Jamie and I, and some of the Messy Crew, we were at the Minnesota Newspaper Association convention at the recently multi-million dollar renovated Sheraton in Bloomington. Of course, there were the usual convention type activities. You know what I mean, meetings, seminars, lunches, dinners and socializing, brain storming, idea exchanges, tips of the trade and more socializing.
So there we were, Jamie and I, late (if you can believe that!) for a mandatory rehearsal and sound check for a skit were were to perform later that evening. Jamie and I boarded elevator number one on the 12th floor “going down” to the second floor. As usual we walked into the elevator and continued our conversation.
We weren’t moving.
“Did you push the button?” I asked Jamie.
“Yes,” she said.
We still weren’t moving.
I pushed another button. One floor down.
Still not moving.
I pushed one floor up.
No good.
“Jamie, we are stuck,” I said.
The look on her face was a combination of disbelief, amazement, bewilderment, confusion, perplexity, shock, calmness and indifference.
We pushed the call button in the elevator to call for help. We were connected to Charlotte, who worked somewhere downstairs I imagine. Safe. Sitting at a desk.
I also called Kevin from my cell phone explain. “Um, Kevin? This is Viv. Jamie and I are stuck in the elevator.”
His reply: “Viv, I would like to believe you but I don’t. Get down here. You are late.”
So, I put the phone over by the call box and said, “Hello, OnStar? My boss is on the phone and doesn't believe me that we are stuck. Will you verify that with him, please?”
Kevin must have believed us then. He hung up. Or I simply lost a signal. I did have four bars on my phone, however.
“Should we be sitting down, Charlotte?” Jamie asked. “I mean we are on the 12th floor, and if we fall, it might be better if we were sitting down.”
We were laughing and making jokes about it. The carpet needed vacuuming we told Charlotte. And we could not hear any elevator music.
“I have contacted someone on my staff and they will get you out soon,” Charlotte said. “Do you want me to stay on the line with you until you are out?”
“Well, yeah,” Jamie said. “Isn’t that what you do? Like 911? This is sort of a 911 situation you know.”
We continued to make jokes with Charlotte and talk. Good thing we didn’t need to use the bathroom.
The Elevator just started moving after a little while. That was a little unnerving. We were a little unsure if we were plummeting to our deaths or if we would be placed gently back on floor number two.
We landed safely and the elevator was promptly closed for repairs. Hmmm....
Later that evening, after our performance ended and we abruptly headed for the hotel lounge for a shot of liquid, ummm, encouragement(?) after the fact, we noticed about five Bloomington firefighters standing outside the elevators. Elevator number two.
We wondered what was going on, but I was not in reporter mode. More important to us at that particular moment was getting to the lounge. And were still in full costume. Wigs, odd clothes and all.
We took the escalator down one floor and found about half-dozen more fire fighters standing there.
I couldn’t take not knowing. I had to ask.
“Ma'am, there are 11 people stuck in that Elevator. Been in there 45 minutes. You are going to have to stand back so we can evacuate them,” a firefighter told me. I am pretty sure I disliked being called "ma'am" at that particular moment.
The people all got out safely and nobody was hurt. I bet at least one of those women had to go to the bathroom. What if asomebody, before boarding the elevator thought to her self, “I probably should “go,” but I will just wait and go when I get up to my room.” That could have not been pleasant.
It is kind of unfair, however. Jamie and I were stuck in elevator number one for probably 12 minutes and we didn’t get a dozen cute firefighters to rescue us.
Apparently, the multi-million dollar renovation did not include elevator upgrades. And there wasn’t even bad elevator music for our listening pleasure.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Happy New Year
By the way, happy new year to you all. It has been a while since my last post (sounds like a visit to a confessional). I have no excuses to offer, I just run out of time.
As for new years resolutions - I don't really believe in them. While I do sometimes say, "Every year, I just want to be nice like Deanne." She is my cousin and has the patience of a saint and never a harsh word for anyone. I am sometimes the polar opposite of that. I know this and resolve to try to be nicer every year. And some days I am. Nicer. Or nicer than other days, so I guess that qualifies.
I believe in setting goals and try not to lower my standards just to meet them. But I am a firm believer in the saying, if at first you don't succeed, try again. So I try and try and try some more sometimes.
My goal this year is a lifestyle change. My goal is to work at one or two areas of my life at a time and make healthy changes. for now, I am trying to eat more veggies and work out four times a week. I joined the fitness center and so far, I am on track for four times a week. I am not going to say the word diet. I am going to make healthy choices and get fit.
I think it is starting to work. At least a little bit. While I don't have six-pack abs, at least I know I have abs. The reason I know this is because they hurt. Someday, I may even be able to see them!
One small step at a time.
As for new years resolutions - I don't really believe in them. While I do sometimes say, "Every year, I just want to be nice like Deanne." She is my cousin and has the patience of a saint and never a harsh word for anyone. I am sometimes the polar opposite of that. I know this and resolve to try to be nicer every year. And some days I am. Nicer. Or nicer than other days, so I guess that qualifies.
I believe in setting goals and try not to lower my standards just to meet them. But I am a firm believer in the saying, if at first you don't succeed, try again. So I try and try and try some more sometimes.
My goal this year is a lifestyle change. My goal is to work at one or two areas of my life at a time and make healthy changes. for now, I am trying to eat more veggies and work out four times a week. I joined the fitness center and so far, I am on track for four times a week. I am not going to say the word diet. I am going to make healthy choices and get fit.
I think it is starting to work. At least a little bit. While I don't have six-pack abs, at least I know I have abs. The reason I know this is because they hurt. Someday, I may even be able to see them!
One small step at a time.
Fishhouse counting
OK, some of you may be wondering about the Mille Lacs Lake fishhouse video that is now appearing on our Mille Lacs Messenger website. I will attach a clip here, on this blogsite, as soon as I can figure out how to do it.
Anyway, here's the play by play — behind the scenes deal on the fly-over.
Every year, the DNR counts the number of fishhouses on Mille Lacs Lake. They use the information as an indication to fishing pressure on the lake. It is just one tool in the toolbox the biologists of the fisheries department use to check their numbers.
The fly-over is scheduled on the same like Saturday every year and usually, two counts are used before the actual fishhouse count is tallied.
The flight was schedule to depart Brainerd Regional Airport at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan.5. Due to unseasonably warm temperatures, and something to do with a pressure system holding moisture down, no wind, and some other scientific Belinda Jenson type stuff I don't understand, there was fog. Lots of fog.
I got the call from DNR biologist Kevin Martini — who would be doing the counting — at about 7:30 a.m. stating a delay due to fog. He said pilot Tom Pfingsten thought fog would clear by 11.
It did not. (See SIDEBAR below on killing time.) The flight was rescheduled until 12:30, and eventually departed a couple hours after that.
Tom kept checking the weather radar and aviation stuff on the maps waiting for visibility to clear to 7 miles. It was good to go in Brainerd and he knew it was clearing, but still under 7 miles in Aitkin. He figured it would clear by the time we got over the lake.
On the way over, flying was wonderful. Overcast and a bit hazy, but it was a smooth flight. On the way to the lake Tom went to check on an area suspected of possible logging violations. "We just want to check it out," he said. Just so you know, the DNR is in the air almost every day (weather permitting) looking for, and following up on leads relating to violations such as shoreland, wetland, logging and just about everything else. Always an eye in the sky. Tom said they were also involved in searching for the Garrison Bank Robber last year.
It was clear to hazy all the way until right over the lake. Floating over just the lake were clouds. A thick layer of clouds hanging there at about 1,000 feet. We were flying at about 1,500 feet. Needless to say, the clouds were so thick, we did not see a single fishhouse. The unofficial count on Jan. 5 was zero. Well, Kevin saw two on the northside, and that was it. But the count for that day will be thrown out and another count, with yet another flyover will be done on Jan. 26.
So, no numbers to chart and no front page pic for the paper. It was a nice flight. So, thank you Tom, Kevin and the Minnesota DNR for letting me tag along. I am looking forward to the next flight.
That is the way it goes with weather and science, and life in general. Things don't always work out the way we want them to, but if we are patient, the fog will clear in the end.
SIDEBAR: Killing time, waiting for the fog to clear.
I was on my way to the airport to be there by 11 a.m. when Kevin called again saying we would try at 12:30. Since I was already on my way into town, I just kept going.
I had errands to run, so it was really no big deal if I did them before or after the flight.
One stop was to get my oil changed. I usually change my oil pretty close to the 3,000 mile manufacturer's recommendation. If I don't, my Jeep yells at me. However, this time, apparently I was a little farther over the manufacturers recommendation — almost 1,500 miles over, according to the guys at the super speedy oil change place on Washington Ave., across from Westgate Mall.
Because I drive a few miles, I am getting my oil changed about every other month. those guys at the super speedy oil change place know me pretty well. I think they especially like it I always have a coupon and know when to yell, "Oil pressure up!" Of course, they have a tendency to razz me a bit and tell me the tire pressure is off by about a 100 pounds on the spare tire, and my turn signal fluid should be changed, that sort of thing. Of course I am too smart for that. I don't even know where my spare tire is, how are they going to know?
But this time, they were not kidding and I needed a new battery and talked me into the synthetic oil for the winter in case I run over the recommended 3,000 miles — again.
So, a shout out to my pals at the super speedy oil change place in Brainerd/Baxter across from Westgate Mall! Especially, the guy with the same last name as me. Thanks for taking care of my Jeep.
Anyway, here's the play by play — behind the scenes deal on the fly-over.
Every year, the DNR counts the number of fishhouses on Mille Lacs Lake. They use the information as an indication to fishing pressure on the lake. It is just one tool in the toolbox the biologists of the fisheries department use to check their numbers.
The fly-over is scheduled on the same like Saturday every year and usually, two counts are used before the actual fishhouse count is tallied.
The flight was schedule to depart Brainerd Regional Airport at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan.5. Due to unseasonably warm temperatures, and something to do with a pressure system holding moisture down, no wind, and some other scientific Belinda Jenson type stuff I don't understand, there was fog. Lots of fog.
I got the call from DNR biologist Kevin Martini — who would be doing the counting — at about 7:30 a.m. stating a delay due to fog. He said pilot Tom Pfingsten thought fog would clear by 11.
It did not. (See SIDEBAR below on killing time.) The flight was rescheduled until 12:30, and eventually departed a couple hours after that.
Tom kept checking the weather radar and aviation stuff on the maps waiting for visibility to clear to 7 miles. It was good to go in Brainerd and he knew it was clearing, but still under 7 miles in Aitkin. He figured it would clear by the time we got over the lake.
On the way over, flying was wonderful. Overcast and a bit hazy, but it was a smooth flight. On the way to the lake Tom went to check on an area suspected of possible logging violations. "We just want to check it out," he said. Just so you know, the DNR is in the air almost every day (weather permitting) looking for, and following up on leads relating to violations such as shoreland, wetland, logging and just about everything else. Always an eye in the sky. Tom said they were also involved in searching for the Garrison Bank Robber last year.
It was clear to hazy all the way until right over the lake. Floating over just the lake were clouds. A thick layer of clouds hanging there at about 1,000 feet. We were flying at about 1,500 feet. Needless to say, the clouds were so thick, we did not see a single fishhouse. The unofficial count on Jan. 5 was zero. Well, Kevin saw two on the northside, and that was it. But the count for that day will be thrown out and another count, with yet another flyover will be done on Jan. 26.
So, no numbers to chart and no front page pic for the paper. It was a nice flight. So, thank you Tom, Kevin and the Minnesota DNR for letting me tag along. I am looking forward to the next flight.
That is the way it goes with weather and science, and life in general. Things don't always work out the way we want them to, but if we are patient, the fog will clear in the end.
SIDEBAR: Killing time, waiting for the fog to clear.
I was on my way to the airport to be there by 11 a.m. when Kevin called again saying we would try at 12:30. Since I was already on my way into town, I just kept going.
I had errands to run, so it was really no big deal if I did them before or after the flight.
One stop was to get my oil changed. I usually change my oil pretty close to the 3,000 mile manufacturer's recommendation. If I don't, my Jeep yells at me. However, this time, apparently I was a little farther over the manufacturers recommendation — almost 1,500 miles over, according to the guys at the super speedy oil change place on Washington Ave., across from Westgate Mall.
Because I drive a few miles, I am getting my oil changed about every other month. those guys at the super speedy oil change place know me pretty well. I think they especially like it I always have a coupon and know when to yell, "Oil pressure up!" Of course, they have a tendency to razz me a bit and tell me the tire pressure is off by about a 100 pounds on the spare tire, and my turn signal fluid should be changed, that sort of thing. Of course I am too smart for that. I don't even know where my spare tire is, how are they going to know?
But this time, they were not kidding and I needed a new battery and talked me into the synthetic oil for the winter in case I run over the recommended 3,000 miles — again.
So, a shout out to my pals at the super speedy oil change place in Brainerd/Baxter across from Westgate Mall! Especially, the guy with the same last name as me. Thanks for taking care of my Jeep.
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