Category Archives: Tales from the route

Stories from the years I spent servicing homes and businesses. Some you most likely won’t believe but all are true.

A synopsis of my career;my time with Cheech & Chong

Posted on February 8, 2017 by The Bug Doctor

Ok Ok,…. enough you say of this long drawn out synopsis. I get it. You’ve read I’m sure, my adventures as a commercial salesman and my rise to a national accounts rep. Where did I go next? Where, after my … Continue reading →

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A synopsis of my career; The death (not forever) of my pest control route

Posted on January 1, 2017 by The Bug Doctor

I loved the commercial route, I truly did. It wasn’t long ago, (maybe 3 or 4 years?) that I saw an ad in my pest control associations magazine for a commercial tech to work for one of the fastest growing … Continue reading →

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Chapter 3- A synopsis of my career & my commercial chronicles

Posted on December 26, 2016 by The Bug Doctor

There was one route in the branch that just EVERYBODY envied, coveted and would give their eye teeth to have…the commercial route. First off the truck was the coolest set up in our little fleet. Truck bed length fiberglass tool … Continue reading →

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Dodged a bullet

Posted on November 10, 2016 by The Bug Doctor

The day started out simple enough, mostly routine stops, nothing out of the ordinary… or so I thought. The office calls and says they have a customer that needs someone out soon, today if at all possible. I say, “sure, I’ll … Continue reading →

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The Shrill of Defeat, The Saga Continues

Posted on September 20, 2015 by The Bug Doctor

Although I didn’t get off to a great start instilling any real confidence in the man of the house, the fact that the mouse was gone & the screaming had for now stopped, gave me just enough wiggle room with … Continue reading →

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The Thrill in Victory & the Shrill & Agony of Defeat

Posted on August 24, 2015 by The Bug Doctor

A beautiful fall day in Baltimore that in my mind couldn’t get any better. Not quite a chill in the air but gone was the sweltering summer heat that my bug trucks ‘360’ air couldn’t relieve even with both windows … Continue reading →

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Setting The Tone

Posted on May 28, 2015 by The Bug Doctor

Since beginning as a licensed applicator and technician in 1976, I’ve been doing pest work a long time. Pest pros see all sorts of things when working in customer’s homes but it was when working as a pest management consultant … Continue reading →

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A Night in the Life of an Entrepreneur

Posted on May 25, 2015 by The Bug Doctor

It’s three am. I can’t sleep. My mind is racing. I stare at the ceiling. I count sheep. I listen to the crickets outside my window. For the last two hours my cell phone display has illuminated the bedroom walls … Continue reading →

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The Find

Posted on February 8, 2015 by The Bug Doctor

bucket list noun informal a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime: making this trip is the first thing on my bucket list. A bit morbid to think about but let’s … Continue reading →

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A War I Could Not Win Part II

Posted on October 3, 2014 by The Bug Doctor

As my feet grudgingly take me to my last stair downward, an over powering feeling of helplessness comes over me like a cold wave. In front of me is just the first part of an all but impossible task that … Continue reading →

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A War I Could Not Win Part 1

Posted on September 24, 2014 by The Bug Doctor

It’s Tuesday, 2:30 am: It is my first stop. A weekly account that is the crown jewel of my branch, indeed the envy of the region and one that rivals any in the entire company. The company, that is at … Continue reading →

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A Tiger By The Tail

Posted on July 23, 2014 by The Bug Doctor

Long before I donned a suit and tie and hit the road as a wildly successful, –eh hem – cough cough,—-Commercial Salesman later to become a National Accounts rep, I was a simple and happy residential pest control salesman. (money … Continue reading →

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The Mysterious Mouse Of St. Agnes

Posted on June 27, 2014 by The Bug Doctor

It’s 4:15 am on Wednesday and just like last week and the week before, I’m running late. With my defrost blasting and my windshield wipers doing what an ice scraper should have done, I careen down Reisterstown road heading for … Continue reading →

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The Living Eulogy Of A Single Operator Whose Taken The Next Step

Posted on May 4, 2013 by The Bug Doctor

As the truck rounds the corner a wave of familiarity gently flows across his mind. It’s been 10 years since he’s been on this street. Ten years. Although he doesn’t see the old broken down basketball hoop precariously anchored to … Continue reading →

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Route # 9- In The Beginning

Posted on April 2, 2013 by The Bug Doctor

Jerry 1:1 In the beginning was route #9 and it was without form, void and a complete and utter mess.

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