Tomorrow I will move more things over, and Wednesday is the big day. Rented a moving van for that. Most things will be easy to move, except the couches. They weigh a friggin’ ton. But I have my roommate, and a friend coming over to help with the move, so hopefully, we will get it done without hurting ourselves.

So, please bear with me while I make this *my* place. Thanks!

DO YOU HEAR ME STORES? I HATE REBATES.

I don’t care if you disguise them as “Member Rewards”, or just call them rebates.

Back in July, I had to replace my backpack. My old Targus backback was finally not functioning. The zipper would pop open randomly (along the closed portion of the zipper). Not good when you are hauling a laptop. Bad things happen.

So, I looked through ads, and found 3 that I thought would suit my needs. Another Targus, a Swissgear, and a ful Refugee. All 3 happened to be a OfficeMax (yeah, I’m naming you). After looking at each, I decided on the Swissgear. “Oh”, the salesperson says, “and that backpack comes with a full rebate to your MaxPerks card”.  So I ask her when will I get the money on the card to use in the store. “August 20th”. Set date. OK. So, I paid for my backpack, and moved all my gear from the old to the new pack. I am absolutely satisfied with the Swissgear backpack I purchased.

So, along comes August 20th. Is the money on the card for me to use? Nope. I waited until last night, and finally sent an email to OfficeMax customer support.  What I got back was that I had to wait 60 DAYS, not 30 DAYS to receive my “rebate”. Hmmm… And a “sorry the store manager told you that, but here is what the deal stated…” that was a cut and paste of part of it, not the whole thing. The whole deal for the backback was never posted anywhere at the store.  So, instead of having the money I thought I would have for school supplies, I won’t have it until Sep 20th.

I HATE REBATES.

Happiness - By Willow Tree

As many of you know, I was widowed 6 years ago, when my husband passed away from complications of renal failure and overt septic shock. Since then, I have grown in ways I never thought I would. I finished my bachelor’s degree in Biology (Microbiology), began work as a scientist full-time, and I began to work in EMS more and more. Starting with DMAT and the Sacramento Rivercats (both of which I am a part of to this day), and working for and eventually becoming a business partner with First On Scene EMS, a BLS event medical company.

Having really never lived “on my own” for long, initially, I had family with me: my two wonderful children and my brother. Eventually, each of them moved away. My son (and his wife) came back for a short time; my daughter (and my grandson) a little longer. Although on my own for times, even now I share my residence with a roommate, a good friend. But essentially, I am on my own, as my roommate’s schedule and mine mean we basically share the same home, passing each other periodically (He works primarily in the evenings, while I work during the day, and occasionally at night).

Over the years, I dealt with the death of my husband in different ways. I assisted a family in the grieving process of their loved one (who was a hospice patient) passing away on my watch while I was on a deployment. This occurred approximately 6 weeks after Rory died. I’ve had friends lose family members, spouses, and ex-spouses during the last several years, one very traumatically by suicide. And… I dealt with one particular evening in a way that is really not normally in my being.

Last year, on what would have been my 25th anniversary, I opened a new bottle of a liqueur that Rory and I used to share together. What was intended to be a toast to what we had became me drinking the entire 750 mL bottle, my roommate finding me VERY DRUNK, and very emotional. I missed Rory terribly, and I released that sorrow that night through the ultimate uninhibitor, alcohol. Ironically, the next morning, I wasn’t hung over after all of that. And I had a new perspective, although I didn’t see it clearly at the time. In finally spilling out emotion I had been denying myself, I literally awoke in a new light.

I really do see it now.

Over the last several months, I began to give myself permission to be happy again. Something I had not realized that I had denied myself. Yes, I was doing what I wanted to do, but I really didn’t DO THINGS on a whim. Things were always planned. Especially in the last few months, I began to do things for fun very spontaneously. I’d go bike wherever I wanted, I’d take a small day trip somewhere. I took a few weekends off from working, and not do anything work-related those days. Or I’d finish a shift out of town… and stay out of town for a while, walking in Monterey… enjoying the cliffs of Sonoma County… sitting on a beach in Capitola. Yes, there were the planned things also. I went to Salt Lake City to see my daughter and grandson, and to celebrate his 4th birthday. He and I have a special bond. I’m his “Nana Nay”. He remembers the ambulance I have. He remembers some of the time he and his mom lived with me. I very much remember it, and always will cherish those times. My kids have seen the change in me, with my son mentioning today that he liked that I was enjoying life again. He’s right. I am!

Today marks a new day, just as everyday in my past has been. A new day in the rest of my life to be happy.

THANK YOU!

Each time I move, I manage to unload more of the stuff I cling to. Many of you know our family was probably a candidate years ago for the now popular TV show “Hoarders” or “Clean House”. While I still have those accumulation tendencies, I am a lot more draconian than I was before.

Back to de-cluttering and packing! In the meantime, how many of you are willing to admit you accumulate junk?

To make matters worse, one of the ambulances was broken into here. They stole one of our GPS units, but smashed out the drivers window to get to it. And, to top it off, someone stole a pair of my EMS pants out of my dryer last Wednesday night. That did it. I started looking in earnest, and came upon an ad on Craigslist:

3br – 2 bath -1300 square feet – 3 year old modular home. Located on seven acres. Shares this property with my primary residence. The property is gated and the home is located about 250 feet away from the road. No garage but storage shed is included.

May bring up to two horses with additional electric fencing. Small dogs and cats are also welcome with additional deposit. Very safe environment due to being so far from the road and the property being totally fenced.

Home has its own well, septic and propane tank. Utilities are not included. Propane, SMUD, 1/2 garbage bill and any TV/Internet service will be your responsibility.

Landscape free, room for garden, a very quiet and peaceful environment.

This cute home is located 20 minutes from Downtown Sacramento, Roseville and Citrus Heights. Please e-mail for further information or to set up time for viewing.

Air conditioning – Central heat – High/Vaulted ceiling
- Walk-in closets – Family room – Ceiling fans in all rooms
- Dining room – Breakfast nook – Dishwasher – Above counter Microwave
- Refrigerator – Stove/Oven – Inside Laundry room
- Fenced backyard

So, I emailed the owner. We talked on the phone, and I went and looked at the property. Wow! Gated, LOTS OF SPACE around the house, front porch, back porch, small backyard, area for me to have my garden again, and a reasonably new home (3 years old). Yes, its a modular. Yes, it is propane. Yes, it is on a septic system. And yes, it is on a well. I don’t view those as negatives. I like the fact that I can see the stars at night. I like that I will have privacy (a lot of it!). I like that I will have space for 2 ambulances, my Jeep, my business partner’s Jeep at times, and our ATV. I like that I won’t have my vehicles broken into. Oh, and while I was writing this, I was (yet again) a victim of “ding dong ditching”. Once or twice is ok… 30 times a month… that’s another matter. And the fire alarm being pulled… and the fire extinguishers being stolen and sprayed on the vehicles.

The one negative… no garage. There is a small shed, but it is not weatherproof. But, the property owner is getting bids for a garage, which hopefully (crossing fingers) will be built in the next few months. At the latest, it looks like April of next year. But the contractor is coming out Thursday to give her a quote. I will need to figure that one out… one of the rooms may be an equipment room again, with additional large gear stored in one of the ambulances. Or maybe drop a container on the property for a few months.

So, come September 1, I will be enjoying my new home. I signed a 6 month lease (I wanted 12, but she does 6 months).

Oh, this is what the house looks like:

It started out easy enough. Concert got started, and it was CRAZY LOUD. Loud enough that the hearing protection we were given wasn’t enough. Taping my earpiece into my ear didn’t help to diminish the sound, either. So, I just cupped my hand over my ear every time we heard a dispatch call (Dispatch isn’t just for EMS, other park logistics go through dispatch, although we sometimes take it over due to our need for communications). Some people have a habit of screaming into their microphone as the music gets louder. Bad idea. Then their voice is distorted even more.

Loud concerts make listening extremely difficult. Sometimes, all you can get are one or two words. “Down” and “Section 107/108″ were the ones I was able to clearly make out for one patient. That was a transport out. Another that was unconscious in a bathroom stall. In yet another, my EMS supervisor needed a wheelchair downstairs.  I sensed urgency in his voice, and got down there as fast as possible. Yep, we had a patient. This one I worked on after we got him up to the EMS office. His was one of those “the symptoms don’t add up” moments; weak, dizzy, tingly hands and arms AFTER getting him to lie down and adding O2, decreasing LOC. At this point, most people begin to feel a little better (most). Well, this one definitely needed more evaluation than we could provide, so yep, I called for transport. It was hypoglycemia (BG was 44), possibly caused by one or more of his medications (and maybe EtOH and other substances. He had eaten well yesterday, taken his meds, and even reported to me when he was more coherent that he did drink at times while taking his medications. No, I am not going into his medical history here, but his meds traditionally don’t go well with EtOH.).

It took 80 grams of glucose for him to come around. He did have a gag reflex, and was able to swallow, so he got a tube of glucose from me, and another 50g via liquid glucose from the paramedic that transported him for further eval. No, he was not diaphorietic, shaky, or otherwise “textbook” in his presentation.  I rarely see the true textbook hypoglycemic patient. Having lived with my diabetic hubby for almost 22 years, I learned to, for lack of better words, sense it. The biggest clue for me? Decreasing LOC, honestly. But I wasn’t discounting the possibility of a cardiac event causing this either. Which was why I wanted ALS out there.

EMS at these events happens in the background. Sometimes it is up front and visible to everyone, but most of the time, it happens quickly and quietly. All of this occurs with the music playing. Nothing stops. People are milling around, singing, dancing, throwing up, smoking, arguing; although most are simply having a great time with friends. All while, the band plays on.

It WAS a busy night. But I love this aspect of event medicine. While I could do without coming home smelling like a marijuana-laced brewery (or bodily substances quite frequently – which managed to I avoid last night.), it is fun work to do. Seriously!