Category Archives: Uncategorized
A weight lifted
I just got home from the last rehearsal before our Halloween concert which is next Tuesday. As some of you know there’s a particular piece of music that has stymied me. I practice every night. Well, almost every night. I practice at least 30 minutes, usually closer to an hour, and the majority of it is spent on this one piece of music. Still, as of last night I could not play it at the tempo it demands to be played.
Tonight we ran through the concert in the order of the performance. We got to the difficult piece about 8:15 this evening. We all took a deep breath, and hoped we’d make it through. At the top of the second page the conductor lowered her baton. She said she didn’t want to offend anyone, she knew people had put in hours of work, but perhaps we should not put this piece in this concert? Perhaps it should go in our spring concert. What did we think? We all let out a cheer! YES! Take this off the program. Please. Trust me, no one was offended. At all.
Relief is a wonderful thing. The rest of the rehearsal we were all smiles, even the conductor…and she’s usually stressed during our last practice. We even had time to change the words in a piece that has us singing for a section to include lyrics we made up about the Tigers baseball team. (You all know of course that the Detroit Tigers are playing in the World Series..don’t you?)
What a wonderful thing…we let a piece of music go and now we can all relax and enjoy the rest of the week instead of practicing an hour every night on the off chance we could have pulled it off.
And the concert next week will be more fun without the weight of that piece hanging over us. She’s never backed down from anything before, but I’m really REALLY glad she backed away from this one this time.
Whew! What a relief!
Abstract photography
Remember about a year ago when I was looking for subjects for abstract photography for Scott’s photo challenge? I told you then that I wasn’t happy with any of the photos I submitted, but that it had been fun looking.
And that I’d show you if I ever got a shot I was happy with. Well, this weekend I accidentally got this…
…and I”m happy with it. I have another one that turned out interesting and I might show you that one someday.
But this one I just like.
It’s rally time
Katie here. Mama says she’s too stressed to write tonight. But I tried to make her feel better. Really I did. It’s not my fault she keeps signing us up for stuff and then gets all freaked out. Not my fault at all.
I guess I should start at the beginning. Mama, signed us up for our first leg of Advanced Rally. Next Friday. When she signed us up it seemed like a really far away date. Lots of time to practice. And stuff. But now here it is. And she just got the latest book with all the new signs and she’s freaking out!
But we went to the park today, my Mama and I. She read the book and we heeled around and around. I sat when she told me to sit. I turned when she told me to turn. I backed up when she told me back. I did MY job. But it’s HER job to read the stupid signs. And all those arrows and halt marks get her going good, that’s for sure. She keeps telling me I need to learn to read real quick, so I can do it right even if she tells me wrong. I think that’s a silly idea; how’s a dog supposed to read AND execute I ask you?
So we did a lot of signs out of the book. I was off leash and everything. I even ignored the chipmunk I heard off in the field. I debated, but I ignored it. I figured….Mama with CHEESE or chipmunk…Mama with CHEESE or chipmunk. Mama won. She said I was a good girl and I got two pieces!
But after about 10 gazillion pages of signs I had enough and wanted to play! After all we were at my park! So Mama put the leash back on me and we went for a walk for awhile. I got to sniff lots of stuff.
But pretty soon Mama wanted to finish the rest of the pages of signs. I thought that was a good idea too, but I let her think it was her idea. She’s so SLOW though, reading the signs, thinking about it. I just want to go Go GO!
By the time she finally got to the last sign I was huffing at her. Enough of all this sitting and downing and sitting and standing and heeling and turning and coming and stopping. GEEZE Mama! Can’t you see that I’m PERFECT?
She says we have to practice all the signs every night (except Tuesday when she’s practicing at band) the rest of the week so that we are all set for Friday.
It’s gonna be a long week.
Georgetown plus
See the cute stores reflected in the window?
While I was in DC I stayed at a hotel in Georgetown. I’ve never stayed there, and on my many taxi trips back and forth I could see it was really beautiful.
Living close together in cuteness.
I only had 30 minutes between meetings on one day to wander a little bit. It sure is a pretty place.
Optimistic door.
And there was a giant library just a couple blocks from the hotel.
No time to go inside.
There was much more to see, beautiful gardens and a pretty cemetery, parks, large colonial homes. But I had to get back to work.
No time for shopping.
And then my time in DC was up and I was headed home.
Leaving Regan National airport.
I had a layover in Cleveland…
Dropping in on Cleveland early in the morning.
…and left as the sun was rising.
Cleveland at sunrise.
Ultimately I landed in Flint, home of the Buick.
1938 was a very good year.
It was a fast trip, a busy trip. We got a little bit of good done. I have jet lag and I didn’t even fly that far. Georgetown and DC are beautiful.
Someday I want to go back just for fun.
Cab speak
Halls of change.
I took a lot of cabs while I was in DC, and had a couple of interesting conversations with the drivers while dodging other cars and weaving up side streets.
The first cab ride from the airport to Capitol Hill was a none stop monologue from the driver that started as soon as I entered the cab and told him I needed to go to a Senate office building. “You going to a meeting?” Yes I told him. “What do you do?” I’m a banker. “Oh…good job for a woman.” I bit my tongue and told him sometimes it was a crazy stressful job. “Everyone always want the job they do not have” he said. “People need to be more optimistic. People are always so negative. Not the way to go, people need to be more optimistic. People here, they don’t know how good they have it. If they travel around the world like I do they see, when they come back, this is the best country in the world. Rest of world have nothing like America. Do you like Obama? I’m scared that Romney win, this country go to war, lose everything. I pray it not so. How many kids you got? None? Why not? You don’t want kids? I guess OK no kids if you have lots of nieces and nephews? ” And on and on it went. As I slipped out of the cab at my destination he said “You have good meeting lady!”
The second conversation I had with a cab driver was more evenly divided between us. He picked me up in front of a Senate office building and was driving me back to my hotel in Georgetown. He asked me why I was in Washington and I told him I was working on some trucking fatigue issues.
“Like when they get sleepy and weave all over and then run off the road and kill people?”
“Yes exactly like that.”
“Why do they do that? Fall asleep like that?”
“Because they get paid by the mile, and the more miles they drive the more money they make.”
“Well that’s stupid. They should get paid by the hour like everyone else.”
“Yes they should.”
“So why you working on this?”
“Cause my dad was killed by a tired trucker.”
“Oh man, I’m sorry. So how often do you come to Washington to do this?”
“Maybe once a year, sometimes twice if there’s something important going on in Congress.”
“How are you gonna stop them from driving too long?”
“Well, we got legislation passed last August that requires electronic monitoring of the miles they drive, so they can’t lie in their log books.”
“That’s good. That’s very good.”
“Yes, it took a long time to get that”
“Everything slow in Washington.”
“And we’re working on a lot of other stuff too, to make the roads safer for everyone.”
“Truck drivers…. they agree with you?”
“Lots of them do. They die too, you know, in truck crashes. Everyone on the road is at risk. Cab drivers too.”
We pull into the hotel parking lot. As I’m paying the fare he turns around and looks me in the eye.
“I want to say thank you.”
My eyes tear up.
“I want to say thank you, and I wish your group well lady.”
“You’re welcome sir. You’re very welcome.”
Flying is not glamorous.
Other planes are flying. Why can’t I?
How many of you remember when flying was sort of glamorous? When you used to get dressed up to fly, wear heals and nice suites? No? Well most of you are too young to remember, but I’m glad those days are over and that I was wearing comfortable clothes and flats on Wednesday when I flew to Washington DC. Booked on a very early United flight out of Flint, connecting in Cleveland and ending up at Reagan National, I expected to arrive in DC mid morning, enjoy a leisurely metro ride to the mall and a bit of time at the Martin Luther King memorial before my first meeting scheduled at 2:30 in the Hart Senate Building.
I did my part, got up at 3, got to the airport by 4:45, was at the gate at 5:00 a.m. The flight was supposed to board at 5:30. By 5:45 they told us there would be a small delay because a screen in the aircraft would not light up. After a bit they said it would take an hour to fix and I knew I’d miss my connection, but I had lots of time before my first meeting in DC. I was irritated but not worried.
After the hour was up they told us the flight was cancelled. Immediately I was up the escalator and first in line at the ticket counter to get rescheduled. I eventually scored a Delta flight out of Detroit direct to DC that would get me in around noon. But I was in Flint.
They booked a taxi van and 10 of us crammed in there for an crazy ride in rush hour traffic down to the big city. Along the way we encountered a traffic jam created by a fender bender accident and our driver veered off the freeway on an exit, careened through a Mobile gas station, and headed back north on the freeway we’d just come down. We were mostly confused and stressed as we hung on tight in the swaying vehicle. None of the seat belts worked, and I was sitting on half a seat, sharing the last bench seat with two rather large ladies.
We finally got deposited at Detroit and I ran for my flight, making it to the gate just as it should have been boarding. It was not boarding. There were maintenance problems with the plane and there would be a delay. Really. Really? We sat for another hour or more. I’d been ‘traveling’ for over 7 hours and had only managed to get sixty miles from my house.
Reagan National
We finally flew out of Detroit a bit after noon, and I arrived at Regan National around 1:30. No time for the metro trip, no time for wandering amid monuments. No time to relax. No time for lunch. I grabbed a cab and headed for the Hill. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about two conversations I had with cab drivers. One in particular was pretty special.
But for now I’m going to go to bed. Just thinking about that flight has exhausted me all over again.
Stars are always there
The days are getting shorter and sometimes I miss the long light filled days of summer. But these dark early mornings, when Katie and I are outside looking for that perfect spot I’ve noticed the stars are so bright that they seem lower in the sky – almost as if we could touch them.
The past two mornings I’ve seen the Big Dipper in the north, my representation of my Dad, and Orion’s Belt in the south, my representation of my Mom. It’s not every day that I can see them both at the same time, hanging there in the sky. So as Katie sniffs, I watch the sky and say hello to each of them.
Yesterday it occurred to me that all summer, even when the sun had brightened the sky before Katie and I ventured out, the stars were there. They were shining above even when I couldn’t see them. Just like my Mom and Dad who are also there, even though I can’t see them.
So this morning as I head to DC to work once again on safety issues I know Mom and Dad are right here even though I can’t see them. They will always be right here. And I’ll feel their arms around me as I fight the fight.
Mishmash Monday
MOM! Don’t show that one! It makes my nose look big!
DC prep
I’m getting ready for my trip to DC this week where we’ll be filming a video about the Truck Safety Coalition. My part of it deals with our outreach efforts. I’ve been writing answers to potential questions, getting the feel for the words, figuring out how I might say something, working on impact.
Can I practice on you? These are not the exact questions, I haven’t been provided those yet…but this is the topic and the areas that will be covered. And this is my first attempt at trying to explain the importance of our outreach piece. Yes we work on changing laws and getting new rules issued. But we also work at finding the families touched by truck crashes and offering them support.
So here goes:
Why is it important to reach out to families?
These families have been, without warning, thrust into a world filled with pain and grief. They aren’t prepared, and everything is confusing. The heartache is unbelievable. Most don’t know what they should do first, where they should focus. It’s all they can do to get through each day, one moment at a time.
While they are in the initial stages of shock and grief they don’t realize there are things they may need to do to preserve evidence, to help them later when they face the court system and the truck company. They are focused on their loved one, whether it’s to prepare a funeral, or help them begin the long road back to health. We provide them information if they want it, resources if they need them, and most importantly, a listening ear, a hug, support from someone that’s been in a similar position.
What is special about the Sorrow to Strength Conference?
The Sorrow to Strength Conference, held every other year, is a place where survivors and families of truck crash victims can gather and share. We honor our lost loved ones, we support the injured and we provide hope for those families just beginning the long journey.
We spend the weekend connecting with other families and learning how to make changes in the industry, either through legislation or governmental safety agencies. Most families have had no political experience, so this is all new and somewhat intimidating. The conference helps to introduce victims and families to ways they can make a difference. There is a universal feeling among families who attend the conference; they want changes made so that another family doesn’t have to go through what they are going through.
The conference identifies key truck safety priorities, and arranges for families to meet with their state’s legislative offices to discuss safety issues. The conference also arranges meetings with members of the Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. These are all important agencies with safety oversight responsibilities.
Sometimes people in Washington forget that there are faces on statistics. When 4,000 people die in truck related crashes each year it can be hard to focus on individuals. The Sorrow to Strength conference allows Truck Safety volunteers, comprised of families who have borne the brunt of these tragedies, to bring the statistics back to human scale. When five or six of us sit in a meeting room, holding our loved ones pictures, and each of us tells the short version of our story, one after another, the impact is unforgettable. Administrators who have been working on studies and research look us each in the eye and realize that safety has to be their number one priority. Without the conference none of us would have access to these people, or an opportunity to tell our stories to such high ranking officials.
What do these outreach programs mean to a family who has experienced a loss?
I can speak from my own experience. When Dad was killed in 2004 we were suddenly alone in a crazy world that we didn’t understand. Truck Safety gave us direction, told us what to look for in a lawyer, what to do first to preserve evidence. And as we moved through the process they helped us to understand what to expect from each step and how to prepare for it. I don’t know what we would have done without them.
For other families, the connection with a Truck Safety volunteer may provide a safe place, maybe the only safe place they have, for them to express their grief no matter what. When the rest of the world has moved on and a family member feels like they should ‘be over it’ the volunteer will tell them that it’s OK to grieve. It’s OK to feel bad. That someday they won’t feel so bad, but for now whatever they are feeling is right, and no they are not going crazy.
Truck Safety Outreach programs help families get through the sorrow and move toward strength. Every family wants to make a difference, and through Truck Safety they can. Unfortunately it is inevitable that there will be new families joining us this year and every year. Our goal is to try to find those families and to let them know that they are not alone. It’s the way we can make a difference.
And it’s the way we honor those we loved and lost.
