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Sunday, 08 November 2009

The Weekend

To be honest, my wife and I didn't do much on Friday and Saturday (her two days off). This had little to do with Thursday's massacre nearby, and more to do with both of us being just a little worn down.

We did manage to get out and see A Christmas Carol in 3-D on Friday, starring Jim Carrey (read my review). It was better than expected, and stuck very close to the original story by Charles Dickens.

On Saturday, we watched college football and played Othello (our newest board game). We also talked to my parents on the phone, as well as my brother Zane, who lives near Spokane. By a happy coincidence, Zane will be coming to Oklahoma on the same day as us. This wasn't planned; it just happened by Providence.

So, I'll get to see my favorite brother at the same time as my favorite parents.

It's been warm and humid here, but with a cloud cover. In other words, just about perfect. We haven't run our A/C for over a month now, nor have we had to turn on the heat yet.

Saturday, 07 November 2009

Newest Nephew!

I just learned that I'm an uncle again. My sister Shari gave birth to Elijah Ruben at home in England, at 3:32 a.m. Nov. 7 (their time, which would be 9:32 p.m., Nov. 6 in Central Time in the U.S.) I'm sure it's okay to post this because they've already posted photos here.

Elijah was 10 lbs., 7.5 oz., and 23 inches long, the seventh child (fourth son) of my youngest sister. I'm so happy for them, and can't wait to see all of my nephews and nieces when they get back to the U.S.A.

Elijah continues a tradition set by his Uncle Wil, of being born in outside the continental U.S. In fact, my parents had three of their four children off these shores. I was born in Hawaii, and my two sisters in Japan (my brother was lazy enough to be born in Texas). Of the next generation, Elijah is the first one born outside the continental United States. Good for him!

Friday, 06 November 2009

All Calmed Down Now

Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, or commented on the blog, checking to see if we were okay yesterday. (Read yesterday's post.) It's pretty scary when something like that happens nearby, especially when one's wife is in the thick of it.

We're all calmed down now, and my wife is off work today and tomorrow (as per her schedule), so that should help her get past the worst of the upheaval on Ft. Hood. I imagine the next couple of days at work are the worst (for the survivors, I mean).

For those of you who read yesterday's blog early, or refreshed the page later, you might have noticed some misinformation. For that, I'm sorry. I was getting my info -- like everyone else -- from the television and internet, and that information changed rapidly throughout the afternoon.

I was frustrated with the news media in general, especially the sites or broadcasts that updated constantly with inaccurate information. But it wasn't all their fault. I watched live as General Cone at Ft. Hood told the reporters that the shooter was dead, and was counted among the total of 12 dead in the shooting. Later in the day, the same general alerted reporters that the shooter was in fact not dead. That's not the media's fault. That's the general's fault, or the fault of wherever he got his information.

And it once again brings up the point about the state of modern media, where situations like this are covered instantly and constantly.

When I first clicked on the CNN web page, their story was two sentences. Every time I hit F5 to refresh the page, words had been added, or removed, or changed. At first, a suspect was "in custody" and another was "cornered." A few minutes later, one suspect was "neutralized" and the other was on the run. An hour later, the story changed again to "dead" and "two others in custody."

Personally, I liked what the New York Times did with the story. They didn't even report it, other than as a "breaking news" banner, until an hour later, and they actually had a story. And they updated it slowly and carefully, instead of frantically and crazily.

Perhaps the most embarrassing thing I saw last night was when a CNN guy reported live from Walter Reed Army Medical Center (where the shooting suspect formerly worked). He said, "We're calling Walter Reed officials right now, but they're not returning our calls." What? I looked at the clock; it was 11 p.m. here. That meant it was midnight at Walter Reed. Of course they're not returning your calls, you idiot. They're asleep.

What do you think? Should TV news crews drop everything and cover something like this for 10 straight hours, constantly changing their information because accurate information isn't yet available? Or should they pace themselves to paint a more accurate picture over time?

Or, are we stuck with what we have because viewers (me) will change the channel if you appear to be ignoring the incident?

Thursday, 05 November 2009

Shooting on Ft. Hood

Update (8:20 p.m. CST): My wife arrived home safely at 8:25 p.m. Thanks everyone for your prayers and well-wishes.

Update (7:10 p.m. CST): The base is coming out of lockdown. My wife says she'll now be allowed to leave the base, but every car will be thoroughly searched. It could take two hours for the line of cars to move through the gate. Will update when she gets home.

UPDATE (5:08 p.m. CST): CNN is now identifying the shooter as Major Malik Hasan, who was a mental health professional. I do not know if he worked with my wife or not, though it's possible. (It's also possible that IF I knew that, I couldn't tell you.)

UPDATE (4:28 p.m. CST): I finally got to talk to my wife. She called at 4:25, assuring me that she is fine and that she'll have to work *very* late, possibly all night, because of the incident.

Twelve people are confirmed dead (according to CNN) and at least 31 wounded after three men in uniform opened fire on Ft. Hood, near Killeen, Texas, at about 1:30 p.m. CST. Lt. General Bob Cone at Ft. Hood confirmed that all alleged perpetrators were soldiers. Of the 12 dead, one was a shooter and another was a military police officer.

I first learned of the incident via an email from my old job. Stu Phillips, the publisher of The Seminole Producer saw it on the news, and Sports Editor Cynthia Mitchell emailed me to see if we were okay.

I've already received a few emails and phone calls from concerned relatives and friends. Thanks to you all for thinking of us.

At first, I couldn't get through to my wife (who works in the emergency room at the base hospital) because all circuits were busy. But she finally got through to me and left a voicemail, saying there was a "huge incident" and that everyone in the hospital was in overdrive as the victims were being carted in.

Apparently she assumed I didn't yet know about the shooting. But she's okay. Because of her job, she'll probably pick up a bit of overtime this evening. She said she'd likely be at work until midnight or later.

CNN is now saying that one suspect was shot and killed, while two others are in custody.

At one point, local TV said there were two separate shooting incidents, at two locations on base.

All schools in town, on base, and in all nearby towns are on lockdown.

Addendum:
This isn't the first mass-killing in Killeen. In 1991, 23 people were shot and killed at a Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen. That site is now home to Yank-Sing Chinese Buffet, where my wife and I have eaten twice now.

Wednesday, 04 November 2009

Quote of the Day

I've been digging through old files lately, including hundreds of old letters that were written too me. This quote was just too funny to keep to myself.

(Name omitted) was staying at *my* house with my sisters, while I was away, staying with (name omitted). She included this note in the post script:

"I want to go home.
Your house is too tense for me.
Your mom scares me (literally)
and she makes me nervous."

I won't say who it was, but she knows who she is.