Lot Lizard

crack whores are not profound

No but they sure are interesting to watch.

I was a truck stop manager in Texas. I worked nights at one of the locations. Our back lot had 150 parking spaces for trucks. I would get calls from truckers most nights about the knocks on their doors. I'd go out looking for the lot lizards. Some would hide or a truck driver would let them get in their cabs while I was on the prowl. Eventually, I'd catch them and escort them off the lot. The other 3 corners of the intersection also had truck stops, so they'd go to one of the other ones.

Drugs, alcohol, theft and prostitution are typical things that come with the territory--oh, and once in awhile a drunken fight between truck drivers. I'm gay, so there were no favors to stay on the lot. But even if I were straight, they lacked enough appeal.

r3, tell us more about being a gay truck stop manager in Texas (seriously). Very curious as to the life.

Was it a big city? Small "four corners" wayside? Did you ever encounter gay truck drivers?

That stop was outside the Houston city limits. Yes, there were a bunch of gay truckers, many cross-country, and their looks and hygiene were about the same as the lot lizards. No thank you.

r3 / r6 -- How did you end up working there? How long did you stay?

Any amazing stories?

Is a “lot lizard” a prostitute who focuses on truckers?

I think either that or Rhodes Scholars in zoology, Rose.

Truck drivers fcking is so hot

Aileen Wuornos was a prostitute and killed several truckers.

Correct R8 and in our convenience store we even sold window decals with a woman's figure that said, "No Lot Lizards!" R7 Truckers keep their engines going all night long to keep their a/c and appliances generators charged. Those lots are noisy and smell of exhaust fumes. Some truckers are professional. The rest of them simply add to the sometimes charged atmosphere. To give you an idea of how busy a truck stop is, our daily sales ran between $250,000 and $400,000. I wandered into truck stop management at a time I needed a job and they paid quite well. After doing that for 7 years I became of retirement age and retired with no regrets. When things get dicey, you must not show fear. I previously worked in 3rd world countries that made the truck stops pale in comparison, so not a problem. (When terrorists bomb your hotel when you are sleeping...)

When I was going to college I met some gay guys that, unbeknownst to me at the time, would go hang out at the Adult video store and try to pick up the truckers that frequented there. It was close to the highway. One day we went over there and one of the guys went to a truck and got the guys attention, and offered him a blowjob.

Then when we were driving home there was a guy walking on the side of the road. They stopped and tried to pick him up. He was obviously straight and looked kind of crazy. Thankfully, he didn't try kicking our asses. I made sure not to hang out with them after that. That's how gay guys get killed.

R12, what were the most popular and/or expensive items purchased at your convenience store? $250K to $400K per day sounds like an amazing amount. Was it the gasoline sales?

Thank you in advance!

I wanna hear more R12! I want to hear about your work & experiences in Third World countries. What did you do there?

Me, too. Please, tell us more stories, r3.

R12 and others. We had 15 diesel islands in the back of the store. The average 18-wheeler gets 8 miles to the gallon, so they usually have double tanks, each with 150-200 gallon capacities. $$$$$. The convenience stores at truck stops can be huge. We sold 12-volt TVs, power inverters, CB radios. More $$$$. Each truck stop has a restaurant, or at least fast food. We had 12 showers that were non-stop busy at $10 each. Food and drink, lots of beer.

Truckers buy wide-mouthed bottled water. When they are empty, they are turned into urinals. I called them Hepatitis Bombs and you could always find some tossed on the parking lot. One of the high theft areas had decorations for the trucks. I had a security camera monitor above my desk. When I saw someone jack goods I called the armed security guard. Catching up to them before they reached their truck was what he did. I'd also chase some. One of the maintenance guys chased a local resident with an 18-pack of beer. The guy threw the beer at my maintenance guy to slow him down and hit him in the head. He got away; my guy went to the hospital.

The area behind the truck stop was rough and cops couldn't enter the neighborhood alone. I lost count of the times my car was broken into. At least it was never stolen.

Feed our beast r17. More please! You are fucking fascinating and you write very well.

How scuzzy do the lot lizards look? Scary methy, or just worn out trash? Do they skew young or old?

Amazing stories! Was your truck stop in East Texas? Why did the truck drivers call to report to you lot lizards? Did they not like being woken up when they were trying to sleep?

I agree with R18. This is a facet of life I'm not likely to ever experience myself, and you tell your stories well!

Plus I have a co-worker who's a tubby middle-aged woman, who occasionally talks about quitting her healthcare job and becoming a long-distance trucker. I doubt she'd like sleeping in a truck stop with methhead "lot lizards" knocking on her doors.

R18 The lot lizards on average were 5' tall and usually very skinny, late 20s. Scraggly hair, gaunt eyes, acne scars, missing a few teeth, old raggedy clothes. Without offending anyone, they overall looked like Meth losers. The Meth winners were the several dudes selling it. One always backed into the parking space in front of the store where the gasoline pumps for non-truckers were located. He wouldn't even shut his engine off. Within seconds, a person would show up at his car door, the window would roll down, a quick handshake when the money and dope changed hands, and he was off probably to another truck stop.

Some of the truckers were teams--one drove while the other slept. And sometimes the teams would be husband and wife having a few hours downtime and needed to catch up on their scripture reading. Others may have been gays, some trying to sleep, or the door knocker didn't look too saleable. In any case, they didn't want to be disturbed and the truck stop had to give them a pleasant stay.

I was a bit disappointed to see this is a documentary. It could have been a great horror movie. A prostitute who was murdered (or maybe a bunch of them) come back from the dead to seek vengence on the truck driving serial killer.

R21, "5' tall and usually very skinny, late 20s" goes against the trucker stereotype. Is "husband and wife having a few hours downtime and needed to catch up on their scripture reading" a euphemism for something? Are these husband and wife truck driver teams really reading the Bible or some other holy book?

Despite making good money, it sounds like your job was a hard job.

Thank you in advance!

I'm loving this! Thank you!

Did your truck stop have one of those "Trucker's Chapels" in the back (usually just a trailer with a table and some folding chairs, where Christian truckers would go pray)?

I'm truly in heaven and I hope we get more from our new love, R21 (etc) "Truck Stop Guy", and any other people with stories to share of course.

Truck Stop Guy, you have such an evocative way of telling your stories. Any other subjects up your sleeve? If it's totally OT from this, we could always start another thread. Why yes, I am begging.

R23 I was picking out sort of a generic look/attitude of those who complained. It seems there are certain types who are more apt to show they are special and above others. Maybe the lot lizard description was the same gal who was successful enough to have more than one set of clothing. It's been a few years, and it wasn't the type of work you look back on too fondly. Thanks for your comments.

R24 Yes, we had the Sunday Chapel. Even though I worked truck stops about 12-18 years ago, the types and nationalities had already begun changing where I'm not sure if they are still worth the effort.

R25 Thank you very much for your positive comments. I'm fairly new to DL and still getting over being called a "fucking cunt" when someone doesn't like the truth. But I digress. I started writing 64 years ago when I was 10. No matter what the occasion, I try to step back and look at a situation with a writer's eye, thinking there might be an idea or use for it in a book or article I might write.

I'm semi-retired and most of the writing I have done lately is "giving back to the community at large" in scientific education called "harm reduction" for drug users. I explain what the drug is, what it does to you, how you can safeguard your health, minimize severe addiction, and how to get back up out of the rabbit hole if you so desire. It's nothing preachy, simply laying out the reality of it. Being woke.

Let's hope I can dig back into the memory for something else. Again, thanks for your encouragement.

Truck Stop Guy, let the "cunts" roll off your back and share all you like here. Thank you!

For r22:

Okay, someone needs to make R30's movie!

TSG, you're a writer, wanna try a screenplay?

What r29 said! I know "get a blog" is a DL traditional insult when someone goes on too long in a post. In your case, I mean it sincerely GET A BLOG! Just the few tidbits you have thrown our way tells me that you have many, many stories to tell. Hell, with your writing skill, you could write about a trip to the store to get some milk and it would be interesting. On top of it, from hearing what you are doing now, you sound like a really fucking nice guy.

Sorry for the gushing.

Get to writing! *cracks whip*

Thank you OP for starting this thread, and by doing so, delivering TSG to us!

I can see R30's movie in my head now, the gay manager of a truck stop wonders why so many truckers are being found dead a few miles out of town. When it becomes clear why a genuinely attractive woman who doesn't seem to use drugs would want to spend her nights working as a lot lizard, our hero TSG realizes that the only people who might possibly assist him in fighting the vampire are the holy roller truckers who won't use her!

Will he bother to enter the fight at all, knowing he'll have to have assholes as his vampire-fighting sidekicks? Will the handsome straight trucker he likes fall prey? Will saving the guy's fucking life get him anywhere on that front? Of course not!

R23, in my rural hometown, "reading scripture" is a euphemism for having sex, especially in a car. (Real example from my youth: Cop catches teens going at it in remote corner of parking lot, scares them into thinking they might be arrested for public indecency, and then, when he's satisfied, radios "Nah, turns out they were just reading some scripture.")

So I figured TSG meant that those husband and wife driving teams wanted to be left alone to have sex.

Love it R33!

Cool, r34 see kids? DL can be bitchy *and* educational.

R34, thank you for the explanation.

Truck driving actually sounds like a cool job, in some ways. For example, the good diners en route. Sounds like there are tons of pitfalls to avoid.

Not to hijack the thread but this Lot Lizard movie looks terrible. Did they really have to include an extended close up of the dirt and dust on the floor in the trailer?? Gross!

It’s so annoying when a documentary is made by amateurs.

I remember the weirdest thing I ever found at a Truck Stop was a santa muerte statue. It was in Montana I think. I was just driving through and we stopped there.

I always thought the girls were called Pavement Princesses.

R32 Your comments are appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to write. Getting a blog is something I've thought about and you are very encouraging. There's a lot I've written that I want saved and it would also be fun to run a truck stop theme. We can see other creative juices flowing in this thread, which I'm enjoying.

Yes - please continue to add details like you have done here to this and other threads TSG. You sound like a thoughtful, insightful - and skilled - writer. Glad you are putting it to use. (And glad you learned to ignore the DL cunts)

R41 Again, thanks so much. You guys are great. I will keep in touch. Have a good night!

TSG, did you have issues with young gay men hanging out at the truck stop? If so, tell us about that.

Hey I'm another new fan of truck stop guy😊. I'm watching this thread. Gonna watch Lot Lizards later tonight in honor of TSG. More stories if you can, truck stops are interesting places, to say the least.

Fucking great "slice of life" thread. Occasionally, the DL serves up a gem. Thanks, TSG. Hope you'll start that blog and post your URL for us.

TSG, what r43 asked (and of course: who was your hottest trucker?).

I did watch the movie on Amazon Prime. Interesting, but nothing surprising. The saddest story involved a woman who supposedly actually got out of hooking at the truck stops. She was having a hard time finding a job and was comparing the amount of money she made in one day hooking to the minimum wage jobs out there. I felt like she was going to slide back into hooking and drugs.

The other women (only one male prostitute was featured, very briefly) were such damaged individuals, it was hard to see how they would ever turn their lives around. I'm actually in favor of legalized prostitution, but this type of prostitution (truck stop) just seemed depressing and dangerous.

The male prostitute didn't say what state (U.S.) he was in, but said, "There are no gays in this state."

Hi TSG, I hope you got a good night's sleep. I am so glad you feel encouraged by us. Don't feel pressured or anything, just know we are here for it when you feel like filling our kibble bowl. I have this thread on "watch".

Also, I think that is one of fastest assignments of a nickname that I've seen on the DL in years.

Is TSG the new Cackle Cackle?

Yeah r47 it wasn't the best documentary but at least TSG came out of all of this!

R43. I wished we had young gay guys hanging out at the truck stop. There was one young trucker who came through occasionally who was gay. He'd have his door open and sit sideways looking for attention. I talked to him a time or two, but I guess I was too old for him. (Now I'm too old for everyone and too poor to be a sugar daddy--but life is so less complicated.)

One night I was BSing with a couple of the cashier's. One said, "You should meet my cousin. He's gay." "You'll have to bring him in some night," I replied. She said, "I don't have to. He works here in the restaurant!" It turns out he became my lover for a couple of years.

R45 Having my own blog is something I've debated over the past couple of years. With the encouragement here in the Truck Stop Lounge, (behind the Data Lounge) it has made me start thinking of ideas. I'd need to be able to publish where sex, drugs and rock 'n roll are allowed to be discussed. I also like to talk about health and pets, plus some glimpses of my past, but not all...lol. Perhaps it could be interactive where others could add to the narrative and share life experiences. My philosophy of life is to do everything in moderation, but be sure to do everything.

TSG, Do you mind saying which state(s) you lived in / operated truck stops from?

I once did a night time road trip from San Francisco to L.A. and was surprised at the number of trucks on the road at night. Seems like it might be safer, in a way, to drive at night and sleep during the day.

Truck Stop Guy, this is truly fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

My aunt and her long term bf team drove. Curious if they went through Truck Stop Guys place. We all live in Houston and they would visit. They talked about lot lizards too.

R53 I managed at a couple in California, then was transferred to Texas to clean up a few operations about a year after Hurricane Rita. I decided to stay in TX when I retired as real estate prices are a lot lower and I knew people here. But I'm still deep down a Californian. You never really get over the culture shock here.

A lot of the truckers prefer overnight driving. They say it's safer with less traffic. There was a team that stopped at my CA location delivering US mail from Jacksonville FL to the SF Bay area and were always on the road at night. Our truck lot still was 30% full or higher during the days.

TSG, thank you for answering my questions. Not to be too nosy, but what part of California is your favorite? San Francisco is so different from Los Angeles. The middle part is so different from SF and LA.

I can understand how Texas prices would have been tempting, compared to CA.

FWIW my aunt said the truck stops could have some pretty amazing food and amenities. They did team driving so they could save money. No overhead and the truck was surprisingly spacious with a tv, DVD player, small microwave and fridge and some drivers had their pets too.

Seems like gaining too much weight (as a truck driver) would be a major job hazard. All that good food along the way, grabbing from a bag of chips while driving, taking bites off of candy bars, etc.

Truck drivers are a microcosm of people. Some look healthy; some look like they'll die any minute. Some do die in truck stop parking lots. Team drivers talk about trust. Could you sleep while the other guy had the reins? There are drivers who bring pets along with them. Remember the truckers who would pull over to help you if you and your car were stranded? There are still a few of them. As we've seen in our lives, many of today's people appear to be too self-centered to be good Samaritans.

They come into the store to pay for their fuel and some look frustrated. Was it fighting the traffic they were in? If you looked a little deeper in their eyes, you see frustration over their lives. They have a lot of time to think while on the road. Who and what they could have been. Over the years, being cooped up in their cabs, they lose contact with people and their social skills. One day I was doing my rounds and walking the diesel islands. Most of the trash cans were in good shape, but one was overflowing. A trucker must have finally cleaned out his personal quarters. Sitting on top of the trash was an opened pizza box. There were still a couple of pieces left. On top of them was an extra topping. It was his shit.

[quote]I once did a night time road trip from San Francisco to L.A. and was surprised at the number of trucks on the road at night. Seems like it might be safer, in a way, to drive at night and sleep during the day.

I once worked at a truck stop, and the guys on the graveyard shift were always talking about the famous musicians who had come in to eat at 2 or 3 am, big stars like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. The best was July and August when the big acts were doing the State Fair circuit.

TSG, How many of the truck drivers did you see were on some sort of drug, aside from caffeine? If so, what? Sorry if already asked

r61 I know it is a stupidly minor question, but I would love to know what they ate. There are no small details in this convo for me.

R61 That is so true about the musician buses. If they had done a concert in San Diego or Los Angeles, they'd stop at Lost Hills for fuel on the way north. Some if them would come into the store; others stayed in their buses. One night a crowd of younger people started coming through the diesel doors. I was mostly concerned about security and safety. Then I saw a couple coming toward me. One was Lance Bass. Then I saw another heading toward the rest rooms. Justin Timberlake

R62 There were always people on drugs, not to mention alcohol. Meth has always been a favorite to keep them awake over hill and dale and that's one drug I know well. I could see it in their dilated pupils, mouth movements and walk. I'm sure there were also uppers of every sort. Our local drug dealers kept busy and I'm sure some called ahead and placed their orders on their way in. Even though I knew the guys who dealt, for a couple of reasons they passed by unnoticed. In California, one guy driving a flat bed came back from the north with a load of lumber and some of the best weed I had ever smoked. He usually had customers waiting for him.

One day there was a ruckus outside and a trucker said another trucker was going crazy. By the time I got to his truck, he had pulled his pants off outside of his truck and was screaming there was a snake in them. I examined them and there was no snake. He said there were more snakes in his cab. There was a highway patrol unit that came and searched too. I don't know what kind of drug he was on.

R63 Although a couple of the truck stop companies have full restaurants, the one I worked for only had fast food restaurants. Depending where I worked it was Wendy's, Subway, DQ or McDonald's. Only the foods that make truckers more obese... The only time I saw them exercise was to stretch when they got out of their cabs.

Remember mini-thins? Those things were shit; almost all truck stops sold them until they started cracking down on the ingredients for meth (which I never tried).

At the start of the great recession I lost my job. I wasn't too worried thinking I would pick up something soon and just laid back and drew unemployment. That ran out and I started looking for work. I couldn't find anything. I looked into a vocational class that would not take up much time and enrolled in truck driving school in Oklahoma. I drove for two years and am still thankful for that job. Without it I would have ended up homeless. And yes, lot lizards would knowck on my door sometimes.

r38 Would love to hear your stories! I was hoping a driver would chime in. Please tell us anything else, we are hungry beasts, and you write well too! What was it like on the road? What happened when you got sleepy between stops? How horrible was the paperwork/logs you had to fork over to...DOT? (I may be wrong there). So many questions!

Sorry, I meant r68, but you too r38 and anyone else that has a story in any shape or form

I wish I had some great stories about two years of truck driving but it was pretty much all one long Interstate. I did appreciate the job being work was hard to find during the recession.

It mostly was two years of eating greasy food and sleeping in noisy parking lots.

My ex boyfriend was a truck driver for six months during college to raise money to transfer to a better school. He was a young, hot piece of ass back then and did get hit on by a couple of truckers. His first trainer tried to get handsy once, but was a homophobic Repub and blamed it on cocaine. That guy was a hideous, drug addled nightmare, so my husband was able to transfer to a different trainer. Once he got to drive solo, I joined him for a couple of months during summer break. It was an adventure for two young college kids especially since he frequently drove the Nevada route and we got to stop and party in Vegas a dozen times. I don't know how older people do it. Truck driving is a young man's game. It takes a physical toll on the body.

^BJ and the Bear

Most truckers are unsightly. You all need the Lord!

Be sure to go to our chapel Sunday mornings at the back of the lot. It's non-denominational. Agnostics and atheists welcome. Lot lizards, too.

The truck stop pastor in Lot Lizard was creepy, the hug was too much, too lingering.

Whoever mentioned a screenplay, or a book--god, I am SO on board with that. Hey, TSG even if the truck stop was just a chapter in your life, you could publish one hell of a short story / novella about it and sell it on Amazon via Kindle. (With my eyesight getting so bad, I have finally embraced books I can read on my laptop. I wish I hadn't had such disdain for the format for so long). One of Stephen King's best work was a short story, "The Body" which became a huge film hit "Stand by Me" (I know, news flash, sorry)

I bet SYFY would actually make "Vampire Lot Lizard", they'll make anything that involves a monster-movie theme and that allows for women in skimpy clothing!

Although I doubt they'd pay more than $500 for a finished script.

For fantasy, you would have to make them life-size lizards that slither into the truck cabs and do unthinkable things to the men...

R77 Stand By Me is one of my all time favorite movies. It is perhaps one of the best coming if age films ever. Rob Reiner did an excellent job of directing, and Stephen King's writing. I just went and bought a Blu-ray copy of it about a month ago.

Oh wow, truck stop stories ! I have a few.

Spill r80 !

R49 Loving the synchronicity TSG. I have read both the story and seen the movie so many, many times. Each time I laugh my ass off, and I cry (yeah, I know, Mary! shaddup you bitches who thought that) even thought I know how it turns out. So many buried gems in both I discover every watch/read.

Gah! I meant TSG at R79. Sorry!

But do spill r80!

R17,why don't you write a book?

When I was in college I was a nighttime dispatcher. It was an insane job. Mostly because I had to deal with truckers. They are the weirdest, angriest people on the face of the planet. I think it's because they sit alone in that cab all day dealing with the stress of being on the road and just sitting behind that wheel thinking how life had done them wrong. When their random drug test came up half of them would offer me bribes to pick someone else.

R53 To catch up on a couple of things l missed...my favorite part of California is Los Angeles, as that's where I grew up. 90065 to be exact. I went to Eagle Rock High and then on to Cal State-LA. Eagle Rock has been mentioned a few times on DL, so it's a familiar place to some. We lived 2 houses from the Glendale city limits, which has also been mentioned a lot lately. I think I left the area when l moved north in '68, as I started a career as a rock 'n roll dj on AM radio.

IIRC, my folks bought that house in 1957 for $32,000. Out of curiosity, I recently looked up the house online. It sold last year for $825,000. I bought a nicer, larger house here in SE Texas 6 years ago for under $100,000. I'll probably never get back to Cali, but it was a great experience growing up there and one I'll always cherish.

Another TSG tidbit! *swoon*

TSG! TSG! TSG!

I know, Mary! Whatever. I have little to be happy about these days, it is so lovely to have these nuggets to enjoy.

r86’s penguins face NORTH.

Where is this gem showing? AMC? I can't find it on Fandango.

And there's no info about where it's showing on the website either.

I would imagine that diarrhea would be a strong incentive against eating too much, especially too much junk food.

TSG, thank you for answering my California questions.

R88, Lot Lizard is available on Amazon Prime. It's about an hour long.

My ex was a truck driver before we got together. After the 07 crash he went back to get his CDL and hired on with a company that required six weeks on the road with a trainer before he got his own rig.

His trainer was overweight and wore diapers because of stomach issues. Their diets were just as described above—Subway, fast food and truck stop grease. My partner slept on the top bunk and was disgusted when his trainer would jack off.

My partners’ trainer pushed hard to cover lots of miles and they generally had no downtime. I would love for TSG to explain how drivers with GPS and computers can still break the travel rules?

One of the strange things I remember about training for driving through the mountains was to be aware of runaway ramps, and that if it came down to causing an accident with other cars or driving off of the mountain then you should drive it off of the mountain.

When he got his own rig we spent the whole weekend fixing it up for his first trip. We filled it with healthy snacks, water, a plug-in cooler, little racks to help organize his clothes and accessories. I put Velcro everywhere holding things like his phone, GPS, etc.

This was in October and weather had delayed a load of beer and candy from Denver to Utah, so he picked up the trip. Arriving in Utah, it was too late for the truck to be unloaded. He spent the night to make an early delivery the next day. Because that was now the fourth day they had been without inventory, he got yelled at and blamed and called everything in the book.

The next leg of that first trup took him from Montana over to Ohio and then to North Carolina. That year there were huge thunder storms rolling across the northern parts of the country and a couple of times he was stuck for hours waiting for the bad weather to pass.

Something snapped in Ohio, however. He called and told me that he could not do this anymore, that he was driving to UPS to pack up his cab and ship everything home. He surrendered his truck and keys to someone somewhere, spent the night in a hotel and flew home the next day.

It is a tough life and I don’t know how people do it with the stress, anxiety, pressure and unhealthy routines.

The next summer my ex got a call from his trainer’s wife—he had fallen asleep and was killed in an accident.

Gosh, R91, must be hard when people blame you for the damn weather.

Why on earth did the hooker who supposedly left hooking, show her tween aged daughter in this documentary? Money? It DOES NOT benefit her child. How awful for that kid.

When driving in North Carolina, on what must have been some of the first highways built in the interstate system, I was unnerved a bit to see huge piles of dirt placed near some curves in hilly sections. If truckdrivers coming out of a curve couldn't control their trucks, they were supposed to drive their trucks into the piles of dirt. I suppose that would be a relatively "soft" crash. I'm a flatlander and had never considered this possibility.

I made the run from Texas to North Carolina several times in the 90s for a small business I had, often driving at night in my pickup truck. There was less traffic, but there were still too many idiots on the roads. I couldn't handle the stress of full-time driving. I don't know how truck drivers manage.

There are official runaway truck ramps on the steeper parts of I80 as it goes through the Sierra Nevada mountains, with signs announcing their presence. They have two or three berms of gravel in a row, intended to slow down and then stop a truck that had lost its brakes, while keeping everyone in the truck and on the freeway alive.

I once saw a couple of idiots letting their toddler play in the fucking gravel heaps, having now clue that it wasn't a fucking sandbox! I wrote the state department of highways and asked them to put up some "DANGER KEEP OFF YOU GODDAMN IDIOTS" signs up along the ramps, because if a truck had come crashing through and flatted the baby the idiots who let it play in a danger zone could probably have sued the state and won.

A serial killer turned out to be a truck driver. Surprise surprise. He tied some of his victims under his truck and just drove. The friction on the pavement turned their remains to bits and pieces.

R96 This guy? I didn't see your chewy little nugget about the bodies in the article. Maybe I missed it, or maybe it's a different guy?

Google found this dude for me. The Truck Stop Killer. How he avoided the death penalty is beyond me.

this one dragged some of his victims

I drove from VA to NC on the textile routes for about 10 years. Being gay, never really saw anything hot except one time. I was in deep farm country and I passed a hot young guy just in shorts standing on the back of a farm truck, arms outstretched holding the frame. In hindsight I should have honked as I drove past. Too busy every day hauling cotton for sex I guess. Saw strange shit. Once a peacock just strolling down the interstate. "wild" turkeys? They are as tame and as mean as Canada geese. Far too many deer, often in groups. A damn buzzard eating road kill waited until the last second to get out of the way and dropped a bloody bone, cracking the windshield. Far too many fat ass people leaning over their mailboxes checking out the mail. Think about it, trucks 2 or 3 feet away doing 55. Get your mail and get back to your house!

I was behind a larger truck once. I kinda saw ahead, he didn't. There was a bathtub! in the right lane. He hit it head on and pushed it 50 feet or so before slowing down to a stop. What could I do? nothing, drove to the factory with an interesting story.

It makes me sad to see what a popular thread this is . I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It is the DL.

Why the hell does it make you sad r102? These are some very interesting stories. What the hell do you want? Just ignore the thread and let us have our fun.

Have fun you sleazy thing

Are a lizard lot and a pickle park the same thing?

r104 is just jealous because his stupid thread isn't getting any interest.

R106 Suck my ass! I know you like it.

r106 you wonderful bitch!

Is this a thing?

Thinking of you TSG!

What a great thread.

This is why I come here.

And Truck Stop Guy, just ignore the creeps. I do. I've been called everything.

Your story is very well written, interesting an really different from our usual stuff.

And thank you for signing your posts. Welcome.

BHmanny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love your posts and dish. More please! You should start your own thread. "Ask the BHmanny" or whatever.

I find those who make fun of people that sign their posts beyond tedious. I love it when you guys check in!

TSG, you have an "old timer" (I mean that in the nicest way, BHM) backing you up! Yay!

Good to hear from some of the gang tonight. It's really heartening to know you can find a forum and start bonding with a few of the members. What I enjoy are the varied topics that pop up here to keep us entertained every day. There is a definite warmth about this place. Getting things in order for the night, hoping to turn in early an hour to compensate jumping ahead to daylight saving time. Still have to get to work on time. Stay healthy.

TSG, are you nostalgic for your childhood in California? The California where working class people could live a decent life and the kids could attend good neighborhood public schools?

About the lot lizard who was tempted to return to prostitution on the truck lot, it's terrible to say but she would have been better off. Who can live on minimum wage? Why work for minimum wage all day when you could service two truckers and be done with it? Their downfall is the drugs.

A few years back, driving across the upper Midwest, I took a break at a state rest stop in Wisconsin. Walked inside, there was a road whore sitting on a bench in the central area, between the wings for the mens and womens toilets. Knew she was a whore because she was wearing a totally see-through blouse, nothing underneath. Red lipstick smeared around her mouth. Pinned eyes. Being the Midwest, she was blonde and corn-fed - huge saggy boobs, fat ass. In short, a total wreck. I figured it'd be a hard up trucker or traveller who took her on. This was the middle of the day, so I expect she had nothing to do but wait for business to pick up.

[quote]Pinned eyes.

I have no idea what this means.

Worked for a cross border trucking company in South Texas. A crazy business. And one that takes a very specific set of knowledge and insight to manage well. All the technology in the world can’t stop drivers from breaking rules. Getting paid by the mile creates weird incentives. Used to think I would like the solitude. But seemed like all of them were pretty unhappy people.

[quote]Pinned eyes.

[quote]I have no idea what this means.

Some drugs make eyes look teeny tiny as in pin pricks.

Rode shotgun with drivers for the company I white collared for. The management wanted to see if I would like a chance to become a salesman and spend the week on the road. Was approached by many sorry looking ladies that reeked of rotting fish. Sad people, very degrading life. It turned my guts sour, so I stayed in the office for less pay.

Fascinating thread. Thanks for the stories. My grandfather was a trucker. We lived in Brooklyn and he would be gone for a week then off for a week. I wish I had asked him more questions when he was alive. I believe his routes were all to California. My dad went with him in his teens but chose factory work over truck driving, said it was a horrible life.

I have a VW bus that I inherited and I take a lot of road trips during the summer. I have my go to truck stops that seem safe and clean because when I first got the bus and got on the road I had a few hairy experiences at truck stops/gas stations, witnessing drug deals. Never seen a lot lizard but then my bus probably puts them off and lets them know it’s a dopey millenial tourist.

My coolest experience was when my brother was with me and hurt his ankle hiking. Put us hours behind schedule and we stopped for ice at a gas station somewhere north of Phoeonix at about 2am. There were several massive, sparkling clean buses pulled in gassing up. Inside the convenience store there was a group of men dressed in cowboy hats but nice shirts and pressed jeans. My brother said “are you guys a country band or something” and they said “We’re on tour with Dolly Parton”. So I was once separated from a sleeping Dolly by only a sheet of metal! As they left, Dolly’s bus pulled out first. The guys told us she hates hotels and sleeps on the bus every night but everyone thinks they are getting to stay at the Ritz as a perk of the job.

Pinned pupils, i.e., pupils the size of pinpoints, are a sign of drug abuse, e.g., opiate abuse.

Growing up in Kentucky, I can tell you that the best truck stop of all is in Cementville -- where any trucker, or anyone else, can have whatever sex they want, from straight to gay to kink. I always thought it would make a fascinating documentary. I took all my visitors there and they'd come away just amazed. Amazed.

Re: pinpoint pupils.

[quote] One of the most likely reasons someone might have pinpoint pupils is the use of narcotic pain medications and other drugs in the opioid family, such as: codeine[,] fentanyl[,] hydrocodone[,] oxycodone[,] morphine[,] methadone[, and] heroin[.]

I did meet one in Kentucky. Her name was Jennifer Lawrence. Then, she got a Dillard's cosmetics counter makeover and the rest is Hollywood history.

R124 lol

Also, count me in as another fan of R106 for telling off that one killjoy bitch. Like most people, I've never really given the subject of truckstops/trucking any real thought before, so I never imagined I'd find it so interesting.

As a result of this thread, I decided to look up images of sleeper cab interiors and was legitimately shocked and how nice some of them are (I'll post examples when I'm less busy here at work)

Sending warm thoughts your way TSG, hope your week has been a good one so far.

Count me as another fan of TSG. I love all your detailed anecdotes of a way of life that I know nothing about.

Thanks for the comments, guys. I've been playing The Science Gay over in another part of the lounge the last couple of days. Wait until I tell them that the rectum is an erogenous zone. Butt, I guess most bottoms already know this. Are we ever going to get out of this truck stop parking lot? All the drug dealers have here is meth! Maybe the dispatcher will call and send us across the country for a pickup. So. Cal so we get to see some of the Superblooms...

TSG, thanks to you and your anecdotes this is one of the best DL threads (in my opinion) in recent memory. I'm obsessed with Lot Lizards and the whole idea of a nomadic style life and hope you'll post anything of interest you can think of

I liked the documentary Big Rigs r129

R129 I'm glad to be a part of this thread and holding a couple of people's interest. Life, to me, has been doing things I might like and taking chances along the way. I went to school as a journalism major, was sports editor of the University Times, was one of the organizers of the closed system radio station on campus and left college to become a rock 'n roll dj, working at several stations on the west coast.

I'll have to find my resume to remember some of the other things I did. Oh yeah, I ran a big tropical plant nursery, spent a decade in international business, owned one of the biggest humor sites on the infant internet back in the 90s. The truck stop thing was one of the later things--a bridge to retirement. Since I retired, I've worked a couple of part-time jobs, written on various subjects online, got burned out on Twitter and found Data Lounge, where we share a good comfort.

My private life: I grew up in a conservative religious home. I knew I was gay by the age of 10, but didn't broach the subject with family until my 20s, and never told them I was atheist. Because of the family and it was pre-Stonewall, the frustration of being stifled was ended when I left home for the radio part of my life. It was like being a big fish in a small pond and I certainly made up for lost time by bedding down as many guys as I could. It was a good run for more than 50 years of my life. Now in my mid-70s, I prefer to spend most of my time with my dog.

r131 That seals it TSG, you absolutely MUST write that book. What haven't you done? A life truly lived that's for sure, and you aren't done yet. I am *very* intrigued to know which humor site you are referring to, but I realize that might fuck up the "anonymous" part. I'm intrigued about the nursery, and having lived in California my entire life, I'm intrigued about the DJ gig. Hell, I'm intrigued about everything. Do consider the blog soon! Put one of those PayPal donate thingies (I'm so fucking technical) on there. I would most certainly throw in a few clams here and there to keep your buddy in chow and dog toys.

*Waving a Guinness in front of the screen* Cheers!

OP, your thread got mentioned in the Gambino Crime Boss thread, pretty cool!

From reply 252: "This is like the "Lot Lizard" thread, a chance to use the Datalounge to look into a world that I will never experience in real life.

I live in a small town in the unfashionable parts of California, what do I know about New York mobsters except what I hear second hand?"

Thanks for popping in with more colorful details about your life, TSG. Another interested Californian, here, too, should you start that blog.

R128 Do you mean you've been posting in the Chris Burrows thread, TSG? That's a fun weird thread. Not for the faint hearted. Would love to stalk, sorry *cough* follow your posts on other threads.

I lived in the DC Metro area. For about a decade I would make several trips a year to my relatives in East Tennessee, and given the insane traffic on 495/66, I would sleep until midnight and then leave DC around midnight to avoid the insane traffic. Most of my time was spent on route 81, and the only vehicles on that route in the middle of the night were truckers. It was obvious that they all were on cruise control, and I enjoyed the eerie experience of passing them. I often wanted to stop at the truck stops because it sounded like the food and amenities were better than the occasional gas stations or Denny's that were open at 3 AM, but I was afraid to stop there. It was astounding the number of trucks that are on the road.

This is the sort of thread on DL that I live for and stay here for the opportunity to read. PLEASE share your stories!!!!

TSG, of all of the many different jobs you had, what was your favorite and why?

If you could do anything over what would it be?

Sorry if these questions are boring, I am so fascinated. And this doesn't just go out to TSG, anyone who wants to chime it, I would love to know.

TSG you said the showers were always full, did you witness a lot of hookups?

R65 (TSG) The guy who thought he had snakes in his pants and truck was probably on bath salts (basically a cheap form of meth that can be purchased over the counter). My ex husband went through a year long spell on that shit and lost his mind for awhile. He was convinced his car and truck were infested with rats and tore them both apart from the inside out. There were no rats, but he remained convinced. Thank God he went back to normal when he stopped, we were genuinely terrified he was permanently crazy from it.

R65 I had forgotten about bath salts, but I remember when they became popular, knockoff brands came out that were dangerous. That's some trippy stuff and I'm glad I never tried it. Thanks for the info and crazy story. It sounds like it wasn't a very pleasant time in your life.

R138 Walking down the hall where the showers were, you could hear some crazy sexcapades going on. When we were busy I used to help the maintenance man clean the showers and would find wastebaskets with empty condom wrappers, empty boxes that were from sex toys, stuff like that. And to think the lot lizard got a free shower, too!

R137 Hey it's fun looking back. Being a DJ was a hellalottafun for a young guy, especially with some of the fringe benefits like sex and drugs. I'd do it again. Skip ahead to my grown up years and it was a chance of a lifetime to work international for a decade of my life. The company was giving me all expense paid "working vacations" all over the globe. OK, so some of the work wasn't a vacation, but it worked out in the end.

This was back about 20 years when the political climate was different, so you understand that at the time, working in 3rd world countries made the USA the unquestionable place to be from. Sometimes when my homeward bound plane touched down on US soil I was so fucking greatful I was a citizen and wanted to kiss the ground. The experience did make me more patriotic and I'd be the first to tell people here how fortunate they were compared to living in the rest of the world.

Without a doubt, that job gave me a world view, a chance to sample other cultures, other foods, other sex, and greater respect for each and every person on the earth. I don't know how anyone could be a racist after immersing onesself into other cultures. That was my greatest job and an opportunity more should have.

Since we can't go back and change anything, we must accept all that we did as it was all a part of our learning and growing--good or bad. It produces our uniqueness.

Lizard bump

Sending good vibes your way TSG and fellow travelers!

See what we can do?

Smart, interesting and civil.

As I said before, welcome TSG.

Bump.

formerBHmanny, you've been posting more lately it seems, which makes me happy, as I love your insight and takes. You have some great stories to tell. I wish you would start a thread of them. Or even here would be great. It's becoming a fun story swap thread.

TSG, did you lose a lot of friends to AIDS? The nostalgia for those days must be more sad and bitter than sweet.

More, TSG! More!

Thank you r145.

I posted something on a Michael Jackson thread and am now in trouble with some of my L.A. friends.

My big mouth.

R148 formerBHmanny, I wish to chime in here and say I've noticed your posts in the last few days and think highly of them. Especially when you're in a controversial thread and along comes a comment you totally agree with, you want to see who wrote it, and that's how I became familiar with you. I probably read the Michael Jackson comment and last night I was reading a trans thread where your comment stuck out and made sense. So, let's add one more who is looking forward to your writing.

Thank you TSG.

I've had a full life and have lots of stories.

I hope you do to.

Let's play.

Keeping up with Justin Bieber and Joey Mills on here only makes me get behinder.

Sunday night I limped out to my car when I finished work, only to scream out when I bent my knee to get inside. My weakening knee just told me that enough was enough. I sped home, let my dog know I home, sat down and typed out my 2-week resignation form and sent it to my boss.

Two days were spent mostly in bed, then on Wednesday went to see my go-to surgeon for repairing bones. I told him it was just as bad as the left knee 10 years ago that convinced us to have a knee replacement, and I was ready to change out the right. Not so fast, he cautioned. We have other remedial tricks in our bag. I sighed, but settled on one to make him happy and give me some time to think about the future.

In short order I got a cortisone shot to the knee. "Come back in 6 weeks and we'll sort this out." At that moment my stubborn streak blurted out in my head...more like 2 weeks. Hmpf. I don't want to start feeling a bit better and think I'm ready to look for another job. There is a lot of yard work to do and I need the time off. But the knee was a great true excuse to bail out of a job that was driving me bonkers. You might say I needed a little kick and that raging pain from the knee did it.

Sometimes we put up with some things that we keep rationalizing to make a change that sounds a little scary, even though it might be a change for the better. Know what I mean?

Damn, TSG. Sorry to hear about that. Sending healing vibes. And yes, I do know what you mean.

formerBHmanny: thanks for the shout back. I'm sorting through old resumes, trying to get a timeline of what I was doing when. ---- Have you heard that new hit song, "Sucker For You"? It's by a group called Jonas and the 3 Beards. ---- R146...No, I did not lose friends to AIDS. About the time it was becoming a thing, I moved from Orange County to work on a start-up out in the boonies, where the only ones catching it were pigs and goats. I did have a lover I split with and about 6 months later (the last time I spoke with him) he had gotten HIV. I looked him up on Google a couple of years ago. Still alive and about double his weight. ---- I really got tired of the Twitter political scene I was in. You couldn't be amazed anymore and everything was a re-hash. New people were joining like crazy and couldn't follow what we were talking about. THEN, I discovered datalounge! I prefer to laugh than cringe about what a madman is doing. There is a certain comfort being with a lot of people who have gone through similar things growing up. Lately, I've fixated on the early 70s, wishing there was a time machine. There are a lot of things on here reminding me of my supergay times when we were starting to come out of the shadows. Spending weekends in West Hollywood, always with someone new.

I really wish you well.

I turned 47 this month. Still viable, but the hot is gone.

It's a new world and the parts start to go.

And don't let the elder gay shit get you.

My life is better now. I hope yours is too.

Do you guys worry a lot about money in older age? Seems like you’ve lived full lives. But I seem to always worry about retirement rather than enjoying life today.

I'm going on faith that this is real.

Buy something. A condo, a house, a lot of land or a business.

I pissed through so much money it's sick.

The new car, awesome clothes and going out all the time get's you nothing.

My apartment in Boston is now worth a little shy of a million. I payed 125K for it and only because my parents made me.

And btw, I really don't feel old and still look good at the beach.

My comments are almost identical, except the numbers are a lot lower, based on where I live. I also pissed through a lot of money, but don't regret it, and I never expected to live this long. I also had some financial losses, one being my 401 plan was decimated by the company I worked for, which incidentally, was a truck stop company. This happened during the recession a little before I retired.

Six and a half years ago I scraped together a down payment to get the house I live in. It is bigger and nicer than the one I grew up in within the Los Angeles city limits. Today that one is worth $825,000. The price I paid for this house was around $100,000, but it's Texas. After Hurricane Harvey hit the area (after the strike in Houston it went back out to sea, moved north and came back on land where I live), it wiped out a lot of houses and created a shortage. Also, the oil production within driving distance of here, has created 100s of jobs, also setting off a seller's market. In these 6 and a half years, the valuation of my house has increased 50%. The past couple of months it has been increasing at a rate of $100 per DAY.

Of course, those valuation dollars don't buy the groceries. This is where my social security comes in, along with a part-time job I just quit, more than enough to take care of me with extra money each month going into my savings account. I'm not sitting pretty, but I'm also not surviving paycheck to paycheck. I'm frugal now--something I never was most of my life. I lived a rollercoaster, so not so panicked like some people would be. The only thing I owe on is my mortgage--no credit card debt.

Thanks guys. Both educational. I think people actually live on a lot less in older years. I’ve shifted to going out less often and spending more time at home cooking and watching tv. Not as exciting but much cheaper. I find my need to buy anything but the most basic of necessities has slowly waned. Still spend more then I should - in part because of the temptations of living in an expensive city. But you guys are encouraging that money isn’t the biggest issue in your life (which is why capitalism today makes us terrified of old age)

R158 Hey, thanks for the comments. It may have taken me a few more years to get to this point, but I was still playing Daddy until a couple of years ago.

R156 That new car. But wasn't it worth it? I drove into the parking lot of a W. Hollywood nightclub in a brand new 1973 orange Datsun 240Z. I never got to park the car. A group of guys came over to the passenger side. I rolled down the window, did a little chit chat, then winked at the one I wanted. The others left the circle, he got in the car, and we took off to my place. After a wild romp on my bed we returned to the club. He rejoined his friends. Within a few minutes I found the second guy I would take home--and he hadn't even seen the car yet! You decide. Did I really need that car? It may have helped my confidence, but my numbers were looking good in 1973.

Another TSG fan here!! (And BHmanny too)

The NYT is doing a two-part series on Lot Lizards and the people who try to help those that are being trafficked. The title of the article is "Fighting Sex Trafficking at the Truck Stop"; installment 1 was posted yesterday.

Posting from my phone so I can't copy it here but someone with a subscription might do so

As you wish, sir.

I FUCKING LOVE THIS THREAD!

There used to be a website for gay/bi truckers to hook up I think they even had a newsletter.

Thanks r162

A great read for fans of this thread.

r166 Thanks!

Sending warm thoughts to TSG and formerBHManny

I'm so glad this is still going.

r168 It will be FOREVAH! if I have anything to say about it.

I wish I had a great story to tell.

I'll work on it .

Sick of tRump, trans stuff and politics in general.

R170 Same here. You have had many wonderful stories in the past. A lot of the new kids may not have heard them. Don't be shy about reposting your stories. Sending cozy vibes to you and TSG and everyone else.

Okay, this is bothering me from way upthread. Truckers who are sleeping in their trucks run their engines all night to power their tv/fridge/dvd player/ac/whatever. That seems wasteful and polluting. Why not have elec hookups like they do for RVs and boats in slips? charge per kwh or something but at least they're not burning diesel.

R172, in my state that’s illegal unless the temperature is below a certain degree or above a certain degree so they don’t freeze or roast.

I forgot what the degrees are off the top of my head but there is a number.

OMG I’m so glad somebody posted about this documentary. I got a little stoned the other night and came across it on amazon prime. I was literally screaming with laughter at: “my name is T....... short for Tequila”. I also throughly enjoyed the toothless elderly lot lizard who was blind from untreated advanced syphilis. Great laughs!

Is the serial killer mentioned the one who took a photo of a girl that was posted here awhile back? She was in what looked like a barn and dressed in a black dress. Supposedly taken right before her death.

Yes r175 Robert Ben Rhoades

Yeah r174 it wasn't exactly a poignant documentary. I feel for all those women but most of them didn't come off too well. I felt bad for the mother trying to go straight but Christ why show your kids face? Also someone is going to find out and her kid will be teased eventually.

TSG resurfaces. It's been 2 weeks since the cortisone injection to my knee and I'll be calling the doctor's office tomorrow to see how soon I can get in to see him. The cortisone shot didn't have any healing attributes, but was full of side effects. The most pronounced was the gas it was creating. They weren't popcorn farts, but long ones with trailers and it lasted 5 days. At work I had to be ready to back away from people when I felt another one rip, beyond my control. If only I could have had farts like these as a preteen, I could have been the biggest nuisance around.

I was so amazed by these farts, I googled "does cortisone give you gas?" Sure enough, and many other side effects. It wasn't my imagination I also had mild headaches (something I hadn't had in years), but dizziness, lack of appetite and a few other things that put me out of sorts. But the pain from my spent knee persists. Now that the Doc has proof to convince the insurance company that other treatments don't work, they can approve my new, custom-made artificial knee. I think we're making progress.

Glad you are still with us TSG and not gone with the wind (I'll show myself out). Steroids can have so many weird side effects. Prednisone gives me a rare one: severe bone pain, as in the you wish for death kind of pain. I'm sorry it didn't work for you, but you'll be better off in the long run. New knee! Do you have an idea of the timeframe to have the procedure done?

Hilarious.

As soon as the Doc agrees with me, he sends me to the lab for an MRI of the knee, which goes to the custom knee people. It takes them about 3 weeks, then the operation date is scheduled. The replacement, done in the morning, takes about an hour and a half. Later in the day they have you walking. You are kept overnight and sent home the next morning. A therapist shows up at your house for a couple of weeks, then you go to a therapy clinic for final follow up. After that, I guess you can take dance lessons if you want.

Just found this thread. Love it! Good luck with the knee TSG. Keep writing, please.

I am sapping out. I guess I am feeling my age and how fleeting it all is. These stories by TSG, formerBHManny, and everyone else, are not just fascinating but help me remember a certain time, that we aren't dead yet, and that there are more adventures in store.

*Sees the hook coming for me* MARY!

Just checking back.

Off topic but TSG, knee surgery has come a long way and is almost always successful.

The rehab takes time and sucks. Cortisone shots are just postponing what will need to be done.

Love your writing and I wish you the very best.

R183 you brought up a good point about bringing us back to earlier years. There are a lot of threads here that shake up the memory. It seems quite a few I've recently read are nested in the 70s and have really been flipping the switches upstairs. There is just so much we have experienced, yet not dwelled upon for many years. I have to go back to some of my earlier work resumes to try to put things in order.

R185 TSG, hope you'll be out of pain soon and glad you're in a nostalgic state of mind. We long to hear your stories.

Thanks R186. When you get older, you always have pain. With arthritis you can usually put it in with the "background noise" and not even bother to acknowledge it. Bare kneebones rubbing against each other is a different story. Speaking of getting old, there is a great thread I've been following this week called "Aging gays." I'd give you the link if I knew how to... Dealing with not just pain, but all of the things that can adversely affect eldergays, is a lot better when you have others to commiserate with. I'm surprised that men in their 40s and 50s are already getting a taste of what's ahead. Give it a browse. I can guarantee there's something there that we can share with you.

Just seeing this thread for the first time tonight. Enjoyed it. The serial killer stuff is freaky, dark side of the human condition I suppose. I agree with the sappy one above - about realizing how time - just gets past us in a big hurry and we didn't really realize it would rush to pass so fast. My grandmother warned me about this when I was 23 and she was 77 - she told me, life really goes fast. And I yeah, yeah her. Sorry gram, I get it now.

Thanks, R187, I'll look for it. Time marches on.

TSG, is it this thread about aging you are referring to?

Yuppers, that's it! Thanks for the extra effort.

I miss you all! *sniff*

Hope all is well with you TSG, formerBHmanny and everyone else who have contributed their stories, or have read the stories here.

This thread is a treasure.

R193 Thanks for checking in. Other than all of the pollens blowing around here (and probably everywhere else), there's not much else to complain about. We've got so many good threads on DL right now, it's been tough keeping caught up, which is a good thing. Movie Dance Sequences has been spectacular. Still noting all the common ailments in Aging Gays. Hope everyone else is doing OK.

Sending good thoughts your way TSG, and to all who lurk on this thread.

Thanks for the good thoughts! We can always use them. Nothing serious, but my schedule has been in disarray of late. Maybe things get back to normal. Doctors' offices are not very efficient around here and you have to keep after them all of the time to get things done.

Example: I went to my regular doctor for a pre-operation exam to make sure I am fit for surgery. I had to keep on them to get the results sent to the surgeon. Medicare denies moving on to the next step because we haven't waited long enough to see if the cortisone injection did any good after a 6-week waiting period. The cortisone didn't do any good on day 1, but it has no affect on their decisions. Medicare will make sure to drag this out as long as possible so I can't go back to work in a timely manner.

Life goes on, we eat and sleep and throw in a little entertainment. See you around DL.

Any updates on how you are doing TSG, or are you still gutting through the waiting game?

I am currently drinking Seagrams 7 and eating these fabulous Korean shrimp chips (TRY THEM!), getting a double high from the alcohol and the MSG. Yes, I am trash, bitches.

Hugs to all of my fellow Lizardians.

Those Korean shrimp chips look wonderfully unhealthy, r197. Can't wait to try them with cold,unhealthy vodka and tonic. Thanks.

R197 Here, back, slightly buzzed. I forgot to mention that I like these dipped in Sambal Oelek. If you don't have that, Sriracha will do, but Sambal Oelek is 5x the flavor depth of Siracha. It is only a little hotter, but much tastier, a bit less sweet. Not usually too hard to find. I think you will like it. I swear I am not a shill.

R198 I would TOTALLY snuggle with you. Wafting shrimp, MSG, booze and Sambal vapors in your face. I know, so hot.

OK, maybe I am a bit more than slightly buzzed...

Great threat thank you TSG I enjoy your writing and insights into a culture we know so little about. Please keep writing in this thread.

Good Luck TSG hope your operation is successful and you are 100% again.

Hope all goes well, TSG.

R199 thanks for the extremely decadent snack recommendations.

I'm sure you could interest some truck drivers in your snacks, especially when you describe them as unhealthy. The Medicare finally approved my knee replacement next week. They had turned it down once, wanting more info from the doctor. They keep throwing up roadblocks, hoping you give up and limp off into the sunset. Eldergays relying on Medicare be sure to get a Plan D insurance provider right away when you get your Medicare. It can really help, cost-wise, even though they do challenge the doctors.

Lot Lizards are the ones who've been exiled to the Island of Misfit Whores.

r203 GREAT news TSG! Please keep us posted. All gory details welcome. I'll continue sending you healing vibes, I just don't want to nag you while you are recovering (after you are knitted up, all bets in the nagging department are off, however.)

There is a guy on here recovering from tongue cancer, and the Frauen are doing the whole, are you better yet? Are you OK? We haven't heard from you in 5 hours and we are worried. Never mind that you can't swallow, take that trip to London you've always wanted to go on! You've got this! etc. Oy fucking Vey. I'm sure they mean well (*cough*) but It would make me fucknuts.

Sending hugs, vibes, and snacks.

Oops, forgot to include this thread I have been reading on Medicare. Some good info here for any of us heading that way.

Hi TSG, thinking of you, I figured you would post any updates if you had any or felt like it, so just continuing beaming healing vibes your way!

Didn't former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy used to hand out at truck stops?

To bad with Auto driving trucks, this whole industry, and the industry that supports them will be a thing of the past in 10 years. It will be the LARGEST "out of a job" group that will put a strain on this countries less then stellar humanitarian, financial and health safety net. Close to 4 million truck drivers, and close to 8 million that support the industry. Lot lizards, no more.

Saw this and thought of my fellow fans on this subject. Some interesting stuff in the comments.

TSG, how are things with you?

I ain't never seen a lot lizard that pretty.

Love's truck stops...this guy has NEVAH! been approached by a lot lizard or *gasp* seen needles at their stops. A shill for Love's? Deluded? Too ugly even for the lizards? Maybe a combo.

Why yes I possibly do have a Google Alert set for lot lizard news, but I'll never tell!

Any new adventures TSG? How's your knee doing?

How about you formerBHmanny? Haven't seen you much around DL lately, not to sound like a stalker.

*stalk, stalk, stalk*

I'm really feeling my age lately. I made it to 52 without too much trauma. That didn't last long. A couple of days ago, my beloved (temporarily downgraded to beloved-ish) of 15 years "innocently" noted that I sound like a lamenting walrus when I flop out of bed in the morning. (I can't say he's lying.) Then over breakfast today something about selling my ear hair, which I mostly blocked out, (or maybe my cash crop of ear hair blocked it out). Sorry, I'll stop now, I don't want anyone feeling bad about our mad passion for each other, lo these many years.

Wishing everyone a happy fall!

Well, surprise! Thanks for inquiring, the new knee is working perfectly. With it, my body is getting balanced and a couple of pains I had have disappeared. I've been back at work for a couple of weeks, doing yardwork at home and really don't think about the knee often. It's fully functional, without pain.

Sounds like you have taken the hint and are cleaning up your act some. Yeah, best to not bellow when getting out of bed. Curb those guttural sounds and behave. You're too young to be acting like an old man. I'm old enough to be your father, so a little advice. Even I don't do those things, when I'm a certified eldergay and have rights to act old.

r214 Gah! So sorry I'm only seeing this now. What wonderful news TSG! I'm so happy to hear all is well with the knee. You must be relieved to have the whole thing behind you now. I hope this late post finds things even better with you.

I've been tapering off the walrus noises a bit, but I promise to really tighten the lid on them. I truly appreciate the advice. I'll take all I can get, to be quite honest. I'm sure my beloved out there in the kitchen making me a spiked hot chocolate sends his appreciation as well. :) I am so grateful how he puts up with my bullshit.

Sending you warm and happy Thanksgiving wishes.

May you and everyone else have a Happy Thanksgiving. My part-time job that I keep for socializing, making a few extra bucks to put in savings has me working on what's referred to as Gray Wednesday and Black Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thanksgiving will be a resting day along the way. It may not be turkey, but I will make something delish for me and my dog. It'll be a perfect day with no relatives to see. I wouldn't mind one niece, but she lives in Cali and I am still firmly transplanted in Texas, a place I can afford.

Yes, the knee operation went well, and on occasion my dog challenges me to a run. I'm up for it. I'm sure your beloved is capable of putting up with some of your idiosyncracies, but why push it? Making life better for him has its own rewards.

With all the turkey and the trimmings, may I remind everyone, that although we may over do it a bit this week, be sure to stay hydrated, take your Vitamin D supplements as well as the magnesium. Now that I've found out that the body produces less Choline as we age, I'm touting it as another important supplement, to make sure the brain stays lubricated and the synapses are all firing.

Happy Thanksgiving, TSG! Glad you are doing well

I read this thread the first time around. Glad it was resurrected. Enjoyed reading it again. Well written and particularly decent behavior toward each other. I now have Amazon Prime and spent part of the morning watching the documentary referred to above. Drugs really have taken a toll on Americans and I have real sympathy for those people. Outside of the overtly homophobic minister in the film I admire anyone who tries to help them. In this Christmas season if you can donate money or food to a soup kitchen which feeds the poor. Try to give to one where most of your donation goes straight into feeding them or giving them clothes.

Hey all,

This isn't Lizard-specific but sounds quite interesting. Here from the Fresh Air intervew transcript (link below):

Finn Murphy, has written a new memoir called "The Long Haul" about his experiences logging over a million miles. His cargo includes the furniture, dishes, clothing, pianos, heirlooms and artwork of corporate executives and their families moving across the country to new homes for their new jobs. Murphy typically packs and unpacks the possessions as well.

His memoir is filled with insights about life on the road and the subculture of truckers as well as about the attachments people have to their possessions when they're transitioning to a new home and having to decide what to keep and what to ask Murphy to throw in the dumpster. He's been driving a truck off and on since the late 1970s. He dropped out of college to become a truck driver.

And this is from his book, I want to get my mitts on this.

Sending you all warm (literally) thoughts and best Christmas/Holiday Wishes

A long-haul mover’s rollicking account of life out on the Big Slab.

More than thirty years ago, Finn Murphy dropped out of college to become a long-haul trucker. Since then he’s covered more than a million miles packing, loading, and hauling people’s belongings all over America. Known by his trucker handle as U-Turn, he spends his days (and many of his nights) in a 53-foot eighteen-wheeler he calls Cassidy.

In The Long Haul, Murphy offers a trucker’s-eye view of America on the move. Going far beyond the myth of the American road trip, he whisks readers down the I-95 Powerlane, across the Florida Everglades, in and out of the truck stops of the Midwest, and through the steep grades of the Rocky Mountains. As he crisscrosses the country, Murphy recounts with wit, candor, and charm the America he has seen change over the decades, from the hollowing-out of small towns to changing tastes in culture and home furnishings.

Some 40 million Americans move each year, and very few have any idea what they’re getting into or the kind of person to whom they are relinquishing their worldly goods. The Long Haul is also a behind-the-scenes look at the moving industry, revealing what really happens when we call in “the movers.”

Through it all, Murphy tells poignant, funny, and often haunting stories of the people he encounters on the job: a feisty hoarder in New Hampshire; a Virginia homeowner raging when Murphy’s truck accidentally runs down a stand of trees; an ex-banker in Colorado who treats Finn and his crew with undisguised contempt; a widow who needs Murphy to bring her archeologist husband’s remains and relics to a Navajo burial ceremony in New Mexico. These experiences inspire Finn’s memorable reflections on work, class, and the bonds we form with the things we own and the places we live.

Brimming with personality and filled with great characters, The Long Haul is a resonant portrait of the enduring appeal of manual labor in the dark underbelly of the American Dream.

Netflix, Hulu or Prime?

I heard that interview. He came off a little full of himself to me. Or more like overcompensating for what he actually thought was a squandered life.

So anyway, I was at a truck stop last night and was getting cruised hard by this young hottie. He was scruffy in a white t-shirt and jeans. I figured him for trade and probably would have given him a 20 for some quick fun if I hadn't been travelling with co workers. I always assumed this was available based on my experiences at rest stops back In the day. But from what i.have read here it doesn't seem all that common.

I left out the part of the documentary that I found most telling. He said regular truckers called movers "bed bugs" and wouldn't fratenize with them.as they were not "real" truck drivers. Whatever that means.

Years ago, in my early 20s, I worked at a fast food restaurant near a truck stop. I'd moved to be with a guy I was in love with (bad idea) and worked that dead end job for about 8-9 months.

I tried to cruise the lot a fair number of times, but the gay Joe Gage fantasy of hot truckers waiting to feed someone cock was mostly that, a fantasy. Most of the guys looked like Wilford Brimley.

The one time I *did* hook up with a hot trucker, it was one that delivered to our restaurant. He was ridiculously hot, big, muscly and blond. The only hot guy I ever ended up hooking up with *at* the truck stop was another "civilian," a married daddy who fed me his dick a few times.

CALLING TRUCK STOP GUY! A. Hope all is well. B. What are your thoughts on the latest with truckers needing (and until now) not getting food at regular stops. Do you think they were also denied things like showers?

I missed this thread and most especially TSG.

Bumping!

Here’s a magical thread about a trucker and some mashed potatoes.

Nice and easy mashed potatoes

Some truck stops have full restaurants and others have fast food. The sit down, full restaurants would probably have to close, but the fast food stops can do all food to go. I'm sure the showers will stay open. Truck stops are really competitive, and with business down, they're probably even letting the Lot Lizards entertain.

TSG is doing well, but spending most of my time here in the Covid-19 threads. Being retired, I still have a side gig on the weekends, but it is temporarily unable to serve customers. The good news is I'm being paid anyways. Trying to keep extra pounds off is the challenge. Be good everyone and stay safe!

Thinking of you R229 aka most awesome TSG. I hope you have kept Covid at bay, and that you are well and happy.

Thank you very much for checking in. Yes, have kept Covid at bay, enjoying quarantine and dealing with less people. Hopefully, you are well, too, and keeping away from people without masks. These last few months have been restful and mostly happy. I’ve reduced eating portions without feeling I have sacrificed and have not gained any weight.

Please take care of yourself during these trying times.

I hope TSG and everyone is still doing okay

Any updates from TSG?

And updates from TSG?? Hope you’re doing okay

I am SO glad Muriel has kept this thread open. TSG we miss you!! All of your stories are great, the non truck/lot lizard stories are fascinating. You have lived a fascinating life. Please give us more.