Crap, I feel like I go through trucks quicker than I do underwear.

That was supposed to be funny.

Nice to see you still hanging around Matt. Still no life for you either? lol...

 

Yea... no life... if I'm not working or going to class, I'm at the climbing gym or here.

I can't believe the Rockies are going to the world series! what a turnaround from last season...

 

Matt's fibbing to ya, if he's claiming he has no life. Man... he's one of the richest guys in that part of the state. He just pretends to be a poor ole broken down Ford Truck drivin' slob, like me. And we all know, nobody can compare with broken down ole me.

So what kinda new old truck did ya get, while changing underwear?

 

Holy crap, you're still around too? Hehe and here I thought the forum was all cleaned up!

I traded in my '04 F-150 Crew w/ 55,000 mi for an '01 F-250 Crew w/ 130,000 mi. Call me crazy, but I lowered my monthly payment and I've got a truck that can handle all the abuse a little better. I beat the holy hell outta the F-150. It never did break, but the techs at the dealership had to get out the torch and some crowbars when they did their inspection on it!

I got a great deal... helps that my brother works there!

 

Well, I did just get "promoted" to the Laurel area tech, and a little pay raise. I had heard that the average wage for Billings was 11.50/hr which is where I started with this job. So when I got my last pay raise, I was pretty stoked, the other nght in my Urban Ecology class, the city-county health director and Chuck Tooley (former Billings mayor) had both stated that the average wage for Billings was $14/hr... so now I'm average again. I don't think its too bad for a college student. With GE and Cabelas opening in the area, they are going to have to be really competitive to keep employees around, hell, we have a lower than ideal unemployment rate at 2%.

 

looks good to me!

I'm still carrying the mail... but I'm trying to get in on the energy boom that's going on here, make some real money.

 

I wouldn't give up the awesome retirement the PO has... plus, the energy boom always goes in cycles, 3-5 years and you could be out of work sittin' on your butt.

 

The PO does have a good retirement, but the job I'm looking at is Conoco-Phillips and theirs is actually a whole lot better. The job is at a downstream natural gas refinery, which will always be there, no matter how many drilling rigs there are. No worries there...

 

The only energy boom I'd want to get into is the Wind Generators. Too bad the enviros block everything someone wants to do here. "It'll spoil my view!!" Whine whine whine.

Only problem is my physical condition is so FUBAR, plus turning 56 tomorrow, doesn't help me a bit, getting a new job or training...unless, of course, I wanna go to work at a call center or something....and I'm not too sure I could sit at a computer all day either. I get so danged sore, stiff and stove up sitting here for the little time I do, that trying an 8 hour day answering hostile people's calls would do me in. Or, I'd do me in.

That truck may be the best for ya, if you're gonna beat the tar out oof it anyway. Certainly doesn't pay to beat up a newer rig at the price of them. Holy Cow... I can't even imagine beating mine up and it's a 99. She's mah baby and still looks almost as good as when I bought her. A few more scratches here and there, but otherwise she's runnin' fine and I hope it to be my last truck...unless I win the lottery or something like getting struck by lightning.

Oh.. and congrats Matt, on the raise. Wages here are starting to finally go up, with all the new people moving in and demanding to make a living, instead of having to make the scenery half their wages, like it's been here, for so long.

Swann.... Stay outta the oil fields. They'll either kill ya or ruin yer body. Use me as an example and work within your limitations, so you can work until a healthy retirement age.

 

Thanks Dick, therein lies my problem. I'm not even 30 yet and this job has caused me some serious shoulder arthritis. It is probably a hereditary condition, but the repetitive motions involved have really aggravated it. I cannot deliver mail for even 3 more years, much less 30. Any other jobs in the PO would require me to relocate, which I am not willing to do.

This plant job doesn't have any of that, and I won't be in the fields. I'll be pulling maintenance on the plant equipment and basically babysitting plant operations. 12 hour shifts, 7 days on then 7 days off. Oil and gas field pay and benefits, without actually having to go in the field. I'd be home every nite!

 

Sounds like you have done some research then, and good luck if you decide to go that route.

Happy Birthday, Dick! and thanks for the the congrats... sometimes I need a little motivation to get through the day, but its a good job.

 

Thanks Matt.. turning 56 was just soooo thrilling. But, now my life has changed just a wee bit. My dad died at age 55, so now I can consider each day another blessing... even if the arthritis and other pain I live with is so constant and miserable.

Swan .. sounds like ya got a good deal going. I do know about the shoulder pain, from arthritis. My left shoulder kills me if I push myself too hard. My right arm and hand are constantly swollen and my hand "locks up" when clenching my hand. Pretty strange.

I wish ya lots of luck with your new endeavors. Wish I could find something I could do that paid and had affordable insurance. For now, I'm in the battle with Social Security. Haven't worked a paying job since last November. I do chores here at the HOA, to pay my dues and insurance, but don't make a dime. At least you are still young enough where someone will hire and even train you, figuring they'll have ya around for at least 15-20 years. Me... not many people willing to hire and train.. except call centers...and I know I can't even sit at a computer all day. It was tough enough when I worked for Stream International as a phone person and then Team Manager.

Sigh...nuff whining. I envy both of you guys. You just remember to do what you can to protect your back and the rest of your body. Employers are scared to death to hire someone who's falling apart, ya know.

Take care guys. I'll be around...just not as often as I used to be.

 

You're only as weak as you make yourself... although I wish you the best, I know its hard to get up and go at it everyday, I'm watching my mom die from cancer every day now, but she still goes to work, ironically enough taking care of alzheimers patients.

I'm coming from a few years ago being more than 60lbs overweight and horribly out of shape and mired in depression. Now I juggle full time college and work, get up every morning and run, and when its too cold or wet to run outside I stop at the climbing gym on my way home from work or school depending on the day. It was hard to get in the routine and the first few weeks were hell, but now I feel so much better, the knee pain is worth it. I'm far from perfect or happy, but I have to keep working at a better life or it just goes downhill, its harder to get to the top when you start at the bottom.

 

Well I finally got the beast out of the city to give it a try. It was... well... fun. Wanna hear the story? Good. I knew you would.

Wednesday was the last day I could hunt on my elk tag, so I drove 80 miles up to Dubois. Then I went another 15 miles north into the Absarokas and promptly found a nice steep muddy hill to climb. I didn't make it. In fact, I slid back down into a tree and dented up my already dented up driver's side rear fender. Cool! Oh yeah and I folded the mirror forward. It's not supposed to fold that way. All it did was bust up the plastic trim. Mirror's still there!

Then I went up to my favorite fishing spot, Bog Lake. About 2,000 ft up the mountain on a rough, muddy, rocky two-track road through the forest. I couldn't avoid the deep ruts in one portion of the road. I fell in and BANG! scraped bottom through a mudhole filled with rocks and broke my brand new $50 Rancho steering stabilizer in two. Note to self... don't worry about having a stabilizer on this truck.

So after a day of romping around and seeing plenty of elk and deer, but nothing i can shoot at, I head back home.

100 miles later, I pull into the driveway and inspect the damage. First thing I notice is the unmistakable smell of gear oil. Peer under the truck and find gear oil RUNNING, not dripping, out of the front diff. Seems the previous owner thought it would be funny to pry the cover off for some reason and not flatten it back out before re-installation. There is a 1/4" gap on the bottom and the silicone that was holding it together is now gone.

Oh yeah the silicone blew out because the passenger side hub didn't unlock (auto hubs) and the axle was spinning at 70 mph the whole way home. Guess I'll be putting good ol' manual hubs on soon.

I loved the power of the V-10 and verified that the limited slip rear does indeed work. All in all, a good day. My new old truck kicks ****!

 

Thats sweet... I want one... it'll probably have to wait until I'm done with college... but I want one...