NotesFromtheVoices

Last night for seven minutes, I knew what pure bliss felt like. For seven minutes, I had power. This means I had air conditioning. It was nice and cool. It was nice to hear the hum of the refrigerator. As I reached for my remote, I heard a loud explosion. And my bliss ended. Down the street, the transformer had blew. Bye bye air. It was nice while it lasted. I called the power company and learned I am one of 17,363 people without power. I feel I am in good company because most of those people are my friends, neigbhors and bosses. I am fortunate than most because there is power and internet at work so I am not completely cut off. I freeze five bottles of water each afternoon so I will have cold water to get me through the night. Overall, things are starting to get back to normal. Daily Dose 1. Enjoying the simple things in life. 2. Having a hot shower. 3. Internet access at work.

So far this year, RR has had a tornado, an earthquake and now a lovely little dame named Irene decided to visit us. We are quite fortunate here with trees down, power out and no fatalities. I have been without power since Saturday at 4:30 p.m. It is not the lack of air or electricity that is getting to me but the unnatural quiet. And the sound of generators humming throughout neighborhood. I am glad JJ is not here to experience this. I have water so I am able to shower. I worked yesterday so I saw how many trees were uprooted and on houses and power lines. It was so sad. We have been under a curfew each night. Each night, I  have eaten beanie weenies in a can while reading by candlelight. I am  not complaining because I have a roof over my head that isn't leaking or provides a clear view of the stars. We were very blessed in the Roanoke Valley. DAILY DOSE 1. Being able to use the newspaper's microwave for a hot meal.  2. Internet access from the newspaper. 3. Be...

Letting me take a picture of him before school. I took this one as he waits with the other students. I love my son. I just came back to RR after spending a long weekend. My son started kindergarten on Thursday. He did great with no tears. But tears came from me. I remember all the firsts--first laugh, first word, first steps and others. My baby is in kindergarten. I took plenty of pictures to preserve this moment. All in all, it was a great weekend. Full of visits to the park, playing doctor (I brought him a doctor kit) and riding his toy 4 wheeler. And for the first time, JJ got to see E.T. He loved it. I miss having him with me but he knows I love him very much. I have a really awesome kid. He's not perfect but he is a good kid. And it's nice to know there is someone in this world who loves me for me. JJ playing on his toy four-wheeler. Having some good quality time at the park. Daily Dose 1. Getting to spend a few days with JJ. 2. Not ...

For the last few days, I have had a case of the blues that I just can’t shake. It started with a dream I had about my mom. In the dream, she recovered from her cancer and lived. It seemed so vivid and real. After waking up, I have just been kind of sad. The one year anniversary of her death is coming up soon. It coupled with some other personal stuff makes me miss her so much. I can talk to my friends but there is nothing like advice from my mom. Another thing contributing to feeling blue is wondering if all my hard work at my job is for nothing. We have no overtime. In addition to the newspaper, there are two magazines and tons of special sections to work on. I have worked hard in the past year improve my writing skills and be a better reporter. And most importantly, worked hard to recover from ED. But for the past week, I have had to stop myself several times from sending a "I quit this job" text. I don't hate my job because I love writing and be able to tell pe...

I am not a summer person. And while I love wearing cute dresses with cute heels or wedges, I do not dig the heat. I am a spring and fall gal who loves temperatures in the late 70s and mid-80s. I don't like breaking into a sweat at 7:45 a.m. when I am leaving for work. Summer means working in the meat locker at work. On a typically day, I dress for the outside temps of hot and the inside temperature of bitter cold. Who knew 73 degrees inside could be so cold. But summer is a part of life. As a reporter, it is hard taking pictures and doing interviews in 95 plus heat. Kids love it but adults hate. Thank goodness, JJ knows that hot temperatures mean hot playground equipment. His motto is "if  you have to put on pants to go to the playground, then what is the point." I agree and we head to the air conditioned splendor of the McDonald's Playland. I have been crazy busy of late. Yesterday, all I did was sleep. I did venture out briefly for the Sunday newspaper at noon...