Just Say No

So Frack went to a concert last night. It was the DJ Avicii Concert at Boston's TD Garden venue. As a full fledged member of the "Moms That Are Overly Protective" club, I had a brief chat with Frack about concert safety and drugs and drinking. It was one of those talks that when finished, the response is ALWAYS...
"Ya, I know mom". I am a strong believer in sharing all the wisdom and warnings to my children so that maybe, just maybe, they will hear their mother's words in their head and think twice.

Well that mother's intuition thing I got going on was dead on....

Today's Boston Herald had this headline:

Dozens hospitalized during DJ Avicii show at TD Garden

EMS: Many teens were being treated

I immediately texted Frack a pic of the story. He was at work. Last night when Frack arrived home safely, I was waiting up for him. We had a pleasant conversation and off he went to bed warning me that he had to get up early for work today. I saw no evidence of hard partying, to which I was grateful. Frick, Frack, My Guy and I have had many a conversation about drug use. My Guy and I shared our experiences with them both, as they don't amount to much, and by that I mean neither of us had ever even tried hallucinogenics of any kind. Call us square, but I'm not completely innocent. I may be part of that 80% of adults that recreationally use marijuana, or I may not. But it always stopped there.Whatever the case, at the ages my kids are, My Guy and I try to have honest conversations about drugs with the kids. 

And Frack's  response to my text this morning?

"Yeah, I know" 

"A lot of kids on Molly. That would suck to be those kids."

I'm glad that Frack is a very good listener. 

Texual Revolution

So the big news around these parts yesterday was that a fast-thinking employee of a bank thwarted a bank heist by text message.

A man dressed in a suit and tie, driving a BMW, pulled up to a bank in Dedham, MA and pretended to be withdrawing money from an ATM just before the bank was opening for business. He forced his way into the bank, armed with a pellet gun and demanded access to the vault. One of the bank employees used her cell phone to text another bank manager at a nearby branch, who then alerted police. Two police officers working less than 100 yards away responded immediately and the thief was arrested.

This is amazing to me. The fact that the employee thought to alert another manager via text is astounding enough, but the fact that the bank employee had her cell phone with her at the time and opted to send a text message instead of dialing 911 is surprising. Couple that with the fact that the text was immediately received and the authorities alerted within minutes, make this a wondrous thing. What does this say about society's love affair with cell phones? It would seem that this is just another example of how having a cell phone with you at all times, for "emergencies", is a good idea.

I have been out of an office atmosphere for a few months now, but I do know that most employers frown upon employees having their cell phone with them during business hours. Yet-employees do it anyway. Most of us unable to part from our ever important cellular device-the outside connection to our own little world. My children have had cell phones for a few years now and on days like today, I question whether or not I should continue to chide them for their dependency on text use.

Here's the thing, what if the other bank manager didn't have his/her cell phone at the time the robbery was taking place? The employee at the bank where the robbery was taking place made a conscious decision to alert the danger via text instead of using 911. Did she take a chance on whether or not the other manager would receive the important alert? I think not. This tells me that she knew that the other bank manager would be sure to receive the text and that help would be on the way. If I were a betting man I would bet the farm that if phone records were checked, they would confirm that these two employees had been engaging in a text conversation prior to the robbery. This is by no means an accusation of wrong doing, just a statement of fact that illustrates society's texual revolution.

Interestingly enough, ABC News reported last night, (unrelated to the bank heist), that over three trillion text messages were sent last year alone. The Senate is questioning the phone companies over their overwhelming profits on text messaging. Phone companies charge the user .20 cents to send or receive a text when it costs them 3/10ths of .1 cent to transmit the message. Phone companies are being accused of price gouging by the Senate. The fact is that 600 text messages use just 1 minute of cellular network time, yet we the users, are being charged quadruple for what seems to be our preferred communication of choice. This translates into a virtual gold mine for the cell phone companies.

In light of yesterday's events and the recent uprising in Iran, where people used text messages, mobile devices and outlets like Twitter to have their voices heard and successfully shared information about important issues, solidifies the fact I am going to keep my mouth shut and gratefully pay my own and my children's cell phone bills. My peace of mind is worth it's weight in the phone companies gold.

Part 2: Ring My Bell

Sorry. I now realize that yesterday's post may have been a bit alarming and that was not my intention. (posting with my iphone in the ER was not the easiest) I really thought I would be back home after a few hours and able to post an update right away. This was not the case. As they told me at the hospital, I got my bell rung pretty hard. I ended up spending six and a half hours in an ER that was so over crowded that I was left outside in my bed in the hallway (like an old lady in the nursing home) I want that six hours back! Overall, I can't complain though, because I was very lucky.

This happened yesterday morning at 6:30 am. I woke my kids for school then went down the kitchen to let the dogs out and to get the morning paper. I took ONE step outside, to go down the four cement stairs to the newspaper, and went down the stairs I did. Just not the way I normally would. Overnight, a deadly coat of black ice had covered the ground outside. I don't remember much, because it happened so fast, but I hit the ground and smashed the back of my head on the fourth cement stair in about a second and a half. I could not move for a good 7 or 8 seconds. My body was literally paralyzed by the jolt to my brain. After I regained movement, I crawled back up the stairs, into the house and screamed for my kids. They were all I could think of and I was alone with them-My Guy was in Florida. My son came running and found his mom crying at the bottom of the stairs. He got me some ice for my head and sat next to me while I contemplated my next move.

Normally, I drive them to school and knew that I probably shouldn't do that considering my extremities were still tingling and I probably had a concussion. I made a few calls to find someone to pick them up for school but my attempts were unsuccessful. I had no choice, I had to call 911. I figured at most, I could get checked out and maybe they could give my kids a ride to school. My poor babies, they were so worried, but I was assured them that I couldn't be that bad if I was reminding them to brush their hair and teeth before leaving. With my kids safely on their way to school, I let the paramedics talk me into a trip to the hospital.

(do I win an award here for posting the most unflattering photo of my self in the ambulance?? Someone tell that Grant Miller Media Guy!!)

I am OK today, but SORE as hell! The back of my head and my back are friggin killing me. I broke no bones or ribs-thank god-and have a few minor scrapes and bruises. I have a concussion, which explains my constant dizzyness,unless I am lying down. They gave me a script for Percoset, but I am afraid to take it. Isn't that the stuff that people get addicted to?? No thanks, I'll tough it out with Advil and take my chances. I don't do well with narcotics. I don't like the dizzy feeling and am hoping it will go away soon. The docs say dizzyness is a result of the concussion and should go away in two or three days.

Thank you so much for your well wishes and concern. I swear I wasn't trying to solicit your sympathy or worry you. Super Woman really thought she was going to be ok and back in business after a few hours. The funniest thing was when the paramedic, who was a very cool guy, said to me in the ambulance, "Did you just take a picture of yourself?"

The things we do for our blogger buddies.

"911, What's Your Emergency" Part 1. I had to make that call this morning. I fell on the ice and banged my head. Right now I am in the ER. I'm ok.