Road trip in a fast car, through the eyes of an experienced Trauma Nurse.
Short, interesting installments.
Like the sound of it?
If you have a little time, I think it's worth your while:
Read first.
Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Leave him a note to let him know what ya think, and tell him Greybeard sent ya.
19 October 2008
17 October 2008
Kill The American Dream?
I have a full-time job.
At that job I work 42 hours per week.
I own a personal business.
It's hard to put a finger on how many hours I devote there.
Some weeks it's a lot. Some weeks, depending on weather and other factors, I do almost nothing. Over a year I probably average 20 hours a week trying to keep this business in the black.
I work part-time as a flight instructor.
Again, this work is spotty, but looking back over the last year I estimate I average another 20 hours per week in flight and ground instructing.
I own a rental property...
There's another few hours per week devoted to keeping the bills paid and organizing the inevitable required tax information.
On top of all this, until recently I've found time to be on a couple Boards-of-Directors... presiding over one of them for a year.
Weekends?
Holidays?
You're kidding, right?!!
Don't get me wrong... I'm working over 80 hours per week not because I'm forced to, but because I want to. I enjoy the work.
I enjoy the people I associate with. I like the things I can afford because of the income my work brings me. It gives me pleasure to know that several others make a little extra cash because of my efforts.
I think I'm exactly like "Joe the Plumber"...
The guy Obama wants to tax so that he can "spread the wealth around" to others that aren't willing to work 80+ hours per week.
Want to "change" the world?
Do like the Soviet Union and so many other Socialist governments from the past have done...
Make it unpalatable for me and others like me to pursue this American Dream.
HOPE will go out the window, but you'll certainly see CHANGE.
Be very careful what you wish for.
At that job I work 42 hours per week.
I own a personal business.
It's hard to put a finger on how many hours I devote there.
Some weeks it's a lot. Some weeks, depending on weather and other factors, I do almost nothing. Over a year I probably average 20 hours a week trying to keep this business in the black.
I work part-time as a flight instructor.
Again, this work is spotty, but looking back over the last year I estimate I average another 20 hours per week in flight and ground instructing.
I own a rental property...
There's another few hours per week devoted to keeping the bills paid and organizing the inevitable required tax information.
On top of all this, until recently I've found time to be on a couple Boards-of-Directors... presiding over one of them for a year.
Weekends?
Holidays?
You're kidding, right?!!
Don't get me wrong... I'm working over 80 hours per week not because I'm forced to, but because I want to. I enjoy the work.
I enjoy the people I associate with. I like the things I can afford because of the income my work brings me. It gives me pleasure to know that several others make a little extra cash because of my efforts.
I think I'm exactly like "Joe the Plumber"...
The guy Obama wants to tax so that he can "spread the wealth around" to others that aren't willing to work 80+ hours per week.
Want to "change" the world?
Do like the Soviet Union and so many other Socialist governments from the past have done...
Make it unpalatable for me and others like me to pursue this American Dream.
HOPE will go out the window, but you'll certainly see CHANGE.
Be very careful what you wish for.
15 October 2008
Want Hope?
... Then DON'T listen to this audio:
Hat tip Fausta's Blog
UPDATE-
Upon hearing the audio my paramedic asks, "How many times have these folks registered to vote?"
Hat tip Fausta's Blog
UPDATE-
Upon hearing the audio my paramedic asks, "How many times have these folks registered to vote?"
Change We Need?
"The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where 'decades of putting Israel's interests first' would end."
Jesse (Hymietown) Jackson on the Obama Presidency.
Please...
Preferably in short sentences with small words, explain why any Jew would vote for this man.
Jesse (Hymietown) Jackson on the Obama Presidency.
Please...
Preferably in short sentences with small words, explain why any Jew would vote for this man.
Conscription
One of the things in the news today is Obama's statement that if we return to the draft to fill our military ranks, we should also conscript females.
McCain disagrees.
I agree with Obama... sorta.
I have always felt we should adopt a system similar to the Israelis'...
Everyone serves.
Now I'll admit I'm no expert on the Israeli system, other than the fact that men and women serve. I believe they still exclude women from certain combat positions. But by going through basic training, women are trained in infantry tactics, and are trained for and would be expected to jump into a foxhole with a rifle next to a man should their position be overrun.
For me, "equal rights" has always been the crux of the matter. When I was in Viet Nam, one of the first female helicopter pilots in the U.S. ARMY came to our battalion. She wore the same rank on her collar as me. Her paycheck had the same figure behind the dollar sign as mine. But she COULD NOT perform my job...
Restricted by regulation, she couldn't be exposed to combat.
Equal pay for equal work/responsibility? Hardly. So it was hard to swallow...
But it wasn't her fault.
Discussion about women filling combat positions goes 'way above my pay grade. But I have always wondered...
Why not draft EVERYONE?
Upon completion of High School or College, why not require two years military service from all citizens... men, women, homosexuals, able-bodied and wheelchair-bound.
Two years of service to the country would emphasize and illustrate many things. Two that quickly come to mind are:
It would instill the idea that there are more important things in life than "self".
Testing for aptitude, training someone for a job, then giving them nearly two years experience in that skill would give all conscripts a civilian-marketable job history. There are plenty of rear-area jobs that could be, (and in some cases are), filled by wheelchair-bound civilians already.
So to John McCain-
I would like for you to rethink your attitude toward this Obama idea and take it one step further.
So long as it is fair... so long as EVERYONE is expected to serve... a universal draft might not be such a bad idea.
Consider it.
McCain disagrees.
I agree with Obama... sorta.
I have always felt we should adopt a system similar to the Israelis'...
Everyone serves.
Now I'll admit I'm no expert on the Israeli system, other than the fact that men and women serve. I believe they still exclude women from certain combat positions. But by going through basic training, women are trained in infantry tactics, and are trained for and would be expected to jump into a foxhole with a rifle next to a man should their position be overrun.
For me, "equal rights" has always been the crux of the matter. When I was in Viet Nam, one of the first female helicopter pilots in the U.S. ARMY came to our battalion. She wore the same rank on her collar as me. Her paycheck had the same figure behind the dollar sign as mine. But she COULD NOT perform my job...
Restricted by regulation, she couldn't be exposed to combat.
Equal pay for equal work/responsibility? Hardly. So it was hard to swallow...
But it wasn't her fault.
Discussion about women filling combat positions goes 'way above my pay grade. But I have always wondered...
Why not draft EVERYONE?
Upon completion of High School or College, why not require two years military service from all citizens... men, women, homosexuals, able-bodied and wheelchair-bound.
Two years of service to the country would emphasize and illustrate many things. Two that quickly come to mind are:
It would instill the idea that there are more important things in life than "self".
Testing for aptitude, training someone for a job, then giving them nearly two years experience in that skill would give all conscripts a civilian-marketable job history. There are plenty of rear-area jobs that could be, (and in some cases are), filled by wheelchair-bound civilians already.
So to John McCain-
I would like for you to rethink your attitude toward this Obama idea and take it one step further.
So long as it is fair... so long as EVERYONE is expected to serve... a universal draft might not be such a bad idea.
Consider it.
14 October 2008
Personal Dynamics
We hear the car door slam.
Ten seconds... that's what it takes for her to gather up the things she'll use during her shift, walk to, then open the front door.
And the moment she crosses the threshold, we ALL know what sort of day we'll have.
We hope she's smiling. All too often she's not.
She has problems in her life. Her husband has health problems that required his early retirement from work. We hear her talking on the phone with her teenage daughter, and to say there is 'tension' in that relationship would be kind.
I don't know husband or daughter well, but I have worked with this woman a long, long time, and I know her moods.
I'm glad I only WORK with her.
She's a damned fine nurse.
If I regained consciousness in the rear of the helicopter looking squarely at her face, I'd know that I was getting first-class medical care.
But when I drive to work and see her car in the parking lot, I know my shift will be difficult.
Sure, all of us work with a few folks like this. But this job attracts people with big egos... it's almost a requirement to survive here. Add big egos to difficult personal relationships and you have a recipe for interesting times. Our company has sponsored several classes on making interpersonal relationships better... I think that's commendable, but I think it has little or no long-term effect on behavior. At your core, you're either a happy person or you're not.
In this gal's case, you can see it in her face when she steps through that door.
I feel bad for the rest of us.
I feel worse for her.
Ten seconds... that's what it takes for her to gather up the things she'll use during her shift, walk to, then open the front door.
And the moment she crosses the threshold, we ALL know what sort of day we'll have.
We hope she's smiling. All too often she's not.
She has problems in her life. Her husband has health problems that required his early retirement from work. We hear her talking on the phone with her teenage daughter, and to say there is 'tension' in that relationship would be kind.
I don't know husband or daughter well, but I have worked with this woman a long, long time, and I know her moods.
I'm glad I only WORK with her.
She's a damned fine nurse.
If I regained consciousness in the rear of the helicopter looking squarely at her face, I'd know that I was getting first-class medical care.
But when I drive to work and see her car in the parking lot, I know my shift will be difficult.
Sure, all of us work with a few folks like this. But this job attracts people with big egos... it's almost a requirement to survive here. Add big egos to difficult personal relationships and you have a recipe for interesting times. Our company has sponsored several classes on making interpersonal relationships better... I think that's commendable, but I think it has little or no long-term effect on behavior. At your core, you're either a happy person or you're not.
In this gal's case, you can see it in her face when she steps through that door.
I feel bad for the rest of us.
I feel worse for her.
11 October 2008
Silence
The most serious fuel crisis of my life...The annual inflation rate at nearly 20%...
Mortgage rates so high, no one could contemplate buying a home...
Hostages being held in Iran, and a failed military rescue attempt...
U.S. morale so low, the bottom looked like up!
You sir, are an idiot, and would do well to shut your pie hole.
10 October 2008
From The Ground Up!
Well, it's a mess.
We can all agree on that, certainly. What we'll argue about is how we got here...
And that will break on this John Edward's "Two Americas" class warfare argument.
Greedy fat cats caused the problem, right?
Yeah, I can see that Senator Chris Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank contributed greatly. As a matter of fact I think they both ought to be in jail. Problem is, these "fat cats" will possibly be part of the democrat majority in Congress starting next January.
Think this single-digit popularity Congress is horrible? Just wait until we have a democrat President in place to go along with their every whim. And an even worse nightmare? The next Senate may have enough democrats to be filibuster proof... republicans may be totally impotent!
On more than one occasion I've heard Obama proclaim he's gonna "grow the economy from the ground up!"
(The crowd goes wild with applause, cheering!)
Huh?
How's that work?
Humor me now, 'cause I'm gettin' old and my synapses don't work the way they use'ta:
You and me, we just started working at McDonald's because we just got out of High School or we lost our jobs as editors at the New York Times. While I flip burgers and you drop the fries in the trans-fat-free oil, we get to talking about Obama and his "ground up" theory.
You say, "I know! Let's make electric cars!"
What a great idea! With an energy efficient electric car we could save a ton of money driving to McDonald's to work! There have to be MILLIONS of others like us... all needing an energy efficient way to get to our minimum-wage jobs.
So we get together with our other McDonald's employees... to start this venture we'll certainly need a good business plan, right?
We're gonna help "The Big O." grow the economy from the ground up!
Help a soon-to-be senior citizen, Obama supporters...
Where's this scenario go from here?
We can all agree on that, certainly. What we'll argue about is how we got here...
And that will break on this John Edward's "Two Americas" class warfare argument.
Greedy fat cats caused the problem, right?
Yeah, I can see that Senator Chris Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank contributed greatly. As a matter of fact I think they both ought to be in jail. Problem is, these "fat cats" will possibly be part of the democrat majority in Congress starting next January.
Think this single-digit popularity Congress is horrible? Just wait until we have a democrat President in place to go along with their every whim. And an even worse nightmare? The next Senate may have enough democrats to be filibuster proof... republicans may be totally impotent!
On more than one occasion I've heard Obama proclaim he's gonna "grow the economy from the ground up!"
(The crowd goes wild with applause, cheering!)
Huh?
How's that work?
Humor me now, 'cause I'm gettin' old and my synapses don't work the way they use'ta:
You and me, we just started working at McDonald's because we just got out of High School or we lost our jobs as editors at the New York Times. While I flip burgers and you drop the fries in the trans-fat-free oil, we get to talking about Obama and his "ground up" theory.
You say, "I know! Let's make electric cars!"
What a great idea! With an energy efficient electric car we could save a ton of money driving to McDonald's to work! There have to be MILLIONS of others like us... all needing an energy efficient way to get to our minimum-wage jobs.
So we get together with our other McDonald's employees... to start this venture we'll certainly need a good business plan, right?
We're gonna help "The Big O." grow the economy from the ground up!
Help a soon-to-be senior citizen, Obama supporters...
Where's this scenario go from here?
09 October 2008
Stolen Elections
Think there'll be big trouble after this election?
Count on it!
(Once again suggested by Instapundit.)
Updated:
ACORN stands for Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now.
Community Organizers?
Let's see... where have I heard that term before?
Count on it!
(Once again suggested by Instapundit.)
Updated:
ACORN stands for Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now.
Community Organizers?
Let's see... where have I heard that term before?
08 October 2008
Do Something, Even If It's Wrong.
I came home from work and went right to the bathroom to get rid of what remained of the two cups of coffee I had earlier. She followed me. When I noticed the wallpaper had been changed she asked, "What d'ya think?"
I didn't like the change, and told her so.
Of course she was disappointed...
She had done a great job, and assumed I'd be pleased.
But we both liked the wallpaper she had covered. It had been on that bathroom wall since we moved into this house, and she grew tired of it. I still liked the old paper.
She did too. But it had been up there a while, so on a whim she decided to change it. We left the "changed" paper there, and I still don't like it as much as the previous wall covering.
You've gotta be careful of change.
It's not always a good thing.
I didn't like the change, and told her so.
Of course she was disappointed...
She had done a great job, and assumed I'd be pleased.
But we both liked the wallpaper she had covered. It had been on that bathroom wall since we moved into this house, and she grew tired of it. I still liked the old paper.
She did too. But it had been up there a while, so on a whim she decided to change it. We left the "changed" paper there, and I still don't like it as much as the previous wall covering.
You've gotta be careful of change.
It's not always a good thing.
07 October 2008
06 October 2008
Like An Old Pair of Slippers
Regular readers know it.
Newcomers need to know I probably spend more time behind a cyclic than behind a steering wheel.
Like you, I'm comfortable in a car. But I'm equally comfortable in the helicopter.
Taken for granted, when the unexpected happens, either can kill. When the red warning lights come on, it's scarier when you are 1,000 feet above the ground going 150 miles per hour. Resolving the problem will take more than just pulling over to the berm.
I've been in Destin for 9 days.
Actually, I was last in the helicopter more than two weeks ago.
That's a long time to be out of the cockpit of a complex aircraft.
Tonight, when I return to work, I'll have to get reacquainted with my flying machine.
I'll adjust my seat and anti-torque pedals, then I'll climb in and do a mental "spool-up"...
I'll simply soak it all in...
A twin-engined aircraft has lots of dials, switches, levers, instruments, and circuit breakers. When the fertilizer hits the fan, I need to be able to react with the same reflexes you'd have if you see a soccer ball bounce into the street while driving your car.
It's been two weeks.
Where is that switch to arm the fire suppression system?
It'll take a few minutes.
My life, my crew's life, and, if on board, the life of my patient depend on my instant reflexes.
It's worth a few minutes.
Newcomers need to know I probably spend more time behind a cyclic than behind a steering wheel.
Like you, I'm comfortable in a car. But I'm equally comfortable in the helicopter.
Taken for granted, when the unexpected happens, either can kill. When the red warning lights come on, it's scarier when you are 1,000 feet above the ground going 150 miles per hour. Resolving the problem will take more than just pulling over to the berm.
I've been in Destin for 9 days.
Actually, I was last in the helicopter more than two weeks ago.
That's a long time to be out of the cockpit of a complex aircraft.
Tonight, when I return to work, I'll have to get reacquainted with my flying machine.
I'll adjust my seat and anti-torque pedals, then I'll climb in and do a mental "spool-up"...
I'll simply soak it all in...
A twin-engined aircraft has lots of dials, switches, levers, instruments, and circuit breakers. When the fertilizer hits the fan, I need to be able to react with the same reflexes you'd have if you see a soccer ball bounce into the street while driving your car.
It's been two weeks.
Where is that switch to arm the fire suppression system?
It'll take a few minutes.
My life, my crew's life, and, if on board, the life of my patient depend on my instant reflexes.
It's worth a few minutes.
05 October 2008
OTD@Destin, October 2008
Out The Door.
We've been here 9 Days. As always, time passed too quickly.
We've gained a few pounds and a lotta memories.
Have you ever been here?
I recommend it.
We're looking forward to our next trip down already.
We've been here 9 Days. As always, time passed too quickly.
We've gained a few pounds and a lotta memories.
Have you ever been here?
I recommend it.
We're looking forward to our next trip down already.
03 October 2008
".... In My Adult Life...."
She said, "For the first time in my adult life...." and finished that sentence with words that shocked me. Later in the week she repeated the statement, and public reaction was such that the democrat party wisely took Michelle out of public view for a while to allow things to cool down.
Now let me share something with you:
I'll start my sentence the same way but finish it differently...
For the first time in my adult life I'm truly afraid of what will happen when the results of this election are tabulated. I fear it won't be pretty, no matter the outcome.
It may be disastrous.
Obama's friends from ACORN are working in Ohio to lock-in the vote for him there.
(If you don't know his history with this organization, you need to google it and him and educate yourself.)
Democrat operatives around the St. Louis area are denying constituents their right to freedom of speech in order to insure nothing bad is said about their candidate.
This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
So, why am I afraid?
In the face of all this vote corruption, does my vote mean anything?
How will I feel when all the votes are counted?
I'm fearful that I, and millions of others like me, will feel this election has been stolen by ACORN, democrat brown-shirts, and a national press that, like CBS in the previous election, has become nothing more than a mouthpiece for democrat party talking points. (You are no doubt aware that the moderator of tonight's "debate" has written a book praising the messiah, to be released inauguration day, right?)
Many have made the accusation (incorrectly) that the 2000 election was stolen.
The election of 2008 truly could be.
How will conservatives react if they feel their votes were nullified?
"Progressives", remember this:
We conservatives tend to cling to our Bibles and guns.
Most of us have several of both.
We already know we cannot trust our media. We're beginning to learn we can no longer trust our government.
How badly do you want to win? How far down this path do you truly want to go?
Bible and guns...
Conservatives have both and know how to use them. We'll rely on the Bible, no matter what. It's my fervent hope we won't feel compelled to use the guns.
Now let me share something with you:
I'll start my sentence the same way but finish it differently...
For the first time in my adult life I'm truly afraid of what will happen when the results of this election are tabulated. I fear it won't be pretty, no matter the outcome.
It may be disastrous.
Obama's friends from ACORN are working in Ohio to lock-in the vote for him there.
(If you don't know his history with this organization, you need to google it and him and educate yourself.)
Democrat operatives around the St. Louis area are denying constituents their right to freedom of speech in order to insure nothing bad is said about their candidate.
This whole thing stinks to high heaven.
So, why am I afraid?
In the face of all this vote corruption, does my vote mean anything?
How will I feel when all the votes are counted?
I'm fearful that I, and millions of others like me, will feel this election has been stolen by ACORN, democrat brown-shirts, and a national press that, like CBS in the previous election, has become nothing more than a mouthpiece for democrat party talking points. (You are no doubt aware that the moderator of tonight's "debate" has written a book praising the messiah, to be released inauguration day, right?)
Many have made the accusation (incorrectly) that the 2000 election was stolen.
The election of 2008 truly could be.
How will conservatives react if they feel their votes were nullified?
"Progressives", remember this:
We conservatives tend to cling to our Bibles and guns.
Most of us have several of both.
We already know we cannot trust our media. We're beginning to learn we can no longer trust our government.
How badly do you want to win? How far down this path do you truly want to go?
Bible and guns...
Conservatives have both and know how to use them. We'll rely on the Bible, no matter what. It's my fervent hope we won't feel compelled to use the guns.
02 October 2008
Lightning Strikes Twice
We're in Destin, remember, so things are a little discomboobulated.
She came up the stairs behind me and stood at the landing, adjacent to my recliner, quietly.
After a few seconds I said, "So honey, are you ready to go for a walk?"
"When you hear what I've done, you won't be calling me honey."
Uh-oh.
Her tone indicates I'm in for some pain.
"Can you believe I did it again?!"
Only this time she did it better. All that's left is the cover, wet and limp. No trace of anything else remains.
A year of phone numbers, appointments, tax information, addresses, and memories...
Gone.
I smile and say, "Well, no amount of worrying will bring it back."
But I'm sick inside.
This too will pass.
She came up the stairs behind me and stood at the landing, adjacent to my recliner, quietly.
After a few seconds I said, "So honey, are you ready to go for a walk?"
"When you hear what I've done, you won't be calling me honey."
Uh-oh.
Her tone indicates I'm in for some pain.
"Can you believe I did it again?!"
Only this time she did it better. All that's left is the cover, wet and limp. No trace of anything else remains.
A year of phone numbers, appointments, tax information, addresses, and memories...
Gone.
I smile and say, "Well, no amount of worrying will bring it back."
But I'm sick inside.
This too will pass.
30 September 2008
If You, Like Me, Know History-
What does this most remind you of?
Hope and change, with the new "Presidential Seal" in the background.
Heil Obama!
Hope and change, with the new "Presidential Seal" in the background.
Heil Obama!
A Truly Scary Thought:
There's already a woman just slightly more than a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and that woman is Nancy Pelosi.
God, please keep GWB and Cheney healthy for a little more than a month!
The market closed lower than my post below indicates. When all was sorted out at the end of the day, the Dow Jones average closed down almost 800 points...
A record number, but not a record percentage. I just rechecked, and the DJ average is actually up for the day at this point.
Strange.
And Rodolfo, my warning was for anyone reading the blog.
If you read my old posts, you got the benefit of my questionably valuable opinion.
God, please keep GWB and Cheney healthy for a little more than a month!
The market closed lower than my post below indicates. When all was sorted out at the end of the day, the Dow Jones average closed down almost 800 points...
A record number, but not a record percentage. I just rechecked, and the DJ average is actually up for the day at this point.
Strange.
And Rodolfo, my warning was for anyone reading the blog.
If you read my old posts, you got the benefit of my questionably valuable opinion.
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