Life N Stuff

Where to find help

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:38:41 GMT

I hope this link works. I've fudged around with it quite a bit. Try it, and if for some reason it doesn't work, let me know. I'll fix it.

The help boards.

You'll have to sign up, but it's free. If we find that this is a giant pain, we'll try another avenue, but I think it'll work for what we need.

Lots of thoughts

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:29:07 GMT

Random? Yes, I can deliver random.

I am sick to death of the water issue, but extremely angered by the towns cover-up. My husband was down right LIED to on Sunday, resulting in 6 hours without water with NO preparation. I'm now emailing news stations. I doubt that anything will come of it since we're so far out of KC, but it makes me feel better to gripe.

So AOL journals are closing down. Big deal. I know that many of you are hooked on AOHELL, but life exists beyond here, I promise. I threatened to leave one time, and many of you said that you'd miss me, but wouldn't visit me elsewhere. Now there is no choice. So what do we do?

I have a couple of ideas. (1) I can open a message board for all of us to post our new links to. In that message board, we could encourage each other and offer help to those who struggle to deal with a new format. (2) I can offer another journal as a place to post links, and we can all bookmark the new ones from there.

I think the first idea is the best. There is a free service for message boards, and sign up is free. If ya'll are willing, I'm sure Mom would help me manage it, and we'd all count on each other to answer questions as they come in. It's easy. Trust me.

Finally, if you feel that there is NO way you'll ever blog again, then you've made your choice. In the words of a Rush song "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice!"

Please, let me know. I could have the message boards up and running by tomorrow evening. It's not hard, and I'm not scared. Let's move on, and encourage each other.

If you've ever, or NEVER commented before, sound off on this one, OK?

The end of a great weekend.

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:16:09 GMT

What an awesome weekend. I am so blessed.

I had to work yesterday, teaching web classes, but they were the most successful classes that we've ever done.

I got to chill out in the evening, watching TV and visiting with family.

We gathered back at Mom and Dad's again today, and enjoyed good food, and I got to watch the race on Mom's big screen in HD!

On commercials, I flipped back and forth and saw the Chiefs FINALLY win! Over the BRONCOS! YeeeHawww

Tonight, it's season premiere time for all of my Sunday shows.

Yup. I've got it pretty good...boil order and all.

Ready for Sunday

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:49:23 GMT

It's going to be an awesome day! We will have a gathering for Aunt Rena's birthday, including lots of good food. I'm in charge of the chili. We're going to have football party type food. Mom's making her hot hamburger dip.

The NASCAR race is in Kansas City, and even though I can't go, it's neat to know that they're here. Heck, I passed Dale Jr.'s trailer on the way to work the other day. That made me feel pretty darn fast. HA!

My BFF Tammy called yesterday morning to invite me to the Nationwide race. They had an extra ticket! Did I go? Nope. I was at work, teaching web classes. *sigh* That would have been awesome. Maybe next year.

OK, time to shower and get ready for the day. I hope yours is a good one.

My famous house

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:21:41 GMT

Well, we made the news. Here is one video, which shows the wrong water tower. I guess any story is a good story to these folks.

http://www.kctv5.com/video/17563456/index.html

This one shows the right water tower, and at the beginning, the house and yard in the background is MY house! This video was down for a bit, but they've assured me it will be fixed shortly.

http://www.kmbc.com/video/17568474/index.html

Bad news/good news

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:30:44 GMT

Bad news: They've extended the boil "advisory" through tomorrow. Ugh. They must be finding something, or they wouldn't keep extending it, right? That was my first thought. Stay with me until the end for the "what happened" portion.

Good news: I stopped by Mom's (she was home for a bit today) and got her 7 gallon water jug, and filled it with precious well water from their house! WoooHooo! No boiling tonight unless I want to do dishes! (I don't.)

This water jug is my new best friend. I heart this water jug. I guess you can tell that from the pictures.

I'm home safely, with my ego in good shape. I kicked BUTT today! I started to let little stuff bother me, but then I realized that it would only be a bad day if I allowed it to be. Therefore, I buckled down and kept my nose in my work, and I kicked BUTT!

Now, for what happened. This is a part of a story in a local newspaper. Scroll to the fourth story. This will NOT be accurate after next Thursday. The link will be the same, the stories different. They don't tell the whole thing here, or nobody would buy the paper.

Now, do you understand why I'm so grossed out????

Scream with me, "EEEEEWWWWWWWWW!

UPDATE!

New info, as of this evening, on a local news channel:

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has issued a boil water order for Wellington, Missouri after the water may have been tampered with.

Department officials declared the boil order after a security breech and tampering incident at the elevated storage tank on Lydia Street in Lafayette County.

The initial tests conducted at the tank turned up positive for total coliform bacteria. So, the department is elevating an advisory it issued on September 22 to a boil order.

Vandalism and tampering with a water supply is a federal offense. Any information regarding the tampering incident should be reported to Loa law enforcement. Any suspicious activities seen around public water supply facilities should be report to local law enforcement and public water supply staff immediately.

The order will remain in effect until water samples indicate that chemical and bacteria contamination is no longer there.

Scream again? EEEEEWWWWWWW!

Do not bend, fold, or mutilate

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:25:43 GMT

What a crappy day. I caused two remakes at work. Sure, it's two in over 6 months, but it's two that I had to fix today. I had a coworker second-guess me, which makes me think that folks expect me to fail. I had another coworker start another conversation with, "Hey, just so you know, you're not the ONLY one to screw up errors." (I fix software errors daily.) And she ended the same conversation with, "I just wanted to make you feel better." Thanks.

I have had self-doubt all day, and been on the verge of tears most of the day. Some of it is the insensitivity of others: Most of it is my own mistakes, biting me in the butt. My customers are SO understanding, and my employers trust that I'm the right person for this job. However, I can't STAND to mess up. E.V.E.R.

Then, came the text message. "The boil advisory has been extended through Thursday." (emphasis mine) Awesome. If Mom was home, I would have borrowed their 5-gallon water jug, and filled it at their house, from their well. She's at the hospital, though. With my Aunt who just had surgery.

Speaking of worrying about ill relatives, I was out in production today, asking a question, when my cell phone rang. I usually look to see who's calling, then put it back and wait for lunch to return the call. I looked down and saw, "Dad." CRAP! WHAT'S WRONG?

I answered, and he said, "Hi Sis. Can you take Sadie out to potty after work?" LOL Sure dad. I'll be happy to. I'm even happier that nothing is wrong. *sigh* I think I need to calm down.

I had a good cry on the way home, and now I'm in my bubble. Don't you DARE mess with me in my bubble! I can handle life here. Water "advisories" and all.

The boil order...some of the details

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:06:10 GMT

OK, I can't tell you what I've heard, because it hasn't come out completely yet. Come to your own conclusions.

Every small town (almost every town) has someone climb the water tower at some point. It's a given, and it's almost expected. You just hope that it's not your kids, and you hope that whomever does it doesn't fall to their death. Someone climbed our water tower recently. I'm not sure when. (That makes it worse.)

Someone, according to the minimal news blurb, "tampered" with the water tower. As a "precaution," we are under a boil order. The Department of Natural Resources will test the water, and then let us know. I HOPE they let us know.

Here are the facts: Someone climbed the water tower. They then removed the bolts that hold on the access cover. They then removed the access cover. Those are the only FACTS that I know. What I've heard is scary, but it's not been confirmed yet, so I'll wait and see how it plays out.

The police and water department left the area by 5:30 yesterday. If I hadn't called around to our neighborhood "source," I wouldn't have known about the boil order. The school sent a text message, but it was after 6:30. Nothing on the news. Nothing anywhere.

I finally called the few people for whom I have phone numbers around town, and walked to a couple of neighbor's homes to let them know. They had no idea. There are many elderly in this town, who do NOT get texts from the school. This morning, it was on ONE local news station. That's it.

How many people are still drinking this water? How long will I have to wonder if 5 minutes of boiling is enough? (the DNR says 3, so I'm going for 5.) How long was the water "compromised" before we stopped drinking it.

*shudder*

More later.

Oh joy

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:11:44 GMT

We're under a boil order. *sigh*

I heard what happened in our water tower, but I'll wait until I see it published before I say so.

Ick.

Relaxin'

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:03:40 GMT

This may have been the most relaxing Saturday I've had in a long time. Other than a WalMart run, I have been quite useless. I like this.

Our friends, Brian and Heather, came up to spend the weekend. They go to the Renaissance Festival each fall, and stay here at night, so they don't have to drive up from Carthage, attend the festival, and drive back home. We had a good time visiting last night.

When they head back here this evening, they'll call to let us know that they're on the way, and we'll have a cookout. It's been a beautiful day, actually a beautiful week, and I'm loving it. I better go get the baked beans ready, so I can pop them in the oven when it's time.