When will people ever learn?
I just read online where a man had his car stolen from a parking space in front of a convenience store. Why? Well, it seems as if the man was just going to be inside “for a moment,” so he left his car running and his doors unlocked. HELLO? Can you say…stupid? There are thugs all over the place, watching these convenience stores, just waiting for the one or two stupid people to leave their cars running and unlocked…..it’s an easy steal for them. Many years ago, I did the same thing and then realized how stupid and careless I was. I would leave my truck running and “run” into the store for just a second. It takes just a few seconds for someone to hop in and take off. In the Winter, when the mornings are cold, many people still leave their cars running at stores. If they are going to do that, they need to have an extra key made and lock their keys in their car. The car may be running, but the desperate thief ONLY wants an easy steal. The unlocked cars are easier than trying to get in a locked car that is running.
I remember reports where a car was stolen and a child was inside. When it is dark outside, the thief does not look in a dark backseat. All he is interested in is the car. He is car thief, not a kidnapper. Selfish, stupid, people are the only ones that would leave their child in an unlocked, running, car. To me, that’s child neglect. If the car thief is caught, he should go to jail for stealing, but the parent should be written a ticket for child neglect, or child endangerment. You should never, ever, leave a child in a car unattended…running or not. If I ever see a child left unattended in a car, I will call the police.
Last Saturday was a very busy day for me. I went to prayer breakfast at the church early Saturday morning and then helped set up the sound system in the gym for the Pinewood Derby Races…..the state finals. The associational races were last Saturday, but this Saturday was the statewide races. All I had to do was set the sound up. The representatives from the BGCO were in charge of the state races, so I had some free time. I went home at around noon and took a nap. I had to meet the students at the church at 3:00 pm because we were all going to Winter Jam 2011 at the Oklahoma City Arena.
We left the church at 3:40 pm and arrived at the arena at 4 pm. The doors opened at 5 pm, so we wanted to get there early to guarantee we would get seats. The construction downtown is horrible. They schedule all these events and activities in Bricktown, yet you can’t hardly get anywhere. Traffic is a huge mess. We waited outside the arena until 5 pm. When they opened the doors, we paid $10.00 each to get in and then found us some good seats. There were so many people there, they had to turn some away because of the problem of overcrowding. At one point, they would not let anyone in….and if you left the arena for any reason, you could not get back in.
We did have some pretty decent seats, except they were behind the performers. The music was ok at first, but as the night went on, the music seemed to get louder. For that reason, I had my earplugs with me. I was not in any way embarrassed to wear them, although, I think I embarrassed some of the students sitting by me. There were around 7-8 different bands/individuals performing, so we were there until around 10:00 pm. I enjoyed the bands and really had a great time. The special effects were awesome as well.
Yesterday was my day of rest. Our quartet sang for the worship service (I felt we did well) and did a good job. Karla and I went to Harry Bears for lunch and then I went home and enjoyed a three hour nap.
Today, when Karla gets off work, we are going to sign off on our income taxes. We aren’t getting much back, but at least we aren’t going in the hole. Since we sold our house, bought another one….and took on some of Karla’s mom’s financial stuff, it put us in a position where we didn’t get much money back. We will do better this year.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
CERT Training
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
It's FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another busy week is coming to an end.
Yesterday, we had some severe storms come through the city, so our REACT team was on alert. They were not severe enough for us to be activated, so there were just a few of us out early in the morning giving hail and flooding reports. I decided to request the day off because the word was…there was going to be more severe weather happening during the day and I wanted to be out in the midst of it. Once the storms made it through the OKC area, the threat was over for the metro. Myself and two other REACT members were ready to do some storm chasing, but the only place left to chase any storms was in eastern Oklahoma. So, I left my truck at a REACT member’s house (who is also a storm chaser) and rode with him…and the other chaser followed us. I brought my reflective vest, my hard hat, my briefcase, my camera, my cell phone (but forgot my charger) and my REACT radio with me.
As we headed east on I-40, I watched the laptop as it showed the radar and it showed our GPS, which helped me know exactly where we were at and where the storms were at. Several times we drove in very heavy rain, but we kept going east to intercept any severe storms that developed along the dry line. We made it to McAlester and decided to eat lunch and then wait for something to develop. The more we watched the radar and studied the data that was coming in from the National Weather Service, the more we knew that all the severe storms would actually develop east of us and become severe in Arkansas. Once we determined that our chances of severe weather in eastern Oklahoma was very low, we decided to head back to the city. Mike, the storm chaser and REACT member I was with, started having some problems with his side and shoulder, so he asked me to drive back to OKC.
Mike has a cool truck. It is equipped with all kinds of severe weather equipment, lights, radios, scanners, laptop, etc…..all kinds of neat buttons in Mike’s truck. Plus, his truck is bright yellow, so we call it the “bumblebee.” Everywhere he drives, people stare at him because of his unique truck. It has all types of storm chasing and REACT lettering on it, so you can’t miss it. It drives really well and I enjoyed driving it back to the city. While I drove, he continued monitor his laptop and watch storms develop on radar in Arkansas. While driving, we intercepted the cold front as it moved across Oklahoma. The wind picked up and the temperatures dropped about 20 degrees. The winds made it a little difficult to drive the truck because we were heading west bound and the wind was coming from the north.
We finally made it back to OKC at 4:30 pm and I headed home. I dropped our taxes off at the tax place, went by Wal-Mart, went by KFC and then went home for the evening. I was so tired from all the riding and driving, I was ready to go to bed by 8 pm. I knew if I did, though, I would wake up too early, so I toughed it out and stayed up until 10 pm.
Today, my boss is gone and so is the second in charge. That means I am in charge today….not that it really matters. Today, the director of our division presented me with a letter from the City Manager and my 20 year pin. I celebrated 20 years of employment with the city on February 21st. This weekend will be busy. I have the Pinewood Derby races in the morning, along with prayer breakfast….and we have the Winter Jam Concert at the Oklahoma City Arena at 5 pm.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
Yesterday, we had some severe storms come through the city, so our REACT team was on alert. They were not severe enough for us to be activated, so there were just a few of us out early in the morning giving hail and flooding reports. I decided to request the day off because the word was…there was going to be more severe weather happening during the day and I wanted to be out in the midst of it. Once the storms made it through the OKC area, the threat was over for the metro. Myself and two other REACT members were ready to do some storm chasing, but the only place left to chase any storms was in eastern Oklahoma. So, I left my truck at a REACT member’s house (who is also a storm chaser) and rode with him…and the other chaser followed us. I brought my reflective vest, my hard hat, my briefcase, my camera, my cell phone (but forgot my charger) and my REACT radio with me.
As we headed east on I-40, I watched the laptop as it showed the radar and it showed our GPS, which helped me know exactly where we were at and where the storms were at. Several times we drove in very heavy rain, but we kept going east to intercept any severe storms that developed along the dry line. We made it to McAlester and decided to eat lunch and then wait for something to develop. The more we watched the radar and studied the data that was coming in from the National Weather Service, the more we knew that all the severe storms would actually develop east of us and become severe in Arkansas. Once we determined that our chances of severe weather in eastern Oklahoma was very low, we decided to head back to the city. Mike, the storm chaser and REACT member I was with, started having some problems with his side and shoulder, so he asked me to drive back to OKC.
Mike has a cool truck. It is equipped with all kinds of severe weather equipment, lights, radios, scanners, laptop, etc…..all kinds of neat buttons in Mike’s truck. Plus, his truck is bright yellow, so we call it the “bumblebee.” Everywhere he drives, people stare at him because of his unique truck. It has all types of storm chasing and REACT lettering on it, so you can’t miss it. It drives really well and I enjoyed driving it back to the city. While I drove, he continued monitor his laptop and watch storms develop on radar in Arkansas. While driving, we intercepted the cold front as it moved across Oklahoma. The wind picked up and the temperatures dropped about 20 degrees. The winds made it a little difficult to drive the truck because we were heading west bound and the wind was coming from the north.
We finally made it back to OKC at 4:30 pm and I headed home. I dropped our taxes off at the tax place, went by Wal-Mart, went by KFC and then went home for the evening. I was so tired from all the riding and driving, I was ready to go to bed by 8 pm. I knew if I did, though, I would wake up too early, so I toughed it out and stayed up until 10 pm.
Today, my boss is gone and so is the second in charge. That means I am in charge today….not that it really matters. Today, the director of our division presented me with a letter from the City Manager and my 20 year pin. I celebrated 20 years of employment with the city on February 21st. This weekend will be busy. I have the Pinewood Derby races in the morning, along with prayer breakfast….and we have the Winter Jam Concert at the Oklahoma City Arena at 5 pm.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday....Monday....
It really seems like the weekends are not long enough anymore. I actually had a free weekend….from work.
Most of Saturday was spent at the church. I was there early in the morning to get the sound set up for a Young at Heart luncheon and then I had to set some sound up in the gym for the R.A.’s Pinewood Derby racing. After the sound was set up for the two events, I assisted with the Pinewood Derby races as the announcer. This was the associational races, so the winner of these races will get to race in the state races, which is this coming Saturday. We all had a good time.
I really did not do much for the rest of the afternoon. I made it home by 3 pm and laid down for a while. I had no place to be and no place to go. Since I took a lot of pictures at the Pinewood Derby races, I uploaded them to my computer and then selected pictures to use for our slide show on Sunday morning during worship. I also worked on the power point announcements for Sunday morning. As I worked on the power point, I watched a favorite show that I used to watch when I was a kid..”Emergency!” Then, I watched COPS and did some facebooking.
I was up early Sunday morning, putting the finishing touches on the power point. Then, it was time to go to church. For once, I would like to go to church and not have to worry about the sound system or the powerpoint. I am really burned out on both of them, but there has been nobody available to step up and help. I am tired of running the sound and I am tired of doing the powerpoint. I feel God wants me downstairs to be with the students. As long as nobody will help upstairs, I am stuck. The bad thing is, I have to do everything (the sound and powerpoint). I am so ready to give it up and go on. After 30 years of working upstairs, it is time for a change. I could do like Steve did and just quit everything all together and go to another church. That’s what he did because he was so burned out.
The problem with keeping someone upstairs is, they will say they are interested in helping, but will only sit upstairs a couple of times and then decided they don’t want to do it after all. The fact is, it gets busy upstairs during certain parts of the worship service and then other times it gets boring. Plus, there is nobody to talk to upstairs, so there is no time to fellowship or socialize. Many who decide not to stay upstairs do so because they want to be with their friends downstairs. I don’t blame them. When you sit upstairs, it is really hard to get into the service because there is so much going on. I just don’t know how much longer I can take this…..I need a break.
After the morning service, I went home and Karla had cooked a wonderful roast and potatoes……it was wonderful. I laid down for a 30 minute nap and then got up about 1:30 pm, so I could go to a REACT training session in north OKC. The training lasted all afternoon, so when I was finished, I went by Sonic to get something to eat……then, it was back to church.
Today has been alright. Teddy called in, so I had to work his radio today, but it has been really slow. Then Sam called in sick, so John took over my radio and I started covering for lunches. This evening, we have to do a major cleaning on the house because we have a financial adviser coming to meet with us tomorrow evening.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Most of Saturday was spent at the church. I was there early in the morning to get the sound set up for a Young at Heart luncheon and then I had to set some sound up in the gym for the R.A.’s Pinewood Derby racing. After the sound was set up for the two events, I assisted with the Pinewood Derby races as the announcer. This was the associational races, so the winner of these races will get to race in the state races, which is this coming Saturday. We all had a good time.
I really did not do much for the rest of the afternoon. I made it home by 3 pm and laid down for a while. I had no place to be and no place to go. Since I took a lot of pictures at the Pinewood Derby races, I uploaded them to my computer and then selected pictures to use for our slide show on Sunday morning during worship. I also worked on the power point announcements for Sunday morning. As I worked on the power point, I watched a favorite show that I used to watch when I was a kid..”Emergency!” Then, I watched COPS and did some facebooking.
I was up early Sunday morning, putting the finishing touches on the power point. Then, it was time to go to church. For once, I would like to go to church and not have to worry about the sound system or the powerpoint. I am really burned out on both of them, but there has been nobody available to step up and help. I am tired of running the sound and I am tired of doing the powerpoint. I feel God wants me downstairs to be with the students. As long as nobody will help upstairs, I am stuck. The bad thing is, I have to do everything (the sound and powerpoint). I am so ready to give it up and go on. After 30 years of working upstairs, it is time for a change. I could do like Steve did and just quit everything all together and go to another church. That’s what he did because he was so burned out.
The problem with keeping someone upstairs is, they will say they are interested in helping, but will only sit upstairs a couple of times and then decided they don’t want to do it after all. The fact is, it gets busy upstairs during certain parts of the worship service and then other times it gets boring. Plus, there is nobody to talk to upstairs, so there is no time to fellowship or socialize. Many who decide not to stay upstairs do so because they want to be with their friends downstairs. I don’t blame them. When you sit upstairs, it is really hard to get into the service because there is so much going on. I just don’t know how much longer I can take this…..I need a break.
After the morning service, I went home and Karla had cooked a wonderful roast and potatoes……it was wonderful. I laid down for a 30 minute nap and then got up about 1:30 pm, so I could go to a REACT training session in north OKC. The training lasted all afternoon, so when I was finished, I went by Sonic to get something to eat……then, it was back to church.
Today has been alright. Teddy called in, so I had to work his radio today, but it has been really slow. Then Sam called in sick, so John took over my radio and I started covering for lunches. This evening, we have to do a major cleaning on the house because we have a financial adviser coming to meet with us tomorrow evening.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Come on WEEKEND!!
Well, my brother-in-law made it through his knee surgery with flying colors. After work on Tuesday, I went buy to see him. My sister-in-law was already there and he was trying to rest. He was in quite a bit of pain and had just taken some pain medication, so he was waiting for it to kick in. He needed surgery on both of his knees, but decided to do one at a time for right now. In his younger days, he played lots of sports, which caused him to have problems with his knees. He has actually been suffering from knee pain for the past 30 years, so he decided he’d had enough and opted for the surgery. While I was there, his physical therapist came in and did some physical therapy on his knee. Even though it was apparent he was in pain, he did good with his therapy. He was planning on going home yesterday, but his plans got changed. Hopefully, he will get to go home today.
Yesterday was a historical day for me…….I did something that I thought I would never, ever, do. My daughter and I went to Mythical Illusions and I had both of my ears pierced…yep, that’s right….both ears. She got an industrial piercing, which meant she went through more pain than I did. When they did mine, it was like a needle stick…not painful at all. Both Gayla and Stephen urged me to get my ears pierced and my wife encouraged me as well. This is something that has been on my mind for a long time, so it’s not like it was something I did on the spur of the moment. Lots of thought went on with this decision.
When I arrived at church last night, I was amazed at the response I received from the teenage girls. One girl flat told me she didn’t like it (oh well). Several of the girls were shocked I did it, but they felt it made me look young and cool….like I was all that. I know that many of them felt I would never do it because I am a very conservative person. All in all, the response was good, so I was pretty happy about it.
I came to work this morning and revealed them to my co-workers. The guys didn’t say much and had to feel them to believe I actually did it. Linda was speechless (which usually means she doesn’t like them). The others really did not say much. Berma said I looked more “sexy,” and Emily just thought I looked cool. Linda finally admitted that it would take some time for her to get used to seeing me with them on. A few others didn’t say much, they just kind of smirked. I like them….it is something different…plus, it enabled me to spend time with my daughter yesterday and talk to her.
This evening is our monthly CFAAA meeting. Since we had Winter weather last month and our meeting was canceled, this will be our first meeting of the year. I am really hoping for a good turn- out, but you never know.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
http://www.okcentralreact.org
Yesterday was a historical day for me…….I did something that I thought I would never, ever, do. My daughter and I went to Mythical Illusions and I had both of my ears pierced…yep, that’s right….both ears. She got an industrial piercing, which meant she went through more pain than I did. When they did mine, it was like a needle stick…not painful at all. Both Gayla and Stephen urged me to get my ears pierced and my wife encouraged me as well. This is something that has been on my mind for a long time, so it’s not like it was something I did on the spur of the moment. Lots of thought went on with this decision.
When I arrived at church last night, I was amazed at the response I received from the teenage girls. One girl flat told me she didn’t like it (oh well). Several of the girls were shocked I did it, but they felt it made me look young and cool….like I was all that. I know that many of them felt I would never do it because I am a very conservative person. All in all, the response was good, so I was pretty happy about it.
I came to work this morning and revealed them to my co-workers. The guys didn’t say much and had to feel them to believe I actually did it. Linda was speechless (which usually means she doesn’t like them). The others really did not say much. Berma said I looked more “sexy,” and Emily just thought I looked cool. Linda finally admitted that it would take some time for her to get used to seeing me with them on. A few others didn’t say much, they just kind of smirked. I like them….it is something different…plus, it enabled me to spend time with my daughter yesterday and talk to her.
This evening is our monthly CFAAA meeting. Since we had Winter weather last month and our meeting was canceled, this will be our first meeting of the year. I am really hoping for a good turn- out, but you never know.
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
http://www.okcentralreact.org
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Thankful For Good Friends!
I am so happy to have friends that know how to work on cars.
My truck has over 160,000 miles on it, so she has been driven hard. I just had a transmission replaced last month, so I am not real happy when something else goes wrong with my truck. I had a mechanic repair my power steering motor and assembly last year (cost around $350.00), so if something goes wrong with my truck now, I just pray that it is inexpensive to repair. Just recently, the blower on my truck quite working on the two middle settings. It worked on high and low, but not on the middle ones. For a day or so, it quit working on high. When that happened, I checked my fuses and found a blown one. Once I replace it, my fan worked on high again.
I have a good friend of mine that I have known since Jr. High. When we would get in trouble at school, we would be in trouble together because we did everything together. We were inseparable. His name is Wayne (I call him Waynard) and he is an electrical engineer…plus, he knows about cars. He has helped me many times over the years by making repairs on my vehicles when I didn’t have the money to hire someone. Wayne is efficient and makes sure the job is done right. He is super intelligent and has a great sense of humor. I took my truck over to him Sunday afternoon and he started troubleshooting, trying to figure out why my fan worked on low and high only. Wayne does his homework. He had already done research on this before I brought my truck over. He knew exactly where to look and what to do. By the time it was over with, it cost me $20.00 for the part from Autozone….and now my fan works on ALL settings. Wayne is amazing and he loves to do this sort of thing.
Also on Sunday, I had the letters “Emergency Response” put on the back of my truck. Since I am with REACT and we are an emergency response team, I decided to put it on my tailgate. Since I shake so bad, one of my REACT team members came by the house and stuck it on there for me.
Well, another Valentine’s Day is here and gone. I sent out text messages to all my lady friends that I have in my phone and wished them all a Happy Valentine’s Day. Karla had wanted a necklace from Huntington’s Jeweler for Valentine’s Day, so I allowed her to go buy and get it. She got me a new (well……not new, just re-furbished) laptop from CDR Electronics. It’s not fancy, but it has everything on it I need. She got her necklace on Saturday and I got my laptop on Sunday. On Monday, I made a special delivery to her work. One of my co-workers…Linda… makes candy bouquets with stuffed animals, so I had her make me a bouquet for Karla. So, at lunch yesterday, Linda went with me to CVS and delivered the bouquet to Karla. Since she agreed to make the delivery for me, I bought her lunch. Karla called me shortly after the delivery and thanked me. All in all, it was a very successful day.
Shorts weather has returned….for now. It is suppose to be in the 60’s and 70’s this week, so I am in shorts. The only problem is, I only have three good pairs of shorts and the stores aren’t carrying them yet because it is still Winter. Don’t these people know that there are crazies like me who wear shorts year round? So, I am doing lots of washing.
This evening, I have a REACT dinner/Board meeting to go to….and…my brother-in-law had knee surgery yesterday, so I am going up to see him after work.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
My truck has over 160,000 miles on it, so she has been driven hard. I just had a transmission replaced last month, so I am not real happy when something else goes wrong with my truck. I had a mechanic repair my power steering motor and assembly last year (cost around $350.00), so if something goes wrong with my truck now, I just pray that it is inexpensive to repair. Just recently, the blower on my truck quite working on the two middle settings. It worked on high and low, but not on the middle ones. For a day or so, it quit working on high. When that happened, I checked my fuses and found a blown one. Once I replace it, my fan worked on high again.
I have a good friend of mine that I have known since Jr. High. When we would get in trouble at school, we would be in trouble together because we did everything together. We were inseparable. His name is Wayne (I call him Waynard) and he is an electrical engineer…plus, he knows about cars. He has helped me many times over the years by making repairs on my vehicles when I didn’t have the money to hire someone. Wayne is efficient and makes sure the job is done right. He is super intelligent and has a great sense of humor. I took my truck over to him Sunday afternoon and he started troubleshooting, trying to figure out why my fan worked on low and high only. Wayne does his homework. He had already done research on this before I brought my truck over. He knew exactly where to look and what to do. By the time it was over with, it cost me $20.00 for the part from Autozone….and now my fan works on ALL settings. Wayne is amazing and he loves to do this sort of thing.
Also on Sunday, I had the letters “Emergency Response” put on the back of my truck. Since I am with REACT and we are an emergency response team, I decided to put it on my tailgate. Since I shake so bad, one of my REACT team members came by the house and stuck it on there for me.
Well, another Valentine’s Day is here and gone. I sent out text messages to all my lady friends that I have in my phone and wished them all a Happy Valentine’s Day. Karla had wanted a necklace from Huntington’s Jeweler for Valentine’s Day, so I allowed her to go buy and get it. She got me a new (well……not new, just re-furbished) laptop from CDR Electronics. It’s not fancy, but it has everything on it I need. She got her necklace on Saturday and I got my laptop on Sunday. On Monday, I made a special delivery to her work. One of my co-workers…Linda… makes candy bouquets with stuffed animals, so I had her make me a bouquet for Karla. So, at lunch yesterday, Linda went with me to CVS and delivered the bouquet to Karla. Since she agreed to make the delivery for me, I bought her lunch. Karla called me shortly after the delivery and thanked me. All in all, it was a very successful day.
Shorts weather has returned….for now. It is suppose to be in the 60’s and 70’s this week, so I am in shorts. The only problem is, I only have three good pairs of shorts and the stores aren’t carrying them yet because it is still Winter. Don’t these people know that there are crazies like me who wear shorts year round? So, I am doing lots of washing.
This evening, I have a REACT dinner/Board meeting to go to….and…my brother-in-law had knee surgery yesterday, so I am going up to see him after work.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Be Aware of your Surroundings
I see it happening every day…..people going on with their activities and not paying attention to their surroundings. They get out of their vehicles at a mall or department store and are talking on their cell phones and have no clue as to what is going on around them. There is always the possibility that someone is sitting in their car, watching for the opportunity to mug or rob someone….and believe it or not, they are given many opportunities. Most of the ones I see in a cell phone conversation are females. They get out of their cars while talking on their phones and they continue to talk until they get into the store. During this time, they are easy targets. In my opinion, there is nobody that important that I have to talk to while I am walking from a parking lot to a store. If the call is that important, I just stay in my truck and finish my conversation.
To me, safety is top priority. Last evening, I decided to go wash my truck. I knew that the car washed would be full during the day light hours, so I chose to go after it got dark. Some say that’s not a good idea, but I am a safety conscious person. I went to a car wash near my neighborhood around 7:30 last night and it was well lit up. As I exited my truck, I looked around and then checked the bays on each side of me. Then, I pulled out some cash and got some change. Again, I looked around to make sure nobody was watching me. There were two other vehicles there as well…one guy was vacuuming and another was washing. I got my change and started washing my truck. I am not a paranoid person, but I am very observant. As I washed my truck, I continuously looked around. If someone was to attack me, they would not only get very wet, they would get hit with the wand I had in my hand. One thing I will never do is vacuum my truck at a car wash after dark. It is way too risky because the vacuum makes a lot of noise, so you can’t tell when someone comes up behind you. Plus, your back is always to them, making you an easy target. If someone is with you, the risk goes way down, but it is still an unsafe practice to vacuum a car out after dark at a car wash.
The main reason I am a very observant and cautious person is my family has been a victim of crime several times. At our last house, we had been broken into twice and had a car stolen out of our driveway. We have also had our vehicles burglarized. Our new neighborhood is so much safer, but I don’t let my guard down. Our neighbors across the street had their car broken into one night a couple of weeks ago. According to them, nothing was taken, but they broke a window. This is a vehicle they leave parked in the street all the time. I always park my truck in the driveway, so I am not real concerned. I do have some expensive things in my truck that I use for REACT, but so far, I have had no problems. The neighborhood is quiet and the neighbors all know each other.
In other news…..
I am still having to depend on my home computer for the internet. A couple of weeks ago, my laptop locked up on me and died, so I have had no choice but to use my home computer (which is very slow). I never realized how much I depended on my laptop, until I no longer had it. The audio in my home computer does not work, so I can’t listen to anything. I don’t have Microsoft word on it, so I can’t do anything that has to do with Microsoft word. It also does not have power point, so I can’t do any power points. All I can basically do is look at my email and check out my facebook. I can still upload pictures to it, but it takes forever to do so. Karla and I talked about it last night, so we are going to try to work something out where I can go ahead and buy a refurbished one from CDR Electronics. I don’t need anything fancy. I need something with Windows XP, power point, Microsoft Word 2007, DCD player and lots of memory.
This last week, we have been extremely busy at work. We have had lots of emergency water turn offs and lots of main breaks. We knew this would happen, especially since we have had so much frigid weather. The Wintry weather is gone for awhile and temperatures are starting to warm up. Some frozen lines that are now starting to thaw are starting to burst. With all the snow we got that is starting to melt and the temperature change, the ground has started to do more shifting, which is causing more water mains to break. I am ready for this weather to get back to normal. I do enjoy the overtime, but we all need some rest from all this mayhem.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
To me, safety is top priority. Last evening, I decided to go wash my truck. I knew that the car washed would be full during the day light hours, so I chose to go after it got dark. Some say that’s not a good idea, but I am a safety conscious person. I went to a car wash near my neighborhood around 7:30 last night and it was well lit up. As I exited my truck, I looked around and then checked the bays on each side of me. Then, I pulled out some cash and got some change. Again, I looked around to make sure nobody was watching me. There were two other vehicles there as well…one guy was vacuuming and another was washing. I got my change and started washing my truck. I am not a paranoid person, but I am very observant. As I washed my truck, I continuously looked around. If someone was to attack me, they would not only get very wet, they would get hit with the wand I had in my hand. One thing I will never do is vacuum my truck at a car wash after dark. It is way too risky because the vacuum makes a lot of noise, so you can’t tell when someone comes up behind you. Plus, your back is always to them, making you an easy target. If someone is with you, the risk goes way down, but it is still an unsafe practice to vacuum a car out after dark at a car wash.
The main reason I am a very observant and cautious person is my family has been a victim of crime several times. At our last house, we had been broken into twice and had a car stolen out of our driveway. We have also had our vehicles burglarized. Our new neighborhood is so much safer, but I don’t let my guard down. Our neighbors across the street had their car broken into one night a couple of weeks ago. According to them, nothing was taken, but they broke a window. This is a vehicle they leave parked in the street all the time. I always park my truck in the driveway, so I am not real concerned. I do have some expensive things in my truck that I use for REACT, but so far, I have had no problems. The neighborhood is quiet and the neighbors all know each other.
In other news…..
I am still having to depend on my home computer for the internet. A couple of weeks ago, my laptop locked up on me and died, so I have had no choice but to use my home computer (which is very slow). I never realized how much I depended on my laptop, until I no longer had it. The audio in my home computer does not work, so I can’t listen to anything. I don’t have Microsoft word on it, so I can’t do anything that has to do with Microsoft word. It also does not have power point, so I can’t do any power points. All I can basically do is look at my email and check out my facebook. I can still upload pictures to it, but it takes forever to do so. Karla and I talked about it last night, so we are going to try to work something out where I can go ahead and buy a refurbished one from CDR Electronics. I don’t need anything fancy. I need something with Windows XP, power point, Microsoft Word 2007, DCD player and lots of memory.
This last week, we have been extremely busy at work. We have had lots of emergency water turn offs and lots of main breaks. We knew this would happen, especially since we have had so much frigid weather. The Wintry weather is gone for awhile and temperatures are starting to warm up. Some frozen lines that are now starting to thaw are starting to burst. With all the snow we got that is starting to melt and the temperature change, the ground has started to do more shifting, which is causing more water mains to break. I am ready for this weather to get back to normal. I do enjoy the overtime, but we all need some rest from all this mayhem.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association/home
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Winter storm a Dud!
This last blizzard was a dud.
The meteorologists on all three stations predicted 8-13 inched of snow between last night and this morning. Three of our REACT teams, including myself, were out in full force last night, waiting for the storm to come in. Earlier in the day, we were told sleet would fall at around 4-5 pm and then the snow would start around 6 pm, with heavy snow starting at 8 pm. The heavy snow would fall all night, leaving us with blizzard-like conditions and about 12 inches of more snow. Last evening, our three teams went 10-8 at around 7:15 pm and watched the radar, ready for the freezing precipitation to come in. I was in my truck and had a new REACT member with me and the other two veteran REACT members had new members riding with them as well. The other two veteran REACT members were going to stay out all night long, but I had to go in early because I had to work the next day.
We all sat around in our vehicles at OCCC and chatted. There was no reason to do much driving since there was no precipitation falling. Well, the forecasters were dead wrong. I went 10-7 at 10 pm and went home to bed. I was a little disappointed that nothing had happened, but I knew I would need my sleep. I woke up at 3 am this morning and looked outside. It was lightly snowing and there was only around 3 inches on the ground. I didn’t know if more heavy snow was coming, or if that was all we were going to get. I had my alarm set for 5:15 am, so when it went off, I immediately got up and looked outside. There may have been 4 inches of snow on the ground, but that was it. Since it hadn’t snowed as much as they predicted, I took my time getting ready.
I left the house at 6:00 am and had no problem getting out of the neighborhood or getting on the highway. My only problem was my windows. My windows had ice on the inside of them and I was really having a hard time getting the ice to melt. To top it all off, my heater/defroster is only working on low setting. My fan will not blow on any other setting but the low setting. Because of that, it took forever to get rid of the ice. I made it to work easily and got ready for a long, boring, day. Every one showed up today, but we were only dispatching emergency calls, so that gave me very little to do.
In other news…..
My Dell laptop is history. I used it last night on facebook and radio reference.com and then left it on, but closed the lid. When I got home last night, it showed an error screen. I turned it off several times and turned it back on, but it would never leave the error screen. So, I don’t know what happened to it, but it no longer works. I need to somehow copy off the files from the hard drive, but I am not sure how to do it. It stinks because I need a new laptop, but don’t have the money for one. I do have a home computer, but it is slower than molasses. I guess I will work in my office this evening and see what I can do to get my home computer to speed up. I may ride with another REACT member this evening and assist with stranded motorists. I haven’t quite decided yet.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
The meteorologists on all three stations predicted 8-13 inched of snow between last night and this morning. Three of our REACT teams, including myself, were out in full force last night, waiting for the storm to come in. Earlier in the day, we were told sleet would fall at around 4-5 pm and then the snow would start around 6 pm, with heavy snow starting at 8 pm. The heavy snow would fall all night, leaving us with blizzard-like conditions and about 12 inches of more snow. Last evening, our three teams went 10-8 at around 7:15 pm and watched the radar, ready for the freezing precipitation to come in. I was in my truck and had a new REACT member with me and the other two veteran REACT members had new members riding with them as well. The other two veteran REACT members were going to stay out all night long, but I had to go in early because I had to work the next day.
We all sat around in our vehicles at OCCC and chatted. There was no reason to do much driving since there was no precipitation falling. Well, the forecasters were dead wrong. I went 10-7 at 10 pm and went home to bed. I was a little disappointed that nothing had happened, but I knew I would need my sleep. I woke up at 3 am this morning and looked outside. It was lightly snowing and there was only around 3 inches on the ground. I didn’t know if more heavy snow was coming, or if that was all we were going to get. I had my alarm set for 5:15 am, so when it went off, I immediately got up and looked outside. There may have been 4 inches of snow on the ground, but that was it. Since it hadn’t snowed as much as they predicted, I took my time getting ready.
I left the house at 6:00 am and had no problem getting out of the neighborhood or getting on the highway. My only problem was my windows. My windows had ice on the inside of them and I was really having a hard time getting the ice to melt. To top it all off, my heater/defroster is only working on low setting. My fan will not blow on any other setting but the low setting. Because of that, it took forever to get rid of the ice. I made it to work easily and got ready for a long, boring, day. Every one showed up today, but we were only dispatching emergency calls, so that gave me very little to do.
In other news…..
My Dell laptop is history. I used it last night on facebook and radio reference.com and then left it on, but closed the lid. When I got home last night, it showed an error screen. I turned it off several times and turned it back on, but it would never leave the error screen. So, I don’t know what happened to it, but it no longer works. I need to somehow copy off the files from the hard drive, but I am not sure how to do it. It stinks because I need a new laptop, but don’t have the money for one. I do have a home computer, but it is slower than molasses. I guess I will work in my office this evening and see what I can do to get my home computer to speed up. I may ride with another REACT member this evening and assist with stranded motorists. I haven’t quite decided yet.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Here Comes the Storm!
It’s been a week since I have last blogged? Why? Well, the Oklahoma weather has not been cooperating lately and we keep getting blizzards and lots of snow. Because of the in-climate weather, our REACT Emergency Response Team has been out in this weather constantly, assisting local law enforcement and assisting stranded motorists. Last week, we received around 13 inches of snow with 5-6 ft drifts. This evening, we are in for another Winter storm, with 6-8 inches of more snow and blizzard conditions. Grocery store shelves are bare and all types of Winter weather gear are being purchased.
This morning, I put my blanket in my truck and filled up with gas. I also have my regular shovel, my snow shovel, my fully charged cell phone, my fully charged REACT two-way radio, my REACT vest and ID badge, my first-aid kit and extra coats and gloves. I am once again prepared, but hoping this storm won’t be as bad as the last one we had. The last one shut down the City, the schools and many businesses. Our REACT team is normally out, assisting stranded motorists and assisting local law enforcement. I got stuck twice during this last blizzard and both times it was at the same place…the entrance to my neighborhood.
This afternoon, I am suppose to get some new lettering put on the back of my truck. Right now I have a magnetic sign that says, ”this vehicle responds to emergencies.” I am replacing it with white lettering that says “Emergency Response Team.” Since REACT is a volunteer emergency response team, I thought it would be more appropriate to have that on the back instead of the magnetic sign. Since I have the light bar on my roof, I want law enforcement and others that are behind me to know that I am part of the emergency response team.
Well, last Sunday we had our Super Bowl party at the church. Since we had our REACT team meeting that afternoon, I invited my other team members to come to the Super Bowl party at church. All I had to do was mention FREE chili and many great desserts….and I had some takers. I had two of my team members join me for the game at church. The game itself was great, but the commercials were lame and distasteful…and the halftime show was a flop……and if that was not bad enough, the lady who sang the National Anthem before the game, forgot the words and messed up the entire song. They need to start making sure these people know the words to the National Anthem before they ask them to sing it. The good thing was…..my Packers won!
Yesterday was very busy at work, but it did make the day go by quicker. After work, I did run some errands and came upon an accident that just happened in the 800 block of SW. 59th. Nobody was injured, but there was debris from the vehicles in the road, so I pulled over, turned on my emergency lights and started moving the debris off the road. Once I was done with that, I finished up my errands and spent the rest of the evening at home.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
This morning, I put my blanket in my truck and filled up with gas. I also have my regular shovel, my snow shovel, my fully charged cell phone, my fully charged REACT two-way radio, my REACT vest and ID badge, my first-aid kit and extra coats and gloves. I am once again prepared, but hoping this storm won’t be as bad as the last one we had. The last one shut down the City, the schools and many businesses. Our REACT team is normally out, assisting stranded motorists and assisting local law enforcement. I got stuck twice during this last blizzard and both times it was at the same place…the entrance to my neighborhood.
This afternoon, I am suppose to get some new lettering put on the back of my truck. Right now I have a magnetic sign that says, ”this vehicle responds to emergencies.” I am replacing it with white lettering that says “Emergency Response Team.” Since REACT is a volunteer emergency response team, I thought it would be more appropriate to have that on the back instead of the magnetic sign. Since I have the light bar on my roof, I want law enforcement and others that are behind me to know that I am part of the emergency response team.
Well, last Sunday we had our Super Bowl party at the church. Since we had our REACT team meeting that afternoon, I invited my other team members to come to the Super Bowl party at church. All I had to do was mention FREE chili and many great desserts….and I had some takers. I had two of my team members join me for the game at church. The game itself was great, but the commercials were lame and distasteful…and the halftime show was a flop……and if that was not bad enough, the lady who sang the National Anthem before the game, forgot the words and messed up the entire song. They need to start making sure these people know the words to the National Anthem before they ask them to sing it. The good thing was…..my Packers won!
Yesterday was very busy at work, but it did make the day go by quicker. After work, I did run some errands and came upon an accident that just happened in the 800 block of SW. 59th. Nobody was injured, but there was debris from the vehicles in the road, so I pulled over, turned on my emergency lights and started moving the debris off the road. Once I was done with that, I finished up my errands and spent the rest of the evening at home.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Can You Say "BLIZZARD"?
It has been a very busy several days….too busy to even blog. What’s strange is I was off for the last four days, but haven’t taken the time to blog.
Last Friday and Saturday was our youth lock-in at the church, so I was extremely busy on Friday getting things ready for the lock-in. To top it off, there were several grass fires on Friday, so when I wasn’t working on the lock-in, I was out assisting, through REACT, with the grass fires.
I was in bed by midnight on Friday and up by 7 am. None of the students stayed up all night…they were all too tired. We had donuts for breakfast on Saturday morning and then the students played some board games. We didn’t have to leave the fellowship hall until 11 am, so they were making the most of their time. At around 9:15 am, I received a call from a fellow REACT member, concerning a large fire. It seems as if some workers were putting hot tar on the roof of a business at 11601 S. Western, when one of their propane tanks dropped and exploded. So, I left the students with the other youth leaders and responded to the location to assist with traffic control. When I arrived, OCPD already had the street blocked off, so I approached an officer and asked if I could help. He informed me they were doing ok, but suggested I check with the fire department.
When I arrived, the fire was out and the fire department was just dousing the hot spots. I took a few pictures and then headed back over to where the police were blocking the street. Another REACT member had arrived and was assisting the police with traffic control. We both stayed and assisted PD until firefighters rolled up their hoses. At that point, the police released us. Then, it was on to my next venture….helping my son move out of his apartment.
I drove north side and helped him haul two loads of furniture to our house. Once I had finished that, I went home to rest….it was about 3 pm. I laid down for about an hour and my cell phone started ringing. I was in my bedroom and I had left my phone in the living room. Since most of my family was on the road somewhere, I decided to check and see who was trying to call. Come to find out, it was our REACT vice-president. He advised me there was a massive grass fire in the town of Tryon, Okla., which is just north of Wellston, Okla..in Lincoln County. The president of Central Okla. REACT is a reserve deputy for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and was on duty. He had requested as many REACT units as possible to assist with traffic control on the grass fires. Even though I was exhausted, I responded…as well as two other REACT members. It took us about an hour to get to the scene. By the time we got there, the main body of the grass fire was knocked down, but they were still fighting many hot spots.
Myself and another REACT unit blocked off one section, while another REACT unit blocked another section. We assisted Tryon Police and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office….and the Payne County Emergency Management. There were fire trucks from many small towns assisting in fighting the fires. There were new fire trucks from larger towns and there were fire trucks from small towns that I was surprised were even running. Many of these smaller communities have very little firefighting equipment. We arrived at 17:30 pm and did not leave until 21:30 pm. There were still a few hot spots, but most of the fire was out. I arrived home at 22:30 pm and was in bed by 23:00 pm.
It was a very tiring day on Sunday. I could barely keep my eyes open for church. After church, we had to continue helping Stephen move stuff out of his apartment. I eventually made it home and took a nap.
I took off work yesterday to do some relaxing. Plus, we had a Winter storm/blizzard heading our way on Tuesday, so I was getting my truck and house stocked for the weather. During the day, I also stopped and assisted a lady with a flat tire on I-44. Then, I met my wife and daughter at a Chinese restaurant and we had dinner. Yesterday, the City of Okla. City had decided to go ahead and shut down the City Tuesday because of the blizzard we were expecting. Only essential personnel had to report to work…which included me.
This morning, I got up at 5:15 am and got ready to head into work. I drove through the blizzard and made it to work alright. It wasn’t easy, but I made it. When I arrived, my boss informed me that he had contacted the other dispatchers and clerks and told them to stay home. So, today, it is my boss and I working in emergency services…nobody else.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Last Friday and Saturday was our youth lock-in at the church, so I was extremely busy on Friday getting things ready for the lock-in. To top it off, there were several grass fires on Friday, so when I wasn’t working on the lock-in, I was out assisting, through REACT, with the grass fires.
I was in bed by midnight on Friday and up by 7 am. None of the students stayed up all night…they were all too tired. We had donuts for breakfast on Saturday morning and then the students played some board games. We didn’t have to leave the fellowship hall until 11 am, so they were making the most of their time. At around 9:15 am, I received a call from a fellow REACT member, concerning a large fire. It seems as if some workers were putting hot tar on the roof of a business at 11601 S. Western, when one of their propane tanks dropped and exploded. So, I left the students with the other youth leaders and responded to the location to assist with traffic control. When I arrived, OCPD already had the street blocked off, so I approached an officer and asked if I could help. He informed me they were doing ok, but suggested I check with the fire department.
When I arrived, the fire was out and the fire department was just dousing the hot spots. I took a few pictures and then headed back over to where the police were blocking the street. Another REACT member had arrived and was assisting the police with traffic control. We both stayed and assisted PD until firefighters rolled up their hoses. At that point, the police released us. Then, it was on to my next venture….helping my son move out of his apartment.
I drove north side and helped him haul two loads of furniture to our house. Once I had finished that, I went home to rest….it was about 3 pm. I laid down for about an hour and my cell phone started ringing. I was in my bedroom and I had left my phone in the living room. Since most of my family was on the road somewhere, I decided to check and see who was trying to call. Come to find out, it was our REACT vice-president. He advised me there was a massive grass fire in the town of Tryon, Okla., which is just north of Wellston, Okla..in Lincoln County. The president of Central Okla. REACT is a reserve deputy for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and was on duty. He had requested as many REACT units as possible to assist with traffic control on the grass fires. Even though I was exhausted, I responded…as well as two other REACT members. It took us about an hour to get to the scene. By the time we got there, the main body of the grass fire was knocked down, but they were still fighting many hot spots.
Myself and another REACT unit blocked off one section, while another REACT unit blocked another section. We assisted Tryon Police and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office….and the Payne County Emergency Management. There were fire trucks from many small towns assisting in fighting the fires. There were new fire trucks from larger towns and there were fire trucks from small towns that I was surprised were even running. Many of these smaller communities have very little firefighting equipment. We arrived at 17:30 pm and did not leave until 21:30 pm. There were still a few hot spots, but most of the fire was out. I arrived home at 22:30 pm and was in bed by 23:00 pm.
It was a very tiring day on Sunday. I could barely keep my eyes open for church. After church, we had to continue helping Stephen move stuff out of his apartment. I eventually made it home and took a nap.
I took off work yesterday to do some relaxing. Plus, we had a Winter storm/blizzard heading our way on Tuesday, so I was getting my truck and house stocked for the weather. During the day, I also stopped and assisted a lady with a flat tire on I-44. Then, I met my wife and daughter at a Chinese restaurant and we had dinner. Yesterday, the City of Okla. City had decided to go ahead and shut down the City Tuesday because of the blizzard we were expecting. Only essential personnel had to report to work…which included me.
This morning, I got up at 5:15 am and got ready to head into work. I drove through the blizzard and made it to work alright. It wasn’t easy, but I made it. When I arrived, my boss informed me that he had contacted the other dispatchers and clerks and told them to stay home. So, today, it is my boss and I working in emergency services…nobody else.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
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