THE LATEST

The divorce was finalized yesterday morning.  We were in front of the judge all of two minutes, since Jana didn't have any disputes and chose the option to not be present.  The downside?  Had to pay the attorney another $250.  But it is done.  So you know, I am great.  I spoke to Jana's dad awhile back, something I had been putting off.  He just wanted to make sure we were still friends and that I didn't have any problems with the family.  So things turned out even better than I could have hoped.

MY LIFE

Okay, I guess I am going to be a once-a-month-er when it comes to updating my blog.  I'm really sorry about that folks.  Things have been busy.  A lot has happened in the last few months, not all of it I was ready to talk about.  I hate keeping things from my Xanga family, but I felt it was best to keep things under wraps until they developed.  As it is, Jana and I are getting divorced.  I actually filed it about 60 days ago and so it will likely be final on Wednesday morning, depending on whether my attorney can get a date with the judge that morning.  This is the first time I've posted it publicly on my blog, or anywhere really.  But it is for the best, so don't go feeling sorry for me.  Things have been weird for a little while and I think both of us didn't really acknowledge it.  My main regret is that I had to be the ass and hurt her feelings by asking for it.  But I think shortly after she realized that she also wasn't happy.  It has been amicable and things have gone smoothly.  I'm excited for the next chapter in my life and I wish only the best for her.  I think when it is all said and done we will still be friends.  I'm not going to speculate here as to why it didn't work, except to say I think we had a lot less in common than we realized.  I know I thought it was better to do it now than to wait ten years, hate each other, and also have kids and a house in the picture.  Anyway, I figured it was time to let you all in one it. 

WEEZER

I just got back from Houston a little bit ago.  I was there watching Weezer at the Reliant Center.  Awesome show.  They definitely know how to put on a concert.  They also have good openers.  We missed Tokyo Police Club, so I don't know how good they are.  But we did catch Angels & Airwaves, which is a band started by Tom DeLonge of Blink 182.  Phenomenal show.  At one point they had a bunch of regular joes who were Weezer fans and musicians up on stage playing with them.  There were around 30 or more people up there playing with them.  Weezer has managed to once again prove themselves the greatest band in the world.

• DAY THREE

I woke up a little warm in the machine room we were sleeping in.  I also had to use the restroom, so I made my way to one, using the glow from my cell phone to light the room up.  I decided to go check on what was happening.  Plus, it was getting close to 0600.  I didn't know if we would be going on patrol or remaining in our shelter.  When I got to the lobby it was very dark outside, due to the lack of power.  You could see the trees leaning all the way over and being very animated in the high winds and you could see sideways rain that got caught in the light from inside the lobby.  The wind was loud as hell.  You could hear windows buckling in the wind and the sound of things banging loudly on the outside of the building.  I looked over in the corner and saw a huge air conditioning duct in the lobby.  I looked up at the ceiling and couldn't see where it had come from.  The officers on duty in the lobby told me it fell from the ceiling, blown off by the wind.  They said the huge duct was blowing back and forth in the parking lot in front of the building.  They went out and dragged it inside to keep it going through the glass at the front of the building.  There was still wifi in the lobby and an officer had his laptop out.  According to some weather service, the worst of the storm was still to come.  Wifi went out soon after.  The AM radio was on and people were calling in about what they were going through.  Some genius called in and said there was a lot of rain and high wind where he was at.  We shook our head at most of the calls on the AM radio.  A mandatory evacuation had been declared and we had little sympathy for people who stayed.  And yet, some of the calls were disturbing.  One person called saying he was stuck in his truck, trying to get to high ground and the water was sweeping his truck away.  The phone line went dead.  His empty truck was found after the storm.  A few days later searchers found his body not far away from where his truck was.

Several of use decided to go to the hospital cafeteria, where they were serving breakfast.  We ate breakfast to the moody setting of the emergency lights.  The servings were small, they had no idea how long the food would need to last.  After breakfast and back in the lobby, most of the shift was waking up, including my partner, and coming out in uniform.  They were told we probably wouldn't be going out for at least a few more hours.  I had the benefit of getting there early and knew I didn't need to be in uniform.  I decided to get some more sleep and laid down in my cot.  I was awoken about 20 minutes later and told we were going out and to get in uniform.  When I got to the lobby we ended up standing around for at least and hour or more.  It reminded me of the military: hurry up and wait.  When we did get out, I think it was still too early.  It was windy as hell and pouring rain.  We got out with a sergeant who had checked out on a transient (homeless person) concerned that he might be burglarizing the building he was by.  Normally we would have run him off, but considering he was out of the rain we told him to hang tight.  We checked a few alarms, almost having fun getting out in the weather.  You could barely stay upright in the wind and the rain stung, but how often do you get to stand out in a force of nature?  The weather died down by noon, although the heavy rain continued.  We were continually told that the tail end was going to hit us, and that would be the worst part.  It never did or it was weak, one or the other.  We didn't have too many calls. The few we had originally came in during the storm and we weren't able to do anything.  Nothing too exciting happened. We did our best to go check on our homes and the homes of friends and family who had evacuated.

We also found out we were off 24 hours shifts and that we had to move out of the hospital.  I think the end of 24 hour shifts was premature and only because the city didn't want to pay us.  I had no power in my home, nor did my partner and many other officers.  I elected to stay at the church that offered us a place to stay, as they did during Hurricane Rita in 2005.  The church had natural gas generators and a well for safe drinking water.  They had area set up for missions that had cots and showers.  It was actually a good setup I remembered from Rita. (If you don't remember Rita, it is because the news was only interested in Katrina.  When local authorities took care of business here the news didn't see a story and left.)  We were to have shift meetings at the church also.  This was ideal.  No need to burn my own gas, which was hard to find.  And I could wake up, take a shower and get in uniform, and be at shift meeting. 

More to come later...

I'll continue tomorrow.  I'm off tomorrow.  Tonight, hanging with some of the guys.

THE HURRICANE

Sorry, it's been awhile.  I've been tired and trying to make up sleep.  I basically haven't felt like doing too much.  I have barely touched the Xbox, despite having zero access to it during the hurricane.

Anyway, we were keeping and eye on this one.  Gustav was headed our way and we did go into emergency operations, along with a mandatory evacuation.  I feel, as did many of my coworkers, that emergency management jumped the gun on that one.  Essentially we just had some easy overtime, since the city was empty.

• DAY MINUS ONE

So, along came Ike, headed our way with much impending doom.  After Gustav I had volunteered to work additional overtime on my regular days off.  I was working security for special needs evacuees who were being brought back on buses.  As a result, I was concerned about having any days off before this next one hit.  I was off the Wednesday prior.  Late that night I got the standard recorded message that advised me emergency operations for Ike would commence at 1600 hrs on Thursday.  That worked for me.  My shift, during emergency operations, began at 0600 hrs.  So I knew I would have Thursday off and then I would report at 0600 hrs on Friday.  I was up late, because I normally do so.  The wife and I had a fight too, so I ended up not sleeping well.  As a result, I was not prepared for the message a little after 0600 hrs.  It stated we were now in emergency operations and that I should report as soon as possible.  The gist of it is this: They jumped the gun for Gustav and then waited too long for Ike, so we were scrambling.

• DAY ONE

I got to the station at about 0800.  I was definitely getting a shower before going, since I didn't know for sure when I would get another chance.  During emergency operations all officers ride with partners.  I rode with Tony, who I try and ride with during regular operations, when manning permits it.  Tony and I were assigned to a traffic control point at Hwy 105 and Eastex Fwy.  As it turned out, people were pretty much abiding by the stop signs at that four-way stop, so we were told we could go back on patrol after a few hours.  We already had a lot of supplies gathered from Gustav (food and other essentials).  We did try and fit in some trips to the stores that remained open to get whatever else we felt we needed.  We went home about 1800 hrs.  When I got home I made sure I had everything packed and I had a couple of beers.  I relaxed, knowing the following day we probably would not be allowed to return home.

• DAY TWO

0600 hrs...Showed up at work.  At shift meeting we were advised that we were now on 24 hour operations, which meant we weren't allowed to go home.  We would patrol for our shift and then report to our specified shelter.  About half stayed at Baptist Hospital, the other half at St. Elizabeth's Hospital.  My partner and I were at St E.  We got our stuff together and went on patrol.  After Hurricane Rita we were told that they had the sleeping arrangements worked out.  During this one we learned it was a free-for-all for cots.  No one told us that when we started our shift.  For quite awhile we weren't sure we would have a place to sleep until we finally tracked down some cots.  By the way, we were all sleeping in the machine room of the floor, where all the air conditioner and other equipment was.  I guess because it had no windows.  At 1800 the hurricane hadn't hit yet.  So we went to our shelter and the night shift went out on patrol.  We trekked to the Health and Wellness Center (a part of the St E campus) and had showers, in case we didn't get another chance for awhile.  The weather intensified throughout the evening, but we actually started thinking that we weren't going to get much.  At about 2300 hrs, perhaps closer to midnight, the power went out.  It was due to transformers exploding.  I was outside with some other officers who had to get their smoke on.  It was pouring rain (although we were in a sheltered spot) and fairly windy.  We saw the sky light up like day with the standard intense blue flash of light from an exploding transformer.  We pretty much all went to bed shortly after that.  The night shift was called in due to the windspeed (it was around 50+ mph at that point).  Oh, and the hospital generators kicked in, but only for essential needs.  Air conditioning, and apparently lights in the restrooms, were not considered essential. 

---More to come later...

HURRICANE IKE

So I survived Ike.  I am on my first and only day off since a couple days before the hurricane.  I'm tired.  I'll go into more detail in a later post.

THE HURRICANE GUSTAV BLUES

Well, I'm probably going to be off the grid here shortly.  Not that I've been around much.  We went into emergency schedules today, so I worked 6am to 7pm.  Tomorrow I work 5am to 5am.  We might go into 24 hr shifts soon.  Although if Gustav hits we'll be in emergency schedules indefinitely and we'll lose power/internet and all of that.  Jana went to stay at her mother's house tonight.  Tomorrow, early, they go to Austin.  Of course, tomorrow at 6am they also start the mandatory evacuation, so they'll probably be stuck in a freeway that's been turned into a parking lot with bumper to bumper traffic.  But at least they will be gone.

Oddly enough, the biggest thing that pisses me off is that I had Mercenaries 2 reserved for the Xbox 360.  And the stores will be closed tomorrow when it is released!  We went in an tried to convince them to sell it to us today, since we are stuck here for awhile, and even promised not to play it before tomorrow.  They refused.  Apparently they don't want to risk pissing off Electronic Arts.  Shortly after, adding insult to injury, a call came in where a prerecorded voice advised me that my reserved copy of Mercenaries 2 would be available in stores tomorrow.  Bastards!  Yes, based on my priorities, I am a nerd.

I saw Tropic Thunder on Thursday evening.  Very funny.  I loved it.  Get to that one early and watch the trailers, there are some great ones before it. 

Anyway, hopefully I won't be off the air long.  Talk to you all later.

Officer Involved Shooting In My Town.

This kind of thing reminds you to keep your guard up.

Sorry I've been gone, my friends.  I've been distracticated.  Yes, I know it is a made-up word.  My thing lately has to add 'icated' to the end of every word.  I use it at work to people on the the street all the time and it goes unnoticed.  Anyway, I promise I will add something productive soon.  I've been working a LOT and have been tired a lot too.  Plus, I gotta squeeze in the gaming when I can.  I haven't forgotten about all of you.  Right now I gotta go get something to eat.