Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The Blizzard of '78 Led to the Greatest School Year Ever! - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
The Blizzard of '78 Led to the Greatest School Year Ever! - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
A friend of mine posted that it was the 35th. anniversary of the
Blizzard of '78 yesterday. She remembers it because she was married
that day. There was so much snow that they had to walk to the church. I
was a little younger and it was the start of a great school year for
me.
When
I was in the 9th. grade we had a massive snowstorm that kept us out of
school for most of January and February. It started off as a typical
school year, just going to school day after day. It had been years since
we had a snow day off from school. When it came time to go back to
school after Christmas break the skies opened up and the most we went to
school for the next 2 months was 2 days a week. Usually it was only one
day a week. This was back in the days when they didn't make you make up
the days at the end of the year or have 2 hour delays or any of that
pain in the ass stuff.
Then
in early March I was waiting for the bus and no one else was there.
This was unusual. A passing car stopped and told me that the wall had
fallen at Central and school was cancelled. I went home to listen to the
radio and sure enough the retaining wall had fallen at our junior high
school. Central Junior High School was perched up on the side of the
mountain overlooking Logan, West Virginia. It was built behind a massive
retaining wall that was easily 50 or 60 feet high. We were out of
school for a week while they decided what to do with us. There was no
way the wall could be repaired before the school year was over.
They
decided to send us to East Junior High School - our arch rivals. To
minimize the possibilities of fights we started school an hour after the
East kids and we went home an hour earlier than they did. We also had
staggered lunch hours so that we didn't take lunch at the same time. I
think some of the teachers were more traumatized by the move than we
were and we learned quickly how to take advantage of the situation. We
were particularly thrilled when Mrs. Triolo and Mrs. Mendez got into a
fist fight because Mrs. Triolo called Mrs. Mendez a dike! Boy, was that a
story!
Some
teachers padded our grades, saying we were traumatized and upping them a
whole letter. (Not that it mattered to me. I was an "A,B" student
anyway so that didn't help me much.) We got every concession that a
teacher could possibly give a student. Some didn't even give tests for a
whole month so that we could adjust to the situation.
Then
in May there was a massive flood. There was about 6 feet of water in
East Junior High School. It took a week for the river to subside and
then another week for them to get the school cleaned up so that we could
go back again.
By
then there was about 2 weeks to go and school was out. I started High
School the next year so I am not sure but I think that it took several
months to fix the wall and the kids at Central continued to go to East
well into the next school year.
A friend of mine posted that it was the 35th. anniversary of the
Blizzard of '78 yesterday. She remembers it because she was married
that day. There was so much snow that they had to walk to the church. I
was a little younger and it was the start of a great school year for
me.
When
I was in the 9th. grade we had a massive snowstorm that kept us out of
school for most of January and February. It started off as a typical
school year, just going to school day after day. It had been years since
we had a snow day off from school. When it came time to go back to
school after Christmas break the skies opened up and the most we went to
school for the next 2 months was 2 days a week. Usually it was only one
day a week. This was back in the days when they didn't make you make up
the days at the end of the year or have 2 hour delays or any of that
pain in the ass stuff.
Then
in early March I was waiting for the bus and no one else was there.
This was unusual. A passing car stopped and told me that the wall had
fallen at Central and school was cancelled. I went home to listen to the
radio and sure enough the retaining wall had fallen at our junior high
school. Central Junior High School was perched up on the side of the
mountain overlooking Logan, West Virginia. It was built behind a massive
retaining wall that was easily 50 or 60 feet high. We were out of
school for a week while they decided what to do with us. There was no
way the wall could be repaired before the school year was over.
They
decided to send us to East Junior High School - our arch rivals. To
minimize the possibilities of fights we started school an hour after the
East kids and we went home an hour earlier than they did. We also had
staggered lunch hours so that we didn't take lunch at the same time. I
think some of the teachers were more traumatized by the move than we
were and we learned quickly how to take advantage of the situation. We
were particularly thrilled when Mrs. Triolo and Mrs. Mendez got into a
fist fight because Mrs. Triolo called Mrs. Mendez a dike! Boy, was that a
story!
Some
teachers padded our grades, saying we were traumatized and upping them a
whole letter. (Not that it mattered to me. I was an "A,B" student
anyway so that didn't help me much.) We got every concession that a
teacher could possibly give a student. Some didn't even give tests for a
whole month so that we could adjust to the situation.
Then
in May there was a massive flood. There was about 6 feet of water in
East Junior High School. It took a week for the river to subside and
then another week for them to get the school cleaned up so that we could
go back again.
By
then there was about 2 weeks to go and school was out. I started High
School the next year so I am not sure but I think that it took several
months to fix the wall and the kids at Central continued to go to East
well into the next school year.
I got 99 problems....or do I? - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
I got 99 problems....or do I? - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
1. I would love to know what that popping noise is outside my
window - I live on the 8th. floor and I have heard it about 6 times in
the past day. Maybe the cold is doing something to the metal on the air
conditioner?
2. heart
3. lungs
4. fat
5. pepsi addiction - got a handle on that right now but it is a lifelong battle
6. post Christmas slump
7. I'm poor - but I have everything I need
8.
I have to figure out what I'm going to do about internet this month. My
2 year contract with ntelos runs out and I want to switch to an
unlimitied data plan - suddenlink?
9. BRING ME SOME SALT!
10.
Blogster is boring me to death lately. If you want anybody to read
your posts you have to post something negative about blogster.
11. I am slowly withdrawing from the world and the people in it.
12. should I get cable? it will cut into my gas money, but I don't go anywhere anymore anyway.
13. I'm gonna have to switch pharmacies. I hate to do it but sometimes change is best
14. I resolve to wash clothes today
15. I hate it when people put a pen back that doesn't work - THROW THE DAMN THING AWAY
16. I hate it when the adding machine tape rolls back into the machine.
17. Eddie
18. I need to take my tree down but I really don't want to. I like it.
19. I want a job
20. I want to travel
21. I want...
22. I need to be nicer. It's too easy for me to be my grouchy self.
23. I need breakfast (solved that one)
24. need an oil change
25. tired of reading that post "these are my rules"...everybody's rules are pretty much the same.
26.
I need to get around and read more of my friends blogs...most of my
circle does not participate in the petty warfare around here
27.
If you unfriend me, don't send me another friend invitation. You
unfriended me for a reason and I can live with that. Different people
need different things from friends.
28. for that matter, it doesn't really matter if someone is your friend. you can interact anyway.
29. Would winning the lottery solve all my problems?
30. gonna be hard pressed to finish this list.
31.
I need new Crocs. All my old ones are pretty worn but I wear such a
large size that they are hard to find - especially pretty ones
32. I need some new recipes. I'm stuck in the same old rut.
33. I need to get back on track with my salads - burnt out on them too.
34. It's perfect flu weather. 50 one day 0 the next and then 50 again...
35. remember to tell my doctor I need a suction thingy - I've used enough tissue lately to kill half a forest.
36. down to my last oxygen tank
37.
I can't figure out how in the world to use the new breathing treatment
apparatus they gave me. I have to get them to show me I guess. (been
using the old one)
38. I would love to be on someone's pedestal again -yes, I spent years on one and it was nice.
39.
I would love for the morning news to actually tell us the news - you
get about 15 minutes of news and an hour and a half of entertainment and
arts and crafts.
40. why are commercials on every station at the same time?
41. why are they still turning the volume up on commercials? Didn't they make that illegal last year.
42.
just saw a man who was afloat at sea for 2 days - and he couldn't
swim. Makes my list look trivial but I already knew that.
43. adopt a pet from your local animal shelter (or anywhere you find one)
44. too much time on my hands.
45. need a productive outlet
46. halfway there
47. currently getting stronger so I don't have to whine about that
48.
time to open a new bank account so they will give me a $100 - loyalty
to a bank or insurance company gets you nothing these days
49. I
hope I got my A1C under control. I know I made some moves in the right
direction but it was Christmas and Thanksgiving afterall. The doctor
has threatened to put me on even more meds if I didn't.
50. Pudgy is a mental case. He keeps licking bald patches on himself.
51. getting pretty good at timing my activities with good weather - I have to, I can't breathe in extreme temperatures
52. I wish I were allowed to have more pets
53. bored with this...outta here
54.
I'm sick to death of people posting stuff as factual when it obviously
isn't. It's one thing to post jokes that are outrageous but blindly
posting stuff because you got it somewhere reliable (a friend) just
dosn't cut it.
55. people keep posting old "lost notices" and
amber alerts on facebook. everytime you post one that has been solved
that takes up space for one that is current.
56. By far the
hardest thing I do is laundry. I have to do it at the machine's pace.
Everything else I can do at my pace which is slower than a herd of
turtles I've been told.
But if that is my biggest problem then life is good.
1. I would love to know what that popping noise is outside my
window - I live on the 8th. floor and I have heard it about 6 times in
the past day. Maybe the cold is doing something to the metal on the air
conditioner?
2. heart
3. lungs
4. fat
5. pepsi addiction - got a handle on that right now but it is a lifelong battle
6. post Christmas slump
7. I'm poor - but I have everything I need
8.
I have to figure out what I'm going to do about internet this month. My
2 year contract with ntelos runs out and I want to switch to an
unlimitied data plan - suddenlink?
9. BRING ME SOME SALT!
10.
Blogster is boring me to death lately. If you want anybody to read
your posts you have to post something negative about blogster.
11. I am slowly withdrawing from the world and the people in it.
12. should I get cable? it will cut into my gas money, but I don't go anywhere anymore anyway.
13. I'm gonna have to switch pharmacies. I hate to do it but sometimes change is best
14. I resolve to wash clothes today
15. I hate it when people put a pen back that doesn't work - THROW THE DAMN THING AWAY
16. I hate it when the adding machine tape rolls back into the machine.
17. Eddie
18. I need to take my tree down but I really don't want to. I like it.
19. I want a job
20. I want to travel
21. I want...
22. I need to be nicer. It's too easy for me to be my grouchy self.
23. I need breakfast (solved that one)
24. need an oil change
25. tired of reading that post "these are my rules"...everybody's rules are pretty much the same.
26.
I need to get around and read more of my friends blogs...most of my
circle does not participate in the petty warfare around here
27.
If you unfriend me, don't send me another friend invitation. You
unfriended me for a reason and I can live with that. Different people
need different things from friends.
28. for that matter, it doesn't really matter if someone is your friend. you can interact anyway.
29. Would winning the lottery solve all my problems?
30. gonna be hard pressed to finish this list.
31.
I need new Crocs. All my old ones are pretty worn but I wear such a
large size that they are hard to find - especially pretty ones
32. I need some new recipes. I'm stuck in the same old rut.
33. I need to get back on track with my salads - burnt out on them too.
34. It's perfect flu weather. 50 one day 0 the next and then 50 again...
35. remember to tell my doctor I need a suction thingy - I've used enough tissue lately to kill half a forest.
36. down to my last oxygen tank
37.
I can't figure out how in the world to use the new breathing treatment
apparatus they gave me. I have to get them to show me I guess. (been
using the old one)
38. I would love to be on someone's pedestal again -yes, I spent years on one and it was nice.
39.
I would love for the morning news to actually tell us the news - you
get about 15 minutes of news and an hour and a half of entertainment and
arts and crafts.
40. why are commercials on every station at the same time?
41. why are they still turning the volume up on commercials? Didn't they make that illegal last year.
42.
just saw a man who was afloat at sea for 2 days - and he couldn't
swim. Makes my list look trivial but I already knew that.
43. adopt a pet from your local animal shelter (or anywhere you find one)
44. too much time on my hands.
45. need a productive outlet
46. halfway there
47. currently getting stronger so I don't have to whine about that
48.
time to open a new bank account so they will give me a $100 - loyalty
to a bank or insurance company gets you nothing these days
49. I
hope I got my A1C under control. I know I made some moves in the right
direction but it was Christmas and Thanksgiving afterall. The doctor
has threatened to put me on even more meds if I didn't.
50. Pudgy is a mental case. He keeps licking bald patches on himself.
51. getting pretty good at timing my activities with good weather - I have to, I can't breathe in extreme temperatures
52. I wish I were allowed to have more pets
53. bored with this...outta here
54.
I'm sick to death of people posting stuff as factual when it obviously
isn't. It's one thing to post jokes that are outrageous but blindly
posting stuff because you got it somewhere reliable (a friend) just
dosn't cut it.
55. people keep posting old "lost notices" and
amber alerts on facebook. everytime you post one that has been solved
that takes up space for one that is current.
56. By far the
hardest thing I do is laundry. I have to do it at the machine's pace.
Everything else I can do at my pace which is slower than a herd of
turtles I've been told.
But if that is my biggest problem then life is good.Don't Have Sex in the Snow! - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
Don't Have Sex in the Snow! - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR A 5
FOOT POPSICLE TO THAW OUT! WHEN I TOLD MY EX HOW I FELT ABOUT THE
SUBJECT HE SAID HE DIDN'T REMEMBER IT BEING THAT BAD. I INFORMED HIM
THAT HE WASN'T ON THE BOTTOM....HAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
FOOT POPSICLE TO THAW OUT! WHEN I TOLD MY EX HOW I FELT ABOUT THE
SUBJECT HE SAID HE DIDN'T REMEMBER IT BEING THAT BAD. I INFORMED HIM
THAT HE WASN'T ON THE BOTTOM....HAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA
Here's what you get at Dollar Tree for $25 - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
Here's what you get at Dollar Tree for $25 - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
!. Cayenne Pepper
2. vanilla milk - tasted terrible, don't buy this
3. generic benadryl (36 count)
4. cat litter (5 - 7lb. bags) ($5)
5. pepsi
6. grape jelly
7. chicken egg roll
8. 2 cans of generic rotel tomatoes ($1)
9. placker's flossers
10. colgate toothbrush
11. bathtub cleaner
12. no salt chips
13.
spaghetti (3 bags Pagasa brand spaghetti - 32 ounces each. I don't
know what it is about this spaghettie because it tastes better than any
other spaghetti on the shelf. You also get twice as much. It sells out
fast. That is why I got 3 bags)
14. elbow macaroni (Pagasa brand again)
15.
Spic n Span - I love this stuff. It cleans grease and gunk like
nothing else. Good to mop floors with as well. Yes, it's the old
fashioned stuff that has been around for years.
16. 2 32 ounce Cranberry Juice. It tastes as good as Ocean Spray brand.
17. Grape Juice
18. Michelina's Salisbury Steak and Mashed Potatoes
!. Cayenne Pepper
2. vanilla milk - tasted terrible, don't buy this
3. generic benadryl (36 count)
4. cat litter (5 - 7lb. bags) ($5)
5. pepsi
6. grape jelly
7. chicken egg roll
8. 2 cans of generic rotel tomatoes ($1)
9. placker's flossers
10. colgate toothbrush
11. bathtub cleaner
12. no salt chips
13.
spaghetti (3 bags Pagasa brand spaghetti - 32 ounces each. I don't
know what it is about this spaghettie because it tastes better than any
other spaghetti on the shelf. You also get twice as much. It sells out
fast. That is why I got 3 bags)
14. elbow macaroni (Pagasa brand again)
15.
Spic n Span - I love this stuff. It cleans grease and gunk like
nothing else. Good to mop floors with as well. Yes, it's the old
fashioned stuff that has been around for years.
16. 2 32 ounce Cranberry Juice. It tastes as good as Ocean Spray brand.
17. Grape Juice
18. Michelina's Salisbury Steak and Mashed Potatoes
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
It's been 3 months and Most People Still Don't Drink the Water - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
It's been 3 months and Most People Still Don't Drink the Water - damnpamn's Blog - Blogster
MCHM was leaked into our water supply back in January and it is
still in the system. The longest I have gone without smelling it is
about 2 weeks and then that dreaded licorice smell makes it into my dish
water or my shower. There was one point where it had gone long enough
that I was starting to cook with it but the smell came back as strong as
ever so I stopped doing that.
They no longer distribute free
water but there is plenty of bottled water to buy. Every store you go
into has pallets of gallons of water and cases of water stacked to the
ceiling and every buggy leaving the store generally has a case or two
thrown in with the other groceries.
There are a few charitable
groups that still give out water periodically and I try to take
advantage of these giveaways whenever possible. WV Clean Water Hub has
done an outstanding job at getting water to those outlying rural areas
in West Virginia. They have more problems than we do in Charleston
because they are at the end of the water lines and the chemical seems to
pool there instead of running through the system. They do take
charitable donations if anyone wants to donate. They have a web page
and a facebook page. The got me over the hump this month. I had
reached the point I was going to have to use the water because I didn't
have the money to buy more and they had a giveaway in Charleston (right
next to the governor's mansion). They gave me 7 gallons of water
including one distilled that I need for my oxygen machine.
The
state is paying for outside labs at 3 colleges to do research on the
water and the chemical MCHM. People don't trust the results of the
state tests because they keep telling us the chemical is at "nondetect"
levels and we can still smell it. They do say that just because you can
smell it doesn't mean it will hurt you. It's kind of like the chlorine
in the water. You can smell it at levels that aren't actually
effective. But the smell is "sickening" to say the least. I never
noticed how much licorice and diesel smell alike until this all started.
The
water company is starting the process of changing filters this week.
The MCHM has become trapped in the filters so that even though no more
is going into the water company it is still coming out. It's funny to
me that 2 days before the 2 research groups were to make their findings
public that the water company said that we shouldn't be surprised if
more MCHM was in our pipes. Up until then all they would say is it was
at "nondetect" levels. They continued to dismiss school after school
because of water problems "unrelated" to the spill. School personnel
who complained of the smell and students were labled as people who were
just trying to get out of work. They even sent in "rapid response
teams" to these schools who would report that the water was safe within
hours each and every time.
The big push to force us to believe the
water was safe happened earlier this month. State and City officials
are worried about tourism in the state. Afterall who wants to visit a
state touted for it's mountain beauty when you can't drink the water? I
will say that the areas known for WV tourism are COMPLETELY UNAFFECTED
by MCHM. They are not in our water system. However the city of
Charleston is trying to "figure out"why tourism is down in our
city....duh!
MCHM was leaked into our water supply back in January and it is
still in the system. The longest I have gone without smelling it is
about 2 weeks and then that dreaded licorice smell makes it into my dish
water or my shower. There was one point where it had gone long enough
that I was starting to cook with it but the smell came back as strong as
ever so I stopped doing that.
They no longer distribute free
water but there is plenty of bottled water to buy. Every store you go
into has pallets of gallons of water and cases of water stacked to the
ceiling and every buggy leaving the store generally has a case or two
thrown in with the other groceries.
There are a few charitable
groups that still give out water periodically and I try to take
advantage of these giveaways whenever possible. WV Clean Water Hub has
done an outstanding job at getting water to those outlying rural areas
in West Virginia. They have more problems than we do in Charleston
because they are at the end of the water lines and the chemical seems to
pool there instead of running through the system. They do take
charitable donations if anyone wants to donate. They have a web page
and a facebook page. The got me over the hump this month. I had
reached the point I was going to have to use the water because I didn't
have the money to buy more and they had a giveaway in Charleston (right
next to the governor's mansion). They gave me 7 gallons of water
including one distilled that I need for my oxygen machine.
The
state is paying for outside labs at 3 colleges to do research on the
water and the chemical MCHM. People don't trust the results of the
state tests because they keep telling us the chemical is at "nondetect"
levels and we can still smell it. They do say that just because you can
smell it doesn't mean it will hurt you. It's kind of like the chlorine
in the water. You can smell it at levels that aren't actually
effective. But the smell is "sickening" to say the least. I never
noticed how much licorice and diesel smell alike until this all started.
The
water company is starting the process of changing filters this week.
The MCHM has become trapped in the filters so that even though no more
is going into the water company it is still coming out. It's funny to
me that 2 days before the 2 research groups were to make their findings
public that the water company said that we shouldn't be surprised if
more MCHM was in our pipes. Up until then all they would say is it was
at "nondetect" levels. They continued to dismiss school after school
because of water problems "unrelated" to the spill. School personnel
who complained of the smell and students were labled as people who were
just trying to get out of work. They even sent in "rapid response
teams" to these schools who would report that the water was safe within
hours each and every time.
The big push to force us to believe the
water was safe happened earlier this month. State and City officials
are worried about tourism in the state. Afterall who wants to visit a
state touted for it's mountain beauty when you can't drink the water? I
will say that the areas known for WV tourism are COMPLETELY UNAFFECTED
by MCHM. They are not in our water system. However the city of
Charleston is trying to "figure out"why tourism is down in our
city....duh!
Monday, March 31, 2014
We STILL can't drink the water in Charleston, WV
OUR GOVERNMENT IS INSISTING THE WATER IS FINE (Governor, National Guard, FEMA,EPA, DEP) - BUT NOT THE HEAD OF OUR LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT! Many people are still getting water like this out of their taps over 2 weeks after the MCHM spill. The problem is wide spread - not in any one area. I will say that my water looks fine and mostly does not have any odor any longer but it will be fine a couple of days and then the licorice smell comes back. It did look like that for about an hour when I first started flushing it. They told us to flush hot water for 15 minutes. Cold for 5 minutes and outside taps for 15 minutes. I flushed over 2 hours before the orange sediment went away. Today 3 of the local schools tested HIGH for MCHM out of their faucets. That is part of the problem. The government is testing from fire hydrants - not from residential faucets or from businesses.
Please Keep Sharing this petition. It is up to almost 10,000 signatures now. 4,000 have been added in the last 2 days. It needs 100,000 to get results. You can copy and paste the following address:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/investigate-mismanagement-wv-water-disaster-state-and-county-officials-well-wv-american-water/m9S1TDRC
It's purpose is to investigate the mismanagement of the WV water disaster by the state and county officials as well as get some help.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
