I'm baaaaack

After two years on Yahoo 360, I'm back here.

And boy! Do I have a story to tell!

I got home from work today at the regular time, around 5:20, let Max out, opened my Amazon package and started reading the last book in a series I've been waiting for and awaited my darling, loving husband to come home.

Tires on the driveway. Max goes berserk. There is a loud, insistent pounding at the door. Matthew does this some times, so I get up and go open the door....

...and there is a man there with a badge and a gun on his hip, holding a piece of paper.

"The fat is chewy," I say.

No, not really. He asked if it was 1314, and I said no, this is 1299. I said I didn't know where 1314 was, but it was down that way (pointing). He was a bond enforcement agent (bounty hunter). He walks off. I go look out the window, there is what looks like a white unmarked car in the driveway with a woman in it. She backs up, he starts down the driveway with a flashlight...

...just in time for Matt to get home and almost run him down. They proceed to have a conversation for about 5 minutes. He finally comes in the house. They are looking for a woman we don't know, and we discussed it and decided there is no 1314 on our road. We leave to go vote. We pass them again with the local cop, who no doubt was coming up to show them where 1314 was supposed to be.

When we get back to the house, the BEA are parked across the street at the mechanics. Matt goes over to tell them there is a woman living with the guy across the street and when he comes back home he confirms that she is the one they are looking for, and she's not home. I want to hang out and watch the ensuing chaos from the front porch over a couple MaiTais, but we go get a couple subs instead. When we get back, the car is gone.

How exciting!!!!

9/11, part 1

So, I've decided to start writing down my memories of 9/11, because I think it will be good for me. I still get very emotional about it and I hope by getting it down on 'paper' it will help me purge some of the emotional crap I've been cultivating.

I work as a contractor for the US Fire Administration (USFA) at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC). This is a branch of FEMA. Our purpose is to bring in and train state, local, federal, and military fire officers and emergency managers on how to handle certain things, like mass casualty incidents, hazmat incidents, EMS departments, etc. We train for management, not 'how to hold a fire hose.' Students come for classes that are 1 or 2 weeks and then go home, so we have a new batch of students every 2 weeks. I work at the library, which is the largest disaster and fire specialty library in the world. We had a staff at that time of 12 contractors and 1 federal officer.

Tuesday started out, just as many others have said, as any other Tuesday would start. Three of our people work the late shift on Tuesdays and were due in at noon. A little before 9am, one of them called to say that a plane had hit one of the WTC towers and that we should turn on the TV. My desk was located as such that I could hear most conversations in the LRC, so I heard: "What? WHAT?!" About this time the second plane had hit and I heard: "WHAT?!!!! OH MY GOD!" And I headed downstairs to find out what the hell was going on. My coworker, turned the TV on about the time I got downstairs and of course it was all over CNN. We got to see the first replay of the 2nd plane hitting. Until then, we thought it was a small plane, like a Cessna.

Our federal person came out of her office to tell us and saw that we already knew and were watching. She went back in her office. We were all around the TV now, we just couldn't believe it. I went to the extra phone and called my mom, who also works on campus, to let her know. I also called my husband on his cell, and another friend who lives north of Pittsburgh. She tells me to this day she will never forget that call.

Our federal person wandered back out of her office and we all talked a bit about how this can not possibly be an accident. More later...

The Asian in me...

So, I am starting to work through my anger, fear, depression, anxiety, and all the rest of the shit, and I come across some teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk living in France. He has several books, one I have (Anger) and one is on my short list. Anyway, this is all very interesting to me, and I think that it may help.

September books

Yah September!

Rediscovery by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover series)
Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card (Alvin Maker series)
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card (Alvin Maker series)
Traitor's Sun by Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover series)
Dead Men's Hearts by Aaron Elkins

Book list - August 2005

I've been thinking recently of starting a reading list of books I've read and when I've read them. Boring, I know, but I sometimes think of a book I liked and can't remember author/title/etc. So here goes:

August 2005

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Paying the Piper by Sharyn McCrumb
Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb
To the Nines by Janet Evanovich
Hot Six by Janet Evanovich
High Five by Janet Evanovich

More on the plate...

Matt witnessed a fatal accident with a pedestrian PennDOT worker 4 years ago. He was called to testify in the preliminary hearing, and we both went. The widow was there, she had been pregnant when her husband was killed. The man who killed him is a Mennonite. He had been driving an old U-haul truck and had a suspended license. He had, apparently, done something similar to this before, had had his license revoked, and was awaiting trial for the previous incident when he hit this man and popped him like a water balloon.

The wife of the defendant sat next to me during the preliminary hearing and read a tractor manual.

We were told at the preliminary hearing that there were no laws on Pennsylvania books to cover the crime this man had committed and that he probably wouldn't get any time for it. And we were never called to go testify at a trial, so I'm guessing he plea bargained.

This was 4 years ago. This was the Monday after Matt and I got back from our honeymoon. This was within 1 week of our wedding. What a nice thing to come home to.

Now, over 4 years later, Matt gets served with a supeona to give a deposition in the civil case. We are guessing the widow filed a wrongful death suit. So, this Monday Matt & I are headed to Lancaster. I will be going for moral support (and to get off work and give me a 4-day weekend).

J

Today or Temari

I have started to get back in to my temari hobby. I signed up for a temari-exchange on the email group I'm on, so that should be fun. Also, I'm thinking of doing a quick temari and entering it in the county fall festival to be judged. They probably won't know what to do with it. :) I always find that ammusing.