facts of life: insane at the wheel

I begin to realize I may have taken the most boring job ever. I'm the loader, the trucker, the unloader, the taxi driver, the phone operator and I've got a few other gigs on the side. And still, most of my time is spent driving alone or waiting alone. Long enough to get bored, not long enough to get comfortable.

When you're behind the wheel of a van, you can't drive as you'd normally do with your own car. There's a lot of stuff in the back that moves (falls) if you hit the breaks too hard or turn a tight bend too fast. Every now and again a rope snaps and you need to check what catastrophe has struck the dark depths of Boris.

Got a great tan on my left arm, though!

Anyway, as I go along the road and sing out loud (radio's not working), making a fool of myself, I wonder: what if anyone saw me? Would they quickly commit me to a mental institution? Sometimes I wish they did.

I knew from the beginning this would be a problem, but as time goes by, I understand what kind of problem it really is. It's the trucker lifestyle, and it really doesn't matter if you're alone. The proof: our coordinator in Novi Sad, Svetlana, nominated for the award of most effective and hard-working local team member in the history of RFYR, had the privilege to come along as a passenger of good ol' Boris, for a couple of days.

So, I tried to behave myself, since there was someone else in the van. I tried my best to be patient and not let my mind snap as usual and starting dancing at the wheel (no one should ever see those brief moments). But after some two hours, Svetlana went insane as well. She went from bravely facing the challenge up ahead, to chatting politely, to being bored, to being extremely bored, and finally to dancing while seated.

Can't really blame Boris, he does the best he can, most of the time. Blame it on the hot sun, bumpy roads and frustrating traffic. Blame it on the busted radio. Blame it on the driver (I don't care). Blame all you want, but know that there's no fixing that. After a few days of this kind of driving, anyone will go insane.

And to think I signed up for 3 months...

So, greetings to Svetlana, the one that went insane. Her company was priceless, and we're all still rooting for her to change her mind and decide to join us for another stretch of the route. She worked hard, she deserves it. We'll try to fix the radio.

- Tiago