Thursday, April 14, 2011
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Thursday, April 14, 2011 |
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Community | Obits | Editorial & Columnists | Society | Sports | Education | Classified Ads | Calendar of Events | Features | Newsbriefs | Legals | Archives | Subscriptions | Photo Gallery |
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Close to Nowhere A good cop I’m not sure how Barry gets his column done or where he gets his ideas (OK, this week’s column I do). My ideas often come straight from outer space. Then, I mull them over a while and generally at 4ish on Tuesday afternoon -- the last minutes of our deadline, I put pen to paper and hopefully what I’ve been mulling over comes out coherently. When I arrived at work this morning, I had a couple ideas puddling around in my brain. They all drained away when Barry, the newspaper editor, came in and said that Patricia Selman had lost her fight with cancer early this morning. I’ve been thinking about her all day. She and I did a couple stories several years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed working and talking with her. The first story I did with her was just before Christmas shopping time -- how ladies especially could help prevent being robbed or raped. My favorite tip from Patricia and one we had a lot of fun with that particular day, even though it’s a very serious subject, was a great idea on how to slow a potential rapist down and maybe you can find a way to get away. Patricia also said “run!” Patricia said to always wear a T-shirt tucked into your jeans or slacks or whatever (under your regular shirt). Take a really big safety pin and pin that T-shirt to your undies. To be graphic, that makes it really hard for someone to yank your undies down or to pull your T-shirt up. (Patricia advised a “girdle-type” undergarment.) That might help you escape and she reiterated -- when you get the chance “run!” For a long time after that story, every time I’d see Patricia, she’d pull her shirt up and show me her safety pin. The next story we did together was something near and dear to my heart. I won’t get on my soapbox, but I will say this. I don’t care how much you drink. DO NOT get behind the wheel of a car after you’ve been drinking! Patricia had some weird glasses and strange gloves -- you put them on and your coordination drops down to that of a drunk. She let me put them on with the school kids and it was horrible! You cannot bend over and pick up a coin off the floor. I could not walk a straight line or even a crooked one. The school kids and I giggled a lot. I have to admit, they outright laughed at me. But Patricia also taught them a valuable lesson about drinking and coordination. She was a good “cop.” She will be missed... |
       
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