Paper Mills

Plymouth, North Carolina. I'm at a paper mill. Gods, I hate these places. If I had to think of one place that most dehumanizes drivers, it would be a paper mill. And just why is security so tight, anyway? I'm sure a 3,000 pound roll of paper is worth a lot of money, but it's not like you're going to slip it into your pocket and sneak out the gate.

I'm in the waiting lot. Essentially this means, well, that I'm waiting. You arrive, check in, and come over here to wait. They'll call for you when they want you. The last time I was here for about twelve hours. But on the upside, there aren't a lot of trucks waiting here. This time it may not be so bad.

I need a shower. I think I'll stop at our terminal in Chester, Virginia on the way up. I'm not happy about heading right back to Massachusetts. But my return load will bring me in on a Thursday. So when I get back my week will be just about over.

I'm thinking about getting a hotel room this weekend and doing nothing but work on uploading the web site to the new host (yeah, Dotster sucks monkey butt, so there). I imagine I'll have to work on moving my Thunderbird a bit, too. Mark claims it will be moved when I get home. But Mark promises a lot that he never delivers.

Well, I think I'll kick back and enjoy the lovely environs of a paper mill. I would describe it, but I'm afraid I'd break into tears. It's just that lovely (please note sarcasm here). And, oh! The wonderful aroma!

Oh, wait. A truck just dropped a trailer full of huge 3,000-5,000 pound paper rolls. And the trailer doors are open. Think anyone will notice if I run over and slip one of those rolls into my back pocket?

Okay ... after that last paragraph I just watched something cool. In the next lot over across from me there are these platforms. I just watched them unload a trailer full of wood chips. They did so by lifting up the entire truck and trailer until they were almost vertical. And, of course, all the wood chips dumped out the back of the trailer. Only a man could have come up with something like that. A woman would have developed some kind of efficient vacuum system. Only a man would look at the problem and say, “Well, let's just lift the whole sumbitch up.”

Okay, so there's at least one cool thing about a paper mill. But let's keep it between us, okay?