List Of Things I Have/Will Do

Could say a lot of other stuff, but going to keep it simple. So, in no particular order here goes...

Things I have done:

1. Flown a plane
2. Flown in an open-cockpit biplane
   
3. Driven a boat
4. Gone indoor skydiving
5. Built a potato gun
6. Driven a Corvette
7. Fired a rifle, pistol, and shotgun
   
8. Gone on a roadtrip w/ friends
9. Seen "The Declaration of Independance" and "The Constitution" w/ my own eyes.
   
10. Been to the top of the Empire State Building
11. Seen (what was/is) the World Trace Center
    
12. Wakeboarded and innertubed
    
13. Walked the streets and taken the subway of Manhattan
14. Been to down-town Chicago
15. Been to 'The Strip' in Las Vegas
    
16. Witnessed my best friend graduate from boot camp
17. Attended a John Mayer concert
18. Seen a super-old map book in the depths of the Library of Congress as well as super old maps of where I live
19. Been to Washington, DC and seen all the monuments
20. Worn BDUs w/ LBE
21. Visited Hearst Castle
22. Swam in the ocean
23. Graduated high school with a college degree
24. Smoked a cigar
25. Gotten a speeding ticket
26. Was involved in a car accident
    
27. Been to the University of Washington and Central Washington University
28. Worked in the food-service industry
29. Been to Disneyland and Seaworld
30. Been to a Broadway show
31. Been camping
32. Played several instruments
33. Completed a titration
34. Became a registered voter
35. Seen a (pro) baseball and basketball game

Things I want to do:

1. Get my pilot license
2. Backpack through Europe (could separate into several other bullets)
3. Sail around the world
4. Join the Traveler's Century Club (visit over 100 countries)
5. Fluently speak a foreign language
6. Get my HAM radio license
7. Get a bachelor's degree
8. Get my Airframe & Powerplant Certification
9. Learn HDR and black-and-white photography
10. Climb a mountain
11. Build my dream home
12. Save a life
13. Get my EMT-P (paramedic) certification
14. Become a Firefighter/Paramedic
15. Incorporate home automation into my house
16. See the Grand Canyon
17. Own a significant amount of land
18. Build my own plane
19. Have a family
20. Restore a classic Chevy
21. Own a motorcycle
22. Own several guns
23. Get my CCW permit
24. Maintain a 'physically fit' lifestyle
25. Learn a martial art
26. Learn to rock climb
27. Walk into the wilderness and live for an extended period of time
28. Go into space (could be possible in my lifetime)
29. Mentor a teenager
30. Learn basic woodworking, metalworking, and home repair
31. Try scuba diving
32. Go on a cruise
33. Play 'airplane roulette' at least once
34. Have my dad over for an amazing BBQ of my own someday
35. Write a book (maybe, sounds overrated and I'm not a great writer)
36. Get married
37. Own a truck
38. Go on a road trip with no predetermined destination
39. Visit (at least drive through) every state
40. Fly in a helicopter
41. Live like there is no tomorrow

Well... That's all I got right now. Some of these are more trivial than others but I think, overall, this is a good representation of how I want to live my life and what I want to do. I will talk to you all later.

Goodnight,
Daniel

A New Post...

Dare I say that moving out to Central was a waste of valuable time and resources? I am beginning to believe this is true. Although I still maintain that some good must come from it Only time will tell.

<sacrasm>
I could focus on the problems of the past, but why do that when you can have even more fun discussing the likely problems of the future!
</sacrasm>

By the way... That is an HTML reference for you all because, inside, I have the genes of a techy and I am proud of them. If I only knew Ruby on Rails!

Like I was saying, though. Could it be any harder to get into the Tacoma Community College EMT program?! I'm surprised I didn't have to sign anything in blood. Wait a second... I'm not even done filling out all the applications, maybe I will...

I am rambling because I am so bored/frustrated/hungry/tired and I can't get over it. Although I have never been an 'angry' person, there are times in my life that I just want to break something. These thoughts usually involves me judo-chopping a desk in half while semi-caveman screaming at the top my lungs (bad picture, I know). Then I stand like the Incredible Hulk with my shoulders hunched over and legs bent slightly, looking at the new piece of modern art that I worked so hard to create. Sometimes I just keep punching stuff. 'Nough said.

Onto more pressing topics... I got Steven my guitar and amp for Christmas. That's right, haha... I think it will go to good use in his presence. Actually, it has gone to good use in his presence! He already has a set-up that is good for what he likes. That is, if you like to pound your head on a brick wall or judo-chop a desk in half. My favorite lyrics of any Killswitch Engage song are "fixation on the darkness that engulfs this world drain the life force of our people"... Okay, okay... I may have taken that a little out of context, but just intersperse the word "change" randomly in the middle and you have the gist.

So, that's about all I got right now but I am thinking about making another post shortly. I mean within another hour or so. Not sure, though. There may be a new episode of "I Love New York 2" on that I just have to watch. Either that or "A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila". Ugh.......

Later,
Daniel

P.S. I'm trying to be more entertaining... Is it working?

10 Songs I Would Be Murdered For Listening To

Well, it has been a while since I've posted anything and this one is certainly a treat (for you). Haha... I am surely going to regret it! But what the hey. In the interest of entertainment and being myself, I'm moving forward. My friends know that I don't care much about what people think and I am pretty confident, so here goes. In no particular order:

1. "Love Song" by Sara Bareillis - I honestly really, really like this song. The way that the chords build into the AMAZING (and extremely catchy) chorus is just gratifying. I don't think there's much else to say about this song. There are a lot of intricacies that I like about this song.
2. "Woody's Roundup" by Riders in the Sky - I know Ben wouldn't kill me for this one because he showed it to me! Haha... This one is from the Disney movie Toy Story 2 I think. It reminds me of being a kid I guess. The simple harmonies and the nice violin in the background. The way that the chords build is so awesome. Ahh... It is just a nice song!
3. "She's Everything" by Brad Paisley - Great song... But I'd still be murdered for listening to it because It's country. I'd say my friends are missing out, simple as that.
4. "Wait For You" by Elliott Yamin - Another great song... Unfortunately for me it's borderline R&B and a full-bodied Pop. I like the way the beat is as well as the really driving chords. Each phrase increases the 'pressure'.
   
5. "Misery Business" by Paramore - Well, the girl can sing. I would describe this as punk rock, that's one strike. I can't get passed the chorus, it is very satisfying. Something about it is very catchy. I definitely won't vouch for the 'skill' of the musicians. Sometimes a song doesn't have to be complex to be good.
6. "Come A Little Closer" by Dierks Bentley - Completely country, drawl and everything. It is almost sickening. I really like it though. 'Nough said.
7. "Cupid's Chokehold" by Gym Class Heroes - It is the "buh-da-da-da". If you know what I'm talking about, I think you would agree. That is the only part I sing when I'm listening to this song. It is just fun to sing that over and over again. "Buh-da-da-da"...
8. "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey - Oh boy... I like the harmonies though... Look folks, I don't make this stuff up! Haha... And I can't help what songs I like! What can I say. I'm not going to not listen to something I like because someone thinks something weird about me (without even knowing me, anyways).
9. "Our Song" by Taylor Swift - The main thing about this song is that it is SO catchy. I mean holy cow... She sounds like a 12 year old, but it is just so catchy!
10. "On The Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera - I can't stand the guy and I don't even like the song that much but it is nostalgic. It is the song that happened to be playing on the radio when I got my ticket. That was when I was in the 11th grade. It reminds me of a better time I guess.

So there ya go everyone... I have equipped you with enough ammo to make fun of me for years. But like I said: I don't make this stuff up and I can't help what songs I like! Besides, these are pretty much the only songs that fit this category anyways.

Look, I'll get back to you guys later! I hope you all had as great a Thanksgiving as I did.

Goodnight,
Daniel

*Drool*

Later,
Daniel

Edit: Well... I originally had to leave so that I could get to this combo jazz night thing that is required for my music class. I got there and they had a sign up saying that it was moved to 8:30pm instead of 7:00pm because of something else going on. So I'm back and I can spend a little more time on this post. I hope you like the video. This is the first time that I have done something like this, but I definitely want to do more in the future, along with pictures and other cool stuff.

When I started this blog, I wasn't that motivated to write that often, but now that it has grown, I have enjoyed it more and more. I just want to keep watering it so to speak. I don't have a lot to say, so I guess I'll let everyone get back to it. By the way... It is kind of frustrating that the jazz night was moved to a later time because now I won't get to watch The Unit! Oh well...

World Travel

This post is mainly directed at Steven. I know that Ben will have already seen a lot of the world by the time that Steven and I get around to doing this, but I would love for it to be the 3 of us guys as well. Anyways... Are you still game with doing our backpacking trip? I know that I sure am!

I have decided that I am going to start putting away money once I get a job so that when you get out of school or get up enough money or whatever it is, we can head out on this great backpacking trip that we've been talking about. I can just imagine how awesome it would be. We would have to figure out where to go, how to get there, and I know that things will go extremely wrong at least once.

I think 6 months is what I would like to aim for. Traveling to/through almost every European country and really having the adventure of a lifetime. It has to be long enough that we forget that we are ever going home, until of course it comes to an end.

In the meantime... I was thinking that we should both get together sometime and actually start planning out our trip. I think we should make a huge list of places and things that we want to see and then start figuring out what we'll have to do to accomplish it. I'm sure we'll have to cross some places off our list, but we should be able to hit most of them. Also, I think we should compile a list of all the languages that we will need to have a brief knowledge of. We can split the list in half and each of us can learn as much as we can about each language so that when we get over there, you or I will be in charge of communication when people are speaking our language. You know what I mean?

We can compile a list of all the resources we might need for wherever we are traveling; where all the hostels are, train stations, airports, etc. This would be good so that we can plan on the fly. If we want to stay an extra day someplace, we can. Anyways... You want to do some of this this weekend? I know it is a long time in the future (I don't think I'll have about $20k anytime soon) but it is so complex that we need to start planning as soon as possible. This will be the craziest trip of our entire lives!

I cannot wait for the day when we are on a train, exhausted, traveling through the middle of Germany or France or England or wherever, just quiet and listening to music on our way to our next destination. The experiences are priceless!

Sound good? Let me know what you think...

Hasta la Vista,
Daniel

Those Cigars...

So, I went to the 'cigar store', aka the tobacconist, and I asked the lady there what I should get for my first smoke. She recommended a few different ones for me to try, so I got two. I also had to get a cutter and she gave me some matches and something to keep them in so that they wouldn't dry out.

I waited to smoke them until I was back at my apartment. It was pretty simple, although it was extremely tough to light it up with the matches because they went out so fast. I finally got it lit and started actually smoking it.

It was pretty uneventful. The taste was definitely earthy and unique. The taste of the cigar appealed to me in the same way that coffee does. It is a kind of bitterness, i guess. The only thing that I didn't like as much is that the flavor was on my tongue for a long, long time. Not a huge deal, though.

The next day I smoked the other one just to get rid of it (for the most part). Overall, I'm glad I did it. It is not something I would do every day, or even every week, but there is a time for it to be enjoyed I think; Like a fine glass of wine.

Anyways... Not much else to say I guess. One thing I wanted to mention was that I noticed that my writing is poor when I'm listening to music. In the future I am going to try and refrain from listening to music while I write in order to keep the quality and coherency in check. Have a good night.

Later,
Daniel

My Roommate

He sure is an interesting fellow. I originally had two roommates, Todd and Mark. Todd was actually on a waiting list for an apartment that he had set up, so he ended up having to leave about 3 weeks into the quarter. He was a great guy and I regret not keeping up as well as I should.

So I'm stuck with Mark! That isn't a bad thing i guess, but it isn't a good thing either. He rarely leaves his room but he is a nice guy. We don't have much in common so I don't expect us to become friends or anything. He actually has provided me with some form of entertainment over the past weeks that I've been here. I will hit my two favorite highlights for you...

First, a week before last, he simply walked out of his room, opened the front door, glanced in my direction before stepping out and informed me that he was going on a road trip to Los Angeles so I shouldn't worry. Literally out of nowhere! It reminded me of Groundhog's Day. I was a little taken back by this so I was like "umm... okay, I guess I'll see you later then." And that was it! He was gone for about 6 days I think. Later he told me it was "the craziest weekend of his life." I don't have any doubt about that.

Second, courtesy of Mark, we now have another roommate. Mark had his friend over and they were in his room (you guessed it!) doing whatever they do, watching YouTube videos of cars I think, when he comes out and asks me if I want to see our new roommate. I was like "uh... okay then." He told me to "stay right here", then came out shortly after with a hamster that he has affectionately named "Winston". I was like "what!?" and he told me that he was just $20 at the pet store. He now lives in a box on one of the desks at my place. I will eventually post a picture of him, but he is a shy one, so it is a trick to even get one.

Anyways... I believe he is pretty well taken care of as he has some bedding, a plastic house, a water bottle, and some food. Mark seems to take pretty good care of him, i guess.

Mark doesn't get in my way, in fact he doesn't do all that much of anything that I know about (except I'm pretty sure he smokes pot every once in a while). He seems to be a nice guy and I can't help but laugh to myself when he does the crazy stuff he does. By the way... At this very moment, his friend is over and I can hear weird jet-engine type noises coming from his room, haha... Funny.

Goodnight,
Daniel

Uncertainty

This is that second post that I was talking about :). Need I say more? After I was done with that last post (below this one) I decided to change it up and make it a little more creative. I swapped out my pic to a little better one. I look semi-high but I'm wearing a smirk that is pretty normal for me.

Anyways... Onto more important topics. Oh, by the way, if anybody comes on here I would love to see a comment every now and then. Not that you have to, but it will be more exciting to here your thoughts as well.

I guess before I go, I will hit on a very important topic for me. The past 6 months or so have been a huge change for me. I changed colleges, changed careers, changed living accomodations, and I even changed my plans many times. This has become a frustration of mine. It seems that every time I think I'm making progress, I always hit a brick wall. Now it is becoming more and more apparent that my time at Central was pretty much for nothing.

When I got to Central I was anticipating getting my EMT-B certification in winter quarter because I needed a prerequisite First-Aid class. I met with the head of the department, Jim Pierce, and he informed me that number one, I didn't need the First Aid class anyway, and two, they aren't offering the EMT class in winter quarter. So I'm frozen basically. He did give me a contact however, where I'm hoping I might get my certification in the same time-frame this winter. It isn't as high-caliber of a class, which is disappointing, but there isn't much to be done about this.

What's more... I found out that to be a Paramedic in King County, you are required to go through their Paramedic program. Granted, it is touted as the best program in the world. I would very, very much like to get into this program because it is operated at Harborview Medical Center alongside the University of Washington, not to mention the fact that it is "ten times more rigorous than any program that Central could ever offer", according to an experienced classmate. I definitely want to be the best.

So, does this mean that I'm going to be forced to leave Central? I mean, I still have a housing contract and going for just a single quarter doesn't show much commitment. I think I will have to stay at Central for at least one more quarter in order to have housing while I'm taking this new EMT class through Kittitas County (I think). Regardless, I will have to leave soon and once I do, there won't be much of a point unless I have to settle on coming back because I can't make it into the King County program.

Another thing I should mention is that I also feel extremely uncomfortable about my parents helping me out so much with the financial aspect of everything. I just want them to know that I am so grateful and I know there is no way I could do any of this without them. I really hope I can settle into an EMT or firefighter position soon so I can get on my feet and start paying them back. I really feel obligated to start paying them back by the time Matt gets into college. That is my personal goal, regardless of how supportive they are. The last thing I want to do is make it harder for my parents to offer the same support to Matt when he gets into college.

It is a good time to mention that to even get into the paramedic program offered by King County, you have to have at least 3 years experience as an EMT. During those first 3 years, I will most likely get my Firefighter I & II certifications (at least I) which would be great. I definitely want both the fire and EMS sides.

This may turn out to be a good thing but in the meantime, there is not much certainty in my life. It is akin to a combat zone: you make a plan, realizing in the first place that your plan is literally going to be shot to hell. The best I can do is to keep pushing forward and pray for the best.

I have to crash but thanks for coming here and getting in on the action, haha... If anyone has any advice, I would love to hear it. I have a lot to write about right now, so don't be surprised to see more posts in the near future. Also, once I get up to Skykomish for volunteer work I definitely plan on bringing my camera and snapping some great pics of my work and the Cascades. I will get those posted soon after, but keep in mind that ski season hasn't even started yet so that is probably a while down the road. I also want to make a post about me and those cigars I told you I'd buy... Haha... Fun stuff, I smoked them both. Talk to you guys later!

Goodnight,
Daniel

Leadership

Yesterday was a great day. I went on a long drive up to the Skykomish fire department, just pass Stevens Pass. It was about a 2 hour drive up from Ellensburg. We first went to one fire station where we had a brief class on head trauma so we could be prepared for the ski season. This department is responsible for the pass and the roads in and around the area which can become very dangerous with ice. We have to be prepared for more 'trauma' cases vs. 'medical' cases. We had a little bit of a meet and greet with the volunteer firefighters up there and then went to the main department where we would be sleeping and living.

It seems like a great place. The volunteers made it clear that they will be letting us do pretty much as much work as we are comfortable with. I feel confident in my abilities, but I also know that I'm about the least experienced person there. We got to jump in their rigs so we know where all the equipment we might need is. I can tell that the first time out is going to be STRESSFUL, haha... I am excited though. It is almost unrealistic getting in the ambulances and seeing all this stuff. I am still trying to accept the reality that I have all the equipment available to me. I have to accept the fact that in an emergency I'm in charge. Even if I'm not completely sure, I have to look 100% confident so that the patient is confident. Imagine if I told a patient that I've never done something before! If they are really scared, they could actually go into shock and that would be HORRIBLE! I almost have to switch into a 'leader' mode. I really change when this happens and I love it! It comes completely naturally to me when I do switch, though.

My goal is to become a captain of a fire department or station. They are ultimately responsible for their team, but they also get to be in the action with their team. If you become a chief, you have to do a lot of paperwork and you see less action in general. I might want this when I get older, but definitely not for most of my career. The biggest thing I enjoy about being a leader is putting your team first. One of the things that bugs me so much about retail is how the managers are so stuck-up. My last boss, Scott, was actually a great guy. He even came in on the 4th of July to support the people working that day. Most managers would think that they earned their day off, etc. But Scott came in and struggled through it with us. I guess this follows the "don't tell your team to do anything that you wouldn't do yourself" motto, and I respect him for that.

I was going to go more in depth about my views on leadership, but I was having trouble actually explaining it. Anyways... I am very excited to go on my first call and have my first patient. I gotta put my 'leader cap' on and get to it! I'm thinking about doing another post literally right after this tonight, but we'll see i guess haha...

Later,
Daniel

Random Rant

I wanted to make a post but I didn't have anything really important to talk about, so I'm going to mush a whole bunch of small thoughts into one post.

First... There has been this anticipation that all the time I'm spending over there in Ellensburg would turn me into some crazy cowboy. That definitely hasn't happened, but I have found some country songs that I like. I think it's the lyrics that appeal to me. I have also decided that I like the country more consistently than the city. I tend to like the city when I realize that there is nothing to do around a small town. I really enjoy the wide-open space more than having the trees everywhere. This is just generally speaking. I can put myself in the mood for anything, really.

Second... I came home a couple days early from school in order to spend Halloween with my family and hand out candy with Steven while playing some guitar, as per tradition. I have really enjoyed the brief vacation.

Third... I saw "American Gangster". That was a good movie, I thought. It wasn't my favorite at all and some of it was a little hard to follow because there were so many players in the drug war that it portrayed.

Woah... This is a real time update! After that last paragraph up there (my 3rd point) I was changing the song that was playing in Napster and I was thinking in my head about how I really want to support Napster because I don't like the monopoly that iTunes has created, but I have a hard time supporting them when their software pretty much sucks when compared to iTunes. Then I signed in to find another song and it asked if I wanted to go to a site to download the NEW version! I was like "heck yeah" and I just downloaded it as I was typing this... Now it is installing. We will see........

Anyways, like I was saying... Actually, I didn't have anything else to say about that topic anyways.

The last point I was going to talk about I now cannot remember because I am preoccupied with this installation. Ah crap... It's telling me I have to restart my computer.

Well... I'll talk to you guys later and finish this post sometime. Actually, I like where it is. I'll post again soon.

Later,
Daniel