hug an alderman
Had a chance to see the last portion of the 9-1/2 hour rebroadcast of the 11/20 marathon Common Council meeting on cable Ch. 25. (Ald. Bull had already left so I knew it was after 3:00 a.m.) After all the criticism and controversy of unpreparedness, vote changes, job cuts, projects on hold ... any alderman, mayor, city employee or even camera crew that sat through the record meeting until 4:30 Wednesday morning for the good of Waukesha has my utmost respect. It was almost painful to watch as many were obviously tired, hoarse and quiet-voiced as they were forced by us, the constituency, and the state by it's late budget, to stay there as long as it took.
I felt bad for everyone who was there: Steve Crandell and the IT guy with him who were rushed to crunch numbers after so many hours of the same. Mayor Nelson who could get only a couple hours sleep before an interview with a city administrator candidate. All the aldermen who spent countless hours in meetings and study for this budget to save us a couple dollars. I sympathize with them all, for I know it's not easy staying alert and working with numbers at 4:00 a.m. (I was only able to stay awake till 11:00 p.m. on 11/20). And give a special hug to Alderman Charlie Betker as he supposedly announced at 4:30 a.m. that he won't be seeking reelection in April. (His mic was off when he said it, but the papers reported it)
sworn to secrecy
I haven't blogged in a week because I was sworn to secrecy. OK, maybe just for a couple hours yesterday, but it sounded good anyway. My confirmation group helped at the Women's Center for a group service project and signed a paper stating that we won't repeat anything heard or seen. So I guess I can't mention that volunteers have provided the center 12,000 hours of service this year (I think that's the figure. It's a secret). All I can say is the shelter is a nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there, if you know what I mean. (It's for battered women and their children.)
T-bone, not well done
I was one car back from witnessing the 6:00 p.m. accident in the intersection of Northview and Grandview on Thursday. Though I only heard it and saw it through the windshield of the car in front of me it looked like the people turning left collided with the one going straight. More than likely trying to beat the light - the Packers were playing and everyone was in a hurry. We all stayed motionless for a bit, probably in shock, until one sensible person in another car ran to check on the occupants. The car in front of me then left without so much as a goodbye. Is it a law for witnesses to stay and give their name once it's determined everyone is OK? No, but it's almost required if the accident's serious or if there's injury. Did I stay? No, I wasn't a good witness and, besides, the fire station is just a few yards from the accident scene.
On occasion, throughout the last month or so, there's been utility work at that intersection so I wondered if poor street lighting was a contributing factor to the accident. I noticed on Friday night that almost all the street lights were out from Silvernail to Northview, but the intersection was fully lit.
speaking of Packers
I don't think the Packers lost because Favre got hurt. They seemed to play better after he left. Favre put too much faith in the long ball to double coverage in this game. Aaron Rodgers at least wasn't afraid to run the ball for first downs. He played very well but you could tell there was poor communication between him and the other players. I thought the game would be a lot closer but it definitely was fun looking forward to it all week.
and finally
The photos in my last post are not upside down. Reflections are funny that way.
