Thursday, May 22, 2008

For the 5th Time

Tuesday , I had to make a turnaround trip to Marble Falls, Tx. Wed morning at 4am I returned home to find a strange vehicle in my driveway.
Now I drive a Chevy 1 Ton , 4x4, 4 door pickup and I am pulling a 30' car hauling enclosed trailer. I must park in the street.
I don't know how many thoughts went through my head.
Sancho?
Kid's friend? (not at 4 am, surely)
Thief?
Sancho?
Kid's girlfriend ( it is 4 am,....)

As I approach this van that I now see has its headlights on (but they are dimming), and then I notice that my son's 98 crown vic is smashed on the driver's rear bumper , trunk , and tail light.
The van is also cratered!!!!! So I look closely and sure enough there is a young man asleep in the van!!!
I CALL 911!
911-you've reached 911 , What is your emergency?
me: Yes maam , there has been an vehicle accident at my address.
911: Are there any injuries?
me: Only to this guy's pride when he wakes up!
911: Excuse me?
me: Drunk driver in my driveway -passed out at the wheel-don't really want to wake him-he looks so peaceful!!
911: Officers are on the way!

While waiting on the officers , I leaned on the drivers side of the van window and this guy kind of stirred. He tapped the brakes and twisted the steering wheel and nodded back out. As I took my weight off of the van and it moved- This guy opened his EYES --THEN JERKED THE STEERING WHEEL RIGHT --THEN LEFT!!!!!! He then nodded back out -I guess satisfied that he had avoided hitting a pedestrian.

The B.S.P.D officers arrive in force---slow night I guess---and light up the whole neighborhood!!
It was like daylight and the video cameras are rolling, ( it is neat how fast these guys have adapted to pointing thier vehicles for the best camera angle)
Officer J: (beating on car door) Sir? Sir?
Officer J: (opening the car door) Sir? Buddy? Sir?
RipVAN: (stands for ripped in a van) Huh?
Officer J:Sir , do you know where you are??
Rip Van: Uhhhhh, Yeah, I'm waiting for my table!!
NOW THIS ACTUALLY SOUNDED LIKE..................uhhwatinftaable
Officer J: Sir , do you know who I am????
Rip Van: Yeah, I hope your the guy taking me to my table , I'm hungry.
Officer J: Sir , You are in this gentleman's driveway , do you know how you got here???
Rip Van: Uhhhhh, I'm not fixing to eat, Am I???
Officer J: Probably around 6.30, cause that is when the burrito lady comes downtown!!!!

This young man went to the car with out any incidents, but shortly his record came back from
state computers.
BLUE WARRANT -BLUE WARRANT (denotes a past prison record w\violation)
WANTED IN HOUSTON FOR..................................
ASSAULT ON A POLICE OFFICER
DEADLY CONDUCT
FLEEING AND ELUDING

Now at this point the cops are both surprised and happy!!! Surprised because he seemed so mellow with them, and happy because he had just shorted the paperwork process by 2 hours.
This is where I start thinking....
Shit- what if he had gone in my house instead of asleep?
What if he had missed the car and drove through the house?
What if he had not swerved and missed me , but had awoken and not missed me?

There is a good ending to this story. As the title reads for the 5 th time??
In my 22+years of marriage this is the fifth time someone has run into our vehicles whilst it was parked in our driveway!!!! BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME -----THE VERY FIRST TIME
THAT THE DRUNK WAS FULLY INSURED. Farmers insurance will fix #2's car this week

Thanks for your time
scotte

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Fired........................then.........rehired!!!!

Smith Group (John Crane Americas) officially took over FIBEROD today. One of the first order of business.........FIRE US ALL!!!! Then after indoctrination (propaganda not medicine) , Rehire most of us.
Alot better benefits, and everything seems to be hunky dory. But in a way it is a sad day , for me at least. I went to work for a dear friend, and loved it. But now to be back in the Bad Dad Corporate world seems almost overwhelming. I'm sure it will work out well, but the change can't come fast enough now. I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING. NOW.........DAMIT!!!!

But it just doesn't work that way. I will keep my steeltoed boots handy and my hardhat shined up...............they still need consultants out there in the patch. or pumpers, or operators, or drillers for that matter. A man not afraid to work can drag dang good wages out there , and there is only 1 test to pass..............U.A. ......... amazing how many guys can't pass one though.

We will see how it goes.
thanks for your time
Scott E

Monday, May 5, 2008

OLD MUSIC & MEMORIES

A recent post of Janie's got me to thinking about old things , mainly about music. and cars..............and girls. No not really about the girls, but seems each song was heard with a different girl. Or so it seems in my mind!!!!!

Sis's post is about the Guess Who. I remember almost every song they ever played. Because of my 2 older siblings , I was exposed to more than most of my friends.
Janie & I both participated in choir during Secondary schooling, and were lucky to have some young choir directors......young enough to divorce and remarry each other as I remember. But we sang some pretty contemporary songs back then.
Groups that I introduced to my friends were:
Ray Charles (this was in 4 track format)
Gene Pitney
Frankie Lane (claim to fame "Rawhide")
Credence Clear water Revival
The Grateful Dead
David Gates
The Who
and this is off the top of my head---I could consult the old albums (yes albums) that my brother Tony left for us to listen to. My friends parents thought I was weird and they were probably right. I was just as likely to be singing Mares-eat-oats as I was to be singing the latest Beatles hit.
Or Harry Snilson's "Son of Snilson" 8 track blasting from my 72 Chevy as well as Jerry Jeff Walkers UP AGAINST THE WALL REDNECK MOTHERS. or Rusty Weirs curse of the redhead!
Some of my friends parents would borrow my 8 tracks for trips and I think old Morris Fraley still may have all of my Grateful Dead tapes. I need to check on that. I watch my boys download music and play it on their IPODS. And then I hear Artists Associations gripe about the theft of music.
Do they not remember double cassette recorders. I bet I recorded 10,000 songs over the years. KLIF in Dallas had a Tuesday nite and Friday nite album play at midnight. The DJ would even count down the first side so you could synchronize with the start of recording. And they played kickasss artists, so you could forgo the Tape Town crowd and dollars. This was of course way before ASCAP and other associations that have formed over the years.
I really don't think I ever bought a Steve Miller Band album or Doobie Brothers either. But you could hear them out of my speakers everyday.
The bad news is that most of my favorite music is now owned by MUZAC, and can be heard on elevators everywhere!!!
Alas the plight of the baby boomers!!!!!
thanks for your time
ScottE

Saturday, May 3, 2008

OKAY TIME TO START POSTING AGAIN





It has been a month now, and we only see MacZ on Tony's visitation weekends. Hard!!!

Here are some pictures from this weekend. Sure is good to see her!!!!
She almost got away from that diaper change.
But not quite.
Thanks for your time
Scott E.