Saturday, October 14
Not dead nor forgotten
I realize it's been a month since my last post, but I've not given up,
just have been exceedingly busy. I made several commitments for this
Fall before switching jobs, then took a new position with significant
responsibility, and now my calendar is jammed full. It'd be entirely
manageable if I wasn't dealing with two compounded health issues --
I'm never getting rested and getting very tired. My doctor is sending
me to a sleep specialist to address the poor sleep and sleep apnea,
and my ophthalmologist says my eyes aren't working right, so are
burning lots of energy and wearing me out. The upshot is that I'm
alternating between working until midnight or past several nights with
bleary eyes, and then collapsing exhausted at 7pm the rest of the
nights, leaving no time for hobbies or leisure. Biodiesel and this
blog fall into that category, so I'm hoping this is temporary. Until
then, I'm taking about 12 hours of "naps" a week. Once I teach a
course this next week, I should be able to crash for awhile, catch up
on sleep, and then do the final push to complete my processor.
Anyway, enough of health, let's talk new biodiesel production news.
>> I picked up 12 more 10 gallon mini-drums from Container Mgmt,
bringing the total to 20 (with two MIA currently). Regrettably,
Container Mgmt is 0 for 2 in delivering the drums in the condition
promised. This time, they delayed delivery for 3+ weeks, while they
were getting them washed, incinerated, painted and ready. Then, when
I picked them up, they were in the same, sorry, sticky condition as
before. Apparently the 3 weeks of pain I went through deferring their
use and juggling resources was for nothing, so I have 12 sticky, icky
drums. I'd have balked and told them to deliver as promised, but my
spouse picked them up for me (thanks honey!!) so it was already too
late. I think, after twice not delivering, they're not going to get a
3rd try to make good.
>> I've picked up another cafeteria route for oil, and the chef
there, John, also manages two other cafeterias in the Easton area, so
we should soon be up to 5 cafeterias on our routes. The one I just
picked up is in the building I work in, so I not only can keep tabs on
the drums and provide good service, but it's easy to pickup, and the
daily check on the drum means that my commute is tax deductible.
Wahoo!
>> A local artist has painted one of the drums with a Celtic-inspired
red flames, and is wanting to paint more, to practice his pinstriping
craft. It's pretty cool, and I'll post pictures soon. For now, I'm
going to bed!
