I have a very special sister-in-law she has survived a war of sorts; although she has emerged quite scarred from battle.
Some nine years ago my sister-in-law was a single mom on-the-go. She had her own car, her own apartment, a job working for the MGM Grand Hotel and a very full, tumultuous social life; including the drama of a last minute called off wedding.
She worked cleaning rooms for the hotel and her fiery temperament caused her many a reprimand for telling off her workmates.
Then on the day after Mother's Day in 1999 she had a bad headache that just got worse.
She had spinal meningitis.
Her fever topped 106, she had multiple seizures and when the infection was gone she was much like a 2 year old.
She did not recognize family members, she did not know who the president was or the month or year. If you handed her a bowl of soup she would stir it and if not interrupted she would continue to stir for hours.
Through tremendous therapy she relearned basic skills and after a couple of years she resumed a somewhat "normal" life.
Her eyes remained puffy for several years, her menstrual cycle did not resume for another five years. She cannot maintain a job or a household on her own.
Gone are the tight jeans and sexy blouses. Replaced with girl like flowery dresses and always a bow in her hair. She has not had a romantic relationship since her illness.
She was however able to regain her drivers license and although she cannot maintain a paying job she is indispensable to the family.
She keeps her grandmother company and drives her to the store whenever she needs something.
She babysits her 6 month old nephew so her newly single younger sister can work.
And she routinely runs errands for her mom's business.
Three years ago she received a ticket for an "unsafe turn" and outdated proof of insurance. She paid the ticket and has renewed her yearly car registration twice since then (which is flagged if you have unpaid tickets).
Friday at 5:30 in the morning she was on her way to her sister's to babysit her nephew for the day.
A cop who had nothing better to do ran her plates.
He pulled her over and arrested her, saying the computer showed she never paid the ticket.
He allowed her to make a couple of calls. One to my husband who spoke to the cop and told him of her brain injury and asked if he could pass that on to the folks at the jail.That she often mistakes sarcasm for literalism (concerned that this might get her into trouble).The cop allowed her to park her car instead of impounding it and placed the softer plastic handcuffs on her.
Down at the jail they weren't so nice.
They immediately removed the plastic handcuffs.
They slapped on tight metal handcuffs, chained her hands to her feet and her feet to a chair.
She was left with her arms and legs shackled painfully behind her for several hours, until they got to her.
Once they did, it just got worse.
She was stripped in a cold concrete room, shivering with cold and fear and humiliation. She was asked about allergies to which she responded "I'm allergic to something but can't remember what." and given a tenus shot anyway. She was then given paper underwear and jail clothing and stuck in a cold concrete cell.
A single toilet was in the center of the cell in full view of the MALE (wtf) guards.
Meanwhile, on the outside, my mom-in-law had the city judge sign an own recognizances order around three in the afternoon. He said he figured it would process around 10 that night.
Around 10pm we start calling the jail. They don't answer.
Around midnight they called back. They say they don't have anyone by that name in their jail. But they won't check to see if she was there earlier and released.
We are all somewhat panicked and start to second guess if she was in city or county. We remember that the judge who signed the O.R. was a city judge. This means that barring some other computer problem she was released.
This is the area where there release women in the middle of the night.
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I cannot begin to tell you what this area is like at night. But I'm sure you can imagine. Just picture any major metropolis city hall back ally at 1 in the morning.This is not where you want an innocent, trusting soul to be wandering while traumatized and confused.
She was not exactly sure where she had been taken and being dropped off in the back alley of City Hall Complex left her disoriented when combined with the 18 hour ordeal she had just endured.
Her mother showed up to the locked front doors of City Hall feeling like she had a lost little child she needed to get to desperately. She rattled the fastened doors again and suddenly felt the need to call out to her child. She shouted for her at the top of her lungs and a moment later she heard a faint voice call back. She followed the sound and found her in the parking lot behind the building.
For the last few days my sister-in-law has not wanted to leave the house.
She has stayed in bed watching Disney movies and being uncharacteristically quiet.
Today she found the receipt for her paid ticket.
Sigh.
-Tasha
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Heart Rocks-Imagine Britney doing a Led Zeppelin cover?
I had a ton of fun going to a Heart concert Friday night. Although I've never mentioned it on here, I am a die hard fan.
It occurred to me while listening to Ann sing that although she has an amazing voice, if she were just starting out today, she wouldn't have a chance because she doesn't look like Britney Spears.
In order to get radio play today you have to have enough money to pay the larger radio stations and in order to do that you need funding and in order to get funding you need to fit the formula; Britney fits it, Ann doesn't.
Watching them reminded me of the vast difference between the boy/girl band generation of music and the generation that grew up in the 50s and 60s.
I remembered as a kid watching the Osmond's (of course-we actually went to church with them) and the Mandrel sisters' shows, they all played multiple instruments, wrote music and sang at church concerts growing up. Against that family background there may have been one or two standouts who had both a lifelong study of music and preforming behind them and also an amazing natural talent that was obvious to all.
This was how stars were born and this is what I saw watching Ann and Nancy put down a guitar and pick up a mandolin, drop a microphone and pick up a flute, put down a mandolin pick up a harmonica ect. and then laughed to myself imagining Britney running around grabbing instruments trying to figure out which end to play (No hate to Britney, I simply don't know the names of any other recent pop star types. You can insert any pop artist's name there, I'm sure.)
Ann Wilson has a voice that is stunning. Like listening to an opera singer at their peak; just her voice alone can send a chill down your spine. But their music is also a lot of fun. And even more fun when your hubby surprises you with tickets :) like mine did.
And since I can't seem to post even about a rock concert without it turning political, I'll have to add this. If you remember during he election Sara Palin's nickname during high school was Sara Barracuda. And whenever she came out to give a speech, she came out to Heart's Barracuda.
Being one of the original Seattle garage bands with the politics that the culture demands, Heart was not happy and supposedly published this letter. It appears to be a spoof done by a Seattle paper, but is funny just the same.
Some Heart clips below as well.
-Tasha
Nancy doing Tom Petty's You Wreck me
Ann's version of Immigrant Song
Barracuda
It occurred to me while listening to Ann sing that although she has an amazing voice, if she were just starting out today, she wouldn't have a chance because she doesn't look like Britney Spears.
In order to get radio play today you have to have enough money to pay the larger radio stations and in order to do that you need funding and in order to get funding you need to fit the formula; Britney fits it, Ann doesn't.
Watching them reminded me of the vast difference between the boy/girl band generation of music and the generation that grew up in the 50s and 60s.
I remembered as a kid watching the Osmond's (of course-we actually went to church with them) and the Mandrel sisters' shows, they all played multiple instruments, wrote music and sang at church concerts growing up. Against that family background there may have been one or two standouts who had both a lifelong study of music and preforming behind them and also an amazing natural talent that was obvious to all.
This was how stars were born and this is what I saw watching Ann and Nancy put down a guitar and pick up a mandolin, drop a microphone and pick up a flute, put down a mandolin pick up a harmonica ect. and then laughed to myself imagining Britney running around grabbing instruments trying to figure out which end to play (No hate to Britney, I simply don't know the names of any other recent pop star types. You can insert any pop artist's name there, I'm sure.)
Ann Wilson has a voice that is stunning. Like listening to an opera singer at their peak; just her voice alone can send a chill down your spine. But their music is also a lot of fun. And even more fun when your hubby surprises you with tickets :) like mine did.
And since I can't seem to post even about a rock concert without it turning political, I'll have to add this. If you remember during he election Sara Palin's nickname during high school was Sara Barracuda. And whenever she came out to give a speech, she came out to Heart's Barracuda.
Being one of the original Seattle garage bands with the politics that the culture demands, Heart was not happy and supposedly published this letter. It appears to be a spoof done by a Seattle paper, but is funny just the same.
Some Heart clips below as well.
-Tasha
Nancy doing Tom Petty's You Wreck me
Ann's version of Immigrant Song
Barracuda
Monday, February 02, 2009
Another reason Montana Rocks-Glacier Bank Tells Government to Fuck Off!
That's right, Glacier Bank turned down the bailout money.
One more reason to love Montana.
What's not to love about a state that threatens succession over the Heller decision and is at it again over the made in Montana firearms bill. Why the Freestaters chose New Hampshire I'll never know
"Also, then the government would become a shareholder in the bank. Philosophically, we sure didn't think it was a road we wanted to go down. " -President and Chief Executive Officer Mick Blodnick
Take that Bank of America!
And what road are they talking about? Maybe the Road to Serfdom?
We've been banking with BoA by default since they took over the local Vegas bank we had an account with some 15 years ago.
But here's the thing, when we move back to Montana this spring/summer, I'm closing that piece of crap account and opening one with Glacier.
For me to say anything positive about a bank is bordering on a miracle.
Those who have been regular readers know that I was completely traumatized by a bank when at nineteen years old, the Mormon credit union I belonged to made me call my mother from the manager's office when I wanted to withdraw money.
The money was to purchase a car with my boyfriend.
Buying a car together suggested we lived together, which suggested we had sex together, which suggested the bank manager had to get my mom on the phone right away (ya, the same guy I married and have five children with).
So anyway, Mick Blodnick, I fully support what you're doing but if you ever try to make me call my mother, it's over.
-Tasha
Nation's No. 1 bank turns down bailout money
By NANCY KIMBALL/Daily Inter Lake
Glacier tops financial scorecard
Glacier Bancorp of Kalispell made national headlines twice last week.
Bank Director magazine named it the best bank in the country. And Glacier announced it would take no bailout money from the federal government's Troubled Assets Relief Program.
President and Chief Executive Officer Mick Blodnick is honored that the nationally respected magazine put the bank holding company in the lead spot in its annual ranking of the top 150 performers nationwide.
But there's more to the story.
"What we as a company, all of our 11 banks collectively, take more pride in is the fact that for the last five years we have been in the top five," Blodnick said Friday. "We were number two last year and number three the year before.
"Number one is nice," he said, "but all of us feel more proud of the fact that consistently we have been up there for some time."
Glacier Bancorp, with $5.03 billion in assets, is the holding company for Glacier Bank in the Flathead Valley and 10 other independent banks in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Washington.
The magazine's top ranking is compiled from six different criteria measuring return on average assets, return on average equity, two measures of capital adequacy, and two indicators of loan quality.
More here
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