A day in the life of a trucker (27 July, 2026)

Hey! Look, it's Tumilik! As I mentioned before, I think it's a great way to start an album.

This weekend I did some Muay Thai. And again, I made a video for Mélanie. She says she likes seeing videos of her man doing his training.

I'm still not very good at it, and I'm sure some people will say I should be doing this, not doing that, standing this way, moving that way.

Yeah... I know.

Right now, though, that's not really my goal. At this stage, I'm simply conditioning my body to hitting the heavy bag. Getting my knuckles, shins, feet, knees, elbows...all of it, used to making contact. I'm also getting used to the intensity of the cardio that comes with Muay Thai.

I did find two gyms I could train at on weekends. The problem is that one is about 115 km away, and the other is around 200 km away. For now, neither is really practical, as it would mean giving up pretty much my entire Saturday just to get there and back.

So, for the time being, I train from home, keep learning from experienced trainers online, for what's it worth, and keep improving a little bit every week. When I can work out a schedule that makes sense, I'll join a gym and take it more seriously.

Some zucchinis were ready for harvest. I was on the road for eight days, and this is what happened, hah.

Tiny bell pepper.

Saturday I made some Thai food. The only thing I was lacking was thai basil, or, eveb better, holy basil. The former I can only get in some stores, and the latter is impossible to find unless growing some from seeds, at home. I used fresh coriander as a substitute, although it's not quite the same. In there I have eight Thai Bird's Eye peppers, and two spur chillies.

Typical ingredients. Oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar.

With ground pork.

I made Pad Moo Phrik Phak Chi...ผัดหมูพริกผักชี..paired with my usual khao hom mali rice...ข้าวหอมมะลิ. It was a bit spicy, but not too much. I only had a runny nose for a few moments.

No, Tumi.

Sunday morning. I had Tumilik sleeping next to me.

Breakfast. Some prefer a Red Bull or two, with a few cigarettes. I prefer this.

More Muay Thai.

Am I still flexible? I think so. Hehehe. I was able to do that when I was six, and I'm still able to do it as easily today, without any efforts.

This was Sunday's training.

I've been watching a few videos from different trainers lately, including Damien Trainor and Kru Parichat. Parichat is well known in Thailand, having fought well over a hundred fights, and she now teaches at a gym in Chiang Mai.

Right now, I'm mostly trying to improve my fluidity, positioning, and agility. When the time comes, I'll look into joining a gym more seriously.

The funny thing is, I probably wouldn't even have started Muay Thai if the army recruiting process wasn't taking so freakin' long. Last week I spoke with an MSE Op (the trade I'm applying for) in Salisbury, New Brunswick. He told me it took him about a year and a half before things finally started moving, so that gave me a bit of perspective.

Part of me still worries it won't work out, especially with the surge in applications they've had over the past year. And I found myself wondering... what do I do if it doesn't happen, after training this hard for over a year and completely changing my habits and lifestyle..

Then I realised something. None of it is wasted. Absolutely not. I'm in far better shape today than I was as a teenager playing league baseball in the summer and league hockey in the winter. That's worth something in itself. I think.

That's where Muay Thai came in. It fits really well alongside my military preparation, and it forces me to push beyond my comfort zone. I feel like I'm at a point in my life where I need new goals, new challenges, and to try things I never imagined I'd be doing.

If the army works out, I'll keep training Muay Thai. If it doesn't, I've already got a few other ideas I'd like to pursue, with Muay Thai. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Now, about Sunday's session...

No punches, because my knuckles were still quite sore from Saturday's bag work. It doesn't really look like much on video, but the heavy bag weighs about 100 lb, and it hits your knuckles pretty hard, even with gloves. As for the kicks, they land hard enough that I usually end up with scraped shins and the tops of my feet... sometimes enough to draw a little blood.

So Sunday was mostly leg drills, along with a few elbow and knee exercises. One drill came from a Damien Trainor clip, with the high knee block flowing into a kick. He's a lot more fluid than I am, of course, but I could already feel myself improving throughout the session. Another drill I picked up from Parichat was the alternating single-leg hop with the knee strike. That one is a proper cardio workout.

All in all, both sessions this weekend lasted about an hour each, including the warm-up. And they were done in about 32°C with 85% humidity. Very nice. I don't mind the heat at all. Summers are so short here, I enjoy it as much as I can.

I finished it all off with some time in the pool to cool down. The water was at 24°C / 76°F....Refreshing..!

Sunday supper. A change from my usual Asian cooking, or burgers on the hardwood charcoal... Fettuccine Alfredo.

With fresh parmesan, and butter.

Homemade salad.

Toss, toss.

And that's it.... it's such a simple, easy recipe. Had this with the last brocoli from the garden. I got it just in time as it was about to bolt.

Monday morning. Time to earn a pay.

Today I had planned to do a mix of Metallica and Megadeth songs, until I read that on this day, in 1984, Metallica released this masterpiece.

So, I figured we'd listen to all the songs off that album instead.

Fight Fire With Fire
Metallica
St-Hyacinthe / St-Dominique QC

First, this box blade. A box blade a tractor implement used for grading, leveling, and moving dirt, mulch, snow, and the likes.

I think I have enough room on the trailer for that.

Ride the Lightning
Metallica
Ange-Gardien QC

For Whom the Bell Tolls
Metallica
Montréal QC

Offloading that box...

...and getting a bigger box on. This one is a manure spreader. Try to avoid standing behind it when it's being used.

Fade to Black
Metallica
Lachine QC

Fade to Black
Metallica
Orford QC

Yeah..I had to finish that song..!

Offloading the poop dispenser.

Next, loading this bad boy. This is an 8R. Above that you start getting articulated tractors.

That's the fun part. I get to drive all sorts of things.

Getting that tractor on the trailer.

And done, good to go.

Trapped Under Ice
Metallica
Ayer's Cliff QC

Escape
Metallica
Sherbrooke QC

Creeping Death
Metallica
Drummondville QC

The Call of Ktulu
Metallica
St-Hyacinthe QC

And done for today. It was too late for delivery for the last load. I'll do that tomorrow.

Next... working on my car. Sort of.

My starter died Friday, while I was out for groceries, buying the stuff to make the fettuccine and the salad. Luckily, I have a standard transmission, and with the help of a few good people, who helped push the car to gain speed, I was able to push start (or bump start, or compression start) the engine and go home. And this morning a friend helped me start it by pulling the car with a chain.

And I thought changing a starter was an easy thing. Maybe it is on some models. But not mine.

That's what it looks like, after thirteen years on the road, so thirteen winters, and approximately 300,000 kilometres. To access the bolts, which are on the other side, I'd have to take apart the whole manifold intake, and a bunch of other stuff and wiring in the way. So, basically, a lot of work for like three bolts. And although I can do engine work up to a point, I'm not a mechanic and this is beyond my capabilities. I don't want to risk taking parts apart and damaging something else, and making it worse.

So, this week I'll check around for some repair places, and see what I do. Worst case scenario I'll just get another vehicle.

Back home, with the happy girl.

In spite of a full day of work, loading and offloading in 30°C weather, and completely forgetting to eat all day, I still went out for my six-kilometre run once I got home. It would have been easier to just stay home and relax a bit.

But, I don't do easy.

Almost done with the run. It started raining. It was refreshing!

Finally, food. Breakfast..or lunch..or supper. Doesn't matter..food! And Tumilik, hehe. She's never too far.

And that is it for now. Have a good one!

A few good hits.

I found this image, and I paired it with quotes from a page about Muay Thai. I think this could look good as a poster. Or not. Hehe.