KristineGalvan's Blog

I met a  truly remarkable woman today in the small town of West Columbia, population about 5000.  She's 78 years old and an absolute gem.  I wish I would've met her for another reason though.  This incredibly brave woman was raped and robbed late Sunday night.  Someone knocked on her door.  She says it was a familiar knock, a pattern one of her relatives always uses.  She opened the door thinking it was that relative.  It wasnt.  The man made up a story.  He was looking for someone named John.  She asked him what was Johns address.  He made one up, then asked to use her phone.  She let him inside and waited for him at the door.  After using (or pretending to use) the phone, he walked over to the door, grabbed her, demanded money, and then (when she told him she didnt have any) dragged her to her bedroom and raped her.

This wonderful woman wanted to tell her story in order to warn and protect the other women in her town.  WOW!

Who could or would relive that in order to help someone else?  For the SOLE purpose of protecting someone else? 

I've met some pretty great people on the job, but no one nearly as fabulous as this woman.  I know I will think of her for many years to come.  She will be in my prayers tonight...and I hope in yours as well.

So that "Interesting" wedding I blogged about two weeks ago went off (with a couple of minor hitches) last night.  Overall it was a great celebration.  Now cross your fingers for Jason and Andrea Junkin.  They're planning to continue with their caribbean honeymoon  even though the newly formed Tropical Storm Ike may crash the party.

Fox 26 photographer David Lanier (in the black shirt), along with cameramen from Channel 11 and Channel 2,  donned fantastic safety googles as he embarked on a tour of the Anheuser Busch brewery.  So what should the caption read?  I'm also open to other suggestions....

1.)  Three Blind Mice

2.)  Three Amigos

3.)  Fashionable Photographers

4.)  Preparing for Dangerous Eye Gouging Beer

I'm home, and it feels so good.

I got back to Houston today after 4 long days in the Rio Grande Valley.  Don't get me wrong.  I absolutely LOVE the valley.  AND I absolutely LOVE covering hurricanes.  Loving the thrill of standing in whipping winds and having sharp rain  bullets sting your skin an odd thing, I know.  But I love it, still like Dorthey said..."There's no place like home."

The high points:  I got to do what I love to do.  I got to see great friends- Will, Stephanie, Izzy, Jona, Mike...  Truth be told, I should've prepared better for this storm- foodwise.  When a hurricane hits, you live on peanut butter, chips, candy and all the stuff thats is bad for you until power is turned on OR you leave the area.  My old friends were better prepared than me and provided an endless supply of sugar free red bull, laughter and support.

It was also great to see my "second mom," Jenny, and my real mom, who cooked homemade King Ranch Chicken for photographer Gregg Ramirez and me on our way home.  Falfurrias did not lose power during the storm, and it was our first "hot" meal in 72 hours.

The low points:  realizing I didnt pack sugar free red bull, the nasty motels we stayed at that charged 4 star hotel prices, the technical difficulties, the lack of bathroom facilities... Did I mention I LOVE covering hurricanes?  Strange, but true.

So my faith in good, solid customer service was restored today....for about 15 minutes.

I made a quick stop at HEB on 18th street for a couple of items.  It seems my better half has developed quite a love for Subway's new "The Feast" sandwich, so I decided to stock up on lunch meats so he can make his own anytime he wants at home.

Thats a disclaimer because I dont want anyone to think I LIKE salami (yuck!). 

Back to customer service... I couldnt find it.  Someone had stocked the Salami spot with Roast Beef (which I also bought).  So, I put Pastrami in the cart (thinking he wouldnt know the difference) and went on my merry way.  Three minutes later, an HEB worker tracked me down (huffing and puffing) in the laundry aisle (I needed Tide too).  He found the salami, brought me two cases (in case I needed more than one) and offered to take the Pastrami back with him.

I walked away with the salami and the pastrami and a big smile on my face.  Now THATS great customer service.

On to the checkout... the cashier scanned and bagged my items but no one was there to put them in the cart.  Thats ok.  I always help the sacker put the items in the cart because I like to get in and out of stores as fast as I can.  I didnt mind loading them myself...UNTIL I saw a sacker HIDING behind the $1 DVD rental box.  He couldnt even look me in the eye as I walked passed him with my self-loaded bags.  I am not exaggerating.  This guy clearly didnt want to work.

Oh well....

Wait there's more!

Tell me what you think....

Do you think cost cutting is resulting or will result in poorer customer service?  Or, is our "Energy Capital of the World" immune to the ecomonic crunch?  I'd love to hear from you...

I got assigned to the big WrestleMania 25 announcement today.  Problem:  I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about wrestling.

While interviewing one of the guys, I asked for his name.  He said something like "New Money Man,"  so I asked why is that guy calling you "Punk?"  Well, thats also his name....?????

Okay next problem, so what is a wrestler?  Are they athletes?  Entertainers?  Performers?  Actors?

I loved it!  

This was my first time driving a hybrid anything and I thought there would be a bigger difference.  Other than the stop and startup when you come to a complete stop...it drives like a regular Tahoe.

I really like this car, but I'm a bit skittish about buying something that hasnt been out long.  My biggest concern is with the batteries.  The dealer says they're made to last as long as the car, but what if they do go out?  How do you get rid of them?  And it seems weird to be driving around with two huge batteries under your back seat.  (It didnt help that there was lightning around.)

Any thoughts on the hybrid?  Is it worth the extra cost?  Or am I just getting sucked into a trend?  I cant help but think those batteries have to be bad for the environment...which basically negates the whole purpose. 

I'd love some friendly enlightenment...

Her name is Jazmin Lyn Richardson.  She was about thirty minutes old when I snapped this picture with my blackberry.  My bestfriend Gracie brought her into this world yesterday at 5:33pm.  She weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces and was 21 inches "tall." 

Mommy and Baby are doing just fine.  Daddy had to go home and take a nap.  He apparently had a really long day!  :)

First up:  OUCH!  My feet are killing me from running around the new Houston Premium Outlets on 290 near Mason.  Note to self (and all of you) :  wear flip flops or running shoes next time.  I feel like I've been treking all over Vegas.

Second:  WHEW!  Got out of there without spending a dime.  I tried to, believe me, I tried.  I hit the Starbucks first thing after it opened, ordered a bottle of diet pech tea, and white chocolate mocha with 2 extra shots for my photographer Todd Smith and a slice of No Sugar Added Banana Bread.  Total Cost?  NOTHING.  The Outlets Starbucks wasnt charging anyone for anything.

Next...bypass the Coach store.  Lines there WAY too long.  We're talking 2 hours outside just to get in...then another 45 to hour wait to pay for your stuff.  Browse Cole Haan, Kate Spade, Michael Kors (while we are shooting video for our story of course- its a tough job, especially on 4 inch heels), go to BCBG.  I walked out empty handed, then got a phone call from one of the centers media handlers...Apparently I had skipped over the table of $300 boots on sale for 9 BUCKS!

Those went quick, as you can imagine, but I did find a $440 dollar dinner dress for $39, a $250 dollar handbag for $60 and a pair of $258 pants for $39...Imagine my glee turn to pain (and not because of my achy feet) when I saw the line of women waiting to checkout.

So sad...but at least someone else my size will get to enjoy the stuff.  Thats not the least  bit comforting to me. 

And I never set foot in my favorite store of all....Waterford!  That should make Aaron smile.

My collegue John Donnelly likes to say I have Adult A.D.D....

I dont think so....

He based his "diagnosis" on my rambling posts about my weekends....

So here goes this weekend...

Friday:

Got home, went to the gym, showered, went to a kiddie birthday party, got home, showered, goodnight....

Saturday:

Showered again...Went to Target.  Got a pedicure.  Got groceries.  Ran various errands...Home Depot, Lowes.... Got home.  Shower...Packed a bag.  Rode in a truck to my brother's house in Dallas.  Went out in downtown Fort Worth.  Got Home.  Shower

Sunday:

Woke Up. Made breakfast for little brother and better half. Shower...Bought another 4 wheeler... Rode in the truck home.  Watched the second half of the Super Bowl (hate the Giants)  Shower ...and went to bed...

That is NOT A.D.D.

...Just like Mayor Grace Saenz-Lopez and little "Puddles" aka "Panchito"

AP Story:

The allegations could bring down the mayor of this South Texas town: a faked death, an attempt to hide the evidence from police, a cover-up story.

And for what? A Shih Tzu.

Mayor Grace Saenz-Lopez was indicted Friday on two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence related to a dog her neighbors say she took from them.

"She loves the little dog," said attorney Homero Canales, who represents the mayor and her twin sister, who was also charged. "She told me that if she were a single woman, she would not care if she went to jail for the rest of her life before she would give the dog back."

According to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the San Antonio Express-News, Saenz-Lopez had agreed to take care of Puddles while Rudy Gutierrez and Shelly Cavazos were on vacation over the summer. A day after they left, she called to say the dog was dead, but three months later a relative of Cavazos saw Puddles -- renamed Panchito -- at a dog groomer.

Puddles' family sued and filed a criminal complaint, but the case took a new turn Monday when the mayor filed a police report saying the dog was missing.

A television crew found the dog 10 miles from Alice in Ben Bolt, at the home of Saenz-Lopez's twin, Graciela Garcia. Garcia said a "mysterious lady" had found the dog and dropped it off.

Garcia was indicted on a felony count of concealing evidence, said District Attorney Joe Frank Garza. She and the mayor have been released on bond.

A hearing is set for Feb. 4 in the lawsuit against Saenz-Lopez, where state District Judge Richard Terrell will decide the custody battle over the dog, said DeeAnn Torres, the attorney for Gutierrez and Cavazos.

"We just wanted the puppy back," Torres said.

Canales, who is keeping the dog at his office, said his client "will not give the dog back unless there is a legitimate court order that says she has to."

"The taking of the dog was to save it from certain death," Canales said. "It was going to die. They had left the dog with her to take care of it. She took it to the doctor. She decided if she gave it back it would die."

Convictions on the felonies would cost Saenz-Lopez her office, City Manager Albert Uresti said.

She could lose it sooner; a recall effort is under way.

Hey Guys,

I'm in the MyFoxHouston.com chat room tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12:30 (noontime).  Hope to hear from you.  I'd love to keep the conversation Britney-free, but anything (well, almost) goes.

I'm attaching a link to a story the Houston Press did that I found really interesting.  I wasnt living in Houston when this happened so the murder of Felicia Ruiz is fresh news to me.  Hope you guys have time to check it out and let me know what you think... but remember, any topic is good to go!  See you tomorrow!

http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-01-03/news/chuck-r
osenthal-so-tough-on-crime-that-a-murderer-goes-free/a>

Oops!  She already is.

So today the teenage girl who stabbed and killed a teenage boy in Chew Park last year pled "guilty" to aggravated assault, a second degree felony.  Her deal boils down to 5 years probation, community service, fines (including an order to pay funeral expenses), submission to random drugs tests and she must finish high school or get a GED.

If she does it and does it well, the guilty plea will not go on her record, meaning clean slate for Ashley Benton.  AND, a new law makes Miss Ashley eligible to finish her probation in two years. 

If we were in Hollywood...the tee-shirts would say "Team Ashley" or "Free Ashley."  HUGE score for her defense team...Kent Schaffer, Rick DeToto and Brian Wice plus their investigator and two legal experts who all worked for free.  All together now:  GRATIS! and Gracias...

See... It pays to have a big heart especially for those who already have padded wallets...Lets think of the PRICELESS Mastercard commerical for this one... 

Breitling Watch:  $5000, Cadillac Escalade $70,000,  House with a glass ceiling walkway $1,000,000.... publicity and professional reputation for getting a girl who has confessed to killing a boy (self defense, people!) off without prison time ....  PRICELESS!

By the way...I'm not making fun of these guys.  I dont know Kent, but Rick and Brian are really nice guys and obviously good at what they do.  Kent Schaffer also represents the porn actress from Kingwood who used one of her high school classmates real name as her "exotic" screen name and is now getting sued. 

What would the tee shirt for that one say?  Keep it PG, please!