Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
So before the light
Hold me again
With all of your might
In the still of the night~~~In The Still Of the Night - The Five Satins
Hey!!! Here is a twist---nothing out-of-the-ordinary, at the workplace this week.
On Tuesday, 22 February, I had some blood-work done at Quest. The technician took four vials from me. I'm thinking that Doctor O'Neill must be trying to cover all the bases. And even though it was cold, I had to get an EKG, so I sauntered up to Millard Fillmore Suburban to have that taken care of. I literally had to park at the tail-end of the lot. Thank God for the little Scooter---that could.
Much revolutionary contagion in the news this week. What has been an everyday activity in Madison Wisconsin, has become contagious domestically. This contagion has become a catalyst in several other states, from both---the governing body, as well as the affected state-employees, standpoint. In effect, even as the state-employees have expressed a willingness to concede wage and benefit provisions, the governing bodies are hell-bent on breaking the collective-bargaining apparatus. As of this time, there appears to be five other states, besides Wisconsin, that are looking to get their budgets out-of-the-red by adopting this union-busting strategy. And~~~everybody is watching.
On the international beat, the activity that everybody is still watching is the Pan-Arabic Epiphany. Of course, whom is center-stage, but the megalomaniac himself, Muammar Gaddafi, the self-proclaimed president of Libya. From the Halls Of Montezuma, to The Shores of Tripoli!! By mid-week, he is blaming Osama bin Laden for all his woes, and he is labeling his enemies Rats & Cockroaches. Hmmmmm!!! I'm going to take that as a complement---rats and cockroaches have been around FOREVER.
I did not know this, but as huge as Libya is, it has just six-million countrymen. If the Tripoli metropolitan area(district area) has a population of 1,065,405(2006 census), and Benghazi, the population of the entire district was 500,120 in 1995 (census) and has increased to 670,797 in the 2006 census, most everybody else is living along the Mediterranean Sea coastal areas. As TIME MAGAZINE puts it, this week: Gaddafi's Last Stand---The Arab revolution confronts a dictator determined to keep power at all costs. Expect a bloody old-fashioned civil war. What is at stake?? An oppressed people taking aim at the possibility of an established Republic to be governed by legitimately elected officials in a constitutional structure.
Oh~~~wait; gasoline!!! What was I thinking?!?!? Of course it is the gasoline, that is at stake!! Why would we care about anything else. Hell!! I wouldn't be surprised if we dropped in some DESERT FOX Delta-Special-Forces Units, and just plain take over the oil production fields in the western part of Libya. And to make sure that the shore outlets for the oil were not sabotaged by Gaddafi, we would send the USMC---into TRIPOLI. Heck!! It is not like we haven't done that~~~before.
NB: Terrified residents of Tripoli said today they are barricaded in their homes, describing a city under siege where armed gangs loyal to Moammar Gadhafi are shooting people indiscriminately.
Fears are growing that a desperate but defiant Gadhafi -- who has lost control of most of the country except for Tripoli -- may also use chemical weapons and aerial bombardment, as Russian-made helicopters packed with firearms buzzed over the capital.
"I am beyond scared and my little daughters are beyond scared," a businessman -- who wanted to be referred to as Massin -- told AOL News today via Skype from his home in central Tripoli.
"We don't dare go out. We don't know what's going to happen. Gadhafi's guys are driving around in cars shooting at everyone to scare us. We are all fearing the worst."
Rahm Emanuel, formerly of The White-House Chief-of-Staff, did successfully win the election to become Mayor of the City of Chicago. Chicago has always been my~~~Second-City, so I was following this current event and wanted to include this
in my reflections.
AP - Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was elected mayor of Chicago, easily overwhelming five rivals to take the helm of the third-largest U.S. city as it prepares to chart a new course without the retiring Richard M. Daley.
Emanuel trounced all opponents with 55 percent of the vote - a margin that allowed him to avoid an April runoff. He needed more than 50 percent to win outright.
It was the city’s first mayoral race in more than 60 years without an incumbent on the ballot and the first in more than two decades without Daley among the candidates. Daley and his father have led Chicago for more than 43 out of the last 56 years.
Emanuel called the victory “humbling” and thanked Daley for his lifetime of service, saying the outgoing mayor had “earned a special place in our hearts and our history."
But he added: “We have not won anything until a kid can go to school thinking of their studies and not their safety. Until the parent of that child is thinking about their work and not where they are going to find work, we have not won anything.”
With his straight-forward, and sometimes in-your-face approach, Chicago will continue to hold down the reputation as the Big-City---that works.
On 23 February, 2011, the City of Buffalo had a historic development unfold at the HSBC Arena. The ownership of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team was changing hands. History has those 'moments' that define a manifest-destiny. Clinton DeWitt's Ditch, Seward's Folly, The Lewis & Clark Expedition, and the Louisiana Purchase are the building-blocks to facilitate an objective's completion. Buffalo can now be included in this sense of its own Manifest-Destiny---with the Pegula-Purchase, of The Buffalo Sabres.
The introduction of the Sabres' new owner was an unquestioned success in HSBC Arena. He laughed, cried and proved himself to be a Buffalo guy, albeit one with deep pockets.
"I can tell you one thing: I'm a fan," the 59-year-old said. "You won't find a bigger fan than me because I just bought a hockey team. That's a pretty big commitment as a fan. There's only 29 other fans in the country that can pull that off."
None of the previous three fans/owners of the Sabres was able to win a championship, but Pegula repeatedly said that is his only goal. Prior owners, notably outgoing boss B. Thomas Golisano, looked at the bottom line harder than the win column. Pegula, who became a billionaire with a Pennsylvania oil and natural gas exploration business, promised to spend whatever it takes to bring titles to Buffalo.
"If I want to make some money, I'll go drill a gas well. I don't need to make it in the hockey business," Pegula said. "Starting today, there will be no financial mandates on the Buffalo Sabres' hockey department. ... I'm going to make decisions based on winning the Stanley Cup and what is right for the fan base and the team.
"We will aspire to be the best in the league at finding, developing and keeping our players in their new Buffalo Sabre family."
For a sports town that has experienced more than its share of heartache, the words were inspiring.
"He believes in Buffalo and Western New York," National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "He is probably as committed as anybody has ever been to bringing the Stanley Cup to Buffalo, so this is a great day for hockey in Buffalo."
It was a day that started back in 1975. Pegula, a Florida resident who previously lived in Olean and Orchard Park, became entranced by the Sabres during their run to the Stanley Cup final, particularly dazzling young center and future Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault. Pegula couldn't get enough. A season-ticket holder from 1980 to 1999, he said many times through the years he was going to own the team.
"There's a magazine article on me that was written in around 1991 or '92, and I said in there I wanted to own a hockey team. It was the Buffalo Sabres," Pegula said. "The genesis started a long time ago. The serious part of it was last spring."
His resources finally matched his desire. He told his friend Cliff Benson about the dream, and the next thing Pegula knew he was sitting in a Pittsburgh club talking with Sabres minority owners Larry Quinn and Dan DiPofi.
Nearly one year and $189 million later, the longtime fan is in charge.
"This is so huge for him it's hard to put into words," said Benson. "He loves this place. He loves this team. The cliche is 'dream come true,' and this has been his dream for a long, long time.
"This isn't a hobby. From the minute he wakes up to the minute he goes to bed every night, it's going to be Buffalo Sabres, and it's going to be fun."
It was clear soon after the news conference started how much the day meant to Pegula. He looked to his right, saw Perreault and broke down. With his face flush and tears filling his eyes, Pegula said, "You're my hero." Vogel/Buffalo News
The Sabres had a home game Wednesday evening against the Atlanta Thrashers. The Thrashers are coached by the onetime Sabres famous Checking-Line stalwart Craig Ramsey. And the contest has some pre-game festivities celebrating the new ownership. Included in the pre-game show, is bringing onto the ice---The French Connection. I was impressed with Rene Robert!! He still has a spring in his skate as the French Connection were making their way to center ice. In the FORTY FOR FORTY picks of the best Sabres ever---Robert is ranked; number 11(good number). I intend on getting that selection autographed. And trust me, I have the 'connection' to make that happen. Still working on number 2; Gilbert Perrault, and number 4; Richard Martin. I just may have a CONNECTION for that autograph!!
So Thursday, 24 February, I'm at this dinner that is related to activities that are part & parcel with my routines at the Board. It is a salute to the Democratic ECBOE Commissioner Dennis Ward. Plenty of fanfare, speeches, and very good food.
In getting home, I find myself having to deal with a major reparation project. Those whom know me well, know that when traversing the shorter distances, I do so using two canes. The one cane that is ALWAYS in my left-hand is the cane with the brass elephant-head handle. I was so upset. The opening of the handle that is fastened onto the nodule of the upper part of the cane~~~came apart; completely separated. After recomposing myself, I realized I had to do something to correct the problem. First of all, I need two canes; am not able to mobilize on anything less. Secondly, the cane has sentimental value. The cane has been in the extended-family for at least three decades now. I set about to remake something from nothing. Having Andrew as my 'runner', in my good clothes, using power drill tools, I am doing reparation work of this cane, on the newly-placed, kitchen floor. It was a bit tricky because much of the work was being done free-form; that is to say, I did not have any vices to grip the material that I was trying to make sure stayed aligned as I was sending the drill-bit through. The end result was magnifique!! My elephant-head-handled cane~~~is as good as new.
Friday, 25 February, is an anniversary of sorts. It was 47 years ago that my Father did something for me, that I continue to hold dearest, as a Father/Son memorable moment. On 25 February, 1964, was the first Cassius Clay~~~Sonny Liston Fight. Even at 13 years old, I KNEW THIS TO BE AN EPOCH SPORTING EVENT. And I subsequently was able to learn that even as the fight was taking place in Miami, FL, it was going to be made available to the viewing audience in Buffalo, NY via the technology of closed-circuit television at The Century Theatre in downtown Buffalo, NY. In conversations with his brother, my Uncle Pat, I had discerned that my Father was going to attend this event. I begged him, and begged him, to allow me to attend this event with him. He, of course, at first would not allow it. It was simple economics for a family that was trying to survive~~~living on the other-side of the tracks. The tickets were $25.00 a head; first-come, first-served. Come fight-night, he told me to put on a warm coat---and decided to take me!! I was excited and admittedly scared, at the same time. Keep in mind---this is downtown Buffalo in 1964, and the two world-class prize-fighters that are in this bout, are Black; African-American. In close-quarters, I had never been in such a large gathering mix of blacks and whites. My Dad and I were pulling for Cassius Clay---"What's My Name; What's My Name?!?!"
Thank you, Dad!!! I tried to make good on that memorable moment by taking my Father to the Ray Boom-Boom Mancini/Livingstone Bramble fight, in downtown Buffalo, NY at The Aud, in June of 1984. While this fight sadly, did not turn out to our expectations, I know my Father had a good time.
So Saturday, 26 February, Andrew and I go for supper at the Star of India Restaurant on Delaware Avenue here in Kenmore. It has started to snow, so the roads and walkways are starting to get slick. As I am making my way beyond the back of the van to get up the snow-cleared part of the curb that is in front of The Star of India Restaurant, Andrew hustles ahead~~~to get the door. Of course, while he is getting the door~~~I'm still---in the street. There is a 'silent-shroud-of-snow' already on the surfaces. The curb is high and there is no railings. So here goes!!! As hard as I could try, I could not make the step up the curb elevation. Being in that momentary period of suspended animation, I am now losing my balance. I have nowhere to go, and nobody, or nothing, to grab onto. So that I have two hands to break the fall, I let go of my canes and fall down back onto the street. Thank God I went down between two parked cars, and I had my thick NorthWestern University Varsity coat on. Between the arms and the coat, the fall was shock-absorbed in that manner. Andrew hustled over to pick me up and drag me over to the nearby vehicle. This allowed me to stabilize myself into an upright manner, until Andrew could pick the canes up so I could proceed again. This time, Andrew gave me his shoulder to hold onto, while I was again trying to navigate the curb and the sidewalk to the restaurant. Now being a little rattled, my legs are very spastic; very rigid. But I am able to settle into our chairs~~~and enjoyed good East-Indian cuisine, and some good, and articulate conversations, courtesy of Andrew!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
Friday, February 25, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A Week in the News; Personally, and Otherwise
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
...But where the f--- are they now
Now that I need them, I don't see none of them
All I see is Slim
F--- all you fair-weather friends...
I'm about to lose my mind---You've been gone for so long
I'm running out of time---I need a doctor
Call me a doctor---I need a doctor, doctor
To bring me back to life---Bring me back to life
Bring me back to life~~~EMINEM, Dr. Dre, & Skylar Grey
This one five-letter-word continues to be such a hot-button, a third-rail noun in our culture; our society. As The middle-class continues to shrink, it does so, in part, because of gainfully-employed households continuing to diminish. Gainful employment in the blue-collar sector is attributed largely to what collective bargaining units have been able to hammer out on behalf of those they represent. It is the strength of these bargaining units which have given the working man a glimpse of the middle class quality of life. As this leverage is lost, so is the working man's ability to have a chance at tasting these values; disposable income, better education for the children, recreation time and destinations, and the ability to retire with some level of comfort and peace-of-mind.
Organized Labor is trying to stay alive in as hostile an environment as it has found itself, in years. Both sides are playing for keeps. While some of his tactics were romanticized because they were dramatic, and border-line unlawful, they did facilitate him becoming a legend. And even as these actions by this legend may have been somewhat inflated, they were nonetheless, EFFECTIVE.
Whom will be the next~~~Jimmy Hoffa???
NB: Wisconsin---Governor Scott Walker is trying to break the civil service union. Watershed moment. Ironic; turn-of-the-20th-Century, it would be a Wisconsinian, Robert M. LaFollette whom, through his advocacy, would become a legend, an iconic figurehead of the reform movement; the progressive movement. He largely tried to expose abuses against the working class men, women, and children effected by the wealthy and the corporations of America's Gilded-Age. While such abuses still exist worlds away in places like Malaysia, Macao, India, and China, a Watch-dog must continue to stand sentry to assure that the working class does not get Bataan-death-marched down this same path, again.
"COUNTY WORKERS FLEE AS EXPLOSION SHAKES BUILDING"
So was the early-on assessment of how the NEWS media reported---The Incident!!
And because of this level of hysteria, The Wall Street Journal had a similar news-release, by the 12:00NOON hour.
Allow me to explain what actually happened. Of course, let me intercede here that in the uncertainty of the moment, with so many lives on the line, the protocol would call for immediate evacuation. But even as that protocol was observed, it is important to get good information to assess what did happen and what dangers do exist. It was about 09:45AM of Thursday, 17 February 2011, and we were all settled in at our work-stations, when a loud echoing boom, is heard. We all heard it; it got everybody's attention. But nobody jumped out of their seats. One of the associates did make his way over to the one doorway where the bang did seem to emanate from. There was no after-shock; no residual smells. Personally, I thought it sounded like a shelving-unit that was being carried down a set of stairs, ended up being let-go and dropped some distance. With peace-of-mind having been pretty much restored, we all went back to work.
About two minutes later, the Fire Alarm goes off!!!
We implement protocol. For me, with the passenger elevator now in auto-lock, the handicappers, and their fire-buddies, head to the freight elevator. Because it is turn-of-the-twentieth century, with none of the bells-and-whistles, we know this will get us to the ground floor. We get down & out without any problem. As Sandy, myself, and our aides are exiting, the fire-fighters are already jumping from their trucks. While I should have kept moving to get across the street with my aide, I stop my scooter at the corner curb cut-away area to take cell-phone pictures of the fire-trucks!! Yeah!! I know~~~what a moron!!
We all get safely across the street, to the rendezvous point, and wait. The various types of emergency vehicles continue to pour in. By now, so does a couple of the News organizations. In today's terrorist-riddled environment, speculation is rampant as to the possible causes.
After everything is all said and done, here is what happened. SOMEBODY set off an M-80 type firework-piece in one of our hallways, between the fifth and fourth floors. Other than the shock-factor of the noise, the only damage was an estimated $50.00 for burn marks on a portion of the wall-plaster. My theory on whom the 'SOMEBODY' was?!?!? From what I'm to understand, our building has its maintenance crew. The crew has a complement of ECDSS welfare-to-work persons that assist with some of the general housekeeping chores. I'm thinking a disgruntled welfare-to-work client set off the M-80.
A loud M-80 firecracker was ignited Thursday morning in a stairwell at an Erie County office building in downtown Buffalo, prompting the evacuation of about 100 Board of Elections and Sheriff's Office employees for an hour, authorities said.
Sheriff's fire investigators collected fragments from the "pyrotechnic device" and were attempting to determine who put it in the southwest stairwell between the fourth and fifth floors of the old, five-story brick building at 134 W. Eagle St., between Delaware and South Elmwood avenues.
"Preliminary indications are that someone had placed and ignited a pyrotechnic device, what some people would call an M-80. It is not a consumer type of firework, but for all practical reasons, we want to make it clear it was not a pipe bomb," Erie County Sheriff's Lt. Sean Simet said.
He urged anyone who might have observed anything suspicious shortly before the 9:45 a.m. explosion in the publicly accessible building to contact investigators at 858-2903.
Damage to drywall in the stairwell was estimated at "less than $50," Simet said.
Employees evacuated the building when a fire alarm sounded seconds after the explosion.
Buffalo firefighters inspected every room of the building, including an attic crawl space and the basement. Air quality tests also were conducted, according to Fire Division Chief John Mogavero.
Employees were allowed to return to work at 10:45 a.m.
"I was sitting in my chair, and I thought I would be knocked out of it when I heard the explosion. It sounded like an M-80," said Michael Licata, the Sheriff's Office's coordinator of substance abuse.
Licata, whose office is on the fifth floor, said he ran into the hallway, began checking on the welfare of other workers and was met by a deputy emerging from the southwest stairwell.
"There was a haze of smoke coming from the stairwell," Licata said.
As workers began heading down that stairwell, Deputy Anthony Giglio said, he detected the odor of sulfur.
"When we were in the stairwell, there was white smoke with a sulfur type smell. It was concentrated on the fourth and fifth floors," Giglio said.
Outside, workers began speculating as to what had caused the explosion, which frightened and upset many of them.
Some guessed it might have been an M-80; others thought a wrecking ball hit the structure; and still others thought a wall of filing cabinets might have toppled or that the blade of a snowplow had slammed onto the street pavement outside.
The building is one of the most decrepit county-owned office buildings. County Executive Chris Collins has proposed tearing it down to allow for an expansion of the Erie County Holding Center. lmichel@buffnews.com
Friday, 18 February 2011, by appointment, I meet my new PCP, Dr Elizabeth A. O'Neill. She was very thorough; very attentive. I feel very comfortable in the choice top replace our retiring PCP. Being a good day weather-wise, I just had to get the van washed. It was begging~~~Wash Me!!!
From there, I went to my AIRBORNE/D H L Express, now barber-friend, Bill Linton, to get my ears-lowered. I have some week-end commitments, and I want to look my BEST!!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
...But where the f--- are they now
Now that I need them, I don't see none of them
All I see is Slim
F--- all you fair-weather friends...
I'm about to lose my mind---You've been gone for so long
I'm running out of time---I need a doctor
Call me a doctor---I need a doctor, doctor
To bring me back to life---Bring me back to life
Bring me back to life~~~EMINEM, Dr. Dre, & Skylar Grey
This one five-letter-word continues to be such a hot-button, a third-rail noun in our culture; our society. As The middle-class continues to shrink, it does so, in part, because of gainfully-employed households continuing to diminish. Gainful employment in the blue-collar sector is attributed largely to what collective bargaining units have been able to hammer out on behalf of those they represent. It is the strength of these bargaining units which have given the working man a glimpse of the middle class quality of life. As this leverage is lost, so is the working man's ability to have a chance at tasting these values; disposable income, better education for the children, recreation time and destinations, and the ability to retire with some level of comfort and peace-of-mind.
Organized Labor is trying to stay alive in as hostile an environment as it has found itself, in years. Both sides are playing for keeps. While some of his tactics were romanticized because they were dramatic, and border-line unlawful, they did facilitate him becoming a legend. And even as these actions by this legend may have been somewhat inflated, they were nonetheless, EFFECTIVE.
Whom will be the next~~~Jimmy Hoffa???
NB: Wisconsin---Governor Scott Walker is trying to break the civil service union. Watershed moment. Ironic; turn-of-the-20th-Century, it would be a Wisconsinian, Robert M. LaFollette whom, through his advocacy, would become a legend, an iconic figurehead of the reform movement; the progressive movement. He largely tried to expose abuses against the working class men, women, and children effected by the wealthy and the corporations of America's Gilded-Age. While such abuses still exist worlds away in places like Malaysia, Macao, India, and China, a Watch-dog must continue to stand sentry to assure that the working class does not get Bataan-death-marched down this same path, again.
"COUNTY WORKERS FLEE AS EXPLOSION SHAKES BUILDING"
So was the early-on assessment of how the NEWS media reported---The Incident!!
And because of this level of hysteria, The Wall Street Journal had a similar news-release, by the 12:00NOON hour.
Allow me to explain what actually happened. Of course, let me intercede here that in the uncertainty of the moment, with so many lives on the line, the protocol would call for immediate evacuation. But even as that protocol was observed, it is important to get good information to assess what did happen and what dangers do exist. It was about 09:45AM of Thursday, 17 February 2011, and we were all settled in at our work-stations, when a loud echoing boom, is heard. We all heard it; it got everybody's attention. But nobody jumped out of their seats. One of the associates did make his way over to the one doorway where the bang did seem to emanate from. There was no after-shock; no residual smells. Personally, I thought it sounded like a shelving-unit that was being carried down a set of stairs, ended up being let-go and dropped some distance. With peace-of-mind having been pretty much restored, we all went back to work.
About two minutes later, the Fire Alarm goes off!!!
We implement protocol. For me, with the passenger elevator now in auto-lock, the handicappers, and their fire-buddies, head to the freight elevator. Because it is turn-of-the-twentieth century, with none of the bells-and-whistles, we know this will get us to the ground floor. We get down & out without any problem. As Sandy, myself, and our aides are exiting, the fire-fighters are already jumping from their trucks. While I should have kept moving to get across the street with my aide, I stop my scooter at the corner curb cut-away area to take cell-phone pictures of the fire-trucks!! Yeah!! I know~~~what a moron!!
We all get safely across the street, to the rendezvous point, and wait. The various types of emergency vehicles continue to pour in. By now, so does a couple of the News organizations. In today's terrorist-riddled environment, speculation is rampant as to the possible causes.
After everything is all said and done, here is what happened. SOMEBODY set off an M-80 type firework-piece in one of our hallways, between the fifth and fourth floors. Other than the shock-factor of the noise, the only damage was an estimated $50.00 for burn marks on a portion of the wall-plaster. My theory on whom the 'SOMEBODY' was?!?!? From what I'm to understand, our building has its maintenance crew. The crew has a complement of ECDSS welfare-to-work persons that assist with some of the general housekeeping chores. I'm thinking a disgruntled welfare-to-work client set off the M-80.
A loud M-80 firecracker was ignited Thursday morning in a stairwell at an Erie County office building in downtown Buffalo, prompting the evacuation of about 100 Board of Elections and Sheriff's Office employees for an hour, authorities said.
Sheriff's fire investigators collected fragments from the "pyrotechnic device" and were attempting to determine who put it in the southwest stairwell between the fourth and fifth floors of the old, five-story brick building at 134 W. Eagle St., between Delaware and South Elmwood avenues.
"Preliminary indications are that someone had placed and ignited a pyrotechnic device, what some people would call an M-80. It is not a consumer type of firework, but for all practical reasons, we want to make it clear it was not a pipe bomb," Erie County Sheriff's Lt. Sean Simet said.
He urged anyone who might have observed anything suspicious shortly before the 9:45 a.m. explosion in the publicly accessible building to contact investigators at 858-2903.
Damage to drywall in the stairwell was estimated at "less than $50," Simet said.
Employees evacuated the building when a fire alarm sounded seconds after the explosion.
Buffalo firefighters inspected every room of the building, including an attic crawl space and the basement. Air quality tests also were conducted, according to Fire Division Chief John Mogavero.
Employees were allowed to return to work at 10:45 a.m.
"I was sitting in my chair, and I thought I would be knocked out of it when I heard the explosion. It sounded like an M-80," said Michael Licata, the Sheriff's Office's coordinator of substance abuse.
Licata, whose office is on the fifth floor, said he ran into the hallway, began checking on the welfare of other workers and was met by a deputy emerging from the southwest stairwell.
"There was a haze of smoke coming from the stairwell," Licata said.
As workers began heading down that stairwell, Deputy Anthony Giglio said, he detected the odor of sulfur.
"When we were in the stairwell, there was white smoke with a sulfur type smell. It was concentrated on the fourth and fifth floors," Giglio said.
Outside, workers began speculating as to what had caused the explosion, which frightened and upset many of them.
Some guessed it might have been an M-80; others thought a wrecking ball hit the structure; and still others thought a wall of filing cabinets might have toppled or that the blade of a snowplow had slammed onto the street pavement outside.
The building is one of the most decrepit county-owned office buildings. County Executive Chris Collins has proposed tearing it down to allow for an expansion of the Erie County Holding Center. lmichel@buffnews.com
Friday, 18 February 2011, by appointment, I meet my new PCP, Dr Elizabeth A. O'Neill. She was very thorough; very attentive. I feel very comfortable in the choice top replace our retiring PCP. Being a good day weather-wise, I just had to get the van washed. It was begging~~~Wash Me!!!
From there, I went to my AIRBORNE/D H L Express, now barber-friend, Bill Linton, to get my ears-lowered. I have some week-end commitments, and I want to look my BEST!!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
Friday, February 11, 2011
Gambling; A Casino & A Revolution
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
...How I wish I could hate or even hurt you, but
All I want is to have you here with me~~~"Mi rubi l'anima" YOU STEAL MY SOUL,
by Laura Pausini
With the whirlwind of activity last week-end, and then getting terribly sick the
subsequent Monday, 7 February, I am going to cover a fortnight period. I never ever thought that I would ever use that archaic term; fortnight.
Last Friday, 4 February, I was running around doing errands. The errands eventually got me into the Hamburg, NY area. It was a cold day, but it was sunny; it was splendid. I'll just summarize it, as an~~~Afternoon Delight. With dusk setting it, I additionally took in a Fish Fry, in that part of town. I'm a Sunday's Child, but I love Fridays.
Saturday, 5 February 2011, was going to be a Completely Unique experience. By way of the Annunciation High School graduate Martha Orrange Nealon, I was included in a
Casino Excursion!!! Martha's husband Pat, is the Commander of the AMERICAN LEGION POST 527, from Hamburg, NY. The Legion Post was sponsoring this excursion-tour. There would be two bus loads of Legion Post members, wifes, friends, and associates that would be a part of this extravaganza. It was an afternoon of fun & games at the Seneca Fallsview Casino, in Niagara Falls, NY. Reasonably priced at $28.00 per person, I got $25.50 of it back playing the slots. Yes!! I know~~~a bonafide Bat Masterson; a real Maverick!!
But check this out!! On the way up to the Casino, one of the Legion operatives is selling tickets for a split-club drawing. I was tickled-pink!! The pot was $70.00, and~~~I won it!!!! Weeeeeeeee!!!
These slot-machines are insane!! They all have 22nd-century bells & whistles. Of course, all you seasoned casino veterans know about this already. For the neophyte though, this was an awaking!! I had a couple of 'handlers' helping me out, thank God.
The one realization that was so helpful was knowing that the COACH USA bus was going to be able to accommodate my scooter in its below-deck storage area. As long as I kept the scooter wheel-lock set, the scooter wasn't going 'anywhere'. This discovery was huge. This gave me total freedom, including areas such as the restrooms. When one is using a collapsible wheelchair, when covering the longer distances, there is often the need for an aide. Certainly, navigating the restroom area can be a challenge trying to have doors stay open for you while your two hands are on the 'wheels' working to get the wheelchair through the door opening and threshold area. For any subsequent Winery Tours, or Casino tours, my scooter will be alongside.
The Casino package included supper back at the American Legion Post. The return ride was a bit more interesting because the weather; the blowing and drifting snow, had started to kick into high-gear. We did alright, all-in-all, and returned safely to enjoy all the pizza & wings, one could sink their teeth into!!
On a personal note I wish to thank Carlene Schultz and Pat & Martha Orrange Nealon for their efforts in putting the package together---and for including me. Do it again!!! I'm there!!
Sunday, 6 February 2011, we had a post-Mass brunch at a new restaurant in Kenmore, NY. It used to be the old KFC location. I had an Greek Omlette. This, in and of itself, was incidental. We were just having something to tied us over until the Super Bowl garnishes and entrees were going to get served later in the day, during game-time.
Green Bay Packers 31 Pittsburgh Steelers 25. I was routing for Green Bay. Not so much that I wanted Aaron Rodgers to enjoy some lime-light as TitleTown's new Golden Boy(Paul Hornung was Green Bay's original). It was more that, as my USMC son Philip also felt, I just did not want Pittsburgh to have a seventh SB ring, when the Godforsaken Bills don't even have one, yet.
I am back to the food situation because of Monday, 7 February. I do not know WHAT came over me, but when I got up to go to work, I was sicker-than-a-dog. You name it, I was doing it. By mid-day I was so bad, I actually thought of checking into an emergency room. Finally got some over-the-counter liquid into me, which helped to empty my stomach and that seemed to finally give me some relief. I kept pounding down the Bayer Aspirins and~~~what a difference-a-day makes. By Tuesday, 8 February, I felt good enough to go into work and recover my eight hours lost on Monday.
Getting into the work Tuesday has me realizing two discoveries. The first one is that the passenger elevator is NOT working; gggrrr. With it being 8 degrees outside, that means I'll have to fuss with the outdoor elements, and the somewhat inconsiderate Sheriff's Department, to make my way over to the freight elevator location. It is winter; it is ice and snow on the road surfaces, and it is the City of Buffalo. Admittedly, The City is doing as best as they can. But what is annoying is what two of the Deputies do with their 'standing' vehicles. They drive them up the handicap curb cut-away areas, and leave their vehicles, with the front bumpers against the building, on the side-walk area, idling.
Trust me!! I was looking for a confrontation. The vehicles were blocking an ADA- coded cut-away area for handicap-accessibility. And the one deputy, in the one idling vehicle, was looking in his rear-view mirror and saw what I was trying to accomplish. Because of the accumulated snow and ice sitting at the edge of the cutaways, I was going to have to get a running start---from the street, up that cutaway, and onto the sidewalk. You would think the Deputy would get out of his warm vehicle for two reasons. Number one: I'm on South Elmwood Ave, for God's sakes---with vehicles buzzing by. I have to be that distance removed, to get the running start. And number two: that The Deputy would offer to get his CRUISER out of the way so that I could get my scooter~~~OFF OF THE STREET. He does neither. In getting a running start, I didn't care. If I was going to hit the back-end of his cruiser~~~BRING-IT-ON!!!
As fate would have it, while cutting through the snow, getting up the cutaway, slows my scooter down. The deceleration allows me to cut to the right and make my way along the sidewalk to the power-door-opening that gives me access to the freight-elevator area.
So I get inside, punch-in, and I get started on my assigned tasks. In due course, Dan, whom sits in the partition adjacent to mine, dead-pans; "there goes your door."
"The Door' that Dan is referring to, is a metal-framed door with metal hinges, that
is the enclosure door---to my restroom handicap stall. Understand, that two weeks ago 'somebody' ripped the door from the hinges, and left the door, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall, in the handicap stall. Nobody knows "who" did it, but somebody, I guess, is playing(at tax-payer's expense), one of those welcome-aboard-rookie, locker-room practical-jokes. I like to still use this stall because it has the two hand-rails to help me settle-in. The challenge for me is once alighting the scooter, getting myself properly balanced and leveraged so that I can lift the door from the wall and reposition it as a lean-to, against one of the door frame uprights that the door is to be, by design, attached to. I'm telling you folks, this is not just a job---this is an ADVENTURE. So now that maintenance has taken the door completely away, they have, in-effect, taken away my handicap stall.
At least, thank God, I have found a back-up area in a remote part of the third floor.
And I am grateful that it is on the third floor because I got word on Wednesday 9 February, that the Passenger Elevator was going to be out-of-service for two weeks, awaiting parts. Fun; wow!!!
Thursday 8 February 2011, I attended services for a beloved cousin. I found particular satisfaction in attending the Funeral Luncheon, after Mass, at Rizzo's Banchetti @ 550 N. French Road in Amherst, NY. It was a small gathering but the conversations were rich with interesting and often, never before known, information. This is for you, Donnie---Rest in Peace.
MORANO - Dominic J. February 7, 2011. Beloved husband of Josephine (Piazza) Morano; loving father of Linda Liberatore and Michael Morano; devoted grandfather of Alysia, Melissa Liberatore and Eric and Matthew Morano; son of the late Fannie Morano; brother of Joseph (Nancy) Morano, Lucille (Paul) Mazur and the late Mary (Jack) Mancuso; also survived by many nieces and nephews. Family present on Wednesday from 4-8 PM at the PERNA, DENGLER, ROBERTS FUNERAL HOME, 1306 Hertel Ave. Family and friends are asked to assemble for a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated from Holy Spirit Church Thursday at 9 AM. Dominic was an avid visitor to Las Vegas.
Then there was Friday~~~2-11-11; an epic moment in World History. Some have referenced this event akin to the Berlin Wall coming down in late 1989. Inspired by the actions of a popular peoples revolt in little Tunisia in the early days of January, the people of the Grand-Daddy of civilizations, Egypt, become energized as well. On 25 January, 2011, groups of Egyptian citizens begin to assemble in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. Very early-on, an objective is determined. Hosni Mubarak, the 30-year self-appointed President of Egypt, MUST GO. The protests grow in size and intensity of spirit. It is a real peoples revolution, and the World is watching.
After a curious set of fits~~~and starts, it is announced at 17:00PM hours their time, of 11 February by the High Military Council---that Mubarak is resigned!! Euphoria erupts on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and throughout Egypt!! The people's demands of Mubarak resigning, were accomplished.
CAIRO -- Egypt's military leaders dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution Sunday, meeting two key demands of protesters who have been keeping up pressure for immediate steps to transition to democratic, civilian rule after forcing Hosni Mubarak out of power.
The military rulers who took over when Mubarak stepped down Friday and the caretaker government set as a top priority the restoration of security, which collapsed during the 18 days of protests that toppled the regime. The caretaker government held its first meeting since the president was ousted and before it began, workers removed a giant picture of Mubarak from the meeting room.
The protesters had been pressing the ruling military council, led by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, to immediately move forward with the transition by appointing a presidential council, dissolving the parliament and releasing political prisoners.Sarah El Deeb
AP
Certainly, there is much work that has to be done to fill this leadership vacuum. There is no naivete in realizing that the lack of many of the political institutions that are essential for a vibrant democracy, is currently non-existent in Egyptian politics. History, simply put, will continue to be written on this epoch saga.
From a personal perspective, I was fascinated with The Egyptian Military. Now largely equipped by the US Military-Industrial Complex, with Abrams Tanks very visible as sentries on the sidelines, they were---curiously tacit. It was almost as if there was a subterfuge of compliance; that this was THEIR revolution, too.
Poor Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. If she could have a complicit Military like this one in Egypt, Myanmar---would be Burma again!!
Saturday 12 February---Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
It is also the birthday of my brother Victor!!
And in recognition~~~we threw him a little birthday party at our house.
It included a sit-down supper and cake. He enjoyed himself. He had to---because I know he likes this kind of 'stuff'. After supper, we watched~~~on A M C, THE GODFATHER; with Al Pacino playing Don Michael Corleone!! Hey!!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
...How I wish I could hate or even hurt you, but
All I want is to have you here with me~~~"Mi rubi l'anima" YOU STEAL MY SOUL,
by Laura Pausini
With the whirlwind of activity last week-end, and then getting terribly sick the
subsequent Monday, 7 February, I am going to cover a fortnight period. I never ever thought that I would ever use that archaic term; fortnight.
Last Friday, 4 February, I was running around doing errands. The errands eventually got me into the Hamburg, NY area. It was a cold day, but it was sunny; it was splendid. I'll just summarize it, as an~~~Afternoon Delight. With dusk setting it, I additionally took in a Fish Fry, in that part of town. I'm a Sunday's Child, but I love Fridays.
Saturday, 5 February 2011, was going to be a Completely Unique experience. By way of the Annunciation High School graduate Martha Orrange Nealon, I was included in a
Casino Excursion!!! Martha's husband Pat, is the Commander of the AMERICAN LEGION POST 527, from Hamburg, NY. The Legion Post was sponsoring this excursion-tour. There would be two bus loads of Legion Post members, wifes, friends, and associates that would be a part of this extravaganza. It was an afternoon of fun & games at the Seneca Fallsview Casino, in Niagara Falls, NY. Reasonably priced at $28.00 per person, I got $25.50 of it back playing the slots. Yes!! I know~~~a bonafide Bat Masterson; a real Maverick!!
But check this out!! On the way up to the Casino, one of the Legion operatives is selling tickets for a split-club drawing. I was tickled-pink!! The pot was $70.00, and~~~I won it!!!! Weeeeeeeee!!!
These slot-machines are insane!! They all have 22nd-century bells & whistles. Of course, all you seasoned casino veterans know about this already. For the neophyte though, this was an awaking!! I had a couple of 'handlers' helping me out, thank God.
The one realization that was so helpful was knowing that the COACH USA bus was going to be able to accommodate my scooter in its below-deck storage area. As long as I kept the scooter wheel-lock set, the scooter wasn't going 'anywhere'. This discovery was huge. This gave me total freedom, including areas such as the restrooms. When one is using a collapsible wheelchair, when covering the longer distances, there is often the need for an aide. Certainly, navigating the restroom area can be a challenge trying to have doors stay open for you while your two hands are on the 'wheels' working to get the wheelchair through the door opening and threshold area. For any subsequent Winery Tours, or Casino tours, my scooter will be alongside.
The Casino package included supper back at the American Legion Post. The return ride was a bit more interesting because the weather; the blowing and drifting snow, had started to kick into high-gear. We did alright, all-in-all, and returned safely to enjoy all the pizza & wings, one could sink their teeth into!!
On a personal note I wish to thank Carlene Schultz and Pat & Martha Orrange Nealon for their efforts in putting the package together---and for including me. Do it again!!! I'm there!!
Sunday, 6 February 2011, we had a post-Mass brunch at a new restaurant in Kenmore, NY. It used to be the old KFC location. I had an Greek Omlette. This, in and of itself, was incidental. We were just having something to tied us over until the Super Bowl garnishes and entrees were going to get served later in the day, during game-time.
Green Bay Packers 31 Pittsburgh Steelers 25. I was routing for Green Bay. Not so much that I wanted Aaron Rodgers to enjoy some lime-light as TitleTown's new Golden Boy(Paul Hornung was Green Bay's original). It was more that, as my USMC son Philip also felt, I just did not want Pittsburgh to have a seventh SB ring, when the Godforsaken Bills don't even have one, yet.
I am back to the food situation because of Monday, 7 February. I do not know WHAT came over me, but when I got up to go to work, I was sicker-than-a-dog. You name it, I was doing it. By mid-day I was so bad, I actually thought of checking into an emergency room. Finally got some over-the-counter liquid into me, which helped to empty my stomach and that seemed to finally give me some relief. I kept pounding down the Bayer Aspirins and~~~what a difference-a-day makes. By Tuesday, 8 February, I felt good enough to go into work and recover my eight hours lost on Monday.
Getting into the work Tuesday has me realizing two discoveries. The first one is that the passenger elevator is NOT working; gggrrr. With it being 8 degrees outside, that means I'll have to fuss with the outdoor elements, and the somewhat inconsiderate Sheriff's Department, to make my way over to the freight elevator location. It is winter; it is ice and snow on the road surfaces, and it is the City of Buffalo. Admittedly, The City is doing as best as they can. But what is annoying is what two of the Deputies do with their 'standing' vehicles. They drive them up the handicap curb cut-away areas, and leave their vehicles, with the front bumpers against the building, on the side-walk area, idling.
Trust me!! I was looking for a confrontation. The vehicles were blocking an ADA- coded cut-away area for handicap-accessibility. And the one deputy, in the one idling vehicle, was looking in his rear-view mirror and saw what I was trying to accomplish. Because of the accumulated snow and ice sitting at the edge of the cutaways, I was going to have to get a running start---from the street, up that cutaway, and onto the sidewalk. You would think the Deputy would get out of his warm vehicle for two reasons. Number one: I'm on South Elmwood Ave, for God's sakes---with vehicles buzzing by. I have to be that distance removed, to get the running start. And number two: that The Deputy would offer to get his CRUISER out of the way so that I could get my scooter~~~OFF OF THE STREET. He does neither. In getting a running start, I didn't care. If I was going to hit the back-end of his cruiser~~~BRING-IT-ON!!!
As fate would have it, while cutting through the snow, getting up the cutaway, slows my scooter down. The deceleration allows me to cut to the right and make my way along the sidewalk to the power-door-opening that gives me access to the freight-elevator area.
So I get inside, punch-in, and I get started on my assigned tasks. In due course, Dan, whom sits in the partition adjacent to mine, dead-pans; "there goes your door."
"The Door' that Dan is referring to, is a metal-framed door with metal hinges, that
is the enclosure door---to my restroom handicap stall. Understand, that two weeks ago 'somebody' ripped the door from the hinges, and left the door, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall, in the handicap stall. Nobody knows "who" did it, but somebody, I guess, is playing(at tax-payer's expense), one of those welcome-aboard-rookie, locker-room practical-jokes. I like to still use this stall because it has the two hand-rails to help me settle-in. The challenge for me is once alighting the scooter, getting myself properly balanced and leveraged so that I can lift the door from the wall and reposition it as a lean-to, against one of the door frame uprights that the door is to be, by design, attached to. I'm telling you folks, this is not just a job---this is an ADVENTURE. So now that maintenance has taken the door completely away, they have, in-effect, taken away my handicap stall.
At least, thank God, I have found a back-up area in a remote part of the third floor.
And I am grateful that it is on the third floor because I got word on Wednesday 9 February, that the Passenger Elevator was going to be out-of-service for two weeks, awaiting parts. Fun; wow!!!
Thursday 8 February 2011, I attended services for a beloved cousin. I found particular satisfaction in attending the Funeral Luncheon, after Mass, at Rizzo's Banchetti @ 550 N. French Road in Amherst, NY. It was a small gathering but the conversations were rich with interesting and often, never before known, information. This is for you, Donnie---Rest in Peace.
MORANO - Dominic J. February 7, 2011. Beloved husband of Josephine (Piazza) Morano; loving father of Linda Liberatore and Michael Morano; devoted grandfather of Alysia, Melissa Liberatore and Eric and Matthew Morano; son of the late Fannie Morano; brother of Joseph (Nancy) Morano, Lucille (Paul) Mazur and the late Mary (Jack) Mancuso; also survived by many nieces and nephews. Family present on Wednesday from 4-8 PM at the PERNA, DENGLER, ROBERTS FUNERAL HOME, 1306 Hertel Ave. Family and friends are asked to assemble for a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated from Holy Spirit Church Thursday at 9 AM. Dominic was an avid visitor to Las Vegas.
Then there was Friday~~~2-11-11; an epic moment in World History. Some have referenced this event akin to the Berlin Wall coming down in late 1989. Inspired by the actions of a popular peoples revolt in little Tunisia in the early days of January, the people of the Grand-Daddy of civilizations, Egypt, become energized as well. On 25 January, 2011, groups of Egyptian citizens begin to assemble in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. Very early-on, an objective is determined. Hosni Mubarak, the 30-year self-appointed President of Egypt, MUST GO. The protests grow in size and intensity of spirit. It is a real peoples revolution, and the World is watching.
After a curious set of fits~~~and starts, it is announced at 17:00PM hours their time, of 11 February by the High Military Council---that Mubarak is resigned!! Euphoria erupts on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria, and throughout Egypt!! The people's demands of Mubarak resigning, were accomplished.
CAIRO -- Egypt's military leaders dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution Sunday, meeting two key demands of protesters who have been keeping up pressure for immediate steps to transition to democratic, civilian rule after forcing Hosni Mubarak out of power.
The military rulers who took over when Mubarak stepped down Friday and the caretaker government set as a top priority the restoration of security, which collapsed during the 18 days of protests that toppled the regime. The caretaker government held its first meeting since the president was ousted and before it began, workers removed a giant picture of Mubarak from the meeting room.
The protesters had been pressing the ruling military council, led by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi, to immediately move forward with the transition by appointing a presidential council, dissolving the parliament and releasing political prisoners.Sarah El Deeb
AP
Certainly, there is much work that has to be done to fill this leadership vacuum. There is no naivete in realizing that the lack of many of the political institutions that are essential for a vibrant democracy, is currently non-existent in Egyptian politics. History, simply put, will continue to be written on this epoch saga.
From a personal perspective, I was fascinated with The Egyptian Military. Now largely equipped by the US Military-Industrial Complex, with Abrams Tanks very visible as sentries on the sidelines, they were---curiously tacit. It was almost as if there was a subterfuge of compliance; that this was THEIR revolution, too.
Poor Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. If she could have a complicit Military like this one in Egypt, Myanmar---would be Burma again!!
Saturday 12 February---Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
It is also the birthday of my brother Victor!!
And in recognition~~~we threw him a little birthday party at our house.
It included a sit-down supper and cake. He enjoyed himself. He had to---because I know he likes this kind of 'stuff'. After supper, we watched~~~on A M C, THE GODFATHER; with Al Pacino playing Don Michael Corleone!! Hey!!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
Friday, January 28, 2011
A Week With Some Anniversary Bitter-Pills
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
...He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he'll come to me
That we would live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather~~~I Dreamed a Dream; Les Miserables
On Monday, 24 January, I've just settled into my desk now having come back from lunch, to get cranking on some more 'editing' tasks. It is about 13:45PM, when the Fire Alarm goes off. And as it is sounding off, it is changing its cadence. Of course, I'm new to all this so I don't fully understand the cadence implications.
At this point, all I'm trying to do is get myself out of the building. And even as I'm grappling to get my coat and gloves on; its 10 degrees outside, the two Office Managers are already nicely encouraging me to get myself together and board my scooter. With us being on the third floor, everybody is going to use the stairwells to get out of the building. I'm looking to use the elevator. As we, like our grade-school counter-parts are trained to do, make our way to the egress areas, I have Dan & office-appointed fire-marshal Scott, staying close with me. Their concern speaks volumes; is above reproach. We get to the elevator and encounter one hell of a TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY. When the fire-alarm goes off, the elevator is programmed to go into AUTO-LOCK. What did we do!?!? Scott grabbed a nearby fire-ax, busted a window, and Dan & Scott hurled me, and my scooter~~~out, from the third-floor-window!!!
No!! No!! Just joking!!
Now keep in mind~~~the alarms are still whaling-away. We are on the third-floor of an older office building in downtown Buffalo, NY. In other words, there are huge distances between floors. Such distances that usually have these spread-out landings intermittent, to give added support to the stairwell area. Well this building was no different. What was I do?? I abandoned my scooter, grabbed my two-canes and with Scott, Dan, Tanya, and Sandy in tow, we started down the stairs.
Sandy needs help too, so Tanya was her aid. But they didn't 'run' ahead. We stayed together, making sure we all were alright. I thank God that at least I have gravity working in my favor as I'm declining all these stairs and navigating these two landings. Keep in mind~~~this is a fire alarm. We have no idea what we are up against. But we all stayed together. If we had 'smelled' the real thing, I would have to believe we would have went 'boy-scout' to get me out of the building.
So check this out!!!
This is how long it took me to get down the stairs; along with the lives of everybody else whom were with me---still on-the-line. As we stepped onto the first-floor from the stairway, two fire-fighters, from the fire-truck that had to weave through downtown Buffalo traffic to get to our building~~~were ALREADY INSIDE!!
We were told to stay-put by the fire-fighters; that everything was alright---no need to be standing out in the cold. Of course if there was a fire, one of the fire-fighters would have just tossed me over his air-tanked back, and got me out-of-harms-way because with no scooter, I would have had no way of getting to the safety-perimeter timely with my canes.
With the excitement over, and all-the-resets put back into place, the elevator was once again, working. Rob was good-natured enough to go up to the third-floor and retrieve my scooter for me.
So we all make our way back to our work-stations; back to our tedium.
At 1600 hours; 4PM for the uninitiated, the fire-alarm goes off again!!! This time, we have a contingency-plan. This time Tom, my fire-buddy, and myself with my scooter, use the turn-of-the-twentieth-century freight-elevator to get out of the building. This elevator does not have any of the bells & whistles that the passenger elevator does. It is hand-eye coordination to operate. The operator has to watch where to stop so the elevator matches the floor level!! Of course, Tom has done this a thousand times already, so this was old-hat for him. So with my scooter, I was able to migrate across the street with everyone else until we got the clearance to go back inside~~~to punch out!!! Truly, a Monday to remember!
On Tuesday I went to finish a bureaucratic task that was already almost two weeks in the making.I decided to do this because a few people have suggested to me that it would be a more practical and evident way of having my vehicle identified so that I could have more access to better parking and not have to worry about manually remembering to place my mirror handicap tag every time I egress my van.
I decided to get an actual handicap license plate. Keep in mind, this is the dead of winter, in Buffalo, NY. I figure all I had to do on Tuesday 18 January, was sign a form because I already have a valid HANDICAP MIRROR TAG. Not a prayer's chance, in hell. The DMV has a special form that the Doctor must fill out to document the handicap. The DENT CLINIC has gazillions of clients, so it is not likely that the form is going to get filled out---while I wait. So, I reloaded the scooter from the DMV, to go to the Dent Clinic~~~and drop the form off. By the way, my van thermometer, at 2 in the afternoon of this day, shows 10 degrees. With the wind swirling around the DENT CLINIC, it felt like -10 degrees.
The DENT operative assured me she would have it ready by Friday, the 21st. I go there on that date; no Denise, no form. GGGRRR.
Thank God, the form is filled out and in Saturday's mail. So Tuesday, 25 Jan, I head over to the NorthTown Plaza DMV, to get my Handicap Plates. I ended up with a nice DMV clerk!! I currently have these VANITY PLATES; DGNIFIED, so yes---there is a sentimental attachment to these. Without me making the suggestion, after the monetary transaction, the clerk asks me if I wanted to keep one of the plates as a souvenir??? Delightedly, I, of course, said yes!! As she is about to hand me my New Plates, she slips one of the DGNIFIED plates, in-between!! I felt, whole Again!!
Thursday, 27 January, 1991~~~a bitter-pill-anniversary. Twenty years ago, Thursday is the Anniversary of Super Bowl XXV, and the infamous "Wide-Right" moment. That is the ICONIC coined expression that sums up how the Giants outlasted the Buffalo Bills---to win Super Bowl XXV. Most everybody has their story, recalling that ignominious moment. And we have ours, too!!
As so many people do, we had a mini-Super Bowl party as well. The game is a nail-biter all the way through. Everybody is sitting at the edge of their seats. New York, employing its ball-control offense, had possession for 40 minutes, 33 seconds, a Super Bowl record. The Bills, who scored 95 points in their previous two playoff games leading to Super Bowl XXV, had the ball for less than eight minutes in the second half and just 19:27 for the game.
Fourteen of New York's 73 plays came on its initial drive of the third quarter, which covered 75 yards and consumed a Super Bowl-record 9:29 before running back Ottis Anderson ran one yard for a touchdown. Buffalo's Thurman Thomas ran 31 yards for a touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter to help Buffalo recapture the lead 19-17. Matt Bahr's 21-yard field goal gave the Giants a 20-19 lead.
By the time Kelly is navigating the Bills down-field,on an Elway-like-Drive with less than two minutes to go, nobody is sitting anymore. Everybody is up and standing like Nervous-Nellies. Then comes the moment. There are only seconds left; time to go for the field-goal, to win GAME, SET, and MATCH!!! The kick is to be executed by Scott Norwood, a very reliable field-goal kicker. It will be a 47 yard attempt. As the Bills are about to line up to effect the kick, the Giants call a time-out~~~to try to psyche-out Norwood.
It is during this time frame that I become afixed to my memorable-moment. To my left is my 9 year old son Andrew. He has no clue about the Bills, football, or anything to do with sports. But somehow, in that 9-year-old mind of his, which is always tempered with thoughts that has him thinking of concerns and apprehensions, he is pacing back and forth somehow knowing that this is a moment of epoch proportions for this Buffalo Community. He can't articulate this, but I know, he knows this.
Now, the play is about to unfold; both teams are at the line of scrimmage~~~when my Mother-in-Law quips...don't you just LOVE, close games?!?!?! GGGRRR!!!!
My most favorite play-off/championship type score was the Bills drubbing of the Los Angeles Raiders 51-3, the week previous---Sunday, January 20, 1991 at Rich Stadium.
Friday would be the 25th Anniversary of a most tragic moment in American History.
On January 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven crew members,including "Teacher in Space" Christa McAuliffe, on board. It was the first time NASA had lost astronauts during a spaceflight.
Few who were alive 25 years ago, will forget that day, nor the iconic footage and photographs of the pale, corkscrewing plumes in the clear blue morning sky where Challenger had just been. The failure of a pressure seal in one of the two solid-fuel rocket boosters was later identified as the cause of the shuttle's breakup.
It is the "Teacher-in-Space" component that adds to the tragedy. Manned space flights were getting so routine~~~nobody was watching them anymore. The reason why this was set to launch in prime-time, was so the kids across-America could be watching this live---from their classrooms because Christa was a teacher. Yes~~~the 'throttle-up' remark from Mission Control, and then---seven lives horribly taken.
I was between sales-calls, and in a Sears store getting some items for my Chrysler Cordoba(you know---the one with the Corinthian Leather!!). Those whom know me well, know that I'm a Manned Space Program aficionado, so I went to their TV sales area, to watch the launch. I couldn't believe~~~first of all---what I had just witnessed, live!!! I was like~~~OMG(before FACEBOOK made that a colloquial expression!!), with my eyebrows raised in disbelief. And secondly, I was miffed at Mission Control!! Instead of just calling it as it was; an explosion, a tragedy of monumental proportions---seven lives are on the line at this moment---we were hearing this technical mumbo-jumbo gibberish, instead. I mean~~~there was nothing left but this plume of smoke still ominously visible in the clear blue morning sky, and Mission Control is still talking about trajectory loss. Gee!! You think!?!?
I'm running errands on Friday, 28 January. In this weather situation, I am especially careful as I get in, out, and around the van and getting from van to house, or any other type of enclosure. So I get inside the house, and I let my 'guard' down. I'm making my way across the kitchen area to the kitchen table & chairs. Having just come in from outside, my cane rubber pads are still wet. I ended
up wiping out. I'll tell you what, it was the hardest fall I had taken in awhile. I suppose the heavy grocery bag w/handles, that I had in my one caned hand didn't help.
The fall shook me up, but given time, I shook it off~~~and started my manuscript~~~for this week's Web Log!!!
Find the energy to overcome, and win~~~everyday!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
...He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he'll come to me
That we would live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather~~~I Dreamed a Dream; Les Miserables
On Monday, 24 January, I've just settled into my desk now having come back from lunch, to get cranking on some more 'editing' tasks. It is about 13:45PM, when the Fire Alarm goes off. And as it is sounding off, it is changing its cadence. Of course, I'm new to all this so I don't fully understand the cadence implications.
At this point, all I'm trying to do is get myself out of the building. And even as I'm grappling to get my coat and gloves on; its 10 degrees outside, the two Office Managers are already nicely encouraging me to get myself together and board my scooter. With us being on the third floor, everybody is going to use the stairwells to get out of the building. I'm looking to use the elevator. As we, like our grade-school counter-parts are trained to do, make our way to the egress areas, I have Dan & office-appointed fire-marshal Scott, staying close with me. Their concern speaks volumes; is above reproach. We get to the elevator and encounter one hell of a TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY. When the fire-alarm goes off, the elevator is programmed to go into AUTO-LOCK. What did we do!?!? Scott grabbed a nearby fire-ax, busted a window, and Dan & Scott hurled me, and my scooter~~~out, from the third-floor-window!!!
No!! No!! Just joking!!
Now keep in mind~~~the alarms are still whaling-away. We are on the third-floor of an older office building in downtown Buffalo, NY. In other words, there are huge distances between floors. Such distances that usually have these spread-out landings intermittent, to give added support to the stairwell area. Well this building was no different. What was I do?? I abandoned my scooter, grabbed my two-canes and with Scott, Dan, Tanya, and Sandy in tow, we started down the stairs.
Sandy needs help too, so Tanya was her aid. But they didn't 'run' ahead. We stayed together, making sure we all were alright. I thank God that at least I have gravity working in my favor as I'm declining all these stairs and navigating these two landings. Keep in mind~~~this is a fire alarm. We have no idea what we are up against. But we all stayed together. If we had 'smelled' the real thing, I would have to believe we would have went 'boy-scout' to get me out of the building.
So check this out!!!
This is how long it took me to get down the stairs; along with the lives of everybody else whom were with me---still on-the-line. As we stepped onto the first-floor from the stairway, two fire-fighters, from the fire-truck that had to weave through downtown Buffalo traffic to get to our building~~~were ALREADY INSIDE!!
We were told to stay-put by the fire-fighters; that everything was alright---no need to be standing out in the cold. Of course if there was a fire, one of the fire-fighters would have just tossed me over his air-tanked back, and got me out-of-harms-way because with no scooter, I would have had no way of getting to the safety-perimeter timely with my canes.
With the excitement over, and all-the-resets put back into place, the elevator was once again, working. Rob was good-natured enough to go up to the third-floor and retrieve my scooter for me.
So we all make our way back to our work-stations; back to our tedium.
At 1600 hours; 4PM for the uninitiated, the fire-alarm goes off again!!! This time, we have a contingency-plan. This time Tom, my fire-buddy, and myself with my scooter, use the turn-of-the-twentieth-century freight-elevator to get out of the building. This elevator does not have any of the bells & whistles that the passenger elevator does. It is hand-eye coordination to operate. The operator has to watch where to stop so the elevator matches the floor level!! Of course, Tom has done this a thousand times already, so this was old-hat for him. So with my scooter, I was able to migrate across the street with everyone else until we got the clearance to go back inside~~~to punch out!!! Truly, a Monday to remember!
On Tuesday I went to finish a bureaucratic task that was already almost two weeks in the making.I decided to do this because a few people have suggested to me that it would be a more practical and evident way of having my vehicle identified so that I could have more access to better parking and not have to worry about manually remembering to place my mirror handicap tag every time I egress my van.
I decided to get an actual handicap license plate. Keep in mind, this is the dead of winter, in Buffalo, NY. I figure all I had to do on Tuesday 18 January, was sign a form because I already have a valid HANDICAP MIRROR TAG. Not a prayer's chance, in hell. The DMV has a special form that the Doctor must fill out to document the handicap. The DENT CLINIC has gazillions of clients, so it is not likely that the form is going to get filled out---while I wait. So, I reloaded the scooter from the DMV, to go to the Dent Clinic~~~and drop the form off. By the way, my van thermometer, at 2 in the afternoon of this day, shows 10 degrees. With the wind swirling around the DENT CLINIC, it felt like -10 degrees.
The DENT operative assured me she would have it ready by Friday, the 21st. I go there on that date; no Denise, no form. GGGRRR.
Thank God, the form is filled out and in Saturday's mail. So Tuesday, 25 Jan, I head over to the NorthTown Plaza DMV, to get my Handicap Plates. I ended up with a nice DMV clerk!! I currently have these VANITY PLATES; DGNIFIED, so yes---there is a sentimental attachment to these. Without me making the suggestion, after the monetary transaction, the clerk asks me if I wanted to keep one of the plates as a souvenir??? Delightedly, I, of course, said yes!! As she is about to hand me my New Plates, she slips one of the DGNIFIED plates, in-between!! I felt, whole Again!!
Thursday, 27 January, 1991~~~a bitter-pill-anniversary. Twenty years ago, Thursday is the Anniversary of Super Bowl XXV, and the infamous "Wide-Right" moment. That is the ICONIC coined expression that sums up how the Giants outlasted the Buffalo Bills---to win Super Bowl XXV. Most everybody has their story, recalling that ignominious moment. And we have ours, too!!
As so many people do, we had a mini-Super Bowl party as well. The game is a nail-biter all the way through. Everybody is sitting at the edge of their seats. New York, employing its ball-control offense, had possession for 40 minutes, 33 seconds, a Super Bowl record. The Bills, who scored 95 points in their previous two playoff games leading to Super Bowl XXV, had the ball for less than eight minutes in the second half and just 19:27 for the game.
Fourteen of New York's 73 plays came on its initial drive of the third quarter, which covered 75 yards and consumed a Super Bowl-record 9:29 before running back Ottis Anderson ran one yard for a touchdown. Buffalo's Thurman Thomas ran 31 yards for a touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter to help Buffalo recapture the lead 19-17. Matt Bahr's 21-yard field goal gave the Giants a 20-19 lead.
By the time Kelly is navigating the Bills down-field,on an Elway-like-Drive with less than two minutes to go, nobody is sitting anymore. Everybody is up and standing like Nervous-Nellies. Then comes the moment. There are only seconds left; time to go for the field-goal, to win GAME, SET, and MATCH!!! The kick is to be executed by Scott Norwood, a very reliable field-goal kicker. It will be a 47 yard attempt. As the Bills are about to line up to effect the kick, the Giants call a time-out~~~to try to psyche-out Norwood.
It is during this time frame that I become afixed to my memorable-moment. To my left is my 9 year old son Andrew. He has no clue about the Bills, football, or anything to do with sports. But somehow, in that 9-year-old mind of his, which is always tempered with thoughts that has him thinking of concerns and apprehensions, he is pacing back and forth somehow knowing that this is a moment of epoch proportions for this Buffalo Community. He can't articulate this, but I know, he knows this.
Now, the play is about to unfold; both teams are at the line of scrimmage~~~when my Mother-in-Law quips...don't you just LOVE, close games?!?!?! GGGRRR!!!!
My most favorite play-off/championship type score was the Bills drubbing of the Los Angeles Raiders 51-3, the week previous---Sunday, January 20, 1991 at Rich Stadium.
Friday would be the 25th Anniversary of a most tragic moment in American History.
On January 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven crew members,including "Teacher in Space" Christa McAuliffe, on board. It was the first time NASA had lost astronauts during a spaceflight.
Few who were alive 25 years ago, will forget that day, nor the iconic footage and photographs of the pale, corkscrewing plumes in the clear blue morning sky where Challenger had just been. The failure of a pressure seal in one of the two solid-fuel rocket boosters was later identified as the cause of the shuttle's breakup.
It is the "Teacher-in-Space" component that adds to the tragedy. Manned space flights were getting so routine~~~nobody was watching them anymore. The reason why this was set to launch in prime-time, was so the kids across-America could be watching this live---from their classrooms because Christa was a teacher. Yes~~~the 'throttle-up' remark from Mission Control, and then---seven lives horribly taken.
I was between sales-calls, and in a Sears store getting some items for my Chrysler Cordoba(you know---the one with the Corinthian Leather!!). Those whom know me well, know that I'm a Manned Space Program aficionado, so I went to their TV sales area, to watch the launch. I couldn't believe~~~first of all---what I had just witnessed, live!!! I was like~~~OMG(before FACEBOOK made that a colloquial expression!!), with my eyebrows raised in disbelief. And secondly, I was miffed at Mission Control!! Instead of just calling it as it was; an explosion, a tragedy of monumental proportions---seven lives are on the line at this moment---we were hearing this technical mumbo-jumbo gibberish, instead. I mean~~~there was nothing left but this plume of smoke still ominously visible in the clear blue morning sky, and Mission Control is still talking about trajectory loss. Gee!! You think!?!?
I'm running errands on Friday, 28 January. In this weather situation, I am especially careful as I get in, out, and around the van and getting from van to house, or any other type of enclosure. So I get inside the house, and I let my 'guard' down. I'm making my way across the kitchen area to the kitchen table & chairs. Having just come in from outside, my cane rubber pads are still wet. I ended
up wiping out. I'll tell you what, it was the hardest fall I had taken in awhile. I suppose the heavy grocery bag w/handles, that I had in my one caned hand didn't help.
The fall shook me up, but given time, I shook it off~~~and started my manuscript~~~for this week's Web Log!!!
Find the energy to overcome, and win~~~everyday!!
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Friday; 20 January, 1961~~~Inauguration Speech
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
Ooh, her love is heavenly;
when her arms enfold me,
I hear a tender rhapsody...
but in reality, she doesn't even know me
Just my imagination -- once again --
running away with me.~~~TEMPTATIONS; Just My Imagination
It's remembered as a day chilled by "a Siberian wind knifing down Pennsylvania Avenue" and illuminated by "the dazzling combination of bright sunshine and deep snow."
On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy began his presidency with a speech at once soaring and solemn. Fifty years on, we have not heard an inaugural address like it. Tethered to its time and place, it still challenges with its ambition to harness realism to idealism, patriotism to service, national interest to universal aspiration.
The above prose is so riveting, I had to borrow E. J. Dionne's opening remarks from his column dedicated to a moment in American History that today, still holds a captive audience. He, in effect, captures the very essence of this landmark moment in American history, and draws me in, to share his sentiments.
Fifty-years ago, this last Thursday was the anniversary of JFK's Inauguration Speech.
I can still recall, as a ten-year-old, the excitement; the anticipation. I mean---while I had no clue as to all of its significance, I can remember phrases like Camelot, being mentioned.
A big part of the excitement from a Roman Catholic standpoint, is that~~~John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the first, and so far only, Roman Catholic to become President
of the United States. And know that this was something that was made a contentious point of, during the election campaign.
Heavy snow fell the night before the inauguration, but thoughts about canceling the plans were overruled. The election of 1960 had been close, and the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts was eager to gather support for his agenda. He attended Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown that morning before joining President Eisenhower to travel to the Capitol. The Congress had extended the East Front, and the inaugural platform spanned the new addition.
Going to a Catholic grade school where the Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur were overjoyed that there was a handsome, young, Catholic boy now President, the sisters were very willing to bring this history right into the classroom.
I can't speak for the other 10; 11 year-old's around me, but I was thrilled, on this Friday, when the good Sister Mary Elizabeth, our Fifth Grade instructor, wheeled the cart with a TV on top, into the classroom. We were going to watch the Inauguration Speech~~~live!!
The speech was as rich with content and context, as anticipated. Its prose, its imagery, and its theme was at once~~~Branding & Defining this man.
We all can still recall...And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. This quotation will prove to be timeless.
The remark that I felt revealed His Presidency was...Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
These were not idle words; no grandstanding.
He put a blemish on his presidency early-on by taking bad Pentagon advise and committing a group of crack para-military personnel to the Bay 0f Pigs area of Cuba in a failed attempt to foil the overthrow of the Batista Regime in Cuba by a group of rag-tag revolutionaries lead by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
In the last two weeks of October of 1962, we saw this man reach near invincible stature. Kennedy deftly defused a dispute with the cold-war arch-rival---The Soviet Union, that had global conflagration written all over it regarding the Cuban Missile Crises.
And~~~in the midst of the infamous, divisive Berlin Wall, on June 26, 1963, he made his famous, "ich bin ein Berliner" speech.
While I was still so young, I had a sense that I was attached to a very profound moment in time; a sense that this was a pivotal moment in history. And just as Winston Churchill called on his Brits to show courage and defiance against Hitler as Germany was turning London into a holocaust with its bombing raids; the Brits heroism was being defined as England's Finest Hour~~~I think this Inauguration Speech could be heralded as one of America's Finest Hour's as well.
The below is the column that E. J. Dionne devotes his personal perspective to Kennedy's 1355-word epoch oratory. The column in effect, crystallizes it's meaning for me, and its significance for posterity.
By E.J. Dionne Jr.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
It's remembered as a day chilled by "a Siberian wind knifing down Pennsylvania Avenue" and illuminated by "the dazzling combination of bright sunshine and deep snow."
On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy began his presidency with a speech at once soaring and solemn. Fifty years on, we have not heard an inaugural address like it. Tethered to its time and place, it still challenges with its ambition to harness realism to idealism, patriotism to service, national interest to universal aspiration.
Theodore Sorensen, the speech's principal architect, was always modest about his own role, less so about the inaugural itself. "It certainly was not as good as Lincoln's second or FDR's first," Sorensen wrote in his memoir, adding that Kennedy thought it not as good as Jefferson's first.
By acknowledging what their joint product was not, Kennedy and Sorensen defined the historical company it still keeps.
A great speech includes lines so memorable that pedestrian orators eventually transform them into cliches. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." This muscular call for sacrifice has launched a thousand lesser speeches.
"Civility is not a sign of weakness" and "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate" - staple references whenever politics becomes particularly vicious.
"The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans." And the torch gets passed again and again, whenever a younger politician is marking out generational territory.
It was a compact speech - at 1,355 words, it was less than twice the length of this column. Kennedy, wrote the historian Robert Dallek, insisted that it be brief because "I don't want people to think I'm a windbag." He needn't have worried.
Right and left still battle over Kennedy's words. Were they a call for resolve before the communist threat ("we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty") or were they a plea for negotiation as the answer to nuclear annihilation?
ad_icon
Probably both. The classic realist's declaration that "only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed" was followed by this:
"But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
"So let us begin anew."
And so have we remained a nation forever in search of new beginnings, invoking, by turns, Lincoln or Kennedy to bless our fresh starts.
All writers take heart: Kennedy and Sorensen wrote and rewrote, often accepting changes proposed by friends. One fortunate fix came from John Kenneth Galbraith. The final address read: "United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures." The original draft referred to "joint ventures," which Galbraith thought sounded like a mining company.
They also took columnist Walter Lippmann's suggestion, changing "enemy" to "adversary." The less hostile word fit better with the speech's wish that "a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion" - a line the self-critical Sorensen saw as "a metaphorical stretch."
And Kennedy advisers Harris Wofford and Louis Martin won the insertion of six words and helped change history.
In the original draft, Kennedy declared that the new generation for which he spoke was "unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today."
To which Wofford and Martin got Kennedy to add, "at home and around the world," thus marrying the struggle for freedom abroad with the cause of domestic civil rights. There would be no turning back.
Perhaps I should acknowledge that I fell in love with this speech when I was young, purchasing a long-playing record of Kennedy addresses for 99 cents at the supermarket and listening to it over and over after Kennedy's assassination.
You might say that I still hear its trumpet summoning us again. And when Kennedy said, "I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation," I knew - millions of others felt this way, too - that he was speaking for me.
I thought I saw him[Robert] walkin' up over the hill,
With Abraham, Martin and John.(Dion)
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
Ooh, her love is heavenly;
when her arms enfold me,
I hear a tender rhapsody...
but in reality, she doesn't even know me
Just my imagination -- once again --
running away with me.~~~TEMPTATIONS; Just My Imagination
It's remembered as a day chilled by "a Siberian wind knifing down Pennsylvania Avenue" and illuminated by "the dazzling combination of bright sunshine and deep snow."
On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy began his presidency with a speech at once soaring and solemn. Fifty years on, we have not heard an inaugural address like it. Tethered to its time and place, it still challenges with its ambition to harness realism to idealism, patriotism to service, national interest to universal aspiration.
The above prose is so riveting, I had to borrow E. J. Dionne's opening remarks from his column dedicated to a moment in American History that today, still holds a captive audience. He, in effect, captures the very essence of this landmark moment in American history, and draws me in, to share his sentiments.
Fifty-years ago, this last Thursday was the anniversary of JFK's Inauguration Speech.
I can still recall, as a ten-year-old, the excitement; the anticipation. I mean---while I had no clue as to all of its significance, I can remember phrases like Camelot, being mentioned.
A big part of the excitement from a Roman Catholic standpoint, is that~~~John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the first, and so far only, Roman Catholic to become President
of the United States. And know that this was something that was made a contentious point of, during the election campaign.
Heavy snow fell the night before the inauguration, but thoughts about canceling the plans were overruled. The election of 1960 had been close, and the Democratic Senator from Massachusetts was eager to gather support for his agenda. He attended Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown that morning before joining President Eisenhower to travel to the Capitol. The Congress had extended the East Front, and the inaugural platform spanned the new addition.
Going to a Catholic grade school where the Sisters of Saint Mary of Namur were overjoyed that there was a handsome, young, Catholic boy now President, the sisters were very willing to bring this history right into the classroom.
I can't speak for the other 10; 11 year-old's around me, but I was thrilled, on this Friday, when the good Sister Mary Elizabeth, our Fifth Grade instructor, wheeled the cart with a TV on top, into the classroom. We were going to watch the Inauguration Speech~~~live!!
The speech was as rich with content and context, as anticipated. Its prose, its imagery, and its theme was at once~~~Branding & Defining this man.
We all can still recall...And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. This quotation will prove to be timeless.
The remark that I felt revealed His Presidency was...Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
These were not idle words; no grandstanding.
He put a blemish on his presidency early-on by taking bad Pentagon advise and committing a group of crack para-military personnel to the Bay 0f Pigs area of Cuba in a failed attempt to foil the overthrow of the Batista Regime in Cuba by a group of rag-tag revolutionaries lead by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
In the last two weeks of October of 1962, we saw this man reach near invincible stature. Kennedy deftly defused a dispute with the cold-war arch-rival---The Soviet Union, that had global conflagration written all over it regarding the Cuban Missile Crises.
And~~~in the midst of the infamous, divisive Berlin Wall, on June 26, 1963, he made his famous, "ich bin ein Berliner" speech.
While I was still so young, I had a sense that I was attached to a very profound moment in time; a sense that this was a pivotal moment in history. And just as Winston Churchill called on his Brits to show courage and defiance against Hitler as Germany was turning London into a holocaust with its bombing raids; the Brits heroism was being defined as England's Finest Hour~~~I think this Inauguration Speech could be heralded as one of America's Finest Hour's as well.
The below is the column that E. J. Dionne devotes his personal perspective to Kennedy's 1355-word epoch oratory. The column in effect, crystallizes it's meaning for me, and its significance for posterity.
By E.J. Dionne Jr.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
It's remembered as a day chilled by "a Siberian wind knifing down Pennsylvania Avenue" and illuminated by "the dazzling combination of bright sunshine and deep snow."
On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy began his presidency with a speech at once soaring and solemn. Fifty years on, we have not heard an inaugural address like it. Tethered to its time and place, it still challenges with its ambition to harness realism to idealism, patriotism to service, national interest to universal aspiration.
Theodore Sorensen, the speech's principal architect, was always modest about his own role, less so about the inaugural itself. "It certainly was not as good as Lincoln's second or FDR's first," Sorensen wrote in his memoir, adding that Kennedy thought it not as good as Jefferson's first.
By acknowledging what their joint product was not, Kennedy and Sorensen defined the historical company it still keeps.
A great speech includes lines so memorable that pedestrian orators eventually transform them into cliches. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." This muscular call for sacrifice has launched a thousand lesser speeches.
"Civility is not a sign of weakness" and "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate" - staple references whenever politics becomes particularly vicious.
"The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans." And the torch gets passed again and again, whenever a younger politician is marking out generational territory.
It was a compact speech - at 1,355 words, it was less than twice the length of this column. Kennedy, wrote the historian Robert Dallek, insisted that it be brief because "I don't want people to think I'm a windbag." He needn't have worried.
Right and left still battle over Kennedy's words. Were they a call for resolve before the communist threat ("we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty") or were they a plea for negotiation as the answer to nuclear annihilation?
ad_icon
Probably both. The classic realist's declaration that "only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed" was followed by this:
"But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
"So let us begin anew."
And so have we remained a nation forever in search of new beginnings, invoking, by turns, Lincoln or Kennedy to bless our fresh starts.
All writers take heart: Kennedy and Sorensen wrote and rewrote, often accepting changes proposed by friends. One fortunate fix came from John Kenneth Galbraith. The final address read: "United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures." The original draft referred to "joint ventures," which Galbraith thought sounded like a mining company.
They also took columnist Walter Lippmann's suggestion, changing "enemy" to "adversary." The less hostile word fit better with the speech's wish that "a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion" - a line the self-critical Sorensen saw as "a metaphorical stretch."
And Kennedy advisers Harris Wofford and Louis Martin won the insertion of six words and helped change history.
In the original draft, Kennedy declared that the new generation for which he spoke was "unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today."
To which Wofford and Martin got Kennedy to add, "at home and around the world," thus marrying the struggle for freedom abroad with the cause of domestic civil rights. There would be no turning back.
Perhaps I should acknowledge that I fell in love with this speech when I was young, purchasing a long-playing record of Kennedy addresses for 99 cents at the supermarket and listening to it over and over after Kennedy's assassination.
You might say that I still hear its trumpet summoning us again. And when Kennedy said, "I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation," I knew - millions of others felt this way, too - that he was speaking for me.
I thought I saw him[Robert] walkin' up over the hill,
With Abraham, Martin and John.(Dion)
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
Saturday, January 15, 2011
He Ain't Heavy; He's My Brother
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
...That's all I'm gonna spend
And I think,
It's gonna be alright
Yeah,
The worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shining
Like a red rubber ball~~~Cyrkle; Red Rubber Ball
Fridays are good days!! And Friday, 14 January 2011, was exceptional!! This is because of something that had come out of the clear blue~~~a week previous, would come to fruition. From the initial conversations, to the end result, it all materialized~~~on Friday!!
My brother Victor customarily visits our household on Sundays. We'll watch TV; usually sports, have a little supper, and then watch some more TV. In a family of 8 siblings, he is second-in-command~~~a year and one-half younger than myself. And while, because of the closeness of age and rank, there may have been some disagreements and misunderstandings throughout these many years, he is still~~~my Brother.
How much of a brother??? Well~~~when he came over last Sunday 9 January, 2011, he came with some literature in hand. Literature that, in effect, was discussing apparatei that would help to once again~~~have my house, become my HOME.
For those of you whom may not be aware, I am walking-impaired. The severity is now such that I only use the flight-of-stairs to access the Master Bedroom, once a day. It is not so bad going down the set of stairs in the morning. But going up the set of stairs, that includes a landing, is getting to be so laborious that it is almost prohibitive. To address this issue my good brother Victor, came over with some literature from Sheridan Surgical featuring the BRUNO power Elite chairlifts. These come in a couple of styles, as well as stock versions and the customized edition.
I looked over the literature, and called a contact I know at Sheridan Surgical. We had him come in and detail choices and pricing. While the customized TRACK was the most efficient consideration from a usage standpoint in that one would stay on the one seat as one would go up the first set of stairs, coast the short landing and then lift the rest of the way up the short second set of stairs, there was some other bullets to consider. Being customized, this was the most expensive version. And, it would take up to seven weeks to manufacture, and then be installed.
With the pricing difference that did exist between Standard and Customized, here is what we decided!!! For the staircase leading up to the second floor, we decided~~~a SLIP-SEAT OPERATION!! With the Standard Product in stock, Sheridan Surgical would be able to install by Friday, instead of waiting seven weeks. Because the landing is a 'small-sized' transition area, we decided the we would have the first-floor chair ride a rail up to the landing, slip-seat into a second chair waiting for me at the landing, and then go up the short second set of stairs~~~to the second floor.
And~~~with the difference in the price, between the custom package, and the BRUNO ELITE standard version, we decided that we were going to put a third CHAIRLIFT at the side-door set-of-stairs to get me up into my HOME, from the outside!!!
And I'll tell you what folks. These three Bruno Chairlifts~~~combined to become a major investment; a major expenditure. God blesses your life when He places Angels in your midst. My brother Victor became a guardian Angel as he blessed me with his generosity and covered the expenditures on the purchase and installation.
I humbly thank you Victor, for your considerations.
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
NB: So we are having a Saturday Evening Family get-together. It is centered around Erica going back to the University of Mississippi from her Christmas break, Philip having 'more' of his Birthday celebration, and having Victor included because of his very-giving generosity. At one point my wife Donna and USMC veteran son, Philip decide to do a trial-run on the Chair-lifts. As the conversation continues, Donna mentions that the service men 'recommended' using the seat-belts, but what the user does---after 'we' leave---is up to the customer. So Philip retorts---well I know Dad doesn't use the seat-belts; he doesn't use them when he's barreling 45 MPH in his van. To which Donna responds; "...his friend Maria, told him he has to wear a seat-belt, and he wears one."
...That's all I'm gonna spend
And I think,
It's gonna be alright
Yeah,
The worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shining
Like a red rubber ball~~~Cyrkle; Red Rubber Ball
Fridays are good days!! And Friday, 14 January 2011, was exceptional!! This is because of something that had come out of the clear blue~~~a week previous, would come to fruition. From the initial conversations, to the end result, it all materialized~~~on Friday!!
My brother Victor customarily visits our household on Sundays. We'll watch TV; usually sports, have a little supper, and then watch some more TV. In a family of 8 siblings, he is second-in-command~~~a year and one-half younger than myself. And while, because of the closeness of age and rank, there may have been some disagreements and misunderstandings throughout these many years, he is still~~~my Brother.
How much of a brother??? Well~~~when he came over last Sunday 9 January, 2011, he came with some literature in hand. Literature that, in effect, was discussing apparatei that would help to once again~~~have my house, become my HOME.
For those of you whom may not be aware, I am walking-impaired. The severity is now such that I only use the flight-of-stairs to access the Master Bedroom, once a day. It is not so bad going down the set of stairs in the morning. But going up the set of stairs, that includes a landing, is getting to be so laborious that it is almost prohibitive. To address this issue my good brother Victor, came over with some literature from Sheridan Surgical featuring the BRUNO power Elite chairlifts. These come in a couple of styles, as well as stock versions and the customized edition.
I looked over the literature, and called a contact I know at Sheridan Surgical. We had him come in and detail choices and pricing. While the customized TRACK was the most efficient consideration from a usage standpoint in that one would stay on the one seat as one would go up the first set of stairs, coast the short landing and then lift the rest of the way up the short second set of stairs, there was some other bullets to consider. Being customized, this was the most expensive version. And, it would take up to seven weeks to manufacture, and then be installed.
With the pricing difference that did exist between Standard and Customized, here is what we decided!!! For the staircase leading up to the second floor, we decided~~~a SLIP-SEAT OPERATION!! With the Standard Product in stock, Sheridan Surgical would be able to install by Friday, instead of waiting seven weeks. Because the landing is a 'small-sized' transition area, we decided the we would have the first-floor chair ride a rail up to the landing, slip-seat into a second chair waiting for me at the landing, and then go up the short second set of stairs~~~to the second floor.
And~~~with the difference in the price, between the custom package, and the BRUNO ELITE standard version, we decided that we were going to put a third CHAIRLIFT at the side-door set-of-stairs to get me up into my HOME, from the outside!!!
And I'll tell you what folks. These three Bruno Chairlifts~~~combined to become a major investment; a major expenditure. God blesses your life when He places Angels in your midst. My brother Victor became a guardian Angel as he blessed me with his generosity and covered the expenditures on the purchase and installation.
I humbly thank you Victor, for your considerations.
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
NB: So we are having a Saturday Evening Family get-together. It is centered around Erica going back to the University of Mississippi from her Christmas break, Philip having 'more' of his Birthday celebration, and having Victor included because of his very-giving generosity. At one point my wife Donna and USMC veteran son, Philip decide to do a trial-run on the Chair-lifts. As the conversation continues, Donna mentions that the service men 'recommended' using the seat-belts, but what the user does---after 'we' leave---is up to the customer. So Philip retorts---well I know Dad doesn't use the seat-belts; he doesn't use them when he's barreling 45 MPH in his van. To which Donna responds; "...his friend Maria, told him he has to wear a seat-belt, and he wears one."
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Oases, Below-the-Radar, Culture, and Fireworks
Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.
...And I'm on tonight
You know my hips don't lie
And I'm starting to feel it's right
All the attraction, the tension
Don't you see baby, this is perfection~~~Hips Don't Lie; Shakira
An interesting week; no doubt. And of course, Fridays always seem to put an additional slant on perceptions and perspectives; especially those that may exist in a tickler-file. Now certainly, that is probably a term one hasn't been seen. or heard of, in awhile~~~tickler-file. In the pre-INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY days, that was a format to identify projects and initiatives that were in suspended-animation.
So check this out!!! I get a call Friday afternoon from 'Chris' of the Niagara Falls Airport. Some time ago I had sent them a Resume & a Cover Letter. They are looking for an operations specialist and were offering me the position. I thanked Debbie and Chris for considering me. I went on to advise them that I am already involved in an endeavor~~~and respectfully declined the offer.
It is interesting how that works. One is scrambling for over two years to try to find something that one can hang their hat unto. And one is just grinding it out in this lonely and desolate desert. The grinding is taking such a toll, that it is starting to affect one mentally, spiritually, and physically from a health stand-point. Just as one might think that they are about to expire; lo-and-behold~~~three oases become evident.
So in this new endeavor that I am involved with, I'm in a public-service office-setting. And there are many, many people that conduct business here. Some are full-time, and some are part-time capacity. Some have been with this operation for a long time and some have come on board more recently. And it is a mix of males~~~and females; young and older. Through all of this, I'm just trying to stay below the radar screen as I am trying to figure, and then fit into, the culture.
A close friend very recently cautions me on personal-computer use while on duty. I am cautioned to not be leaving any 'paper-trails'. Over these past three weeks involved in this endeavor, I have learned enough navigating skills that I have been going on the computer for a couple of brief moments to check email~~~and then CLOSE-out the internet connection. And I haven't even gone into FACEBOOK. Keep in mind what I just said. I don't TAB the internet connection, so that in effect, it is up and running all day~~~I OPEN it; thence CLOSE it.
So I come into my endeavor Thursday morning. I'm in early; not even all the lights are on yet. I dutifully crank up my data-entry sites that are assigned for me to do my editing with. I get started on a few of these NR applications and since it is still quiet, I minimize my data-entry sites, and open the Internet. I answer a couple of emails, and delete my spam, and CLOSE the internet. By 9:30AM, the place is at full-throttle. At this point one of the Office Managers; we have two, wants to discuss with all the office personnel a VERBAL-WARNING, in a discussion format. The office is laid out with a series of quads, whereby four people are together, separated by shortened dividers. What quad does she come to first??? Our quad. As she begins her 'discussion', which divider does she slip into to 'embrace' our group??? Right!!! Mine!!! Keep in mind, while she is discussing, she is also smart enough to recognize what activity is evident on the computer. Boy did I look good!!!! No internet TAB existed.
Check this out!!! She informs us that we MUST KEEP OUR INTERNET ACTIVITY TO WORK-RELATED CIRCUMSTANCES ONLY. We are to open the internet, google our needs, and CLOSE the internet immediately. Apparently, because some people open the internet, and then TAB it open for the rest of the day, the public-service IT gurus are interpreting that the internet is being used all day---instead of working. And guess what; our public-service area is apparently one of the most abusive areas regarding this alleged excessive internet activity. Needless-to-say, the two commissioners that oversee this public-service entity, are upset. The office manager spends the morning conveying these instructions and concerns to everyone.
The morning moves along to the lunch-break time. As I mentioned earlier, I'm too new to know the personalities, and the deep-seeded reasons~~~but two of the veteran associates, blow-up at each other!! I mean, it is the beginning of the New Year, for crying-out-loud. These two are going toe-to-toe with verbal diatribes, and I actually thought at one point, that they were going to come to blows. But they at least were heads-up to walk away from each other.
The two office managers intervene and try to talk 'some-sense' into both of the gentlemen. And now, a certain pall; chill, a sudden numbing dread falls over the whole place. One could have certainly heard a pin drop.
So what does the guy whom sits in the divider quad next to me do???? Keep in mind, he is now on his lunch so he THINKS it is alright. He opens up the INTERNET on his computer, and finds this NEW YEARS FIREWORKS jingle with this youthful voice doing this incantation~~~Three, Two, One---Happy New Year!!!!!!! To add insult to injury, he decides to turn-up the volume!! The Office Manager, who had lectured us just this morning on casual internet use is just getting back from lunch, and is taking off her coat~~~and is now freaking-out. She screams to shut it off, and springs over to his station to remind him of the early morning discussion regarding casual internet use. I thought she was going to send him home. She didn't, but I'll tell you what---the rest of the afternoon, was the most quiet afternoon, I had witnessed up to this point.
The end of Thursday, couldn't get there quick enough, for me!!!
I'll tell you what!!! I'm staying under the radar screen for as long as I possibly
can.
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
...And I'm on tonight
You know my hips don't lie
And I'm starting to feel it's right
All the attraction, the tension
Don't you see baby, this is perfection~~~Hips Don't Lie; Shakira
An interesting week; no doubt. And of course, Fridays always seem to put an additional slant on perceptions and perspectives; especially those that may exist in a tickler-file. Now certainly, that is probably a term one hasn't been seen. or heard of, in awhile~~~tickler-file. In the pre-INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY days, that was a format to identify projects and initiatives that were in suspended-animation.
So check this out!!! I get a call Friday afternoon from 'Chris' of the Niagara Falls Airport. Some time ago I had sent them a Resume & a Cover Letter. They are looking for an operations specialist and were offering me the position. I thanked Debbie and Chris for considering me. I went on to advise them that I am already involved in an endeavor~~~and respectfully declined the offer.
It is interesting how that works. One is scrambling for over two years to try to find something that one can hang their hat unto. And one is just grinding it out in this lonely and desolate desert. The grinding is taking such a toll, that it is starting to affect one mentally, spiritually, and physically from a health stand-point. Just as one might think that they are about to expire; lo-and-behold~~~three oases become evident.
So in this new endeavor that I am involved with, I'm in a public-service office-setting. And there are many, many people that conduct business here. Some are full-time, and some are part-time capacity. Some have been with this operation for a long time and some have come on board more recently. And it is a mix of males~~~and females; young and older. Through all of this, I'm just trying to stay below the radar screen as I am trying to figure, and then fit into, the culture.
A close friend very recently cautions me on personal-computer use while on duty. I am cautioned to not be leaving any 'paper-trails'. Over these past three weeks involved in this endeavor, I have learned enough navigating skills that I have been going on the computer for a couple of brief moments to check email~~~and then CLOSE-out the internet connection. And I haven't even gone into FACEBOOK. Keep in mind what I just said. I don't TAB the internet connection, so that in effect, it is up and running all day~~~I OPEN it; thence CLOSE it.
So I come into my endeavor Thursday morning. I'm in early; not even all the lights are on yet. I dutifully crank up my data-entry sites that are assigned for me to do my editing with. I get started on a few of these NR applications and since it is still quiet, I minimize my data-entry sites, and open the Internet. I answer a couple of emails, and delete my spam, and CLOSE the internet. By 9:30AM, the place is at full-throttle. At this point one of the Office Managers; we have two, wants to discuss with all the office personnel a VERBAL-WARNING, in a discussion format. The office is laid out with a series of quads, whereby four people are together, separated by shortened dividers. What quad does she come to first??? Our quad. As she begins her 'discussion', which divider does she slip into to 'embrace' our group??? Right!!! Mine!!! Keep in mind, while she is discussing, she is also smart enough to recognize what activity is evident on the computer. Boy did I look good!!!! No internet TAB existed.
Check this out!!! She informs us that we MUST KEEP OUR INTERNET ACTIVITY TO WORK-RELATED CIRCUMSTANCES ONLY. We are to open the internet, google our needs, and CLOSE the internet immediately. Apparently, because some people open the internet, and then TAB it open for the rest of the day, the public-service IT gurus are interpreting that the internet is being used all day---instead of working. And guess what; our public-service area is apparently one of the most abusive areas regarding this alleged excessive internet activity. Needless-to-say, the two commissioners that oversee this public-service entity, are upset. The office manager spends the morning conveying these instructions and concerns to everyone.
The morning moves along to the lunch-break time. As I mentioned earlier, I'm too new to know the personalities, and the deep-seeded reasons~~~but two of the veteran associates, blow-up at each other!! I mean, it is the beginning of the New Year, for crying-out-loud. These two are going toe-to-toe with verbal diatribes, and I actually thought at one point, that they were going to come to blows. But they at least were heads-up to walk away from each other.
The two office managers intervene and try to talk 'some-sense' into both of the gentlemen. And now, a certain pall; chill, a sudden numbing dread falls over the whole place. One could have certainly heard a pin drop.
So what does the guy whom sits in the divider quad next to me do???? Keep in mind, he is now on his lunch so he THINKS it is alright. He opens up the INTERNET on his computer, and finds this NEW YEARS FIREWORKS jingle with this youthful voice doing this incantation~~~Three, Two, One---Happy New Year!!!!!!! To add insult to injury, he decides to turn-up the volume!! The Office Manager, who had lectured us just this morning on casual internet use is just getting back from lunch, and is taking off her coat~~~and is now freaking-out. She screams to shut it off, and springs over to his station to remind him of the early morning discussion regarding casual internet use. I thought she was going to send him home. She didn't, but I'll tell you what---the rest of the afternoon, was the most quiet afternoon, I had witnessed up to this point.
The end of Thursday, couldn't get there quick enough, for me!!!
I'll tell you what!!! I'm staying under the radar screen for as long as I possibly
can.
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise
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