Tuesday, December 22, 2009

We shall beat to Quarters!

Let me tell you about my crazy December. It seems as if the end of the year always brings about hectic things and this year was no exception. I found out that the EMT requirements for Mass had changed and they now required you to have all recertification requirements done by the last day of December. In addition to that my Class A pistol permit (license to conceal and carry) is on hold until I redo my safety course (which i have done at this point, I am just waiting for my permit).

I understand the need to award certifications and licenses to people for things like these, in fact I think its a good idea. That being said I do not approve of the way that the state goes about it. I spent almost an entire day filling in useless tests for my EMT. The issue is that these tests do not make me any better at being an EMT. Yes there is a definite knowledge base needed to be any type of emergency medicine, but it is not so much the knowledge that is the important thing, it is the reaction of the EMT. Responding to an emergency situation is not like taking a test. There isn't always a right ansewer, sometimes a person has to trust their intuition and make a choice. The EMT is there to render emergency care, but mostly to be a calm and collected force in the situation. This is the key aspect of any emergency, so me sitting through 28 hours of extra credits doesn't make me a better EMT at all, but just wastes my time.

That being said that is really to most important part of hands on instruction when it comes to emergency situations. While watching Jericho last night it was amazing how complacent people get when something doesnt happen. 95% of the time things do not go wrong(thank God), but I dont think that is any excuse to forget the things that have gone wrong before and not learn from them.

I am not going to get political or anything in this post (maybe I will save that for a later post) but the perfect example right now is airplanes. For all the know me I am a rather hardcore Libertarian ( small government, social and religious freedom, and those rights guaranteed me by the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. That being said I think a distinction needs to be made between rights and privileges. Flying in an airplane is not a right. I say again flying in an airplane is no more a right than getting a rental car. Companies make their livings off of flying people around, great grand wonderful. Now the issue has come up that using things such as full body screeners, dogs and other intrusive means of searching a person infringe on a persons rights of unlawful search and seizure. If someone walked up to you randomly on a city street and used these devices on you then that would be an infringement of your rights. If you choose to fly on an airplane than that is not an infringement of your rights. Flying is not a right, it is a choice you are making. IF you don't like the way security is carried out at the airport, then don't fly on a plane. Its really as simple as that. I find it ridiculous and irresponsible that we do not have more people searching passengers on planes and drug, bomb, etc sniffing dogs everywhere at US airports. When I went to Germany I was greeted by two German Shepherds the second I entered the terminal. (my love of the German Shepherd aside) Why is this not the case in Logan? Because Logan doesn't want to put people off. Life is about putting people off so get over it. They don't like the things business are doing then don't use the business, its as simple as that.

Ps: I think that the title of this post is the best alert ever. I wish they still had a guy with drums beating to quarters instead of a general alarm.

Monday, December 14, 2009

set sail and prepare to come around

So today starts a new day in my life. I am trying to really turn around some of the lazy habits I have gotten into since graduating from college. In school I was active, playing Frisbee and running around almost every day, I really miss that.

Obviously times change and I have just grown and moved onto the next phase of my life, but I really do miss some of the times that were had in college. It was singly the most fun I have had in my entire life. I miss the people that I saw every day as well as the spare time I had to do most anything that I wanted. Working out was easy at school because we didnt have TV or anything like that for the majority of the time and getting people together was as easy as sticking your head out your door and yelling for people to play frisbee. I don't have that now and I need to accept that and move on. That way I can get back in shape and things like that.

I have given lots of thought to college lately. It seems odd to me that, while we were all there, we wanted to graduate and move on so badly, but now I miss the people almost all the time and there are even points where I wouldn't mind doing homework if I could go back. That being said the homework idea goes away very very quickly and I am just left with the people. This has been the biggest thing to me because I have kept a couple of friends throughout my entire time at school, and even before, which are some of the best people in the entire world. Those people are the ones that help me through everything and really make me smile when I need it. I am very glad that I have even been able to keep 2 or 3 of my friends from school, it makes me happy to know that I have people that would do most anything for me.

Since it is tough to write from work I think that I will leave this post as is right now and revisit later.
CW out

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Are you serious?

Really the title says it all. MF's boss is a doucher, plain and simple. If you cant not play favorites when it comes to company business don't be a boss. Jill should go sit in a corner and stare at a wall, that seems to be what she is good at.
I have many other things to say about this topic, but I am pretty sure MF has heard it all and she is the only one who reads this I think
CW out

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

First post

This is my first post on a new blog. This is more of an area for me to vent or to write or to post anything I feel relevant to my life. This feels a wee bit emo, but I think it's good to get feelings out into the open. This place is a blog for me only and if you are offended then don't read it. Feel free to comment on it as discussion is always a fun activity.
Now onto it.

First I would like to explore the title of my post. This is a quote from the movie Horatio Hornblower: The Duel. Horatio Hornblower is a character originally written about by C.S. Foster and then adapted into some made for TV movies. The quote is said by Captain Sir Edward Pellew of her Majestys ship Indefatigable. In the context of the movie it is to rebuke a young midshipman (Horatio) from taking offense to something the Captain said. To me it is much more of that.
Obviously I do not agree with many of the things believed in the Napoleonic times ( racism and the thought that woman were inferior being two big ones), but I think that I do like the ideal of the time with some gentleman. I like the fact the ideas of duty, honor, chivalry and respect. I feel that is a trait that has fallen very far on our list of practiced ideals. Obviously many men (probably most) didnt actually practice and possess these traits.
It is very difficult to define and practice honor and duty. Many think it is not, but the idea of honor and duty is putting others before yourself. That is a very difficult thing to do as you need to put yourself before others to survive. However to me honor is the biggest ideal one can have. It ties into all others of course, but to have honor (especially regarding your friends) is very important to me. Many people change over the years, but to keep a certain duty to your friends is the most important thing in a friendship. Thats why I am very thankful to have 3 or 4 friends that I have always been able to call at any time for anything. I know many people would argue a different definition of honor, but this is my post so poo poo to you.

Duty is another huge one that I feel is connected to honor. If you take on a friendship with someone you have a duty to them. Not a duty in the sense that you will get in trouble if you dont do something, but duty in the sense that they are not just another person, they are your friend.
I feel that these two ideals are ideals not seen near enough in this day and age. With that I will leave you with another quote from Captain Sir Edward Pellew....." I judge a man by what I see him do, not what others tell me he has done."
CW out
Ps. In honor of my lovely Fiance all names will be replaced with initials.
PPs. I strongly urge people to both read and watch the Horatio Hornblower series, fantastic works