didn’t understand why the fuse is attached to the “device” with another string. (Yeah, you all know this. It’s to keep the shell in the proper position when you lower it into the launching tube.) Okay, so now I know, too.
My ears have finally stopped ringing, but now I know. And we had to use the tube from the other pack since the first one was basically destroyed. But it was pretty cool!
I don’t know if my iris will ever get over it. I learned that live, healthy iris won’t burn even if the dried grass around them does. (Would be best if I’d weed in the iris patch more often. Less fuel for fires.)
And boys aren’t very gentle stomping out flames even in the iris patch.
And never launch rockets off a painted wooden railing unless you already intend to repaint. Because you’re going to have to. So, it’s a good thing we were already planning on sanding and repainting the whole deck.
Is this really what General Washington had in mind?
My Bucket List
If you’ve seen “The Bucket List”, then you’ll understand what I’m about to lay out here. I started my own Bucket List tonight. Before I knew it, there were about 17 things I have that I want to do before I leave this life. Some are places I want to see (Ireland, MesoAmerica), some are things I want to accomplish (becoming fluent in Italian, getting certified as a sign language interpreter). There are a few pertaining to others, but these are my goals, not goals for someone else. So, I want to foster a child. I want to correct mistakes on genealogy submissions and complete the temple work for a particular set of ancestors.
Something occurred to me. These goals are generally things that I’ve already begun to one degree or another. I’m 47 years old and expect to be still using this body for another 40 years at least. That gives me time to accomplish a few things. But as any motivational speaker will attest, if our goals are not in some fashion related to the things we do now, then what does that say, either about what we dream of doing “some day” or about what we are doing with our lives now?
Just like with our annual resolutions, any far reaching goals have starting points and finish lines. Otherwise they’re just ideas. I like Steven R Covey’s approach in “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” He broke down his To Do list into four sections: Urgent and Important, Important (not urgent), Urgent (not important), Not Important nor Urgent, then proceeded accordingly.
Truthfully, very few things on my list are Important. Taking the kids to Disneyland is a great idea, but I doubt very much that lives will change over it. On the other hand, correcting those records, or introducing a family to the gospel could have lasting effects on many people. Still, I’m putting “learn to fish” near the top. Feel free to debate its merits at will.
It’s All a Matter of Perspective. But on the other hand…
To Jennifer in Ireland and all the rest of us, Happy Fourth of July! God Bless America.
This morning could be considered one of two things. First option: A complete waste of time and diesel. I had the wonderful situation of having Rich dispatched out for the weekend. Doesn’t happen very often, but once in a while things come together. So, I figured, take the chance and scoot off to the temple in Billings. It’s a 2 1/2 hour drive each way. Inconvenient, to be sure, but far better than some places I’ve lived. Still, with four kids left at home, it’s a toss up whether the house will be standing and all children still breathing when I get back home. I’d tried the day before, but my oldest had some “feminine discomfort” (read: bad cramps) so I stayed home. Not this morning, tho’! A few Ibuprofen and she’s good to go, so I was outa there.
Three hours later (quick stop off on the way) I had actually found the right turn off and fastest route up to Rim Point Drive. Hallelujiah! I wasn’t going to have to wait two more hours for another session to start. I rounded the drive and went to pull into the parking lot – Not a chance! The lot was mostly empty except for some pavers, or whatever you call those guys resurfacing the macadem.
Great! I’d looked on the website the day before and saw no indication that it was anything but open.
A quick stop for a few gallons of dead dino’s and some washer fluid, then on the road back to Belgrade. Peachy.
That’s one way of thinking about it. A waste of six hours of my time and 300 miles of my fuel for what? Not something that generally encourages that warm fuzzy feeling inside. At least I didn’t have any others with me. No one else could go on such short notice.
Then there’s Option Two. I’ve found just a few motivational speakers I will listen to. Most really don’t have anything new to add. I have Brian Tracy’s “Psychology of Achievement” and really enjoy it. So, I was able to listen to almost all of the set during the drive.
That’s not too shabby. Take a sunny, beautiful day, remove all thought of dispatching (which in itself is cause for elation) add full intention of spending a couple hours in the temple doing something very special for people I don’t know 
and cover the whole driving time by positive, motivational counsel and you have a very pleasant way to spend the morning.
There are some things I have made mental note (I don’t always multi-task while driving!) of. In fact, I worked on one earlier to become a better listener. Do you know, when you’re accustomed to quick, even rapid-fire conversations with fast thinking and interchange, it’s almost painful to slow down and pause three to five seconds after the other person is finished before speaking. Especially when that seems to be a strong cue to that person to go on…and on…and on! Proper listening is hard work! But, I’m making a real effort and hope to see some bad habits fading away soon. Keep your toes crossed for me. If I keep this up I could be talking a whole lot less. (Okay, you can stop cheering now!)
Other things Mr. Tracy discussed that I want to try are improved goal setting and time management techniques. Could make a real difference. So, I won’t count the day as a total loss.
Governor’s Cup Pix & Stuff
(note: I have picked and saved photos to insert in this but I can’t seem to get it to work! When I figure it out, they’ll be here.)
My first chance to spend a day in Helena was for the Governor’s Cup race. My twins, Rachel and Jeffrey were entered – their first road race. Turns out Helena is a pretty town! Lots of character. Wouldn’t mind spending more time there just exploring.
We found the chapel without much problem. That’s the first gathering point (a.k.a. the place with the parking!) It was probably about a mile from check in. Saw a number of people we knew – go figure, with all the kids from school there! Also saw some good friends – Mandie, my friend, and her son, Alex. He was entered, she wasn’t, but ran anyway. Good for her!
We got the kids all their stuff – bright yellow vests, timing chip shoe tags, and such, and left them to their groups while Bekah, Ryan and I headed out to watch the start. In the hordes of runners, I didn’t see our two. They were somewhere deep in the pack.
We were able to go back to the truck and drop the stuff we didn’t need, then hoof it over to the finish line before they started coming in.
There was a whole tent village of street merchants set up for the visitors. Some really cool stuff. (One quick note – I’d thought about making bead jewelry and selling it. Not any more! There are too many really gifted craftsmen out there! I’ll just keep playing with it for myself and family. Darn.) The marathon relay’ers were coming in when we got to the finish line. Saw one wheelchair racer. Interesting setup he had with a bent bar crossing in front and hooking into the wheels. he could effectively pedal with his hands. Looked like it was much faster than regular.
There were several strollers – even some pushed by the dads. One guy stopped just short of the finish line to let his 1 y.o. girl out to walk across. She was adorable!!! The radio announcer and all the spectators were just taken with her. We all cheered her on. Then a crowd of 5k’ers came and about plowed her over. Oops! She was fine. Didn’t actually get knocked over, but not for the lack of trying!
Alex, Mandie’s son and Jeffrey’s friend, came in way sooner than I’d expected. Like about 24 minutes! That kid was fast! Even Mandie didn’t get there for another several minutes. Rachel and Jeffrey were about 37 minutes. I was really proud of them!
We explored a little, had lunch at the school playground and went home – very tired! Next time, we’re all in it!
We’ve Breached the Troposphere and are Picking Up Speed
This was a day of numbers. Ugly, big, solid, Great Wall of China numbers. I should have been born an accountant. But I wasn’t and my brain has melted.
First, I finally did what I should have done some time ago – figured out as exactly as I can what it costs to run this trucking business every month. For me, the numbers are staggering. It was only a few years ago that we could make it fairly comfortably if Rich was driving 11k or so miles a month and bringing in $16k-17k. That covered the fuel, trucking expenses and left enough for us to live on. We weren’t growing rich by any stretch, but we were making it.
Of course, that was when diesel was only $2.85/gal.
This week it hit $5/gal in the east. And guess where Rich was? At this time, based on $5/gal, considering it’s going up about 14c/week right now, we have to make about $25k/mo. That’s giving him 12k mi/mo to do it.
It’s insane! And that doesn’t even give us a penny for a savings account, let alone any emergency.
Something’s gotta give…and don’t expect it to be gas prices.
Governor’s Cup Race Day
I”m supposed to be asleep right now. Tomorrow morning (today!) I have to drop Rachel and Jeffrey – 11 y.o. twins -off a the school to ride the bus to Helena for the Governor’s Cup Race. They’re in the 5k. Been training for about a month at school. They’re really excited about it. I’ll just be glad when we can have our Saturday mornings back!
I’ll be driving the rest of the kids up – my 13 y.o. volleyballer 
and my 7 y.o. terror – I mean wonderful boy. (harness that kid’s energy and I’d never buy diesel again!) We’ll cheer wildly as the future marathoners stride by, eat our sack lunches and trek home again. Then I’ll take a 6 hour nap!
Really, I’m thrilled that they’ve been working so hard on this. Good to have them active in the off season from whatever sport they’re in. (That’s not nonchalance – that’s reality!) Come to think of it, I should have been doing it, too. Secretary Spread is fast becoming terminal.
I don’t know if they’ll enjoy the crowds and all. Probably. I’m really hoping this is the start of a love affair with running. Okay, I’d be happy with a good friendship. We make all sorts of great promises to keep running all year, but when that first freezing rain hits in July (hey, it does sometimes!) all resolutions are history and I’m cuddling up to a cup of cocoa.
Think that’s one reason I’m really going to enjoy Texas. I’d much rather battle heat stroke than frostbite. I know others disagree. But I generally don’t mind the heat. Guess we’ll see. Maybe age will change all that.
Still, the alarm is due to sound in less than four hours. Better get some sleep.
Sometimes being a lousy bookkeeper is a good thing
Rich has always known two things about me. Number one – I’m a terrible housekeeper. Always have been. Always will be. I have times of doing better, but overall, that’s just me. Sorry.
Number two – I’m even worse at bookkeeping. Frankly, I think checkbooks and Quickbooks ought to come with warning labels – keep out of the reach of idiots!
I won’t embarrass myself by recounting my Burton-esque financial blunders. Suffice it to say that when I make a mistake, if it’s only in the $100 range, I’m doing well.
THis time it was in a range with one more zero. But fortunately for me it was only in our budgeting. And more than that – it was in our favor! Yea! A few days ago I had figured that we need to bring in $25k/mo just to keep things going. That covered all household needs as well as trucking. That’s also based on fuel at $5/gal – which it isn’t in most places. Just close. It was also based on driving 12k mi/mo – an estimate which I realize tonight we dont’ do. Most months we only do 10k mi – including deadhead. So, the fuel costs just dropped by $1800 right there. There was one more oops and our actual mo’ly needs are really more like $22k and change. Put that over 10k mi/mo and we only need to average $2.22/mi. Much easier than $2.50 (although, as I write this our average for June so far is $2.60) But, the really good news is that if Rich does actually drive 12k mi/mo, he only has to average $2.00! Way easier! But, that’s a lot of miles. Anything we get over that means we can actually have a savings account and a little breathing room.
I’m sleeping easier tonight!
Packin’ Up
I realized something the other day – and let me tell you, I should have realized this a long time ago!
Trucking ain’t cheap, right? That’s a given. I mentioned before that we have to make at least $25k/mo just to keep going. And that’s on just 10k miles per month. More miles need more $$ for fuel. That is without even trying to bring Rich home. (right now he’s on his way to Thomas Hill, MO. Goody.)
I may have also mentioned that we don’t expect to see him again until mid-July.
That stinks.
I didn’t get married to be a single parent. And Rich didn’t get married to work his @#$)(# off so I could enjoy having a home and children.
So, whattheheck are we doing in Montana? Rates here stink. Wages are just as bad. And cost of living is unbelievable! So why do we stay?
We don’t! yes, I love MT! It’s breathtaking. I love the low crime rate, clean air, etc. Most of all, I love the people. I haven’t truly felt “home” for a long time. But this is.
But I love my family more. We need Rich with us. It won’t be every day, but it will sure be a whole lot more than this! After examining the options, we feel a pretty strong pull toward Houston. Don’t know why. I can barely remember it from my early childhood. (I hated being too young to follow my brother and his friend down to the creek behind the house to catch crawdads!) But it’s covered in trees, has cheap housing, and is even a temple town! What more could I ask? Oh yeah, it’s in a great place for flatbedding.
So, now we try to get this place ready to put on the market. On our side is the fact that we have such a cheap place for this area. We should easily be able to get $175k – 180k for it.
The sad part – well, not for us! – is that the same money will be a gorgeous 3000 sq ft 5 bd 2.5 ba with swimming pool in Houston! I can’t wait! I’ll finally have a real office and not a desk in my bedroom! (Do that in a mobile home – there ain’t a lot of room for bed and desk. Walking is, well, difficult!)
So, now we pack the clutter, give away everything that’s not nailed down, repaint, rip out old carpet (laminate makes a great floor!) sand and repaint the deck, redo some failed landscaping (few young trees thrive in our annual week of -40*) and various other touch-ups. Then find an agent and get it sold! We’re aiming for ready-to-list by the end of June, sold hopefully by beginning of new school year.
Wish us luck!
p.s. Richard, my love, in Tennessee – Ti Amo per Sempre!
p.p.s Date – 1-29-09 Houston didn’t happen. What happened was Ivan. Wiped out the trucking industry in the TX/LA/MS areas. Take soaring fuel prices and remove any hope of decent loads and what you have are thousands of trucking companies, large and small, going out with the tide. We were among those. Oh well.
Gotta Love This Trucking Stuff!
Diesel prices just jumped another 9 cents today. Just today! My friend asked, “How do you guys make it?”
Simple - a lot of us don’t! And those who do have to charge more or we go under. That’s the trick – charging more. Trying to get these miserly brokers to part with the $$. It’s easy for them to say that the shippers won’t pay it. But it’s also easy to call that exactly what it is – Bull Pucky.
We talk to the shippers. Brokers don’t like that. They don’t think we have a right to talk to the people paying to move that load. But when the owner comes out and chats with my husband, Rich isn’t going to just turn away and walk off. More often than not, the shipper asks straight out what we’re getting paid for that load. And when my dh tells him, the guys invariably chokes out, “That’s all? I’m paying —-!” Which is 50-80% more than what we’re seeing.
I have no problem with a broker making 15% of the load. For every $2.00/mile, the broker keeps 30 cents of that. With current fuel prices we have to charge more than that – more like $2.25 right now. That’s not making anyone rich. Just paying the bills and putting food on the table. Add to that the broker’s fair commission and it’s about $2.60/mile. That may sound like a lot, but it’s not. The shippers Rich talks to are frequently paying over $3/mile. And you know what we see out of that? Around $1.80 or so. All that time the broker is swearing that he’s only making $50 off the deal.
Yeah, right.
Personally, I’d like to get rid of all the brokers and deal directly with shippers. Sadly, that’s not going to happen. The sharks do fill a somewhat vital role – taking the paperwork load off the shippers so they can tend to their real business. So, while we’re paying for C H Robinson to send their people to Disneyland, we’re wondering how we’re going to make our next mortgage payment – on a double-wide!
I would love to get a job outside the house. Tried it a number of times. Didn’t work. Rich can’t run this business from the truck. I have to be here, phone on each ear, jumping between five different computer programs in quick succession, searching, calling, negotiating, routing, faxing, reviewing contracts, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!
I love my life.
Truth be told, for all the frustrations of the transportation industry, I far prefer being here when my children are home, knowing they know I’m here. They walk in the door run screaming in the house at 4:00 and I’m done with work. I’m all theirs.
That, plus the fact that Rich is a truck driver. That’s what he does. And he’s good at it. Tried to drive for other people. He’s a good truck driver, not necessarily a great employee! At least when we butt heads he can’t quit and I can’t fire him. I can’t quit either, darn it. Tried to. Didn’t work. Oh well.
What the rest of the world probably understands without me telling them is that when fuel prices go up, so does the price of everything else! That’s why milk prices so closely resemble diesel prices. Someone eventually has to pay for all this wonderful dead dinosaur juice we burn up at 5.5 mpg. And that someone is you, dear reader!
Problem is, there just ain’t much can be done about it. As long as we’re in a tussle with major oil suppliers, as long as we won’t use oil in ecologically delicate areas (and I’m pretty much in favor of keeping our paws off Anwar) and most important, as long as we can’t figure out any reasonably economical way of not using that dead dino juice, we’re stuck with whatever Exxon and Friends care to shove up our collective hineys.
One a positive note, I have finally seen an ad for hybrid big rigs. I’m very interested in them – after the price comes down to less than a Hollywood mansion. Maybe our next president will be kind enough to offer tax breaks or gov’t subsidies for buying “green” semi’s. Hmmm – there’s an idea. A president who won’t protect the oil industry like his first born child.
We’ll have to see what November offers.
