Do You Remember What You Were Doing Ten Years Ago Today - Right About Now
Ten years ago today, I was working for an alarm company in Texas. Nights are notoriously slow at any job, but especially for alarm companies. Most alarms are tripped by the people who own/operate them, and most people are in bed. Attacks are more common at night (than during the day), but they are naturally a small percentage of the actual amount of traffic that comes through an emergency call center. This means that working nights gives you a lot of time to think, to talk, ro reflect philosophically about life.
However, on March 7th, 1995 around 3 or 4 in the morning, a HUGE storm hit the coast of Texas. We had 1800 alarms hit our screen in a matter of minutes, with well over 200 "priority 1" alarms. Priority One alarms are: Holdup, Duress and Fire - Life Endangerment alarms. Burglar alarms are Priority 4. (There are no Priority 2 & 3 alarms). As you can imagine, it is physically impossible for 4 people to handle 1800 alarms (and the incoming/outgoing calls required to deal with them) in a timely manner.
It was also my mother's first birthday after her death, and I believe she may have had a hand in keeping me busy that night so as not to get too maudlin about missing her. It's hard to believe it's been ten years - ten years since she passed, ten years since I left Texas & moved to Seattle, ten years since I left the alarm industry.
So what have I done with my life for the last ten years? Traveled to two coasts, added Canada & Mexico to my list of places I've been, bought two homes, met my best friend, and worked 8 years for my current company. I've also hosted a forum for Time magazine (averaging 1.5 million hits a month), met several writers who want to collaborate on a book with me, started learning French and started writing a fiction book. Been through a 6.8 earthquake and dealt with the aftermath of a direct hit from a Category 4 hurricane. I've also given up having a home phone - replaced by my cell phone and high speed internet.
What about you?
However, on March 7th, 1995 around 3 or 4 in the morning, a HUGE storm hit the coast of Texas. We had 1800 alarms hit our screen in a matter of minutes, with well over 200 "priority 1" alarms. Priority One alarms are: Holdup, Duress and Fire - Life Endangerment alarms. Burglar alarms are Priority 4. (There are no Priority 2 & 3 alarms). As you can imagine, it is physically impossible for 4 people to handle 1800 alarms (and the incoming/outgoing calls required to deal with them) in a timely manner.
It was also my mother's first birthday after her death, and I believe she may have had a hand in keeping me busy that night so as not to get too maudlin about missing her. It's hard to believe it's been ten years - ten years since she passed, ten years since I left Texas & moved to Seattle, ten years since I left the alarm industry.
So what have I done with my life for the last ten years? Traveled to two coasts, added Canada & Mexico to my list of places I've been, bought two homes, met my best friend, and worked 8 years for my current company. I've also hosted a forum for Time magazine (averaging 1.5 million hits a month), met several writers who want to collaborate on a book with me, started learning French and started writing a fiction book. Been through a 6.8 earthquake and dealt with the aftermath of a direct hit from a Category 4 hurricane. I've also given up having a home phone - replaced by my cell phone and high speed internet.
What about you?