Cars-Young and Old

A slow television weekend. Unless you are a basketball lover, golf, car racing (I don't mind the car racing) but wasn't really in the mood to watch fast cars go round and round. While channel surfing I stopped at a program I hadn't seen before called Desert Car Kings on the Discovery Channel. The thing that caught my eye was that they were refurbishing a 1950 Cadillac 4-door. I grew up around alot of Cadillac's.

My dad would trade one of his in almost every year, and we usually piled into the caddy and I got to see him wheel and deal. Although we never had a 1950 the oldest one we did have was a 1961. It was a beautiful Ocean Blue metallic with slightly smaller "swim fins" much smaller than the earlier models had.

My first car was a 1964 Cadillac. I think now to that car only because I can't even imagine how much it would cost to fill that tank. with gas. I have to say it was a pretty reliable car and sometimes I wish I had been able to keep it.

Desert Car Kings is located in Phoenix, Arizona and is actually a family run auction house. The patriarch of the family wanted to refurbish his 1950's find and auction it for at least the cost of the refurbishment. It was interesting some of the little known facts to me that I learned.

The great lady hood ornament was later replaced with the Cadillac crest. Polished steel was later replaced with chrome. The final refurbished cost was a little over $10,000. Not bad since some of the parts were hard to find or replace and the engine had to replaced with a 1961 model.

In the end he couldn't bring himself to auction it off because his wife had a sentimental attachment to it because her Dad owned one. So they drove away in her
39Th Anniversary present.

They definitely don't build them like they used too. Today car's can park themselves, (who has to pay when you tell someone "I didn't hit your car, it was driving itself?"), we can now talk on the phone through our car speakers, we definitely can not fix them ourselves like we used to since they are all computerized.

Well times change, cars change. I do have to say I do like the new Cadillac in the local dealership, but wouldn't be able to come up with the $68,000 to buy it. I can't imagine my Dad would want to fork over that much either.

100th Anniversary of Tragedy-A Small Part of Women and Labor Movement

March 25, 1911 was probably like any other work day for many women in New York's Garment District in Greenwich Village. At that time immigrant women worked nine hour days plus seven hours on Saturdays. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory produced women's blouses. The factory was located in the Asch Building, now known as the Brown Building and is now designated a National Historic Monument. Prior to the World Trade Center attacks in 2011, the Triangle Factory Fire was the greatest workplace tragedy in New York and changed the course of history by shedding light on workplace injustices that occurred throughout the country.

The fire killed 146 primarily young, immigrant Jewish and Italian women ranging in age from 16-23. Many jumped to their death from the 8-10 floors. Unable to exit the building due to managers having locked the stairwell and exits.The cause of the fire was thought to have been a match or cigarette butt thrown in a scrap basket.Although smoking was banned in the factory some were thought to sneak cigarettes and exhaling smoke in their lapels to avoid detection.

Many of the laws, unions and also what worker's compensation we now have today were established because of this event.

Frances Perkins, who was the first woman to hold a U.S. cabinet post as Secretary of Labor under President Franklin Roosevelt was witness to this fire and said her commitment to reforming labor laws was a top priority.

I have always been a little bit on the fence about union representation. Although I feel it is important, I also feel that the original purpose of unions has been forgotten. While as a civil service employee, I had the opportunity to be on both sides represented and non-represented. I have always wanted the choice. No one likes to be forced to do anything. Times have changed and unfortunately alot of the benefits unions provided in the past are unattainable in the world economy of today. I think while it is important that we have them I also think that worker's will have to depend less on what their employer can provide for them and do more for themselves. Compromise is the key to unions success.

As a woman I still struggle for a choice in everything I do on a daily basis. I appreciate what those before me have done and hope to help continue the fight on issues that effect women today.

For 17 year old Tillie who's tombstone is pictured, her life was cut short by an event that shouldn't have happened but because of it millions of women after her will continue to forge ahead to make the workplace and the world a better place for many women to come.

Earthquake Disaster in Japan Brings Back Memories

Toppled buildings, fires, power outages, wide cracks in roads that can swallow anything and everything in its path, silence, broken glass, these are but a few of the first things that come to my mind when I hear the word earthquake.

When I first heard about the earthquake in Japan before I even saw any pictures and videos of the carnage my first thought was how big was it? To later found out that a tsunami had happened it was like a one-two punch to the stomach.

I couldn't even wrap my mind around the fact that it is now the 5Th worst earthquake in recorded history and there are probably 100,000+ people that are possibly missing and feared dead. Most will probably never be located.

One terrific difference between the quake of 1994 and today..the internet technology available. I thought back in time, we didn't have a cell phone in 1994 and the only way I was able to communicate was to call my mother-in-law in Missouri because I couldn't get through locally.

We ate by candlelight, boiled water for days and days and lived like pioneers. We at least had our home, even in the slightest damage we had, we did have our house. Most in the quake of 2011 no longer have a home to go too.

I am not sure Japan will ever be able to get back to normal but as one reporter said, "They said after the bombing that ended World War II that Japan would never been the same and look how far they have come".

May Japan make it through this disaster and may it also remind people to be prepared in case of any emergency.

Sleepy Tales

People who blog have various ways of coming up with a topic to write about. Sometimes the ideas come at strange times. Mine for this post came as I was trying to go to sleep last night. I know for me personally it wasn't the best time. It's always hard to sleep in different surroundings and that was my problem in this case.

How many people through there life have heard, "Don't sleep your life away?". I know I heard it. Probably not as frequently as most. My parents were very regimented about sleep. As a little girl I faithfully went to bed at 8:30p.m. until I was in high school and then it was 9:00p.m. It was never fun going to sleep when it was still light out. But in my parents defense it did teach me to keep things on track and without fail I got at least eight hours of sleep every night. As I got older I went through staying up later but rarely did any all nighters like some of my friends.

While I was skating it wasn't uncommon to have ice time at odd hours. Sometimes it was 11:00 p.m. sometimes it was 4:00 a.m. back then the time didn't really make a difference because the frigid temperature would keep you awake and to reach our goal we took what time was available.

It seems as I get older getting quality sleep becomes a job in itself. Recently I saw statistics that said you should get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. I try to get about 6-7 hours but lately that has even become more difficult. Also women have a much harder time falling asleep. That was really no surprise to me. Women have far too much on their minds and can't turn that brain machine off just too sleep. Also another telling factor is what I like to call the Goldilocks Syndrome. At a certain point in my life I was able to sleep in the bed that was nice and soft, sometimes I can sleep in a bed that is really hard, but right now I just want to be able to take a warm blanket and comfortable pillow and find a bed that is just right.

When my kids were babies I prided myself to be able to wake up at a moments notice, now I would rather just be given the opportunity to say ok mind, shut off, its time for bed now go to sleep!

We all know we are in a sleep deprived world. People are working longer hours because they have too, we schedule ourselves in all aspects of activities far too much and really don't get a chance to experience the pleasures of life. We can't try and make up for the sleep we are deprived of it just doesn't work that way.

Somehow I hear that little voice in my head saying to me, "there is too much going on, you can wait to sleep when you are dead". A sobering fact or sleepy tale, you be the judge.

1961 Plane Crash a Part of Skating History

Although it was before I was born, the 1961 Flight 548 Crash of the Boeing 707 that carried most of the United States figure skating team was always a part of my skating life. That one moment changed the course of figure skating for many figure skaters around the world.

All 18 athletes of the 1961 team including Maribel Owen (9-time U.S. Ladies Champion) and her two daughters were just one of the significant skating families of that era. It was one of only a few times that the World Championships was cancelled.

Many of the now legendary champions of my time probably would not have went up the ranks of the skating world when they did. Peggy Fleming, Tim Wood, and coaches John Nicks and Carlo Fassi were just a fraction of skaters and coaches who along with the crash changed the course of the skating world.

The USFSA Memorial Fund was established only a few months later. This fund was started in honor of those that perished but the fund has helped to support the training of some of the most promising young skaters of the last 50 years.

I hope I am able to see the film that was made to celebrate and commemorate the anniversary. RISE was commissioned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association and is scheduled to be in select theatres for today only, February 17th.

Valentine's Day Sparks a Multitude of Memories

Another Valentine's Day has come and gone. The day itself was quiet this year. David and I did our celebrating on the weekend since he was leaving the day before the big day. One thing is true it is just not that day that we celebrate our love for each other, it should be done every day. There should be no holiday or excuse to bring a flower, card or anything special that tells your someone you love them and are happy to be with the person.

Over the course of the week leading up to the big day, stories sparked some memories for me. One such story was "Do you remember your first kiss?" When I first thought of it I thought of the first kiss I had gotten from a boy in school. Jimmy Crabtree was a boy in second grade. I remember he sat next to me and would sometimes sneak holding my hand occasionally and one day during an earthquake drill he gave me a peck on the check while we were under our desks in the assumed position for these drills.

Fast forward many, many years to when I met David. We had met while working and eventually had a real date after he came to one of my skating competitions. I was a pretty cheap date, we went to a chain restaurant and I remember I ordered a cup of soup and a sandwich. We spent some time talking during dinner getting to know each other and when he walked me to my car he asked me if he could kiss me (yes even in the early 80's the guy asked and didn't take it for granted). I remember thinking it was the most wonderful long kiss I had received to date; ok I admit the one from Jimmy and one other was the only kisses I had to compare but believe me I was impressed and I don't think my feet touched the ground the whole drive home.

Not only can a holiday or a kiss spark memories which forever stay etched in the heart. I admit sometimes earthquakes can spark some childhood memories.

Missouri Blizzard of 2011

As I posted on Facebook earlier, I am all for being a part of history making events, but this isn't what I had in mind.

For the past 36 hours all we have heard on the weather reports is that this could be the storm of our century. If you chat with people who are from where I live here in Missouri, some say they haven't seen anything like this since 1940's, 1969, 1982. Well those of us who are not born and raised here this is our first blizzard.

As I am posting this the snow is almost to the valves on the fire hydrant outside my window. My poor dogs are not real thrilled on having to suit up (yes they have little snow coats) and venture out to do their business. Earlier this morning they ventured to the base of the house where there wasn't any snow, but now with the wind blowing the snow every which way they will be lucky to make it two steps out the door.

I am wagering that I will be snowed until possibly until Friday. I know to those who live on the sunny west coast, you haven't a clue, those who live on the east coast think "hey this happens all the time to us, especially this year". I spoke with a client today from Toronto, Canada who really had an "oh well" attitude. But to be honest I think we are all sick of the wacky weather we have all been experiencing around the country.

Another one of my first thoughts today was "this must be what it is like to live in a snow globe". I have several in my skating memorabilia and I have a whole different perspective on them now.

My poor doggies want nothing to do with the outside world at this point. For one reason they are too small and might get lost in it.

Well I am sure this will be the storm that we will be talking about for years to come. I am seriously thinking about flying south for the winter in the future.