The lack of vacation time over the holidays has paid off. I am no longer a paramedic student, I am now a trained paramedic. I just need to get my license to practice, and then I'm off to the races.

Vacation? Not for me...

I'm taking most of this week off of work from Coza Tuscan Grill, the finest Italian cooking at the corner of 200th and the Langley bypass. What a crazy idea you may say, to take most of the week off. As a server, you don't get paid unless you work you silly man.
Well, I am taking it off to work on the ambulance. And by work, I mean ride on the ambulance and do everything that I would do if I was getting paid to be a paramedic, all in the hopes of coming across that last elusive competency "spinal management".
That's not to say I haven't been learning with every call I have done for the last two days, and will continue to learn from on my two night shifts coming up, cause with this job you need to learn something from every call you do. Like the guy who had an infection that caused him to be hypothermic. Usually when you have an infection ravishing your body you end up sweaty and feverish. Apparently, there is such a thing as a hypothermic reaction to an infection. Very rare though, as testified by my preceptors. 32 years and 20 years experience for them, and neither had ever seen a "cold sepsis".
I am thankful that I get to have these shifts for the experience. It would be nice to be finished though, so I can get my license and start getting paid to take a week off of work.

Can't talk right now...busy playing with my new Galaxy S "smartphone". So much nicer than my old "stupid" phone...

Christmas Shoes

Is it wrong that I can't stand the song "Christmas Shoes"? If you have never heard it, it's a song about a man in a line up at a store, and there is a poor, unkempt boy in line ahead of him. The boy has a pair of womens shoes that he wants to buy for his momma. See, she is sick, and is going to die soon. So he wants to get her this nice pair of shoes before she dies, so she looks good when she meets Jesus. The problem is the boy doesn't have enough money for the shoes, so he looks at the man and pleads for help. Man helps, writes a song about it and there you go.

You know, it doesn't sound so bad when I try to explain it to you, internet. But why is it when it gets put to a melody, it makes me feel a bit like throwing up. I don't know. Is there something wrong with me that this song doesn't just make me want to cry with sadness for this boy? Am I just a bit cold hearted that the strings of my heart don't melt with a tear that this boy wants to do something so nice for his momma, but can't, and then this nice man helps him out and discovers the true meaning of Christmas at the same time?

Of course the kids love this song, ever since they watched the movie. Yes, internet, someone created a movie based on this song. And now, when it comes on, the kids sing it at the top of their little singing voices for all to hear. In the immortal words of Charlie Brown - Aaargh! (now there is a Christmas movie getting all teary over)