Hello friends,

 good day to you, hoping you find yourself well this Tuesday evening. I apoligize for the delay, but in truth, the internet service was just reconnected about an hour ago, here at my sister's home. After a two day battle with the provider, she negotiated a truce, securing service for at least another month. The terms of the surrender were well into the hundreds and thus I am able to reach out to you once again. Sorry, too much 'Game of Thrones'!  

 It's amusing to see the total trainwreck a household can become, once the life's blood of our tecnology, the internet, has been servered. As for me, I went almost a year without cable television and after losing my laptop early on in Oklahoma, went three months without a computer on the road, having to write my blog entires on my cellphone. The boys were bummed and my big sista, the 24 hour news hound, felt alone and cut off from the world without her dear Anderson Cooper, and the rest of the CNN brigade. I dont even have a T.V. in my room, choosing to focus solely on writing my book every evening after I get home. So the disruption in service hardly put a dent in my routine, aside from writing you good people.

 Besides the lack of internet the past couple of days, I've been battling a lung infection since this weekend. It started with a little wheezing on Saturday at night, and now has evolved into a full grown hacking cough and lung butter discharge, if you get my drift. I feel fine from the neck up, but the Pharmacy dude said to keep an eye on my condition, and to go see the Doc if things go from bad to worst. I hate to see doctors!

 But the bigger pain in my rump has been and continues to be my vehicle situation. My old 67' truck, which is all I have left, has cost me nearly a cool grand this past week, since I recommissioned it again. The old boy is fifty years old and is ready to retire, as as I'am. I was hoping it could last me at least until the fall, but every day something else is broke and it left me stranded three times last week. Like most tradesmen, my truck is my revenue stream, and without a good, reliable truck, I can't earn any money unless it gets me where I need to be everyday. And it could'nt of happened at a worst time, losing my Gigsmobile, now that the building trades are in high demand. The record rains here in Tucson this past month will also provide a bumper crop of landscaping work soon, and as it stands, I'm not prepared to take on the workload.

 Well friends, that was my week, and I certainly hope your week was better. The world is a tough place to live in and I well know that it could be alot worse. So in conclusion, my petty little problems don't add up to much, realizing that I should be counting my blessing each day! 

 I once again thank you for your continued interest, and loyal support all these months. My book will become a reality this fall and that is the biggest blessing I could ask for! Have a great week and stay safe and cool.

Juanjohn

Hello friends,

greeting from wet and soggy Arizona, hoping to find you cool and safe this Monday evening. I am doing well, thanks for wondering. The rains in the desert have been historic and the green stuff that most of you consider a bother, is a beautiful sight here in Tucson!

 Now that the dust has settled with my gig mobile issues, I can finally move forward with other important things, like working on my book. I hadn't stop writing, but the time I had to devote to it suffered, with all the distractions of the past month. Insurance claims reps, including dealing with adjusters on the phone, court appointments and collision center personel, took an enormous amount of time from my days. Coupled with the huge job I had just started when the accident occurred, it left me with precious little time and energy to spend behind this computer.

 The good news is I'm just as determined to complete it this summer, and now I can refocus and hammer out a few more states, with the light workload scheduled these next couple of weeks. The joy I'm experiancing, as I relive every stop, just makes me feel more excited about sharing my entire story with you soon. At times it almost seems like a dream, a distant and fading memory, the year I spent on the road. But all it takes is a tap on the laptop and the entire journey reappears on my screen and mind. I am so glad that I documented so much information on paper, and of course my this site, to help me bring to life all the stories and people I encountered. Without this information, it would be nearly impossible for an old man like me to be able to recollect eleven and a half worth of locations, conversations and names, of the folks and places I traveled. The hundreds of pictures I took, will also help mold this book in something special, I believe. I can't wait!

 My diet, in case you forgot, has been a mixed bag of results, after five weeks on the regiment. I, as you recall, decided to eliminate all process meat from my diet, including beef, pork, and poultry. I'm proud to say that have done a great job resisting the urge to cheat, and honestly, I dont miss the cows and pigs as much as I thought I would. I have lost a grand total of 8 lbs. and one pant size. I feel better, sleep better and my belt fits looser. The Dr. said I needed to lose 27 lbs. but I believe its a bit much for my body type. I finally joined the local gym last week and feel my strenght getting back to normal as well. I took some before, fat boy pics, for documentation last month, and will share them with you once I get closer to my goal. You might not recognize me!

 I also decided for now, not to purchase another truck or car, choosing instead to fix my old 67' Ford. I found a realiable mechanic on, you guessed it, Craigslist, saved a lot money reparing it from the fire that ruined the carburetor back in June. My plan is to buy a new car with the expected proceeds of my published books this year. One can only dream, right? Until then, I will be rolling around town in my tin can!

 Well friends, I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart, for your continued support and encouragement. I know you would expect nothing less than my best effort, when I finally produce my first edition this fall, remembering that good things usaully take more time to truly become great. Take care, and until next week, Adios mi amigos!

 Juanjohn

Hello friends,

Happy Tuesday, I hope all are well and safe, wherever you call home. I myself am doing well, except for the continuing saga with my Gigs mobile. I'm so sorry for the delay with my update, but I did'nt want to write you until the rollercoaster journey ended.   

 After almost a month of back and forth decisions with the status of my truck, Geico insurance finally decided to NOT fix my truck. I had no leverage in the final outcome of my beloved partner of metal and plastic, but the frustrating part of the ordeal, was not being informed of the decisions by the claims adjuster. I was given a rental truck, which was great, but the "were notgoing to fix your vehicle,"  only to hear three days later; "Wait, we are going to repair it,"

 Now, as of last Tuesday, they decied to deem it a total loss, except they failed to inform me about it. All this time, I was thinking the truck was being fixed, but it was just sitting in the lot, while I was burning up days with my 30 day rental. Thanks to the lady at the collision center, who gave me a heads up about the status, I was able to call the dude in charge of my case.

 Unfortunately he never resopnded to my calls, messages and text. I was surprised by the lack of feed back and indifference. Yesterday morning a email survey from the company appeared, and I jumped on the chance to really let them have it! With in a couple hours the local rep called me, concerned with my survey. I took the oppurtunity to vent my frustration on her and explain the ordeal of the past 27 days. She promptly got on the phone, while I was on hold, and contacted everybody involved with my claim. Before the day was over, she straightened out to mess and took some names to the wood shed with her!

 The sad news is that it will not be repaired, thus bringing to a tragic end the Gigs icon. I'm feeling a bit low, and almost shed a tear last night when I went to empty my personal items out of it. The truck still has a lien, and the banks now holds possesion. I had planned on keeping it forever, as tangible evidence of my adventure, but now it will only remain visible in dozens of pictures and videos I recored on my journey, and of course, in my memory. R.I.P my firend.

 That's all for today folks, I will be checking in soon with updates from my book and diet program. Thanks for your support and time!

Juanjohn