A Work in Progress

I've had a frustrating string of patients who, at the end of the day, called 911, but didn't really want our help. Especially where IVs are concerned. I mean, nobody really wants an IV, but I figure it's standard issue for most patients. One guy said he wasn't sure but I assured him that if I didn't give him I'd look like a slacker. In hindsight, it all sounds like I'm forcing these patients to take treatment they don't want. They want treatment, but they were all acting so aloof about recieving it from me. One lady insisted on shouting "You won't find it, you won't find it!" while wriggling around like a fool when I went to start her IV. Well, I'm glad you believe in me, and I certainly won't if that's all the faith you have. Another lady really just wanted a ride to the hospital I guess. "I'd like to give you these chewable aspirin, is that okay?" "Do you have any water?" "No, but...

At long last, dear readers, I will not subject you (at this juncture) with a post of whinging about house buying, or inane travel, but finally write a post about EMS. Back in EMT school they had the requisite lecture about the legality of what we do, or more importantly, what we don't do. What occasion, I thought to myself during those law related lectures, would I ever have to abandon my patient. Well, strictly speaking I didn't abandon her. We had a call to a hotel. The BLS crew beat me there and were already headed down the hall back to the ambulance when I arrived. The patient probably had too much caffiene and had an episode of tacycardia that had all but resolved itself by the time I saw her. One of the EMTs took my truck back to the hospital, and the other hopped into the drivers seat. In the midst of starting this patients requisite IV, a second call went out to the same hotel for a cardiac arrest. I knew (or so I thought) that the next medic was at least 10 ...

When I got home, a couple of friends invited us to join them in a road trip to Boston on St. Patty's day weekend to see the Dropkick Murphys. Great Irish American and former New Englander that I am, I had barely heard of them. But we said to ourselves, ...a weekend, in Boston, Irish band, sam adams...why not? In preparation I rewatched the Departed and said 'oh yeah, that song!' and I was ready. So nine of us piled into a huge van and headed north. We arrived in time for dinner and headed up early the next morning to take in beautiful and historic Boston. And by beautiful and historic Boston I mean the Samuel Adams Brewery. This is hands down the most generous free tour around. On the tour we got to stick our faces in a pile of hops just like in the commericials and see the huge faux-copper tanks of beer. What really mattered though was the free tasting glass, and the pint or two we managed to fill it with. A dangerously short amount of time passed in the tasting ...

It may seem obvious, but buying a house is expensive.  I mean, don't even let me do the math and figure out that my lender is making 100% profit over 30 years off of me.  Outside of principle and compounding interest, it's the 'little things' that are getting me now.  $300 for an inspection, $450 for an appraisal, $250 for a settlement lawyer.  Things that I didn't even think of before now.  To be fair, the inspection did pay off, as the seller is now doing 2k worth or work to the place, but seriously.  It is scary to think about all the 'nickle and dimeing' that will be going on at settlement.  Only, it's not nickles and dimes.  It's hundreds of dollars for completely intangible things.  Deed surveys, fancy pens, outlandish property taxes, and don't even start me on mortgage insurance.  There's a pointless $1200 a year, to protect not me, but my lender.  Just give me the keys!  I am still vacillating between excitement and ne...

I think I may, may have found a bureaucratic process that is actually more complicated than applying for a UK student visa.  The major difference with getting a mortgage is there are other people around to help me through the process.  Thank God.  With the visa, I was kind of flying solo, getting only a little guidance from the home office whom I felt, like me, were making it up as they went along.  The process of buying a house feels similar.  Changing regulations and policies make it so complicated, you need a realtors license to muddle though.  But, I have kind of enjoyed the process and jumping into homeownership with both feet.  It has seemed easy, mostly because I kind of bought a house by accident, little believing that I could afford one I would actually like. I kind of assumed that I wouldn't and believed the whole looking process was futile and wouldn't go any further than 'ooh, this is nice...and expensive.' But, it wasn't futile, and ...