Our current fire station is a bit cramped with five people (about to be seven) living together at one time in a space meant for two... But at least we don't have these:
STATter 911: Sleep tight and don't let the ... Oh, never mind.
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Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Save Our Station!
As you can imagine, I'm a big supporter of sufficient fire protection in both the community where I work and in the community where I live. (Actually, I support sufficient fire protection everywhere... but I'm only one man.)
Lately, the kids in North Little Rock's city administration have been toying with the idea of closing the Park Hill fire station so that they can shuffle firefighters around and provide coverage in the eastern part of the city. I'm against this for a couple of reasons... First, the Park Hill station is about 50 yards from my house and, second, because the city should add firefighters as the city grows, not spread them out across more area.
As part of the neighborhood's efforts to keep the station open, I've created SaveOurStation.Org. It's still in it's infancy, but I invite you to check it out and tell me what you think.
Lately, the kids in North Little Rock's city administration have been toying with the idea of closing the Park Hill fire station so that they can shuffle firefighters around and provide coverage in the eastern part of the city. I'm against this for a couple of reasons... First, the Park Hill station is about 50 yards from my house and, second, because the city should add firefighters as the city grows, not spread them out across more area.
As part of the neighborhood's efforts to keep the station open, I've created SaveOurStation.Org. It's still in it's infancy, but I invite you to check it out and tell me what you think.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Greetings & Salutations
Some seven or eight years ago, I knew a couple of girls who lived in Madison Hall at ULM. To be clear, I still know both of them -- they just don't live in Madison anymore. I can't quite remember why it was decided that I should record the message on their answering machine using as many words as possible. After all, more than one memory has gone foggy in the years since leaving Monroe. However, the decision was made and the following is what you heard me say if you had the misfortune of calling when they weren't home.
Going through some old papers a few months ago, I found the notebook paper where I'd scribbled out my script. In the days before unlimited cell phone plans, it actually cost folks money to call long distance. I'm sure the phone company made a couple of dollars off the time it took to listen to me and leave "a one to two sentence phrase outlining the purposes of your call."
"Greetings and salutations. You have reached the seasonal university dwelling of Alison Mae Rome and Nicole B. Kern. Because you have reached this automated communication-type answer device, it would be safe to deduce that they have vacated the premises to peruse social and/or academic endeavors... or are resting on their hind portions monitoring this transmission to determine the necessity of answering and or responding to it in a prompt fashion. Following this message, you shall hear an audible tone. Please speak with your given name, seven and or ten digit communications number and a one to two sentence phrase outlining the purposes of your call. After extensive review and contemplation, determination of whether to respond to your recorded message will be made. Thank you for dialing this number and have a better than average rest of the day."
Going through some old papers a few months ago, I found the notebook paper where I'd scribbled out my script. In the days before unlimited cell phone plans, it actually cost folks money to call long distance. I'm sure the phone company made a couple of dollars off the time it took to listen to me and leave "a one to two sentence phrase outlining the purposes of your call."
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, Part I
Terri & I were at Dickey-Stephens Park Thursday night for the opening night of Arkansas Travelers baseball. It had rained earlier in the day and the forecast for later in the night was potentially ominous depending on who you listened to. However, I actually saw the sun peek through the clouds during the afternoon and we headed to the ballpark confident that we'd see a full nine innings of baseball.
Twice during the first seven innings, there were brief periods of rain -- mostly mist or sprinkles -- but they each tuckered out rather quickly. In the top of the seventh inning, we started to see lightning illuminate the clouds. I wondered what the threshold might be for the umpiring crew to halt play.
After the seventh inning stretch, Terri & I moved up to seats that were covered as the rain reappeared and became steady. In the bottom of the seventh, we watched as the flickers of lightening turned into defined bolts. With 10 players, three umpires, two coaches, a couple of guys on deck and who knows who else standing in an open field surrounding by tall metal poles... you'd think that bolt lightning would be reason to stop play. Nope.
The game played on into the top of the eighth amidst continued lightning. Midland loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single and the game played on. It played on, that is, until Travs manager Bobby Magallanes called time-out to visit the mound. It was only then that the home plate umpire cleared the field and I'm still not certain that he didn't it because of the rain and not the lightning.
The time was shortly before 9:30. Terri & I had just watched the grounds crew pull out the tarp when my mom called. She said that the news was reporting possible tornadoes southwest of us and that the storm was supposed to hit North Little Rock at 9:41. Knowing our house was only two miles away, I weighed my choices in the span of about two seconds. Ten minutes was enough time to get home. Although our house isn't exactly a FEMA shelter, I thought it would be better than sitting in an open baseball park. As Terri & I reached the exit gates at the stadium, the tornado sirens dropped.
We made a mad sprint to my truck parked at Broadway & Orange, did a slalom through what little traffic we encountered on Main Street and were home in minutes. I threw The Cat in a cage, we turned on the TV for weather reports and cleared the junk out of the bottom of the hall closet. We were ready.
Fortunately for us, the crazy went south of us and north of us... but left Park Hill unscathed. I consider us blessed considering the North Little Rock airport three miles north of the house took a direct hit. Airplanes and hangars there were heavily damaged or destroyed and we don't even limbs on the ground at the house. Blessed, indeed.
Twice during the first seven innings, there were brief periods of rain -- mostly mist or sprinkles -- but they each tuckered out rather quickly. In the top of the seventh inning, we started to see lightning illuminate the clouds. I wondered what the threshold might be for the umpiring crew to halt play.
After the seventh inning stretch, Terri & I moved up to seats that were covered as the rain reappeared and became steady. In the bottom of the seventh, we watched as the flickers of lightening turned into defined bolts. With 10 players, three umpires, two coaches, a couple of guys on deck and who knows who else standing in an open field surrounding by tall metal poles... you'd think that bolt lightning would be reason to stop play. Nope.
The game played on into the top of the eighth amidst continued lightning. Midland loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single and the game played on. It played on, that is, until Travs manager Bobby Magallanes called time-out to visit the mound. It was only then that the home plate umpire cleared the field and I'm still not certain that he didn't it because of the rain and not the lightning.
The time was shortly before 9:30. Terri & I had just watched the grounds crew pull out the tarp when my mom called. She said that the news was reporting possible tornadoes southwest of us and that the storm was supposed to hit North Little Rock at 9:41. Knowing our house was only two miles away, I weighed my choices in the span of about two seconds. Ten minutes was enough time to get home. Although our house isn't exactly a FEMA shelter, I thought it would be better than sitting in an open baseball park. As Terri & I reached the exit gates at the stadium, the tornado sirens dropped.
We made a mad sprint to my truck parked at Broadway & Orange, did a slalom through what little traffic we encountered on Main Street and were home in minutes. I threw The Cat in a cage, we turned on the TV for weather reports and cleared the junk out of the bottom of the hall closet. We were ready.
Fortunately for us, the crazy went south of us and north of us... but left Park Hill unscathed. I consider us blessed considering the North Little Rock airport three miles north of the house took a direct hit. Airplanes and hangars there were heavily damaged or destroyed and we don't even limbs on the ground at the house. Blessed, indeed.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
RIP
Jeffery Michael Gibson, 58
Memorial services for Jeffrey Michael Gibson, 58, of Monroe, LA will be at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, with Father Lawrence F. Braden and Father George Walker officiating. A celebration of Jeff's life will immediately follow in McClain Fellowship Hall.
The family will receive guests from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM Tuesday March 25, 2008 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home, 1200 Lamy Lane, Monroe, LA
Jeffrey was born January 4, 1950 and died March 22, 2008. He grew up in Westerville, OH, graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master in photography and cinema. He began his teaching career at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, as writer, director, and instructor for the film production unit. There he produced numerous film projects and taught students in the advanced film production sequence. Jeffrey worked with Iowa Public Broadcasting to produce numerous films and videos including American Dream: American Reality and There Once Was a River Called Missouri, both of which were aired nationwide via PBS satellite.
Jeffrey was recruited by the University of Louisiana at Monroe and taught a wide variety of courses in television and film production as well as film analysis and criticism, electronic media criticism, script writing, and mass communication ethics. After 25 years, he retired from ULM in 2007 as a tenured associate professor.
Jeffrey was an avid power boater and sailor most of his life. He assisted with teaching boat smart and seamanship courses for the Ouachita Sail and Power Squadron and single-handedly taught a sailing course. He served as Commander of the Ouachita Sail & Power Squadron. He was an active member in the Iron Mountain Yacht Club on Lake DeGray in Arkansas for 25 years where he enjoyed competitive sailing and served as Iron Mountain Yacht Club Commodore for four years.
Memorial services for Jeffrey Michael Gibson, 58, of Monroe, LA will be at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, with Father Lawrence F. Braden and Father George Walker officiating. A celebration of Jeff's life will immediately follow in McClain Fellowship Hall.
The family will receive guests from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM Tuesday March 25, 2008 at Kilpatrick Funeral Home, 1200 Lamy Lane, Monroe, LA
Jeffrey was born January 4, 1950 and died March 22, 2008. He grew up in Westerville, OH, graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master in photography and cinema. He began his teaching career at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, as writer, director, and instructor for the film production unit. There he produced numerous film projects and taught students in the advanced film production sequence. Jeffrey worked with Iowa Public Broadcasting to produce numerous films and videos including American Dream: American Reality and There Once Was a River Called Missouri, both of which were aired nationwide via PBS satellite.
Jeffrey was recruited by the University of Louisiana at Monroe and taught a wide variety of courses in television and film production as well as film analysis and criticism, electronic media criticism, script writing, and mass communication ethics. After 25 years, he retired from ULM in 2007 as a tenured associate professor.
Jeffrey was an avid power boater and sailor most of his life. He assisted with teaching boat smart and seamanship courses for the Ouachita Sail and Power Squadron and single-handedly taught a sailing course. He served as Commander of the Ouachita Sail & Power Squadron. He was an active member in the Iron Mountain Yacht Club on Lake DeGray in Arkansas for 25 years where he enjoyed competitive sailing and served as Iron Mountain Yacht Club Commodore for four years.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Erin Go Bragh!
Okay, so I'm not Irish. At least, I don't think I am. To be honest, the gene pool's probably so diluted at this point, I could be a lot of things. Lucky for me, everyone who dons a bit of green at this time of year is just Irish enough.
I was supposed to work on the ambulance Saturday. I woke up after not nearly enough sleep and was on my post by the start of my 6:30 a.m. shift. As it turns out, I was missing one thing -- a partner.
After three and a half hours of standing (sometimes sitting) ever-vigilant and waiting for a paramedic to join me, I was happily sent home. To me, time to do as I please is more important than the money I would have earned while being bored to tears. Besides, I saved the company a few bucks in the process.
So, instead of yanking lives from the brink of death all day long (heh), Terri & I went to the Little Rock-North Little Rock Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Other than it not being on St. Patty's Day (which is understandable as a I can't see a Monday parade being a big hit in Little Rock)... it was quite the event. We saw bagpipers, a man and woman riding toilets down Main Street, fire trucks, puppy dogs, Shriners and a man scooping up horse poop... All while standing in the intersection of Main & Broadway. I'm telling you -- I would have been hard-pressed to beat that with a day on the ambulance.
As is usually the case, visit Flickr for pictures of it all.
I was supposed to work on the ambulance Saturday. I woke up after not nearly enough sleep and was on my post by the start of my 6:30 a.m. shift. As it turns out, I was missing one thing -- a partner.
After three and a half hours of standing (sometimes sitting) ever-vigilant and waiting for a paramedic to join me, I was happily sent home. To me, time to do as I please is more important than the money I would have earned while being bored to tears. Besides, I saved the company a few bucks in the process.
So, instead of yanking lives from the brink of death all day long (heh), Terri & I went to the Little Rock-North Little Rock Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Other than it not being on St. Patty's Day (which is understandable as a I can't see a Monday parade being a big hit in Little Rock)... it was quite the event. We saw bagpipers, a man and woman riding toilets down Main Street, fire trucks, puppy dogs, Shriners and a man scooping up horse poop... All while standing in the intersection of Main & Broadway. I'm telling you -- I would have been hard-pressed to beat that with a day on the ambulance.
As is usually the case, visit Flickr for pictures of it all.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Something New Just For New's Sake
Every once in a while, I'll click on one of those links you see to the right and won't find new content. I think to myself, "those folks really should write more." I then return to my blog so that I can follow another link in my never-ending search for something new to read. Somehow in that process, I fail to recognize the date of the most recent post here at BFA (before today, it was November 18, 2007).
Pot, meet kettle.
Pot, meet kettle.
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