Doing the Right Thing (and a medical update)

Its 3:21 pm

    Its blistering hot once again,we have had rain 3 times this week but right after the storms roll out then oppressive heat moves right back in...

   First off.....the great news. Lori's check up was perfect.....nary a peep of cancer was seen in her lab work or exam. This is just beyond great....we see Dr. Johnston in 3 months,get a PT Scan and then her chemo port can be removed. Time to move onward and forward,right?

  How was the 4th of July for everyone? It was a good day here....we built the brand new patio table,I destroyed yet another yellowjacket nest without getting stung and did some light housekeeping.
 We are cat sitting for our friends again while they take a trip up north. And as usual,Autumn the cat was as shy as ever. I cleaned the cat box and fed the turtle while Lori fed and watered the cat. We made sure we left the radio on and then headed out to do our errands.
  Stopped by a Dollar Tree in Belleville to look for containers for a idea Lori saw on Pinterest. We had picked up some at a larger Dollar Tree to help keep our upstairs freezer neat and organized. It worked very well so we went to our local store but they didn't carry them. So that brought us to the DT in Belleville.
Store was pretty poppin' for the 4th...we found our containers and went on our way.
  We then returned the huge planter we bought about 3 weeks ago,Lori ended up not liking it as much as she thought. We hadn't used it as of yet so it was a easy return at the Wal-Mart where we had gotten it.







   Ended up doing a little of shopping as well,people were shopping for BBQs and grills. Lot of hot dogs,brats, and hamburgers being sold.
  It was nice to see everyone smiling and laughing while they shopped. We went home and brought in the new patio table inside and put it together.
  While we were doing that I told her about the incident at my job the day before.

It was around 12:30ish on the 3rd....I just had helped a guest load up about 600 pounds of cement in their car and was headed back in....one of my co-workers was eating lunch and talking with a friend outside. Suddenly she looks to the left,looks to the store and then stands up. I'm about 50-60 yards from her but I can tell by her body language that something was wrong...I added a little more speed to my step and came around the corner and looked where she was. I was stunned....two grown men were squaring off at the other side of our store. You could hear the profanity being tossed about and both men were getting louder.
Its about 93 degrees now...and I guess I was only surprised that we hadn't seen this kind of tempers flaring up as of yet. I quick stepped down there,a white guy was arguing with an Middle Eastern man,the Middle Eastern had parked to get supplies but had blocked off (by accident)the other guy's truck. So what was a unintended action now had two grown men about ready to throw blows.
  I walked in-between them,put my arm around the Middle Eastern man,introduced myself and offered him a handshake. I knew what he was angry about,the white guy was mocking his accent. I steered him away and back to his truck,talking to him,asking him what happened. The white guy kept on barking and I turned and pointed at him "Leave it alone" I told him twice. 
 The guy I was with was named Jim. I calmed Jim down and explained that two professional contractors didn't need to act like that. He was very sorry and calmed down quickly. I then walked back to the white guy and I was a little less kind with him....I said "When I am getting him calmed down and you keep pushing his buttons,you have now become the problem."




He also got a little sheepish but was still mad because the other guy had spit on him. I dunno,I might inclined to toss a loogie if you are yelling "Fuck You!!" and making fun of my accent.
Now while I'm breaking this up....I see our store manager watching and I go,"oh shit". Afterwards...I walk up and told him I was sorry,the store policy is safety first and I wasn't sure if I had crossed the line.
  He just shook his head and "No,no....that was great. Where did you learn how to defuse situations like that at"? I said "Marsugi's...San Jose,California" and laughed.

  But isn't that something? That you could get into trouble by doing the right thing? Like what happened to this lifeguard?

Florida lifeguard Tomas Lopez was fired after he tried to save a man's life -- an example of how a company's fear of liability can sometimes make waves and backfire.

Lopez, 21, was hired by Jeff Ellis Management to monitor a portion of a public beach in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The company allegedly gave Lopez strict instructions to stay inside his patrol zone, ABC News reports.

But when Lopez spotted a man in distress outside his patrol zone Monday afternoon, he ignored those instructions and leapt into action.

By the time lifeguard Tomas Lopez got to the man, other bystanders had already pulled him to shore, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. Lopez stayed with the man until paramedics arrived.

That valiant act was Lopez's last as a lifeguard, as his employer fired him for straying 1,500 feet outside his patrol zone. The man Lopez tried to rescue was in an area where swimmers are advised to swim at their own risk, the Sun Sentinel reports.

"We have liability issues and [lifeguards] can't go out of the protected area," Lopez's ex-supervisor told the Sun Sentinel. Jeff Ellis Management could possibly have been sued had Lopez's rescue attempt gone wrong, the company said.

In general, a person has no legal duty to rescue a victim in distress, unless a special relationship exists. Such a duty can be established when a lifeguard is contracted to patrol a specific beach.

But if a Good Samaritan fails to exercise reasonable care during a rescue and makes things worse, he can potentially be held liable for damages. That liability may be imposed on an employer, if the Good Samaritan's actions were within the scope of his job duties.

After a national outcry over lifeguard Tomas Lopez's firing, Jeff Ellis Management is now offering Lopez his job back, ABC News reports. But Lopez has turned down the offer, saying he won't rescue the company from drowning in a public-relations disaster created by its own liability policy.

Seriously,has it come to that? That we may not act to save a life,help out to solve a problem,break up a fight because we might be held liable and even lose our jobs? Instead of feeling good about getting involved,my first reaction was "Did I go too far"? That should never be the case,should it? 

The above video is one in a series from Liberty Mutual and it shows how just ONE good act of kindness can inspire others to do the same. We really so badly need more of this,don't we? And to do it from our hearts,not expecting anything back but simply because its the right thing to do.

  We finished our table and took it back outside. I grilled up some steaks,Lori made the sides and the tea...I went and set the table. We had a lovely dinner and then cleaned up the kitchen and watched TV. The fireworks started at about 8pm. I took Derek upstairs because he is afraid of the loud noises. Snacks on the other hand,just laid by Lori and slept through them. 

  Michigan has legalized the selling of fireworks and while that is okay...I don't think with the high heat,setting off bottlerockets was the best idea,at least 5 houses were hit and burned by fireworks in our area. Its something to be aware of....but with more and more cities cancelling their fireworks show,families doing their  thing is now becoming the norm. 

   As so many of you know,I love to read....in fact I'm wrapping up yet another book called "The 10th Fan" which details Major League Baseball courting of the baseball fan. One down,100 more to go,right?
Lori doesn't like to read much in the way of novels and such. She loves art books,travel books and cookbooks but when it comes to reading a James Patterson book or a Andrew Vachss book,ehhh,not going to happen. She did read the two Dan Brown books,The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. I bought her "The Lost Symbol"but that one has been gathering dust and acting as a bookend to about 20 unread books on my list.
   Imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw Lori was reading Lisa Ann Walter's book..




Not a bad book to pick up to read to say the least....its a very entertaining book and one I hope you all get a chance to read.

My next blog entry will feature a new interview with  super cool handbag designer Evon Cassier. Been waiting for her to get a chance to finish it and send it back. Well it has arrived and now I'll be so tickled to introduce Evon and her amazing creations to you all....

That is all I got for now.....thank you for reading this and hope you'll tell a friend/leave a comment!


Michael

For my friend Paul...

Its 10:45 am

   Woke up to a mini-blizzard of snow this morning..which we weren't expected to get. The weather gurus here said it would just be sort of rainy but I guess they misfired.
 
  I have often touched on my past in San Jose where I worked as a talent buyer at various clubs. One of the best things I can recall is how being a outsider to the music scene when I started at Marsugi's was how quickly I was accepted. As I started to learn about the history of San Jose's music legacy,I always heard of one name....Catflinger. I know,I did a double take when I heard that as well....because Catflinger doesn't exactly sound like a name of a very nice guy. My first couple of years I heard the name but never met the man.
  Then I heard his real name was Paul Goeltz and that he used to book shows at the Pub at San Jose State. Now I had been to a couple of shows that a pal Brian had put on and I can tell you,the Pub was sort of smallish but the shows Paul did...well they still talk about them today,decades later. He booked bands like Primus and Faith No More when they were just cutting baby teeth as bands,before they became major players in the music business.
 A new club opened up downtown called Toons,which was owned by a guy named Steve Hoey. Steve was a very funny guy and he liked the nightclub business as well. He thought a dueling piano bar would do well in downtown San Jose...and about 3-4 months later,he found it wouldn't. That happens in the club world,sometimes a format you think will work,will but you have to be ready if it bombs.
  Toons soon changed it format,out went the pianos,in came the cover bands and cheap beer to draw the college crowds.  Soon the club began to draw a good crowd and a couple of us ventured down to see how Steve was doing it. And it was on that night,I met Paul in person for the first time. I had always saw him as a older,heavier guy with a smoke in one hand and a beer in another wearing a old leather jacket. I could see him with a old Germs or Flesheaters t-shirt,talking Flipside or BAM magazine. But that wasn't the case at all...Paul looked he lived in the mountains,a throwback to Woodstock. He was doing the sound for Toons and it was a pretty easy gig since a cover band was set up,you really didn't have much to do.
 Before I could introduce myself,Paul said "I know you,you're Eddie's new booker. You have done some great shows". Now I worked every show and attended the shows that I didn't work and I had never seen Paul downtown. But the guy knew what bands I had booked? I was pretty humbled because this was the guy everyone talked about...without him,there may not have been a SoFA area but because he proved there was a market for live original music....the club owners took a chance and soon Red Light district gave way to a little thriving club scene.
   But what really surprised me about Paul was his music taste....it wasn't punk,alternative or even rock....Paul loved the Grateful Dead. And still does....as it turned out,it was the reason why we never really saw Paul downtown,he was a Deadhead. A Deadhead was a fan who traveled with the band while they toured. Since the Dead had several side bands as well,Paul went on though tours as well.
  As we became friends,I asked him how he picked his bands and he said he couldn't explain how he knew only that he had a feeling when a band was hot.  Remember,this was waaaaay before the internet and massive media that provides bands with mass exposure. Many times,you would get a cassette tape or a 7 inch record or perhaps read about a band in a little fan zine that you picked up in a record store.
  Now I am not a Grateful Dead fan....but I would like to hear the stories Paul told about selling brownies or different oils to the throngs of fans who traveled with him. There would be long stretches when Paul was gone from Toons and Steve would doing sound. He would stand outside and say "I wish Paul would hurry the hell back home". Steve never replaced Paul,he knew he had a great guy and he trusted him like no other.
  After my first rocky stint at the Club Oasis didn't go as plan,I felt pretty down....Paul had heard and looked me up and talked to me. Not every job is going to work,especially in the live music business is what he told me. You just have to stay focused,keep listening and be ready to go when the time comes to book again. Through Paul,I was able to do a few local shows at Toons before I moved to Mountain View.
  I didn't see my friend for a long time since I wasn't downtown much anymore but I always held on to his words and when a local showcase I was doing at a local coffee shop went really well,I got a chance to work at the Agenda Lounge...I had taken his advice to heart and it paid off.
   Flash forward to today....
How many of you know of someone affected by this recession...besides me? No job,poor health,lost a job,lost savings,a 401k or a house? I know of several people who have had this happen to them and it sucks.
Foreclosures in Michigan are just awful....just as they are everywhere and when you hear about folks who have lost theirs homes to banks which needed and cried so badly for a federal bailout,its even worse. Of all the people,those banks,like Bank of America or Chase should have the most compassion because they themselves were on the edge of losing it all.
 I bring this up because I have discovered since reconnecting with my friend Paul on here that he has fallen on some very rough times. He has suffered a crippling back injury that has left him unable to really work. He is going through a divorce which in California,means you have to split your assets. Between the injury and this,he has lost his savings and now is looking at losing his home.
  He has tried to contact Bank of America to get a re-fi but to no avail....the new government bail out plan will come online too late for him,by the time it does,the bank will have foreclosed on him.
I can understand his fear,being slowly squeezed dry with no where really to turn...all Paul wants is just a chance to sit down with a banker and see what he needs to do to save his home,that is all he or any of us wants. Just a fighting chance,just as they got when the Fed bailed out their asses.
  Paul has started a petition on Change.org in which he is asking you to sign in support of him. I myself have signed it and I hope a few of you will also do so.
  When Paul asked me to blog about this,I said I would be happy too,to give back in a small way to man who made a lot of bands,artists and lovers of good music...to help a raise a voice for him.
I wish I had 10,000 readers who I could have forward this entry all over but I don't. So I'm asking whoever reads this to reach and forward this entry among your own circles.

To sign Paul's petition....
http://www.change.org/petitions/another-one-bites-the-dust1-president-and-ceo-bank-of-america-brian-moynihan-lower-my-interest-asap-stop-losing-papers


Thanks for reading.


Paul- Hope it helps
Renee- breathe *s*
MM- don't be a stranger