Make Your Voice Heard!

I am heading out to Disney World tomorrow morning, so if there are any posts next week they will be about the Mouse and his friends(thank goodness)! I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that if there is anyone who would like to submit something for me to post that you think the readers of this "pathetic" blog, at least as it was referred to by the artist formerly known as Dr. Houser, would like to read, please do! I've said before that I need all the help I can get. Just email your entry to me at thadbikes@gmail.com and I will check it out!

I also want to remind everyone of the next Wetumpka city council meeting on December 7th at 6:00 p.m. in the council chambers at the old city hall building. You've read what has been written here about how the council conducted itself at its last meeting and if you want your voice to be heard then go ahead and put this meeting on your calendar. It would be great if we could pack the room and let the city council know that it matters to us how they conduct themselves. Democracy in action! I love it!

Anyhow, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is gearing up for a great Christmas season! I can finally listen to Christmas music without getting in trouble with the no-mention-of-Christmas-before-Thanksgiving crowd!

Have a great weekend!

Should Redland Incorporate?

Since some of the comments on my last entry on the latest Wetumpka city council meeting brought up the possibility of the Redland Community incorporating, I thought it might be interesting to see what some of you think. So, what do you think?

Should Redland remain as it is now, an unincorporated community? Should they seek to become a city? Should they be annexed into the city of Wetumpka? What are the benefits/liabilities of any of these choices?

I don't suppose I really have an opinion yet. Maybe I can form one based on some of your input, provided there is any input. The last Redland resident to comment here said this was a "pathetic blog" which may mean nobody who cares even reads it. I hope I'm wrong.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back to a City Council Meeting...

If you were unable to attend the Wetumpka city council meeting this past Monday, you missed an interesting one. Lewis Washington presided over the meeting in his role as mayor pro tem and let me just say that it was a sight to behold. There is no one more ill-equipped to be a civic leader in the city of Wetumpka than Mr. Washington. He made more than one inappropriate comment, among which was this gem: That he had "been screwed once" already as mayor pro tem. What he was referring to was his lack of knowledge in what being mayor pro tem means. You may remember that Mr. Washington acted as mayor of the city when he signed the ill advised order to remove the mayor's assistant from her job when the mayor was in the next room. She then sued those involved and was reinstated to her position. I would like to say to Mr. Washington, you were not "screwed" as you so eloquently put it. You were simply out of line and you were corrected. It happens to all of us. Get over it already.

The big issue from this meeting had to do with the laying of sod at the city's new softball complex. The sod was laid and the job was finally completed after several bouts with the rain but it turned out the job required more sod than was originally thought. The additional sod came to a total of about $3400.00. There was some discussion as to who did or did not authorize laying the additional sod and that is not what I am going to focus on in this entry. What I am going to address is the behavior of some members of the city council and the way that John Carter, owner and operator of Carter Landscaping which was responsible for laying the sod, was spoken to during the meeting.

I like to think that when I am in a discussion with someone about a topic upon which we may not agree, that at the very least I am able to do so in a civil manner. Some people may not agree with that, having had conversations with me in the past, but it is something I typically try to do. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that certain members of our city council are willing to extend this courtesy to the people it does business with on behalf of the city of Wetumpka.

Once the Public Works Director, Lynn Weldon, explained the situation, the fireworks began. District 1 Councilman, Ken Hammock began questioning her on who authorized the laying of the additional sod. It started out calmly enough until Mr. Hammock began to repeatedly thank whoever laid the sod, he was unaware who it was at this point, for the generous donation to the city. After a few minutes of listening to Mr. Washington and Mr. Hammock grill Ms. Weldon and alternately drag him through the mud as well, Mr. Carter spoke up and asked if they would like to speak to the man who did the work? They apparently did and what followed was an exercise in how NOT to speak to someone in a professional manner. They didn't speak to Mr. Carter in what I would consider even a minimally respectful manner. Mr. Hammock thanked him repeatedly for his "gift" to the city while Mr. Washington piled on. District 3 Councilperson, Kathy Holt also jumped into the free-for-all.  Mr. Carter(John, not Chris) stood calmly, at least outwardly so, while he was berated and questioned and spoken to like a parent might speak to a young child who had committed some act which required that the child not only be corrected but lectured extensively on why what he did was wrong.

In a nutshell, there is a certain way that I think our city representatives should publicly conduct themselves while tending to the business of the city. Regardless of what turns out to be the case as far as the sod is concerned and who did or didn't authorize it, the manner in which this meeting was conducted was embarrassing, both for Mr. Carter and for the city council. District 4 Councilman, Chris Carter and District 5 Councilman, Greg Jones have nothing to be ashamed of other than the fact that they must continually deal with this sort of treatment of others by these three individuals for whom it appears have grown quite fond of their "authority." In fact, these two men were the only voices of reason on this particular night. Mr. Jones had the good sense to suggest that the issue be carried over to the next meeting so that all of the parties involved could give their version of the events of what happened rather than simply telling Mr. Carter that he would not be paid the additional $3400.00. The other three city council members would do well to remember that any perceived authority they have was given to them by the people of Wetumpka and while it may not happen for three more years, that "authority" can be, and likely will be, taken away from them just as easily as it was bestowed upon them.

For the life of me I can't understand how almost every council meeting turns into some sort of contest to see who can exert the most alleged authority. We've seen this dog and pony show enough in the last year to last us the rest of our lives. For goodness' sake, take on the leadership roles that were given to you and use them to actually help our city for once rather than making a mockery it. Who is going to want to do business with the city of Wetumpka when they run a fairly high risk of being dressed down in front of God and the world at any given city council meeting for whatever issue certain members may take umbrage with. I know that at least some of you can do better, that at least one of you actually possesses some leadership potential if you could all rise above this juvenile behavior that has become a staple of this administration thus far. The question is, who is willing to take the lead in fixing this dysfunctional mess?

It surely can't be Mr. Washington, who is an embarrassment to the city and his constituents and should never have been given the title of mayor pro tempore. In fact, as I sit here right now, I'm unaware of Mr. Washington's whereabouts or if he is in town or not(you had to be at the meeting to understand this one). Mr. Washington has apparently made it his life's goal to take verbal potshots at the mayor at every opportunity.

It should give you some insight as to how badly some of these people want Mayor Willis to fail when Councilman Carter feels as though he has to offer a preemptive apology to them because he actually thought the mayor was correct in taking steps to get the elevator in city hall in working order. Who can blame him given the current political climate created by these council member's not so subtle loathing for Mayor Willis and anything he stands for.

As usual, these are my opinions...I could be wrong. You certainly don't have to take my word for it. Plan on attending the next meeting on December 7th at the old city hall building at 6:00 p.m. In fact, your opinion may differ from mine altogether once you see for yourself what happens at the meetings. That's okay, too, as long as you're there!

If You Want to Lose Weight and Get Fit, This is a Must Read!

Jeanne Dulaney, Founder 

Ignite! LLC

...Life Adventures for Women

I thought I might hijack my running buddy’s blog today to talk about some running things. You see, Thad is a typical runner… “Just Do It.” Grab a pair of shoes, hit the road and run a triathlon. Easy, right? Fun? Of course! Go ahead, get out there…

Well, for lots of us, not so much…

When I started running at age 48, it was a deliberate decision on my part that I would MAKE it work. I had a lot of weight to lose and not a lot of time for exercise and walking wasn’t going to do it. I needed something with a higher calorie burn, and I figured I’d try one more time to become a runner.

You see, I’d tried many times before, always with the same results – try it 2 or 3 times and fail. This time it was different. I was in Wetumpka for the weekend to buy a house (the one I live in now), and it was the day to try. The odd thing was, it was also the day to figure out the secret. I did it. Stayed the course. Kept running.

Five years later, I’m still running. Running 5k’s, 10k’s, half marathons, and now I’m signed up for a marathon. What’s more, I’ve become a running coach, sharing what I learned the hard way with Wetumpka (and Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook and Elmore) women who want to run.

Lots of women talk to me about running. And a lot of them say “I can’t run.” And then add:

“I don’t enjoy it.” Usually from women who’ve tried keeping up with a spouse or running friend who thinks it’s “just do it.” Try running with a group of NON-runners and succeeding together. And laughing together. And talking your way through till you CAN run a 5k.

“It hurts my (pick one) feet, knees, hips, low back.” Uh huh – it can, if you don’t know the secrets to running pain- and injury-free. Most of you just need someone to show you how (yes, there are real problems. Most people don’t have one that prevents them from learning to run).

“I can’t even run a mile.” Yep. And you’re not a teenage boy who can just pick up any old sport and do it. There’s a right way and a wrong way to start. And to try and run a mile on the first day is definitely a wrong way!

“I can’t breathe when I run.” I know what you’re doing. Been there, done that. Now, I know a better way to start running and keep breathing.

“I (bike, do the elliptical machine, swim), but I just can’t run.” Did you try and swim ¼ mile the first day you jumped in the water? Of course not! Lance Armstrong called his first marathon “the hardest physical thing I’ve ever done.” He learned that you can’t just transfer from one sport to another and expect to perform at the same level.

“I don’t know how.” Well, yes, and that’s why I’m teaching running. Most of us don’t know how to start.

I’m starting another class next week. Monday, 6:30 PM. Rumbling Waters Health Club. Downtown Wetumpka. Come LEARN to run with me! You won’t regret it.

For more information, go to Ignite! Life Adventures for Women

Did Someone Watch Zombieland Before Work?

I was just listening to the radio as I was getting ready for work. The news person mentioned that one of the DC snipers was put to death last night. John Allen Muhammad was executed by lethal injection last night in Virginia while relatives of the victims looked on. Here is the last line of the story...

"Prison officials say they'll hold the body for a few days to make sure he is dead."

What?

I'm no doctor. In fact, I haven't even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express since 1997. But with modern medical technology isn't there a better way to tell if someone is actually dead or not than holding them for a few days to make sure? What is the guy going to do, stand up and say, "HAHA! GOTCHA!"

Then what do you do if he is not dead? Does the whole double-jeopardy thing apply to this situation? If he somehow wakes up do we get to execute him again or does someone say, "Darn. We need to be sure to up the dosage of potassium chloride next time we do this."

Maybe I'm just an uneducated bumpkin, but it seems to me that prison personnel should be able to tell if someone is dead or not. As usual, I could be wrong. Some of you medical folks fill me in on this. Please.

What Happened to Halloween?

In actuality, evil may be a bit of an overstatement. I don't suppose I've run into anyone who thinks that Halloween is completely evil and that those who trick-or-treat or attend a Halloween party are engaging in some sort of sugar-induced Satan worshiping. What I have seen in the years since I last trick-or-treated, somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty years or so ago, is a dramatic increase in the number of families who don't take part in any Halloween festivities at all. I've heard several explanations from these families, some in person and some that I may have seen on the news or read about in the paper, as to why this is the case. Though there are many, they all seem to share a common theme that goes back to that particular family's religious beliefs.

Make no mistake, if that is your conviction then you are doing the right thing by standing firm in that conviction. In a society where conviction of any sort seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur, that is a refreshing change. So, kudos to you! My question is simply this: What has changed so much over the years that has made Halloween taboo for so many?

As a child, Halloween was a day I looked forward to with great anticipation every year. I started the process of choosing a costume several weeks, if not months, in advance! I remember being Superman(I loved that cape), some sort of monster with a green head, a mummy, a vampire, and a cowboy among many others. The churches I grew up in, in which my old-school, conservative, traditional, Bible preaching, teaching, and believing father was the pastor, even had Halloween parties for the children of the church. The kids(and lots of the adults) would dress up in the costume of their choice and there would be games, a costume contest, and lots of goodies. In one church, our Samford University educated minister of music and youth actually had the youth group sponsor a haunted house to help raise money! It was SCARY! Granted, this was 1979 and maybe he just hadn't yet been enlightened yet.

Out of all of my friends that I grew up with and spent many a Halloween trolling for candy and seeing who could put together the scariest costume, I can't think of a single one who became a devil worshiper or joined a cult. I'm not saying that it hasn't happened. I'm just saying I don't know about it if it has.

As I said before, if that's your conviction then I think that's great and you will get no argument from me telling me that you are wrong. I am just curious to hear from some of you who might feel differently than me about Halloween. Maybe you can fill me in on something I've missed. I don't want to wake up one day and find that I've shaved my head and joined the Moonies because I celebrated Halloween. Help me out.

The Sound

I love roller coasters. Let me rephrase that...I love roller coasters except for the initial climb up the first big hill. Heights and I have never gotten along terribly well which I suppose might make it odd that I love roller coasters so much. Nevertheless, several years ago Gigi and I spent a few days in Tampa and with Tampa being home to Busch Gardens, we decided it would be fun to spend the day there.

Among many great rides and roller coasters there, they have a coaster called Montu. It is one of the tallest, longest inverted coasters in the world and we couldn't wait to ride it. You can see in the picture above that it seats four passengers in each row. Your feet dangle in mid-air and your arms and upper body are largely immobilized due to the "thing" that comes down over your head and torso to keep you from flying off into the giraffe habitat or something. I always say these types of coasters, when I am strapped in, make me feel like a Tyrannosaurus Rex because the only part of my arms that can actually move are my wrists, thus giving me the feeling that I have really short arms, much like a T-Rex did. This will come into play in a moment.

We stood in line and when it came our turn to board, we found ourselves riding with two young men who appeared to be in their early to mid-twenties. The two of them boarded first, followed by Gigi, and then me. Remember that Gigi is seated between me and one of the young men. This will also figure into the story in a moment.

The ride starts and we make our way up the dreaded first hill. As we near the top, my acrophobia begins to give way to excitement. We finally top it and begin our descent into incredible thrills as we make our way through seven "insane inversions" as they are referred to on the Busch Gardens website. On just about any coaster there will be much screaming and gnashing of teeth. This ride certainly fit the bill. Gigi and I were yelling with excitement as were the two young men we were sharing this ride with.

That's when I heard it. The sound. A sound which still haunts me to this day. Somewhere around insane inversion number three the guy sitting next to Gigi, in the middle of a scream of pure, unadulterated joy, made a sound that can't be written with mere letters on a keyboard. The best way I can describe it is that it is akin to the noise you'd make if you ran through a cloud of gnats and sucked about 10 of them down your throat. A sort of half-choking, half-trying to expel something from your esophagus sound. It's unmistakable and one of the last places from which you want to hear that sound emanate is the guy sitting next to your wife on the Montu. Trust me on this one.

Before you get ahead of me, it wasn't the dreaded sound of regurgitation, thankfully. However, for someone like me, it might as well have been. Gigi would say after the ride was over that she saw it as it virtually weightlessly floated in front of her face toward me. I would not be so lucky. The "it" being referred to here was, for lack of a better term, a hunk of saliva. A gravity defying, slow moving projectile made of, well, spit. This projectile which harmlessly floated across Gigi would find a temporary home just below my left eye.

If you've ever been spit upon, either accidentally or on purpose, even if it's only a tiny drop during an innocent conversation, you know that the brain immediately signals the hand to remove the offending foreign DNA sample as quickly as possible. My brain sent this signal out posthaste and my hand sprang into action. It was at that point that I realized that my tiny, little T-Rex arms could not reach my face. In fact, no combination of neck-stretching, hand/wrist distorting movements could remove this vileness from my cheek. I can only tell you that the the first two or three insane inversions on the Montu were exciting. The rest of them turned out to be quite disgusting as best I remember.

I spent the better part of three minutes, which is 7 hours in spit years, on a roller coaster with a stranger's expectoration hitching a ride on my face. In my world, sinks rank only slightly higher than toilets in the hierarchy of the various fixtures found in public restrooms. I can't even begin to imagine what takes place in and around a sink in the average public restroom. But as I disembarked from Montu and practically sprinted for the nearest bathroom, that sink was an oasis of anti-bacterial soap and hot water as I buried my face in it.

If I've been on a coaster of that sort since that fateful day, I don't remember it. I've heard that sometimes our mind blocks out particularly difficult or distressing things that may have occurred in our past. Maybe that explains my uncertainty. I can tell you this much, though: If I ever do have occasion to ride such a coaster again, it will not be without a hazmat suit. What listing would those be under on Ebay?