Friday Roll Call

GOOD MORNING IL!!!! How are ya all this fine morning? We only got about 2 of the 2-4 inches that were predicted overnight and it had stopped snowing by the time I got up. It had started by the time Dave and I left support group last night at about 8:15ish.  Speaking of support group we had a blast. They always have some team building games to play that are fun and baratric educational and then we had the firehouse raffle/grab bag. There was a lot of gift stealing last night. What they do is that you get a number and then you go up and pick a gift from the wrapped ones or you can take an opened gift that someone else already has. Barbie  (office girl) got her gift stolen a couple of times. She tried to walk around or hide in the back of the clinic but that did not work. She lost the blender/bullet thingie (the other bullet type blender) and then the velour throw that I brought as a gift but she eventually stole the throw back. You see you get to steal a gift from someone else if your gift is taken, but you can only steal an item 3 times. Needless to say we all had a really fun time. It was really good to see Christina and Calvin there. She had to leave fairly early because her foot was a bothering her. I told her she should have put it up on Calvin's lap but she laughed at me when I said that. What does everyone have planned for today  I am home from work for the last minute things I always need to do for our party Dave is taking me out for sushi lunch today. It sure is a lot cheaper to go for sushi now as a PO. We share a couple of plates and then we are done, HAHA.  Well, need to get moving.   & , Christine ps I forgot to mention that we saw Karen, Shelli, Jeff and Amanda, all great members of this board.

Hi Christine and IL board members,  Doesn't look like we got too much snow last night here in the city...I'm so glad for that! We were supposed to go to a Christmas party last night but I was so wiped out with shoulder pain that we stayed in and watch the Bears game   The best thing about that was all the blankets I was snuggled under cuz I am freeeeeeezing lately. And the dogs were more than happy to snuggle in with us, too!  They are great foot warmers...LOL. I'm gonna hop on over the Curves for some circuit training and gossip with the gals. Then it's off to get my elderly mom a flu shot. Your support group sounds like a lot of fun.  And I'm so glad that you were able to see Christina and Calvin...I'm sure she was glad to get out of the house for a little while.  I'm hoping for a restful day before returning to work tonight...Friday nights are always interesting due to the extra officers on the end of the radio working special assignments...they can be a bit frustrating to deal with sometimes.  And I don't know if you notice it at your department, but the holiday season can bring out the weirdest type of calls for service. Anyways.....everyone have a wonderful day!! hugs, Paula

Paula, oh I remember the manpower requirements for a Friday and Saturday night for the 3-11 shift. Those nights usually flew by real fast because you were so busy. At the time when I was still in communications (I spent 14 years on various shifts) it was one person on the radio and 5-6 officers on the street and sometimes a detective or two. Plus we handled all fire calls, receiving of them and dispatching. I do not miss those days. I wish they had MDT's (mobile data terminals) when I was in radio because that would have saved me a lot of time in running 10/27-28's for some of my bozo's. Because Itasca is basically a lilly white community we get a lot of CFS (calls for service) about suspicious people of other color; man we have a lot of bigots in my town. They forget that that the town expands to about 100,000 due to the office and factory workers during the day and many of them take the Metra and Pace to their jobs or walk from those stations to work.  Well, last night for you sounded cozy. I love those nights, but no rest for this weary person for the next few nights with our party and then the clean up afterwards. Need to fly. Chris

Chris, I used to work in the suburbs and know how much is required of the communications folks.  Not only answering the 911 calls, but also dispatching police/fire/ems....then you have all the warrants and LEADS entries for other stuff...then the UCR reporting....ugh!!  Not to mention that in one of my departments I was also a police matron (I don't miss that at all) as well as the person that wound up making the coffee AND cleaning the litter box of the station cat, Sylvester.  That damn cat used to jump up on the console and drink my coffee!!   I know what you mean about the burbs having a lot of those "suspicious person" calls.  I used to field them a lot...most are racially motivated. We've got less responsibilities than you guys do...if you are dispatching, that is what you are doing. Of course I have a lot more officers out there at any given time, but they are pretty good about things. I work the channel for the specialized units out there...but they are the ones that respond to all the "hot call" type of things...it can get hairy sometimes with multiple emergenices on opposite ends of the city. I worked years ago in Addison....for a very short time.  So who knows, I our voices probably battled for airtime on that channel. LOL. (it was over 15 years ago when I worked there) Have a great day!! Paula

Well, we could have been on the radio together but only if our UHF freq. was out. We went off the channel with Addison back almost 24ish years ago. I think Wood Pile, Addison, Itasca and Glendale Hts were all on together. We switched over from VHF to UHF to a freq. with Roselle and now Addison has made mention of wanting on to our channel and that would be a nightmare because only one unit or base can talk at a time. We have trouble with Roselle hogging the airwaves now . . . rambling on about what they want in their coffee at night C & S or black (at night) or during the day abou****ering violators or dog calls etc. They do have a busy town but they go on and on about nothing. Itasca is just as busy with 2 expressways intersecting. CB ps - we do not have any resident pets other than the mice that are in the station or the pigs, I mean officers we work with.

Whoops - folks! I was wrong on the amount of snow we got because it was dark when I was trying to see it. We only got a dusting, 1/2 inch at the most. Christine

  Good morning Christine and Paula, It sounds like you both have very interesting jobs. We only got about 1 inch of the white stuff last night, just enough to cover the ground and make everything white. It is so nice with everyones holiday decorations up.  I am playing busy beaver today. I need to go  do some errands, then I want to clean up a few rooms  here in the house, and maybe make about 10 lbs of brisket to make into Italian beef. That will get done this weekend if not today.  Depending on the weather tomorrow morning, I am planning on going to Bloomington to stay with my granddaughter while her Mom works tomorrow morning. Then my daughters and I are going to a tearoom for a tea. This is a holiday tradition for us, and a fun afternoon.       Lisa

Yes, the job is very interesting and it is never the same from day to day. I do not have the stress anymore as I had in dispatch but have enough stresses in records. I think you are going to be fine for the drive to Bloomington tomorrow morning because from what I have been reading the freezing rain is supposed to start after noon time. So, chop, chop get working around the house and that means myself also. Christine

Good Morning All - Last night was support group and it was so good to get out of the house.  I was dispointed that we had to leave so early.  I should have taken Chris's suggestion of propping the foot up.  Not any sooner as we got there it started throbbing.  I had not taken any pain meds because I did not want to be a zomby at the party.   It was really nice to see so many new faces.  Wow, I hardly recognized most.  I did win a IPOD Shuffle which was really cool because I have always wanted one but just could not justify buying one for myself.  I bought one for Amanda last year for Christmas. Now I just have to figure out how to put music on it.  I'm not the most computer saavy person.  Hope everyone has a great day! Christina

Christina, that is cool that you won the IPOD Shuffle. Sometimes I am not too literate either on the computer but I managed to download music to my MP3 player. It was not real hard, just give yourself time to do it when you are not rushed to get something else done. Chris