ROUTE: Linden, NJ to Romulus, MI: 732 miles (602 loaded + 130 deadhead)
Thursday May 21st, I arrived at the shipper at 7:15pm. I had driven nine-and-half hours for the day which meant that I only had an hour-and-half left to drive that day as per DOT Regulations. There are not that many truck stops in the area so I decided to spend the night at the shipper. Fortunately, some shippers allow it.
Friday May 22nd, I started my day at 9:30am with the pre-trip inspection of the truck and left the shipper at 10:00am. The scheduled delivery was for Tuesday so I was instructed to bring the load back to our terminal in Canton, MI. It was going to be tight to make it in one day as it should take ten-hours but there’s always traffic on I-80 for road work and the maximum truckers are allowed to drive in a day is eleven-hours. I drove ten hours and 56 minutes and barely made it to the terminal arriving at 11:00pm. I stopped for lunch at a Russian restaurant, Kavkaz, in Loganton, PA, that has truck parking. I made another quick stop for a bathroom break.
BOOK REVIEW: Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto (2026), FRIENDSHIP – RATING (****)
The story is amusing and annoying at the same time. The premise sounded fun and interesting. A woman’s marriage falls apart after forty years as the husband leaves her for a younger woman, their personal chef. She believes that if she learns to cook she’ll win her husband back. She is a rich housewife living in Indonesia that has never held a job in her life and sole purpose is to please her husband and bear him children.
Mebel Tenadi is the protagonist. At some point she would be considered a trophy wife if her looks justify it but at sixty-three years old and married for forty years that moniker ceases to apply. However, the narrative reinforces the concept throughout the book and it’s the core of the story. Therefore, quite annoying. On the other hand, the journey of self-discovery and determination to change her identity is what saves the story. She also helps one of her new culinary school’s friend, Gemma, to stand up for her beliefs.
There are other side characters that keep the story amusing, specially as there’s a huge age gap between Mebel and her classmates. Sammy, Mebel’s son. Her estranged husband, a wealthy Indonesian businessman. Alain Moreau, a renowned chef and director at the culinary school. The witty banter between Mebel and her classmates as well as the descriptions of French cooking.
