The Harnation

If you'd asked me one year ago if a person could land an Airbus A320 with 155 people on board in a river without killing anyone I would have said that it was absolutely impossible.

Now, I'm no pilot, but I do have a degree in Avaition Management and therefore had quite a few classes dealing with flight, crew resource management, crashes and and a varity of subjects avaition related. I've seen the news, photos and the following incredible animation of US Air flight 1549 landing in the Hudson and I STILL have an increadibly hard time beliving that they actually pulled it off. The pilots certainly deserve TONS of credit for the way this turned out, but I'm convinced that they weren't the ones determining the outcome that day.

I just found this today and had to share... Here's an amazing 3D animation of US Air flight 1549.





There is a bunch more info HERE.

One note that really stood out to me was this line:

"The Branta Canadensis [Canada Goose] has an average mass of about 3700 grams. At the time of impact, the closure rate between Flight 1549 and the flock of birds was approximately 120 m/s [meters per second]. The kinetic energy dissipated by collision with a single bird would be approximately 27,000 Joules. This is about the same amount of energy as a 2,000 pound car traveling 17 mph."

That's just ONE bird. If you've ever tried to push a car to get it rolling at just 2 mph you know how much force is required Also, for comparison, car bumper tests are commonly done at 5 mph. This was a HUGE ammount of force to hit an entire flock of Canada Geese.

Wow. Those guys did an amazing bit of flying that day.

Get out a tissue, because this story is a tearjerker.

Notes Left Behind is a collection of letters written by a beautiful six-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a fatal form of brain cancer that she hid for her family to find after she had died.

When their then five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer, the Desserichs decided to start a journal so that their youngest daughter would never forget her loving older sister.  What they didn't know was that Elena was secretly writing notes and drawing pictures that she hid all over her home and her relatives' homes, tucked in between the pages of books, inside bags of Christmas decorations, cupboards, and anywhere else she could think of.

Within days after Elena's death, her family began finding the notes - hundreds of them so far - addressed to different family members and with messages as simple as "I love you"

'She was a child who was wise beyond her years,' said Mr Desserich. 'I hate to think she knew she was dying but I think she did.'

'I think the notes were her way of telling us that everything would be OK,' added Mrs Desserich.  'It feels like a hug from her every time we find one.'

'We don't ever want to find the last note,' said Mr Desserich. 'I hope we keep on finding them for years to come.'

...In fact, both parents have saved one unopened note from Elena which they carry with them in their briefcases.

'It's our way of saving the last note,' said Mrs Desserich.  

About a year and a half ago, Matt was playing with a framed photo of  Amanda and me as kids that sits in our living room and discovered a secret letter that Amanda had written and hidden when she gave me the photo as a gift before I left for college.

As I read it, tears streamed down my face.  Amanda was so excited for me, moving off from home and on to college, but she also talked about how much she would miss me and how things would never again be quite the same. She spoke of how hard it would be having the sister that she looked up to move away and start a new part of life without her.  But mostly, she told me how much she loved me and how much it meant to her to have me as her sister.  I never knew she felt any of that, and reading those words (even years later) made me feel so loved. 

I don't keep a journal or anything like that, but I definitely think that there is value to writing down your feelings at various times.  It's easy to forget what something was like after time has passed, and it's even harder to re-articulate those long-passed feelings to someone else. 

Write a note to someone.  Tell your friends how much you appreciate them.  Tell your loved ones that you love them.  Tell your spouse how much he (or she) means to you.  They'll never know it if you don't tell them.

With a possible vote on the proposed House health care bill (H.R. 3962 or Affordable Health Care for America Act) this Saturday, you need to take the time to voice your opinion (whatever it is) to your representatives.

Here's a copy of the letter that I sent my Congressman.  I also plan to call him and my Senators.

Dear Rep. (So-and-So),

I strongly urge you NOT to vote for the House health bill, introduced by the House Democrats. 

We cannot afford a public option, nor do we need one - ever. 

We need to lower costs so that individuals can purchase (or not, it's up to them!) health care ON THEIR OWN. 

We cannot afford to insure non-citizens, period. 

We have a moral obligation to our citizens to never spend federal (or state) tax dollars to fund abortions. 

Forcing insurers to cover pre-existing conditions will also lead to the downfall of the private health insurance industry (and added expenses to those responsibly purchasing health care on their own) and force the country into a government-run program. 

We need more doctors and nurse practitioners, higher access to insurance plans across the country, increased use of and access to medical flex plans, and no more government involvement in health care!

Please do not vote for the House Bill, even with any "amendments" or revisions.  This horrible plan cannot be edited into a good one.

I believe that voting for this bill (or any form of it) will surely result in the election of a fiscally conservative Independent or Republican to your congressional seat next year.

Sincerely,

Rebecca H.

Do you like the proposed health care plan(s)?  Do you even know what's in them?    Please, please take the time to find out. 

You don't have to agree with me on the health care debate, but your opinion still matters.  A quick phone call or email will only take a minute.  You can't complain about the state of affairs of our government if you don't express your opinion (and vote!).

For a list of the contact info for US Senators, see here.  To find your Congressman, see here.
Several of the (current) bills are posted here in their entirety. 
GOP Plan Summary here.

Welcome to my zoo.

We just got our new foster dog, Charlie.

Charlie's story breaks my heart.  He's gone from home to home.  He was rescued by Weimaraner Rescue of the South this past spring, and was heart-worm positive.  He's got some scars on his legs, may have experienced a broken leg, and probably suffers from arthritis.  He's a big 95-lb. gentle giant; he's really the calmest, most gentle dog I've ever met.  Even high-strung Ace is getting along with him (a miracle).

I think because Charlie has been abandoned so many times, he gets upset when he doesn't know where you are.  He barks if you don't let him back into the house right away after his bathroom break, follows you throughout the house, and cries when you leave him alone. I hope that with time some of that will go away.  We've also learned that giving him a peanut butter-filled Kong greatly helps with any separation anxiety (at least until he eats all of the peanut butter, anyway).

Isn't Charlie a funny name for a dog?  I like it because our pastor, and favorite Charlie ever, shares the same name.  (A high honor for Charlie The Dog).  Plus, Charlie is really a people name, not a dog name.  :o)  It's like my friends' cat, Bob.  Just makes you laugh to say it.


Why are we fostering?  I've always wanted a weimaraner.  When we first got married, we lived in an apartment in Dallas and Matt said that I could get a dachshund as a compromise.  That's how we got Tyson.  Ace was a rescue (dumped in the middle of the road on busy 6th Avenue in Decatur).  Two dogs is really plenty, and Matt had a "no more dogs" rule to protect me from becoming the crazy dog lady.  He did give in, though, when I asked him about fostering.  Weim Rescue has over 50 dogs right now and about 15 of them didn't even have foster homes (where the dog lives until someone adopts them), which is costing them an arm and a leg in boarding fees.  I figured that fostering would allow us to help a dog in need, and also give us an opportunity to know for sure if we could handle such a large breed in the future.

If you've thought about getting a dog, why don't you consider rescue?  You can get wonderful mixed breed pets locally at the shelter or even find a breed-specific rescue, like Weim Rescue and Dixie Dachshund Rescue if you want a specific type of dog. They make wonderful pets (many of the adults are already house-broken) and all need loving homes.

The last month or so has been an emotional and physical roller coaster.  I just haven't had the heart (or the time) to blog.

I love my blog - I love having a place that I can post about those random things that come up in our lives or something interesting that I read somewhere, sharing it with the five of you who actually care enough to read it.  ;)  I love reading everyone else's blogs - the stories of what is happening in your lives, the recipes, the fun pictures and opinions on current events.

Yet over the last several weeks, I just haven't really kept up with everything.  School work, house work, relationships, and everything else has really been weighing heavily on me.  I feel overwhelmed and am stressed that I can't handle everything on my own.

I usually feel like I can balance it all and remain pretty care-free, but I've had a tough few weeks.  I think I'm starting to come out of the funk, and back into the light.  Having a loving husband sure has helped ground me and keep me sane.  What would I do without him?  I really thank God for giving me such a wonderful life partner and best friend.  I could not have done better on my own.


So, what have we been up to over the last few weeks?

Not much time for political article reading or blog topic musings lately.  I've mostly just been running around with my head cut off.

I got a break from class, but not a break from homework last week.  I also hit the I-don't-feel-like-doing-ANYTHING wall and have been forcing myself to work on the assignments a little at a time.  Yuck. Our house is a medium-level wreck and we've got multiple loads of laundry to wash, dry, and put away.  Our kitchen floor desperately needed a hands-and-knees scrubbing and I've got some plants that have been begging to be put in the ground for weeks.  All in good time, my dears.

Matt went to Atlanta two and a half weeks ago to finish the roll cage in the "race car" with his brother and then to the farm with my Dad this past weekend.  They did all kinds of fun "farmer stuff" and broke in my dad's new tractor.  Matt's been fighting a cold, but it hasn't gotten him down enough to miss much work or play time.


We also got a foster dog, Charlie.  We applied over a month ago, and after the vet reference check, phone and home interviews, we finally got this monster of a dog.  He's the sweetest thing ever, but I'm wiping up a lot of drool.

Who says you have to teach kids how to make up stories? 



It was a traumatic experience being kidnapped, "changed up", and forced to watch the battery of my Dad's flashlight slowly burn out.  The memories still haunt me; the deep southern drawl I have forgotten.

Scarred for life, I tell ya.