Thursday, January 24, 2008

Ames police win award, national attention


Ames Police Chief Chuck Cychosz speaks at Tuesday's City Council of how Officer Clint Hertz and Lt. Jeff Brinkley pulled a man from a burning car on Dec. 27, 2007. Hertz and Brinkley received the Award of Valor, the department's highest honor.
The patrol car video of Lt. Jeff Brinkley and Officer Clint Hertz dragging an unconscious man from a burning vehicle has garnered national attention and was shown, yet again, at the Ames City Council meeting Tuesday night.
Family, friends, colleagues and local news media packed the council chambers of Ames City Hall to watch Brinkley and Hertz receive Awards of Valor from the Ames Police Department for their actions. The award is the department's highest honor.
Brinkley was the first responder to the scene of a car fire in the parking lot of North Grand Mall on the evening of Dec. 27. He broke a window of the vehicle to clear smoke and was joined soon after by Hertz. The two men discovered the unconscious accident victim, Justin Hallberg, and were able to drag him to safety just as the car became engulfed in flames. Medical personnel believe Hallberg had only seconds before being overcome by smoke inhalation.
Police have said Hallberg's car collided with a light pole, which is what caused the vehicle to start on fire.
Since the department's release of the video on Jan. 18, it has been picked up by television affiliates across the country, covered by CNN TV and posted on CNN.com.
Police Chief Chuck Cychosz commended the officers for their actions. He also thanked the dispatchers, the Ames Fire Department and Mary Greeley medical services, which assisted the officers' speedy response. Cychosz expressed special consideration to the officer's wives, Lisa Brinkley and Stacy Hertz, who "watched this event through special eyes."
The awards, presented by Commanders Jim Robinson and Randy Kessel and Support Services Manager Doug Houghton, were followed by a standing ovation from the crowd. A reception followed across the hall for family, friends and well-wishers.
Full story here.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

This is my piece of dirt

Due to the fact that it's 4 degrees above zero, the windchill is -5, I feel like I've been shoveling consistently the last 3 days, I feel as if I haven't had a break from shoveling or work for about a week, certain things I can't talk about are bothering me, I've decided to say fuck the world and NOT shovel today.
I am so damn stressed between current work, finding work, being so damn tired (my muscles from shoveling, and being on my feet all damn day). I just want to lay down and sleep for three days.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

You gotta satisfy your heart

It's -9 degrees here. That's the coldest it's been all winter, can't say I'm looking forward to going to work.
Goddess tipped me on some of the officers in my city (Oh no, now you all will know where I'm from, the horrors) dragging a person out of a burning car. Go here for a video and story about it. They are receiving the Award of Valor, the highest honor an officer can receive. Kevin had told me about this the day after it happened. The one officer Hertz, had only been out of training for about a week, and now he can say he actually saved a life on his job. How cool would that be, how long does it really take for an officer to be able to say that because of his direct actions he saved a life?
Other things happening this week. It's cold, oops that was mentioned above. Kevin had his birthday on Tuesday, it was nice, I took him to Red Lobster, and then I had to send him home because I've had a cold all week and wasn't feeling great then. I'm looking for a job AGAIN. The job I have now is moving to a city north of us, and I won't be going with it. So, that means I'm looking for another one. My coworker told me I have to know what I want: job with benefits, job with money, or job that I enjoy, etc. I don't know. Personally I'd just like to make enough money covering my bills but I know that if I don't enjoy it, I'm going to be a bitter person.
I think that's all. Enjoy.

Monday, January 14, 2008

A series of unfortunate events

Remember when I wrote this? Well, he now works at Target. Last I knew he was on administrative leave pending investigation, so I'm guessing he was fired or strongly urged to take early retirement and is now working at Target. Once again, we salute you (for being such a bad role model) Officer Bob. Kevin and I laugh every single time we see him there. Kevin has also said everyone he has told at the PD finds it extremely funny as well.

So, I bought Lemony Snickett's A Series of Unfortunate Events. All I can say, is it's extremely weird and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Also, is anyone else having trouble accessing their gmail account? I have my gmail page bookmarked, but for the last 3 days it won't load for me. I have been able to see my new messages by going through google, but if I want to send something out, or manage my email, I can't do any of that.
Thoughts?

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Have fun with the group.

Would the IRS email me if they noticed I could get a tax refund?

I got this email today:

After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $xxx. Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-6 days in order to process it. A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons. For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline. To access the form for your tax refund, please click here Note: Deliberate wrong inputs will be prosecuted by law. Regards, Internal Revenue Service

I'd love to get a tax refund, but I'd hate to buy into something that's a scam. I'm kinda leery about it, but I thought I'd ask my loyal readers for advice, cause y'all give such great advice

Friday, January 11, 2008

I must complain...

Unfotunately, on some things, I'm not allowed to, Goddess has already gotten an earful, and if you're interested email me. I plan to complain once things get a little better and I'm in a different situation.
But about some things, I can complain.
Yesterday, Kevin and I went to Applebee's for supper, and I tried to order a mudslide (cause I do love me a good mudslide), unfortunately I ran into a problem. My ID is expired and they wouldn't give me one. It makes no sense, because I didn't get younger in the year and a half since it expired (yeah, I'm a little slow), I could understand if the picture didn't look like me, then it could be a fake, but the picture looks just like me. I just had no real reason to go get it renewed (and the fact I'm not so intrigued in convincing the DL people, I want a non-driver's ID again). So, now that I'm unable to get myself some alcohol when I have a bad day (those things I can't complain about), I must go and deal with it.
Anyone wanna explain this policy to me? Do I still have any cops reading this?

Also, wanna complain about my crappiness lately, part of it is my bad mood about certain things, but the other part, I don't know what it's about. You all know I'm not into visiting doctors, but seeing as how I've been feeling crappy for awhile, I'm thinking about it.
Last night, I finally sat down (after a day of standing for 6 hours and walking around), and my legs were totally exhausted. And today I wake up, they're still exhausted and the rest of me isn't too happy either. Wednesday, after standing 8 hours (between my two jobs), my legs hurt soooo much, after taking a short nap they were fine, but I've never had them hurt that much.
Maybe I just need a break from standing, lucky for me, I only have 2 more days of work, then I can relax (at least for one day, gotta go deal with that ID issue on Monday).
Thoughts?

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Without love it don't mean a thing

THE DARWIN AWARDS - January 2008
Announcing the new, the beloved, the 2007 DARWIN AWARD WINNERS!
" Named in honor of Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, the Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool by accidentally removing themselves from it. "
This was the year of the Squashed Darwin Award Winner. THREE independent groups of people attempted to remove the supports from beneath a barn, a water tower, and a heavy factory roof. In all cases, the structures collapsed without their aptly-named supports. Duh! This year brought us 16 jaw-droppping nominees, not counting new nominees for previous years and Near Misses (AKA Honorable Mentions) which I will cover in the next ish.
Enjoy the stories of the winners... and be glad you're not one!
Wendy
RUNNER UP # FIVE: THE LAPTOP STILL WORKS (Confirmed True by Darwin)
"Driving is not a time to be practicing your multitasking skills," remarked CHP spokesman Tom Marshall, commenting on a 29-year-old computer tutor's decision to drive along Highway 99 in California while working on his laptop. He drifted over the center line, and was killed by oncoming traffic. CHP officers found Oscar's computer still running, plugged into the Honda Accord's cigarette lighter.
REFERENCES: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-12.html

RUNNER UP # FOUR: SUPERIOR MOMENTUM (Confirmed True by Darwin)
June 2007, Illinois Two Valparaiso men tested their reflexes by playing "chicken" with a train. Which man could stay on the rail the longest in the path of an oncoming train? At the stroke of midnight, the contest was decided. The winner, aptly named Patrick Stiff, lost his life. The train continued on, as the conductor was unaware that it had hit anyone.
REFERENCES: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-07.html

RUNNER UP # THREE: BARN DEMOLITION (Unconfirmed by Darwin)
January 2007, West Virginia) Three friends set out to dismantle a dilapidated barn one bracing winter afternoon. Speaking of bracing... One industrious man fired up his chainsaw and ripped through a crucial support post. Carrying the weight of a full barn roof, those wooden support beams were all that stood between the demolition worker and structural collapse. It was all fun and games until the roof, sans support, succumbed to the pull of gravity and flattened the man with the chainsaw. As a consolation prize, the deceased was indeed successful at demolishing the barn.
(Darwin notes, this story is unconfirmed, but no disputes have come to my attention, as usually happens with bogus stories.)
REFERENCES: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-02.html
Addendum: This was the year of the Squashed Darwin Award Winner. Two other groups of people attempted to remove the supports from beneath a water tower, and a heavy factory roof. In both cases, the structure collapsed without their aptly-named supports. Duh!
REFERENCES: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-09.html

RUNNER UP # TWO: MOLE HUNT (Confirmed True by Darwin)
January 2007, East Germany One man's extraordinary effort to eradicate a mole from his property resulted in a victory for the mole. The metal rods he pounded into the ground and connected to a high-voltage power line, electrified the very ground the man stood upon. He was found dead at his holiday property on the Baltic Sea. Police had to trip the main circuit breaker before venturing onto the property.
REFERENCES: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-01.html

RUNNER UP # ONE: WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN (Confirmed Double Darwin Award)
June 2007, South Carolina A passing cabbie found a 21 year-old deceased couple laying naked in the road an hour before sunrise. Authorities were baffled. There were no witnesses, no trace of clothing, and no wrecked vehicles present. But investigators eventually found a clue high on the roof of a nearby building: two sets of neatly folded clothes. Safe sex takes on a whole new meaning when you are perched on the edge of a pyramid-shaped metal roof. "It appears as if [they] accidentally fell off the roof," Sgt. McCants said.
REFERENCES: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2007-05.html