Good bye 2010, hello 2011!

Today is the last day of 2010. I do this thing every year where I can't possibly imagine that the year is over because when I was at the beginning of it, I was thinking that next year will never come and that time moves so slowly! However, in the blink of an eye, time has flashed forward and here we are at the point that we prepare to greet a new year.

This year has been full. Very full. I spent 10+ months in Boone and in a classroom (summer school = fun. not.) which gave me a fantastic summer weather-wise...but not so much life-wise (Jon was the only "life" I had outside of school). I spent 1/4 of the year snowed in (or it at least felt like I was). I went longer than that without seeing grass...or even the ground. White stuff (i.e.: snow) was my blanket for weeks at a time. I finished my fall semester with a mere 14 credits remaining in my undergraduate career. Made it on the dean's list both semesters (the summer sessions don't count) this year. I have cooked and baked until I was blue in the face (figuratively)...and this pleased Jon greatly (the cooking and baking part). I have worked to save lives and make people feel better (and perhaps I've done well with that). Lastly, but definitely the most exciting, I got engaged to my wonderful, amazing, handsome, adorable and sweet (now) fiancé yesterday. :-)

Exciting news!

I have some exciting news!

11 days and counting...

As I sit here, I can't help but to think that school starts in just 11 days. And in just 11 days, I will begin the final semester of my undergraduate career! Now that is exciting! I have the lightest course load I have ever had in college this semester: 14 credit hours. Here's what I'm taking...

• Principles of Learning -- A psychology class about the basics of learned behaviors and the learning process.
• Child and Adolescent Psychology -- Another psychology class that looks at the psychological, physical, cognitive and social development of children from birth through their adolescence period.
• Health and Fitness -- This is one of those "required" classes for physical education...the good thing is I should be quite good with most of the stuff (according to Jon, who has already taken that class).
• US and Canada -- That's what it's called. It's a geography class and I think that will serve me very well in my future career endeavors.
• State and Local Government -- This, along with the geography class, completes the requirements for my concentration (social sciences). I think this will also serve me well in my future career endeavors.

And that's my final semester in a nut-shell. The way my schedule works, I don't have class before 11am and I don't have any Friday classes! :) I will likely be continuing research in "Fat Talk" with the head of the graduate department for psychology. I'm looking forward to that, as well.

Once I get through my first classes, I'll give you an update on how I think the semester will go. Until then, I'll enjoy the thought that my final semester will be a very easy one and I'll breeze right through to graduation in May! :)

Some notes on cardiac arrest

When I work in the field as a paramedic, there are many strange things that I come across. Strange things in relation to a cardiac arrest situation are no different. Here are a few things I've noted that are funny (though not in the circumstance) that made me take a step back when I got there:

Here's the picture: dispatched out to a 70 year old man in a nursing home..."cardiac arrest". We get there and the patient is, indeed, in cardiac arrest. He is on the bed (which has little cushioning...but it not a firm surface in the least bit) and the staff are doing "chest compressions". Instead of really doing chest compressions, all they are doing is pushing the guy into the bed and letting him bounce back up. No compression of the chest is occurring -- just a lot of bouncing.

This is useless. You can bounce the patient to high-heaven...but unless you compress their chest to squish (really technical terms here) their heart between the sternum and spinal column, you are not going to get a pulse back. Sorry. Compress the chest and there's a chance.

Cooking, cooking...always cooking

Mom and Dad LOVE it when I come home from school on my breaks to work. Why? Because I cook. A lot. And bake. A lot. Of the few full days that I have been home, I have spent most of them (like 75% of them) in the kitchen. So, here's what I've been doing:


Hibachi chicken:
I made this for the first time a few weeks ago when I was back at school (you can find the post here). I made it for Mom and Dad...with a few leftovers for me to take to work. They seemed to enjoy it because when I got home from work the next day, there was none left.


Mint chocolate chip cookies:
Yummy! I have been enjoying making these delicious cookies for my "goodie plates" for my grandparents and my boyfriend's parents. Mom and Dad have enjoyed eating them as well. You can find the recipe for that here at AllRecipes.com. If you like mint chocolate chip ice cream, you'll like these. (By the way, the "mint" extract is peppermint extract.)


Pumpkin crunch:
This is a delicious recipe that I got from my former roommate's mom (who loves to cook...and is fantastic at it!). I couldn't tell you where she got it so I can't give the "proper" credit...but here's the recipe for that:

I didn't fall off the face of the earth...

...though I certainly feel like I've gotten close to the edge. Since my last post, I have been buried in work...and, as of today, I am buried in SNOW. I'm not pleased. I mean, really, I have seen enough snow for the season in Boone (already...and yes, I know more is coming) and now, I have about 5 inches dumped on me here in the Raleigh area (and it's STILL snowing). I really feel like I'm back in Boone. I came home to get a break from the cold weather and white stuff. That has obviously not happened. :(

So, my last week has gone something like this:

I have been baking like crazy on my two days off (Monday and Wednesday). I made some yummy goodies: mint chocolate chunk cookies and pumpkin crunch. I'll likely share those in a later post. I have gotten good reviews on the cookies...but none on the pumpkin crunch (don't think it's been tried yet). I tried it and decided it tasted pretty good. I gave a plate of baked goodies to my grandparents and to my boyfriend's parents as a Christmas gift. (I have a difficult time coming up with things to purchase...but I can come up with things to bake or make, so that's what I generally do.) As I write this, I am eating a nutritious and delicious breakfast of those cookies. Yum! (Church is canceled and I'm going on the assumption that Christmas, part 5, is also canceled/postponed. So, here I sit, in bed, on the computer, updating you on my life...)

I worked two 24-hour shifts this week. One was done the standard way (come on in the morning and get off the next morning) while the other was done in reverse (come on in the evening and get off the next evening). I like the reverse for many reasons: I don't feel so rushed when I am getting ready and heading into work and the fact that when I get off, it's really bedtime so I can go to sleep and not have to worry about sleeping all day (those are the main two). However, the major downside is that if you have a bad night, it's the first thing that happens so you know you'll be up for 24 hours (or more if you're not likely to take a nap before you go into work, like me). Monday night-->Tuesday night shift was pretty simple. Nothing too major to worry about. Thursday morning-->Friday morning was very rough. Difficult calls (emotionally and physically) and difficult patients. I was glad to see the end of my shift on Friday. However, my day was not even close to over...

Bring in Christmas celebration, part 1: I came home from work, showered and cleaned myself up from the mess I had become over the previous 24 hours only to leave the house again for another 12 hours (all on about an hour of sleep or so). I picked up my amazing boyfriend who agreed to accompany me on the rounds to the grandparents' houses again this year (he must love me if he agrees to put up with my crazy family). We went to lunch with Dad's Mom at Ruby Tuesday's. We went back to her home and everyone opened gifts.

There was a small break between parts 1 and 2: Christmas Eve service at church. I played paramedic (or was at least at the ready) during the service simply because I can't seem to get enough of it.

Part 2: Mom's Dad's house...with all his wife's family there too. You must understand that this is a small house. When you put my grandparents, my parents, my brother, his girlfriend, her son, me, Jon and my uncle all in there...there's not much other room. We had appetizer-types of food for dinner there. We stuck around for about 2 hours. I was getting really tired and needed to get home for some sleep. So, we left, I returned Jon to his parents' home and I came home, crawled in bed and crashed.

Part 3: Christmas Day with Mom and Dad. This was probably the shortest of all the celebrations/gift opening sessions. Mom and Dad finally got up around 8am and we opened gifts. I had to finish getting ready and leave soon thereafter to head out for part 4...

Part 4: By far...the best part. I spent the day with my amazing boyfriend and his family. I am thankful for his/their hospitality and allowing me to join them on Christmas Day and celebrate with them. We had an absolutely delicious meal prepared by Jon's mother: turkey and rice and green beans and rolls and potatoes. It was so delicious! Jon surprised me with a beautiful locket necklace. He did not put pictures in there (slacker) so I need to find some to put in there...but it is gorgeous and I love it! To top off the evening, it had started snowing by the time I left his house. (Now, there are several inches on the ground.)

Part 5: Was supposed to take place today...not sure when that is going to happen now. It was supposed to be at Mom's Mom's house. I doubt it will happen today simply because Mom and Dad are afraid of the snow...haha.

This coming week: lunch date with Heather-bear, work on Tuesday night...and (saddest of all) preparing for Jon to leave the country for a few days to go visit family in Canada.

Christmas break!

Well, it's finally here! Christmas break! It came two days later than expected (thankyouverymuch snow/ice/stupid winter weather to push exams back two days). BUT...it's now here. I got home (I still call the Raleigh area "home" even though I really feel like I just come here to visit and Boone is truly my home) Wednesday evening after Jon finally finished his last exam (:-P). Thanks to my professors, I finished up even earlier than I would have had the exams happened as scheduled...

My film "exam" (really, a presentation/pilot pitch for a television series) was originally scheduled for Monday at 9am. As of the Friday before (December 10) was moved to Wednesday (December 15) at 9am because of the impending winter storm. Well, the storm hit and canceling was the right move (just seemed silly to do it so far out). With the way the weather was behaving, my professor emailed our class on Monday afternoon and said to email our presentation and film clip of our pitch to her instead of attempting to come to class to present it there. Score. One out of the way.

My history and systems exam was also supposed to be on Monday at 6pm but was moved to Wednesday, along with the film exam. My professor emailed the class on Saturday and said that he was going to post the exam online and we were to complete it and submit it to him by 10am on Tuesday. This test was now open book and open note. Again...score.

Trouble with exams

As luck would have it, the winter is already being problematic. Last weekend, we had quite the snow storm with some lovely ice mixed in there. As a result, the first two blocks of classes on Monday were canceled as well as everything after 5pm. I had to leave town that afternoon to appear in court and I'm glad I didn't stick around for my 3pm class as the weather seemed to quickly deteriorate after I left at 2pm. Tuesday, the university was "open" but it was reading day so it really didn't affect anything. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were exam days and everything was held as normal.

A Grammar Lesson

Bryan Bledsoe wrote an article for JEMS.com (found here) in order to give a grammar lesson for those writing in some official capacity (i.e.: EMS run reports). I could not agree more with what he had to say. I'm going to share some of that, and add a bit more from in and outside the realm of EMS.

You don't need an English degree to understand that phrases like "LOL" or "2morrow" do not belong in any report the fills an official capacity, or even in the corporate world. These are meant solely for the purpose of text messaging between two friends. I heard the other day (from an unofficial source) that "no one" under the age of 20 is sending emails anymore but rather relying on text messaging.

The fact that young people are using grammar like this in their every day life should worry the professional world. We don't need this kind of thing in the workplace. But what's worse is that they don't know how to use words that they attempt to use in every day life. For example:

Staffing the ambulance

I saw a story on JEMS.com about possible staffing changes coming to Austin-Travis County EMS. (Here's the video story of that if you're interested. Here's another story about the same issue.) I have a particular interest in this EMS system. Our former assistant medical director for my place of employment is now the medical director for this system. He's been there for a little over a year now. We miss him up here, but we have a new assistant medical director trying to fill his shoes.

Anyway, the current staffing of those ambulances in A-TC is with two paramedics. A lot of places do that. A lot don't. What they are trying to move to (from what I heard in the story) is to a system with a paramedic and an EMT on each truck. Every rig will still have a paramedic on it.

Here's my take on this:

Sweet tooth and snow

I have a sweet tooth. It's a permanent condition for me. My weakness: chocolate. Hot chocolate, milk chocolate (in all forms)...yes please. (No dark chocolate, though. Too bitter for my liking.)

I like M&Ms. I like the regular one, the peanut ones and the peanut butter ones. I went to Wal-Mart this evening to get my wonderful boyfriend some food so he can survive the next few days while I am testifying in court (that will likely be another post) and not starve because he can't get out in the snow to get food. So...anyway...I found this:

I had seen the ads for these M&Ms a few months ago when they were trying to determine their "spokesperson" for the new pretzel M&Ms. Well, because of my chocolate craving today, I got some. I have to say, they are pretty good. Jon's not sure he likes them (because of the salty + sweet combination). I have to say that they are growing on me and I think I like them.  I also got some of these:

First snow of the season

Today, we are got the first (real) snow of the season. Earlier this week, we had flurries and a dusting on the ground. That was different today. I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. There's a solid 2-3 inches on the ground. The...slightly disturbing sight of the day was watching my bus attempt to go down my hill. I'm guessing it took him about 20 minutes, at least, to get down the hill. He would momentarily let off the brakes and, after putting them back on, would slide quite a distance (at the least 10 feet every time). This was on the least steep part of the hill, too. Should be interesting when I head out tomorrow.

Side of the apartment complex

Back of the apartment complex

Pulmonary embolism: diagnosis and treatment in the hospital setting

I know this will be very exciting for many of you. For work, I was asked to read an article and give a summary of it. This is a review article on acute pulmonary embolisms and how they are treated and dealt with, mainly in the hospital setting. 

For your pleasure, if you want to go and find the article:

Agnelli, Giancarlo and Cecilia Becattini. (2010). Acute Pulmonary Embolism. The New England Journal of Medicine, 363(3), 266-74.

A pulmonary embolism is a serious problem that should be considered in several classes of patients.  Those with new or worsening difficulty breathing, chest pain or sustained hypotension without an obvious alternative cause should be assumed until proven otherwise.

Each patient should undergo a clinical probability assessment to determine the likelihood of the patient experiencing a PE through either clinical judgment or clinical decision rules (Wells and revised Geneva scores). During the assessment, the patient is determined to be hemodynamically stable or unstable. The stable category is split into two further categories: low/intermediate clinical probability and high clinical probability. Those with the high clinical probability will proceed to the CT scan to confirm or rule out the presence of a pulmonary embolism. The low/intermediate clinical probability group will receive D-dimer testing. The results of that test will determine the next step for the patient. Caution should be used for elderly patients, pregnant women and patients with cancer as the specificity of an increased D-dimer level is reduced in these populations. A normal D-dimer result rules out a pulmonary embolism. If it is elevated, the patient is sent to the CT scanner to determine the presence or absence of a PE.

It's Thanksgiving!

A day of running around to different houses to see lots of people, eat lots of food, get really stuffed...and then roll back home and into bed and sleep the rest of winter.

Today, however, I am not going to talk about my Thanksgiving traditions but rather some of the things I am most thankful for.

I am thankful that I was raised in a Christian home and brought up in a Bible-believing church where I came to know Christ as my Savior. Without Him, I would have no true purpose. He is the reason I have hope, life and can love.

I am thankful for my family. Despite the craziness that surrounds it, they are still family and I do love them.

I am thankful that I live in a free country. (I'm not interested in getting into politics here.) I know that freedom (for us...or anybody) comes at a cost. I am thankful for those who gave up their lives to better mine.

I am thankful for my job. It is a strange, weird, crazy, stressful, sometimes unsafe job...but I love it and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to impact the lives of others in that tangible way.

I am thankful for my friends. They help keep me grounded and keep my head screwed on straight. They know I'm weird and like me anyway. I know I can count on them for anything -- and I appreciate that.

Last, but absolutely not least (probably my most favorite), I am so thankful for my wonderful boyfriend. I am thankful that he loves me no matter how silly I get or how much I tickle him. I am thankful that he appreciates my cooking...and really seems to enjoy it. I am so thankful for his continuous encouragement and support through school or other problems that I face. I am very thankful he is always there for me, no matter what. Period. I am thankful that he is so kind and loving. He has turned my life upside-down in the last 6 years (for which I am so grateful). I am excited for our future together. :)

Japanese cuisine

This past week, I attempted to make my first Japanese meal. I have never tried to do this before now. I made a trial run on Wednesday and it turned out marvelously! The real run was today, with Jon. This is where I find out if it's a keeper or not. (He claims that it is and he'll gladly eat it again.)

So, a friend posted this recipe on her blog this week and I thought it sounded delicious. I like Japanese and Chinese cuisine -- but I'm very picky about what I will eat. Basically, my food choices are sweet and sour chicken and hibachi chicken. What I made this week and today, hibachi chicken (definitely an Americanized version...but close enough).

What you need:

• chicken
• soy sauce
• teriyaki sauce
• rice
• eggs
• vegetable oil
• veggies you might like (zucchini, squash, etc are suggestions from her -- Jon and I don't like many veggies)
• white sauce (also called seafood sauce)

How you do it:

1. Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces. Prepare a hot skillet with vegetable oil and cook chicken half way. Then, add teriyaki sauce and simmer on low until the chicken is completely cooked. (She recommends covering the skillet while cooking in the sauce. I don't have one with a lid and it worked fine without it.)
2. Cook up the amount of rice you would like. (She recommends "day-old" rice. I made mine fresh and it worked fine.) Mix in soy sauce to taste. (Adds flavor and color to the dish.)
3. Scramble 2 eggs in a frying pan. Once finished, mix it in with the rice.

To serve it up:

• Plate some rice.
• Top with chicken.
• Top that with white sauce.

Then enjoy! I found it delicious and I hope you do the same.

Deoxyribonucleic acid

DNA.

It is a complex code of our genetic material that can predict most of who we are, particularly physical characteristics (emotional, personality and mental characteristics are more "nurture" than "nature").

DNA sample

So, what is it's physical structure?

This is a structure called a "double helix". A double helix is a pair of parallel helices intertwined about a common axis. Great...but what is a helix? That is a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or a cone and cuts the element at a constant angle. Still confused? The way I think about it is a ladder that is wrapped up into a coil. Here is an artists rendering of a piece of DNA.

See what I mean? So what is it's purpose?

Bad dreams

I tend to have dreams on a regular basis when I sleep. I kind of enjoy them. However, the last two nights, I have had bad dreams. Every once in a while, I will have a bad dream but rarely back-to-back like this. I woke up from them, both nights, in a panic and with my bed coverings...well...not on the bed. Frustrating as can be. And I won't tell you what they were about but I'll give you the subject heading: work.

Upon doing a little research as to why people have bad dreams, I came across these things.

One website lists six major reasons why people have bad dreams. At the top, anxiety and stress. However, they claim that this is primarily linked to stemming from a traumatic life event such as witnessing something horrific or the loss of a loved one. The second reason is spicy foods. This one surprised me. They cite a study done with men who ate spicy food before bed on some evenings and did not on others. The study indicates that the nights they ate the spicy food, they spent more time awake and got less restful sleep. The explanation they provide is that spicy foods can elevate the body's temperature, thus yielding disruption in sleep. (Though, I'm thinking it was probably heartburn that kept them up.) Thirdly, the fat-content of foods. Through a study not named, the research indicated that the higher fat content you consume throughout the day, the greater the chance your sleep will suffer (both quantity and quality). A second study showed that those who ate organic food had different dreams than those who ate "junk food". (I might argue two different kinds of people with different mind sets on life, etc, will have differing dreams.)

Cooking and baking binge

I have said before that I love to cook and bake. My awesome boyfriend eats (so far) whatever I put in front of him so I try to attempt new things every now and again. Although I'm my worst critic, it's nice to have another opinion to say that "yes, this was terrible" or "no, you're just being silly."

Today, I went on a cooking and baking binge. And it was fun! I made something new: red potato and green bean salad. I kinda like it. It's different from the "typical" potato salad that I grew up eating (mayo or dressing base). This one has an oil and vinegar base. Different but good. I told Jon he has to try it tomorrow to see how it really tastes.

Here's a look at the finished product...yummy!

If I could live anywhere in the world

I have been told by someone (*cough cough* my boyfriend *cough cough*) that I have not blogged since Monday and that it is time for me to post something new. So, going to a random topic generator, I have come up with this topic for this post: if I could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I don't have a geographic place that I can point to and say "yes! That's where I want to live." What I can do it give you the characteristics of my ideal place to live:

• Moderate temperatures -- I don't like 90 and 100 degree weather and I don't like when it gets below freezing in October and there's a threat of snow. If I could live somewhere that had a year-round temperature between 50 and 70, I would like that.
• Nearby beach -- I like the beach. I would like to live where I could easily access it, preferably in less than an hour.
• Nearby mountains -- I enjoy the mountains and being able to escape to some cooler weather every now and again. Maybe an hour to be able to get there too.
• Suburban/semi-rural life -- I do not like living in a rural country area with nothing nearby. I would be pleased with having a bit of land for my house to sit on but I want to be able to access the convenience of a town with amenities.

I think that's all I can really come up with right now. But it's a good start for where I want to live. Now, if only I can find it...

The point of exhaustion

I think I've reached it...and I still have 4 1/2 weeks to go in my semester. I just hope this doesn't mean that I'm getting sick.

See, this past weekend, I drove home and worked a mere 12 hour shift. There was nothing special about the shift (unless you count visiting Central Prison "special"). It wasn't really busy by normal standards for a downtown shift. I went home not being tired. Slept both Friday and Saturday night very well...even got an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night. Then, I drove back to Boone on Sunday afternoon. However, on the drive back, I got unusually tired. I remained tired throughout the evening. I slept throughout the night very solidly and woke up still tired. I was up for maybe 2 hours before I fell asleep on the couch for a nap (about 2 hours worth). And then, I went to class...and tried to fall asleep. And then, I went to take a test...and we'll see how that went.

And now, it's not even 7pm...and I think I'm going to head off to bed. Good night.

I'm getting Jon a fish

...or not.

I'm leaving to go home for the weekend while my wonderful boyfriend is staying in Boone. We were discussing how bored he'll be without having company to come and pester him and come over to wake him up in the morning (or, really, the afternoon) and tickle him and make meals for him. I told him that he needs a cat so he has some company when I'm away. He said no to the cat (and I'm not sure his rental company allows pets in his units, anyway).

I told him he's getting a fish. However, he says he is a fish-murderer. He can't keep them alive. That, or he chooses one that is preggers big time. I mean, there's no in between for this guy.

Essentially, it seems as though he's going to kill it or find one that is "procreation happy".

I love to cook

I really love to cook. And, thankfully, Jon likes to eat. He is rather gracious when the new recipe I am trying doesn't quite turn out right. He has eaten everything I have put before him. (Honestly, I'm amazed at that.)

Something I enjoy cooking (a genre of food, if you will) is stews and soups. Typically, they are pretty easy and end up tasting really good. I made a stew on Sunday and it turned out rather deliciously. I thought I'd share my "recipe" (of sorts). It's a rather loose recipe because I don't measure how much I put in there. (And between Jon and I, we are somewhat picky eaters...so there are only a few vegetables included in it. For what it's worth, here you go:

• Stew meat
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Beef broth
• Tomato sauce
• Basil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour

First, take the stew meat and coat it in the flour. Put the meat in a lightly oiled pan on medium heat and flip after about 2 minutes and let it sit on the other side for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Let it cool for a few minutes and then slice the meat into smaller bits if you prefer.

Potatoes and carrots need to be peeled and sliced. These are cut into bite-size pieces for a few reasons (easier to eat...and they cook quicker). Here is where you can go two ways...

The first is cooking in a slow cooker. Put the vegetables and meat into the slow cooker. Use about 4 cups of beef broth in the cooker. I use a medium-sized can of tomato sauce. Add that at this point. Add spices to your liking. I like a lot of basil and pepper and very little salt (if any). Cook on low for about 6-8 hours, or, if you're short on time, you can cook it on high for about 4 hours.

The second and much quicker way is to cook it on the stove top. Again, add all the ingredients listed for the slow cooker method. Bring the stew to a boil and let it continue to boil for about 45 minutes to an hour and then let simmer until you are ready to eat.

If you are more of a veggie-lover, try adding some peas or green beans and part of an onion. Although, unless  you're looking for a veggie soup, I wouldn't add too many veggies.

Hope this helps you make a delicious meal that you and your family will love. Enjoy!

My 15 minutes of fame

So, in EMS, we rarely see the press during any of our calls. Why? Well, usually whatever has happened is something bad that requires us to get the patient(s) out and to the hospital as quickly as possible. They have never beat us (or at least me) to a scene...except once about a year and a half ago...

As the story goes, there was a shooting in a rather rough neighborhood where I work. I show up with two ambulances, a chase car, a supervisor the medical director and clinical affairs chief in tow. Of course, we had the fire department there and the police department (they were marching around with fire arms strapped around their body...very intimidating (I'm glad I'm on their) side. There were the usual bystanders there trying to figure out what was going on. But there was someone else there...the press. Not just one news crew...but 2. And some people taking still photographs. It was a party and I felt like I was running late.

My grandfather

It has been 2 years since my grandfather passed away. Of my grandfathers (three in total), I would definitely have to say that I was closest with him. He had two sons and only one had any children. I was the only girl that he really ever had.

He was a brilliant man. He was a pharmacist who owned his own pharmacy. I heard stories of Dad and his brother running through the store and being quite mischievous. Grandpa made a huge impact on the community. During the visitation for him following his death, there were so many people who knew him through the pharmacy and told me stories about him (he was a very humble man and never "tooted his own horn") and about his two boys. It was neat to see...years after he had retired and sold his pharmacy...the lasting impact he had on people.

As his health was declining over the last few years, as it would for anyone as they age, his memory declined even faster. We don't really know exactly how long it went on before my parents and I realized what was going on. My grandmother, bless her heart, did her best to ensure that he knew who was coming over before we got there. She tried to make everything seem like it was "normal". I understand why. Mostly, it's a two-fold reason: she wants to protect them in being able to stay together and she had a hard time admitting that something was wrong.

Which way would you want to die?

I think of lots of things like this...which can feel very morbid and creep out other people, specifically my friends, if I were to talk about it. Fortunately, they have learned about this morbid sense of humor I have developed and tolerate it...to a point. Anyway...

I have witnessed a few different ways to die. What crosses my mind is, if I had a choice, how would I choose to die? Not so much the cause of my death (cardiac arrest, cancer, etc..) but the pace at which death happens. I'm going to discuss what I feel are "pros" and "cons" to dying each of these ways.

1. Instant death (seconds) -- the positive behind this is little no suffering. I'm not a big fan of pain so this aspect of it is rather appealing. However, there is no chance to tell those you love "good bye." Although I am a huge proponent of not leaving things unsaid that you will regret not having said if you don't have the chance, I am not sure I would be too pleased if I didn't get that final chance to say "I love you." (Of course, if this is my death, I won't live to regret or be upset over either of these.)

Fall break fun

Tomorrow is the last day of my fall break from school. I have enjoyed being back home and getting back to work for a few days. But now, I'm ready to go back to school. Work is my break from school...and school is my break from work.

This week, I worked 12 hours on the south side of the county, with which I am very familiar since I grew up there. I enjoy working down here for a few reasons, first of which is that my commute to work is very short. I can get to 4 different rigs in under 15 minutes. We did not do much patient care that day -- only two calls. However, we toured the entire east and south side of the county. And, we got a new rig. It rode so much better than the one we were on for the first half of the day. (And when I say "new"...I mean brand-spankin'-new. Just inspected by OEMS and put into service for the first time by myself and partner.)

Yesterday, I played in "the city," or center of the county. I like these trucks (city rigs) because they provide a variety of calls to keep me "entertained" and steady throughout the day (and sometimes throughout the night, unfortunately). I would rather be busy than not (nothing to do leads to being bored). The reason I don't like these trucks is because of the long haul into work -- and the busyness of the shift (yes, I like it busy...but I want time to breathe). I think we ran 15 calls that shift...I stopped counting after 10 (and I got too tired to even remember). We were short a rig during the day...and had several down during the night (4, I think). It made for a long shift (we put enough miles on the truck that I could have gone to Boone and back...400+ miles) -- but a good one. We helped some people and made their days just a little better.

Dangers of detergent suicide

Detergent suicides are gaining popularity in the US after getting their start in Japan a few years ago (that's when we first started hearing about them). Unfortunately, as they gain popularity, emergency responders have a new level of danger that we need to be on the look out for. What's even more problematic is that we are not always aware of this danger until it is too late.

So, just how prevalent is this? Honestly, I do not have any figures or data to show how frequent these are becoming. With that said, this is something that as I searched Google for stories about detergent suicides. I turned up several articles very quickly about where and when this has occurred. I found a story of a man in Pennsylvania who used this method of suicide earlier this month and one that occurred in Florida in March earlier this year.

There are also articles about detergent suicides that are readily available that provide the "recipe" for creating this disaster. Ethically (and morally), I am unable to provide this "recipe" for you, nor will I provide a link to it. However, if you really want it, you can easily find it. When I did a search, the first few results were, on the whole, about how to commit suicide using this method, and not about the lives that have been lost as a result of people believing this is a way out.

There have been a few of these in my response area -- 2 that I can recall with the most recent that I am aware of being only 6 months ago. So, the question becomes "how can we protect ourselves?"

For starters, you need to be aware of the locations which this type of suicide usually occurs. Most often, it is done in some vehicle -- but it needs to be in a relatively small and enclosed space.

Email etiquette

Here's another pet peeve alert...

There are certain things that I think are more than fair to expect when you receive an email from a business...or from any one for that matter.

1. Use some kind of subject heading! I want it to be descriptive enough that I know what it's about before I read it (but don't put your whole message in the subject line either). For example (this is one for the academic world), when you, a student, send a message to another student in your class or to your professor, you need to start the subject line with what the course name and number are (and for your professor, use your section number) and then a general description of what the email is about. Something like this will suffice: "ENG 1000 - group project". I know what class it is for and what it's about.
2. USE CAPITAL LETTERS...when appropriate. don't just type like this without capitalizing the first letter in the sentence or proper names. ALSO, DON'T TYPE LIKE THIS. I FEEL LIKE YOU ARE YELLING AT ME. 
3. Use correct punctuation. Please remember to use commas, apostrophes and periods as appropriate. It makes it easier to read when the correct punctuation is in place.

My annual tradition

So, yesterday was my birthday. I don't like birthdays, specifically mine. I enjoy celebrating the birthdays of others...but not mine. I hate being the center of attention. I really don't like it. However, with every year comes another birthday. It has become this sort of annual tradition.

This year was a pretty good one. I made it clear I didn't want groups of people singing to me or putting me at the center of attention for every one around. And, I got exactly what I wanted: a nice and quiet birthday. Jon sang to me...but that was it. And I'm okay with that. No one made an excessively big deal over it. Just the way I like it.

Here's a look over the past year...

This last year has been absolutely wonderful! I finished my first term up at Appalachian just a few short weeks after my birthday. I enjoyed my time in Boone a lot (although one might not know that because I went home just about every weekend that first semester). I came back for Christmas break to my wonderful boyfriend (and that's why I came home most of those weekends...) and he got to meet my family. He accepted them for their craziness and strangeness (he may have a better understanding as to my quirkiness now).

CPR Standards

Over the past decade, CPR standards have drastically changed. We have seen a change from what health care workers have done and also what lay people are being instructed to do if someone happens to go into cardiac arrest (this is when someone stops breathing and their heart stops -- this is different from a heart attack, although one can precede the other).

What we were once told was, after we determined that the person is not breathing, to perform a series of rescue breaths and chest compressions. Compression and breathing ratios have changed over the years, as well. We have seen a 30:2 ratio and also a 15:2 ratio. I honestly don't know what the current standards are because, well, we don't follow them where I work. We do something a little different and it works.

We do continuous chest compressions. These chest compressions are not stopped except for two things: to check a rhythm and to defibrillate (shock the heart). Even though we stop for these times, our goal is to minimize the time that compressions are not being performed to next to zero. The more time that you are not performing these chest compressions, the patient has an exponentially higher chance of not surviving. We want to give them every chance we can and thus we do everything we can to bring them back. Sometimes this happens and sometimes it doesn't. That's just the nature of the problem.

When I have talked about this in the past, I have been asked why we don't breathe for patients anymore. Well, we do. When EMS gets to the patient, we breathe through the compressions. However, what is now being recommended to the lay population if they witness a cardiac arrest is to also do the continuous compressions and not breathe for the patient, either through mouth-to-mouth or with some kind of barrier device (which also is a good thing because it eliminates part of the "eww...gross" factor from helping someone in need). This article caught my attention from Fox News about this very thing. I have not seen the study but I can tell you that with what we have done where I work, we have increased survival rate just by changing the way we do CPR with continuous compressions rather than some ratio of compressions to breaths.

How to solve boredom

I'm sitting at home this morning bored.

Why?

Well, there are several potential reasons. First, I completed the film that I needed to watch for film class and it was rather boring. I have another one to watch and know that it will also be terrible so I'm not going to put myself through that right now. Second (I might should have stated this first), I'm home because I have no morning classes today. It's a nice change not to have to be up at the crack of dawn...but I am anyway. I think I'll be back to morning classes across the board next semester. These evening classes are annoying. Lastly, I might be procrastinating and thus am bored because I'm not being productive. (*Hint* All of the above are likely true.)

So, how to cure boredom. I often struggle with finding this cure. As a paramedic, I don't usually do well with down time. I find things to do. When I'm at work, I stir up trouble when I get too bored (or I take a nap -- either works). I like the busyness. I like to have things to do. So, here are things I do when I'm bored:

1. Write a blog post. Of course, something interesting must come to mind (or, I at least hope it is interesting).
2. Craft. This is one of my favorite things to do...of all time. In my past, I have made jewelry, cards, Christmas ornaments and done scrapbooking. About 6 months ago, I started knitting. I need to get back on the scarf that I started. It is only about 12 inches long and that will not do me much good as the weather is turning colder now.
3. Cook or bake. Also something I really enjoy (and Jon seems to enjoy me cooking -- seems to be one of my uses). I am slowly expanding my repertoire of foods and recipes. 
4. Write a letter. Someone would love to get one and it's fun to keep in touch with old friends.
5. Read a book. I'm not much of a reader but every now and again I get in the mood to read a book.
6. Do a puzzle. Do something that will challenge the brain. An example: Sudoku puzzles or word puzzles.

How to create a proper PowerPoint

***Pet peeve alert!!***

I am currently working on a group project entitled "Revisiting History" for my film class (much worse than it sounds, believe me). And, though I could make a post about how much I dislike the class and how boring it is, that is not the point of this post. This point of this particular post is that for this project, I am working with (for the most part) one other person (and I use the term "working with" loosely because she is not exactly working in a cooperative fashion -- another post in itself) to research historical films, both "period films" and documentary style films. As a part of this, we are to give a presentation and put together some form of visual aide to help while giving this presentation. Because our schedules are very opposite, we were working through email and I was the one who put the starting PowerPoint presentation together and sent it to her to see what she thought. She thought it "looked great!" My presentation made "points" and would allow us to expand upon them during the actual presentation. She took it and then added long phrases and sentences and compressed the words so tightly that all that you can see on the screen are words. Upon explaining to her the my concerns with the revisions she made to the PowerPoint, her response was "well, that's what all the other groups have done."

As my mother always told my brother (I was the good child): "just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean you should do it." (Or, her favorite: "just because someone jumps off a bridge doesn't mean you should.")

So, here are some of the key things to keep in mind when making a PowerPoint presentation (or any visual presentation):

Trouble sleeping?

I have been told by a certain someone that I have not blogged for a whole 3 days (*gasps*) and that they think I should blog about something. However, I informed them that I did not have anything that I did not feel like blogging about. But...I came up with something -- I will blog about something they have been having trouble with: difficulty sleeping.

So, let me ask the rest of you: do you have trouble sleeping? I'm going to assume you do, or have, at some point in your life. We all do. At some point, we go through periods of time when we cannot sleep well. Either we can't get to sleep or can't stay asleep once we get there. And it becomes very frustrating. Often times, we become grumpy, grouchy and people begin to avoid us during this time because they really don't have any desire to be around us. 

So, why is this that we have this trouble? Here are some common reasons:

- aging

- anxiety / stress

- bedroom that does not promote sleep

- medical conditions

- medications

- napping during the day

- psychological conditions

- shift work

- sleep habits

- stimulants (examples: nicotine, caffeine, food, drugs -- legal or otherwise)

"Top ten words that should be in the EMS dictionary (but aren't)"

First off, I'm borrowing this from EMS1.com. Somehow, they got my work email address (not sure how I feel about that one because I certainly don't give that one out) and they end me emails about some of their columns. Anyway, one of their columns last week was written by Kelly Grayson, who I quickly recognized as the author of a book I have: A Paramedic's Story: Life, Death and Everything In Between. Good book. If you're interested in some of the finer points of EMS and don't think I share them completely, his book might give you some insight. (Either his, or I would recommend Blood, Sweat and Tea by Tom Reynolds.)

But you came to hear about the top ten words that should be in the EMS dictionary but aren't...not Suzanne's book club recommendations.

At number 10 -- "incarceritis: a constellation of medical complaints brought upon the imminent threat of legal confinement. Symptoms include, but are not limited to: dyspnea, chest pain, syncope, seizures, incontinence and coma."

Number 9 -- "malignorance: combination of the words 'malignant' and 'ignorance,' when ordinary, every day 'stupid' doesn't even begin to describe the patient's behavior."

Number 8 -- "tachylawdia: condition in which the patient or family member repeats 'Lawdy!' more than 100 times per minute. The condition often presents with PJCs (Premature Jesus Complexes) and, depending upon the patient's religious fervor, intermittent 'Amens.' Often considered a hallmark sign of status dramaticus.

Example: 'The patient exhibited tachylawdia with bigeminal PJCs and intermittent Amens.'"

Coming in at number 7 -- "polybabydaddia: condition affecting females under age 25, who have three of more children by different fathers."

Number 6 -- "status dramaticus: disorder in which the patient exhibits seizure-like activity characterizes the lack of urinary incontinence, presence of coordinated muscle movements, and the absence of an appreciable postictal state.

Patients suffering from status dramaticus usually skips the tonic phase altogether. The condition is often exacerbated by an audience of medical professionals or concerned family members. Usually, the seizure-like activity is broken by the insertion of a nasopharyngeal airway or the phrase 'hold still, big stick...'

Sub acute status dramaticus may often mimic tachylawdia, and many experts believe they are the same disorder."

Good bye summer, hello fall!

September 21 is the last day of summer. That makes tomorrow, September 22, the first day of fall. And, unfortunately, because I live in Boone, this means that winter is closer than ever. If you were to know me, you were to know I do not like this. I prefer the heat (to a point, anyway) and I greatly prefer to stay away from the cold. So, as the cold approaches, here are a few things that you may hear me refer to or reminisce about over the next few months (or the next 8 or 9 months, since the winter cold months are long here).

These things I will miss:

Ice cream

Flip flops

Sunshine!

These things I do not look forward to:

If I were to invent something...

Today, as I was making lunch (orange-rosemary chicken...very delicious), I was getting frustrated with the cookie sheet that I was using as the sides of the pan began to kick up and warp under the heat. It would not have bothered me except for:

1) there was liquid in the pan that the chicken was being cooked with (and was moving around in the pan as I was pulling it in and out of the oven)

2) the liquid was greatly complicating things as it was a) hot and b) the pan was warped

I was explaining my frustrations to Jon, for whom I was also cooking this meal for. He suggested that I should invent a pan that does not warp under heat.

I think it's brilliant! I should do it. However, I do not have the know-how to do this kind of thing. This is not the first (nor will it be the last) time that I have had this issue. I made a quiche for dinner on Friday night. I placed the pie crust onto a baking sheet and it, again, warped under the heat and rendered and uneven top to the quiche, which I was disappointed with.

So, if I were to invent something, I would invent a baking sheet that does not warp under heat. As I continue to spend more time in the kitchen, or in the world of EMS (or the "real world), I may discover something else that I think should be invented. If I come across it, I shall share it with you and maybe someone who has the know-how of how such a thing should be created will read this and can do it. All I ask is that I get some of the credit (and, of course, some of the royalties ;) ).

September 11, 2001 -- and the sacrifices made since

As I sit here and write this, I know I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001 when I heard the news that something bad had happened in the America. Two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia and another one into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

I was sitting in my second period class during my freshman year of high school. Health Occupations in (what we called) the "old-old" building. Couldn't tell you the room number but it was an earth science room -- I always felt dirty in there and I hated it in there. Ms Smith was my teacher and there were only 9 other people in the class. It was nice. Someone had come in about 9:30 and told us what had happened and we turned on the TV and watched. However, about 10:15, the principal came on the PA system and made an announcement to let everyone know because half of the seniors were getting ready to leave for lunch (at 10:30 -- really early lunch times) and I suppose he didn't want a panic to start (at least one to start from the seniors). And that's how I found out. I'm sure you can recall "your story".

Now, instead of talking about the attacks and how they affected me, I'm going to switch gears. I am now in public safety as a paramedic. I want to set this straight: I did not get into EMS because of what happened or because of the public safety lives lost that day. But, that is what I want to address:

The thing about the attacks that people continue to talk about is the planes that flew into the buildings, the destruction of the buildings, the 3000+ innocent lives lost, the heroics of the people on the plane that crashed into the field in Shanksville, the wars in the Middle East that have come from the attacks on America soil, etcetera, etcetera. And while all of these things are true and I don't want to make anything less of these things -- I want to point of something that is often forgotten and left behind and something I rarely, if ever hear about: the lives of the firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and police officers that were lost on that day.

There were 343 members of the fire services died that day. Along side of them, 8 members of private ambulance services and 60 law enforcement officers that perished that day. Those people went into these areas to save people -- all while countless thousands were running in the opposite direction. They ran into the danger, knowing it was a hazardous environment. They went to work that morning hoping to go home to their families but never made it back.

Burdens lifted

This week, I have had two academic burdens lifted from my schedule.

For starters, my sociology class has a service learning project. I finally decided to talk to my professor (seeing the project is wanting you to appreciate exactly what I do for a living). He agreed to let me count the hours of my job for my project and allow me to do my paper on the social problems my patients face. So, my project is half done (where as, I don't believe any classmate has even begun their project). So thankful for that.

The second thing that was lifted is from my neuroscience lab. No term paper! The goal of this pilot class was to essentially do a semester-long experiment. The problem with that was that we were eliminating one component that the professor really wanted us to study (behavior). So, he reorganized the entire class and we are now studying behavior, not doing a semester-long experiment, eliminating the term paper and doing four different two-week long experiments throughout the semester. I think this will work out much better. (And, it will make it easier for us in the long run, I hope.)

This week in class, I have my first exam of the semester: New Testament. The following week, I have a sociology exam, biological psychology exam and a film quiz (which should be considered an exam but she calls them a "quiz"). Things are starting to get going here...getting busy! Soon enough, I'll be done with my undergraduate course work -- and I'm so excited! (Something like 29 weeks maybe? Haven't started the countdown yet.)

What did you do for Labor Day weekend?

Well, what did you do? Perhaps go to the beach? Or maybe the mountains? Spend time with family or friends? Time off from school? Time off from work? Have fun? Go to a cookout? Just relax?

I can honestly say I did one of those things. Just one. I had time off from school for three whole days. I, along with my wonderful boyfriend, drove home Friday after class (with the rest of Boone) only to get on a rig Friday night for 36 hours. I was so excited and ready to get back to work, though -- I really was! I miss work when I'm not there. I was greeted with a rough night. Ended up being awake most all night for a combination of tough calls. The worst was for a patient who had been stabbed and had the whole posse around her. Then, to top it off, the patient's very angry father showed up and insisted on hopping up into the rig. However, my friend the deputy pulled him out before he could get too close. He shut the doors and stood guard (thank you, sir!). (I like my police officers.)

In the morning, I went to another truck for the rest of the shift (24 hours) -- it was also on the south side of the county which is probably one of my favorite areas to work because I know it so well. We were pretty busy there, as well. The first call on that rig was the toughest one there: an elderly gentleman fell and his wife called us because she couldn't get him up (his legs just went out from under him...no injury, thankfully). We arrive to find him on the floor, unharmed. We pick him up and get him settled in his chair. We come to find out the story from his wife that he has been having increasing problems such that she really is having a very difficult time caring for him. She hands us paperwork from the patient's physician and we look over it to discover that the patient has a debilitating disease that will soon take him from her. However, as his wife, she wants to do everything she can to care for him at home as long as possible. On a personal note, it was like watching my grandmother telling this to me about my grandfather as he suffered from the same disease. We were able to call in some help to get them set up with some assistance to help make that possible, at least for awhile longer. That's what she wants...to be able to do it for at least awhile longer.

Splashed Saddness

This is taken from a blog called "Life Under the Lights" about EMS. The article is entitled: Splashed Saddness - A Look at Negative EMS Emotions. While this is not the entirety of the artile, this is a nice excerpt that made me laugh (particularly the last part). Basically, there are three different stories from the writer, all of these are calls that he has run in his career. I find the comparison of the reactions between the two groups (laypeople and EMS folks) to be very accurate. Now, after reading this, perhaps you will understand part of why I am weird. (If you want to read the entirety of the article, here is the link.)

· A 16yo male takes his 24yo soon-to-be brother in law out into the city for the 24yo’s bachelor party. On the way home, they’re both just obliterated after drinking all night. The 16yo boy is driving home and is going way too fast to notice the semi hauling gravel that pulls into the right hand lane of the 4-lane road they’re driving on. The kid notices it at the last second, swerving just in time to impact the passenger side of the car against the back of the semi trailer. The impact shears off the left side of the 24yo’s skull, popping out the left side of his brain and leaving it, mostly intact, in between the front seats of the car (I almost put my knee into it). The 24yo dies a not-so-immediate death (I don’t want to get into it. Hopefully it was mostly painless). I pronounced the 24yo dead and took care of this very intoxicated 16yo. He was barely able to comprehend the terror of the situation and was covered in blood and brains that formerly belonged to the man his sister was going to marry. He was unhurt but I ran him into the hospital anyway. How could I leave him there immersed in the terror of that scene, in the terror of what he was more or less responsible for?

The first few days

I have survived the first few days of the next to last semester of my undergrad schooling. Though not always easy or pleasant, I made it (and what that is worth achieving is easy?). Here's how the first few days went...

Tuesday, I walked into my film/English class not knowing who my instructor would be. (According to my schedule, the instructor was "TBA" -- and even a week into school, it still says that.) She seems to be nice. Currently, she lives 3 hours away from Boone. She is trying to move up here soon...but we'll see. This class seems like it will be more-or-less fun. I'm not sure yet (but I've either never seen or never had an interest in the films we are required to watch). After that, I went to my biological psychology class. I think this will be the highlight of my week (for classes, anyway). It is about all kinds of stuff I already know...and lots of things I don't that will build on the knowledge that I already have. Following that, it was my sociology class ("Social Problems in America"). I do NOT think I will enjoy this class. My professor is strange and I am required to do a 20-hour (volunteer) service learning project that investigates a social problem I want to know more about. Well, that's all my job is (mostly, anyway). I have an appreciation and an understanding of social problems in America ...so why do I have to do this? Oh well...

Wednesday, I had one class: New Testament. I think it will be interesting to see solely the academic view on it. My professor is a local pastor but from the first day I can already see that we don't agree on a fair number of things.

Pre-semester thoughts.

The countdown has begun for the completion of my bachelor degree: 32 weeks. With that in mind, I will give some pre-semester thoughts and do some reflection on the past.

January 2005: I began my college career this semester at Campbell University with a double-major of athletic training and biology and aspirations of a career in orthopedic surgery. After a disappointing year, I realized I hated going to school there so I left in December. I have returned to the campus once to visit a friend. That's it. There are many bad memories associated with that place and I prefer not to relive them.

January 2006: After leaving Campbell, I began working on a medical program that I could do in less than four years. In fact, I did it in 3 months. I obtained two certifications: CNA-I and HHA. At this point, neither of these certifications mean very much. Four and a half years later, I have let the certifications lapse. I did use them for about a year and a half working with a wonderful teenage girl who had a brain injury as a result of a ruptured AVM. (During this semester, I also took classes at NC State which I enjoyed a lot.)

August 2006: I started a medical program which would take up the next two years of my schooling. I began working on my EMS degree that would allow me to obtain my EMT-Paramedic certification. I really enjoyed this program and tended to excel in it. It was a tough program but, in the end, I made it through.

Stomach-churning content. Readers beware.

I told you that I might decide to share the story about the worst thing I have ever smelled or seen and I think I have decided to do it. So, if this title caught your eye and you have a weak stomach (or just ate), I suggest you skip this post and go to the next.

I get to work, right? Right. (Just go with it.) I put my things on the truck and go through it to check to be sure everything that I may need for the day is on it and stocked. We were good to go. Soon after completing the check, my partner and I find ourselves being dispatched to a sick call. The comments on our computer state that there is a malfunction with the patient's colostomy bag.

Let me explain a few things to those who are not medically inclined. First: a colostomy (colo -- colon, ostomy -- a surgically created opening) is hole that is made in the abdomen that bring a healthy piece of colon to the surface so that the feces produced have an alternate method of exiting the body. This can be done for a number of reasons, such as colon cancer. A bag is placed over the ostomy to collect these feces. Second: a malfunction of some device would typically refer to a "clog" or something of that nature, most definitely not what we found.

Trouble comes in 3's

Do you know the saying "bad things always come in 3's"? It's true! Although, I think I need to alter the statement: "bad things come in 3's or more".

I am coming off of a 3-day work stretch tonight. I spent Monday, Tuesday and today, Wednesday, on a rig. I had a fabulous time! ...for the most part. A few rough calls but I made it through (and all of my patients got to the hospital alive). The Sundays that I am home, I volunteer my medical expertise at church and provide on-site care to anyone who may fall ill or get hurt (the first is usually the adults and the latter is usually the kids). I enjoy what I do there. And, people think I'm crazy because I have voices in my head while I am "working there" (an ear piece to the radio). The funniest part is that sometimes, if you are close to me, you will hear the voices too. So, I can confidently say that it is NOT all in my head.

Well, as the story goes, I was on-duty this past Sunday at church. Usually there is a doctor and a nurse on-call as well, but for the past two weeks, these people have not been there. Our head of the safety and security team decided to skip out on the day (to move his daughter into school) so we had a thought that we would have some trouble. Without fail, if he is not there, trouble starts to happen.

I got in about 8:45 that morning, grabbed my radio and walked around until service at 9:30. No trouble then. Smooth sailing through the hour. The second "hour" started at 11 am and had no problems at the beginning of that hour. I went to my class and about 11:30, I was alerted to the fact that a child had fallen on the playground and I needed to come make sure he was okay. He was. He just took a little tumble as he tried to jump off of the equipment and be adventurous, like little boys are. Crisis averted. I returned to class. Around 12:00, I received another message that an older lady was unconscious. I made my way over to her and found her conscious, alert and oriented. From what the people said around her, it sounded like she had had a mini-stroke (also called a TIA). She had some facial drooping on the left side but she had equal on both sides of her body with a clear speech pattern. After sitting with her for a few minutes (while doing all of my paramedic-y things), she had a 15 second episode of slurred speech and then it was right back to normal. EMS (the real paramedics with an ambulance) was called to come and take care of this sweet older lady. When they arrived, I was very familiar with the paramedic on the truck as I have worked with him in the past. He looked at me with a puzzled look and then looked over at his preceptee and told her "you can get report from [me]". So, she was transported but I do not know exactly what happened with her and how she is now.

That was the morning. I know that trouble comes in 3's (or more). For example, if there is a code in the county, there will be at least 2 more in a short amount of time following the first. The same goes for car accidents, shootings and stabbings (the last two are usually grouped together). So, thinking ahead, I came back to the evening service in the event something was going to happen. I knew it would happen Sunday night or Monday morning at work. Sunday evening was quiet. Monday morning started out with a bang.

On the death of friends

Throughout my high school career, close to a dozen friends died within a two year period. That is a lot of deaths to occur within that short of a time span, no matter someone's age. The "last" of these deaths came the first week of my senior year of high school. This guy, arguably my best friend at that point in time, tragically ended his life.

I did not handle the situation very well. I was deeply saddened and even distraught over his death. He was 21 years old, and his birthday was only 3 days before his death. He was getting ready to return to Appalachian State for another year of school. Obviously, that did not happen.

This was a rough way to start that senior year for me. I quickly decided to graduate in December and move on to college, thinking that I could run away from my problems by closing my "high school" chapter and continuing on to the "college" chapter. I thought that everything would disappear. But no. It didn't. I still had to face the reality of death and losing people that I care about.

As of this past Thursday, it has been 6 years since this dear friend died. I still think of him often. While I know I am confident that I will see him again, it still can be difficult. I miss his laughter and big hugs. I have forgotten what his voice sounds like and I have started to forget what he looks like. That is the thing I hate about death: I begin to forget the sound of their voice and what they look like. As hard as I try not to, that is what I forget. And that is what I miss.

"I understand that you're in pain but..."

This is a phrase that none of my patients like to hear. As soon as you say you "understand", they usually fly into a sermon about how you don't understand because you've never been in such pain like they are now. The other part, the "but", gets people too. Basically, it is my reasons why I am "causing" their pain. And they really don't like that.

Some of the reasons include:

- this is the best thing for you

- I have given you all of the pain medication that I can

Nobody likes those "excuses". Today, I had a patient who drove herself to her physician's office. She was involved in a car accident about 3 weeks ago and has been having increasing pain, numbness and tingling along the left side of her body since then. The physician was worried about a cervical spine fracture (very, very bad). So, in order to transport her in the best way to protect her neck, we had to put a collar around her neck to help her remember to keep it still and we put her on a long spine board (which are very uncomfortable). She was not happy with me for requiring this of her and even after explaining the reasons why (i.e.: keep her neck and back straight, protect the spinal cord to prevent more damage, prevent paralysis, keep her breathing...) she was still not thrilled with me. However, she managed to get on there and lay relatively flat.

A project

On this, my first full day back home, I started to collect some items to take back to Boone with me. I was rummaging through my bookshelf and the mountain of books on it and came across a particular book (really, a binder) that I have had for years. This book contains many poems and stories from my great-grandmother (Mom's grandmother). I was fortunate enough to know this amazing lady for more than 17 years. It's been a little over 5 years since she passed away. Up until the last week of her life (at the age of 99), she was still able to walk (with assistance from a walker or cane), talk, feed and take care of herself. She lived in an assisted living facility for the last 6 years (or thereabouts) and prior to that, she lived in her own home, by herself. She kept it up and cooked and cleaned. I can only hope to be that well off if I make it to that age.

Anyway, Great-Grandmama (as I called her), was a school teacher. She taught 2nd and 3rd grade in Micro (yes, that is a real town and it does live up to its name) for MANY years. I have actually had some of her students as my patients (that's a different story all together, though). She was also the oldest of 13 children (the youngest of her siblings was her daughter's, my grandmother, age).

Going home!

After spending the majority of the summer in Boone, I am heading home this afternoon for the better part of two weeks. I have really enjoyed being in Boone during the summer months. It is so much cooler up here than at home. Here: 80's. Home: 90's and 100's with even higher heat indexes. I am not looking forward to the heat (nor having to work in the heat) but it will be nice to be home for a while.

Despite the extreme heat, I am really looking forward to getting back on the rig. I miss working when I am here at school -- but by the time I have worked all of my break away, I am ready to get back to school. I am ready to see what these next two weeks will hold for me, what kind of surprises work will throw at me and what kind of silliness it will throw at me. Perhaps I will have some interesting stories to share. :)

Fire alarms

I feel like complaining about fire alarms.

Saturday night, my (absolutely wonderful) boyfriend cooked a delicious meal for us. As he was making final preparations on the meal before it was served, the fire alarm started going off. My fire alarm (which makes it go off for the whole building).

Why, might you ask? Well, I don't know. There was no smoke in the apartment, just some minor steam that was floating above the stove top. Nothing more. It was a little on the warm side in the apartment, more humid than anything. But it still went off...for several minutes. I climbed a stool (quite the site, I am certain) to press the button to make it stop squawking. When I would let go, it would start squawking again. Finally, after opening the windows and shooing in the clear, cool air from outside, the alarm ceased.

However, last night about 12:30am, the alarm went off again (not mine this time, but somewhere in the building it was going off and made all the alarms go off). I was studying for my exam in chemistry that I had this morning when it went off. I got myself dressed in some real clothes that could keep me warm in the crisp night air and gathered some entertainment (iPod Touch), my phone, my wallet and keys before marching outside to stand in the parking lot and wait for the fire department to arrive and give the all-clear sign (that took a while too -- much longer than it should have. I'll say this, (I believe this is a national standard) chute times should be less than 90 seconds at night -- this exceeded that. I contemplated crawling in the car to stay warm but toughed it out. Finally got back upstairs close to 1am and decided God was telling me to go to bed (my concentration was interrupted by the alarm, thus it was bedtime).

And, yet again today, 4:45pm-ish the alarm went off. Again. I was getting ready to leave anyway so I finished gathering my things and walked to the car and left.

Hopefully this problem of an over-reactive fire alarm system will be fixed soon. I would like to get some sleep this week seeing that it is the last week of class. It is more of a nuisance than anything but if I have to have the system over-reactive or under-reactive, I would (fortunately or not) chose to have it over-reactive.

On procrastination

I lack motivation.

I have 5 class days left until the end of the second summer session. 5 days. That is it! However, I am currently sitting at the computer and writing to you, whoever you are, instead of writing a paper for my Contemporary Issues in Psychology class on the idea that some people are left-brained and others are right-brained. This paper, 5 single-spaced pages, is due Monday morning. Along side of this is a 30 minute presentation on the topic to be given on Monday, as well. For that class, I also have many readings to catch up on before the final exam next Thursday. Two hours of essay writing sounds like an excellent way to spend my morning.

My other class, chemistry, also brings assignments for me to do. I completed the quiz that was due tonight but I have yet to truly study for my exam in the morning. After I complete that exam at 8am tomorrow morning, I will still have 2 more quizzes and 2 additional exams before I get to the final exam next Thursday.

So, with all this work that I know has to be done, why do I continue to procrastinate?

I have thought that maybe I am not enjoying the classes and that might be a reason. Like most people, when I don't enjoy something, I run as far from it as possible. Rarely will you find me jumping into something I do not enjoy. This may be true for my chemistry class (I hate chemistry!) but certainly not for my psychology class. I am really enjoying that class. It is interesting to learn about different and controversial topics that are presented in there. Some of the topics we have covered are ESP, telekinesis, acupuncture and homeopathy.

I think I may have discovered my lack of interest in doing my psychology homework (since the "don't enjoy" doesn't apply here): I don't like reading. I get into these "moods" (as Jon can attest, I have many and sometimes strange and weird moods) where I want to read, but it is usually because I have found a new medical book that I want to read. However, even with the more interesting psychology topics, I often find it hard to read the assignments and focus on them. Perhaps they are dry and boring, perhaps it is because they go too far over my head (with my medical background, that isn't often, but it happens occasionally). Regardless, I get a few pages in and lose interest completely. (I am particularly good at falling asleep when I'm reading. This can prove to be a problem.)

With this in mind, I try to remind myself that if I can only get through these next 5 days, I will be able to reward myself with 2 weeks off! (Of course, I get to spend half of that time back on a rig. Far from a vacation but I still love it.) As Jon was telling me earlier today to get me through a different problem, "you can do one more of anything". That's what I have to keep telling myself. I can do one more day for this school week. I can do one more Monday for a summer session, one more Tuesday, one more Wednesday and one more Thursday for a summer session -- and then I am done! I hope never to attend another summer session as an undergraduate. Graduate is another story for another post.

For now, I shall attempt to work on this paper...

First post

What to write...what to write...

Well, I shall start with this (the first "real" post can set the theme or trend for a blog so I want it to be something interesting and attention-grabbing!):

I moved this past weekend. I love my new apartment. It is absolutely gorgeous! It was just built this year and they finished it (for the most part) last week. The contractors still have a little work to do on the outside but all the apartments are done and I am quite pleased. I knew it would be nice since it was new but I did not expect it to be as nice as it really is. I have a huge closet and it is fantastic! A beautiful kitchen (my favorite room in any home) and a great view out of the bedroom and living room.

My parents came up from home this weekend to help and Jon was already up in Boone (taking summer classes along with me) and was gracious enough to help. I am glad I have such great help with things like this. It would have been rough without the guys to help with the heavy lifting (specifically).

Jon and I started moving little things on Friday (out of the dorm on campus which I moved into about 8 weeks ago) and got the bigger things, like furniture, moved in on Saturday. And then the unpacking began! Everything was pretty much unpacked by Sunday night. All of the dishes were washed and put away, all of the shelves were lined, the closet was organized, the bookshelf was filling with some good reading material -- it was starting to look like someone lived here. I was pleased with how it all came together so quickly (I could not have done it without Jon. From being my cheerleader to cracking the whip, he kept me going to get it finished.). I even cooked dinner on Sunday night (Aloha chicken with rice, pineapple and some bread). And yesterday, the internet was set up (yay!). I feel so disconnected without it. I was glad to get it back.

This new place feels like home now. It has my things in it. I have used the kitchen. It just feels like I live here.

For your enjoyment, some pictures.

The Facts of Life

I am embarking on a new blogging project. We shall see how this one turns out (hopefully not a complete flop).

I intend to share the bits of my life that I find interesting with you and tell you about things that are not part of my life but that I still find interesting. I hope you will enjoy reading along with me as I hope to compose something that is worth reading.

Happy Tuesday!

Suzanne