When you are a working mother with children under 5, it should be common knowledge that there is no such thing as a day off — unless your kids are in daycare during your day off. I was on my own with the boys, and the previous week, was considering a trip with them to visit their dad’s office in Santa Ana using public transportation so they could ride the train. I nixed this plan for several reasons — too ambitious to do on my own, too hot, and finally, Metrolink suspended its service on Labor Day. Plan B was to take them to the splash pad where we had Chris’ first birthday party. We got there early and…..there was no water. At a splash pad. We stuck it out for an hour — and Chris had a great time running around the park, forcing me to chase after him. Plan C was to take them to a shopping center we frequented before moving — but then they were both scared of the splash pad. After a short time at a dry playground in the same shopping center, I gave up, we picked up lunch (at Zankou, because that was Mama’s treat) and went home. After we all ate and the boys were watching TV shows on my phone, I saw Mikey starting to nod off in his seat. So I hustle them upstairs for nap time. My Labor Day rest consisted of about an hour of uninterrupted screening time for “Taken 2.”
Tag Archives: Metrolink
Help a sister out*
Aida and Gabby Magdaleno in happier days
The image of the unbiased, by-the-book journalists is a total sham. Last night, as I cut a video of a sister mourning one of the victims of the Chatsworth Metrolink crash, my eyes welled up as I watched Gabby Magdaleno tearfully describe how her sister Aida was her other half. Maybe I was especially touched because the girl shares a name with my mom — even the same spelling.
Either way, this morning in church, as I prayed, it struck me that I wanted to give something to this girl’s family. They’ve set up a fund for her funeral expenses. I’m sure her family never thought they would be holding a funeral for a girl so young.
I’ll be contributing some of the advertising money I’ve had sitting in a Paypal account. It’s not a lot — its less than $100, but more than $50. But I think in this case, every bit will help. If you want to also contribute — and I encourage you to — send it to:
Wells Fargo Acct. # 9738399766.
*CSUN’s Daily Sundial has a lovely story about Aida Magdaleno. h/t LAO
Chatsworth train crash
Photo by Spencer Weiner/LA Times
Its unfortunate to say, but journalists bear with your everyday stories and news reports just to be able to cover a story like this — a devastating train crash with a death toll of 18 and rising.
Yesterday was one of the busiest Fridays I ever had.
That said, I want to put out the call to anyone who wants to tell the story of their loved one, or their story of survival, or their story of being lucky not taking the train that day. Let me know if you want to talk, and I’ll hook you up with the right people. In addition, if you have photos you want to share, let me know, and I’ll post those on my work site too.
This crash gives me mixed feelings because Trin and I have been talking about possibly moving to Camarillo in the future (more bang for your buck, though farther for me from work). If we were to move to Camarillo, taking the train would be the natural solution to the extra long commute. I don’t think the crashes I’ve seen — first Glendale, now Chatsworth — scare me off, but they do give me pause.
And, I gotta say, being in the newsroom as this train crash coverage went down felt like deja vu. It was like Glendale all over again — not being able to go out to the scene and all. In fact, this is the third major train crash I’ve missed out on covering — the semester after my editor stint at Cal State Fullerton’s Daily Titan, there was a big train crash in Fullerton.
Dude. That ain’t right.