It's FRIDAY!!!!!!!

It has been a long and trying week at work. It hasn’t been real busy, but the morale in our office is at an all-time low. I can’t go into detail, or it will come back to bite me, but there are many unhappy employees in our office.

There really has not been that much going on this week. I have had a few meetings, but no barn-burners. The treasurer for our REACT team resigned a couple of weeks ago and his last official day is tomorrow. It doesn’t really matter though, because his job sent him to Portugal, so he is basically gone. I have all the treasurer stuff, since I am Chairman of the Board. The good thing is, one of our other Board members has stepped up and agreed to be treasurer. He told me as long as I would help him, he would do it….so I agreed to help him. We have a Board meeting this Sunday, so 30 minutes before our meeting, I will meet with him and hand all the treasurer stuff over to him.

Our REACT team is getting into the season where we will be doing more storm spotting and working more events. During the Spring and Summer, we always stay busy. Not only do we still work events, we do motorist assists and continue with different types of training other things.

For the past three months or so, some of our team members have been doing “courtesy patrols” on Friday and Saturday nights. What we do is patrol the interstates and watch for stranded motorists. When we see them, we stop and see if we can assist them. We don’t charge them anything, but they are required to sign a release of liability form if we have to do change a flat tire, jump start their vehicle, or do some work on their vehicle. We have been successful and made many contacts via courtesy patrol, but nobody has gone out the last two weekends. We have been busy doing other things, plus, gas is so expensive now, nobody can afford to go out.

Tomorrow, our REACT team will be having a “garage sale” at the State Fairgrounds. This is a city-wide garage sale and it is only for non-profit organizations. It’s a great fund-raising activity for us, so we hope we can sell quite a bit of stuff. My biggest complaint is how so few of our members are involved in this. Out of 20 members, we have had only around 4 members donate items for the sale and there has only been a few of us that have been picking these items up. To top it off, we will have very few members helping us with the garage sale. I am glad we are doing this sale because we do need the money, but I wish more of our members would get involved.

Today is March 30. Today is also my daughter’s 19th birthday. It is hard to believe my little girl is growing up so fast. For the most part, she is making some very good decisions. She still lives at home and is going to college. She is doing great in college and has great studying habits. She is also working a part-time job to help pay for her car. She does chores around the house and has a multitude of friends. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments.

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Hello Monday!!

I can safely say I had a pretty decent weekend, even though I was a little busier than I wanted to be.

Karla and I attended the Third Day concert at Crossroads Church on Friday night and had a great time. The music was just right…not to soft and not too loud. Our seats were in the balcony, but we still got a good view. The concert started at 7 pm and ended around 10 pm. It was a concert that Karla had wanted to go to for a long time because Third Day is her favorite band. Since we haven’t had a “real” date in so long, this was our chance. We ate at Perry’s restaurant and then went to the concert.

I was up early Saturday morning because I had to check my email had to be at one of our REACT members’ apartment at 9 am to switch out light bars. For the last year or so, I have had a light bar on my truck that had blue and amber lenses……and they were strobes. Our REACT team is trying to get away from strobes and go strictly with LED’s, so I have been looking for an opportunity to change out light bars. One of our other members had a light bar on his truck that had LED lights only, so he decided to take that light bar off his truck and trade me. So, a couple of us spent around 2 hours Saturday morning changing out the light bars. Now all I have to do is get the other light bar to the other member and let him sell it on E-bay, if he wants to sell it.

The only problem with the new light bar is the mounting bracket. It fits my truck, but the bracket sticks out some, so my doors will not shut easily. I am either going to need a new bracket, or do some welding to make the current bracket fit better. Right now, I have to be gentle when I close my doors because my doors get stuck on the bracket.

I spent the rest of my Saturday running errands and picking up stuff for our REACT garage sale coming up this weekend. I was so tired Saturday evening, I went to bed rather early.

I got up Sunday morning and enjoyed a good Sunday School lesson and good worship service at church. I had picked up an extra shift at work, so I had to leave early from church, in order to get lunch and be at work from noon – 4 pm. Fortunately, it was a slow afternoon, so I did not have that much to do.

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I Made it to Thursday....Now What?

What a week it has been. I have been extremely busy at work, still learning all the ins and outs of our new phone system. Plus, having to answer lots of phone calls. Some of my friends wonder why I don’t like to talk when they call me on my cell phone……well, after talking to people all day long on the phone, I am tired of talking, so I text. There is one thing I would like to point out when it comes to texting. If I text someone about something, it is usually because I can’t talk. Things are getting much stricter in my office, so it is getting harder to have a personal phone conversation with someone. Because of that, I text during the day while I am working. Unfortunately, sometimes when I have sent a text to somebody, they feel they have to answer my text by calling me. The whole reason I am texting is because I can’t talk. If I can’t talk, I will just reject the call.

I hate talking to voice mails. My Facebook question of the day yesterday was……if you call someone and they don’t answer, do you leave a voice mail, or just hang up? The majority of those that answered said they would just hang up. Many people, including myself, do not like leaving messages. If someone calls me and I miss the call, I usually call them back….eventually. If they do leave a voice mail, it may be awhile before I even get to listen to it. It seems that most people do not like leaving voice mails and would rather hang up. Interesting.

I had a good time last evening in the youth service. Our youth minister was on vacation, so I was in charge of the service. I did a few things differently and the students seemed to really enjoy it. We played a game, watched a video, listened to a student give a brief devotional and had a Bible drill. I didn’t get a chance to plan very much because I have been so busy at work and have so much going on.

Last Tuesday evening was our monthly meeting with the Multi-County Fire Corps. We have our meetings at a Baptist church in Hinton, Okla. There were three of us that rode together to the meeting. We stopped in Mustang on the way out and ate some BBQ. It’s a nice drive out to Hinton….lots of country to see and the windmill farm. We had a good meeting and got a chance to see their Command Post (canteen), which is an ambulance that got donated to them. It’s really nice and has plenty of room in it. I was really impressed. I wish we could have something like this for our REACT team, but the funds are just not there. The meeting lasted until around 9 pm, so I did not get home until almost 10 pm.

This evening is a free evening for me. No meetings and no plans. Tomorrow evening, Karla and I will be going to the Third Day concert at Crossroads Church. We are both looking forward to the concert.

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Vacation is OVER...

Well, after enjoying a full week of vacation, I am back in the saddle again.

I did have a great vacation and enjoyed every minute of it. The fact is, I really did not do much while I was off. I had a few errands to run and a few jobs to complete, but I made sure I made time to play. Twice during last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Lake Hefner and ride my bike around the lake. The first day was great and very refreshing. The next day was challenging because the wind was blowing so hard. The wind blowing against you tends to drain all the fun out of a bike ride. Since I was in no hurry, I took my sweet time and stopped several times along the bike route. The times I stopped, I either stretched my muscles, or I took pictures. My main goal for the week was to do what I wanted to do and relax at the same time. I did do house chores, but I got those done early in the mornings, so I could enjoy the rest of my day.

This last week, while on vacation, I went through the CERT course. CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. This is a 16-hour course that teaches you what to do in case of disaster. The course was Thursday evening from 6-10 pm, Friday evening, 5:30 – 10 pm and Saturday, from 8 am – 5 pm. There was lots of classroom work and some field training. We were trained on what to do when disaster strikes our neighborhood and how to take control of the situation and work at saving peoples’ lives and rescuing people. Our main goal was safety for ourselves. If we don’t do things safely, then we are no good to others. Myself and another REACT member took the course. The course was something I had been wanting to take for the last couple of years, but just did not have the time. It is not required to be a part of REACT, but it is a big help and a great learning experience. By Saturday evening, when the class concluded, I was mentally exhausted from all the learning we did. There was lots of information to take in for 16 hours.

                              

                           



 

Yesterday was my lazy day. The musical trio, “The New Plainsmen,” came to our church yesterday and put on a performance for us during our worship service. They were with us last year about this time and did an outstanding job. Well, once again, they did a super job and really got the audience involved. I sat on the front row and took pictures.

 

That afternoon, I took a long nap and then went back to the church for choir rehearsal. Many of the REACT team members were in western Oklahoma chasing storms. I would have joined them, but our youth minister was on vacation and I had to fill in for him, so I could not leave the city. Several of the team members got good pictures of tornadoes on the ground. Hopefully, I will get to make it to the next chase.



 

Today has been a rainy. It has rained all day long so far, with some lightning and thunder. There was suppose to be a slight risk for severe weather for today, but with cloud cover and all the rain we are getting, I don’t see it happening. I did have a meeting with my boss this morning and received my yearly performance evaluation. In the past 21 years, since I have been with the city, this has been the best evaluation I have received. I was given very high marks in all areas. It really made me feel good. My supervisor told me how much she appreciated me and all the extras I do in the office for my co-workers and for others. It made my day. It also makes me want to strive harder to be the best employee I can be.

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Not All Traffic Accidents are cut-and -dry

On March 11, 2012, at around 12:55 pm, I was westbound on I-240 just passing S Western Ave (in the middle lane), when I saw a white Saturn swerve to the left hand lane, slam into the center median wall, do a complete 180 (almost flipped) and then came to a rest on the concrete median. With very little time to react, I turned on all my emergency lights, moved over to the left lane, grabbed my cell phone, grabbed my reflective vest and ID and exited my truck. As I ran to the vehicle, I could not get my vest on, so I held it to my side. The occupant, a male driver was dazed from his airbag deploying and there was a toddler (maybe a 2 year-old) in the back seat. There were no apparent injuries, but the car was smoking on the inside, so I advised him to turn off the engine. I checked the little boy to make sure he was ok and then went back to my truck...still trying to get my vest on.

During this time, I am still on the phone with OHP, giving them my location, type of car, etc......I was standing by my truck, when another passerby stopped to help. As the other driver spoke to the victim, I could hear the driver trying to release himself off the concrete barrier. I was still on the phone with OHP and told the driver to stop. Instead, he took off and darted across three lanes of traffic, trying to get away, almost causing a multiple-car pile-up. I was still on the phone with OHP, still sitting in the left-hand lane, giving direction of travel and explaining that he was trying to leave the scene. As he got across to the inside shoulder, his hood popped up, blocking his view. He got out and tried to secure it. Myself and the other passerby carefully manuevered behind him, urging him to stop, but he got back in his vehicle and took off again. 

Then, he turned off onto the shoulder into the grassy area between the interstate and service road and tried to make his getaway. Still on the phone with OHP, I gave his tag number and location to the OHP dispatcher. For a moment, he was stuck and I figured he could not go any further. To my surprise, he maneuvered enough to get his car off the muddy and wet grass and across the street to an apartment complex. When he entered the complex, his hood popped up again, so he got out to shut it. I safely followed him as he pulled into a parking place at the complex. The passerby behind me, went around me and pulled up next to the car. The accident victim got out, waved me on...but he looked like he wasn't altogether. I parked my truck at a good distance (not knowing what he would do next), stood at the apartment entrance and then flagged down an OHP Trooper as he arrived on the scene.

As the Trooper pulled up, three more troopers and an OCPD officer pulled up. As I walked over to the accident victim, the other passerby that stopped to assist, advised the officers he was a U.S. Marshall and found a gun on the male driver. The driver was also carrying a knife. He explained he had taken an Oxycontin pill about two hours earlier, but didn't say for what reason. The Marshall advised the trooper that when he approached the vehicle after the accident (and I was back at my truck), he saw the male driver put something in his mouth. Also found out the guy had no papers for his car, his license was suspended and he did not have a CCW permit for his weapon (he had a shoulder holster on)

While I was there, the wife of the U.S. Marshall comforted the little boy that had been in the car. He was crying, but safe. While Troopers took mine and the Marshall's information, I contacted Mr. Weiss by cell phone to tell him where I was at. This all happened so fast, I had no time to get on my radio and call anyone. While I spoke with Mike on the phone, another Trooper was giving a field sobriety test to the male driver. Once the troopers got my information, I gave them and the U.S. Marshall our REACT business cards and they all thanked me for stopping. The Marshall was especially thankful that I had turned on my emergency lights so quickly as to alert the drivers behind me.

As I turned off my emergency lights and started to drive off, the Troopers thanks me and I watched as they handcuffed the male driver and put him in the back seat of their cruiser. I cleared off at 13:25 via radio to unit 728.

Question...would I have done anything differently?

Answer....I doubt it.....I did what I thought was the best to do in that emergency situation. The wind was blowing, so I could not get my vest on, but it was by my side and I could be seen. My main goal was to contact OHP and check on injuries. Since nobody else stopped initially, I had to do call OHP, check for a safe scene, check on the driver and passenger and make sure OHP had the proper information they needed. I assumed once the scene was safe and the driver was stopped on the interstate, I could call in on my REACT radio, get my vest on and stand by the accident victim. Unfortunately, this was not a cut-and-dry situation. It could have turned deadly for other drivers as well as for the little toddler in the back seat. When he cut across three lanes of the interstate, in front of all that traffic, I just knew there would be a pile-up. We were blessed nothing bad happened. Since he was driving erratically and trying to leave the scene, I knew something was not right, so I kept my distance. I stayed on the phone with OHP the whole time because their troopers needed to get there fast and take control of the situation. When he pulled into the complex, I stayed a very safe distance. If I had pulled up behind him, he could have pulled the gun out and shot me. If the Marshall had not shown up, I would have held my position and waited for OHP. I would have not approached this male for any reason.

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Miserable Week coming to and End!

I ain’t got nothing today.

It has been a very fruitless week….I have gotten nothing accomplished. I did work Monday, but I felt miserable doing it. I was off work Tuesday through Thursday and did absolutely nothing but eat, sleep and take medicine. I have been fighting this stupid ear infection and bronchitis for a week now. The bronchitis has just about gone away, but my right ear is still causing me problems. It is still popping quite a bit and my energy level is low.

Even though I was off three days this week, due to being sick, I am on vacation all next week. It may take me a week just to get totally back on my feet. No office politics to listen to and no listening to loud voices in the office and the laughing hyena that works the sewer radio. A week of peace and quiet.

I am suppose to go mow a lawn after work today and it really needs to be done, so I may have to bite the bullet and go ahead and mow it today. Tomorrow afternoon, we are due for some more rain and it is suppose to rain all afternoon Saturday and all day Sunday. This will be a great time for me to catch up on some of my favorite shows. The last couple of weeks, I have been going to YouTube and watching episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger. It has been great and I enjoy the episodes. Looks to be another weekend of staying indoors, watching movies and playing on the Internet.

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