Thursday, April 30, 2009
30 April, 2009. 1:41 PM.
Last night was highly enjoyable. Matt is now asleep on my bed, and has been since about 3:30 this morning. Is still somewhat sick. Coughing is going away but he's still tired a lot of the time. Secondary bag on the floor with the radio and sweatshirt and shoes. No calls yet. I’m very pleased with how “not a huge deal” shifts have become. I feel like it is no longer necessary to just write posts for the sake of OMG HE IS ON CALL. It’s become normal. I like it.
Monday, April 27, 2009
27 April, 2009. 8:58 AM.
Earlier this morning, when I should have been eating breakfast and getting ready for Lab final, I signed up for the EMT training at BU. Hooray! I will be working full time and then training in the evenings. I am very excited!
And here’s a thank you to Kassie and Vince, who helped me actually get around to training. I probably would have flailed around for another year, being indecisive, ended up training during the school year, and failed at everything.
Side note—going with Kassie to the BEMCo party this Wednesday. Matt is on call that night. This will be interesting, and awesome, I expect.
And here’s a thank you to Kassie and Vince, who helped me actually get around to training. I probably would have flailed around for another year, being indecisive, ended up training during the school year, and failed at everything.
Side note—going with Kassie to the BEMCo party this Wednesday. Matt is on call that night. This will be interesting, and awesome, I expect.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
25 April, 2009. 4:50 PM.
So, I seem to have a sick EMT on my hands again. He’s not as sick as last time, but he’s coughing quite a bit and sleeping otherwise. He took a nap in my bed while I worked and went out, and then he worked while I played manhunt. Saw that there was a call at Heller—Waltham Fire only, though. Went over and played Viva Piñata instead of working, we went to sleep around 2. This was all last night.
Today, I had rehearsal (as always) and went back to his place around 1:15. He was still asleep, the orange tertiary bag still on the floor. No calls. He was sort of awake, and we went to Usdan for food. It’s always interesting being out around campus with him when he’s uniformed—people act differently when they see him like that. People hold doors, people pay more attention to that pale skinny boy walking by. But not to him, really—to the uniform, the bag, and the radio. I suppose I’ve learned to see past those things, and that’s why shifts are no big deal anymore.
Another utterly unproductive day—tried to sleep, might have, kept him from going home, it’s time for shift change now. Concert tonight. And two tomorrow. Homework and writing a minuet somewhere in there.
ALSO. I am planning on taking the EMT training course at Boston University this summer. It will be hell for my sleep schedule but what do I care? My parents are down with the idea and will hopefully help with tuition. I talked to Vince yesterday for a few minutes and he said that it’s a really good program and that one of the current supervisors trained there. I’m excited. More on this subject later.
On a completely different note—who read this? Not to beg for comments, but drop one and say hi so I know who you are!
Today, I had rehearsal (as always) and went back to his place around 1:15. He was still asleep, the orange tertiary bag still on the floor. No calls. He was sort of awake, and we went to Usdan for food. It’s always interesting being out around campus with him when he’s uniformed—people act differently when they see him like that. People hold doors, people pay more attention to that pale skinny boy walking by. But not to him, really—to the uniform, the bag, and the radio. I suppose I’ve learned to see past those things, and that’s why shifts are no big deal anymore.
Another utterly unproductive day—tried to sleep, might have, kept him from going home, it’s time for shift change now. Concert tonight. And two tomorrow. Homework and writing a minuet somewhere in there.
ALSO. I am planning on taking the EMT training course at Boston University this summer. It will be hell for my sleep schedule but what do I care? My parents are down with the idea and will hopefully help with tuition. I talked to Vince yesterday for a few minutes and he said that it’s a really good program and that one of the current supervisors trained there. I’m excited. More on this subject later.
On a completely different note—who read this? Not to beg for comments, but drop one and say hi so I know who you are!
Friday, April 24, 2009
24 April, 2009. 9:34 AM.
Yesterday was a sandwich day. Started out awesome, sucked, got incredibly awesome. Rachel (my sister) was visiting, so we threw a disc around and saw a scary Ollie the Owl costumed person. She left, I had a breakdown and a four hour rehearsal. Burnout happens to EMTs and musicians alike. Lost the ability to express emotion.
CUE AMAZINGNESS. Went back to campus, saw Freezepop live. Liz Enthusiasm signed my pants and I have a picture with her. ::fangirls:: Then, Matt and I went to Usdan for food and I had a minibreakdown but that was mostly brought on my exhaustion. Ran into Dan, who was on call for the evening.
The three of us chatted for a bit, Dan had me close my eyes and put my arms in front of me and walk heel to toe and I couldn’t do it, and Matt had to substantiate my claim that I wasn’t intoxicated. Not the first time I’ve been field-tested for intoxication when I was just overtired.
Matt and I were about to leave when Dan asked if we wanted a ride. In the primary vehicle. I may or may not have jumped up and down like a small child at the request. This sort of thing doesn’t happen very often, if ever. He used the remote start (gah so cool) and I got to ride shotgun (Matt told me not to touch any of the buttons) and we drove back down to Massell. Dan drove us into the quad and let us off at my building. Cue sleeping.
Matt has a shift tonight. Might bake with Dina and Jake and him. Might hang out with other friends too. Meh. I think he’s covering a shift next week, for Paul who has 3 or 4 in a row.
Time to do real work. As much as I love writing this, it’s not being graded.
CUE AMAZINGNESS. Went back to campus, saw Freezepop live. Liz Enthusiasm signed my pants and I have a picture with her. ::fangirls:: Then, Matt and I went to Usdan for food and I had a minibreakdown but that was mostly brought on my exhaustion. Ran into Dan, who was on call for the evening.
The three of us chatted for a bit, Dan had me close my eyes and put my arms in front of me and walk heel to toe and I couldn’t do it, and Matt had to substantiate my claim that I wasn’t intoxicated. Not the first time I’ve been field-tested for intoxication when I was just overtired.
Matt and I were about to leave when Dan asked if we wanted a ride. In the primary vehicle. I may or may not have jumped up and down like a small child at the request. This sort of thing doesn’t happen very often, if ever. He used the remote start (gah so cool) and I got to ride shotgun (Matt told me not to touch any of the buttons) and we drove back down to Massell. Dan drove us into the quad and let us off at my building. Cue sleeping.
Matt has a shift tonight. Might bake with Dina and Jake and him. Might hang out with other friends too. Meh. I think he’s covering a shift next week, for Paul who has 3 or 4 in a row.
Time to do real work. As much as I love writing this, it’s not being graded.
Monday, April 20, 2009
20 April, 2009. 7:22 PM.
Best shift ever and it is over. Ran into Kassie and unnamed primary in Usdan and talked about all sorts of random EMS things. Talked with Kassie about someone we know from BEMCo who tends to be moody, and she joked that he was PMS-ing, which I then changed to EMS-ing. Yay for bad puns!
Went by Matt’s room later—he wasn’t answering my calls, so I wasn’t sure if he would even be there. He was, asleep, and had been since I left him that morning around 11:30. He’s getting sick again. Been sick most of this semester. I’m getting sick too, which sucks for having to rehearse or perform for five hours every day this week.
Matt went to shift change at 5, I got to Slosberg at 5 and then had to go to the Castle to get a book before class started in Slosberg at 5:10—I almost made it. However, shift change went really fast and I didn’t get to walk back with Matt. Meh.
Another shift this Friday. Again—really happy with how shifts are feeling now. It’s just become another fact of our existence and isn’t so much a novelty anymore.
In rehearsal now. Not singing for fear of losing voice. Tired. Posts becoming more terse. Too exhausted to be verbose.
Went by Matt’s room later—he wasn’t answering my calls, so I wasn’t sure if he would even be there. He was, asleep, and had been since I left him that morning around 11:30. He’s getting sick again. Been sick most of this semester. I’m getting sick too, which sucks for having to rehearse or perform for five hours every day this week.
Matt went to shift change at 5, I got to Slosberg at 5 and then had to go to the Castle to get a book before class started in Slosberg at 5:10—I almost made it. However, shift change went really fast and I didn’t get to walk back with Matt. Meh.
Another shift this Friday. Again—really happy with how shifts are feeling now. It’s just become another fact of our existence and isn’t so much a novelty anymore.
In rehearsal now. Not singing for fear of losing voice. Tired. Posts becoming more terse. Too exhausted to be verbose.
20 April, 2009. 10:31 AM.
So far, this has been an incredibly pleasant shift. Matt and I got to talk last night after he got back from the call, and then left to go do work and I went to sleep. He told me about the new primary, apparently doing fine but worrying about some things and forgetting his pager in places.
Went to see Matt after Theory lab—had to play a nice game of “can you find the EMT in this picture?” He’s curled up in bed under a blanket surrounded by clothes that he still hasn’t put away from break. He’s completely out of it, so I’m not going to try to interact with him. Adorable, though.
I was telling someone last night that when I was watching him run to the call, I felt a sense of admiration—he’s going to do important things. He’ll tell me that they don’t save lives, and who am I to argue with someone who knows what they’re talking about, but their work is important.
Also, I’d totally love to hang out with today’s crew—I know all of them (not counting the supervisor) and they’re all very cool people. I can BS my way through conversations with EMTs fairly well. Or we could talk about normal people things. Pshh.
Went to see Matt after Theory lab—had to play a nice game of “can you find the EMT in this picture?” He’s curled up in bed under a blanket surrounded by clothes that he still hasn’t put away from break. He’s completely out of it, so I’m not going to try to interact with him. Adorable, though.
I was telling someone last night that when I was watching him run to the call, I felt a sense of admiration—he’s going to do important things. He’ll tell me that they don’t save lives, and who am I to argue with someone who knows what they’re talking about, but their work is important.
Also, I’d totally love to hang out with today’s crew—I know all of them (not counting the supervisor) and they’re all very cool people. I can BS my way through conversations with EMTs fairly well. Or we could talk about normal people things. Pshh.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
19 April, 2009. 11:46 PM.
First shift in months is going well, for both of us. He makes it through Mass and post-Mass hangout without any calls, and he and I actually get to have a conversation before he gets paged. He disappears to the call and I don’t remember when it was. It was a while ago. I told him to call after, but these things sometimes take a while. Oh, people in need of medical attention.
I’m actually incredibly pleased with how well I’m dealing with this one. We’ve fallen into a rhythm, I suppose. He warns me when he’s switching the pager back to sound from vibrate, and doesn’t do it just to mess with me anymore (he probably only did that once, anyways). We were at his place when the call came in, and it was a convenient reason for me to come back here and work (ha, work). I’m calm. I’m not freaking out. This is a good feeling.
I think that it might be a result of writing this. I’m not keeping it to myself, I’m not distracting myself from worry. I was scared to post these entries—I’m okay being vulnerable with people I know, people who I trust, but I don’t know who most of you reading this are. I’m saying, “Yes, I’m scared of these things sometimes. But here you go.”
I’ve found a new friend or two through this. That people actually read this and don’t find it crazy boring makes me very happy. Matt and Vince say that it’s a “unique perspective” on EMS (they both used that exact same wording).
I should go do real work now. Before that—take a look at the links on the side. There’s the BEMCo movie “State Your Emergency” (Matt’s in it and will hate me for pointing that out), Siren Voices (my favorite EMS blog), and a few others things that I’ll occasionally look at.
I’m actually incredibly pleased with how well I’m dealing with this one. We’ve fallen into a rhythm, I suppose. He warns me when he’s switching the pager back to sound from vibrate, and doesn’t do it just to mess with me anymore (he probably only did that once, anyways). We were at his place when the call came in, and it was a convenient reason for me to come back here and work (ha, work). I’m calm. I’m not freaking out. This is a good feeling.
I think that it might be a result of writing this. I’m not keeping it to myself, I’m not distracting myself from worry. I was scared to post these entries—I’m okay being vulnerable with people I know, people who I trust, but I don’t know who most of you reading this are. I’m saying, “Yes, I’m scared of these things sometimes. But here you go.”
I’ve found a new friend or two through this. That people actually read this and don’t find it crazy boring makes me very happy. Matt and Vince say that it’s a “unique perspective” on EMS (they both used that exact same wording).
I should go do real work now. Before that—take a look at the links on the side. There’s the BEMCo movie “State Your Emergency” (Matt’s in it and will hate me for pointing that out), Siren Voices (my favorite EMS blog), and a few others things that I’ll occasionally look at.
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