Drowning in Tampa

In the news last night there was a report about a car accident. Four young people crashed their car through a fence and landed in a fifteen foot deep retention pond. The car sunk immediately and two of the kids died.

There were two reasons this report was shocking to me. First of all, one of the young men made it to the surface but couldn’t swim. EMT’s had a light on him as he called for help but no one did anything to try to save him. People on scene were mortified. They expected the EMT’s to jump in the water but they refused to.

The second reason is that two young girls that were in the car not only knew how to swim but when they got out of the water, they took off running. They had no thought or concern for the boys in the car. One boy died on impact but these girls didn’t even wait around to find that out.

Interviews were done – first with the supervisor in charge of the EMT’s – he said the rescuers are not trained to “rescue”, especially in water. Their job was to save the person once the person was delivered into their hands – not risk their lives in an actual rescue. A drowning person can be dangerous to whoever is trying to rescue them – they are in a panic and will claw at anything to get to the surface to air. The water was pitch black and it was very late – I imagine they didn’t want to risk themselves going in – could be alligators in there as well.

I’m not sure how I feel about their lack of effort to save the boy. Doing nothing seems criminal to me. Shouldn’t they at least carry a floatation device they can toss to a person whose drowning? Did they not have anything that floated? We do live on a peninsula that is surrounded by water for heaven’s sake – shouldn’t all rescue/law people carry something that floats?

The next interview was with one of the girl’s father – he said his daughter was very shaken up in the crash and acted irrationally. When asked though, he said he thought it was very wrong that she abandoned a friend in need. He said no friend should ever do that.

Of course, the travesty about this is that a young man managed to make it to the surface only to drown while a dozen people watched. How do you explain that to the boy’s mom? If it were my child who drowned, I’d want blood…no, actually I’d want heads.

Crashed

Man did I just crash. One minute I was watching a show and the next I was fast asleep sitting up in my chair! I don’t even remember nodding off. Usually I have some warning but I must have closed my eyes to blink and then just fell asleep. Weird huh? I’ve been yawning though and knew I felt tired, just didn’t realize how tired.

I was only dozing about twenty minutes or so – just long enough to miss the ending of the movie I was watching. Today I started taking my new blood pressure medicine and it says it causes drowsiness so guess it really does.

Just Stuff

I need more candles. I bought four jar candles from Walgreens for four dollars each the other day. Two are pumpkin and two are vanilla. I wanted all pumpkin but they didn’t have anymore. I love candles.

Went out to work in my yard – was immediately beset upon by two of my neighbors. I finally had to come inside because neither showed signs of leaving anytime soon. Irritates me.

Just that little bit of being outside and my eye is worse again – making me believe once again that it is just allergies.

I want a dog. Actually, I want two dogs – a pug and a black lab. I keep my eyes open for ads in the paper but so far nothing. Hopefully soon. I saw some brown labadors at the bay – they were beautiful.

I’d only get one dog right now if I am planning on moving back to IA next year. Rent wise, it is harder to find somewhere that allows 3 pets…don’t forget I already have Simon the Impossible. I imagine I’ll get whichever one is the cheapest between now and my birthday.

I was daydreaming today about owning a house with a huge yard so I could put up one of those mazes like in the movie “The Shining.” It would be fun to have but also a nice little walk if you had some free time to take a walk but didn’t want to drive anywhere. I’d put cool things in the maze at different times of the year so it was always educational and ever changing.

Work cancelled me – did I say that already? I got there and sat through briefing and then they asked me if I wanted to go home. Like there was ever any doubt what my answer would be.

Anyhoo, those are pretty much my random thoughts thus far today. Still have a damn headache.

The Library

I only have a minute before I have to get ready for work but let me mention something that has me a little ticked off.

I worked in the IC Library for about eight years. During that time the ONLY reason other then holidays that we were closed was when we moved from the old library to the new. If we sponsored special events or reading festivals then we worked around our public rather then shut the library down. It was a pride thing – we were proud to offer such elite services to our public and the public was always the more important then anything else. We wanted those who wanted to read or study or just relax to be able to do it.

The library here closes for every damn little thing they ever do and it really irritates me. They don’t put up signs far enough ahead of time either to warn their public they will be closed. They said it is posted on their website…well, damn, a lot of people use the libraries computers to get on the internet so how can they check the website?

So they are having a reading festival this weekend…whoopie do. I like reading festivals…I do…but to close the WHOLE library the ENTIRE day is just ridiculous. Most of the booths will be outside in the parking lot…which is another beef because that is the only parking near the library so where are the people who want to attend the festival going to park?

Ok, I have to get ready for work so will stop complaining. I will have to wait to pickup the book I have on hold now until Monday because I’m not going to try to mess with the library when the festival is going on. It will be more like a zoo then a library.

Birds

I’m at Arby’s for lunch – wish they had one near my house so I could eat here more often. I wonder if Subway has a French Dip Sub?? I spilled some so my table is a mess.

Though the weatherman said it is cooler out today (woohoo, a cold front) it is 80 degrees and pretty warm out. Yesterday was in the 80’s as well but had a brisk breeze and was cloudy so it seemed cooler then…sorry weatherman, your a dunce. Tonight is suppose to get to the low 60’s though so maybe I’ll open my windows.

As I sit here at Arby’s, I’m struck at how loudly I can hear the birds over the drive-thru mic. Each person that orders sounds like they are surrounded by chirping birds. Outside there are enough birds around that it makes the movie “The Birds” look wimpy. Walk outside and you are sure all those beady little eyes are watching you, waiting to strike.

At home I can hear the crickets and birds at night so well that I have to check to see if my windows are open – they never are. I can’t hear much from outside – not the comings and goings of my neighbors or traffic unless it is very loud – but I can hear the crickets and the mockingbirds every night. Wonder how loud they’ll seem if I open my windows tonight?

Cell Phones

Ok, I was on the phone with my doctor’s office when my call waiting chirped in my ear. It said my neighbor Dan was calling me. I figured I’d call him back so I didn’t switch over to answer it.

The phone gave me a message alert so when I was done with the doctor, I called the message. Dan said he needed a phone number from me and could I call him. So I dialed his number and it rang and rang.

He finally answered it – he said he had just woke up – I went to give him the phone number he had requested and he was very confused. He said he hadn’t called me this morning – that the call requesting the phone number was from over a week ago.

He said it has happened with his phone before – he’d call people and leave messages and they wouldn’t get them till days later so I don’t think it is my phone – but how weird is that?

What if he had died after calling me but before I got the call? It would have scared the dickens out of me getting a call from beyond the grave.