I Can Make It.....Oh Crap..!

Lots of flooding here this morning. A foot of rain fell in six hours which averages out to 2 inches an hour. The water had no place to go so it flooded many many roads and houses. Lots of people rescued, one person dead when he tried to save his boat from floating away from a marina.

What gets me is how people think they can drive though water like it's nothing. Sure it looks passable but you never really know how deep it is. This morning my reporter Jacque and myself held our live shot position on high ground near a flooded intersection. We watched fourteen cars stall out because of the high water that they "could make it though". FOURTEEN OF THEM!! They all ignored the city worker who was telling them to turn into the parking lot, to go around the intersection.

Their error. My favorite line was, "But I need to get to the Speedway because it's an emergency. I'm outta cigarettes!!

Some people should be slapped. Hard.

People Are Just Plain Stupid

I was sent out to a pedestrian vs. train accident this morning. In most cases, as this one was, they turn out to be a suicide. More often than not, they're successful in their attempt as today's was.

I'm at the scene and people are driving by, slowing down and asking me all kinds of questions I have no real answers to.

"How do I get to Route 83?"

"How long will the road be closed"

"Someone get hit by a train? Were they hurt bad?"

WHAT?? HURT BAD?

Hell no!! They're fine. The train's engine was damaged beyond repair though. Guy just took off up into the sky. Had a big "S" on his chest. Should've seen it.

(I'm omitting the obligatory Here's Your Sign Reference but I'm really tempted.)

Ok, that's what I wanted to say. All I really did was stare at the guy asking the question until he got the answer..

"Uh..yeah..I guess it was bad, huh?"

As the onlooker walked off, a cop comes up to me and asks, "Did he just ask what I think I heard?"

Yep.

"People are just plain stupid.", said the cop.

You know, some of the time, yeah they are.

What I Love #2

Shootng rain just because it's raining. Not flooding, just rain. No drought and this is not the first rain in a long time. It's just rain. Ordinary rain.

Baby Brain

This morning, after a long drive to Akron to do a live shot on an ordinance that targets people who get repeated police calls to their house, my reporter in her report says this..

And I quote,

"Repeated violaters of this ordinance will be subject to many different charges, including disorderly conduct, which means.........(baby brain hits now)...uh........................well, um, that's pretty self explainatory..."

I closed my eyes and bit my cheek trying not to laugh while the live shot was still active. I also tried to keep my convulsions to a minimum while she was talking. I wasn't that successful in that endeavor.

I should explain, the reporter I work with is pregnant. I have to believe that "baby brain" hit at that exact moment. For those that have gone through this with a pregnant woman in their life, I need not explain. For those that haven't had the pleasure, I shall condense it down to this. "Baby brain" is the medical term for a pregnant woman who loses the useful part of her brain due to the baby in her belly sucking out all the active brain cells and leaving her pretty much with an momentary I.Q. just this side of jello.

Effects are temporary and brain damage is minimal at best.

What I Love #1

I just love being sent to shoot an abandoned house, on a dark street at 3:00 a.m. I'm sure my next assignment will be to shoot a black cat in a dark room.

Why Me?

Why is it on such a constant basis that I get hounded by homeless people on live shots for money? I mean I can see once in a while but today I had three....THREE come up to my truck and beg for money.

One guy I did really feel sorry for. He looked as if he had been in a fight recently. He had a hospital I.D. bracelet on his wrist, his left ear looked as if it was put into a meat grinder. He had scrapes all over his face and chin. He spoke very slowly and with most of his teeth missing he desperately tried to inform me that he was mentally retarded and needed money for a room at the YMCA. He also said his name was Robert. I usually don't carry much money on me while I work overnight. Just a few bucks but I had spent them already this morning.

This man had the audacity to ask me to go to a machine and withdraw money and bring it back to him. I guess when you need money and are that desperate, you'll ask anything. I offered to have call the police or EMS to help him get to a shelter but all he mumbled was, "All drug addicts there and the cops will put me in jail."

After he wandered away I kept asking myself, why me? Why am I always the target of their mooching attempts?

Oh well, back to the old grind.

Happy 4th everyone!! Especially you, Robert. Please be careful out there. And God, please watch over him.

That Was Too Close

Went out to a reported shooting of a woman a couple nights ago. It was in a really not so nice area of town which kept me on my guard. I was about a half a block from the street when a group of twenty or so urban "utes" ran right in front of my news unit causing me to slam on the brakes and leave a good ten foot trail of rubber. They were all running from someone or something.

After that little scare, I get to the scene of the shooting. I see EMS and police at site. I open the door to get out and get my camera. I no sooner put one foot on the road when less than fifty feet from me, two very loud handgun shots are fired off.

CRAP!!

I jump back in my car and lock the doors. My phone call to the desk went like this:

Me: Ummm..hey ummm...they're still shooting out here!!! Pretty F*&%*@G close to me!! I'm staying in the car until I feel safe!

Desk: (Laughter)...no problem. But when you're done dodging bullets, I need you to go to another shooting..

Busy night.