January 2007
27
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Member Newsletter
Middle Georgia
Middle Georgia
The Official Newsletter of Middle Georgia Electric Membership Corporation
P.O. Box 190, Vienna, GA 31092
January 2007
MANAGER'S
MANAGER'S
Comments
Comments
By Hugh Richardson
Rebate credits and Washington
Youth Tour updates
The deadline for
essays to enter this
contest is March 1.
Each student must
prepare an essay about electric cooperatives
and rural electrification and participate in an
interview judged by staff mem-
bers of our cooperative.
Winners will be announced
by March 12.
2007
Years of Service Recognition
Years of Service Recognition
Years of Service Recognition for Middle Georgia EMC goes to
Keith Long
, our metering technician. As of Dec. 1, 2006, Keith has
been with Middle Georgia EMC for 18 years.
We also have a new part-time, fill-in cashier as of Sept. 5,
2006, and her name is
Jessy Green
. Jessy lives in Vienna with her
husband, Paul, and their children. Jessy also runs a gymnastics gym
in Vienna called Southern Tucs Elite. We would like to welcome
Jessy to Middle Georgia EMC.
Rebates
We hope that everyone
noticed and enjoyed their
"Summer Relief" rebate credit
on their December statements.
2006 was a tremendous year for
Middle Georgia EMC because of
the hot and dry summer months, so our board of
directors decided to share the savings with our
members. This is the first time we have ever given
a rebate credit, although during 1995-2000 we did
give rate decreases.
Youth Tour
This will be our 14th year of participation in
the Washington Youth Tour for high school stu-
dents. To date, we have sponsored 36 different
students to serve as our delegates, and we will be
selecting three more this year.
28
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
esolutions that rock: A recent report on gender
differences in communication styles revealed that
women say "I'm sorry" far too frequently. A woman
tends to apologize to a spoiled brat who complains
about the broccoli on her plate, and she apologizes
because the dry cleaner ruined her husband's favorite
shirt--as if it were her fault!
So, this New Year's, if you recognize yourself in
that report, vow to reduce the number of times you
say "sorry." If you catch yourself in the act, plan to
put a dollar into a special jar. Then, without an apol-
ogy to anyone, blow the money on
something luxurious such as a pedicure,
facial, full-body massage, etc.
Psychologists continue to warn us
that we're failing to reach our goals
because, to put it simply, they are just
too hard to reach! We are putting our-
selves on rigid diets when we should
simply cut back on unhealthy foods
and increase our intake of fresh fruits
and vegetables. We're sweating it out
at the gym for hours when we should
be walking, swimming and biking
instead.
One of life's greatest pleasures is
receiving a handwritten letter in the mailbox--a nice
thick envelope with pages and pages of script to
decipher while sipping hot tea in the evening. Why
not resolve to write one such letter a month and see
who writes back? The high-tech version, of course, is
to send personal e-mails to long-lost friends. Seeing
new names in your inbox can be such a thrill.
Self-improvement is another punisher. Taking a
language class and poring over homework assign-
ments can be tedious, to say the least. Cutting classes
or dropping out becomes more attractive as winter
stretches on. Why not take a dance class, or learn to
sketch or write your biography? Just for fun! You
might find a class that your teenager would love to
take with you.
Here's another creative New Year's resolution
that helps reduce clutter and brings hours of fond
memories: sorting out the family photos. Buy a few
attractive albums and sort your pictures. Take time
to look at each one, and don't forget to throw out
the bad ones that make you cringe.
To come up with a New Year's resolution you
are likely to stick to, think painless. Do you hate to
exercise? Then round up some friends to do some-
thing fun a couple of times a week. Shoot some
hoops, go for a walk, throw on a few CDs and
dance like you did when you were younger!
One-shot events work well for those of
you who lack patience: cut up a credit
card; teach a child to swim, draw, read,
etc.; sort your receipts in January instead
of waiting until April 14; arrange a pay-
roll deduction of $100 a month into a
savings account; make your travel
arrangements six months ahead of time;
set aside one day in October to read up
on electoral candidates.
Business consultants are increasingly
seeing the start of a new calendar year
as an optional time for improving
employee and client relations. Here are a
few ideas for New Year's resolutions that
can rock your office: At least once a week, pay
someone a compliment and praise their work
efforts, take your coworkers out to lunch when they
meet a deadline or achieve a goal, make a note in
your planner to place unsolicited calls to follow up
on clients without having them call you first, clean
your calendar and weed out your files.
Many of us vow to spend less and save more,
particularly when those holiday credit card bills start
to flood the mailbox. These money-saving resolu-
tions can help you organize your finances: Learn to
use software that helps you track your expenditures
and monthly bills, take a one-day class on e-Bay
and move those unwanted items out of your stor-
age building, organize your desk so that bills and
Creative and innovative
New Year's resolutions!
R
Continued on page 29
January 2007
29
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Middle Georgia EMC reviews its sponsorship
of GHSA state championships
s the new year begins, Middle Georgia EMC looks
back at the exciting time it has had sponsoring the
Georgia High School Association (GHSA) champi-
onships. With the 2006-2007 school year half over, the
cheerleading, cross-country, volleyball, football, girls'
softball, and one-act play champions have already
been named.
One highlight of the
season has been the
Coaches' Corner hospitali-
ty tents present at three
of the events so far.
Middle Georgia EMC,
along with 31 other elec-
tric cooperatives (EMCs)
in Georgia, helped host
the Coaches' Corners.
EMC employees distrib-
uted complimentary
T-shirts and snacks to
more than 400 coaches at
competitions throughout
the season. The hospitality tents also gave coaches a
much-needed place to relax between events. "Our
Coaches' Corners give us a way to thank our coaches
for their involvement with our students. We are also
able to educate the coaches visiting the hospitality
areas on the benefits that electric cooperatives offer
the community," states Hugh Richardson (Middle
Georgia EMC general manager).
All of the new 2006-2007 GHSA state champions,
as well as photos from the Coaches' Corners, can be
seen on the Georgia EMC Web site at www.georgia
emc.com. New state champions are also located at
the GHSA Web site, www.ghsa.net.
With the culmination of fall sports and activities,
it is now time to shift attention to winter competi-
tions. Basketball, wrestling and drama have all start-
ed their seasons. Middle
Georgia EMC continues to
pledge its support to stu-
dents who participate in
high school athletics and
other activities. "We
believe that competition
helps prepare our young
people for their future,
which is also our future,"
says Richardson.
Future Coaches'
Corners will be held dur-
ing the following state
championships: traditional
wrestling, Gwinnett Civic Center on Feb. 15-16; bas-
ketball in Atlanta and Macon on March 2-3; girls'
track and field in Albany on May 3-4; and boys' track
and field in Jefferson on May 10-11. Representatives
from Middle Georgia EMC are looking forward to
talking with high school coaches from across
Georgia at upcoming Coaches' Corners and further
demonstrating that electric cooperatives do not just
work for the community, but are also part of it.
A
important mail are kept in one place and, last but
not least, make a last will and testament because
you never know ...
The new year is a great time for resolving to do
things for others. Send a get-well card, invite a friend
to start a new hobby with you, invite your neighbor
over for dinner, or drop off items that you don't use
at a thrift store or homeless shelter. You don't have
to be a billionaire to make a difference. Pick a
number from one to 30 and, on that day of each
month, you can write yourself a note on your cal-
endar that reminds you to do something worth-
while for someone--something that makes you
smile. Happy New Year!
New Year's resolutions,
Continued from page 28
30
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Board of Directors
Don Wood
President
Johnny Noble
Vice President
Kay West
Secretary
Ronnie Youngblood
Treasurer
John David McCall
Director
Jerry F. Rhodes
Director
Royce Conner
Director
Ronnie Fleeman
Director
David Dunaway
Director
Davis and Forehand
Attorneys
Staff
Hugh Richardson
General Manager
Lisa Laney
Executive Secretary,
Newsletter Editor
Randy Kent
Office Manager
Mike McGee
Manager of Operations
and Engineering
Vienna Area (229) 268-2671
Rochelle
(Day) (229) 365-2263
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Hawkinsville
(Day) (478) 892-3436
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Office Hours
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Branch offices closed from
12-1 p.m. daily)
Closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
There is a dispatcher on call 24 hours
a day for your convenience.
Meringue Kisses
Courtesy of the Georgia Egg
Commission
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate pieces
1/4 cup toasted pecans, almond slices or
walnuts
Beat egg whites and cream of
tartar with electric mixer on high
speed until soft peaks form. Add
sugar gradually, 1 tablespoon at a
time, beating until stiff peaks
form. Beat in vanilla. Fold in
chocolate pieces and nuts. Drop
meringue batter by rounded tea-
spoons on a parchment-covered
cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees
for about 20 minutes or until
firm. Remove from pan to wire
rack and let cool completely.
Note: May also use any of the
following mix-ins: 3/4 cup toast-
ed coconut; 3/4 cup candied
green or red cherries; 1/4 tea-
spoon mint extract and a few
drops green food coloring; or
1/4 teaspoon strawberry fla-
voring and a few drops red
food coloring. Yields about
3 dozen cookies.
For more recipes
from the Georgia Egg
Commission, visit
www.georgiaeggs.org.
Here's to a happy
(sweet) new year!
f, after the holidays, your sweet tooth is still calling,
but you've vowed to lighten up on the sugary goodies
this year, then you're in luck. This recipe for Meringue
Kisses, also known as "sweet nothings," will help satisfy
your craving while you watch your waistline. (One cookie
is about 32 calories.)
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