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Day 3 of the Nashville Flood

by on May 3, 2010, in around town, jump aboard the crazy train, life etc., news/politics

Roads were open this morning in and out of Nashville, and Ian ventured into work at the Tennessee Highway Patrol (all state employees were required to come into work except for those at the Andrew Jackson building, which was too damaged). I worked from home today, as my office building on West End and Murphy was closed because of flooding in the underground garage and inoperable elevators due to the water as well.

Ian said as he drove in on I-24 and passed the area around exit 59, Bell Road, where the cars were stranded Saturday and the mobile classroom floated into a semi and broke apart, he could hardly tell there had been any drama except for where the shoulder was missing. We had heard that the concrete barrier that separated the east and westbound lanes had been taken out, but it appears that information was wrong. Which is good, because if that had disappeared it probably would have been forever before they opened that part of the interstate up again.

I’ve been watching the news on and off today, and have to say that while Lisa Patton now freaks me out (she has always been my voice of calm in tornadoes but for some reason she has freaking the fuck out over this flood and dissolved into a fit of shrieking and bossing her co-anchors around), Christine Maddela is a fucking social media rockstar. She’s been answering questions on Twitter AND live on the air, retweeting people and asking reporters in the field for information requested of her by Twitter users on her stream.

Also? I don’t think she’s left the goddamn newsroom in three days and she looks more well-rested and better-dressed than I do on my best day.

Right now people are talking on Channel 2 about anticipating the Stones River up near Hermitage overflowing and evacuating certain areas up there by boat where possible. One person on the phone with Lisa Patton just said the water had risen 6-8 inches in the short time they had been in the area and were planning on getting out. Smart idea. Other people are calling in to report still seeing sheds and mobile homes flowing by, and asking how they can get help to friends and family members who are still stranded.

The Cumberland River, which I thought had already crested, is actually expected to crest tonight at 7:30 p.m. at 52 feet—higher than they thought originally. After it crests, though, water is supposed to recede within 24 hours. I don’t know much about rivers and lakes and how all that works, though, so if I were within distance of that river I’d probably get the hell out, if possible. I know they evacuated many parts of downtown earlier this morning because of the threat from the river.

I just talked to Ian, too, and he was told he needs to leave work now, I guess in anticipation of the water that will begin rising and flooding again. Hopefully he will be home soon without much traffic trouble.

The Opryland Hotel is flooded, as is the Grand Ole Opry. The basement (and the instruments stored there) of the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall has got water in it, and The Ryman has flooded as well (selfish sidenote: PLEASE JEBUS LET THE BARENAKED LADIES CONCERT STILL GO ON NEXT MONDAY).

For up-to-the-minute coverage of the flood, you really can’t beat Twitter. You can follow my updates at twitter.com/meganemorris or all of the updates from people around the city here and here.

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I support healthcare reform because I have fallen through the cracks

by on March 22, 2010, in health, or something like it, life etc., news/politics, past lives

Seven years ago I was a college senior who was working 80 hours a week, Monday through Friday at two different jobs, so that I could save enough money to complete my final semester in a study abroad program in Spain (I was a double major: Journalism and Spanish). I worked from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at CVS, left there and went home to change, eat a quick bite and make it over to CMOP to work 3 p.m. to midnight or 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., depending on the day of the week.

I did this from December 2002 to June 2003 so that I would have enough money to pay for my tuition for the study abroad program (student loans wouldn’t cover it because technically it was through Murray State with the KIIS program; MTSU just transferred my credits when I completed the semester) as well as all of my bills during the time I was in Spain and therefore without income.

Before I was scheduled to leave, the manager at the CVS and I discussed the fact that I was not going to be working there for two months and what that would mean for my employment status. I had enough vacation time to last me almost two weeks, but that wasn’t enough to keep me on the payroll. They were going to have to let me go and then rehire me when I came back, because for some reason CVS does not allow leaves of absences to be taken for anything education-related. (Nice, right?)

When I got back, all of the tenure and benefits I had earned, including vacation time and health insurance, were reset as though I had never worked there before—despite actually having put in six years of time.

The vacation time wasn’t too big of a deal, but the health insurance was. I wouldn’t be able to sign up for CVS’ health insurance for another YEAR, and I needed health insurance. I wasn’t eligible to be added on to my mom’s insurance because I was too old (I was 24) and soon to be a college graduate. At the time I had a condition that, while not life-threatening, required me to have a battery of tests run every 3-6 months. I needed insurance to help me cover the cost of the tests and, in the event I did develop cancer (or more pre-cancerous cells that would require surgery, as I had before), help me with treatment.

I applied for insurance through various private companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, but was denied each time because of the pre-existing condition. A few weeks later I received COBRA paperwork from CVS, but the monthly premium would have been nearly $1,100—way more than I could afford. I made an appointment with the local TennCare office because I figured hey, TennCare is for people who are uninsurable, right? Wrong. I was called before my appointment and told not to bother coming in because I wasn’t a single mother and therefore would not be approved. I protested, saying that I was unable to secure private health insurance and I couldn’t afford the COBRA payments, and was basically laughed at.

Within two months I had found another job — and while it was a good job and actually a bit of a pay bump (working in the MTMC pharmacy), I took it primarily because I would be eligible for health insurance Day One.

Now, my situation was not that dire. I didn’t have a debilitating disease that required hundreds or thousands of dollars of medication a month. I could have gotten by without insurance for a year or two, probably, and just hoped really really hard things didn’t get bad. I did eventually have to have another more invasive surgery, but luckily I had insurance (And I still had to pay nearly $3,000).

I can’t imagine people in far worse situations falling through the cracks of our current healthcare system, unable to get insurance or afford the bullshit option that is available. But guess what? It happens. And I support this bill because it will help people like that. This bill would have helped me.

And honestly, I’d rather see us spend billions of dollars helping keep people in our country alive than billions of dollars killing people in other countries.

Anyway, I just want to make the point that before you start screaming that healthcare reform is only going to help hoodrats who are looking for another handout or that helping our citizens get access to healthcare is a waste of money, maybe you should step back and consider the actual good it will do.

Or, if you want a less-personal take on the healthcare bill, go check out The Washington Post.

Comments { 3 }

Look at this fucking corporate shill

by on November 15, 2009, in food and/or beverage, hahahahaha, media, news/politics, pop culture will suck out your soul

So you know all those annoying hipster kids that run around drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon “ironically”? You know, the beer that the rest of us drank when we were broke-ass college students barely making rent and it was either that or Natty Light? The beer that fills the styrofoam coolers of our redneck brethren at family barbecues or tailgates? But these kids drink it because it means “anti-mainstream” and “I do my own thing, I don’t follow society’s rules”?

Back in 2004, Pabst executed a highly effective word-of-mouth campaign that made the long-declining brand an “ironic downscale chic” choice for bike messengers and other younger drinkers who viewed the beer as a statement of non-mainstream taste. —adage.com, as reported on freewilliamsburg.com

HAHAHA.

So all you kids drinking PBR because you think it makes you look cool and ironic and like you’re bucking mainstream? Yeah, you’re really just part of a corporate marketing campaign and you’re doing exactly what The Man intended for you to do.

Enjoy your shitty beer.

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The Michael Jackson that died yesterday is not the one you are mourning

by on June 26, 2009, in life etc., news/politics, pop culture will suck out your soul

I don’t understand the “He’s gone too soon” reaction to Michael Jackson’s death. Two days ago, Michael Jackson was a broke pedophile freakshow living in Dubai. We were never going to get another Thriller, another Off the Wall, even another Bad.

It’s always sad when someone dies, especially 30 or so years before normal life expectancy. But Michael Jackson wasn’t normal. Did we really expect to see him at 80 sitting in a rocking chair on a porch some day?

At one time, he was an extraordinary talent: He made incredible music and danced like no human will ever be able to perfectly replicate.

But the Michael Jackson that everyone is mourning today?

He died years ago.

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In which I try to be helpful

by on May 7, 2009, in around town, Internet, media, news/politics, technology/yes I am a geek

So Scott at WGNS (that’s @wgnsradio for those of you playing along on Twitter) finds it insulting that I pointed out his site has grammatical errors.

In which I try to be helpfulHe also keeps DMing me, but since he’s not following me I can’t DM him back. Which doesn’t really bother me, since I have no trouble discussing in public the importance of a news organization practicing good grammar and spelling.

Anyway, in his last DM, Scott (I’m going to call him Scott now since he helpfully left his name in the comment on the below post) asked me for some ideas. I’m going to assume he’s asking for ideas specific to the grammar/spelling issues on his site, and instead of picking apart each story on the front page (which I actually would be happy to do if he would find it helpful—I learn very well from my own mistakes and have benefited greatly from seeing the results of someone else proofing my articles), I’m going to list five general rules/examples that are good practice to follow (and that I have seen broken on WGNS.com).

  1. 1. Age is written like this: “A 27-year-old man” or “A 14-month-old baby,” not “A 21-year old woman.”
  2. 2. A dash is not always necessary when following a number. For example, “3 Arrested on Drug Charges” instead of “3-Arrested on Drug Charges.” Now, I would even suggest spelling out “three,” as in AP style all numbers below 10 are written out, but Scott has said they don’t wish to use AP style.
  3. 3. It is not necessary to write someone’s name (or any word, really) in all caps. Writing in all caps online signifies screaming, and is considered bad form.
  4. 4. It is not necessary to report the race of an individual in the story unless it is absolutely necessary, for example, if the police are describing someone who has allegedly committed a crime but has not been caught yet.
  5. 5. When listing someone’s title after his or her name, it’s generally not capitalized. Unless of course that’s your specific style that you’ve adopted. (Again, I favor AP style.)

Scott, maybe we got off on the wrong foot. As a writer/editor, I can’t help but proofread everything I read. It’s ingrained in me, I guess, and it especially rubs me the wrong way when I see news outlets disregarding simple grammar rules.

So if there’s any way I can help—anything I can point out that you would find helpful and learn from and not take it as rude or condescending—I would welcome the opportunity.

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Conversational media FAIL (or, a letter to WGNS Radio)

by on May 7, 2009, in around town, hahahahaha, Internet, media, news/politics, technology/yes I am a geek, WTF?

Dear WGNS Radio,

I think it’s great that you’re on Twitter. A lot of old media (newspapers, AM radio, etc.) seem to be resistant to the idea that Twitter is important, but I can assure you that nerds early adopters like myself get a lot of their news—especially breaking news—from the platform. So I’d like to commend you for not turning your nose up at it, as many have been wont to do, and instead embracing it and using it to drive people to your website.

However, the point of Twitter is to have a conversation with your audience. (FYI, this includes me). So when I tweeted yesterday about finding funny your tweet about boys buying girls’ jeans and commented that your website has grammar issues, you had several options of how to respond.

You could have taken the opportunity to let me know why you don’t feel it necessary to ensure your website, a news outlet, is grammatically correct. You could have told me that you don’t have a copy editor, or maybe that the guy who posts to your site never went to J-school and doesn’t understand AP style, or maybe even basic syntax and grammar rules. You could have called me out and asked me to point out some places where I found errors.

Conversational media FAIL (or, a letter to WGNS Radio)But you chose to respond with snark via direct message, letting me know that you’re radio people and you can’t spell. (I get that you were joking with “right,” but do you also realize that “thanks” isn’t spelled “thank’s”?)

And when I tweeted about your reply to me, you sent me another direct message telling me that your reply “wasn’t that crazy” (I never said it was), and that AP style is “for the papers” (technically it’s used by many more news outlets than just newspapers). So I guess you’re saying that crappy grammar is the official style you’ve adopted then?

Conversational media FAIL (or, a letter to WGNS Radio)Oh, and telling me “Bye-bye,” and removing me from your followers?

Way to add to the conversation.

But see, you’re not just radio people. You have a website, so you’re web people now. You have a Twitter account, so you’re social media people now. People don’t just listen to your radio station for the news—they come to your website to seek out stories and information. And I would think, seeing as how you are in the news-gathering and news-disseminating business, you would understand the importance of spelling and grammar.

Just like it’s important to pronounce words correctly on air, it’s important to relay your online news with grammatical correctness as well. Because if you don’t, you lose credibility. And if you lose credibility, people won’t take you seriously. And then they’ll stop visiting your site. And fewer visitors to your site means fewer advertisers, and we all know what that means.

WGNS has been on the air since Dec. 31, 1946. You’ve made it through the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm and whatever this bullshit we’re doing in Iraq is being called lately. You’ve been around longer than Barbie dolls, the Frisbee and birth control pills. You’ve outlasted 11 presidents, the Studebaker and telegrams from Western Union. Hell, is there even anything older than you in Murfreesboro? (Oh, right: Bell Jewelers.)

Look, WGNS, I like you. I visit your site to get a hyperlocal take on the news that often I can’t get from the DNJ or the Murfreesboro Post (I don’t even bother with The Tennessean for Murfreesboro news anymore). I try to look past much of your poor style, which includes your penchant for reporting the race of (non-white) individuals involved in accidents and crimes and your inexplicable need to affix a dash after almost every number (“3-Arrested on Drug Charges Near MTSU“).

But I implore you, WGNS: You’ve been through so much in your 61 years. Is it really too much to ask that you report the news on your website with grammatical correctness?

Comments { 7 }

Like the finger of god

by on April 15, 2009, in around town, life etc., news/politics, photography

Like the finger of god

Friday morning I was sitting at my desk at work when the tornado watch was issued. It turned into a warning as the day went on. And around 1:30 p.m., an F-4 tornado touched down in my town—Murfreesboro, Tenn.—killing two people, injuring 50, completely destroying 98 homes and damaging 450 more. Numerous businesses were damaged or ruined completely. The National Weather Service reports the path of the tornado extended 23 miles.

Because it was Good Friday, Ian had the day off and was at home. I was at work on West End in Nashville, freaking out with the other Rutherford Countian, who lives in Smyrna. As soon as the news channels started covering the tornadoes (there were four, maybe five, funnel clouds reported throughout the afternoon hours) heading toward Rutherford County, I called Ian to see what was going on at home. It was hailing and raining hard, and the sky was green. I kept asking him to make sure all the cats were downstairs and to get in the downstairs bathroom (our tornado safe spot) with them, but when the satellite TV went out he had to go upstairs to keep tabs on what the news was saying.

We were lucky. The tornado didn’t come near our house. Another smaller tornado (reported as an F-1) touched down a bit closer to our house, but we still didn’t have any damage. All of our friends and family members were safe, though a couple had some damage to their homes. But nothing like the devastation you see on the news.

I wanted to blog about this earlier, but I couldn’t make myself do it. As though talking about it would anger the earth and a vengeful tornado would rear its debris-sucking head on the south side of Murfreesboro right over my house. I don’t know… ever since my apartment building was damaged by a small tornado (or perhaps straight-line winds; the jury is still out on that one) back in 2003, I have had a pretty ridiculous (and probably irrational at times) fear of tornadoes.

This tornado was fucking huge. There is so much damage and devastation, and my heart hurts just thinking about what an incomprehensible mess those affected by it are dealing with. I can’t imagine what I would do if the tornado had come through my neighborhood as well—and at the advice of others, I’m trying to stop thinking about that. I can’t think about what I would do without Ian, without my cats, without my home. With all of my worldly possessions scattered about the area. Underwear in trees. Computers in others’ yards. Life as I know it undone.

But tornadoes are just random acts of nature’s vengeance, and in Tennessee you have to expect them and deal with them.

In the “holy shit” files, after I got home from work (surprisingly it only took me about an hour and a half to get home, though that was after leaving work at 3:00 p.m., which should have only taken me about 45 minutes) and Ian and I were watching the news coverage of the areas affected, we realized that the tornado damaged several of the areas in which we have been looking for houses: Blackman, Ravenwood, Regency Park, Sulphur Springs, Battleground, Compton Road/Penny Lane. So where before I was cursing this blasted economy, now I’m left silent and a bit stunned.

We were on the north end of town Saturday running some errands and drove down Thompson Lane so I could get some pictures of some of the damage. We couldn’t get into any of the damaged neighborhoods, but I didn’t want to anyway. It seemed too invasive. Sunday on our way home from Mt. Juliet we drove down Broad Street and saw more of the havoc wreaked on businesses. You can see all of my pictures of the aftermath here.

I still feel a bit odd. I know I should feel lucky, and for the most part I do.

But I’m not comfortable with leaving something this important, this horrendous, this potentially life-changing up to luck. And I think that’s what I’m having the most trouble with: No matter what I do or don’t do, I cannot control whether my home—my life—will be destroyed this way some day.

And I’m still not sure how to put that feeling into words. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to. I guess it’s just something I’ll keep pushing to the back of my mind, tucked away somewhere so remote that I only feel it when the wind kicks up and the sky turns the certain hue that only those who’ve been through this before know to fear.

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We encounter each other in words

by on January 20, 2009, in happy happy joy joy, news/politics

Today at work we gathered in the conference room (with pastries!) to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States (on our 30″ Apple cinema display!). I sat in the back row, in the corner near the window, with my iPhone and a green napkin in my lap. I ate glazed doughnut bites and cinnamon roll pieces. I wore a gray turtleneck sweater and gray/black/white plaid pants. I felt insecure about the length of my newly shorn hair when my boss took out his camera.

I’m telling you all this in unnecessary detail because I want to remember it all. I want to look back and remember how I felt again—the second time since the election results were announced—a glimpse of what it feels like not to be ashamed of my country. To feel as though we’re heading forward, heading toward something—anything—good this time, instead of digging ourselves deeper and deeper. To imagine that one day I will travel abroad again and might not be warned to tell people “I’m from Canada” because Americans are so hated internationally. To be able to tell people I’m from the U.S. and not have to add a “But I don’t support our president!” disclaimer after I see them start to judge me, silently but unmistakably.

I want to remember what it felt like to watch the swearing in of someone who I did not fear was going to try to legislate the circumstances under which I had control of my reproductive organs. And how for at least the next four years, I probably won’t have to explain to people that no, it’s not a stupid fear, and you don’t get to dictate what causes are important to me.

This election was a contentious one, and tumultuous for me personally. I sparred with friends over many issues, and there were many nights that I ended up in tears, sure I would never wax political with anyone again. One night I escaped a conversation and ended up hiding in my bedroom closet with the cat, hugging my laptop as I waited for it to be over. For most of the election, I felt like Ian was the only one on my side, even if at times he didn’t completely understand the level of emotion specific issues brought out in me. I saw the discord in the eyes of a couple I know, and realized how lucky I am that Ian and I think so similarly on political and social issues.

I am not stupid. I know that Barack Obama cannot fix everything by Friday. He is not a messiah, Jesus, witchdoctor, magician or Atreyu. George W. Bush spent his eight years fucking shit up, and there’s no telling how long it will take to undo the harm he has done the people of this country. There are scars that will never disappear.

There are scars that will NEVER disappear.

But Obama has the brains and common sense to give it a better shot than anyone else who was in the running (except maybe Hillary Clinton, but because people still fear a Vagina in Charge she got a bad rap), and the election showed the country believes the same. I mean, honestly, it can’t get any worse than W.

The election tired me out. I’m still exhausted emotionally from it. If I even hear people start to debate abortion rights, gay marriage or welfare programs my gut seizes up and I look for the quickest exit. I’m tired of arguing.

So this morning, watching the inauguration, I had a secret little party in my head. The next four years are going to be like a crazy road trip. I love road trips. I’m really, really hopeful.

I feel like I am about to witness great things in slow motion.

And what if Elizabeth Alexander is right?

“What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.”

The headline of this post was taken from my favorite line of the inaugural poem.

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I can feel it

by on November 2, 2008, in life etc., news/politics, waxing creative

I can feel the cool air sifting through my skin as I pull on my heavy knit coat before I walk out the front door
I can feel the crispness of the season breaking under my feet and the crunch of leaves turning to cracks in ice just waiting for me to slip
This is the time of year when everything begins to freeze and in the stillness I catch things that live outside my frame of sight in warmer, more flexible air
This is the time of year when I used to retreat.

Yesterday I bundled myself into the corner of the couch, in the corner of my house, in the corner of my town, in the middle of my state, in the middle of my fucked up country

And I could feel a difference
I felt more full than i have in years
I can feel it coming, I can feel the change
I am on the brink
I am almost proud of my country
And I hope it doesn’t let me down tomorrow.

Comments { 5 }

Please stop e-mailing me that Obama is an evil Muslim named after Saddam Hussein

by on October 27, 2008, in hahahahaha, jump aboard the crazy train, news/politics, stupid assholes, WTF?

Over the last week or so I have been getting random e-mails from old acquaintances and seeing Facebook postings/status updates, etc., that refer to Barack Obama as “Hussein Obama” or otherwise try to convince me that he is Teh Evil Muslim.

I would like to respond to this asshattery with two points:

1. Muslim does not equal evil, and insinuating such just makes you look like a racist asshole.

2. Just stop. You are smarter than that. There are actual, valid reasons to not vote for Barack Obama, and you have got to be able to come up with something other than “His middle name is the same as Saddam Hussein’s last name!”

Sending along these e-mail forwards just makes you look stupid and uncultured. Do you not realize that Saddam Hussein was only a kid when Obama was born? Why the hell would his parents name him after some random-ass Middle Eastern kid they had never heard of?

But more importantly, do you really think there is only one Hussein in this world? You do realize it’s a very common name, right? And so, to illustrate the monumental idiocracy of your “he’s named after a bad person!” shtick, I’d like to play a game with John McCain’s name—another very common name—to help point out how stupid you are. I tried to play it with his middle name, Sidney, but apparently that name sucks so bad there’s nobody besides Sidney Poitier who’s got it. And he’s not really all that bad. So instead, I bring you:

Famous Assholes Named John That John McCain Is Named After and Therefore You Should Fear Him

John Wilkes Booth: Shot Lincoln
John Dillinger: Violently robbed a shitload of banks in the 1930s
John Hinckley, Jr.: Shot Reagan
Jon Bon Jovi: Has been committing acts of terrorism on our eardrums since the 1980s.
See also: John Michael Osbourne. Better known as Ozzy Osbourne. I think he’s pretty cool, but you McCain-voting types probably don’t like devil worshippers too much.

But you see?? You see how stupid that game is? Shit, the last three didn’t become famous until after McCain was born. I guess he technically could have been named after John Dillinger or John Wilkes Booth, but I’m not going to waste my time perpetuating that myth because I AM NOT THAT DESPERATE. I can think of real reasons not to vote for him. I don’t need to resort to made-up ones.

So please, people. If you aren’t going to vote for Barack Obama, do it because of the issues. Don’t resort to some made-up bullshit excuses that just make you look like a fool grasping at straws.

Comments { 7 }
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