Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas has come and gone

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

I spent Christmas Eve with my family, doing the whole food and gifts thing.

Yesterday morning, I awoke to a once-again flooded basement. There was nothing I could do though, since I had to work.

We had wonderful food, and absolutely stuffed our faces. As per usual, it got busy once it got dark. We ran calls constantly until around 430 this morning. I came home and slept afterwards.

Now, I'm just relaxing around the house, staying warm and chatting with friends online.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Many things

Yesterday wasn't too bad of a day. It was supposed to continue raining off and on, but it stayed dry and ended up beating the predicted high by reaching a balmy 44. I was prepared for it to stay in the 30's, but that's ok.

Most of the calls we ran weren't very interesting, save for a late-night severe CHF patient. Her O2 sats were 71% on arrival. We hooked her up to the CPAP and she also received some medications both onscene and enroute to the hospital.

Christmas is coming, and I've still got to hunt down and buy 50% of my gifts for folks. At work, we've decided to do a potluck for Christmas day. I volunteered for dessert type stuff since I don't know how to cook many side-items and can bake everything at home beforehand. I'm all about staying out of the kitchen and relaxing when I can cook it at home and not even have to worry about reheating anything.

I do need to decide what to make and gather the supplies though. I'm definately thinking some kind of cookies, as well as brownies. I'm not big on making cakes or pies though, so they'll have to buy them if they want them.


The basement here on the homefront is drying out, slowly but surely. I've got 2 fans down there moving air constantly. The problem will be waiting on the ground outside to dry out enough to dig up the french drain, and hoping it won't rain anymore.


Enough of a break I suppose, time to get back to my arts 'n crafts. I'm determined to get this project finished by christmas eve.

Friday, December 18, 2009

On the home front

Not related to work, but I'm stressed, therefore, I post!

It's friggin freezing outside! It's 37*, but with a 16mph wind, it feel like it's 26*. It also doesn't help that it's raining.

I've spent valuable time with the 16gal shop vac today, removing water from my basement. So far, I've probably removed at least 80 gallons and I'm nowhere near done yet. The damage is immense. The only good thing is that last time this happened (although not nearly as severe), we put almost everything in plastic bins, on shelves, or somehow a few inches off the floor.

This time, the water has filled the finished room, and moved to where the motorcycles are parked.

The deepest point of water is nearly 2".

What we suspect is the real issue, is that I need new gutters, and especially need to dig up and replace where the gutter downspout routes water past the house. The craptastic 40 year old plastic corregated pipe is probably shot.

I've also had to put a plastic dropcloth on my back deck and pin it down with pots and paint cans. The water overflows a weak spot in the gutter and dumps through the porch, and onto my AC unit...which is currently frozen rock solid.

Just one of those days where I'd rather be at work than dealing with this crap.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Vacation funnies

These are things that I said, yes, I said 'em, to people on vacation. This post takes up space, proves how much of a smartass I am, and fulfills many other things only I keep track of. Enjoy.


Conversaion with Mrs Claus

MC. "Happy Holidays"

Me- *blank stare*

MC "and Merry Christmas"

Me- "OK, now you've got it right"


Conversation with cashier at lunch place

Cashier- "Your total is $15.**"

Me- "No it's not"

Cashier- *extremely puzzled look on her face*

-cue roommate from my right-

Me- "our food is together."

Cashier- "Oh"


Many, many times it was noted how the larger folks were working on the moving walkways for the rides that had them at disney. The jokes about being on a treadmill flew, most initiated by my friend (who lives near disney, and works there).

By the end of the trip, I was ready to strangle most people in sight. For reasons ranging from randomly stopping in front of me, to not controlling their children, to just breathing my oxygen.

I should mention that even though I'm far from claustrophobic, I get very anxious when strangers stand too close to me. I blame work for that.

Back to the grind tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Another day of jingle bell airhorn.

We've also broken into a house after friends and family failed to make contact with a family member for days. They had semi-barricaded themself into a room an passed away. It's pretty sad, especially considering how close to the holidays it is.

In more light hearted news, today has been a day chock full of jokes. Everything from silly ribbing, to sly comments, to farting on each other or farting in the office and locking someone inside.

I'm having an absolute blast today.



Unrelated news, I'll be taking a week off, so don't expect much from me this week. That is, unless I decide to post from my vacation spot.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

HOA toys with Medal of Honor winner over his flag

This story makes me sick to my stomach. The fact that the HOA would even argue with this hero over a flagpole is disgusting.

Also bear in mind, the story fails to mention that the HOA guidelines do NOT forbid flagpoles. There's also the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005, which bars any HOA from making any restrictions on flying Old Glory on your own property.

Here's the link, but I've copied the whole story to here as well...
http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/saywhat/story/WWII-Vet-Fights-Homeowners-Group-Over-Flagpole/5kmNFbpms0GSREuU6IpHQg.cspx


RICHMOND, Va. — One of the nation's oldest Medal of Honor winners was back in the fight Thursday, this time against a neighborhood association that wants him to take down a front-yard flagpole.

Supporters, including a U.S. senator, have been falling in behind 90-year-old retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II veteran awarded the lofty Congressional honor for actions including standing up to three German tanks with a bazooka and stopping their advance.

Barfoot put up the 21-foot flagpole in September in front of his suburban Richmond home. He raises the American flag daily at sunrise and retires it at sunset.

"It's really ridiculous to want to keep the flag from being flown," he said in a telephone interview. "I've heard some terrible excuses out there."

The Sussex Square homeowners' association says the flagpole violates the neighborhood's aesthetic guidelines and ordered him to remove it by 5 p.m. Friday or face a lawsuit. The group has said Barfoot can display the flag, as long as it's in a way that conforms with association rules, such as from a pole mounted on the front of the house.

"This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," the association said in a statement.

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., is among those offering to help break the impasse, Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said. Warner and the war hero became acquainted at veterans' events when Warner was Virginia's governor from 2002-06. Others are backing Barfoot on the Internet, including with a Facebook page.

Barfoot won the Medal of Honor for actions while his platoon was under German assault near Carano, Italy, in May 1944. The award citation says Barfoot, then a 2nd lieutenant, crept up alone on German machine gun nests, killing and capturing enemy troops in three of them, stopped their three-tank advance and helped two seriously wounded comrades back to safety.

He also won the Purple Heart and other decorations, and served in Korea and Vietnam before retiring from the service in 1974. The Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center, a state nursing home for military retirees in Richmond, bears his name.

Barfoot's daughter, Margaret Nicholls, said her father has been moved to tears by the outpouring of support, and hopes the nine-member homeowners' board will use its discretion and let him keep the pole.

"A house-mounted pole? That is not an option," Nicholls said. "The flagpole is definitely what he's fighting for."

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Not sure what to think

I'm just not sure what to really think about this one, but I'm not happy. If I was, would you be reading this? Probably not.

Remember my comments in other posts about not liking being around other females at work? Usually, it's because they're sorry, lazy-ass, weak, drama-whores. This time, I'm just not sure about her.

As I was heading home from work the other day, the other shift's female started playing 20 questions with me. We were standing in the main office, surrounded by everyone else.

The basic gist of her questions were things like "do you like fighting fire", "are you scared of fire", etc.

Honestly, it put me on the defensive, and it pissed me off that she would think she even needed to ask these things, much less in front of a bunch of guys. The questions and look on her face made me feel as though I was being accused of something.

Not quite 2 weeks ago, she pulled me into the women's bathroom to tell me that if my guys were harassing me, to tell her and she'd take care of them.

Seriously? What the hell?!

I can take care of myself. I have the thick skin needed to deal with the jokes, and with the snide comments of the few women-haters in the department. *If* I ever have a big enough issue with someone that it can't be resolved, my first move will be to speak with my captain, or battalion chief. I'm not going to go running to her, that seems so ridiculously childish.

I'm hoping she means well, but her approach is absolutely horrible. All she's accomplished is making me wary of her (while I try to figure out her motives), and even more against working with other females regularly.


She's not even on my shift, so why should she even give a damn?