Rob's Whirled

Wanna buy my music?

2009-05-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

Open Mic at A to Z books

2008-03-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 7pm is Open Mic at A to Z books. Last year I started going to Open Mic nights. They have them twice a month. There is usually a good crowd out for it.

Here is why I like Open Mic.
Its fun, and sometimes funny.
I've gotten to meet a lot of people I maybe wouldn't have met anywhere else.
I get to hear a lot of talent poets, writers, singer/songwriters, and storytellers.

I have read a few things at Open Mic. I have performed with "The Hatchbacks" for it. Tonight, I am tempted to just go, listenand relax. I haven't written anything this week in my book of "Thoughts." But even so, I am sure there will be plenty of others who will be more than willing to share.What are you doing at 7pm tonight. I'd suggest Open Mic night at A to Z books, on Jeffers street in Downtown North Platte, Nebraska.

Home?

2008-03-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

The longer I live, the harder it is to feel at home on this earth. Its something I've been thinking about lately. When people ask me where home is, I usually tell them North Platte, Nebraska (the town where I currently live), but when I told people I was going home for Thanksgiving, I was actaully going to Wyoming (where I grew up). When I am working in Lexington, and I tell people we're headed back home, I mean we're heading back to the station in Lexington.

The thing is, none of these places really feel like home to me anymore. I call them home because they are where I live or have lived. But none of them have been places I have stayed or want to stay forever.

I am looking forward most to my home with Jesus Christ. Don't worry, I am not suicidal or anything. I am just beginning to realize that maybe the reason that I don't feel at home anywhere here on earth is that God wants me to think a little bit more about my final destination, eternity with Him in a much better place.

Today is Easter. Its the day that I as a Christian celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to many people before returning to heaven. He told his disciples and followers that he was going to prepare a place a for them. He promised to come back at take them there. I am looking forward to that.
Wanna talk about it?

On borrowed wheels

2007-11-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

This week the company made me use the company car, a Dodge Calibur, to drive to the station in Lexington where I am working three days this week. It drives like a tank, has a lot of blind spots and very uncomfortable seats. It looks cool, though. I'd much rather drive my own vehicle. I guess HQ just got tired of paying me the mileage to come work here.

The days ahead.

2007-10-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead into November a few things are in the works.
The Sandhills Symphony Orchestra performs on November 11th at the North Platte High School Performing Arts Center. Special musical guests during the intermission are none other than The Hatchbacks. We'll be playing three or four songs and getting a lot of free publicity for our Christmas concert in December. Also in the works for November is an evening of music at Great Plains Regional Medical Center for Home Health and Hospice Month.

The Hatchbacks / Surf Alternative

2007-09-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here are links to my band sites.

The Hatchbacks

Surf Alternative

These groups play completely different types of music.

The Hatchbacks play jazz.

Surf Alternative plays 90's alternative music and a lot of originals.

TH- 3 people,

SA- 4 people.

TH-Instrumental,

SA- Lots of high-powered vocals.

TH- plays for upscale,

SA- plays for parties, battles of the bands, and at drinking establishments.

TH- command a good pay for gigs,

SA- we're happy to get any money at all.

TH- have been to Sidney, Alliance, Scottsbluff and are playing in Lincoln at the end of the month.

SA- have only played in North Platte and Hershey (twelve miles away)

TH- Have a CD

SA- have a few songs recorded but nothing that great

TH- Pure Volume

SA- MySpace

TH- Practices in a basement

SA- Practices in a garage

TH- All music teachers (one who happens to be a Paramedic)

SA- Two Paramedics, An EMT, and a coffee shop barista

TH- In their 20s, 40s, 60s,

SA- in their 20s and 30s

TH- Like to groove

SA- Like to rock

September

2007-09-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Summer is over. The nights are beginning to cool down again. I hve even been able to turn the A/C off at night.

September is a busy month for me musically.
The Hatchbacks are playing the
7th: Archdiocese of Grand Island Convention in North Platte
14th: Da Buzz CoffeeHouse in North Platte
22nd: RailFest Pancake Breakfast at Cody Park in North Plate
29th and 30th: Crescent Moon Coffee in Lincoln!!

Surf Alternative is playing the
21st: The Rail in North Platte (tentative)

I am busy working this month, too.

Summer rocketing by

2007-07-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Summer is going by so fast. I've been busy working and volunteering out at the camp, practicing and playing with the bands, and practicing and playing on my own for weddings.

The Hatchbacks- We have played a few times this summer. We just played a few nights ago at A-Z Books in North Platte. We've been asked to play for the convention of the local catholic archdiocese in September, for the Railfest (first annual celebration of North Platte and its relationship to the Union Pacific Rail Road, gonna be a huge deal), and for a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network at the Crescent Moon Coffehouse in Lincoln.

Surf Alternative- We are playing at "The Rail" at the "Depot Restaurant" in Downtown North Platte on Saturuday, the 21st of July. We are also planning on playing on the 28th in Ogallala.

MMTC- I've been working four days a week. I'll be spending a few of those days at our station in Lexington ( just 55 miles down the road from NP). I am still loving my job.

In Other News...
I am now the owner of a Minivan. Its a 2001 Mazda MPV. What happened to the Camry? It has been having problems overheating and we narrowed it down to the Head Gasket. I am in the process of trying a few different treatments to see if it can be sealed to squeeze a few more miles out of it. In the mean time, I needed a vehicle that could go more than ten miles without cooking. So I looked around and found the Mazda being sold on consignment at a lot. I got it for $3500, which is far below book, kbb or nada. So far, its been great. Runs great, looks great, and can go more than 10 miles without overheating. Maybe I'll get some pictures up here sometime.

One-Thousand Three-Hundred Sixty-One

2007-04-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

That how many miles I've travelled in the Ambulance already this week.
Busy week, yes!
I've been in Six different hospitals in two different states.
Almost thirty hours in the unit.
Now I get to relax the rest of the week... yeah right.

1040 is calling me to fill it out and send it in.

A post before the month runs out

2007-03-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

The crazy month of March. It came in like a lion and seems to be going out the same way. Who came up with those crazy sayings anyway?

My boss has accepted a job elsewhere. That means the North Platte station manager job will be open once again. I have been approached by many people about the job and have a much better chance of getting the job at this point if I wanted it. Do I want it? Yes and no. It would be a great resume line. It would be a slight (very slight) pay increase. It would give me the opportunity to make some much needed changes.

But here's why I have decided not to apply. My life away from work means too much to me. If I took the manager job, I'd be giving a lot of it up. Teaching music, play at church, in the symphony, and my other bands is too important to me right now.

A Banana A Day...

2007-02-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

I try to eat a Banana everyday. My sisters would not necessarily agree with me about the goodness of the banana taste. I like a banana with my coffee for breakfast.

So today is the last day of the month. February has been a crazy busy month. I've worked a lot, taken care of many patients, played all month on the praise team at church, practiced with "Surf Alternative," played a bunch of gigs with "The Hatchbacks," took a road trip to give away my old car, started teaching two more bass students, and have gotten ready for our upcoming symphony concert on Sunday March 4th. (3pm, Performing Arts Center, North Platte High School, North Platte, Nebraska) Yep, been a busy one.

Tomorrow, I am not on the schedule to work, but... I get to lead a training session for the use of our portable transport ventilator that we use on our patients that are intubated. I have used the vent a number of times. Some of our employees, on the other hand, don't have as much experience with it. It was pretty intimidating to learn to use at first, but now I am pretty comfortable with it. My goal for tomorrow is make sure everyone can be as comfortable with it as I am. It is a finicky piece of equipment with a lot of knobs, readouts, tubes, and alarms that get set off by the slightest things. Theres a lot to learn and a lot to cover.

Heres to a great March.

4 States, three days, one weekend

2007-02-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

So on thursday, I decided to drive to Tulsa, OK. Actually the decision was reached on Wednesday night that was where I would meet my friends from Arkansas who I was giving my old Camry to. I got there Friday morning, met up with them, ate lunch together, and gave them my car. Then I got on the Greyhound bus headed for Amarillo, Texas.

That right folks, I took the long way home. From OKLAHOMA-Tulsa to OKC, to El Rino, to Elk City, to TEXAS-Amarillo, to Dumas, to COLORADO-Springfield, to Lamar, to Rocky Ford, to Pueblo, to CO Springs, to Denver, to Fort Morgan, to Brush, to Julesburg, to NEBRASKA- Ogallala, and finally to North Platte, my beloved home.

It was a long ride home, but a very interesting one. I got to meet several people who I'd probably never ever see again in my life and share a bit of my life with them. I got to pray with a guy who was going to see his daughter for the first time. He'd been incarcerated for the past five years and had gotten out two days prior. He wanted to turn his life around and knew he needed to if he was gonna try and be any kind of a father. But he didn't want to talk about spiritual things at all and skipped around the questions as much as he could.

I also read on the trip.
The Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Paterson
and started The Life of Pi- Yann Martel

The Hatchbacks are playing on Friday night at The Harvest Christian Fellowship church for their Valentine's Banquet. We are playing in Scottsbluff on the 22nd.

Time off, time away

2007-01-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, I had four days off in a row. Such an occurance had not happened for several months. I took the time to travel to Wyoming to see family and friends. Saturday, when I got there I visited with my sister and her boyfirned, my grandpa, and my parents. Then I went to "The Jazz Spot" in dowtown Casper and visited with friends and listened to live music. Sunday was spent at church and visiting friends from church. Monday morning I visited a few more friends, went and saw grandpa again, went out for lunch with friend, and then drove to Laramie. I stayed with friends who have a houseful of young kids. It was a blast. Tuesday I drove back to North Platte in time to teach two hour-long bass lessons and then practice with "The Hatchbacks." We have a big gig on the 27th, the dinner and auction for the North Platte Public Schools Foundation.

So my time off was great. I so needed to get outta town for a few days. It was time well spent.

Gruvin at the Piano

2006-12-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

Here I am at Da Buzz Coffeehouse in North Platte. We had a great night. A friend took some pix.

Have you heard me on my purevolume site yet?

www.purevolume.com.robertmartinson2

Ivory Tickling

2006-12-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

You can listen to my piano playing on-line anytime you want at
www.purevolume.com/robertmartinson2

There are two versions of Silent Night night,
A jazzed up rendition of Angels We Have Heard on High and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
Just four songs for now. If I sign up for a pro account ( about $70) I can put more songs on and get a lot advertising. We'll see.
Enjoy!
Merry Christmas!
-Robert Martinson II

Yule Be Gruvin and the SSO

2006-12-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

This week I am involved in several music things.

Thursday night is the Great Plains Hospice Remembrance Service. I am playing Piano and Cello for that.

Saturday morning starts with a Sandhills Symphony Orchestra rehearsal with the Heartland Singers.

At 3pm on Saturday- you can hear The Hatchbacks play at North Platte Public Library.
At 7pm on Satruday- The Htachbacks are playing at Da Buzz Coffeehouse $3 at the door.

Sunday at 3pm is Sandhills Symphony Orchestra with the Heartland Singers.

Hope you can make it to something.

The new car!

2006-11-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of my new 1993 Toyota Camry wagon. It really is more green than blue, but like my other camry, it kinda depends on the lighting.

I don't have it licensed, yet, hence the lack of plates. You can see the tape on the windshield. I knew I needed the replace the windshield at some point, so I went ahead and had it done right away.

The window says $2200, but I only paid $1800. I'll be cleaning the window soon.

My cars are twins of eachother. They are very similar. The sunroof on the new one is a great feature. Now I own a fleet.

My sister needs a new car. I told her she should look on EBAY. She is a little sceptical, but I think its a good idea.

Help me name my car.

2006-11-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I've done it again. I've bought a new car!
Okay, its not new. Its another Toyota Camry Wagon.
Its like the one I have... with fewer miles and a sunroof.
Its also blue in color.

The story.
I've kinda been looking for a different car. I looked at several lots arround town and didn't find one I liked. I looked at all the used car magazines and didn't find one I liked. Then I went on Ebay.

That right guys, I bought a car on Ebay. Its out in Rhode Island. It should get here by the end of this week or early next week. We'll see.
It was in my price range and mileage range and its the kind of car that I already know and love, so we'll see how it works.

I'll hopefully get some pictures up here soon.
-Rm2

So, how's your love life?

2006-10-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

Above is one of my least favorite question. How do I respond? Usually I say something like "Yeah right, I wich I had one." or "If I had one, I'd tell ya." or "Yeah, yeah, keep rubbing it in." I have well-meaning friends who are concerned that I am not married yet and that I don't have a girlfriend. Sometimes they even try to set me up with one.

Truth is, there aren't many girls in my life right now that I'd consider dating. I am always up for meeting new people, though. Anyways, sometime within the next week or so I'll be meeting someone new by way of some friends of mine. I am a excited about it. I might just fall in love.

Someone told me I've probably got a string of broken hearts in my past, girls who liked me who I never paid attention to. Its probably I'd be lying if I said that that wasn't true. I knew several girls in college who liked me. I was too busy being a student and being involved in other things to really pay attention to them, though. I guess we both lost out.

Cold and Snow

2006-10-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Autumn is hitting us in Nebraska, too.
I finally relit the pilot light in my furnace.
I've been thinking recently that I should get a passport so I can go visit Canada sometime.

All five performance of "Little Shop of Horrors" went very well. I had a blast playing for it. Lots of Rock-Motown based music. Fun stuff to play for sure. The only time I got to see the play was on a video of one of the dress rehearsals. My place in the pit was actually under the stage and so I didn't get to see a single thing happening above us.

What is new in my life?
Not much. Still trying to decide what I should be doing about my car situation. Loving work.

Backward-Looking-Forward

2006-09-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Here I am, sitting at the library checking my email and stuff. I noticed I hadn't updated lately.

I survived the bike ride for MDA. I actually was only able to ride the Saturday portion of the trip arround Lake McConnaughy. It was wet, cold, and miserable the whole day. My legs gave out about six miles from our campsite. All told, though, I did about 65 miles that day. Up and down hills, in the cold and rain.

"The Hatchbacks" played a major gig on Monday night. We played for the 86th Annaul North Platte Area Chamber of Commerce banquet. If you watched KNOP-TV news that night, you would have seen and heard us. We are looking forward to more requests for us to play now. Playing Monday night was a great opportunity for us to be heard by some very prominent people and business leaders in the community.

This week is the Berean Fellowship of Churches national convention. It is also being held here in North Platte, NE. I'm trying to get in on as many of the sessions as I can. I have been asked to play on the worship team for the Thursday night session. There are people from all over the country here in town for it.

Next week I start taking a Hospice Care class. I hope I am able to be at most of them. Also next week starts practice for the North Platte Community Playhouse "Little Shop of Horrors" production for which I'll be playing bass in the pit.

October 22nd marks the beginning of the new symphony season with our first rehearsal for our winter concert. The concert is December 10th. See you there.

MD Bike Ride

2006-09-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will probably be the longest days of ly life. I take to the highway on my bicycle to ride 180 or so miles for Muscular Dystrohy Association. I am doing the rid with about 6 other guys. We bike from here to Ogallala Friday, around Lake McConoughey (sp?) on Saturday, and back to North Platte on Sunday. Thats right folks, I am skipping church to ride my bike. My responsibilities at church are taken care of, and this trip will be a good chance for me to pour into the lives of some of the guys in my same career field, fire-fighters and paramedics.

Have you heard the music yet?
www.purevolume.com/thehatchbacks

The Hatchbacks online

2006-08-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Check out our site and listen to our music at
www.purevolume.com/thehatchbacks

The Hatchbacks in Sidney

2006-08-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Hatchbacks will be playing in Sidney, Nebraska on Friday, August 25th at the new Viaero Wireless store for their Grand Opening. We'll be playing from 6-8pm. Come check us out if you are in the area.

As of a week and a half ago, I am an official Paramedic, with certification and license in hand. It all came just in time, too. Work has definately needed me as a paramedic and I am happy to be there as one now. It'll be nice to be paid a bit more and to be able to do a lot more in the back with the patients now, without direct supervision for every move I make and medication I administer.

I wish I could give details and tell stories of the runs I've been on, but I have to be careful to not commit a violation of privacy acts. That is why I don't talk much about what I do.

Rescue Rob

2006-08-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening, some friends of mine had a barbecue at their house in honor of me passing all my Paramedic tests. There was a cake with "Rescue Rob" on it. If my disc was working right here at the library, you'd see pictures of it, too.

I cannot thank people enough who have helped me and encouraged me in my pursuit. It has been a long journey.

It is great to live in a place where I have gotten to know many people, where I have friends who I can go to for encouragement, and friends who are there to share in accomplishments.

I planted new plants arround my patio. They are perennials which I should be able to enjoy year after year. Hostas and Yellow Trumpet Vine. The tumpet vine will wind its way arround the lattice out there. I also made the purchase of a weed-eater/edger. Its a cordless electric one. So far I like it. For a small estate like mine, it oughta do the trick.

The Test is Over

2006-08-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

My trip to Vegas was a great success.

Got to see my Aunt and Uncle,
Got to see my cousins and their families who I hadn't seen in years,

AND

I passed the IV station.

Now I just sit and wait for the results to be officialized so I can go get my state license.

Week ahead

2006-07-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

The show at Da Buzz went great.
We made a demo Cd last weekend, just three songs long.
"Autumn Leaves"
"Harlem Nocturne"
"Stormy Weather"

Want one?
Email me and I'll hook you up. rlmartinson2@yahoo.com

This week, I fly to Vegas to take the National Registry retest of the skill station I missed in Colorado. Then I get to hang out with relatives who I haven't seen in years. I've never been to Vegas, so I am pretty stoked about going. No partying or gambling for me, though. Strictly testing and relaxing.

The Hatchbacks at Da Buzz

2006-07-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

July 22nd, 8pm
$3

Come out and hear some jazz played by The Hatchbacks. We'll be playing outdoors if the weather allows.

Da Buzz is located on West A St., behind North Platte High School.

More info- call me 308-530-2233

The IV Station Vacation

2006-07-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well folks.
The Bad News and the Good News.

Bad News...
I failed the practicals test portion of the National Regstiry for Paramedic.

The Good News...
I only failed by one skill, the IV Station, and I only failed because I did one step out of sequence.

The Other Good News...
I have the chance to retest, so I am going to Las Vegas at the end of the month to do so. I'll also get a chance to visit family there, too. So it really will be a vaction. I'll be gone July 27 to August 1.

Passed

2006-06-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

According to the National Registry website, I have successfully passed the written portion of the Paramedic test that I took earlier in the month. This means that when I go to Denver next week, I will only be required to take the skills portion of the test.
The Skills portion includes the following stations...

Trauma Assessment
Ventilatory Management-includes endotracheal tube placement
Dual Lumen Airway Device
Dynamic Cardiology
Static Cardiology
Intravenous Therapy-Starting and IV and administ
Pediatric Ventilatory Management
Pediatric Intraosseous Infusion
Seated Spinal Immobilization
Supine Spinal Immobilization
Bleeding Control/ Shock Management
... and a huge Oral Station

Each station must be passed in order to receive certification.

This test is Wednesday afternoon in Englewood, CO. (southern Denver) If you are the praying type, please pray for good recall of information and the ability to work well under the stress and pressure of a big test.

On another note (pun intended) "The Hatchbacks" had a great gig last night in Alliance. The drive there was beautiful, but the drive back was a 'white-knuckler' as we drove the entire way back in thunderstorms and rain. The playing went well, though. The more we play together, the better we sound. Hopefully, we'll be able to record a CD with a few tunes on it to give people.

Our next gig for Viaero Wireless will be in Sidney, Nebraska in a couple weeks. They love us. Their Director of Marketting has been at all of the openings so far and has promised to get us a little bit of free advertising in their advertisements and direct mailings.

The Hatchbacks

2006-06-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Jazz trio has a name, finally.

The Hatchbacks

We play Friday night in Alliance, Nebraska at the new Viaero Wireless store from 6pm-8pm or so. Come hear us if you are in the area and are in the mood for some live jazz.

The Hatchbacks are: Rob Martinson II-Bass, Gregg Todd- Drums, Kent Kittle- Piano

We all drive hatchbacks.

~Possibilites... Endless~

2006-06-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

That is Nebraska's tourist campaign slogan. I like it.

The more I live here, the more I am liking this state. I am glad it is where God has brought me.

Yesterday, I worked out at Maranatha Bible Camp again. It had been a trying and tiring week out there for the health care staff. Next week will be better. It was the first big week for the head health care tech, but she did a good job of handling difficult situations. Back earlier in the year, I thought about quitting my job for the summer and applying for the head health care tech position, but God took that desire from me. I know it is a tough job and one that God filled with the person he needs there at this time. I am more than happy to just be a volunteer and do to what I am asked and whatever elso I can do be be of assistance and make others' jobs easier.

Change of Plans

2006-06-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Today I got a call from Rob at the music store telling me that we are actually supposed to play on Friday the 23rd from 6-8pm, not the 16th. I guess the new store opening is a week later than he was originally told.

So If any of you out there wanna hear my Jazz trio play, it'll be on Friday the 23rd in Alliance, Nebraska at the new Viaero Wireless store.

I worked at Maranatha Bible Camp on Monday and Tuesday. Be in prayer, if you are a praying type of person, that it will be a safe and healthy summer for staff and campers.

CBT BETA TEST

2006-06-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Westminster, CO (N. Denver) and took the written portion of the Praramedic exam as part of a beta test of their new Computer Based Testing system. I was the first Paramedic student to test at that particular site.

So how do I think I did? you might ask. I think I did all right. I am pretty sure I didn't ace. I felt that I knew most of the material and answered most of the questions well. I am supposed to get results within 4 weeks. Seems lik a long time. Hopefully I find out sooner.

Tomorrow, I am a Health Care Tech for a day out at Maranatha Bible Camp.

Viaero!

2006-06-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

So Friday night my jazz trio played for the Grand Opening celebration at the new Viaero Wireless store in North Platte. They enjoyed us so much that they have asked us to play for the Grand Opening of their store in Alliance in two weeks on the 16th. We'll get paid more too, because of the extra mileage.

We played two hours straight and it didn't even seem like it.

I'll arrange my schedule or take a vacation day so I can do this. It'll be great fun.

Course Completion Card

2006-06-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have officially completed the Paramedic class.
Today I turned in my packet of preceptor sheets for all my field, clinical, and community service hours required. Now I am approved to take the Registry officially as well.
I had to drive to McCook this morning to turn everything in. I am sitting in the college library at the computers for probably the last time ever.

Now I will actually have some days off, instead of spending every spare moment of my life at the hospital or somewhere else. What will I do with myself?

1) Play more with the jazz trio. We are playing Friday night for two hours at the opening of the new Viero Wireless store in North Platte.
2) Volunteer out at Maranatha Bible Camp as a healthcare tech
3) Sleep-in every once in awhile
4) Practice with "Surf Alternative" more so we can play more
5) Finish the books I've started reading but haven't been able to complete
6) Maybe take on a few more private music lesson students

Don't worry, I've got plenty of ways to occupy my time.

Some people mention on their blogs what music they are listening to. I am in a library so I am not currently spinning anything, but I did buy a new CD that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. "Downhere" has a brand new one out called "Wide-Eyed and Mystified" that you oughta go out and listen to. I knew some of the guys from the band when I was in college. We took some music classes together and stuff. Anyhow, the music is great and there are some great songs on it. My favorite song is "The More." It speaks to the faithfulness of God to never let us walk alone, and how God becomes more to us the more we get to know him and how that process really does take a lifetime, from our childhood and child-like faith to our golden years when we realize God has been guiding us all along.

Memorial Day

2006-05-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day for me meant going to work, then going to the ER for clinical time and experience, and then going back to work. This week, I will finish up all my requirements to be able to take the National Registry. I am scheduled to take it the 27 and 28 of June in Englewood, CO. Can't wait to be done with that baby.

What else is new?
Surf Alternative practiced this past week and we learned several new songs.
I didn't not get the Manager job. No big suprise there. Its a relief actually. The man who needed and deserved the job got it and I am quite pleased about that.
The jazz trio might be getting back together to play for a few things this summer. I'll see if I can't squeeze them into my schedule.

Vampires, Leeches, and other Blood Lovers

2006-05-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

As part of the requirements for the Paramedic class, I have to complete 15 hours of community service. Today I spent 7 hours volunteering at the American Red Cross blood drive at the hospital. It was actually fun. I just helped people get signed-in, get their snacks, and stuff like that. Next week, I'll be doing more time hopefully.

I took the Paramedic class final on Wednesday night. It was a tough one. I hope I did well. I should get the results emailed to me in a few days or so.

But back to Blood Donation... Its a great thing to do. If you have an hour in your week that isn't full of stuff already, you should go to your local center and give some. Your body produces lots of blood, and they don't take too much anyway. They take enough to give to someone who needs it. One day you might need it too. Ya never know.

I just started reading "To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller. Great book thus far. I am a big fan of his writing.

Testing on the brain

2006-05-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our Paramedic Class final.
It'll be a 180 question test and then the rest of the night will be spent doing skills practice. I have about two weeks worth of clinical time to do at the hospital and on the ambulance, and then I can apply to take the National Registry. I am gonna be part of a group that does a beta test of the new Computer Based Testing system. One of the testing sites is here in North Platte. I will still have to travel out of town to take the practicals part of the test.
Here are my options.
06-27 in Englewood, Colorado-4 hour drive
07-07 in Dumas, Texas-7 hour drive
07-23 in Concord, New Hampshire-my sister lives nearby
07-31 in Fargo, North Dakota-11 hour drive

I'd love to test early as possible so I can get certified and licensed as soon as possible.

Tragedy on the Highway

2006-05-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday this week, there was an ambulance crash on I-76. The crash claimed the lives of two people. The patient they were transporting, a pregnant woman in need of critical obstetric care, was helicoptered to Denver. In Denver, she delivered her baby. Both mother and baby are in serious condition.

Details of the crash are still a little sketchy. The crash happened as the ambulance attempted to pass a semi truck. Both were in the right lane.

As you can see by the pictures, the ambulance was pretty mangled and it was a miracle that anyone survived at all.

This wreck hits pretty close to home. I travel I-76 often. Our company probably would have done the transfer had we had an isolette and the necessary equipment to deal with the delivery of a very premature infant.

I had met both the patient in the ambulance and one of the victims who was killed. The woman killed worked at my local hospital as an Ultrsound Tech. Her death is a pretty big blow to the many people who were her friends and co-workers.

The ambulance was a Rural/Metro unit and crew out of Denver, Colorado. This was the second fatal ambulance crash in Colorado this month.

The whole situation should be a reminder to those of you who travel the interstates and highways to practice safety and caution. If you approach or are being approached an ambulance, please move to the right of the roadway. It may be necessary for you to slow down or even stop. Please do so carefully and be aware of drivers ahead of you and behind you.

I take my job very seriously and try and be the most cautious driver I can. I ask you all to do the same.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

2006-05-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

My 4Runner shakes, rattles, and still rolls.

So... I am back in the Camry and loving it.
My bra is held on with black duct tape... er, my car's bra and most of the front end fiberglass.
Sure, it ain't very purty to look at, but it still runs beautifully and will get me from A to B.

I drove to Wyoming and back over the weekend for my sisters Graduation from UW. She got her Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering. She'll be returning in the fall again to get her Master's. She has a summertime job with a firm in Chicago.

I wouldn't mind moving back to Wyoming at some point in ly life.
I love Nebraska for the time being, though, and am happy to be living here.
North Platte is a great city to come home to.

My goals for the week...
Update my resume (sometime I'll explain this one)
Mow my yard and apply more fertilizer
Teach both bass lessons at the regularly scheduled times
Decide what to do with "Snag" (the 4 Runner)

May Day, Monday

2006-05-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Happy May Day to you all! Sorry nobody gets baskets this year. Today I spent the day on the OB wing of the hospital. It was a quiet day. No deliveries. Just taking vitals, starting IV's on new patients, and watching babies while mothers showered or slept.

Tonight we started the OB-GYN section in Paramedic class. Great timing. We have a total of 5 more classes. These next few classes will be pretty hard and fast through material. Most is just review from the Intermediate class. Not much new material in the class we have left. And its a good thing too. My brain seems to be running at full capacity already.

Saturday, I get up to go to Wyoming for my younger sister's graduation from UW in Laramie. WooHoo!

Arround the Yard

2006-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

The tree on my corner looks like it is leaning.

Sometime before I bought my house, someone or something hacked away a huge limb on the other side of it and now it is lopsided. I love it anyways.

My raised bed in front of my house should be turning green here soon.

The bed had a mix of grass clippings and leaves and fresh soil.

My backyard will be turning green again. I transplanted my Morning Glories outside around the patio.

Thanks to Mom and Dad for the $$ to buy Patio furniture with and for the grill. I'll be putting it to good use.

In the near future...

Going to my sister's graduation in Wyoming

Getting underground sprinklers, finally

Continue working full-time for Midwest

Finish up clinical hours and skills for the Paramedic class.

Pass the National Registry Exam by August
Play music at a lot of weddings this summer

and blog more regular... yeah right.

The Good News and the Bad News

2006-04-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Good News...
I have a cool little rental car to drive to Wyoming. Its a blue Nissan Sentra.
$34.99 a day is a bit of a boot in the berries, though.

The Bad News...
The "Harmonic Balancer" sheared the "Key Way" off in the crankshaft of my 4Runner...
If the only part of that you understood is "4Runner," thats okay. I don't understand too much of the situation either, just enough to know that if this had happened on Saturday on my way to Wyoming, it would have caused an entire pyramid scheme of problems. It would have wrecked the engine and the radiator, probably would have damaged the hood, and generally torn apart almost everything else under the hood. This could have happened on the interstate. Thank God it didn't.

The Good News...
A local shop can fix it.

The Bad News...
The won't have the right part til Monday.

The Good News...
I still get to go home for the weekend, see my three sisters and my neice, my parents, and a bunch of friends.

The Bad News...
I have to come back on Monday in time to drop the car off at the rental place, pick up my Toyota, and drive to class in McCook by 6:30pm.

The Good News...
I have a great book on CD to finish listening to... "House" bny Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti.

I am leaving you with good news.

Hometown Six - Place of Worship

2006-04-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

March's hometown six project was "Places of Worship."

My place of worship is the North Platte Berean Church.

The church is located on the historic north side of the city.

Above were pictures of the relative new (built in the 90's) sanctuary.

Below are pictures of the older part of the building built in the late 1930's.

You can visit the church on line at www.npberean.org, or every Sunday Morning in person. Services are at 9:30am and 11:00am. There are also services and small group meetings throughout the week.

What in the world is Hometown Six? It wasn't my idea. Info is at mikao.blogspot.com.

I get to return to Wyoming for Easter. I am pretty excited to go back and see all my family. All three sister and my neice will be there. That hasn't happenned for a long time. I am really looking forward to the visit, even though it will be very short.

School Days

2006-03-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

As I near the end of the Paramedic class, I sit back and realize that this will be the end of my studenthood for awhile. I thought it would be fun to think back to all the schools I've attended over the years...

Garfield Elementary School- Kindergarten to Sixth Grade- This was the first school I went to. Seven years. It was a smaller (100-150 Students) school in Casper, Wyoming with one class for each grade level. It was in one of the oldest school buildings in town. Recently, the school closed down to consolidate with some other schools and the building got bought by a local church. Many good years were spent there. I remember waiting for the bus to come take us home from school. Our bus took the mountain route and took a long time to drop off the Junior and Senior high kids who got out of school earlier than us. It was in elementary school that I started playing the cello.

Dean Morgan Junior High-Seventh to Ninth Grade- This was a big school (1,000 Students) and was a big switch from elementary school for sure. I have friends from Junior High that I still talk to. I had a few teachers that were memorable and some I have tried to forget. I can't remember too many specific memories from Jr Hi. I must have repressed them.

Natrona County High School- Tenth to Twelfth Grade- NCHS-Home of the Mustangs- I was never a mustang really. I wasn't in high school sports at all. I was more involved in music things and stuff. In high school I got involved with Youth For Christ and their school ministries and Bible Studies. It was in the three years of high school that I was challenged the most spiritually.

Briercrest Bible College-4 and 1/2 years 1998-2002- College was great. I went to college in Canada to get away from home and to take advantage of the mighty American dollar. At the time I started the exchange rate made it a good bargain. I studied Worship Ministry which meant I took a lot of Music and Bible classes. College was a place where I became more involved in things. I started playing the upright bass, took my first piano lessons ( the lessons kicked my butt but were one of the best things for me musically. It really help to learn to read music better rather than just my usual playing by ear), started a jazz combo called "Ad Hoc", and learned how to skate, played hockey for a team called the Big Dogs (you'll see the jersey in my band pictures), got elected to the Student Executive team for two years, was editor of "The Eyewitness" the college yearbook for 2.5 years, and did many more things.

North Platte Community College -2003 to 2004- I really only took one class, the EMT-Basic class. It was a night class that met once a week for four hours.

McCook Community College -2004 to Present- Home of the EMT-Intermediate and EMT-Paramedic class. I drive back and forth to McCook (about 1h10min away) twice a week for class and should be done in the middle of May. I will still have some clinical and field experience time to complete before I can take the National Registry examination at the Paramedic level.

So there it is. Soon I'll be done with the school thing. I probably won't know what to do with myself. Actually, I'll probably be able to teach more music lessons.

The Sound of Music

2006-03-23T12:26:00.000-08:00

This weekend I am playing bass for the pit orchestra of the high school's performance of the Sound of Music. We have three performances. We missed having two dress rehearsals this week because there were two snow days this week. Monday and Tuesday were quite the blizzardy days in these parts. You might have seen in on the news. Places in Nebraska got as much as 25 inches of snow. Locally we got between 12 and 14 inches in about a day and a half. For Canada that wouldn't have been too much, but down here that amount of snow is a different story. I don't miss the snow in Canada. I like living in a place where the snow is melted a few weeks later, not in a place where the snow finally melts at the end of April.

2006-03-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

Its been a long time since I updated this thing.
Surf Alternative- the band I am a bassist for- got talked into playing at "The Ultimate Band Battle. It was a ton of fun... not really. It was a long day and the music was terribly loud. Here are the latest pictures.

No kidding... People payed six bucks to hear me play!

I am on the far left, in the hockey Jersey looking cool in my new shades (They make me look like Bono!) that I bought at Ben Franklin's. They were a buck. A penny saced...
Strutting the stage like I own it. I love Rock and Roll, so put another dime in the jukebox , baby.

Earlier this week I spent a day out at Windmill Dunes Farms, a nursery / greenhouse located Southwest of Paxton, Nebraska. It was a long day of moving crates of planters filled with dirt from one place to another. Nothing like a day of real work.
My friend Amanda, who works at the greenhouse, was happy to have someone come out and do a job that none of them were looking forward to. So I had to do a crappy job that no one else wanted, but I got to hang out with Amanda all day. I guess things evened out pretty well.

It was good work and I slept soundly that night.

The trip to New Hampshire

2006-02-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

I returned home a week ago from my trip to New Hampshire and I am just now updating my blog about it. Many of you are probably wondering how my test went. The unofficial results said that I missed one of the practical stations that I needed to pass. That is a bummer for sure, however, I plan to take the Paramedic level test as soon as I can (June or July most likely).

I had a great visit with my sister, although I have sneaking suspicions that she was trying to kill me by having me try her vegetarian cuisine. Give me meat any day. I got nothing against plants, why would I want to kill and eat them? Barbaric, thats what I call it.

Some people think the reason I went was to take a test. Others think I went to see my sister. The real reason was the lighthouses. For years, I have been enamoured with them. Finally I got to see some up close.

We took one day out of my visit to go down to the coast and visit light houses. From Portsmouth, NH to South Portland, ME we drove and looked for lighthouses. These are pictures of lighthouses near Rye, NH, Cape Elizabeth, ME and South Portland, ME.

I'd love to go back to NH again. I might go out there for the Paramedic test. I haven't decided what I'll do yet. If I go again, I be sure to get more pictures. I'd love to go exploring on my own. If I go during the summer, I can get tours of the working lighthouses. Many of them will be open to the public then. During this trip, I wasn't able to climb any of the lighthouses or get up inside them. It was great to see them anyways.

Hometown Six

2006-02-13T15:58:00.000-08:00

Here is Febraury's Hometown Six.

1. A picture of Village office-- The Lincoln County Courthouse and North Platte city offices.

2. A Main Street- Jeffers street looking south from the viaduct over the Union Pacific tracks. This is a crummy view of the city, but it is one of the main drags in town.

3. Public Transit. This NPPT bus is mainly used by disabled and mentally handicapped. North Platte isn't really big enough for a real bus service.

4a. A Shopping Center- The Platte River Mall recently got a facelift. Some people say that the new facade is a magnificent erection. The Phallicness on the outside is hardly compensation for what the mall lacks on the inside.

4b. Inside The Mall. When I worked at Radio Shack, we called it "The Hall." You can see from one end to the other. Its pretty lame. The real shopping center in town is the WalMart Supercenter.

5. Cultural Center or Theater... The Neville Center.
6. The Police/ Police Station- Also Fire Station #1.

For more info on the Hometown Six project see mikao.blogspot.com

Hometown Six

2006-02-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

My friend Michelle runs a blog called Mikao's World at www.mikao.blogspot.com and she came up with a challenge to her readers to post pictures from their hometown.

As a procrastinator, I just got January's challenge completed. The challenge was for pictures with your town's name. Since I spend a lot of time on the road, I incorperated pictures from the road.

This is the view from Highway 83 at the turnoff to Maywood. I travel Highway 83 to McCook twice a week for Paramedic class.

The town of Wellfleet is the only town you drive through going between North Platte and McCook. The town is so small that they didn't even lower the speed limit going through.

The Radar tower. I call it the "Big Golf Ball."

The longest 22 miles ever are between Wellfleet and North Platte at 11:00 at night.

Entering North Platte you see the sign with Buffalo Bill Cody and a big train locomotive. North Platte is famous because Buffalo Bill lived here and the Union Pacific RailRoad's Bailey Yard here is the world's large reclassification yard in the entire world.

The North Platte Berean Church is my home church. www.npberean.org is my church's homepage if you want to visit. I play bass there at the 9:30 service every sunday morning and can be found there often on my days off practicing music or just tormenting the church staff who I used to work on a far more regular basis while I was the worship intern.

Alliteration Alert!! Attempting A Test Again

2006-02-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

That was for all you English Grammar nutcases out there... you're welcome.

On the 19th of this month, two weeks from yesterday, I will be taking the National Registry test for EMT Intermediate 99 again. This is the test that I barely failed the first time. I am flying out to NH to take it. That may seem extreme, but I will also be visiting my sister there, and that will make it all worth it. My sister has lived out there for almost 8 years and I have never been out there.

I am taking the written test and two practical stations. I feel pretty good about the test and have been doing a lot of studying lately.

BOTB Results

2006-01-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

Once again, the Big Dogs jersey got hot and sweaty.

Here am I with a serious bass-player look on.

Our music tends to be pretty intense at times.

We put our hearts into it 110%.
We kept the crowd on their feet and dancing.
But did we win?

Heres how it went down.

The bands that played were...

EUPHORIA

KRISHNA

MEMORIES FROM TOMORROW

PAIN OF GLORY

SURF ALTERNATIVE (the band I am in)

We played last and thought that we did pretty good. A member from another band came up to me after we played and before they announced who won and said "You guys totally blew us out of the water!"

But then came the announcement that Krishna had won and we had gotten second place. We were all okay with that.

We play again this weekend for a wedding reception party.

BOTB at SCOREZ

2006-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the night the band I am in wins another Battle of the Bands.
Surf Alternative will end the night of the Battle of the Bands to raise money for "Midwest Wrestling Entertainment"'s new wrestling ring.
The BOTB starts at 7pm and will go pretty late. We should be playing sometime between 9 and 10pm, maybe later.

Where is this at?
Royal Colonial Inn on Jeffers Street in North Platte.
Tonight Janauary 14th.

Some people question me and think that playing in a band is out of character for me. It may seem to be since my normal gigs are jazz and church music. In actuality, this is something I've wanted to do for a while as a way of getting deeper into the local music community and becoming a more well-rounded musician.

The Band "Surf Alternative"

2006-01-06T23:39:00.000-08:00

A number of people have asked me about this new band I play with. The following are some pictures to explain. We are a true garage band. We practice in the guitarist garage when we get the chance. Our work schedules aren't in proper alignment very often, but we rehearse whenever we can.

W play harder stuff than I play at church on sunday morning. We mostly do covers of songs by other bands, but we also do some original songs written by the singer and guitarist, both of whom have impressed with their abilities and their creativity in writing. Thats me on the right, playing my five-string Fender Squire bass. When I am playing through my 200 Watt Yorkville Bassman amp, I am able to add some deep thumpage to the bottom end.
Sorry that the pictures are a little dark. We don't have the best lighting and these pictures weren't taken with my camera.
Surf Alternative has already won one "BOTB," and we have another opportunity to do so on the 14th of January. Not doing anything that night? Check us out at Scorez, at the Royal Colonial Inn in North Platte. $3 per person to get in.

We'll be playing two other things in January. One of those will be open to the public and will be a benefit for a local firefighter/paramedic who is in a battle with cancer. I'll get the specifics up here as soon as I know them.

A New Year / Pictures from WY

2006-01-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start the new year with some pictures from my trip to Wyoming. I was able to go there and spend time with friends and family over the New Year's weekend.
Laramie peak, located near Wheatland, Wyoming, is one of the coolest mountains ever. The wind is always blowing in Wyoming. So although it snows a lot, it doesn't stick because the wind blows it all away.
My Toyota 4 Runner, with 4WD proved to be an excellent choice to drive in Wyoming. It made it up the icy hill to my parents house, something that the Camry had trouble with.
The bright sun cast a nice light on the peak.

2006 has arrived. With it comes a lot of new oportunities and possibilities that a new year always brings. What will come of the new year? Here are a few hopes...

To pass the National Registry exams for Intermediate and Paramedic certification
To keep making repairs and upgrades to my house
Furnace
Wiring
New carpet at some point
To be a better man
To read my Bible and pray a whole lot more
To develop more friendships in my church and community
To do some major rocking with Surf Alternative (did I tell you I joined a band?)
To update my blog more regularly (here's hoping)
To buy or build a barbecue grill and picnic table for my new patio area
To read more books

Theres a few for ya. Whadya think?

Yule Be Bruvin, Tu

2005-12-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

My Christmas concert was last night at Da Buzz CoffeeHouse here in North Platte. I put it on for people in the area. I had invited a lot of people from work and church, but it was also advertised in the newspaper and music store. It pretty much packed out the place. It was fun.

This year, it was just solo piano stuff. It was too late to get the quartet back together to practice much and the other guys already had too much on their plates. So I played solo. 15 songs. Some traditional stuff, some not-so-traditional stuff, some jazzy, some smooth, and even some songs that weren't really Christmas songs, but were appropriate in other ways.

To those who came, thanks for coming and support me and music in the area.

Christmas plans? Working. I get to go back to WY to see friends and family over the New Year weekend. At least that is the plan.

"White-Knuckling-It"

2005-12-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Thats my new phrase for driving in adverse conditions. I just finished white-knuckling-it to McCook for Paramedic class which starts soon. I always drop by the library so I can check email first.

It snow a few inches over the weekend. Thats nothing really. But today the wind came up. The 70 miles between North Platte and McCook became one big patch of ice. The road warmed up during the day. The snow blowing across it stuck and froze. Makes for some interesting driving.

Weather or Knot

2005-11-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

I was told today that a group of frogs was called a "knot." Talk about almost useless knowledge. I say almost because I just used it in my blog.

The weather cleared up some more today after several days of wind and snow. So much in fact that I had class in McCook and 5 out of 6 students were able to be there. We are studying cardiology and studied disssected sheep hearts. A sheep heart is about the size of a human's. Once again another piece of almost useless knowledge.

I-80 was closed until yesterday at 11:15am. At 11:20 we had an ambulance run. The traffic on the interstate was thick with people wanting to get back on moving agains after many of them had been stranded for a couple of days.

I am loving my 4Runner. I am pretty sure that I had great timing when deciding to buy a 4WD. The car needs a name, though. Any good ideas out there? I have a few ideas. Let me know.

The New Old Car

2005-11-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today I bought a 1990 Toyota 4Runner. Yes, its true folks. Rob is the proud owner of a 4-Wheel Drive once again. You might ask what may happen to the Camry. I have yet to decide that.

Fix it up and drive it again?
Fix it up and sell it?
Fix it up and give it away?

...Tough choices to think about as I go driving in the 4Runner.
Enjoy the pictures!

Oh Deer... The Wall... The Paint...

2005-11-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night, driving home from McCook, I schmucked a buck. Thats right folks, Rob hit another deer with his car.

Were this picture of higher resolution, you could see the deer hair stuck in the door handle.

Look ma, no mirror... don't worry I'll find a replacement.

The gas cap cover even got busted. Now people can get really cheap gas, if they have a piece of hose and good seal around their lips.

I would feel worse about a broken turn-signal if people around here actually used them.

What next? What to do about the car? I am thinking about getting something cheap to drive back and forth to class while I find the parts to do a good repair job on my Toyota. Or I might just keep driving this one meanwhile looking for something better. Cars are a hassle.

Now for my newest project... a raised flower bed and landscaped area in front of my house.

I painted the stair railing to match the color of the bricks and my house. The bricks were a freebie from a bass-playing friend of mine. Free is the best price.
Beautiful, isn't it. It will be sweet when I get the fill-dirt in and fresh flowers in the springtime.

When I was busy painting I decided to finish the paint job on my Pagora. All done!

I am getting my National Registry written test hand-scored. When I got the results in the mail, I found that I had missed one too many questions in one section of the test. In every other section, I had done pretty well, and overall I had a passing score. But becuase I missed in one section, I failed the whole thing. The hand score may pick up any mistakes that the computer scoring missed. One mistake on the part of the computer could mean that I actually passed. I'll keep ya'll posted on what the hand-score results show.

The Written Test

2005-10-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

I went to the National Registry website yesterday and got the news I had been waiting for. Unfortunately, I did not pass the written portion of the NR exam that I took a few weeks ago. What does this mean? It simply means that I will need to either retake the Intermediate exam at another location and time, or I can wait and take the Paramedic test when I am done with class in May. The advantage to trying the Intermediate test again is that if I pass it, then I will get a substantial pay raise at work. The advantage to waiting to take the Paramedic test is more time to study and review.

I'll keep you posted as to what I will do.

The Pagora

2005-10-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

The project started with what was already there, a dog kennel with no dog to put in it.
Then I built a frame for a Pagora, althought I didn't know that was what it was called until a friend mentioned it.
I decided to be ambitious this past week and put the lattice up. It is going on two sides. It will provide a climbing surface for flowering plants that will get planted at a later date.

The tiki torches are an added touch. At night, the light up the place nicely. In the summertime, they should keep the insects away.

I used the old wood from the kennel in the project, too, using it for landscape timbers arround the base.

My house. With the pagora in back and my 210,000 mile Camry in front.

A Valiant Effort / PEACHES

2005-10-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

I put forth a valiant effort to pass my National Registry exam on Monday and Tuesday. The written test was on Monday night. 180 questions that covered everything I have learned in the past two years. It took several hours to complete. My brain was pretty worn out afterwards, but I had to stay sharp. Tuesday morning at 7:30am we all arrived back at Creighton University to do the skills portion of the test. Each student has 9 or 10 skills that they have to complete. All skills have to be completed correctly or else you don't pass. If we missed less than five skills, we were given the opportunity to retake those that we missed that afternoon. On my first time through, I missed three skills (The Trauma Assessment, Dynamic Cardiology, and Static Cardiology). So I retook them. On the second time, I passed only the Static Cardiology. That was one where I knew where I missed it the first time. I am still not exactly sure what I did wrong on the other two. I will have one more chance to take those two that I missed. I could possibly take them as early as next month in Colorado, or I might wait until we cover the cardiology stuff again in the Paramedic class.

On another note...
Friday, I was driving home from work when I got a flat tire on the right rear of my car. So I pulled into a parking lot and changed the flat out for my spare. Then I took my car to WizLube to get the tire fixed. When I was there waiting in the office, they got a telephone call there. When the call was finished, the lady behind the counter said that if I wanted some fresh fruit, I should head to Flying J ( a truck stop) because a truck carrying fresh fruit was overwieght and had to unload. So I drove out there as soon as my tire was good and, no kidding, they were unloading crates and crates of peaches, plums and other fruit off this truck and just giving it away. So I grabbed two crates of peaches. That night I gave a bunch of them away at a small-group meeting and to friends. Then I took the rest to Omaha with me to share with the people I stayed with. It made getting the flat tire worth it.

The Backyard Project

2005-10-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

After returning from my trip to Colorado and Wyoming, I decided that it was time to really get to work on my project in the backyard. That is, turning an old dog kennel into a patio place to barbecue and hang out. I didn't have a real design for it decided upon and I didn't have a real clue how I was going to go about it, but I have finished the first stage of the process. I don't know what I am going to do for walls and a seating area here are the latest pictures.

dog-tired

2005-09-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

I am pretty tired after the wedding this afternoon. I got up to the Mount Vernon Country Club where the wedding took place early this morning to practice and set up. The wedding went very smoothly and the music went really well, considering how little the groom's sister and I had been able to work together on it.

Prelude Music- (cello)
Beautiful Saviour
Be Still My Soul

Ceremony Music
Bridesmaid Processional- Intermezzo Cavaleria Rusticana- Mascagni (cello)
Bride Processional- Pathetique- Beethoven (cello)

Vocal music- Groom's sister singing, I accompanying on piano
Wonderful, Merciful Saviour
In Christ Alone

Recessional
The Ode to Joy- Beethoven (cello)

Music for the reception on piano
Who Has Touched the Sky?
Two songs by George Winston
Amazing Grace
Holy, Holy, Holy
Autumn Leaves
and a number of others

That is just an idea of what I got to play. I really do love playing and love to be able to play for my friends. If I was in a bigger locale, I'd try to play for weddings and stuff a lot more regularly. I might even charge for the services. I could be rich... probably not, but its a nice thought.

Wedding Plans

2005-09-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

Not mine...

Thursday or possibly Friday Morning I will go to Denver for the wedding of a good friend of mine from high school. She actually lives in Illinois now, but her family is the Denver area. I'll be staying with her brother in Denver who is still a great friend of mine. I'll be playing cello and piano at the wedding and reception. I am pretty stoked about it, but I know I also need to practice quite a bit before the rehearsal on Friday afternoon.

I'll be going to Rockies game on Friday night. We'll see if they can't pull off a win this week. The last game I went to at Coor Field, they beat the Marlins by one run.

In all actuality, I am not a baseball fan and could not really care less who won or lost, but it will be fun to watch the game and I will be excited about just being there with friends I love.

The Test To Come

2005-09-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Next month, on October 17 and 18, I go to Creighton University in Omaha to take the National Registry exam to certify for the EMT-I99. There is a giant written test as well as a bunch of skill stations that we must complete.

On Sunday of this week, I completed all my clinical hours and procedures that I needed to have done before I could even apply to take the test.

I loved working in the hospital setting, for the most part. I spent time in the OR, ER, ICU, and on the OB floor.

In the OR, I helped prep the patients for surgery, mostly by starting IV's and reassuring the patients who were nervous about getting surgery done.

In the ER, I did all sorts of stuff; started IV's, gave medication, held patients while other parts of their bodies were being relocated (after they had been dislocated, not lost). I saw lots of blood and puke, but was totally okay with it.

In the ICU, I spent 40 hours watching the telemetry monitors. The telemetry units are cardiac monitors that send their signal to the ICU. In the ICU, if we see something odd on someones monitor, we call their floor and have the nurses on the floor check the patient.

The OB floor was probably my favorite place to work. First of all, the other people on the floor were great. Second of all, it was the floor where I learned the most. When we cover OB/GYN emergencies in class, we blow through the material and don't really learn much. But up on the floor a whole new appreciation of it all is gained. I witnessed several normal deliveries and one Ceasarian Section. They were all interesting and all make me glad to be a man.

Overall, the clinical experience was great. I met a lot of great people and was able to be helpful in many, many situations.

Now what? Now I study my buns off for the big test and do my best to pass.

Next week, I am taking a mini-vacation to Denver. I am playing for a wedding of a good friend from high school. I will also be taking in a Rockies game. It should be a fun time.

Hopefully, I'll be able to make more time to update this more regularly. Thanks for reading, folks.

ER, OR, OB, ICU, ETC...

2005-08-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hey folks long time no blog.
Its been crazy the past few weeks with work and with the finishing of clinical time at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in preparation for the taking of the National Registry for the EMT-Intermediate level. Any day I am off from work is spent at the Hospital. I love it, though. I have seen a lot of cool stuff and learned a lot of cool stuff.

I promised I'd post some shots of my recent trip to Wyoming. I went home to Casper to visit my family and to attend a good friend's wedding.

This is Casper, Wyoming. Somewhere around 50,000 people live in this booming city. It rest in the Platte River valley at the base of Casper Mountain.

This is me playing golf for the very first time ever. The best hole I had was a double-bogey. I'd say that I need more practice. I'll probably get out to play again sometime.

This is my parents' house. It is the house I grew up in. My car is in front of door number two. It was wonderful to live up right next to mountains.

Me, My little sister, my mom and dad, and my neice. My neice is the daughter of my older sister. She was visiting Grandma and Grandpa for a few weeks.

Nadia, the cat. A.K.A. Knothead. My parents got this cat from my Oldest sister. The cat has gotten older over the years and sometimes strays away from home, kinda like an Alzheimer's patient.

In the background is Laramie Peak. It is a beautiful mountain that I am gonna climb someday soon.
Wyoming is very beautiful, but so is Nebraska, and so is everywhere else I've been.

Long Week and a much-needed break

2005-07-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

I am out Maranatha Bible Camp, working on my day off. Can't say it is too much work, though. I am relaxing in the staff lounge using the staff computer to update by blog that I haven't updated in over a week. I am hoping that my pager doesn't go off. If it does, it means that someone is sick, hurt, or that there is bodily fluid to clean up. Since there aren't too many people out this weekend so it should be pretty quiet.

Being out here is a nice break from work. This week has been a busy on for Midwest Medical Transport. A run to Omaha, Denver, and a couple trips to the burn center in Lincoln made for a week packed with hours on the road and what will be a fat paycheck to show for it sometime next week.

Between posts passed the holidays Canada Day and Independance day. I love both the USA and Canada, having lived in both, but I would have to say that I like the Fourth of July in America better than I like Canada Day in Canada. The USA is a more patiotic nation and uses its national holiday to celebrate freedom and patriotism far more than our counterparts to the north. Canadians tend to celebrate by inbibing large amounts of alcoholic beverages. Americans do it too, but to a lesser extent. Canadians seem to make every excuse they can to have a "long weekend" on which to party. I always used the long weekend to sleep a little extra, something I could benefit from right now.

I'll be out at the camp til about 9:30pm or so. Then I go home to get some sleep before Sunday morning. Sleep is sweet.

Camp Health Care Technician

2005-06-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

That is my job title when I work out at Maranatha Bible Camp on my days off from Midwest Medical Transport. This is my fourth summer working out at MBC. My first summer, I played bass on the worship team and ran the archery range. The second summer, I worked mostly in the Information Center. Last summer I worked full-time as a health care teach. This summer I am volunteering as a Health Care Tech once more. I love it. It is a lot of basic first aid and the cleaning up of body fluids, but our main responsibilities are dispensing camper medication and the preaching of safety and the importance of taking care our yourself in the hot summer sun.

It has been a relatively safe summer out at camp. Only one call for the ambulance so far.

Monday, the Fourth of July, is the big Independance day celebration and Adventure Triathalon out there. I have the day off from Midwest and will probably spend most of the day out at the camp.

If you are the praying type, please pray for health and safety out at camp.

Happy Almost-Canda-Day to all the Canadians that read this.

Scanning the Horizon

2005-06-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

In mythology there is a creature whose task it was to roll a giant stone up a hill. Everyday he'd do this and never stop.

Today my task is of the same monotonous variety. I am scanning, scanning months of records from the company headquarters into the computers into our crude system of digital archiving. We've been doing it for months now and have not gotten very far yet. We've scanned over 100,000 pages of information already. Each page takes about 30 seconds to scan and enter into the computer. Thats about 50,000 minutes, or about 830 hours. This could be a full-time job for someone. We still have boxes and boxes of company records to get through. As of right now, the light at the end of the tunnel is non-existant.

We only scan when we are relatively short on hours. It has been pretty quiet on the days that I have worked this week, so I am making up some hours in the office scanning.

At least it is air-conditioned in here.

Cello Sold

2005-06-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Thats right folks. I sold one of my babies. I sold the cello I bought in Junior high. It was my primary cello for many years. I took it all over the place and it had the love marks to prove it. It was a great instrument though and it played very well. I sold the cello to the student to whom I give lessons. She just graduated from high school and needs something she can haul off to college with her. Up to this point she had been renting instruments which can get fairly expensive after several years. After college and medical school, she'll probably want to step up to a better instrument, but the one she bought from me will be a good one for her for the time being. She played it for several weeks befor buying and seems to like it.

I have three other cellos still. The one I play primarily is one I bought on Ebay a few years back. I payed around $150 for it. It looks great, and with the new stigns I bought for it, it sounds great too. The other two I have are lower quality instruments that would make great student cellos.

It was a busy week with the ambulance company last week. I ended the week with a bunch of overtime. I don't mind the extra money. This week seems to be off to a busy start, too. Here we go again.

Before and After

2005-05-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

I finally got the new door for my car.
Yes, I decided to fix my car. I figured I could probably do it pretty cheaply and have the car last awhile longer. It has 204,000 miles on it, so its trade-in or resale value isn't that great. I figured it would be best to fix the car I have now, meanwhile saving for the future of a different vehicle.

Here is the old door from my car. I had to really mangle it to get it off the car. The door had been locked and when it got crunched, it was permanently set in the lock position.

So I bought the new door from a salvage place in Lincoln. The website had called the color of the new door "gray". I figured gray would be a closer match than the green one I had found in my hometown. Plus the one in Lincoln had the glass in it and was $25 cheaper.

I had gotten an estimate at a local shop of $1600 for the door plus labor. I was pretty sure I could beat that if I was able to do most of the work myself.

When I saw the new door, my heart jumped. The door was the exact color of my car. (Proving to those of you out there who think my car looks pink-ish or some other awful color that my car must indeed be more of a gray color.) I was able to get the old door off my car in about 3 and a hald hours. It was a pain in the neck. It was a pain in the arm, too, when I put a gash in my right arm on a rough edge of metal. I was able to put the new door on in about half an hour with a little bit of help from my roommate whose strong arms held it in place and helped me adjust it while I tightened bolts. The frame around the door had not been bent at all in the crash which was a huge relief. The door fit almost perfectly. Here it is!

Praise God I was able to find the right door, the right color, at the right price. I saved about $1300 by doing all the work my self.

BTW, the sideview mirror, which was slightly damaged, is back in place now.

Long Lost Tuner

2005-05-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

When I used to live in the house next to my church, I had a roommate who played the guitar. One day he misplaced his guitar tuner.
Almost two years have passed since then.
A few weeks ago, one of the people who live in the house now handed me a tuner at church and wondered if I knew who it belonged to. They had found it under some furniture in the house.
So I called up my old roomate and told him about it. The tuner is on the way to Sioux Falls in the mail now.
My grandpa turned 85 years old today.
Thats the big news.
-RM2

Cable TV - - Car Update

2005-05-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

I got a new roommate. He wanted high-speed internet for his computer. So he wondered if he could get cable hooked up. I didn't really want internet on my computer, but it was okay if he got it on his. Then he told me that for just a little bit more per month, we could have basic cable, too. So now we have cable. Chances are, there still won't be anything good to watch.

I've decided to keep my car and get 'er repaired. Actually, I'll try and do all the work myself that I can. I have found a new driver's side door and window. I haven't gotten the chance to pick it up from the salvage yard in Lincoln, yet.

Cello Teachin' Maniac

2005-04-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Over the past year I have been teaching cello lessons to a high school student. She is a really great player, although she had never taken lessons before. We have worked on a lot of music together. She played a big cello concerto with her high school orchestra. This past weekend was District Music competitions. She played a song called "Allegro Appassionato" by Saen Sans (sp?). We had spent a lot of time ( we could have spent a lot more) working through parts of it. She had it down pretty well. At competition, she scored a 1+ which was the highest score possible. I am quite proud of her.

I found a door for my car. It is still in Lincoln, though.

Thursday...Blursday

2005-04-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Its a thursday.
I played jazz at the college.
I might have a cello lesson later this afternoon.
My student will get back to me on that one.
District Music Competitions are tomorrow for her.
She is playing a really tough piece. She needs a little bit more
practice time with her accompanist. In fact, time with the accompanist may be more valuable and worthwhile than a lesson.
Its allright by me. I have a big quiz tonight on emergency pharmacology that I could spend time studying on. That is what I am gonna do when I leave the library.
Tomorrow I work.
I have Saturday off. I'll be sleeping in for sure.
Then I get to play jazz all night and get paid for it.
Peace Out!

Chicag-uhoh...

2005-04-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

So I went to this wedding in Chicago last weekend. The wedding was actually in a suburb of the city. It was my friends Beth and Greg from Bible college who finally decided to tie the knot. I play piano and bass during the wedding. It was tons of fun. I was happy to have gotten to go.

Here are some pictures...
.
Thats Beth and Greg at the rehearsal dinner. I didn't get any good pictures at the wedding because I was playing music and not focusing on taking pictures.
.
After the wedding, on Sunday morning a few friends and I went into the city and did the tourist thing. This picture was taken from the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier.
.
Hey Rob, why is your car off the side of the road?
.
Hey Rob, why does that lady have her head in her hands?
.
Rob, whadya do to your car?

Yeah folks, its true. Rob got into a wreck on Interstate-80 on his way from from the wedding. I came up to fast on a couple who was poking along at about 50mph. I was doing the speed limit. I had the cruise set to avoid speeding. I came up to quick on them, though. I swerved out of the way and still managed to spin around and hit them. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any bodily damage done to anyone, just to our poor vehicles.
.
.
.

I may end up needing to get a new car? I'll see what I can do.
My car was drivable. A power steering fluid line got severed, but that was easily fixable. My car drove back to Nebraska fine, though. I can't open the driver's door yet, so I have to crawl around to get in. It will need a new door and window.
I keep you all posted as to the car situation.

The Color "Silver Taupe Metallic"

2005-04-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

My Toyota Camry Recent turned 200,000 Miles.
.
There seems to be an argument to the true color of my car.
Michelle of mikao.blogspot.com thinks that my car is a pinkish color.
The paint name is "Silver-Taupe-Metallic".
Here's my car. You Decide. What color is my car?

The Squiggly Lines

2005-04-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

In my EMT-Intermediate class we are studying cardiology and the electrical conduction system of the heart. The best part is finally understanding what the squiggly lines on a ECG(EKG) strip mean. An ECG monitor uses electrodes attached to a persons chest to sense the electrical impulse in the heart. From looking at a ECG strip a trained person can tell, a person's heart rate, where the pacemaker (the heart's internal pacemaker) is located, and to some extent where heart damage has occured. It is all quite interesting.

I am actually suprised sometimes about how much we humans have been able to figure out. But then I realize the vastness of what we still have no grasp of. It is by the grace of God that our brilliant minds have made great discoveries in the medical world, but there is still so much we don't know.

There are still many, many mysteries of God that are hidden. We can't even begin to scratch the surface.

200,000 Miles

2005-04-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

Last night on the way to class, my car turned 200,000 miles. It was a momentous occasion. I took a picture even. It might even get posted.
My car is a 1993 Toyota Camry LE Wagon that I bought just over four years ago. I am blessed by God to be able to drive such a great car. I haven't had to spend much money on it, which has been nice because there is always so much else that demands denari.
I think I'll take my car through the carwash to mark this occasion. It needs to be washed. It has cat prints from my neighbors cat on it.
My car's name is Storm. It is a purplish-grayish color. The official color is "Silver-Taupe Metallic." They only used the color on Camry and only on a few thousand vehicles total. I found that out when I tried to order touch-up paint.

A Christian???

2005-03-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

I am a follower of Christ.

I got into a discussion about Christianity today with a man who thinks he is agnostic. He asked me if I thought that, if Christ returned today, He'd be angry about what he saw taking place in the church? I replied that Christ would be upset.

In reality, God knows everything that is going on. I am sure He is already upset and disappointed in us.

When people we know do stupid things, we usually want to dissociate ourselves from them. But when our fellow Christians (past and present) have done stupid stuff, we can't exactly quit calling ourselves Christians, can we?

I have made my share of screwups. I've made mistakes that people would see as unChristian behavior for sure. I know I have upset and disappointed Christ many time. If anyone knew the deepest and darkest of my thoughts, they would certainly think I belong in a prison (or at best, a nuthouse). If I acted out on these thoughts, I would be guilty of crimes with the harshest punishments as consequences. I would deserve to die. I do deserve to die.

That is what makes me a Christian. I know I deserve to die. I know it should have been me up on that cross. I know that the Son of God did nothing to deserve the death penalty, but he recieved that capital punishment so that we could be pardoned and so that our sins could be forgiven (not just the sins I have already committed, but all the sins I will ever commit in my time on earth). It is my desire to follow Christs example, not in the way He died (I don't think anyone wants to dies on a cross) but in the way He lived while on earth.

Follow up posts on this topic to come...
-RM2

Symphony, 1000mi, the week to come

2005-03-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

Today is Tuesday. It is my day off.
I had Sunday off because I played with the Symphony and my parents and some other relatives came to town for it.
Last week was a long week. On friday, we put over 1,000 miles on 99-15, one of our ambulances. It was a 20-hour day. We went from North Platte- McCook- Lincoln- North Platte- Ogallala- Aurora, CO- North Platte. For those of you savvy in Nebraska and Colorado geography, you know that we travelled across a broad area that day.
The rest of this week will probably be spent in the ambulance or in the office.
We have boxes and boxes of company records to digitize still. I would much rather spend a long day in the ambulance than even a short amount of time scanning old documents.

Raise

2005-03-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

Raise is a funny looking word.
I got a raise today in a matter of speaking ( or blogging, I guess).
I was called into the office at work. My boss asked me how much I made an hour. Then he informed me that since I became a full-time employee, I was suppoesed to have been making a dollar more per hour. So the company will be cutting me a check for the back-pay and I will be getting a dollar per hour raise. Also my review is coming up later in the month at which time I am expecting another raise. So praise God for that news.

A test attested about abit

2005-03-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last night I took a very difficult test with four of my classmates in our EMT-Intermediate class. It covered OB-GYN, Pediatric, and Geriatric Emergencies. We went into it knowing that it would be difficult. Some of us had studied, some of us hadn't. I had. Some of us did the worksheets, so of us didn't. I did.
I am making an effort to pass the class and do well in it. I plan on taking another year of training and becoming a Paramedic. I know that it means knowing the stuff. I'll be honest, I don't have a lot of time to study and do classwork, but I know that it is important so I make time to do it.
Others in the class have me frustrated, though. They don't take it as seriously. They are more concerned about their social lives, or lacks thereof, and they talk through class all about it. They don't retain the information from lectures. They don't do the worksheets on time.
All this to say that I think I am the only one who passed the test last night. I still missed more of the question than I would have liked. But after all the others had left, I sat down with the instructor and went over what I had missed. We even found some mistakes on the answer key. So I did better than thought originally. It pays to take time and take things a little seriously.
I don't know what will happen to the other students in the class. Failing the big tests is a bad thing. I have done fairly well on all of them so far, but I cannot say that for everyone.

A quiet week

2005-02-19T09:20:00.000-08:00

It has been a relatively quiet week this week. I only went out on a few transports. My birthday came and went with out too much hoorah. I got some of the obligatory cards, email, and phone calls. My favorite gift was a lamp with jazz musicians on the base.

My jazz group is playing for the 50th anniversary gala for the North Platte Opportunity Center. We'll start practicing seriously for that sometime soon here.

24

2005-02-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day at this age.
My birthday is tomorrow. I'll be 25 years old.
By now I would have thought I'd be married and had kids, but I guess that didn't happen.
I don't think I could've owned my own house by now, though, but I do.

Tomorrow I turn 25. I'll be a quarter-century old.
I don't feel that old. I still feel pretty young.
Youth is a relative term. The majority of the people I work with, and patients I attend to, keep my feeling young. In truth, I am one of the youngest people who work for our company. The majority of our patients are older than me, too. I have much to learn from them.

I look forward to being 25.

Long Road Behind

2005-02-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

People always talk about "the long road ahead," but how often do we think about the long road behind us. It is sometime interesting to think back and see how far you've come. Do you remember what you were doing ten years ago? five years ago? last year?

My suggestion... Think about the "Long Road Behind" and remember everything you've been through. It should help you cope on your journey down the long road ahead.

Rendering unto Caesar...Bleu Cheese Dressing

2005-02-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to start thinking about taxes.
One of the joys of homeownership is getting to pay property taxes. Then comes the IRS taxes, and then state income taxes. This year, I should be getting money back from both the state and the federal government. I tend to overpay every year.

While taxes seem to be a necessity, it would be nice to have more of a say where the money went. My taxes go to pay for a lot of things that I wouldn't out of my own money want to pay for.

Also, I have developed a tasted for Bleu Cheese Dressing. It is especially good on chicken wings and french fries. People look at me funny when I ask for a side of bleu chees dressing, but then I explain to them that I happen to like it. I seem to be a minority among such things.

Taxes, Bleu Chees Dressing, your comments are welcome.

Celebration Sunday Practice

2005-01-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

Last night I was at church until almost 11pm. We were rehearsing as a praise team for Celebration Sunday, Jan 30th. It will be a big service with a lot of music. The praise team has got a new place out front on the platform. Someday, I'll get pictures of my church and praise team up here, maybe even some tunes.

Last Call

2005-01-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

I bought a couple of new CD's today. They are all by Phil Keaggy. PK is one of the best guitarists in the world. "Lights of Madrid" had a bunch of spanish/flemenco type songs on it. My favorite song on it is "Last Call." If you get a chance, be sure to listen.

I've been to Denver and to Omaha in the past two days. It makes for a lot of time on the road in the ambulance, but I love it. I meant that I have a lot of time on the card this week already which means the end of the week probably won't be busy. It could also mean I might be in for some major overtime hours. Either way, I'd be happy.

Beautiful Scandalous Night

2005-01-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

That is the name of a Smalltown Poets song from a long time ago and is one of my favorite songs. It is from one of their first albums ever, but it is a classic. I hope they redo it sometime. Maybe they have. My favorite line...
"Atoned by His blood and forever washed white,
on that beautiful scandalous night."

Galls Revisited

2005-01-14T16:54:00.000-08:00

My order from Galls (all but the back-ordered stuff) arrived today, a lot sooner than I expected. My praise goes out to the company for their expeditiousness. In my previous post, I spoke out in frustration against one of their customer service representatives. I am still a little upset that the person said she was looking at the website while we were on the phone and quoting me a price that was different then I had seen before. When I was able to get online later that morning the price was the same as it had been when I ordered. It seems impossible that she could have been telling the truth. It was, in my opinion, very poor customer service. But I am very satisfied with my order. I got the parka I wanted at the price listed, and in a very time fashion.

The Gall of Gall's Gal

2005-01-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the way you are treated by a single person can really effect the way you feel about a company. Yesterday I was lied to over the phone by a woman at Galls. Galls is a company that caters to EMS, firefighters, law enforcement, and military personnel. I had placed a fairly sizable order online for some stuff, and the invoice they sent me was wrong. I called their customer service people and I was lied to by someone. It had to do with a price that was quoted online. She told me she was looking at the price on the website as we were speaking and it was $74.99. When I went online a few minutes later, the price was $29.99, the price I had purchased the item at. I had been billed for the $74.99, though. I called them back, spoke to another woman, and got the situation rectified. I can only assume that the first woman I spoke with was lying to me. She could not have been looking at the online price as we were speaking or she would have seen what I had seen and seen the listed price. When I realized I was being lied to I was rather upset. Galls has a good reputation around where I work and I was disappointed that my first dealing with them was such a hassle.

How do you guys feel when you are lied to?

Lullabyes

2005-01-11T11:33:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of favorite songs. Favorite Christmas songs, favorite hymns, favorite country music tune, etc. But it seems like my favorites songs of all are lullabyes. My favorite one is simply called "Lullabye" by Don Fransisco. It goes something like this...

Darkness covers all the Land.
Sounds of Day are gone.
But love is all around you now
And will be till the dawn.
So theres no need to be afraid,
All the whol night through,
For God has made a promise, child,
That he'll take care of you.

Stars shine on the windowsill,
The moon shines through the trees.
Angels by your bed tonight
Shine where no one sees.
All that you've been dreaming of
Awaits you when you rise,
So with the peace that Jesus brings,
Close your sleepy eyes.

What is your favorite lullaby and why?

Not So Silent Night

2005-01-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

Look to your right. In the profile, you should now be able to click and listen to a recording of Silent Night I made while I was playing around on a piano at church a few weeks ago. There will be more to come. I'll change the music, too, so ya'll don't get too bored.

Denver

2005-01-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

Today I took a 11 hour run to Denver Childrens Hospital. Denver is a bit crazy to drive in sometimes, especially in a huge ambulance. I like the Denver trips, though. Mostly it is because I like to see the mountains. Being from Wyoming, and now living in Nebraska, I miss the mountains. Next time we go, I need to get some good pictures if I remember to stick my camera in my jacket pocket.
Got any Denver or mountain stories, tell them in the comments.

195,000+ Miles

2005-01-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

That is how many miles are on my car. I own a 1993 Toyota Camry Wagon. I have put 75,000 of those miles myself in the last 4 years since I have owned it. It has been a great car and had taken me many places. Here is a picture of it in front of my house.

http://photos2.flickr.com/2256958_f0d0309c2e_m.jpg

2004, a reflection

2005-01-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

Now that its gone, we can talk about it out loud.

It was a good year for the most part.

I bought a house.

I Got a job I love.

I have settled down even more.

I get to help people.

They get to be thankful for another day alive.