I won't be able to post another message or do anything else on 2/29 until another 4 years has passed by.
When that time comes around I will hopefully have started a successful career, moved into an apartment, condo, or house, started saving for retirement, received my pilot's license, started dating a nice girl, and maybe even traveled a bit. I will be 23, almost 24, years old and having a great time. I will own a gun or two, own the truck of my dreams and continue fixing it, and drive the truck to the range with my buddies for a day of shooting.
Ah... I can't wait. Once I get grounded, I will have enough time and stability to enjoy working and to enjoy life. Ben will have moved back up here I hope. Steven will be close, if not done, with college. And I will be having the time of my life.
This is my vision of the future 4 years from now and I honestly think that I am well on my way, although it is going to take a lot more work to get there.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Real Deal
This is what music is all about... This isn't about charisma, style, or anything like that. I could go on and on, but it speaks for itself. I don't care how fruity he is and if every teen girl likes him then who cares... That is a damn good interpretation of that song. Better than the original??? I thought it was more complex and more intense than the original. It hits a whole other depth of emotion...
Later,
Daniel
Daniel
Monday, February 25, 2008
My New Toy
A few days ago I was perusing You Tube when I stumbled across something really cool: blues harmonica! It looked like something I would like to learn so I went onto Musician's Friend and discovered that you can buy a professional harmonica for $30! Thirty bucks?! For the cost of a new pair of pants I can learn a brand new instrument?! Needless to say, I purchased that little sucker and it was on it's way (hey that rhymes...).
Today I was about to step out the door to run some errands when I saw the mail lady coming round the corner... I stepped back inside because I didn't want to stand there and wait like an idiot while she walked up to my house, probably thinking I was some kind of creep or something (I can just picture the awkward silence). I heard the doorbell ring and gave it just a second till the lady was gone. It is always a great feeling to get a package!
I only played it for a little while today but I am hoping to get pretty good at it. We'll see... Anyways, I gotta go.
Today I was about to step out the door to run some errands when I saw the mail lady coming round the corner... I stepped back inside because I didn't want to stand there and wait like an idiot while she walked up to my house, probably thinking I was some kind of creep or something (I can just picture the awkward silence). I heard the doorbell ring and gave it just a second till the lady was gone. It is always a great feeling to get a package!
I only played it for a little while today but I am hoping to get pretty good at it. We'll see... Anyways, I gotta go.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Quick Post
I really, really like cigars... Just this last Friday night I mentioned to Steven while we were playing pool (correction: while I was owning him at pool... right Steven? :) ) that I was really craving a good cigar. Simply put, he definitely agreed.
So we finally got a chance to light up a couple Ashton maduro cigars that we had been saving for almost two whole months. Our first cigar in about a month and a half; it was very satisfying. The only drawback was that it was so damn cold outside I almost became my own hypothermia patient. It is such a great feeling to sit outside with a couple friends and just 'chill' with a good cigar.
I am starting to pick up some shift-leader duties at work. By next Sunday I should be able to open the store myself, which will take a lot of strain off of management. Not only that, but I should be able to pick up quite a few more hours. There are a lot of benefits to taking on more responsibilities and I am definitely grateful to have the opportunity.
So we finally got a chance to light up a couple Ashton maduro cigars that we had been saving for almost two whole months. Our first cigar in about a month and a half; it was very satisfying. The only drawback was that it was so damn cold outside I almost became my own hypothermia patient. It is such a great feeling to sit outside with a couple friends and just 'chill' with a good cigar.
I am starting to pick up some shift-leader duties at work. By next Sunday I should be able to open the store myself, which will take a lot of strain off of management. Not only that, but I should be able to pick up quite a few more hours. There are a lot of benefits to taking on more responsibilities and I am definitely grateful to have the opportunity.
Later,
Daniel
Daniel
Thursday, February 14, 2008
EMT Class
So... I am about halfway through my EMT class now and I'm proud to say that I have a 97.85% overall grade. As far as I know, that is the best grade in the class! I got a 99/100 on the last written test and a 95/100 on the test before that. Not much else to say except that I hope I can keep it up.
We just got done learning about emergencies that involve altered levels of consciousness. These include diabetic emergencies, stroke, trauma, and drugs/alcohol. The class is getting really interesting because we spend a majority of the time running through scenarios and discussing possible actions, etc. with classmates.
One of tonight's simulated dispatches was a "66 yr. old male pt. complaining of chest pain." From this simulated dispatch Cliff (my instructor) will quickly ask the class to provide three possible scenarios: how about MI (myocardial infarction, aka. heart attack), trauma, and angina. Formulating these scenarios gets us thinking of what the possibilities are before we actually arrive on scene. Obviously we have to be prepared for anything, but it is good to get the thinking and investigating process started so you are thinking before you even arrive. Cliff always says that he wants to make "thinking EMTs" out of us because "our patients haven't read our book" and therefore won't present in the supine anatomical position with respirations between 12 and 20 breaths/min. and a BP of 120/80, etc. if you get what I mean...
Anyways... After we have this broad plan set up, we 'arrive on scene'. Is the scene safe? Have I taken enough body substance isolation precautions? How many patients do I have? Do I have enough EMTs and treatment capabilities available to me? Do we need to call advanced life support (ALS)? Do we need the cops?! What is the possible mechanism of injury or nature of illness? These questions should all be running through your head before you have even gotten out of the rig. Of course we always have to consider the possibility of spinal injuries, also.
On to patient assessment! First we have to form a general impression... Is the patient hunched over with his hand on his chest gasping for air? Is he even conscious? Is he diaphoretic and pale? We then need to talk to the patient, achieve expressed consent to touch them, and get his chief complaint. We need to check his level of consciousness. Hopefully he will be conscious and talking to you. That way you know he has a patent airway and you can achieve a focused history. After quickly assessing the ABCs (Airway, Breathing, and Circulation) we have to get a set of baseline vital signs.
The focused history ensues... Why did you call us? What hurts? When did the pain start? Does anything make the pain better/worse? Describe the pain... Does the pain move at all? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain you can imagine) how would you rate the pain? Is the pain constant? Does the pain come and go? Have you done anything to try and stop the pain? What are you allergic to? Are you taking any medications? Has this ever happened to you before? What was the last time you ate or drank anything, and what was it? What were you doing when the pain started?
Whew... And then comes the focused physical exam, detailed physical exam, several sets of vital signs, etc. All of this in (ideally) well under 10 minutes. Isn't it awesome!? This person's life depends upon you! You have to think quickly and stay calm and in charge. I love it... Now if I could just get out on a call! My emergency room time is scheduled for March 4 from 11:00pm to 9:00am... That's right, I purposely chose the night shift and I'm hoping to see something awesome like several gunshot wounds or something.
Sound good?
We just got done learning about emergencies that involve altered levels of consciousness. These include diabetic emergencies, stroke, trauma, and drugs/alcohol. The class is getting really interesting because we spend a majority of the time running through scenarios and discussing possible actions, etc. with classmates.
One of tonight's simulated dispatches was a "66 yr. old male pt. complaining of chest pain." From this simulated dispatch Cliff (my instructor) will quickly ask the class to provide three possible scenarios: how about MI (myocardial infarction, aka. heart attack), trauma, and angina. Formulating these scenarios gets us thinking of what the possibilities are before we actually arrive on scene. Obviously we have to be prepared for anything, but it is good to get the thinking and investigating process started so you are thinking before you even arrive. Cliff always says that he wants to make "thinking EMTs" out of us because "our patients haven't read our book" and therefore won't present in the supine anatomical position with respirations between 12 and 20 breaths/min. and a BP of 120/80, etc. if you get what I mean...
Anyways... After we have this broad plan set up, we 'arrive on scene'. Is the scene safe? Have I taken enough body substance isolation precautions? How many patients do I have? Do I have enough EMTs and treatment capabilities available to me? Do we need to call advanced life support (ALS)? Do we need the cops?! What is the possible mechanism of injury or nature of illness? These questions should all be running through your head before you have even gotten out of the rig. Of course we always have to consider the possibility of spinal injuries, also.
On to patient assessment! First we have to form a general impression... Is the patient hunched over with his hand on his chest gasping for air? Is he even conscious? Is he diaphoretic and pale? We then need to talk to the patient, achieve expressed consent to touch them, and get his chief complaint. We need to check his level of consciousness. Hopefully he will be conscious and talking to you. That way you know he has a patent airway and you can achieve a focused history. After quickly assessing the ABCs (Airway, Breathing, and Circulation) we have to get a set of baseline vital signs.
The focused history ensues... Why did you call us? What hurts? When did the pain start? Does anything make the pain better/worse? Describe the pain... Does the pain move at all? On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain you can imagine) how would you rate the pain? Is the pain constant? Does the pain come and go? Have you done anything to try and stop the pain? What are you allergic to? Are you taking any medications? Has this ever happened to you before? What was the last time you ate or drank anything, and what was it? What were you doing when the pain started?
Whew... And then comes the focused physical exam, detailed physical exam, several sets of vital signs, etc. All of this in (ideally) well under 10 minutes. Isn't it awesome!? This person's life depends upon you! You have to think quickly and stay calm and in charge. I love it... Now if I could just get out on a call! My emergency room time is scheduled for March 4 from 11:00pm to 9:00am... That's right, I purposely chose the night shift and I'm hoping to see something awesome like several gunshot wounds or something.
Sound good?
Later folks,
Daniel
Daniel
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The 90s... Hell Yeah!
The following is something I saw on MySpace (of all places) and it just made me smile and laugh because I knew EVERYTHING (except for 2 or 3)... I'm not even kidding.
Just because you were born in '97 doesn't mean you're a 90's kid.
It's not like you could remember the original Simpsons.
I am sorry but three conscious years of the 90's just wont cut it.
You're a 90's kid if:
You remember watching:
-Doug
-Ren & Stimpy
-Pinky and the Brain
-AAAAAAAH Real Monsters!
-Rockos modern Life.
-Animaniacs
-Gargoyles
You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"
You just cant resist finishing this . . . "In west Philadelphia born and raised . . ."
You remember:
-Step by Step
-Family Matters!!!
-Dinosaurs
-Boy Meets World!!!!
You remember when it was actually worth getting up early
on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
You remember reading "Goosebumps"
You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence . . . not
When everything was settled by:
-rock paper scissors or
-bubble gum bubble gum in a dish or
-ms. mary mack
when kick ball was a daily activity.
when we used to obey our parents
You used to listen to the radio all day long just to record your FAVORITE song of ALL time on a tape.
You remember when Super Nintendos and Sega Genisis became popular.
You remember The Original Game Boy.
You always wanted to send in a tape to America's Funniest Home Videos . . . but never taped anything funny.
You remember watching:
-The Magic School Bus
-Wishbone
-Reading Rainbow
-and Ghostwriter on PBS
You remember when Yo-Yos were cool.
You remember those Where's Waldo books.
You remember eating Warheads and Splashers Gum.
You remember watching:
-the 1st Batman
-Aladdin
-Ninja Turtles
-ghost busters
You remember Ring Pops.
If you remember when every thing was "da BOMB!"
You remember boom boxes .vs. cd players.
Making those little paper fortune cookie things, and then predicting your life with them.
You played and/or collected "Pogs" :)
You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano and brought it everywhere.
one word. . . . . . . .trolls.
Windows 95 was the best.
You watched the original cartoons of
-Rugrats
-Wild Thornberry's
-Power Rangers
-Rocket Power.
All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand.
You collected those Beanie Babies.
Carebears
Lambchop's song never ended.
Silver dollars, which were cool to have.
Everyone watched the WB.
If you even know what an original walkman is.
You know the Macarena by heart.
"Talk to the hand" . . . enough said
You went to McDonald's to play in the playplace.
You remember playing on merry go rounds at the playground.
Before the MySpace frenzy . . .
Before the Internet & text messaging . . .
Before Sidekicks & iPods . . .
Before PlayStation3 or X-BOX 360 . . .
Before Spongebob . . .
Before Tupac was shot.
When light up sneakers were cool.
When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
When gas was $0.95 a gallon.
When we recorded stuff on VCRs.
You had slap bracelets!
You Actually played outside until it was dark!
Way back.
Before we realized all this would eventually disappear.
Things I might add:
-Writing "ZAP" on your hand
-Mambo #5
-Beanie Babies
-Roller Blades
-Slip 'n Slides
-Super Soaker fights
-Pokemon
... That's all I got right now. But isn't this whole list awesome?!
Just because you were born in '97 doesn't mean you're a 90's kid.
It's not like you could remember the original Simpsons.
I am sorry but three conscious years of the 90's just wont cut it.
You're a 90's kid if:
You remember watching:
-Doug
-Ren & Stimpy
-Pinky and the Brain
-AAAAAAAH Real Monsters!
-Rockos modern Life.
-Animaniacs
-Gargoyles
You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"
You just cant resist finishing this . . . "In west Philadelphia born and raised . . ."
You remember:
-Step by Step
-Family Matters!!!
-Dinosaurs
-Boy Meets World!!!!
You remember when it was actually worth getting up early
on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
You remember reading "Goosebumps"
You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence . . . not
When everything was settled by:
-rock paper scissors or
-bubble gum bubble gum in a dish or
-ms. mary mack
when kick ball was a daily activity.
when we used to obey our parents
You used to listen to the radio all day long just to record your FAVORITE song of ALL time on a tape.
You remember when Super Nintendos and Sega Genisis became popular.
You remember The Original Game Boy.
You always wanted to send in a tape to America's Funniest Home Videos . . . but never taped anything funny.
You remember watching:
-The Magic School Bus
-Wishbone
-Reading Rainbow
-and Ghostwriter on PBS
You remember when Yo-Yos were cool.
You remember those Where's Waldo books.
You remember eating Warheads and Splashers Gum.
You remember watching:
-the 1st Batman
-Aladdin
-Ninja Turtles
-ghost busters
You remember Ring Pops.
If you remember when every thing was "da BOMB!"
You remember boom boxes .vs. cd players.
Making those little paper fortune cookie things, and then predicting your life with them.
You played and/or collected "Pogs" :)
You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano and brought it everywhere.
one word. . . . . . . .trolls.
Windows 95 was the best.
You watched the original cartoons of
-Rugrats
-Wild Thornberry's
-Power Rangers
-Rocket Power.
All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand.
You collected those Beanie Babies.
Carebears
Lambchop's song never ended.
Silver dollars, which were cool to have.
Everyone watched the WB.
If you even know what an original walkman is.
You know the Macarena by heart.
"Talk to the hand" . . . enough said
You went to McDonald's to play in the playplace.
You remember playing on merry go rounds at the playground.
Before the MySpace frenzy . . .
Before the Internet & text messaging . . .
Before Sidekicks & iPods . . .
Before PlayStation3 or X-BOX 360 . . .
Before Spongebob . . .
Before Tupac was shot.
When light up sneakers were cool.
When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.
When gas was $0.95 a gallon.
When we recorded stuff on VCRs.
You had slap bracelets!
You Actually played outside until it was dark!
Way back.
Before we realized all this would eventually disappear.
Things I might add:
-Writing "ZAP" on your hand
-Mambo #5
-Beanie Babies
-Roller Blades
-Slip 'n Slides
-Super Soaker fights
-Pokemon
... That's all I got right now. But isn't this whole list awesome?!
Later,
Daniel
Daniel
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Grade Inflation: Justifying Mediocrity?
Quickly (and w/o any regard as to style and grammar)...
I was thinking today about what it would be like if every teacher suddenly switched to a completely curved grading system. Actually, a modified curved grading system would do, too; one with a passing cut-off and a failing cut-off. This would raise the competitiveness of schools and remove the problem of grade inflation... Finally an A would actually be worth something! And a C would be average again... Not only that, but the C average would actually be determined by the students grades instead of some arbitrary number that some teacher thinks is passing. Why is 75/100 questions 'passing' anyways? Have you ever thought about that? Usually teachers compensate for this by adding a certain number of points to every students test.
I don't know... I just think this would be so much better. And if it were up to me too, I would make a majority of the grade rely on test scores instead of homework... But that's just me. It boggles my mind as to how some people can just 'blank' on a test.
Ooh... And if we incorporated standardized tests into the mix, we could compare the curves of all schools and school districts. This way we could award more funding to whichever schools have the best scores in order to breed competition and rivalry. No teacher could ever mask there effectiveness by handing out 'A's all the time then. Of course, vouchers would be a must too.
Hmm... This stuff is so interesting!
I was thinking today about what it would be like if every teacher suddenly switched to a completely curved grading system. Actually, a modified curved grading system would do, too; one with a passing cut-off and a failing cut-off. This would raise the competitiveness of schools and remove the problem of grade inflation... Finally an A would actually be worth something! And a C would be average again... Not only that, but the C average would actually be determined by the students grades instead of some arbitrary number that some teacher thinks is passing. Why is 75/100 questions 'passing' anyways? Have you ever thought about that? Usually teachers compensate for this by adding a certain number of points to every students test.
I don't know... I just think this would be so much better. And if it were up to me too, I would make a majority of the grade rely on test scores instead of homework... But that's just me. It boggles my mind as to how some people can just 'blank' on a test.
Ooh... And if we incorporated standardized tests into the mix, we could compare the curves of all schools and school districts. This way we could award more funding to whichever schools have the best scores in order to breed competition and rivalry. No teacher could ever mask there effectiveness by handing out 'A's all the time then. Of course, vouchers would be a must too.
Hmm... This stuff is so interesting!
Later,
Daniel
Daniel
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