"I saw the light, I saw the light
No more darkness, no more night
Now I'm so happy no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord, I saw the light"

Although the meaning behind Hank Williams lyrics is a bit different from the literal meaning I intend for them, they still ring true.

Well, the time has come! I can finally reveal the exciting accessories that The Brain received. A big thank you to Shift Products, Trux lights, and Lifetime Lugnuts for making and supplying such quality items. I ended up switching all the lights on my truck to dual revolution pink and amber/red light, depending on the placement. I also added pink under-frame lighting along the length of the truck. Some of the lights were a matter of just replacing the light itself, but the air cleaner light bars and bunk watermelon lights had to be totally switched up. Thankfully Shift Products had me covered! It turned out better than imagined!! In addition, I got custom-made bunk plates that read, "Pinky and The Brain." The original ones read "Pride and Class," but all the plastic chrome peeled off, and they were not aesthetically pleasing any more. These new ones have much more character to them. Finally, the biggest thank you goes to the guys in the Portage Transport shop for all their hard work installing and wiring everything. They did an awesome job!!

After all was said and done, I wasn't even the first person to see the lights at night! I took the week off so that The Brain could be in the shop getting all his fancy things. There was a fundraiser truck show in Austin, MB, the Saturday after the lights were done, and I couldn't make it as I already had plans with my dad. There are pretty much only two other people than myself that I trust at work to drive The Brain. One is my boss, Bernie, and the other is my coworker, Elias. Elias suggested I take my truck to the show, and when I said I couldn't make it and he could take it instead, I think he was both shocked and thrilled! I said all the cleaning and polishing is on you now, and he was definitely OK with that. I popped by the show for a little bit to make a donation and make sure Elias did everything on the checklist I left for him. I mean, I even have two sets of rugs that I put on the floor. One for everyday use and a set of shag carpet rugs for show use. I take things very seriously!!

At the beginning of July, I was invited by Safe and Smart Drive Canada to attend the Driven Show at Red River Exhibition Park in Winnipeg, MB. They were the great guys that replaced my grey seat belts with hot pink ones. I was there to join their booth to show off The Brain and the awesome seat belts. Driven was more of an import car show than a truck show but still pretty cool to see everyone's hard work and love for what they have. It was interesting because lots of people were taking pictures of my truck, but the most common thing I heard talked about was the size of my shifter. See, contrary to what people say, size does matter!

Now I need to find a truck show to go to that lasts into the night, so I can show off my lights. I have two options in September in the US, but I also have a big vacation planned for the end of September, so I don't want to mess up getting home in time. I find that, as a trucker, it's difficult planning for time off because you almost have to look a month in advance, especially if you're not on a dedicated run. No one can predict what loads will be available the week before booked time off, or if the truck or trailer will break down, I find this a quite stressful time. I haven't gone on a big vacation since before Covid, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one. I'll have a full report in my next article, provided everything runs smoothly.

Lately, I've been spending money like I have a lot to spend. My dad had a yard sale at his place out in the country at the end of July, so I thought I would use the opportunity to sell a few things. I thought if no one bought, I'd just donate the stuff because I didn't want to lug a bunch of stuff back home. Turns out I sold almost all my stuff. I made a cool $417 and was ecstatic. Then I realized I had the mentality of a gambler. I was excited to take home just over $400, but that was probably $1500 worth of goods I had sold! So did I really come out a winner? I figured I did because now I have more money to buy truck stuff!! Every once in a while, someone will ask why I spend money on a truck I don't own. I say, "Because I can!" and "Because it makes me happy!" And isn't that our goal in life, to be happy?