Memorial Day, weekend storms, painting

Hello everyone, and Happy Memorial Day.
I hope you took time to honor those who've died in service to our country, even if it was something as simple as a moment of silence. Those men and women are certainly deserving of at least that small gesture.
Many of us spent today thinking about people who are dealing with tragedy after tornadoes ripped through their towns Sunday night. The images coming out of Parkersburg and surrounding areas are mind boggling. If you've missed them on the air because of the holiday, you can see video at www.whotv.com in the video player, and also in the 13 Raw section. Also, feel free to share your severe weather experiences. I know I will never forget a horrible hail storm that ripped through my home town in 1986. I still get nervous anytime I hear the thunk, thunk, thunking of hail on the roof.
I was oblivious to the weather on Sunday, because I was trying to wrap up a project that turned out to be more work than I anticipated.


It started out innocently enough. I wanted to paint the upstairs bathroom. Our friends jokingly call this the longest remodel in history. When it is totally finished I will devote an entire blog to this space in my house, but for now I will just tell you that it's been a project that's lasted far longer than it should've. It's a product of the fact that Michael and I are never home. Speaking of Michael, he said "As long as we're painting the bathroom we might as well do the ceilings, the hallway and our bedroom, too."

So, I started taping everything is sight. The only problem is ....

The hallway is HUGE. This photo doesn't adequately capture it's size or Michael's role in this project, but I think he might've killed me if I'd taken a photo of some of the crazy maneuvers he pulled in order to reach the far corners of this twenty foot high space. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time holding my breath, praying that he would not fall off the ladder and down these stairs. He didn't, and the ceilings and hallway look great. Whew!

Then it was on to the bedroom, a space that was poorly painted when we moved in nearly six years ago and desperately needed a new color and a good paint job. It's finished now too, thank goodness!

It's always nice to finish these sorts of things, but now Michael and I are so sore we can hardly move. The other bad thing about any home improvement project, is that it inevitably leads to more home improvement projects. Next on our list, the spare bedroom, the kitchen and the downstairs bath. Scratch that. Next on our list, the upstairs bathroom. To be continued ...
Have a great week!

EEK

Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Thank you

Hello everyone!

First, a thank you to everyone who posted here, called me or sent emails about our "Equal Access" stories. As a reporter you never know what kind, or how much of a response you'll get once your stories hit the air. I'm always a little bit nervous when I do an investigation, because they usually make someone angry. I was a little surprised at the number of calls and emails this series generated - so here are just a few excerpts.

A few UNI students and alums sent notes about the story, including Christine - who helped form a disability awareness group there in the early nineties. "While I did encounter some problems with accessibility, I found that the university administration was more than helpful in accommodating my needs, and the needs of other persons with disabilities." Christine echoes the sentiments of the family profiled in my story. Ryan Dennis and his family were very happy with the University's response to every complaint they had, but they aren't pleased with the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act ... they think it doesn't do enough.

I was somewhat surprised by the number of emails I received from people who are not disabled, but know and care about people who are. Many say everyone should have to spend a day trying to get around public spaces with someone who's confined to a wheelchair, just to get a sense of how frustrating it is.

I also heard from a number of people who are wheelchair-bound because of recent injuries. Bonnie has had eight knee surgeries and writes, "These difficulties are not something I would wish on my worst enemies. You are not only frustrated, you are demeaned and made to feel totally less than equal." Dawn is another viewer who used to be able-bodied, but hurt her back twenty months ago. "Until my injury, I took many things for granted, including the ease of opening doors or the availability of parking," she writes in her email. "I hope your report has opened many eyes as well as doors for the disabled."

Some viewers rightly pointed out a mistake in part one of our series. "I must say I was a bit disappointed with the integrity of the latter half of the handicap story you aired last night," writes Jim. "The video contradicts what was being reported about the library parking lot." I wrote back to Jim and others, thanking them for being such astute viewers and letting them know they are absolutely right! In part one of the series I point out that there are no handicapped parking signs at the East Side Library in Des Moines. However, in subsequent shots you see handicapped parking signs! I'm embarrassed that I missed this when I watched the story before it aired. There are now handicapped signs - but only because we asked the city why there weren't any. The video showing the new signs should have appeared only in part two of the series. I hope that makes sense. Your comments and questions are always welcome.

There are a number of other topics I intended to touch on tonight, but my stomach is growling like crazy so I'm going to wrap up here and get something to eat!

Happy Monday.
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com

Knobby Knees, new grill, Chrysalis and Equal Access

Happy Monday!
Saturday I got to judge a Knobby Knees contest at a Celtic Festival at Living History Farms. What an experience! If you have no idea what I'm talking about, it involves men in kilts. Use your imagination.
We bought a new grill this weekend, and it's about time. Our old one was literally falling apart. Michael is already putting the new cooking utensil to good use, and I'm lovin' it!
Tuesday we celebrate the Chrysalis After School program with an event called HerStory. It's free, at Drake University's Olmsted Center from 4-6pm. We'd love to have you there to help us make a difference in the lives of Central Iowa girls and women.
Finally, I hope you'll tune in Tuesday and Wednesday nights for my special reports on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the struggles some Iowans are still facing everyday. "Equal Access" airs during our 10 o'clock show on both nights.
It's 9:45 and this anchor needs to slap on some lipstick and spray the do.
Have a great week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com