You feel a little helpless when a potential dangerous situation arises near your home, and you are stuck at work 30 minutes away. I maintained a heavy feeling in my stomach for the better part of an hour Tuesday morning while news of potentially armed homicide suspects cruising through St. Joseph broke. Yes, I still live in St. Joseph despite my employment here, but this only furthered my desire to sell my house and get out soon.
My wife and son were at home, and it took 15 calls to wake someone up and try to let them know what was going on in the near vicinity.
At one point, the search was focused blocks from my house. I couldn’t very well drive home only to put myself at potential risk and likely arrive too late, so I waited.
All I could really tell her was keep an eye on the baby and stay alert. Call 9-1-1 if you see the green minivan described in the alerts and across social media.
Eventually, the reports were found to be “not credible,” and the search ended without any real danger. While the fear subsided, I tried to clear my mind a little, so I thought maybe we could discuss a few light-hearted items here for a break from the real world.
*** I took an actual break and headed up to Price Chopper to seek out some of Boulevard’s Chocolate Ale.
The now-famous beer became a sought-after tradition near Valentine’s Day each year. Many stores in the Kansas City area sell out quickly, and there’s often a two-bottle limit.
I found most of the stash untouched early Tuesday morning and filled my quota, another benefit of living just outside of Kansas City’s densest urban areas. Last year, the Chocolate Ale remained on tap at the Buffalo Wild Wings in St. Joseph long after other area supplies were exhausted.
One friend drank the beer while watching the NCAA Tournament because the fervor didn’t quite find its way to that location. Not sure that will happen again, but still beats paying a marked up price on Craigslist for an opportunistic hoarder who may or may not be waiting to stab you when you go to pick it up.
***
Oh, yeah. I said keep it light.
Did you catch the Super Bowl this year? That’s a dumb question, I know, and anyone who didn’t probably caught a few of the commercials between fistfuls of nachos.
What a bummer those things were.
I think we definitely overreact and overanalyze these commercials, especially on Twitter and Facebook, expecting immediate gratification, but there were some true downers this year, including a much-maligned
Nationwide insurance ad that focused on the death of children due to household accidents.
I mean this spot was heavy.
Not all commercials need to be funny, but this really struck a nerve in front of America’s most dedicated television audience. Certainly didn’t make me want to go out and buy their insurance.
Of course, it might have been better than the “That’s how you got addicted to heroin” jingle that ran in St. Louis. Man, that side of the state has issues.
***
Let’s see. What else.
Oh, there was also an email I received earlier this week about Earthquake Awareness Month in Missouri. That would be currently happening in February in case you were unaware.
I know I was completely unaware.
I’m sure we all remember doing those earthquake drills when were in school, and state officials want to make sure people remember what to do in case of one of these natural disasters were to happen here. I’m not so sure that’s going to happen.
Let’s face it. There’s history that shows a big one occurred way back when in the boot heel, and occasionally, people claim to feel a slight jostle when one occurs in a bordering state. But no one is prepared for that to happen here.
If the ground starts shaking in Platte County, we are all just going to panic. All of us.
No one is going to remember to duck underneath a desk or get into a doorway.
That reminds me. Maybe I should call Nationwide and check out their earthquake plans — just in case.
Ross Martin is publisher of The Citizen. He may be reached via email at editor@plattecountycitizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Citizen_Ross.