Going to work a third job

Tuesday afternoon, I interviewed with a manager of Witham Auto Center in Cedar Falls for a pair of possible job opportunities. One was for the position I applied through Cumulus Jobs for - auto sales - but the other is something that came up and the guy matched me up for with what was in my resume - Website production.

Anyway, I get there about 20 minutes early, as it's always a good practice to do. I introduced myself to the receptionist, and was directed to the service waiting room while Mark, the guy I was meeting, finished with a customer. About 30 minutes later, he finally caught up with me and went into his office.

First thing he asked me was why I thought I could sell cars. I gave him my wanting to try something different than pizza delivery or newspaper writing, and I thought I can make it work out. I also mentioned the CARS program, also known as "cash-for-clunkers." I thought that this would be a good time to enter the business, as people are now more likely to try to buy a new, more fuel-efficient car, and I wanted to be a part of it.

However, looking at my resume, Mark thought that the Web coordinator job would be better to my skillset, as I have experience taking photography with my newspaper jobs. He advised me to take a few days to think it over and get back with him.

That night, I visited my girlfriend, Jenny, and this opportunity came up. She thought I should seriously take the job as opposed to auto sales either at Witham's or at Holdiman Motors down the street a couple miles. She said I can take the job, which would be during weekday mornings, still work for Pizza Hut, which I figured I can do Wednesday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, and do correspondent work for the Cedar Falls Times. That convinced me, but I had to make sure it was doable with Andy.

Wednesday morning, I was prepared to talk with Andy about the prospect, except he wasn't there then. Wes, who's being groomed to be assistant manager of the store, switched shifts with Andy, so I had to wait for the next day to tell Andy what was going on. So, I tell Andy that Witham's wants me to work there in the mornings, and that I would need an adjustment to my schedule starting the week of Aug. 10, to what I just mentioned above. He agreed to it. So, I just needed to tell Mark that I'd take the job. I tried to do that when I got home yesterday, but he was out. He called me back today about 11:15, but I couldn't take the call at the time, as I'm not allowed to make or take calls on my cell phone in the store unless it's an emergency or has to do with work.

When I went on my second delivery of the day, to Dan Deery Motors' parts department, I called Mark to let him know I'd take the job and arranged to start Aug. 10 at 9:30 a.m. The girl who's doing the job now would show me how to work the camera and work with me before she leaves to do what she's going to be doing next at mid-month.

From what I've been told, this is a special camera. I cannot use my Canon Digital Rebel XT that I use for my newspaper coverage. What it can do is scan the barcode for the Vehicle Identification Number that you'd see inside the corner of the windshield atop the dashboard on the driver's side. Then the pictures can be matched up with the car, which we'd have to take several for the Website. When they're uploaded, the computer can match the VIN with information on the vehicle we're selling. Once everything is ready, we then upload the pictures and information to the Mudd Group, which handles the production of the site.

As part of the job, I would have to take the pictures of the cars at all three of Witham's locations - Cedar Falls, Waterloo and LaPorte City. Because of that, they will allow me to drive any car on the lot between lots. All three Witham dealerships sell Ford cars and trucks, while the Cedar Falls location also deals with Volkswagen, Waterloo does Kia and LaPorte sells Chevrolets. I'd probably drive more of the Fords and VWs from the Cedar Falls store, as I'll probably be based there.

What I'm thinking about is when I take a few of the cars out for a spin between stores, I'll give you all a review of the vehicles I'd drive, and maybe I can get a few more followers to monetize this blog. That way, I can probably make a few extra bucks.

Speaking of a few extra bucks, last summer, I co-wrote a zentai-based sci-fi story called "The Community" with a guy in the UK. We were hoping to be able to sell the story as a novel, as it was pretty long and involved, but nothing came out of that. Anyway, one of our fellow members of Ayus-Zentai decided to start a zentai picture book at Lulu.com. Rene, my partner in crime on this project, checked out Lulu, and found we would have no up-front costs to produce our book. The book would be available for purchase as either a download or in paperback. As soon as Rene is ready to publicize it, I'll put up a link on here to buy the book. From what I saw, the download is about $8.50 and paperback is about $12.

We're in the midst of doing a sequel to "The Community" called "No Community." I won't give too much away, but it deals with some people who want to separate themselves from the world-wide Community in our first work.

That's about all for now. If there's anything new personally, or if I have reactions from what's going on in the news, I'll post again. Until next time!

Dad's a klutz!

My father's face marred from a faceplant in the cooler at his job. (My own photo)

Be careful in walk-in coolers!

After I got home from work this afternoon and had my lunch, I went back upstairs to put my plate in the dishwasher. My dad, Bob, was there looking for something to watch on TV after getting up from his nap. Anyway, I turn back from the kitchen and see what you see above: Dad's forehead has a long, thin scratch and a shorter, thicker gash near where his hairline should be.

"What the heck did you do to your face?" I asked.

"I had a little accident last night," he replied.

He explained that he fell over in the walk-in cooler at the Kum & Go on San Marnan Drive in Waterloo. When he fell, he took a face-plant into a few cooler shelves and may have been KO'd for a little while. He was telling my brother, Scot, that he was waiting for someone to look for him after a while. Also, his boss was wanting him to go to the hospital for treatment.

Anyway, he doesn't mind that much about the face. He said he also pulled a leg muscle.

There was a time when he and Scot and my mom, Diana, would kid me for being clumsy with my growing feet (which stopped about at a size 9 1/2), but now he has to take a little bit of ribbing for a while.

Powerless for 55 1/2 hours

Tree maintenance worker saws a limb partially broken off during a severe thunderstorm/microburst that hit the Cedar Falls-Waterloo area early Friday morning. (photo courtesy Waterloo Courier)

Huge storm disables Cedar Falls; power cut to my house for 55 1/2 hours

Friday morning about 3:45, I got woke up (which usually doesn't happen) by a very powerful thunderstorm. I could hear the thunder and the hail patter my bedroom window. Also, I noticed the power got cut from the storm.

When I got up at 7 a.m., I called Cedar Falls Utilities to report the outage. From what I heard later, about 8,000 customers in Cedar Falls were without power, and another 7,800 across the rest of Black Hawk County. Here is an article from today's Waterloo Courier about the storm:

CEDAR FALLS --- Prioritizing cleanup was a necessity following a veritable avalanche of tree damage from Friday morning's storm.

The Cedar Falls Public Works Department used a familiar plan.

"It's kind of similar to how we do snow removal," said Public Works Director Bruce Sorensen. "Clear the arteries first and then get side streets done as they can."

The intense storm hit about 4 a.m. It toppled trees throughout the Cedar Valley, blocking streets, damaging power lines, crushing cars and damaging homes.

"We estimated 66 mph before the equipment went kaput," said Aubry Wilkins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, referring to wind speeds clocked at the Waterloo airport.

Though the NWS hasn't completed a survey of the damage in Cedar Falls, Wilkins said it is possible the storm produced a downburst over the city.

A downburst is described as a column of cold air descending very quickly during a thunderstorm. As the column reaches the ground, the rushing air produces strong winds.

A microburst would produce damaging winds extending less than 2.5 miles but with speeds in excess of 160 mph. A macroburst is larger but packs a slightly less powerful punch with winds in excess of 134 mph.

A macroburst could last up to 30 minutes, however, according to the National Weather Service.

About 8,000 Cedar Falls Utilities' customers had their power knocked out as utility poles and power lines were downed in the storms. While several hundred homes remained without power Saturday afternoon, nine electric crews --- including crews from municipal utilities in other cities --- will continue working until dark, said CFU spokesperson Betty Zeman.

Up to 500 customers could remain without power overnight, she said. CFU is advising customers to call 268-6999 this morning if their power has not been restored.

Chad Turner took the day off from work at Principal Financial Group Friday. He didn't have much of a choice. A 3-foot diameter Linden tree from his boulevard fell across a car and blocked his driveway on Iowa Street. Up and down the street, the neighborhood worked to clear smaller trees and make the street passable. The big Linden was beyond their capabilities.

The scene in the back yard wasn't much better. Several trees were down, taking down electric service lines to several homes. One of the trees landed on his garage, damaging shingles, siding and a portion of the roof.

"You can see the outside from the inside, and that's not good," Turner said.

After a full day of clean-up efforts, Cedar Falls Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Larry Burman said the department hasn't been called for emergency medical or rescue help. The storm turned thousands of people usually not accustomed to running chain saws and other equipment into lumberjacks, he said. And that can lead to trouble.

"Nobody has fell off a roof or ladder, that's most amazing thing to me. Some of the more dangerous times is days after the storm," Burman said.

The city of Cedar Falls opened the compost site in the 300 block of North Main Street to take tree debris until it is no longer needed. That facility will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. until further notice. The city also will waive fees for yard waste collection pickup Monday.

Street crews were assisted by parks workers as the city worked to make streets passable as soon as possible.

Residents in many neighborhoods kept working on clearing storm damage as additional thunderstorms rolled through Friday morning.

Clark Vanhauen donned a poncho to shed rain as he helped clear debris from his neighbor's home. Vanhauen had a pine tree crash into his house. It damaged an awning, siding and knocked out his electric service connection.

"It's nothing that can't be fixed," Vanhauen said.

Mike Dowd, the next door neighbor, was working with Vanhauen and a friend to load up a trailer to take brush away. He had a tree down in the front yard and two in the back, one which struck his garage. He pointed to the pine tree that struck a glancing blow to Vanhauen's house and noted how it could easily have caused major problems. In the process, he noted a larger tree above his home had a large split. Dowd paid $2,000 to have some trees and brush cleared last year. It appeared another bill may be forthcoming.

Large trees down across the road blocked access up and down Madison Street in the Cedar Heights area. Many of the trees sheared off right at the base. Other trees were uprooted, and some lost major branches that were large enough to appear to be trees unto themselves at first glance.

Dave Mitchell and Jamie Brandt didn't bother with rain gear as they worked at sawing up trees at the home of Mitchell's mother on Sunnyside Circle. In the backyard, about 10 neighbors worked up and down the block helping each other.

"It's quite a group effort," Mitchell said.

More than 15 residents from the Windsor Nursing and Rehab Center had to be moved to the Parkview Nursing and Rehab Center Friday because of roof damage and a power outage at the Cedar Falls facility. Nicole Bateman, a nurse at Windsor, was uncertain when the residents would be able to return. None of the residents were injured.

Crews at the University of Northern Iowa said it will be several days, possibly even weeks, before the extent of damage on campus can be assessed completely.

Winds damaged at least 350 trees on the campus, and of those at least 100 will have to be completely removed, said Paul Meyerman, assistant director of operations planning.

"You go out to one area and say 'Oh crud.' Then you turn a corner, and it just never ends," he said.

The storm also damaged both Latham Hall --- windows were broken and a tree punctured the roof --- and Price Laboratory School, where windows also were broken. Meyerman said the roof has been patched and crews are working to cover the windows to keep from incurring any further damage.

Dean Shoars, director of the physical plant, is hopeful the area near 23rd and College streets can be cleared in time for the College Hill Arts Festival, scheduled for July 17-18.

Insurance adjusters scrambled to get out to help homeowners file claims. Kendall Kramer, a manager with State Farm Insurance, said his company was bringing in help from outside the area to set up a catastrophe center.

Fortunately, my house, near Sartori Hospital, was not damaged, nor were either of our three trees (one in the parking area between the street and sidewalk, another right next to my bedroom and my mother's former bedroom, and the third in the back yard) split or got uprooted. However, I saw thousands of trees all over Cedar Falls damaged by the winds. Many had already been cleared first thing in the morning Friday, but most still straddled the streets well into the evening.

I was supposed to cover the Cedar Falls-Iowa City West baseball game that night, until I called Jack Sole on my way from a delivery to see about the condition of the baseball field at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex. He told me the first-base dugout was blown down -- made of cement blocks and metal. I didn't know what he meant until I got there last night to cover the Cedar Falls-Ames regional softball game: blocks everywhere, the metal roof lying over some, the water spraying about from the water fountain that was behind the dugout. It was the only major damage from the storm at the complex that I could see. The softball diamond, tennis courts and auxiliary baseball diamond -- used mostly for youth baseball -- were fine by the time I was there.

All the while, my brother, father and I had been sitting in the dark house, when we were home, waiting for the power to be restored. Dad asked me Friday before joining him, Scot, Grandma Smith and my uncle's family for dinner to call the Utilities to see what's going on. I was told they would call a little later and would try to get everyone powered up by the end of the day. Nine p.m. arrived, and nothing. I called again to the Utilities a few times yesterday. When I got home from the softball game at 9:15 p.m. I called to see if I can get an update. The guy on the phone said to check back in an hour, as the power was on across the street to the west, northwest and north. I called at 10:15, no progress. Then I called at 11:30, they went home for the night.

I woked up this morning at 9 a.m. and called again. The lady told me they were back out at 6 a.m. and was taking down names, addresses and phone numbers to inform crews where the power was still out. Then at 10:15, I heard my dog bark at something. I got off my bed to check it out, and lo and behold, Dad's lamp was on next to the couch. WE HAD LIGHTS!!!! Fifty-five and a half hours later, we had electricity!

I hope you all can appreciate what you have now, because when you don't have it, it's tough to make it through the day.

Oh, and if you're looking for firewood, come to Cedar Falls, Iowa. You can have it by the truckload!

The late former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, after his capture in 2003. (AP File photo)

If this doesn't prove the Iraq war was wrong...

Recently, the National Security Archive and the New York Daily News released reports of declassified FBI interviews of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein after his December 2003 capture in Tikrit following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq earlier that year. In the interview, Saddam told FBI interviewers, who were speaking with him in Arabic, that he led the world to believe he still had weapons of mass destruction so that Iran wouldn't think his country was weak.

For 12 years after the first Gulf War in 1991 (a.k.a. Operation Desert Storm), UN inspectors have tried to root out all or any of Saddam's WMDs, but to no avail. Each time the inspectors met resistance, the UN Security Council passed a resolution to order Saddam to reveal the WMDs or else. When he refused, the U.S. military launched air strikes on suspected chemical- or biological-weapon sites, but sometimes ended up to be civilian factories.

And then 9/11 came. The administration of George W. Bush tried to figure out who launched the attack, where four jumbo jets were used as missiles against the World Trade Center and sites within Washington, D.C. The two jets targetting New York found their spots, eventually toppling the Twin Towers. A third slammed into the Pentagon. A fourth may have been heading toward the Capitol building or the White House, but United Flight 93's passengers rebelled against the hijackers and forced it down in a Pennsylvania field.

When it became clear the WMDs were not where the Bush administration said they were, I had big doubts on the Iraq War by the time the 2004 Presidential Election rolled around. I felt Sen. Kerry would have led the country better than Bush, because he was a war hero during Vietnam, whereas Bush allegedly skipped out on his reserve duty. I'm not going to dwell on that election, but let's just say a new term was coined after this debackle: swiftboating.

Now, back to the day's news: The Bush administration persuaded the world that the rationale for invading Iraq in March 2003 was to expose Saddam's lies about WMDs. Well, it now seems he lied about having them, not that he didn't. Quoting the AP article, via Yahoo! News: "The documents also confirm previous reports that Saddam falsely allowed the world to believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction — the main U.S. rationale behind the war — because he feared revealing his weakness to Iran, the hostile neighbor he considered a bigger threat than the U.S."

You see how this all gets centered around the old Iran-Iraq rivalry? The two nations had an eight-year war in the 1980s, and Saddam feared the theocratical regime in Tehran than he did presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton and the younger Bush. He basically played a high-stakes game of poker, and he was bluffing that he had a bunch of aces in the hole, what some of us poker players call "the weapons of mass destruction." He really had a 7-2 off-suit.

Here's another quote from the FBI report through the AP article about the rationale for invading Iraq: "Saddam also stated that the United States used the Sept. 11 terrorist attack as a justification to attack Iraq and said the U.S. had 'lost sight of the cause of 9/11.' He claimed that he denounced the attack in a series of editorials." The cause, according to Saddam: al Qaeda.

Another assertation of the Bush Administration to invade Iraq was because the Iraqi government was in liege with al Qaeda. Saddam said in the FBI interview that he never met the group's leader, Osama bin Laden, and called him a "zealot." The government also never cooperated with al Qaeda.

So there you go, right there in black and white, the rationalles for the Iraq War blown right out of the water. We spent six years going after shadows in Iraq when the real War on Terror front was in Afghanistan. We helped liberate that country in 2002 of the Taliban and al Qaeda, but then took the eyes off the prize when we supposedly have bin Laden cornered somewhere on teh Afghan-Pakistani border.

Now, because of this fool's errand, the Taliban has refortified, taken back several areas of Afghanistan and has worked its way into a few sections of Pakistan. With them, they still harbor al Qaeda and bin Laden.

A friend of mine, Silly Billy, disputes the existence of al Qaeda and bin Laden. He practices Islam, though I don't know of which style, but he does allow his wife Aurora to dress up in fetish outfits (i.e. zentai, latex, bondage, etc.), so he's not a fundamentalist. Still, he told me when we were talking on ICQ a few weeks back that al Qaeda is a myth and bin Laden, a fairy tale. I'd like to tell him that if a fellow Muslim acknowledges bin Laden and al Qaeda exist, then it must be so.