Life continues

Well, if you read this blog (and no one does) you will notice I suck at blogging. I think about adding things all the time but never get myself to actually do it. Then it all builds up and I finally decide I need to do something. It is not like it is hard to get to the sight of my blog, hell, I have a shortcut on my bookmarks bar. Just, heck, chalk it up to laziness. So, I got my NREMT and I graduated from the EMT course and have begun my time as an Intern. I will tell you there is differences on how we learn in the class and how we do on the street. Basics are there but the protocols dictate your actions. Yeah, we said you will do it this way in class but here in the "real world" we do it this way. That is a whole different level of learning and one I am currently working on. On a side not...I will tell you that driving an ambulance with lights and sirens blazing is pretty friggin cool!!!! On a reality note, people who call EMS for help are not calling on their best day. Many times they are damned scared and just want you to tell them it will be alright, and sometime, most times, you cannot do that. But the relief they feel when they see you walk in the door is noticeable. To those of you who know me (and judging from the readership of this blog that is no one) you will know that I would do anything for my family. I was away a lot during my time in the Corps and I suppose you could call it trying to make up for lost time. My children are better than I deserve after the hell I put my own parents through. I can thank my wife for that. She has been the bedrock of this family since I was lucky enough to marry her. That saying, all things are not peaches and roses between me and her. She does harbor serious resentment issues stemming from my time in the Corps when she feels she was shunted aside...and she was. The Corps does not give town damns that you are married and have kids, when they say go....you go. I thought she understood that but apparently she had issues with it so they are manifesting themselves now. I will also tell you that I may not be the easiest person in the world to live with. Truth be told...all I really want out of life is a cabin in the woods, about 5-10 miles from a small town, facing south. A running stream would be nice to do a little fishing, some chickens for eggs, a garden to tend, and a chair on the porch to sit with morning coffee or an evening scotch/bourbon. Is that too much to ask?

Well, I did it! I passed the dreaded National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) test! I am a fully certified EMT now! The test was no joke. There were things on that test that i had no idea about. The best I could do was to read the question....read it again....and again....read the answers...read the question and the answers....sit back and breathe deep and make the most educated guess that I possibly could. I called my brother, he teaches the Paramedic course in my hometown back in Kansas and is an RN to boot, and he told me "Welcome to being an EMT, where educated guesses are a way of life." I took longer on each question on this test than I have on any other test I thnk I have ever taken. Seriously, I must have spent a solid minute or two on each one! the test scares you also....it just cuts off when it feels you have answered enough to prove your knowledge. No notice, just cuts off. The worse part is you have no idea if you passed or not. You leave the testing site filled with impending doom that you have completely rocked the test. Usually, if you take the test during the work week you find out within a couple of hours. Me? Oh no! I took it on a Saturday so I could stress out about it all weekend until I finally found out yesterday (Monday) at about 0930. Talk about a HUGE weight off...that was it. So, be careful out there in Virginia Beach....I may be coming to scoop up what is left after one of those "Hey...Watch this shit" moments!!!

EMT Final Testing

Well, tomorrow is the day for the final testing (psychomotor) for my EMT class. 10 minutes that will make you sweat, forget your name....just intense pressure. the state of Virginia requires an EMT to test in three subjects: Trauma, Medical, and a random skill. The random skill could be anything from splinting a bone, traction splint of a broken thigh, suction and airway, or backboarding. Been studying hard and running through the steps in my head. I know i have this but..... This is not the hardest thing i have ever had to do, far from it. However, it is the latest stress test in my life!!

This is my team. I have studied with these three for the last 15 weeks. I am honestly going to miss these guys when the class is over. Been through a lot with them.

Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME????

Okay, my blood is boiling and I am pissed off. So the Houston Rockets owner tweets out support for the protesters in Hong Kong and the NBA FREAKS out. Banning players and everyone from talking about Hong Kong or anything that might displease the Communist Chinese. And the graphic of China on ESPN that shows Taiwan and the "9 dash line) in the South China Sea as their territory? So, they are alright with outright disrespect to this country on our own soil but god help them if they call out the Chinese on the bullshit they are doing. Ever heard of the over 1 million ethnic Uighur people being held in "re-education" camps under armed guard? Or that the Chinese government "forces" family members to come home and then interns them? Or the "Confucius Institutes" on major college campuses to keep track of their students and to ensure the colleges do not espouse anti-china rhetoric? When the hell is this country going to wake up and realize that China, not Russia, is a MAJOR issue and will soon be a peer which will challenge us in ways that they can then choose.

Wow.....has it been that long?

Well.....I decided I wanted to start a blog....and forgot i already had one! Been a few years since I last published anything. Still do not know if anyone reads this (and pretty much do not care)...this is for me. I left the shipyard life finally. Good money but there is more to life than stressing out and regretting hearing a phone ring. I am working in a cubicle now, a far cry from the vast shipyard I left. I am writing technical specs for the US Navy for ship repairs. Not exciting by any stretch but it pays the bills. I did start the EMT course here in Virginia Beach. I have been wanting to do that for a very long time and could never find the time. Well, I have discovered that if you wait for the time to become available, it never will so I made the time. I have been in class since June and will graduate in December. But, then it is massive study time to take the National Registry test. Damn difficult but nothing in life worthwhile comes easy as I have found. Been on two student runs thus far, my third is this Saturday, and it has been good. Was tepid on the first couple of calls but soon worked out of that....these people need help or they would not have called and I am that help. Saddle up cowboy, lives need saving! I have spent the last few years really trying to find myself after my retirement from the US Marine Corps. They took me in when no one else wanted to give me a chance and gave me a blank slate to do well or screw up as I saw fit. I "belonged" there. Now, I must find me again. EMT is really the first step in that. For my next thing I am thinking some sort of martial arts. Was always a fan of Tai Chi, even took a class in it back before I joined the Corps and loved it. But, that will take place after I pass my National Registry test!! Well, I hope to actually keep this thing rolling this time. Forgive me if I digress and do not post often. This was a couple of years ago but here is proud Dad with son at his family day prior to graduation from Fort Benning. Coffee, by the way, still kicks ass!!

Lets start the tale of two vessels...the CF20 and the John F Kennedy Staten Island Ferry. The CF20 is an Army powered causeway ferry. It is used in a JLOTS operations and is very good at what it does. However....working on this little piece of c#$p is painful. It is very small, it is like painting 9 boats vice 1, the engine rooms are filled with hidden corners are very difficult to reach areas to attempt painting. And due to the difficulty in painting this little POS, I am 5 weeks behind on the project. So much for making a spectacular entrance into my new position! The second vessel is the John F Kennedy, one of the storied Staten Island Ferries. When I had my interview to get this position, I told them I thought it was really cool they were working on these ferries. It was "commissioned" in 1965 and I swear, EVERYTHING is hazardous on this beast! It has lead in the paint, asbestos throughout, I was joking the other day that all it needs is PCB's to make it perfect! However, we have a great paint contractor working this vessel, and it seems, for the time being, I have a good working relationship with the NYCDOT folks. So far so good. After 5 1/2 years working for the "other" shipyard on the same class vessel that I retired from, it is nice to be working on such varied vessels.

Well, I have been with my new company for three months now. Hit the ground running! I came in for orientation and after it was over went to the back to see where I would be reporting into. My boss handed me a binder and told me my first vessel arrived on Thursday, three days later! Talk about hitting the ground running. It has been a blessing in disguise. It forced me to learn, quickly, the policies and procedures here on the fly. I have learned who to talk to for what, all the key players in the trades, and feel I have ingrained myself well into the fabric of this company. This shipyard is family owned for over 150 years and you really have to get along and become "part of the family" to make it here. So far, so good! My next job is coming on Monday....I am working the Staten Island Ferry, the John F Kennedy! I am really quite excited about working on this iconic vessel. Kinda cool.