Harvard has a new “healthy plate” out to give guidance on how we should eat. Here it is:
Here is the MedicThree version of a healthy plate:
It’s ok. I’m sure Harvard will figure it out eventually.
Archives for life
A little over 2 years ago I made a post about HuHot… and how they sucked. Not the food. It is brilliant. It is tasty, wonderful, DIY goodness. I LOVE the food at HuHot.
But the service still sucks. It is Horrible. Slow. Sloppy. Bad.
Here is what I said 2 years ago:
Bad.
I should clarify. The SERVICE at HuHot sucks. I love the food, but I do damn near all of the work, so I SHOULD love it. I get the bowl, pick the meat and noodles, grab the veggies and mix the sauce. What do they do? Take entirely to long to put it on the “grill” and push it around for a while. Only to hand me back my plate without so much as an “enjoy your meal”.
Yup. Service at HuHot sucks. Seriously, every time we go to HuHot we think this. Well, HuHot. I’m done with you. I’m breaking off this on again/off again relationship. I’m sick of waiting 10 minutes for my soda refill(especially since I used entirely too much Kung Pao…Yow!). What is so god forsakenly hard about bringing me a bowl of rice and keeping my god damn soda full? I can get better service from Dairy Queen. I’m sorry, but your food is NOT so good that it makes up for exceptionally crappy service. To make matters worse, this visit was at 2:30 in the afternoon. There were a measly 21 people in the restraunt. There were no less than 7 employees present. 3:1 ratio and you still can’t do your job?
I don’t get it. So… I’m done with you. I’m done with your crappy servers who can’t figure out that their job is sooooo simple. Greet me. Ask if I have been here before. Ask if I’d like to try an over priced appetizer. Bring me rice. Bring me soda. Keep soda full. Bring me Check. Cash in. That is IT! You might wonder why you never get tips? Well… this is why.
Goodbye, HuHot. I hate you.
kthxbai.
Well after the BS conversation I had with the owner of HuHot, I said I’d never give them another chance. BTW, this is the BS convorsation I had with the owner:
Thanks for getting back to me. My name is Brendan and I am one of the owners of the HuHot’s in Sioux Falls. I tried to contact you last week but I think I had a bad email address for you so I signed up for Twitter to make contact with you. I would like to apologize for the lack of service you received. We obviously do not spend the time, effort and money on training so we can make the mistakes we made. I have addressed this with the GM of the stores and the District Manager. I would also like to thank you for giving us 5 chances.
I do have a question for you though. Did you on any of your visits ask to speak with one of the 3 salaried managers in the store? On your post you said you were in the store around 2:30 in the afternoon. There would have been two managers in the building at that time and either of them is more than capable of handling you issues….If notified. I think to come out and post for all to see “HuHot Sucks” is a little unfair not to mention the aggressive tone it takes. Maybe your server wasn’t any good or preoccupied but as a guest of any restaurant you have an issue with, you should take it up with a manager while in the store. Give us a chance to make it better. We are not perfect. We serve thousands and thousands of people a week in Sioux Falls and we do make mistakes from time to time. If we are as terrible as you make us out to be we would be out of business. I’m not sure what your post was suppose to accomplish other than get my attention (and it did) but that could have been done by letting a manager know you were upset with your service or by contacting us directly on our website. If that would have happened our response would have been much quicker.
Again, thanks for getting back to me and for letting us know about your visits,
Brendan
and my response:
I don’t appreciate your defensive tone. As a customer it isn’t my job to find someone to make the situation better. As a restaurateur it is your job to provide the service I pay for. We have since visited HuHot in Sioux Falls ONE last time and the service was the same. At the Store on Arrowhead parkway, Our server Justin took upwards of 7 minutes to refill a drink, even after I asked for it almost right after running empty. He walked by 3 more times before I stopped him and asked again. There were 3 other customers in the store at this time. It is not my job as a customer to make you provide good service. It is your job to get me to come back. Good food is why people come back, I’ve never met someone who said service was spectacular.
SO make it 6 times we’ve tried. 6 times. I’ve been to HuHot locations elsewhere and had great success, but never again will you get my nearly 30 dollars for me to sit and wait, and wait, and wait for your servers to do their jobs. I suggest YOU speak with your managers and make it very clear to them that they are costing YOU money by not ensuring that your servers take care of their customers.I should have clarified, “HuHot’s SERVICE sucks.” The food is excellent. I feel rather aggressive about spending 30 bucks and not even getting something so simple as a refill. If you can’t train your servers to do that maybe you should invest in larger glasses.
and his response to that…
Then I guess we have come to an understanding….And I assure you that your experiences are the exceptions and not the norm. Thanks for one last visit and I will speak with the manager of the store in East Sious Falls about your server.
Thanks,
Brendan
Well, 2 years later we’ve given it another try. The food was great, as expected. But sweet Mary, mother of God! What is so hard to figure out about being friendly, filling drinks, and answering basic questions… I would loved to have had a talk with the manager, but that would have been hard to do… since she was busing arguing with the cooks in the middle of the grill smack center of the restaurant.
Perhaps HuHot should offer a “take out” option. Then I could deal with my own shitty service at home. Eleanor, our server, barely earned her 73 cent tip.
Back in November I got to spend nearly a week hunting Mule Deer in Western South Dakota with my dad. On my way home I took a few pictures of my favorite memories from the many trips with my dad. The first are of an old Minuteman Missile Silo just a few miles from where we stay. The gate was open, so I helped myself to a tour…
Next is an old Sears and Roebuck house on the land we hunt. It is like a lighthouse overlooking this wide open stretch of prairie. I’ve been enamored with this house since my first hunt out there 15 years ago.
And a few of a long vacant motel just off the interstate.
Finally, a pic of my little guy at one of his favorite places
I told you all about my decision to finally go to the doctor and take care of myself…
Well I did it. My doctor agreed with me that my symptoms seem very much like Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. She prescribed be Strattera, rather than one of the controlled substances(per my request) so that I a) won’t have to worry about habit forming medications, b) won’t have to worry about work drug screenings.
While the medication has only been in my system for 4 days, I feel better already. It most certainly is partly placebo effect, but whatever it is, I am happy to have finally done something about it.
I am dedicated to being a better person–at home and at work, and this is my first step in that direction.
I feel like I can think clearly without my all too common cloud of thoughts bouncing around. I hope this works. I really do…
Godspeed, Friends
m3
Obviously I have been absent from posting here at medicthree.com. Part of this has been due to my efforts over at rootmedic.net, but mostly it has been due to a gamut of things… For a long time I have suffered from anxiety and some depressive tendencies. I have tried various PPI’s over the years with limited help. Mostly I suffered from the side effects rather than benefited from them.
For a long time I have gone med free and it has just proven too much. Every day I wake up tired, unfocused, with a cloudy mind. I am easily irritable, easily frustrated, and easily overwhelmed. While I am fully capable of doing my job–I feel that I am not doing it at 100%. I lose my train of thought and often can’t pay attention during classes or training.
I think I have Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. In the morning I am going to call my doctor to meet. Obviously I am not qualified to self diagnose… But I do know how to recognize these symptoms. I do know that prior attempts with common medications resulted in a more complicated set of symptoms. I do know that I am sick of doing nothing.
It is hard for me to say this, because I think ADD in children is grossly over diagnosed. It is often an excuse for parents who cannot reign their children in. While legitimate cases exist, it is often used when good parenting is all that is needed.
Another frustrating part is that Doctors are often inclined to just diagnose anxiety or depression for these symptoms. I don’t think that is the sum of my problems, but more an element of my symptoms. This is just my thought though, so I will only “guide” my doctor so much…
So wish me luck. I miss writing here, but I just haven’t had the energy. I am hoping to figure something out and admitting that something is going on is the first step, right? After being tested for Celiac, food allergies, and the like, I can only assume my intestinal problems are psychologically related as there seems to be no medical cause. Because of this I have to do something now.
I want to be well and I want to be a good father. I don’t want to be one of those people who have an excuse for why they aren’t well. I just want to be well.
is what happens when you’re making plans!
Haven’t been around much, for many reasons. 1, I have been trying to focus on my family. Asher is growing SOooooooo fast! 2, I have a little side venture going, a tiny business selling planted aquarium products.
Hope all of my readers are doing well! I have 2 drafts I plan to work on at work later. Hoping to get some sleep here…
Anyways! Just wanted to drop in, say hi and make sure my readers know I’m alive!
So I haven’t really posted anything worth a damn in weeks, if not months, so I figured it was time to put my nose down and do a little talking!
The challenges this profession have brought me have left me in awe. Over the last year and a half, I have seen things I only imagined in the past. I have seen more blood, guts, gore, puke, and tears than I ever needed.
I have witnessed the death of those young and old, both expected and sudden. I have learned that no matter what, it is always impossible for those who loved the deceased.
I have learned that I don’t know nearly as much as I thought I did a year ago. I go to work every day with my eyes and ears open to learning about my profession, life, and everything in between.
This year is going to be a challenging year for me and my family and I am ready to head into this nose first–I just hope I can get up when I fall.
My goal for this blog is to start producing good posts 3 to 4 times a week along with DAILY posts to my 365 Project. Hold me to it, friends!
First of all, I’m feeling great. I’m 10 days out from my surgery and I’m almost eating like normal. I’ve had tortilla chips, soda, enchiladas, and even pizza once or twice. Am I supposed to have eaten these things? No. But my surgeon doesn’t seem too bothered by it either.
I saw the surgeon today and he seems to think this is his best one so far. I hope he is right. There is always the risk of this procedure failing later on, and right now the life expectency of this surgery’s success is anywhere from 10 years to lifetime. The procedures that are 10 years old are starting to fail, but the process is much different than it was 10 years ago. It isn’t done nearly as tight as it once was and much regard is placed on making sure the patient can burp and potentially even vomit.
Those things might not sound all that exciting to the average joe, but to me they are. I have been reflux free for 10 days and I am ecstatic about it. I never imagined I’d feel this good 10 days out, but I do! My incisions need a few more days of good heeling, but for the most part, I’m in heaven!
To celebrate I am smoking salmon and a pork loin.
Yup. Made it to today. I go under the knife at 1030. I woke up this morning around 5am(which depending on the day is good/bad) and was just resteless so I had to get up. I’m anxious, but not apprehensive. More so I’m just anxious to be done. I’ve lived with reflux for a long time, but over the last year or two it has really started to control my life. When you wake up with reflux, have it all day, and then go to bed, only to have it wake you up during the night several times, you won’t be sad to see it go!
Wish me luck, folks. Hope you are all well and I’ll bring you a status update as soon as I possible can.
For those of you who have missed it or don’t know, tomorrow morning I go in for surgery–Nissen Fundoplication. I’ve struggled with acid reflux(heart burn) for the better part of 10 years, and no medications have successfully controlled it. Further, lying on my stomach almost always causes regurgitation. I’ve tried everything–cut out caffeine, quit smoking, sleep on a wedge, tried every PPI on the market.
The “wrap” as it is often referred to acts to serve as a replacement to the lower esophageal sphincter(LES). The top of the stomach is pulled up and around the LES and sutured in place, 
forming a wrap around the esophagus that helps to reinforce the closing the of the LES. The procedure is performed using laproscopy with one large incicsion just above the navel and 2 incisions on each side of the abdomen. If any sign of hiatel hernia is indicated, that will be repaired during the procedure as well. The whole process is expected tot ake 1-2 hours, with 1 night in the hospital.
Recovery is going to suck. Initially swalling will be very difficult. Most people don’t relize, but your esophogus actually moves food down to your stomach. Gravity doesn’t do the work. Because of this, my body has to learn how to move food and liquids through the new valve created by the Nissen. I will be on a strick liquid diet for at least 1 week, up to 3, followed by a soft food diet sans bread for up to 3 months. Now let me make this clear: I love red meat. I love pork. I love meat. I eat meat daily. Steak, ribs, pulled pork, hamburger, roast. Mmmmm Meat. This is going to be the HARDEST part for me. I have done it before–in the past I had a mandibular osteotomy where my jaw was wired shut for 6 weeks… But I know this will be harder. The simple fact that I can open my mouth will make it so much more tempting.
The risks of this surgery are limited. Primarily the inability to swallow or an ineffective wrap. Both are corrected by a repeat Nissen and are fairly uncommon. I have made the decision that I can not tolerate my symptoms any longer and it is time to do this.
I’m all kinds of scared, anxious, and excited for this surgery. Hopefully it will be life changing. Acid reflux has controlled part of my life for at least 10 years and it is time for it to be over. Going into a procedure like this is not an easy task. The process is long and complicated-having multiple EGD’s, an E-Motility study(esentially an NG tube, while concious), and Bravo PH testing done prior to being approved for this procedure. The risks are there, obviously. As with any general surgery, risks range from complications up to death. With a wife and son at home I won’t take that lightly. I am confident I have found a good surgen who will take the best care possible.
Wish me luck and keep my in your thoughts/prayers(if you’re that sort).
I’ll try to keep you posted. For more frequent updates check my twitter feed.
Living days while working nights has proven to be a challenge. It seems as though every night I fall asleep with little effort, but wake up every night between 2 and 3 am–like clockwork–and just can’t seem to fall back asleep.
Tonight I woke up and it was like a switch had been clicked. Wide awake. I hate it. I want to sleep when I’m home, and want to be able to function during the day when possible. Honestly, I wish when I woke up NORMALLY it was that quick.
I am sure part of this is from getting up with Asher for soooooo many nights at nearly that exact time, but I know most of it is from my Night work schedule. It has proven to be a challenge I didn’t expect.
I know that the final key to the puzzle is a little anxiety. Honestly, we’re just skating by financially and have been going through several other medical issues between Mrs Medicthree, Asher, and myself. Asher’s Kidney draining issue is still undiagnosed, despite nearly 30,000 dollars in tests and doctor visits. Mrs. MedicThree’s problems seem to be in the clear, but will require frequent monitoring to be sure. As for myself, I am scheduled for Nissen Fundoplication surgery on Tuesday for my Acid Reflux/Gerd and I am rather anxious to get it over with. I have such frequent reflux that it is a serious burden on our lives. I’m also hesitant because of some of the terror stories out there about the side effects, but I feel as though I have no choice at this point.
Anyways, I plan on fininshing up a few posts in the making this morning/tonight, so please keep coming back to see what I’ve got.
Godspeed, Friends.
In No particular Order.
Enjoy:
Gyro Pita, Global Market—Minneapolis, MN
While waiting at a light on the way toa call. Yes, that is plexi and plywood for a window.
Asher out and about in the Best Damn Stroller Ever(Chico Cortina…)
Headed to work I saw this. Yes, that is a motorcycle with a trailer… and a dog in it.
Sunrise on my way home from work yesterday. I take a long way just for this.
Fog over the river. Part of the reason I take the long way home.
My dogs in a moment of bliss. Not often do they give us this peace…
All photos taken with my BlackBerry Storm. Feel free to add me to BBM on your Berry, medicthree@gmail.com
Wish I was home, little boy. Love and miss you both!
a2a_linkname=”Medic Three”;a2a_linkurl=”www.medicthree.com”;a2a_show_title=1;a2a_hide_embeds=0;a2a_num_services=16;
a2a_linkname=”Medic Three”;a2a_linkurl=”www.medicthree.com”;
When I first thought about getting into EMS I didn’t really know anyone in the field. I originally took the EMT-B course in 2003 during my freshman year of college. I didn’t try very hard, and ended up not bothering to take the NREMT exam. I spent some time working various political campaigns, moved a few thousand miles, and never looked back…
Until I did.
I looked back. Over, and over, and over. I couldn’t stop. Something about EMS just caught my eye. Not really “glory”. Because honestly, there isn’t much. EMT instructors are notorious for being negative. They always make everything seem sooooo bad. Something about people in this field leads to trying to make this career seem like it is the worst thing ever.
Honestly, while this career can be challenging–it ain’t that bad.
But what they DON’T tell you is just how boring it can be. How challenging your partners can be. How frustrating patients can be. How heartbreaking the “easy” calls can be. How hard it can be on your family. How much it changes you. Sure–people try. The old, rusty, haggard medic always tries to tell you these things… but there is no way to really figure it out until you are out here, on your own.
When new EMTs walk through our door and want the “truth” all I say is…. “hop in and see. Your perception of my world is going to be completely different that what I tell you. Jump in the seat and see how it feels. You’ll know after one or two calls whether you want this or not. But you HAVE to WANT it to keep going. When you stop wanting it–get the fuck out”.
So… To my readers–When you don’t want it anymore–move on. Shit happens, life goes on, and there are lots of different ways to make a buck–most of them easier.
Godspeed, all. Missed ya!
I found myself sitting at work, thinking of food. I then found myself wandering through LifeHacker.
The fine folks at LifeHacker had a post about SuperCook.com I didn’t read the post, but the blip got me going…..
“SuperCook Turns Your Kitchen Contents into Yummy Recipes”
So I thought I’d give it a try. After 20 minutes and inputing the contects of my kitchen(from memory… I’m at work, after all!) It maxed out at 2000 recpies…. And a TON of good looking ones! I’m very excited about the prospect of this… My wife and I have the hardest time trying to decide what to cook, which usually ends with a trip to (insert fast food restaurant here). I hope to try some of the recipes out soon!
If you try it out let me know!
Some of the features, according to www.supercook.com
Overview
Supercook wants to make life easier for everyone who cooks at home! Our mission is to enable smarter, quicker decisions about what recipes to make and what ingredients to use using advanced technology and all the recipe content on the web. Created in 2007 and based in San Francisco, Supercook has a distinct focus on solving the practical problems of modern home cooks: how to waste less food, how to use up perishable or seasonal ingredients, how to keep track of everything in the kitchen, how to save time and money. For more information on what makes Supercook unique and how to use the service, see our FAQ.To see what people are saying about us, check our Buzz page. Contact us here with any feedback on the system, press questions, or investor inquiries. We’d love to hear from you!
a2a_linkname=”Medic Three”;a2a_linkurl=”www.medicthree.com”;
So… If you haven’t heard I haven’t been around lately. I have 3 blogs up and running and I can’t decide which I like. Here, medicdad.com, or courtesyshock.com I had thought of abandoning MedicThree.com for many reasons… But now I’m not so concerned. I’d hate to try and find all that traffic all over, but I’m not sure which to keep..
So, dear readers… I ask you, which should I focus on?
With Ninja Medic. Then Epi followed suit.
Really about once a month one of my fellow EMS bloggers(and I’ve done this too) eludes to one of the many stories of terror that haunt our Nightmare Bank.
There will always be a few memories of calls past that will NOT go away.
The irony for me is that tomorrow I am teaching a SIDS portion of our refresher as well as a Neonatal Care refresher.
More than a few things are ironic about this:
- My haunting pt is just a wee 18mo baby. Helpless.
- We talk about CISM(Critical Incident Stress Management) in both classes–how often do we actually use those tool? How many systems HAVE them?
- I’m about to have a baby. A helpess baby. I know far more than I wish I did.
Be safe out there, all. Godspeed.
I was off yesterday and today. Somehow I ended up at work last night for 12 hours.
Times are tough round the little ambulance service that could. We are short people, yet busy, and this combination means sometimes we are asked to go beyond the norm.
I don’t have a problem with that.
I DO have a problem with people who are 40 minutes late so that people who came in on their day off can’t leave anywhere near the time they expect… I wouldn’t complain if this was the first time…. Let’s just say it isn’t!
New post up at Gluten.Free.Dad. Check it out.
Baby M3 is coming…
Soon…
We had a checkup today, with ultrasound—concerning the size of baby’s kidneys per the last two ultrasounds. The left Kidney is still measuring a few millimeters(seriously, millimeters!?!?!) too big and thus the OB/GYN has recommended a visit to the perineonatologist(try saying that 1234 times fast. Or 1).
We are to go Thursday morning—hoping I can get a few hours off from work to be able to make it to this appointment.
Possible results could be a few simple procedures after delivery, or an in-utero procedure. Early induction of labor could be a possibility too. There is a pretty good chance they won’t do anything at all and I will just get closer to the deductible that much sooner!
Further, we attended a Breastfeeding class tonight. While it wasn’t information heavy on things I could possible understand—it did teach me that my wife is amazing—well, more amazing that I already knew!
I will let you know when we have more info!
I’m a very modest man. I work hard, for little pay, doing work most don’t want to do. I don’t do it for glory, money(obviously), or fame. I do it because I’m proud of what I do.
Still, I don’t often walk into the door at home with my chin high. Often my day(or days) has been long, tough, and either uneventful, or incredibly stressful.
As a matter of fact, it is usually all of the above.
About a week ago my wife was here at the station with me and we were just hanging out. We were watching TV, I’m sure. The Advisor II gave me the “pleasing alert” (doesn’t that sound like something from a Japanese Brothel?) and the EF Johnson(wheel chock) gave half of the tones. What followed was pure chaos.
We were dispatched for a woman who overdosed on ativan, zoloft, abilify, and a few other yummy drugs. Upon arrival I found a woman in cuffs seated, alert, and otherwise fine—minus the hand cuffs!
She had tried to hurt herself—she told me she wanted attention(this was Christmas Day, come to think!) and needed someone to talk to. Instead of just calling someone, she tried to kill herself, THEN called someone(often the case).
All seemed ok… I talked her down from the rage she was in, and started her towards the door. My partner(and boss) was holding onto her and a cop was right behind. I stopped to pick up a few more med bottles(trying to figure out what the hell I was dealing with) and just as I did that… I heard my boss say “OH…. Shit.” and my response was “Fuck.” as she fell to the ground. I pushed the cop out of the way, told him to uncuff her, and went for the airway.
Nothing. She stopped breathing. Done. Within seconds I had a nasal in, while the EMT was getting the Intubation setup out. This both brought her respirations back, and woke her up.
We did our thing. The whole nine yards.
After cleaning the rig back at the station I was in working on my chart and my boss walked into the room where my wife was sitting still. He made one simple comment that made my day—hell, my year. He said “you’re husband’s a pretty damn good medic. I’d let him work on my kids.” and walked out.
It wasn’t like he went on for days. But I feel as though that was the ultimate compliment. I can honestly say that there are more medics out there that I KNOW I wouldn’t let work on MY baby to be than there are that I would LET work on him/her.
Thanks Boss Man.
Just how scared I really was. I’m terrified about this child that is soon to come. I’m terribly excited too–but terribly terrified.
~~~~~
This morning at 0340 the pager went off. I actually slept right through it, reached over, turned it off, and kept going. The wife gave me the loving elbow to the side that she is so good at during the wee hours of the morning and gave me the “aren’t you going to go to that?!?”
“Fuck. Alright, I’m up.” and away I went. I walked down the cold wooden steps put some drops in my dried out extended wear(I doubt that by extended wear they meant 35 days…) and picked up my radio. “Medic 3 copies. 311 1st.”
~~~~~
So I do the ever so elegant–Hop through my pants into my shirt, and end up with boots on, stumble to my coat, and out the door I go. I notice that because of the slow week, and my laziness, my car is covered in snow still. I run back in, grab the wife’s keys–and a soda–and drive the 3.4 feet to the station(somehow managing to have done this all in 4 minutes from the time of page) to find my partner pulling in behind me.
“This is YOUR fault.” cranky old supervisor partner states–referring to a statement I had made earlier in the evening that “realizing we haven’t had a call since Monday at 0600, we will inevitably get one just before the end of my shift…”
“Yeah. Get over it. Its YOUR call too.”
~~~~~
Not noticing much, my Blackberry vibrates as I pull the rig out of the garage and hit the road(all 3 blocks of it). I park the rig, grab the monitor and walk in to our suspected “diabetic problem”.
We run the usual gamut of assessment/treatment and yet he doesn’t come to after his sugar is well over 100. Thus, transporting is a must.
As I walk out to grab the stair chair, my Crackberry vibrates again. I glance at it, and it is a message from Mrs. Medic Three. “I’m having contractions one to two minutes apart.”
FUCK, FUCK, FUCKITY FUCK.
~~~~~
I grab the stair chair, run it in, and respond to her–saying we will take her in. By this point she is freaking out–and alone–and I’m doing everything I can to get this show on the road.
Finally, we get him up, on the cot, and in the truck. 5 blocks later we are in the ER, and I am on the phone to Mrs. Medic Three. She wants me to call her doc, so I do, and as suspected get told to head on in to L&D. Contractions spaced 2 minutes apart at 28 weeks is far from ideal.
~~~~~
By now it is about 0500. I get changed into street clothes and put the Mrs. in the car. I have to stop for gas, and by 0630 we are at the “big deal hospital” just down the road.
~~~~~
The emotions have run hot this morning. From fear, to excitement, to just plain freaked out.
Finally they give her some terbutaline, followed by Procardia and a 4 hour observation. They dictate bedrest for the weekend and foot rubs(I promise honey, I will give you them when I’m back…) every 6 hours—along with the Procardia, at 6 hour intervals, day and night.
~~~~~
Back to normal. We get home, now 1200, and I run to the pharmacy to get the procardia scrip filled–no such luck, they are out, as is every pharmacy within 30 miles, except one Walmart–I HATE Walmart pharamcies… They are SO. DAMN. SLOW.
~~~~~
Finally we are home. It is now closer to 1400. We find our bed and the Mrs. zonks out in a hurry. All morning she has INSISTED that I still go hunting this weekend. INSISTED. This is, after all, going to be the last hunting trip I get before I become Medic Three, the daddy years.
~~~~~
1730 comes, the wife has already been picked up by Mother-In-Law and she calls me to get me out of bed–to get on the road for my 300 mile journey to the land of the Mule Deer. I fight it at first… I’m stubborn. And then concede. She could get me to use a bed of coals as a pillow with her pouty voice…
~~~~~
1850 and I’m at my parent’s house, dropping off two of the monster dogs for a weekend with Grandma. Sorry Mom. I owe you big!
~~~~~
2000 and I’m finally on the road. 250 miles to go. One eye doesn’t want to stay open, and the other is close to follow.
Soon after I almost got to fill my tags at 80 mph, which, I’m sure the wife wouldn’t have like since I was in HER car…
~~~~~
By 2335 I am finally pulling into my destination. I have decided not to call the Mrs. to let her know I’m here. She needs the rest. She is on “bed rest” tomorrow, during her Baby Shower and her parents Anniversary party–I have spies out there darling… don’t you go running around!
~~~~~
Present time. Realize that I have only had bout 3 hours sleep since yesterday(and by yesterday I mean Thursday) and I’m just about to crash. I am still trying to grasp the fact that baby came knocking today. So much to do. The grib isn’t finished, the nursery is far from finished. Jesus…
Time to buckle down.
Godspeed, and, as always–be safe out there.
The National EMS Memorial Service is a sad-that-its-necessary, but glad-someone-stepped-up organization. Something I hadn’t realized was that one of my childhood neighbors is on that list.
Hit closer to home than I would’ve liked. I was only 14 years old when they died. He had a son a year older than me and a daughter two years younger than I. It is amazing that someone I honestly only met once or twice has made me feel the way I do right now.
Maybe its a case of whoa-is-me, maybe its a case of –I’m-having-a-baby-and-I’m-terrified-of-fucking-up. I’m not sure…
May God have Mercy on your Souls.
May God have Mercy.
Be safe out there, friends. Godspeed.
This weekend has been a blast. The wife has brought me to Cedar Rapids, IA as our Anniversary/My birthday trip. The wierd thing is this is the first trip we’ve really done on our own! We’ve went plenty of places, but our familes are always there. Not this time!
We left yesterday at 0600 from Small Town USA and dropped the dogs off with my parents(sorry mom….). We stopped in Dyersville, IA to see the Field of Dreams Movie Site(one of my favorite movies). The trip was long overdue from a missed opportunity from when I was 6, where my mother bribed me with a hotel with a pool(for what I found out to be a 2 mile out of the way drive!) instead of going to see it. My wife thought this to be a horribly sad story and insisted we drive 2 hours out of the way to go there for 7 minutes in the rain.
Today we woke up and Headed to the Amana Colonies. They are a former German Communal Colony that disbanded in the 30′s. They are well known for their Kitchen Appliances, furniture, and Family Style Dining. I had the Wiener Schnitzel from the Ox Yoke. It was amazing. I also had it family style which means I had bowls of potoatos, corn, gravy, coleslaw, and cottage cheese to gorge on. They also have some damn good German Beer, wine, and fudge!
We walked out with 2 bottles of wine for the wife’s post-baby bottle of wine, and 12 bottles of locally brewed “german” beer for daddy-to-be’s sanity(just kidding….).
After we went through all of the shops and a few other of the Colonies we headed to Tanger Outlets for some overwhelming outlet mall shopping…. Good god. That’s all I’m saying…
We then headed back to our hotel, rested a bit, and went to find some pet stores that weren’t open(we always check out the pet stores wherever we go!). Then we went to the mall, realized it’s time to start getting baby stuff, and freaked and left.
The best/wierdest/craziest part was next. We went to a Haunted House called Frightmare Forest. Honestly, I’ve never spent 9 bucks for a haunted house–or spent 25 minutes in line–but it was awesome! It took us over 1o minutes to get through it and we only took the “short” path. The wife LOVES Halloween and since I’ve failed to get the decorations up yet this was the least I could do.
Sorry I haven’t been on top of posting. Honestly I’ve been in a real funk/block lately. I’m not content with my work situation and I’m trying to find a way to make it work. Expect more soon, and maybe something about EMS!
It has been a busy week, and once I catch up I will catch you up!
Yesterday was our first wedding anniversary. We didn’t get to eat where we wanted as they are closed on mondays, but we still had a good night. I took 5 hours off so that we didn’t have to be tied to the pager.
I’ve had 2 mvc’s in 3 days–one self infliced(intentional…)
I’ve also had a few other good calls. I hope to be getting more on the path to posts soon!
