Posted by 101livescan on 2/7/13 7:22pm
Msg #454644

Angel Effects

On Monday, I had a signing with a couple. He's on disability after 25 years as an RN in dialysis at our local hospital.

On February 5, 1983, he was to be at his school in Sylmar, CA taking an exam for his nursing license, and he couldn't go because his father died that day, and he needed to be with his family. It was a good thing, because that is when the devastating earthquake hit that completely demolished that hospital, and he may not have survived it.

After his career left him disabled, he decided to write books about such events, called Angel Effects. He's published by Jack Canfield, the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

It was a great signing! I told them a story that made them both tear up. Well, I got a big hug as I left them. A great night!

I call such events GOD SHOTS! And I often wonder each evening as I'm saying good night to our Almighty, how many did he send my way today. I sometimes feel like Roger Rabbit, keeping up a gnarly pace, day in and day out.

Reply by La Trese Breaux on 2/7/13 7:41pm
Msg #454647

That was very nice

Reply by DebraOro/CA on 2/7/13 7:41pm
Msg #454648

What a great story ! I meet some of the most interesting people in my travels as well !!
Thanks for sharing!

Reply by Malbrough_LA on 2/7/13 9:37pm
Msg #454687

Second the interesting people...

I had a guy just the other day that informed me he's a "professional moonshine maker." He asked if I'd care to sample some, and I informed him thank you, but no thank you. Seeing what was left of his three "healthy" teeth was enough to inform me that the old man has probably made the wrong decision in drinking mineral spirits.

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/7/13 8:16pm
Msg #454656

Hrrmm...was interested in reading this book

Can't find anything about it anywhere; even googling the earthquake brings up no results - no Sylmar earthquakes in 1983; googling Jack Canfield just reveals his authoring, nothing about what he published.

Disappointing.

Reply by jba/fl on 2/7/13 9:24pm
Msg #454684

Re: Hrrmm...was interested in reading this book

Which earthquake: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_California

S

Reply by JanetK_CA on 2/7/13 11:04pm
Msg #454691

Re: Hrrmm...was interested in reading this book

Same site I found myself looking at.

This had me wondering because I thought the Sylmar earthquake was before I came to CA (in '74). A Google search showed Sylmar as happening in Feb of '71, which sounds right to me. I had cousins living in Sherman Oaks (south San Fernando Valley) at the time and I remember them talking about being thrown out of bed...

Further search (from the link above) came up with a Coalinga earthquake in May of '83. Did you feel that one, Cheryl? (If so, I can understand why that year stuck in your head!) Then the Northridge quake hit in Jan. '94 - one which I will never forget, as I was one of those thrown out of bed at 4:40 am! 2005 saw a not quite so strong one in Anza (well to the east of me, which I think I missed because I was driving at the time), but then another slightly smaller one a few days later in Yucaipa, a little farther to the north.

I wonder if this means we should be preparing for something to happen in 2016...

[For the record, these are just in So Cal - and I conveniently skipped a couple that were larger than the Anza and Yucaipa quakes 'cause they didn't fit the (almost) pattern. But it was more fun to look at it this way.]

Reply by BrendaTx on 2/8/13 6:32am
Msg #454706

Are the borrowers initials RD?

He was a an author in 2008's Chicken Soup-Love Stories.
He has a book coming out, "The Angel Effect".
He was impacted by the Feb. 1971 Sylmar earthquake.

Reply by jba/fl on 2/8/13 7:34am
Msg #454707

Re: Are the borrowers initials RD?

When you use "The" in the title, googling finds: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/angel-effect/

Entirely different author though, although the concept is much the same. Interesting for sure.

Reply by BrendaTx on 2/8/13 8:07am
Msg #454710

The book is to be published in the spring 2013.

Not related to the documentary, as far as I can see.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 2/8/13 10:34am
Msg #454729

Re: Hrrmm...was interested in reading this book

Was able to come up with Feb. 9, 1971 earthquake near Sylmar, CA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_San_Fernando_earthquake

Reply by rengel/CA on 2/8/13 11:54am
Msg #454760

He might have been mistaken on the date...

I lived very near to Sylmar at that time and remember being thrown out of my bed very early that mornining. And the VA hospital was demolished by that earthquake.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/sylmar-earthquake-anniversary-dam-almost-collapse.html

My .02

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/8/13 12:36pm
Msg #454774

Would he have been going to take his nursing exam

at a VA Hospital?

Reply by BrendaTx on 2/8/13 1:13pm
Msg #454787

Let's make this interesting! I will bet you $50, Linda.

Some of the facts are a little off, but here they are...I found this info with about six searches on google...it's been fun!

-the earthquake was in February 1971, not 1983.
-the man was scheduled to go to the hospital that morning--he missed work b/c of grandfather or father's death.
-there is a short story about this incident, but it is not the BOOK that is coming out in the spring...the book's name is a little different.
-his stories were published in Canfield books.
-the V.A. hospital is NOT the one the guy was supposed to go to.

I believe that Cheryl signed up this guy this week. I have $50 to blow. I have figured out his name, too!

Deal?

Reply by Linda_H/FL on 2/8/13 1:52pm
Msg #454797

No..I DON'T have $50 to blow....

and I knew all this already..AND already believe that Cheryl did sign the guy - that was never in question.

What's your point, Brenda?

Reply by JanetK_CA on 2/8/13 2:18pm
Msg #454803

Re: Let's make this interesting! I will bet you $50, Linda.

Sounds about right, Brenda. And it wasn't a VA hospital, it was Olive View, as noted in the Wikipedia link Yoli posted. That's also what I remember about that quake.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 2/8/13 5:12pm
Msg #454858

Ooooops...

Well, maybe I should have read the link rengel/CA posted before I added the post above. I remember hearing about Olive View, but didn't realize it was both!

Reply by MikeC/TX on 2/7/13 11:36pm
Msg #454693

As far as I know, Jack Canfield is an author and not a publisher. Everything he has written to date was published by someone else - usually Harper Collins, but also Simon Schuster in his early years. Maybe he has branched out into publishing recently, but I can't find a single reference to a book called "Angel Effects", nor can I find any reference to Canfield publishing his own work, much less that of anyone else.

Also, the 1983 earthquake was in Coalinga; that's about 200 miles from Sylmar, so the chances of it demolishing a hospital in Sylmar are kind of slim.

I think you were fed a story....

Reply by 101livescan on 2/8/13 2:49pm
Msg #454814

I've just been catching up on NR now, yesterday was the day from hell and I was stacked from 7 to 11 this morning, just catching my breath.

I'm not sure if Ray Duarte didn't recollect the date of the earthquake correctly, or if I heard it incorrectly. I remember the quake like it was yesterday, as I was shaken from my bed and watched the chandelier swing wildly that hung in the middle of the entrance of my apartment complex. I thought I was a goner, and I was a good 60 miles from the epicenter.

I remember how scared I was.

But, folks, all the other facts are true, and in no way did I intend them to be fiction or incorrect.

What is amazing to me about this business is that you meet people every day you've never encountered before, it's all part of a higher plan I believe, and how strong the connection is that I made with Ray Duarte upon his telling me his story in response to my asking what he did for work before retiring.

What is interesting to me moreover is the disection of this post and investigation into the details. I in no way intended to mislead any one, I just thought you would enjoy the journey, as I did.

Next week I have a work appointment with a lady who is a Hollywood household name whose RE records files we're going to purge. She has every set of refi documents from day one for 20 years for her home here in Santa Barbara, she has her own radio talk show. She rides a Harley. She's way more fun than most of my signings so I'll be happily alloting the time to assist her, have lunch on her beachfront patio and enjoy that journey too.

It's the best work I've ever done in my life as a professional career notary, I love my work.

Have an awesome day!

Reply by BrendaTx on 2/8/13 3:54pm
Msg #454840

Does rengel have a talk show?

Reply by rengel/CA on 2/8/13 4:51pm
Msg #454854

LOL - nope, no talk show. And she doesn't ride a Harley - she rides a Honda! :-)

I would love to live on the beach in Santa Barbara though!