Am I Losing My Mind?

I must be losing my mind, or I have too much money in the bank. The latter of which can't be possible, since if you know anything about me, having too much money in the bank is an impossibility. To me, there is simply no such thing.

You see, the thing is that I currently drive a 2018 Ford F-150 pickup truck, and it's a really nice truck. Even though it's nothing fancy, just an XLT, it's got everything—well, maybe I would have preferred leather seats. But oh well.

But the seats are heated, the mirrors are heated. It's got a back up camera and full center console viewer. It's a V8, and doesn't have (sorry Ford) that crappy Ecoboost thing.

I like it, 'nuff said.

Back in around October of last year I finally took the plunge and got something I have wanted for decades. A camper.

And it's really nice too. I bought a 2019 Keystone Passport Elite MB34. She's about 7,020 pounds dry and about 38' long, is really roomy, and was priced just right. I have pulled it several times so far and my experience with it has been mainly satisfactory. At the same time, I am still quite aware she's back there, especially in windy conditions. Just 20 or so mile per hour winds can make for an interesting tow experience, although I am going to start experimenting more with the brake assist to see if that helps on windier days. 

But honestly, 20 mile per hours are not generally considered less than ideal for pulling a travel trailer. So, not sure what to think about that. It could be chalked up to lack of experience. I have never pulled anything this big before.

Or I might just need a bigger truck.

Which brings to a bit of dilemma. As I said, I like my truck. Now, I will say I have been considering having a third vehicle handy. The idea before was to keep my wife's car, a 2019 Nissan Rogue, once it is paid off—which is soon—and just get her another car.

She hasn't been extremely excited about the Nissan anyway. She's been talking about getting a Ford Explorer. Before the Nissan we had a 2010 Ford Edge, which we liked and probably should have kept since there was nothing wrong with it. It was just getting up there in miles and my wife was ready for a change.

But nonetheless, we didn't do that and here we are.

My thinking is that what I want, to be better equipped to pull the camper, is to upgrade to a Ford F-250. The question will become which do I prefer? Gas or diesel? And I am leaning diesel and leaning Power Stroke.

I just think for this purpose diesel is better and the engine will last longer. I could be wrong about that. It's only an opinion and there is no real basis for it since I am not necessarily all that versed on engines and vehicle mechanics in general.

I do assume, though, that it is not unreasonable to expect to get up to a half a million miles out of a diesel engine provided it is well maintained and all. But again, that's a guess.

Now, here's the crazy idea I have, and that's to keep my current truck and just get another one, and instead of keeping the Nissan as a third vehicle, we just keep two trucks instead and trade her Nissan in when the time comes for something else for her.

Do I need two trucks? Not necessarily. But still, I think having the third vehicle, if that's the ultimate goal, has its purpose served regardless of whether or not the third vehicle is two trucks and a car or one truck and two cars.

It is really a bit of a horse a piece isn't it?

Granted, I will admit that the cost of the F-250 will likely be more than the cost of a Ford Explorer, even though I will definitely buy a used F-250. That depends on the year I choose too, and of course the miles matter.

When I bought my 2018 it was two-years old and only had 26,000 miles on it and I paid about $32,000 for it. I was looking at some of the F-250's around 2020 and it looks like one I saw had 75,000 miles on it and was about $46,000.

Still, I am of the thinking that I can reasonably kill two birds with one stone here. And if I am looking at higher miles on a diesel, I am still going to get a pretty good run for my money. At present, my F-150 has about 46,000 miles on it, so I think it has good life left in it as well. That is despite the fact that I also believe I may get many more miles out of the Nissan, keeping it, than I will with the F-150.

I have some time yet to decide. I have three camping trips to date planned for the season this year. One coming up at the end of the month. Another in July, and a potential final one in August—even though I am sure we may plan some very close to home trips before we close up shop and winterize around October.

I said I'd shop and make a decision before the start of the camping season next year.

But the trips are telling of course, right? The one in May is about 2 hours away. So is the one in August. They are quite manageable. The one planned for August is a bit longer of a trip. Around 6 hours away. That may be the most telling of all of them since that one will provide the worst-case scenario.

How well will the F-150 I have now handle on an extended trip?

I suppose regardless of which direction I choose to go, I think at least shopping around for an F-250 should be a fun experience and gives me one more thing to do on a weekend. Shopping around on Sundays of course, since to me that's the only time to ever step foot on a car lot unless you are actually going to test drive something specific or actually pull the trigger on a purchase.

Well, there's that, and hey, look on the bright side. I get to bring you all along for the journey as I shop around. Plus, maybe all of my writing about it may also flip the bill for me. Okay, that's quite a bit of a stretch. 

Besides, I will leave open the possibility that I may actually be losing my mind. So, anything is possible.

Like the way I write or the things I write about? Follow me on my Facebook page where I compile many of the things I write about from the places where I write them. I'd love to see you there, and we can chat too. 

Writing on the Journal is Tough

Let me be straight up and say that no matter the audience, I enjoy the process of writing. And that goes for anything I might write about. The mindless drool I write here is not without its level of pleasure and enjoyment.

As I often say about writing, the general thought is to just keep the pen moving. And while The Journal here may not have a strong audience, and for whatever reason Google has decided not to let me monetize it like my other blogs on the Blogspot platform, it is—for all intents and purposes—not a waste of time for me.

But it's tough. 

It's tough because fewer eyes land here. It's tough because—well, let's face it, I want to be able to monetize it. It's tough because it doesn't really advance my other, more serious writing. It's tough because I prefer to share that other writing on my Facebook page devoted to sharing the things I write about.

At the same time, I still don't mind doing it. In fact, there are times when the well runs just a little bit dry. It happens! And just being able to write about anything and nothing at all helps to spark something that maybe leads to something else that is more productive.

And can be monetized.

Just because it is tough does not mean I won't still spend time here, doing what I do. As I have said here and in other places, I almost have to write just as much as I have to breathe. It's a part of me and an extension of me.

It's what I am and what I do.

And ultimately, for whatever it is worth, people actually do still land here from time to time, and I suppose that helps to make it worth it on some level. It's not like it is totally dead here. The Journal simply doesn't get the same fanfare that my other blogs and writing do.

It's tough, but I will continue to do it, for whatever that's worth, and for whatever prying eyes land here to see what I have to say.

And now for something completely different, check out one of my song releases on Spotfiy, "Where Do I Go." https://open.spotify.com/track/7At3eSWGYR47va1nbwDx6m?si=08e896555c124cdc

Just Getting Through the Day Is All

It's Monday, folks, and let's face it. Monday's just suck. I mean, don't get me wrong, my job isn't all that hard and I don't necessarily mind working. But the reality is that I really don't want to do it. Can't I just be retired already?

I think I have done my fair share, you know, contributing to the world and taxes and whatever in the 36 years I have been busting my buns. Time for some me time, know what I'm saying?

I have to travel for work this week, and as such I will be on the road running through Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota through Friday. Today is just the day before the day I have to leave, and while there are things I need to button up before I head out, I really just want to do nothing at all and be mostly lazy.

Sue me.

That's kind of what I am doing, by the way. I am not being unproductive, mind you. I'm just not necessarily putting my all in either. Just killing time, as they say. Watching the clock slowly move the hands forward, one second and sixty at a time.

I still have to get my hotels booked and I will get to that in a bit here. I've got to work out any last-minute trip details, like seeing if I want to try to add anyone in or take someone off the list. I have to remember to load up a few ball caps to take along to hand out to customers.

But other than that, I plan to just bide the time and call it done for today. If the cards fall into place just right I might even go home a bit early. We'll see. Because all I am doing today is just getting through the day and that is all I plan to accomplish when all is said and done.

I write more serious stuff too. If you want to follow all the places I write, check out my Facebook page to keep up with all the things I write about and the places where I do it.

I Write a Lot

From serious stuff to not so serious stuff, I write a lot. I am not sure if I would necessarily call myself exactly prolific, but there may be some rationale behind me saying it if I were to actually say it. While some have called me, in no uncertain terms, and usually after a long debate, a windbag, I guess at the end of the day I just have a lot to say.

What can I say?

A lot of the time I tell myself I just have to do it. It is something that is within me that I am simply compelled to write, and write a lot. I just gotta get it out, you know? The words. The thoughts. The ideas and opinions. I have to get them out.

I do wonder sometimes what might happen if I didn't do that. Would it be like holding in a fart or something? I mean, it's there. It doesn't just go away, just like words. It all has to come out eventually. Would I explode? I am not sure, and I am no scientist, so I have no idea.

So, I write. And I write a lot and I just keep on writing so long as the words continue to come and so long as I have an outlet to get it all down on paper.

Well, these days on a computer screen of course. 

A while back I decided to start a Facebook page dedicated only to things I write. People get tired of you sharing sometimes on your regular page. But I didn't really do anything with it. I didn't update it much, I didn't promote it much...

I just basically let it sit there.

Recently I decided to not do that anymore. Update it, will ya! I shouted at myself. You actually do have a fan base and because I write in so many places, maybe that fan base could just go to one central place and find it all there.

Or most of it.

But that's part of the problem. I write a lot. And so that means there is more material to share than I have room for necessarily at a given time on my Facebook page—and at the same time I don't really want to clutter anyone's feeds either. That tends to annoy people, and then sharing doesn't matter because they won't bother to pay any attention to you—and there's only so much time to read a bunch of stuff from a windbag like me.

Still, I make every attempt to share what I can. The "evergreen" stuff like this drool I am writing right now can be shared any time—and sometimes it's good filler. If I am writing more "timely" stuff, that has to get up as fast as possible, but of course I still want to stagger it all a little bit.

Either way, no matter what I just keep on doing what I do and eventually if anyone wants to read any of it, they will get the opportunity. By the way, if you happen to be one of those people, go ahead and have a look at my Facebook page and see what's over there. And always feel free to drop me a comment. I will read them and answer them.

Because that's a form of writing too, isn't it? But don't be surprised if I do comment and it happens to be a little long-winded.

You know, that whole windbag thing and all.

First Camp of 2023 On the Books

If I had not mentioned it before, which I most likely have not, my wife and I finally took the plunge last year and bought a travel trailer. We enjoyed a couple of camps last year just as sort of trial runs since we bought it late in the year before we had to get it winterized.

I had been talking about getting one for 20 years and finally decided it was time. I will be 50 in June and I not going to get any younger. Might as well just give it a go and see what happens.

So far, we're having a great time with it, although I think I may need to upgrade my truck. What I bought was a 38' Keystone Passport Elite MB34 and I am currently pulling it with a Ford F-150 V8. It appeared rated for the weight and all, but so far, I do notice the truck struggles just a bit on inclines and despite having a sway bar hitch installed, even in 20mph winds we get a bit more sway than we'd prefer.

Maybe next year. By the end of this camping season, I should know for sure what I want to do. We've been taking trips a couple of hours away, but we have a longer trip planned for August about 6 hours away. That should tell us quite a lot.

Like how the truck will handle on an extended trip, how easy it will be to find gas stations we can maneuver in and so on and so forth.

But our first camp of 2023 is on the books, and I have to say we had a blast. Had the whole gang there practically. My dad and his wife. My sister and brother-in-law and their two younger kids. Her oldest daughter, my niece, was also there with her boyfriend and kid.

My wife was there too, but since she was the one who took all the pictures, she doesn't make an appearance.

The extended fam didn't stay the night. My dad and his wife live in Portageville, MO and stayed with us for the entire camp. We stayed at Cape Camping & RV Park on North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, MO. A nice spot in the middle of town close to amenities and not terribly priced at $55 per night with full-service hookups and all pull-through sites.

Our only complaint was that we were close to the entrance which was close to a car wash at the top of the hill, and so we had some noise from the constant air dryer running. But other than that it was a pleasant experience with friendly staff that were very helpful during our stay.

On Friday night it was just the four of us; my wife and I and my dad and his wife. We cooked up some brats on the grill and got some deviled egg potato salad from Walmart—which is delicious potato salad by the way.

On Saturday night, with the whole gang there, we had T-bone steaks with lots of goodies on the side. And of course, as is essential for any camping adventure, there was plenty of beer to be had. Although the ladies stuck to wine and flavored malt beverages.

We also had a campfire both nights.

As I mentioned, heading back home on Sunday morning we did run into a bit of wind conditions. Nothing terrible, but it was hitting us at about 20 miles per hour. I have no idea what the occasional gusts were, but each time they let me know they meant business.

It was a bit interesting that I went through a half a tank of gas on the way to Cape and burned through a whole tank on the way home. I presume the wind was giving the truck a bit more of a run for its money and that's why we went through more. It got a bit close, but we didn't have to be forced to try getting into a gas station which I was happy about, although eventually we are going to have to do it.

The only hiccups I ran into were that our Keurig went kaput, and we had to throw away 2 folding chairs. But all of them were old things and so it was probably time anyway. Luckily, we did not have to spring for two new chairs right away, but the Keurig had to be replaced immediately.

Our next camp is planned for the end of the month in Springfield, Illinois, again a couple of hours away, with my wife's cousin and his wife who will come down from Waukesha, Wisconsin to spend some time with us.

It should be a great time.

Explore the quirky side of Jim Bauer with his recent song release on Spotify, Sunny Days—if nothing else the spins might help to pay for that new truck he wants to get (lol); https://open.spotify.com/track/4zPdalYp0coAwcJndN2Nnc?si=16429bd63fc24bba

The Next Building Over

I just remember glancing down at my sister's text. "It's really easy to find."

I had to meet up with her and my mom for an appointment with the neurologist as she's been having some memory issues and hallucinating—Doc ultimately said she thinks it may be a subcategory of Alzheimer's. Not that that was a total shocker. We have been noticing mom having some issues for a couple of years or so. It's just that it got worse enough that we needed to have a better idea of what we are dealing with.

I parked my truck and headed into what I thought was the main entrance of the hospital, walked toward the elevators and checked my phone for the information I needed.

5th floor, suite 5000.

I pushed the button to call for a lift and proceeded up to the 5th floor. Scanning the directory on the wall, all I saw on the 5th floor was suite 3000. There was no suite 5000 to be seen. I glanced around a bit more thinking maybe I was missing something. 

Nothing. There was no suite 5000.

I finally saw someone coming down the hall that clearly worked at the hospital and asked, "I'm looking for neurology, suite 5000."

She smiled and said, "Oh, that's the next building over."

I saw there was a long hall to the right of the elevators and asked if I could take the hall on the 5th floor to get over there and she said I'd have to go back down since I'd have to pass a security check point down the hall. 

No worries. I called back the lift and went back down to the ground floor and made my way down the hall to the other side of the building. I looked around and saw a bank of elevators and repeated my steps. 

Up to the 5th floor I went. But there was less there than the other building over and still no suite 5000.

I went back down to the ground floor and stopped at the help desk. "I am looking for neurology, suite 5000," I said.

"That's the next building over," the receptionist told me.

How many buildings are there?

I walked over to the next building and finally found the suite I was looking for on the 5th floor. And I made it just in the nick of time. 

I made it a point to tell my sister that it was not at all easy to find and she asked if perhaps I needed to have a consult with the neurologist after she finished up with mom?

Follow my various writing and blogs at https://www.facebook.com/jimbauerwrites