Area 51 Alien Center

          OMG I finally made it!  For five years, I’ve wanted a load that would take me up US 95 in Nevada from Las Vegas to Reno so I could go to THIS truck stop.  Last week, I finally got one.  (Thank you, Joey!)

          I don’t know if I believe in the existence of alien life.  I don’t know if I believe that aliens have landed on our planet and the government is denying it.  What I do believe in is the possibility.  For me, the idea of aliens is fun to think and speculate about, but I don’t believe I will have definite answers in my lifetime. 

          I’m a Trekkie.  My two favorite Star Trek episodes are the Next Generation episode where people from the 20^th Century are found cryogenically frozen and brought back to a state of consciousness where they find out they’re hundreds of years in the future and having to adjust, and the Next Generation movie, First Contact, where the crew goes back in time to when the Vulcans first made contact with the inhabitants of Earth.  (Told you I was a nerd!)

          Star Trek and portrayed aliens as mostly friendly, whereas most other movies portrayed aliens as aggressors.  I like friendly aliens better.

          A local resident was nice enough to indulge me and take this picture.  I talked to him for a few minutes and he told me he does this for travelers all the time.  I was there less than an hour, but I had a blast.

          What do you think about aliens?  Have they been here?  Are they here now, walking among us and we just don’t know it?  Am I a loon?

Is There Anything Good About E-logs?

          I’ve heard plenty of complaints about e-logs.  There hasn’t been a wide variety of complaints, what I hear is the same three or four complaints echoed by many people.  What I’m not hearing is much good about e-logs.  

          Is there anything good about e-logs?  Believe it or not, there are some advantages to e-logs.  The two main advantages that I’ve experienced are that they do the math for me and they “trained” me while I was trying to understand the changes in the HOS that happened while I was a stay at home mom.

          When I was on paper logs, I was a nightmare with my recap.  I’m a reasonably intelligent person, but I kept adding 7 days instead of 8 and couldn’t figure out why I had 10 more hours than I had yesterday when I drove 10 and gained 10.  My e-logs don’t get tired and make rookie mistakes.

          I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… the 8/2 split rule wouldn’t have been anymore confusing to learn if it had been written in Greek or Swahili.  Once I finally got it, I realized I’d been making it a whole lot harder than it was… but until I had that “AHA moment,” holy guacamole!  Thankfully, my e-logs don’t try to overthink things like I do.

          A friend of mine (who drives for another company) told me that when he was on paper logs he abused them like crazy.  One of the biggest advantages for him is now that he has no choice but to run legal, he doesn’t experience the high level of anxiety about DOT asking to see his log book like he used to. 

          What about you?  What is something good that you’ve found about being on e-logs?

The Parking Problem

           

              I don’t know if the e-log mandate will ever prove to make us safer drivers, but if nothing else, it sure has shone a big spotlight on problems that most of us already knew existed.

          Parking is one of those problems.  I’ve been hearing for years about a driver shortage, but it sure doesn’t look like it at 7:00 at night when you’ve got ten trucks circling a parking lot and there are only three open spaces.

          I told my brother last week that if I’m parking after 7:00 pm, I’m more likely to head straight to a rest area than bother being one of those ten trucks.  I never used to go into a rest area after dark for safety reasons.  After being a local driver for over 2 years, he got to see what I was talking about when he filled in for a 3-day run that had him away from home last week. 

          It doesn’t help that the 5 major truck stops are owned by 3 companies that have made it nearly impossible for the smaller chains and independent truck stops to complete.  They’re slowly ceasing to exist, taking precious parking spaces with them.

          It also doesn’t help that so many truck drivers trash a parking lot and ruin it for the rest of us.  The parking lot of the old Pilot in Winslow has been available for us to park in for years, conveniently located right next door to a Wal-Mart.  I’ve bought more allergy medicine in that Wal-Mart than I have at home.  A few months ago, barriers were put up - keeping the trucks out.  I heard that the owner got tired of getting fined for trash on the ground and decided to close it off.  Thanks guys.

          States are closing rest areas due to lack of funding.  Exit ramps are lined with trucks that ran out of hours with no safe parking available.  I’ve never been one to park at the truck stops around the yard, my thoughts being I’d rather leave those spots for the drivers who aren’t less than 2 miles from their terminal. 

I don’t know what the answer is.  Sure, like everyone else, I’ve got some ideas, but no one is asking me.  For now, all we can do is the best we can do.

I Forgot About Safety?

                At a delivery last week, I saw a poster on the wall outside the breakroom with a cartoon drawing of a man with a bandage on his head, black eye, broken nose, arm in a sling and on a crutch.  On the poster it said, “I forgot about safety for one moment.”  That poster really ticked me off.

          I had this great post all worked out in my head then I decided to look up the word “forget” on the dictionary app on my phone.  (Yes, I’m that nerd that has a dictionary app on my phone.  A thesaurus, too.)

Merriam-Webster defines “forget” as”

    1.   To be unable to think of or remember (something),

    2.   To fail to remember to bring or take (something),

    3.   To stop thinking or caring about (someone)

I was all set to blast that poster right out of the water in this post until I saw the third definition.  And here I thought I was so smart.  BTW, the synonym listed for the word “forget” is “neglect.”  The first two definitions make forgetting sound like something that happens unintentionally, but the third one nails it.

Safety rules don’t leave our brains.  None of us (out of training) wake up in the morning not knowing we should do a pre-trip.  People don’t suddenly not know that they should lift with their knees, not their backs.  Seatbelts have been in motor vehicles for years.  None of this is new information.  I don’t know the exact number, but I believe that the majority of tickets, accidents and injuries would be prevented if people would stop neglecting the safety rules they absolutely do know.

To me, “I forgot” sounds like the beginning of a really crappy excuse.  It ranks right up there with “I didn’t mean to…” in my mind.  I’m a firm believer in being intentional and owning my crap.  When we use excuses, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to become better and no one buys them anyway, so why bother?

When I was in high school, one of my teachers had this quote up on her wall.  I have no idea who said it, but I love it and still quote it 30 years later.

“Excuses are tools of the incompetent.  Those who use them build monuments to nowhere and seldom amount to anything.”

Welcome To The Quitters Club

          I had my last cigarette on February 4th.  I haven’t yelled at anyone, cried, gotten road rage, or had to hide a body.  I think I’m doing pretty well.  I started smoking when I was 13.  I don’t feel old telling you that I’m 47, but I think I sound old when I say I’ve been smoking for 34 years.  I know, I’m weird.

          I spent a year talking myself into doing this.  No, I’m not doing it for my health.  If I was quitting for my health, I would have done it over twenty years ago.  My great motivation is that I’m tired of stinking like an ashtray.  The smell I used to crave so much has gotten quite offensive to me.    

          It really doesn’t matter what my WHY is.  What’s important is that I have a strong enough WHY to see it through.  There are plenty of solid reasons to quit smoking and I will reap the benefits of all of them no matter what my motivator is.

          I’m using a vape to quit because I know that quitting cold turkey turns me into a raving lunatic, I’m allergic to the adhesive on the patches, the gum and lozenges taste like pepper and I hate pepper.  This isn’t my first try, but this is the one I feel the most positive about.

          I started out at a level 6 nicotine and my plan is to cut down to a 3 on June 1^st, 0 in September and then on New Years Eve I’m going to pack up all my vaping supplies and be done.  I know my limits.  I know that trying to break the nicotine habit and the physical habit is a recipe for failure for me, so I’m doing it this way.

          Two people I know commented that everyone they knew that had tried to quit smoking using a vape went right back to cigarettes.  I can think of three people right off the top of my head that quit successfully using a vape, so I know it can be done.  I don’t believe in applying my “can’t” to other people’s lives and I don’t allow other people to apply theirs to mine.

          If you smoke, don’t worry that I’m going to be obnoxious to you about it.  I know that everyone walks their own path.  If and when you come to a place where you decide to quit, I will be your biggest cheerleader, but if that never happens, I promise to never forget what it felt like to “not be there.”

          Feel free to help hold me accountable. 

Do E-Logs Make You Speed?

          You would have to be a mushroom or completely uninvolved with the trucking industry to not be aware of all the uproar over E-logs.  There have been plenty of arguments against ELD’s: from the intrusive nature, to the ability of the FMSCA to implement the regulations, to whether ELD’s really make us safer. 

          One argument I heard recently was that ELD’s will cause drivers to speed more because there is more pressure to drive X number of miles within a time frame they can no longer manipulate.  This was an interesting idea to me because I drive a truck that is governed at 65 MPH.  There are only four places I can speed:

    1.   Construction zones

    2.   In/around cities

    3.   California, and

    4.   Oregon

     I can honestly say that E-logs haven’t caused me to speed, so I asked a friend who drives a truck that is wide open and just got on E-logs in December.  He said that he got tired of paying speeding tickets years ago - so no, he doesn’t speed - but on E-logs he feels a sense of urgency that he never felt when he was on paper logs.  He said he always feel like he’s “got to go.”  (And he didn’t mean potty!)

     I think it would be interesting to find out if the occurrence of speeding tickets issued to trucks goes up, but I hope no one decides to spend (waste) tax dollars to find out.

     As a Libertarian, I’m generally opposed to most Government regulation.  I’m not personally opposed to E-logs, they helped me a lot when I came to work here while learning new HOS laws, plus they do all the math.

     What say you?  Do you feel a sense of urgency on E-logs that you never felt on paper?  Have you found yourself more likely to speed to make up time lost in backups caused by construction, accidents or rush hour traffic?  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Time To Decompress!

           One of my qualities that makes me good at my job is my ability to be alone for long periods of time and not feel lonely.  I love my solitude.  I need my solitude.  I realized a couple of weeks ago that outside of this truck, I haven’t had any time to myself since March.  Every time I’ve taken time off since March, I’ve been doing something with other people. Don’t get me wrong, I like being around people but I also like my time alone to just BE… not running around, not having to hold up my end of a conversation, but to just BE.  That’s what keeps me sane (ish.)

          Today, a friend who takes his time off at his daughter’s house with her family told me: “I love spending time with my granddaughter, but I always make sure I get some time to myself.  I need that.”

          I was explaining to Tiffany that I’m feeling fried, so I want to put the blog on pause for two weeks and just decompress.

          I think we all need some time to decompress.  My dad used to go dink around in the garage, or go fishing or even just a ride in his pickup out in the country.  I ride my bike, or hibernate in my apartment and work on a puzzle, among other things.

          What do you do?  Drop me a line in the comments and let me know how you decompress.  Note: you have to be logged into a Google account to leave a comment.

Holy Cow, It's Cold!

          I didn’t realize how lucky I’ve been the past month until last Tuesday.  I skirted the cold front that came through over Christmas.  Then last week when another one came down, I was bouncing back and forth between Phoenix and Dallas on I-10/20.  Last Saturday I was running the A/C.

          My luck ran out on Monday when I was dispatched on a load out of the Dallas area to Northeast Indiana.  Holy cow, I didn’t realize it’s been so cold.  I mean… I know it has been because I’ve been hearing about it, but I haven’t had to deal with it, so it didn’t really sink in.         

          Tuesday night it was cold enough that I was able to idle the truck.  Our trucks will idle if the temperature is below 10 or above 100. 

          As long as we’re talking about cold weather… are you remembering to put Power Service in the reefer tank?  I worry about that more than I do the truck because the truck has tank heaters, but the reefer doesn’t.  When I was headed towards Dallas last weekend, I put PS in the reefer and topped it off because I knew it has been cold and I didn’t know what I was doing after Dallas.  Just trying to think ahead… makes life so much easier. 

My New Co-driver

                Last week I got a new co-driver from Tiny Tails Small Dog Rescue in OKC.  He is a pocket dog; I swear I have cooked chickens bigger than this dog.  He might weigh 6 lbs.

          I took this picture about 15 minutes after I got him.  He wasn’t quite sure what to make of this crazy lady who had just kidnapped him.  He came to the Rescue from the streets last summer.  Within a few hours, he decided I was okay.

          The lady running the rescue called him Bert… but I decided I can’t have a Bert without an Ernie, so I decided to call him Nacho, which was Bobby’s CB handle.  I figured it was appropriate… they were both little, old, feisty, Mexican guys.  Over the past 24 hours though, I have taken to calling him Einstein… after the genius peed on his own foot.  At least it wasn’t my foot, right?

          I guess he’s decided I’m a pretty okay mom.  We’ve been together for a week now.  He finally believes that when I leave the truck, I WILL come back.  He lost the battle over whether he should be allowed anywhere near the driver’s seat while the truck is moving.  We compromise about me sharing a bite of my food.  I’ve always had mixed emotions about having a dog in the truck, but it seems to be working out really well.  

A Few More Thoughts On the 8/2 Split

                My post two weeks ago about the 8/2 split was shared on the Freymiller FB page and the response surprised me.  The volume surprised me; not the content.  A few comments supported my theory that many don’t understand how the 8/2 works.  Most don’t use it unless the other option is a late load.

                There are three times I’m likely to use it.

    1.   When it’s the only way I’m going to make an appointment on time.  This has happened twice since I wrote that post which supports my belief in the Law of Attraction.

    2.   When I get either an 8 or a 2 unexpectedly, I will take the other to make the best use of my time.

    3.   When it will get me home (or to wherever I’m taking time off) faster.  A couple of years ago I ran 8/2 from the California Central Valley back to OKC on Thanksgiving so I would get back in time to watch the Macy’s parade.

          The 8/2 split is the only HOS law I have ever seen stir such a passionate response.  People seem to either really love or really hate this law.  I don’t understand what it is about the law that causes people to have such a strong reaction.  Maybe it’s older drivers (who drove for years under the old laws) who are resistant to change?  Maybe it’s the drivers who really struggle to understand how it works expressing frustration?  I think Freud would have a field day with this one.

Full Circle

          Last night, I was all set to share some more thoughts about the 8/2 split when I realized that today I was picking up at the same place I was when I found out that the blog was “a go.”  It feels like I’ve come full circle.

          I had created the blog with six sample posts, created a blog proposal and gave it to David Freymiller the next time I saw him.  I handed him this folded up paper, said “check this out,” and took off like a shot.  I was scared to death.  In my mind, the blog was a good idea, but I wasn’t sure that he would agree.  I’ve had plenty of ideas that I thought were great but couldn’t find anyone to agree with me about them.

          I was shocked about a month later, when I was sitting in a dock at the same place I’m sitting right now, and I got a call from work.  I was expecting it to be Clyde, but it was Denise.  She was calling to tell me that they’d all looked at the blog and discussed it and they wanted to go with it.  It was a mind-blowing moment.

          Sometimes I’m still a little blown away by it all.  Writing is a passion of mine, it always has been, and I’m here to tell you… if you have a passion… don’t give it up.  Keep pursuing it until you get to where you want to go with it.

          More on the 8/2 split next week.  BTW, I saw all the comments on the Facebook page.  WOW!  That’s all I can say about that.

The 8/2 Split

          During the 12 years I was off the road before coming to Freymiller, the Hours of Service laws were changed.  The most difficult part about learning the new rules was understanding the 8/2 Split.  It took me months to really understand how it worked, and I spent those months relying on my brother to tell me when I needed to do one and my Qualcomm to do the math for me.  It took me about 6 months to get a solid understanding of how it worked.

          I would be willing to bet that 50% of the drivers I know won’t use the 8/2 split because they don’t understand it.  I’ve had many tell me as much.  I’ve also had drivers tell me they wouldn’t do one on paper logs because it’s too easy to mess up and go into violation.  On December 18^th, the law requiring all drivers to be on e-logs went into effect.  I know there are some exceptions, but I’m not one of them.

          On e-logs, there are times that I HAVE to do an 8/2 to be able to make on time delivery.  There are also times when doing one is the best use of my time.  Most of the time, both situations involve me getting held up for more than 4 hours, either at a customer or with repairs.  When that happens, it’s usually in my best interests to “finish out an 8 (hour break),” which resets the 14-hour clock back to where it was at the beginning of the 8. 

          The 8/2 Split works like an escalator: whatever falls off the top comes back on the bottom.  Think of it as a revolving 14-hour clock.  This is the visual I use when I’m explaining the 8/2 Split to a trainee.  It seems to help them wrap their brains around it easier.

Drive	5
Break	8 (Sleeper Berth)
Drive	6
Break	2 (off duty/sleeper)
Drive	5
Break	8 (Sleeper Berth)

          This was a quick explanation, I think I will expand on it next week with some examples of when I choose to use it.  I just wanted to show you that the 8/2 Split isn’t as scary as most drivers think it is. 

Blah!

          I’m finding myself very thankful for the mundane continuity of my job right now.  I’ve had some personal stuff going on that I can’t do anything about. Nothing catastrophic; mostly just irritating.

          The hardest part is these things are weighing on me heavy enough that I’ve been racking my brain all week trying to think of what I wanted to blog about this week.  No, I didn’t come up with a good answer. 

          For so many years I’ve had people tell me how strong I am.  I hate hearing that because it usually comes at a time where I’m going through something really hard and I can’t help but wonder if people convince themselves of my strength so they can justify not asking if they can help. 

          I’m okay, really.  I’m just “not feeling it” today. 

The Mad Vacationer Strike Again!

Guess who is going on vacation again?  Yep, you guessed it.  This girl!  Back to Mexico, I go.

Last year on Thanksgiving, my brother called me and said, “let’s do something crazy for Thanksgiving next year and go on a cruise.”  Of course, I was all for that.  It’s a total win for me.  I get to be on a cruise ship and someone else will be responsible for cooking dinner AND doing the dishes.  Plus, the average daily temperature for Cozumel is 77 and Progreso is 87 next week.  Can’t beat that, right?

My friends have reacted with “you’re going on vacation again?”  Darn tootin’, I am.  I’m the mad vacationer this year.   Nothing wrong with that when you consider how many years I didn’t get to take a vacation.

I am going to have to settle down after this.  I told my brother that I’ve been spending like I’m in Congress the second half of this year.  First, it was the motorcycle, then vacation #1.  I bought a new car right before vacation #1 because my other one died and now vacation #2. He told me if I was spending like I was in Congress I would have earned 50, spent 250 and handed the bill to my granddaughter.  Good point, but still.  I don’t think I’ve ever spent like this.

Happy Thanksgiving, my peeps.  Catch you when I get back!

What Did She Say?

                I swear, sometimes I make my job way harder than it needs to be.  It’s my nerdiness coming into play.  I try to be detailed when I’m explaining something to a trainee while also explaining the “why” behind it.  Sometimes I go a bit overboard.  There have been times when I’m hearing myself talk and think “This is making no sense.  I’m confusing myself.  There is no way she is understanding this.”  I’m usually right.

          Really, this job is not rocket science.  If I were to boil it down to the simplest form my job description is this: To pick up and deliver freight safely, efficiently and on time. 

How do we do that?  There really are only four things we need do.

    1.   Know where we’re going.

    2.   Know how to get there.

    3.   Manage our schedules so we can get there on time.

    4.   Stay in communication with dispatch.

Obviously, a lot of information needs to be factored: Appointment times, Hours of Service, routing, directions, fuel stops, etc, etc.

Most new drivers are very surprised to find out that there is a lot more to this job than sitting behind the wheel.  Driving is what we spend most of our time doing, but it’s really the least of what we do.  A lot of mental preparation goes on before we can even start driving.  I know it’s very overwhelming for new drivers and it doesn’t help when they have a nerd trainer who makes it harder than it has to be.

Get Off Your Butt!

                About a year ago, I wrote a post about the challenges of living healthy on the road.  In the past year it has not gotten any easier, but I don’t think it’s gotten any harder, either.  I think the hardest part about living healthy on the road is overcoming my own complacency.  What’s easy to do is easy to not do. 

I’m not going to keel over today if I choose to spend my 30-minute break on Facebook as opposed to getting off my posterior and taking a couple of laps around the parking lot, but 10 years of sitting for those 30 minutes instead of getting some type of exercise will add up to obesity and metabolic syndrome, two conditions we can correct with some effort.

          Who loves you?  I have a hard time believing that there is even one of us who can’t think of at least one person who loves us.  When we neglect our health, we’re sending the message that we don’t care about the people who love us.  I heard Jim Rohn say “I will take care of myself for you and you take care of yourself for me.”

          I challenge you to take a few minutes today and ask yourself… who would be affected if I died today and how?  If I died today, no one would be affected by the loss of my income, but many would be by the mere loss of my presence… my kids, siblings, granddaughter, my friends… people would notice my absence and I’m willing to bet there are a lot of people who would notice your absence as well.

          Please, give this some serious thought and decide if the people you love - who love you, too – are worth getting off your butt for 30 minutes a day.

Survey Says!

          I’ve given plenty of reasons why I love driving for Freymiller, but the cynic in me can’t help but wonder sometimes if you think I only say them because I’m paid to say them.  That really isn’t the case, honest. 

To show that I’m not just bloviating, I decided to ask a few friends what their favorite thing is about working here.  Their experience ranges from 1-17 years.  I found their answers interesting and wanted to share them with you.

                                         

Kirk: “Being part of the family, they treat their drivers like family and always have.”

Mike: “The compassion they’ve shown me through two major illnesses and the illness and death of a family member.  They didn’t hound me about when I was coming back to work, they just told me to go take care of what I needed to take care of.”

Steve: “Freymiller is big enough to be recognized, but still small enough that I don’t feel like just another number, the family atmosphere.”

Charlie: “Most companies advertise an open-door policy, but they really have one.”

Davina: “I love the fact that when they give me a job to do, they trust me to get it done.  They’re not breathing down my neck all the time.”

          None of my friends said anything I have not personally experienced.  I want to publicly thank them for their willingness to help me with this.  Really, that was a tough question… I’m not sure I would be able to nail down just one thing about working here as an absolute favorite.

I Hate Cell Phone Chargers

          When I bought my new phone in August, I had to buy new charging cords because my new phone is a “USB-C.”  I guess whoever decides what charging port will go into a phone decided that since most Android users probably have at least 10 Micro-USB cords it was time to change.

          I bought a new charger (plug) because it had a second USB port.  It died before I went on vacation a month later.

                  

          Remember the good old days when cell phone chargers lasted longer than air fresheners?  Me, too.  Oh, how I miss the days when the cords were hard-wired into the plugs.  Just the phrase “USB port” is enough to trigger a bout of Tourette’s in me.

          I heard a quote several years ago. “Build ‘em cheap, sell ‘em cheap, sell ‘em often.”  I tried searching but couldn’t find out who said it, but I’m convinced that is the marketing strategy of the companies that produce cell phone chargers.

          With the bouncing of the truck, I can’t seem to get one that lasts more than three or four months before the USB cord can’t make a solid connection.  I feel like captive consumer.  Living without a cell phone charger isn’t a viable option, but I feel like all there is available to buy is crap.

          Am I the only one who feels this way?

My Heavy Heart

One of my unstated goals for this blog was for it to be different from most of whatever else you expose yourself to online.  I wanted it to be lighthearted, even when I’m covering serious subjects.  I wanted it to be someplace you can get away from all the crap that goes on in the world… even for just a few minutes.

I’ve purposely not weighed in on world events because of this.  I figure the last thing you want is one more idiot, standing on a soap box, blabbering on about politics, religion, the NFL, and e-log mandates (among other things) so I opted not to do that.

I was in Winslow, AZ on an 8-hour break when Stephen Paddock changed the world forever by opening fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas at 10:05 local time Sunday night.

I don’t watch or listen to much news.  I turned the news off years ago because I was becoming addicted to it.  I decided that if something truly important happened I would hear about it, but I couldn’t function with a steady stream of negativity so I just shut it off.

After seeing more than a dozen posts on Facebook… ”Pray for Vegas,” I finally asked someone what was going on in Vegas.

I have nothing to add to the conversation that you haven’t already heard.  I’m sitting here thinking the same thing I thought after Jonesboro, Columbine, 9/11, Ft. Hood, Orlando, San Bernardino, etc, etc.

I just don’t understand.  I pray you have peace today.  I pray you see something that gives you hope for humanity today.  I pray you find and take advantage of an opportunity to make the world a better place today.

What's On Your Facebook Page?

          On my 40^th birthday, I created my Facebook page.  We’ve had a volatile relationship, at best.  Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it.  I love the fact that I can connect with friends and family that I don’t get to see often and get to keep up with what’s going on in their lives.  I hate seeing people airing their personal problems or posting something vague and cryptic, then getting offended when asked about it.

          The year I was home, working on a home-based business, the woman training me cautioned me about what I post on Facebook.  She told me that people who are interested with working with me will go check out my Facebook page to check ME out.  Social media has been a real game changer.  What used to be private is now public because we’ve willingly made it so.

          I have seen and heard of cases where people have lost their jobs because of what they have posted on various social media outlets.  Several messages have come out from the Safety department reminding us that they are watching.  I know it sounds very “big-brother-ish,” but it’s just the way of the world we live in.  I don’t care what your settings say.   There is no privacy on the Internet.

          I regularly remind trainees to “pay attention to what you’re doing.”  We   have to do the same thing with our online presence.  Our online presence has consequences.  I guess this goes back to what I’ve said in other posts… be mindful.  Be intentional.  We can’t go through life like a bull in a China shop, crashing around into things and expect that nothing bad is ever going to happen.