Monday, September 28, 2009

Direction

I haven't been blogging because I haven't put it in my routine.  I love to write down things about work and bring them here.  I've been letting other things get in the way.  Stuff that absolutely doesn't matter in life.  Not fun, not productive, not even entertaining stuff anymore.

I'm looking for direction and this morning I knew I need to going to God for that direction.  He's the one who told me I will be an EMT.  Not told me to do it, but flat out said, "That's what you will be"  when I read an article that mentioned every household in America should be within 6 minutes of an ambulance or fire service.   I don't know if you believe in God and Jesus, I do.  He's the only one who can give me peace and show me where to go in life.

So many people in EMS have told me I have to be a paramedic.  Why?  They keep saying it will make me more desirable.  I heard that over and over and seen it when my own county won't give me shifts.  I love being an EMT.  Wouldn't change it for the world.  I've even tried the paramedic thing.  Well, medic school anyway.  I had no desire, didn't want it and should have quit right from the beginning instead of wasting my time and gas.  Don't any of you say I wasted my instructor's time.  He wasn't there most of the time.  Class was cancelled a LOT, we got out way early a LOT, practicals were not seen an important, registry wasn't taken seriously enough, lots of things.  I wrote a post on that long ago.

No, I like being an EMT.  Right now I'm driving 100 miles each way.  There are counties closer, but they are small, don't need me right now.  I will be applying at the end of October to a lot of places I didn't know I was within 50 miles of. 

 I want to stay an EMT and do something else on the side.  My husband has done the computer thing.  He wants to blacksmith. It's made him some money, but he 's goingback to school for a skill that he can actually do and make a living while doing the fun stuff on the side, like selling his blacksmithing on Etsy.  We both want to make soap.  Lye soap.  I'm not afraid to try anything.  I picked up a book one time called Pretty Little Things.  It teaches how to put objects and pictures and well...anything between glass and how to solder it together.  I love it.  Done it and need to get a hotter iron or one of those mini torches, ...babbling.  Thing is I love being an EMT.  Can't say it enough, but it's what I do, not who I am.  That's been a  hard reality.  I let it take over me and it comes between my and my husband, my home, my life, my relationships, and my God.



The below is taken from a summary of Focus on the Family's The Truth Project.  It's about El Qanna, Jealous God.   God is jealous when we let other worldly things come between me and Him.  Think of a marriage.  One half of the couple starts spending too much time at work, with friends, on the computer, the list could go on and on. Something has come between them and is tearing them apart.  I have let my personal habits come between me and God, me and life, habits that have kept me from blogging, doing things I enjoy and would rather be doing, being productive.

"Dr. Tackett makes it clear that we cannot truly know ourselves 
until we have begun to know God in the fullness and richness of 
His multifaceted nature and character – not only as the God of 
mercy and grace, but also as the God who is a consuming fire, 
jealous for the purity of the covenant relationship (El Qanna). 
When this knowledge dawns upon us, we can expect two
things to happen. First, the revelation of God’s character will, 
like a mirror, reveal things to us about ourselves, so that we,
along with the prophet Isaiah, are compelled to cry, “Woe is 
me, for I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5). But then secondly, as He raises
us out of our despair and shows us who we are and who we can 
be in Him, we will be granted the gift of a new name – a whole
new concept of our being, our identity, and our purpose in life 
with God. Once again, the fruit of this experience will be personal transformation."

Been writing, just not typing

I know some of you are still checking in here.  I'm in a happier place at work.  Happier?  No, just a better environment.  I've even been taking a paper notebook to work and writing in it to copy it to here.  I'll be better about it after Oct. 18.  I'm going to Disneyworld with my mom and I'm probably going to be applying for EMS jobs waaayyyy closer to home.  I'm driving an insane distance for a job I love at a company that sees me as disposable.

Is there anyone else driving too many miles one way for a job in EMS?  I know there are nurses in ATL driving in from Alabama because the hospitals here pay more;  and one of our dispatchers is driving 1 1/2 hours from near South Carolina.  I'm driving 100 miles each way to work a 12 hour swing shift at nights.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Please welcome a wonderful new blogger to blog world!

Will everyone please go over and welcome an up and coming blacksmith, Travis Aaron.
He's new to blogging and finding his voice. He's also got a new store with Etsy. Check him out, let him know what you think.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Disrespect begats disrespect

NOTICE TO BIG BROTHER EMS SERVICE:
When you DISRESPECT your loyal employees, we will not respect you or the company. Sometimes this carries over into the public aspect of the business . For me, I will extend all my respect, kindness, and care on my patients. They will not suffer from lack of care when they are on my truck. For you, not so much. You have supervisors that have never been involved in EMS and have never been on a truck for even one hour to experience what we do in one day. Even an inactive day. The posting, the crappy Southernlink radios, the even shittier 15 year old trucks that break down every day, the micromanagement. (Don’t tell me this is everywhere. “There is shit in every job” to quote my dad. But I like different shit. Not disrespectful shit.)

If you send me out an hour before end of shift to a hospital 15 miles away to take a patient to another hospital 100 miles away, don’t expect my truck to be spotless. Honestly, how many times after my shift have you found fries behind the seat? Food crunched everywhere? Coke cans in the back? Trash overflowing? Truck not stocked? I will not say never, but it shouldn’t be hard to figure out which crews do that if you check EVERY SINGLE TRUCK EVERY SINGLE DAY. If you had checked the truck the morning before, or two days before, you’d find I wasn’t on it. I was on other trucks. They are first come first serve. I come in last in the morning and the last one to come in at night.

I’m sure there’s a lot more to rant about, but it’s not worth it today. I’m with a partner I love to work with and his heart is breaking. It’s going to be a hard enough day for him. I just hope he can get through it okay and I hope we’re busy to keep his mind off it.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

What's Happening, Dracula? and other fun videos.

FanninWood Media

I'm biased* but these guys are so creative. Check them out at the above link and let 'em know what you think!

Thanks, everyone!

*Crew and Cast include my husband, brother-in-law, nephews and friends.