In Honor of Memorial Day

"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"

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Have You Ever...

Been told something that you wish you would have never been told?

Been so drunk that you don’t remember stuff you said or things you did?

Both of these things have happened to me in the past week…and it’s really fucking with my mind.

I'm Blogging

I know it’s been a few days since I blogged, and I apologize for that. I keep meaning to…but I guess it doesn’t mean much unless you take action, right?

Thursday evening, I went to my best friend’s oldest son’s baseball game. It was terrific! Since this is little league, they play six innings per game. It was the bottom of the sixth inning, and the game was tied 6 to 6. Eddie’s team was the home team, so they got last bat. The first three batters all got on base, so the bases were loaded. Here comes Eddie to bat. So, being the big mouth that I am, I start chanting “Eddie…Eddie…Eddie”. Next thing you know, the rest of the spectators were chanting with me, as well as the team in the dug out! It was cool. First pitch was a ball. Second pitch, Eddie got a piece of hit and hit it foul. The third pitch was another ball. On the fourth pitch, Eddie ripped the crap out of it! The winning run crossed home plate and we all celebrated. It was an awesome feeling. Eddie’s team ended up fifth for the season, which sucked. They deserved better. On a positive note, Eric’s team ended up first in his division! Way to go, Eric!

On Friday, I went to work for just a few hours. So many people took a vacation day that I felt like an idiot being there, so I left. I spent the rest of the day trying to clean up around the house. I did get a decent picture of Ariel having a showdown with a squirrel.

Feel the Wind

I was driving home from work today. In front of me was a motorcycle with a dad and daughter on it. The daughter was probably about 8 or 9 years old. The whole drive home, she looked like she was having so much fun riding on the back of the motorcycle. She had her arms extended and was playing with the wind. I do miss that about my motorcycle. The only problem was that when I was riding the motorcycle, I had to keep at least on hand on the throttle. I wasn’t able to be as free as that little girl was. When I would ride on the back of someone else’s motorcycle, I was allowed to do that. I could close my eyes and just feel the wind. It was such an awesome feeling. I guess I need to start looking for a boyfriend with a motorcycle

It's Only Tuesday?!

The way this week has been, I would have sworn that it was already Thursday. It hasn’t been bad, just hectic. There was a bunch of stuff going on at the EMS station lately. Mostly political crap, but hopefully it’s all resolved now. My best friend told me Saturday that she had so much to talk to me about, but we never did get a chance to talk. When I was finally able to call her, she said she was feeling a lot better and was fine now. That made me very happy to hear. It’s unfortunate that we don’t get to talk as much as we used to; I really miss it. It just seems like we’re both always so busy. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves what is really important in life.

I also have some large issues looming over me. It’s stuff that I need to deal with, but really don’t have the resources (or energy) to do so. Fortunately, I’ve been so busy at work that it helps keep my mind off of them. I know I’ll have to face them eventually. But like my favorite procrastinator, Scarlett O’Hara, would always say, “I’ll worry about that tomorrow”.

Lori's Graduation Celebration

It started at the Flying Saucer….which we left around 1:30pm to go to Katz’s Deli. I didn’t get home until 5:30am. That should tell you what a damn good night it was.

You can see the pictures here.

AEMS Open House

I don’t have much time to blog right now. I have to get ready for Lori’s Graduation Celebration at the Flying Saucer tonight.

We had our 2nd Annual Open House at the Alvin EMS station today. I thought it was successful. I did get some many pictures of the Alvin Volunteer Fire Department doing a demonstration of the “Jaws of Life”. The main reason I took them was because my best friend’s son was the “victim”. Unfortunately, I was in charge of selling BBQ, so I didn’t have time to take any other pictures.

The Crown Saga Continues…

I was at work today when I received a call from Kim, who works at my dentist’s office. She spoke to the lab that made my crown today. For the next crown (to replace the one that only lasted 5 minutes), the lab is going to use different stuff to make it. The down side of that is that it will take longer to make. When it is due to be shipped, my dentist will be on vacation. So, once he returns, I will be able to get my new crown…on June 14th. Until then, I’m stuck with this semi-permanent one.

Stay in Bed

Every have one of those days when you knew you shouldn’t have gotten out of bed? That’s what today was for me.

I had a dentist appointment at 8am to get my permanent crown put on. On my way there, I almost got into a wreck. I was very impressed with my quick maneuvering…I should be driving in NASCAR.

Then, I had to call the operator at work to get a phone number of an employee I needed to call. My hands-free set crapped out on me, so I had to hold the phone up to my ear with my shoulder, while driving, and trying to right down a phone number. I also dropped my cigarette, so it was burning somewhere under my seat.

I arrived at my dentist’s office and got my crown put on. Everything felt fine. Then, not even 2 miles from the dentist office, I bit down and this fragment fell out of my mouth. So I called the dentist office to see if this was normal. I told them the piece that fell out looked like part of a tooth and I could feel a hole where my crown should be. They said that was not good and to come straight back to the office. So I did. Sure enough, part of the crown had broken off. They said that this never happens, but I guess I’m special. Just to clarify, I did not have my tongue piercing in when this happened; I was completely innocent (for once). They took a picture of the broken crown to send to back to the lab and will have to order me a new one. They smoothed over the one already in my mouth so it should be okay until the new one comes in.

Who would have thought that a trip to the dentist would have so much excitement!

Let the cat out of the bag

A number of people I support at work are high maintenance. I don’t know why. When I was at the conference last week, Beverly got to realize this first-hand. It boggled her mind. And people wonder why I work so many hours every week.

On a positive note (at least I think it’s a positive note), I started my diet yesterday. I usually don’t tell people when I start a diet. I guess if I don’t finish it, people won’t harass me about not sticking to it. Since that hasn’t helped me in the past stick to diets, I figured I would announce the diet this time around to see if it helps me stick to it this time. I even went so far as to print motivational sayings and have them posted all over my place. I guess it’s safe to say that I won’t have any visitors here for a while.

Driving Music

I forgot to mention in my previous blog about this.

On my way back from Grapevine, I was getting really tired of driving. So, here's a song that I played often to help keep my spirits up.

I'm Outta Here

Well I decided to leave Grapevine a day early. I couldn’t stand it anymore. The only highlights of the trip were getting to see my friend Alex and the new Gaylord Texan hotel.

I saw some of my fellow chapter members on Thursday afternoon as they were working the registration table. They said they would be going to Texan Station (one of the hotel’s sports restaurants) for dinner that evening. That sounded good to me, so I told them I would join them after I went back to my hotel room and downloaded the pictures from my camera. After getting done with that, I went to the restaurant and they were nowhere to be found. I went back to the conference registration area to see if they got stuck working registration table late. They weren’t there either. I found a hotel house phone and called one of their rooms. No answer. I go back to the restaurant to see if maybe they showed up while I was walking around. They still weren’t there. I go back to my room to see if they left me a message. No messages. By this time, it was almost 7:00pm and I was getting pretty hungry. Again, I went back to the restaurant. I told the hostess that I may or may not have others joining me for dinner. Fortunately there was an NHL playoff game on some of the televisions, so I asked to be seated at a place where I could watch the game. I went ahead and ate dinner and stayed until 8:00pm. They never showed up.

The next day, I passed some of them in the hallway. They asked what I was going to the function that IAAP was hosting that night. I told them I might show up later, but I was going to the Rainforest Café with Alex for dinner. Then, one of them responded, “Oh, we went there last night.” Well, that was really fuckin’ nice of them to let me know that now. No wonder I couldn’t find them last night.

I’m very fortunate that Alex was able to join me for dinner. I had not eaten at the Rainforest Café before. It was a neat place. Afterward, I wanted to check out Grapevine’s 20th Annual Main Street Days Festival. Poor Alex, he did have comfortable walking shoes on, but he kept up with me. The festival was pretty cool. Alex bought some Kettle Korn, which I tried for the first time. It tasted like Cracker Jacks to me, but it was good.

I owe Alex a big “Thank You” for making my trip to Grapevine enjoyable. Thank you, Alex!!!!!

Day 1

Today wasn’t that great of a day. I was scheduled to meet other members from my IAAP Chapter at 8:00am to stuff bags. Once I find which meeting room they were working in, I joined them. Well, heaven forbid, I let the “F” word slip out of my mouth. You would have thought I was going to hell right then. Two of the chapter members just completely berated me in front of everyone. I didn’t need that crap. So, I let them continue to stuff their bags and I left to go shopping. I wanted so much to tell them to blow me, but I didn’t.

I went to Grapevine Mills and got to see the Dr. Pepper Star Center. It was closed because they were replacing the compressor or something like that. I was disappointed because I really wanted to put on some skates and relief some of my stress.

I also managed to get pictures of different areas in the hotel. Since I don’t have my normal photo editor software on this computer, I just posted just as they were taken. To check them out, go here.

I made it!

Well, I finally made it to Grapevine. The only incident I had was getting a fuckin' speeding ticket once I got into the Dallas city limits. I had no clue that the speed limit changed from 70 to 60 upon entering the city. Anyway, the cop got me for doing 75 in a 60. At least it's been well over a year since my last ticket, so I can take defensive driving it.

I did stop in Dallas and have dinner at The Olive Garden with my friend Alex. He hasn't changed a bit! It was great to see him again. After dinner, I headed to the hotel. This place is gorgeous! Hopefully, I can get some pictures of the place tomorrow and put them up on the website.

Grapevine...Here I Come!

I know I haven’t blogged in a few days. I’ve done nothing but work! I wanted to get caught up before I leave for my IAAP conference in Grapevine. I’m so excited about this trip. I really need the break. I’m going to leave around 11 am today and stop in Dallas to meet an old friend for dinner. He’s someone I haven’t seen in years. I never did call my friend Chris back. I feel a little guilty about that, but I’m sure I’ll get over it.

I’m really excited about the hotel we’re staying in. I’ll be taking a laptop with me, so I’ll try to blog while I’m there.

About Last Night

I didn’t write about last night this morning because my blog was already long enough. Plus, I was just tired of typing. Gil arranged a get-together starting off at The Fish. I had already RSVP’d to the E-Vite and invited my friend David along before I knew how bad my week was going to be. I felt obligated to go. I know I’m not able to please everyone, but dammit, I try. I really was tired and not in the mood to socialize. Plus, I know that a few of Gil’s and Irfan’s friends don’t think too highly of me. They informed me of that one night at 12 Spot. I don’t know if they remember telling me that or not, because they were pretty drunk at the time. I know I was pretty quite, but I did make conversation with the two couples I was sitting next to. You know, it really sucks when you’re the only single person sitting at a table. I felt like I wasn’t in the loop. But, I was determined to make it through dinner. Afterward, the gang headed over to the Front Porch. Since it was right next door to The Fish, I figured it would look bad if I didn’t go. So, I head over there. After standing around the bar for a while, I find an empty stool at the end. I went there to sit down. I was drinking Goldschlager shots hoping that it would help me forget my crappy week, and give me some energy. I was just so worn out.

First, Irfan comes over to talk to me. I told him I just wanted to forget about my week. He asks me about it. If I’m trying to forget about it, why would I want to talk about it? But, Irfan being Irfan, tries to be a psychotherapist to me. He always does that. I still don’t understand his obsession with wanting to understand me, but whatever makes him happy. I already warned him that I do not open up about myself.

After numerous shots, the group decided to head to CatBird’s. I got off the stool and realized that all that the Goldschlager did to me was made me sleepier. I told Gil I couldn’t keep up with them and that I was going home. He told me just to go to CatBirds for a little while and that I know where it’s at. Yes, I do know where it’s at, but I was going there from a different direction. My friend, Aimee, can testify that I can get lost quite easily. As I’m trying to ask Gil more questions, he just starts walking off. By this time, I’m really tired and really frustrated. I get in my car and start driving. I have no clue what street I was on, but I was forced onto Highway 59. Somehow, I still had a shred of patience, and figured I would just exit the next road I recognized that I could use to get to CatBirds. The next thing I know, I am coming up to the Loop 610 exit. I had been going to wrong way. I took that as a sign that I just needed to go home. I had reached the very pissed-off, extremely tired, and utterly frustrated stage. So, I took my anti-social ass home.

I did send David an email this morning apologizing for my mood last night. Hopefully, he'll forgive me.

Update

My apologies for leaving you hanging in regards with what’s going on in my life. I just haven’t had the time to blog.

I guess I better start with Wednesday night. After the events from last Saturday, I should have expected the following week to be just as bad. One of my departments at work decided to host a small gathering at Dave and Buster’s. Well, since I would have to charge the cost of my event on my company credit card, I basically had to be there the entire time. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy Dave and Buster’s. It’s an awesome place. What I didn’t expect was for an employee, that I was secretly dating a couple of years ago, to show up with his girlfriend. The reason why we quit dating was because she was moving back to Houston from Atlanta, and wanted give the relationship another try. I knew they had been back together, but this was the first time I actually had to see her. She’s a very cute, charming person. And, of course, I’m happy that this guy has found someone so wonderful.

As soon as I saw them, I told the waitress that I am stuck in hell for the entire night, so just to keep bringing shots of Goldschlager. I got so wasted. I really don’t remember a lot of things I said that night. I know at the end of the night, I was trying to sober up so I would be able to drive home. I felt pretty confident that I could drive, but I guess the manager on duty had other plans in mind. I’m in my car about to leave the parking lot, when the MOD comes out and stops me and informs me that I’m not driving. I told him that I’m okay to drive, and if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be doing it. I’m so paranoid about getting caught since that means I would lose my EMT-I certification, so I always make sure I’m okay before getting behind the wheel. Well, this didn’t convince the MOD, who had a HPD officer with him! The officer informed me to “please step out of the vehicle.” By this time, I had no idea what the hell was going on. I got out of my car, and the MOD asked if anyone from my party was still there. Thank goodness, Matt was still in the parking lot. So, the MOD told me my car would be safe there and to go park it and ride home with Matt. I had no choice but to comply.

On Thursday, I took a vacation day from work to study for my exam on Friday. I had to meet some ladies from AEMS at the bank at 9:00am to switch our checking account. Since I had no vehicle, I had to track one of them day to take me. After the bank, I called Beverly to see if she could take me to get my car later. She said it would be better if we went right then, since she had an afternoon meeting. She leaves work, picks me up, and we were off to Houston to retrieve my car. Since we arrived at Dave and Buster’s around 11:15, she said we might as well have lunch. It was my treat since she had to drive there because of me. We got done with lunch and I was finally able to get my car and head back to Alvin to study. I got back home after 1:00pm.

Since I didn’t get much sleep the night before, I took a two hour nap. Once I woke up, I realized that I needed to go to the store since I didn’t have anything to eat or drink in the house. I think it was around 7:00pm when I finally got a chance to sit down and study.

Finally, Friday arrived and it was test day. The test didn’t start until 1:00pm, so I was able to sleep in. That was awesome. I get to the test site, and remember that I need to take my ADD medicine. I get my purse to take out my medicine, only to realize that I left my medicine at home. I was so pissed at myself for doing that. I start the test, and my mind goes blank. It really, really sucked. By 2:30, I was so antsy in my seat and just wanted to leave. I know I rushed through the end of the test. The results won’t get mailed out until June 24th, so I’ll have to wait until then to see how I did.

Fuck me

Well, tonight just sucked. I’ll type more about it once I have gotten some sleep and sobered up.

I know CPR

Another Tuesday has gone by. I was in an EMS training class at work all day today. I took a laptop with me so I managed to keep up with my emails. Hopefully, I won’t be too far behind at work tomorrow. I’ve taking a vacation day on Thursday to study for my CAP exam. The actually test is Friday at 1:00pm.

I tried to take a picture of my new tongue jewelry. I went out and bought one with a flatter top since I figured it had to be the top ball that I bit down on that ruined my tooth. Since it’s small, my camera wouldn’t get a clear shot of it. But, I did find a picture of it on the internet!

I think it’s pretty cool

Where's my luck?

This just sucks. I went to the dentist today to get my tooth looked at that I had chipped on my tongue piercing over the weekend. It turns out that I did one hell of a job on that damn tooth. I had to get a temporary crown put on it and return to my dentist in three weeks to get a permanent one put on. Even with insurance, I had to shell out $386.00! That pretty much screwed over my plans to buy some new clothes for my trip to Grapevine. Oh well…life goes on.

Life is strange.

I felt pretty low last night. I ended up taking a couple of Xanex and going to bed early…with my Vermont Hockey Bear. Oddly enough, I get an email this morning from an old friend of mine. He said that if I was ever in the Dallas area, just to let him know and we could meet up for a drink or dinner. So, of course, I told him that I would be in Grapevine in a couple of weeks. We’re planning on getting together on the Wednesday night that I arrive. I will be great to see him again. He helped me out a lot when I got fired from a job. He helped me write my resume and helped me cope with the fact that I got fired. He’s an awesome paramedic. He got married a couple of years ago in this beautiful, outdoor wedding. He and his bride were in a horse-drawn carriage…it was so sweet. I just think it’s weird that I find out last night that I won’t be able to see Chris on my trip, then find out this morning that another friend actually wants to see me while I’m there. See…life is strange.

As Luck Would Have It

Well, today while I was eating, I manage to chip my tooth on my tongue piercing. I didn’t know how bad it was, but to be on the safe side, I called my dentist. I thought I would just get an office recording telling me if I had a dental emergency, where to go. Instead, I get the answering service. Next thing I know, I’m on the phone with Dr. Taylor. He has been my dentist all my life. He’s a very cool man. I told him what happened and he said he has tons of pictures to show me of teeth damaged by tongue piercings. That really didn’t make me feel better. But, he did say that it should be okay but may be sensitive. He also wants me to go see him on Monday so he can fix it. So, I guess it’s good I didn’t have to go to an emergency dental clinic. I’m sure that would have cost me an arm and a leg.

Then, I heard some news I never thought I would hear. My eternal bachelor friend (and FB) informed me he was getting married. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked. It's like the end of an era. I am truly happy for him. But, at the same time, I'm just so depressed over it. I have to admit that I will miss him. It’s weird having such opposite emotions occurring at the same time. The only reason I even called him today was to find out if we were going to get together in a couple of weeks while I'm attending the IAAP TX-LA Division Meeting in Grapevine, Texas. I guess that won't be happening now.