Day 2 at Yellowstone

First of all, let me apologize for not posting anything on day 1. After snowmobiling all day, I had a huge headache and was ready to drop from exhaustion. So let me cover both days now:

Day 1 was dedicated to snowmobiling in the park. Since most of our group was experienced, the guide pushed us hard. We covered 130 miles, and saw all the big attractions. The scenery was breathtaking (as expected), and the wildlife was out and about. We saw a Buffalo Bull up close:

We also saw wolves (a rarity according to our guide) Coyotes, and Elk. We also saw scenery like this mostly frozen waterfall:
I never stopped to think about it, but the thermal activity in yellowstone keeps most of the streams from freezing. The lake freezes, and there is some freezing on things like this waterfall, but for the most part, the flowing water stays just warm enough to not freeze.

We saw old faithful, but it was not ready to erupt for over an hour, so we went to an area that had many geyeser and other features. Here is one geyser;
All in all it was a great experience. I am so lucky to get this opportunity.

Day 2 was more about the snowmobiling than the sight seeing. We took a ride to another park called Mesa Falls park. The ride was long (110 miles round trip) but we had several stops along the way to "play" on the sleds.

First, though, I want to say that Mesa Falls was possibly the most beautiful place we have seen so far. These pictures cannot possibly do it justice, but I want everyone reading this to get this point... If you EVER come out to Yellowstone park, make the side trip to Mesa Falls. It is well worth it. My camera is just a snapshot camera, so no real "artsy" pics but lets see if this conveys some of the beauty:

This is the canyon wall opposite the falls - the spray freezes on everything. these trees are called "snow Angels" by the locals:

Anyway, we saw some of the area around Yellowstone as we went. It was as beautiful as the park!

Finally, on the way home, we got to "play" in a meadow. I was really pushing the sled. I had a ball. In the meadow, there was a hole, like a "bowl" about 10 feet across and I would go in, and gun it and jump the sled out. I was having a ball! Then I got at one end of the meadow, and gunned it... I don't know how fast I was going, but I was flying. One thing about a snowmobile is that it doesn't steer near as well as a motorcycle. Turning the handlebars is more like a suggestion than a command. Anyway, I was flying up the meadow, and went over a small hump and HOLY CRAP!!! there was the bowl in front of me. I steered right, but my left ski caught the lip, and I hit that sucker HARD. I got the handlebar junction right in the solar plexus (luckily it had a foam cover). I got thrown from the machine and rolled about 40 feet across the snow. I laid there gasping for air and taking inventory... nothing broken - good. I slowly got up and gimped my way to my sled. that's when I heard a commotion. I looked up and saw the rest of my group giving me a standing ovation! Ha(wheeze)Ha - you guys(wheeze) are sooooo (wheeze) funny. I'm OK. Well except for the feeling that Chuck Norris kicked me in the chest. Coughing and hiccuping hurt like crap. But I'm OK enough that I'll ride again tomorrow. Just a little more carefully.

That's it for now. hope you guys enjoy the update.

Stay safe and BE CAREFUL

ME

WOW!

Holy crap! that was a looooooong post! Sorry, but I wanted to make sure it was as excruciating for you as it was for me.

A Week From... uh, Heck!

Hi everyone!
just thought I'd share a little of the craziness that is my life of late. but first, I would like to share a picture with you. I was eating dinner at a local Zaxby's - one that I have eaten at many times before. I was looking at the random stuff on the walls, when I nearly choked on my dinner! I saw this:



Recognize it?
I had the same pennant on my wall in my bedroom in Syracuse! (I believe that it was navy blue though... sound right mom?) it is even visible in some of Dad's old Super-8 movies!

Now a little about my recent activities:
I'm sure some of you saw my Facebook status the other day when I said I was tired, frustrated and ticked off... well here's the scoop on that. I was in Brunswick GA teaching a Haz-Mat class for one of our regular customers. Ever since we started this company, we have been busting our tails for this company. First of all, they insist (wrongly) that their interpretation of the OSHA regulations tells them that a Haz-Mat technician class can be done in 24 hours. The class is written to be given in 40 hours, and I believe that the regulations require it to take 40 hours. So, against my better judgement, I have been persuaded to teach a 40 hour class in 24 hours. To add to the fun, OSHA also requires that each trained person must have 8 hours of continuing training each year. So, the customer just takes their "trained" people and has them sit in on a day of the class, figuring that that will do for "continuing training". They basically pay for 3 days of training, and cram all of their training needs into the class. To accommodate this, we usually send at least 2 instructors to do this class. 1 to teach the 24 hour class, and 1 to handle the previously trained people.

Not so this time... my co-instructor couldn't get off of work, so I went to Brunswick alone ("All by me onesies" as Jack Sparrow would say) and attempted to run a class with 6 people taking the full course and 12 - 15 people per day for the continuing ed. To make matters worse, the head of the plant's response team was in day 1 and after the class he basically told me that I didn't get in enough hands-on training for the continuing ed guys. THAT was why I was tired, frustrated and ticked off.

The next day, however, when the other guys from the company saw my status, they called me to ask what was going on, and I let Matt (one of the owners) have it with both barrels! We had gone against everything we said we would do LAST year to try to improve the class, and I was hot. They sprang to my aid, and located a Firefighter from Brunswick who assisted me on day 2 and 3 of the class. He was a great guy, and I made a friend. I also may have located someone to become another instructor with the company.

The next situation came about on my way home from Brunswick. I drove Truck Norris down and back... and he had really done well. Nearly 700 miles is quite a haul for an old fellow like him, but he gave me not 1 minute of trouble - until I stopped in Forrest Park on Saturday night to unload equipment. The starter went out. So I had to call Tonya to come get me. Then I had to be at the fire station on Sunday, so I made plans to go back Monday and see if I could get the old guy running.

I was originally supposed to stop by Mom and Dad's house to pick something up, but I decided to go straight to Forrest Park to work on Truck. When I called to tell them what I was doing, Dad insisted on coming with me so that Tonya and I would not have to go back down to pick up the Truck that night. So, I went by Mom and Pop's, then Dad followed me home to drop off the LeBaron (which I drove to work), and we went to Forrest Park to get Truck Norris.

I was pretty sure that the problem was the starter, having consulted with some of the top shade tree mechanics in Hall and Rockdale counties. So we went to the auto parts store and got a new one. The starter is only held in by two bolts, so the change seemed pretty straight forward. Yeah, right!

Bolt one came out easily - it was the bottom one, and easily accessible. Bolt two was another thing. The top of the bolt was slightly rounded, so the socket kept slipping. it was above the starter, beside the exhaust pipe so my attempt to put a crescent wrench on it was thwarted. Likewise my try at snap-on pliers. I got them on, but there was no room to turn them. I was stymied for over 2 hours! Finally, I hit on a simple answer that I should have tried first. My socket was a 3/8 inch drive, with 12 points inside. These points kept slipping when I tried to turn the bolt. So I did something I have done before - I grabbed the 1/4 inch drive socket. It has a hexagonal configuration with less room to slip. It worked easily! When I got the bolt out, I found out what the problem was: the last person to change out starters had cross threaded the bolt.

That wasn't the only problem... the new starter and the old starter were different. Not a lot, but different. The bendix was in a different place. The new one would fit. I tried it. But it was different. So, we went back to the auto parts store. I brought both starters, the old one for the core charge, and the new one to make sure it was the right one. While returning the core, I asked the guy to double check the stock number on the new one just to make sure. He was nice, but it looked like he thought I was a pain in the butt. When he checked his computer though, his eyebrows shot up: "They gave you the wrong starter dude".

What ensued was one of those episodes that seems to come straight out of the "Twilight Zone". The store's computer had gone down, and they couldn't do an exchange without a receipt... then they couldn't give me my core money ($20), then they got on the phone with "Cooperate", and whatever else. So a simple exchange of parts that required no money to change hands took nearly an hour.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention it: when we were getting ready to go to the auto parts store to return the wrong starter, I locked my keys in the truck. That was a whole comedy of errors in and of itself! Attempts to use a coat hanger were quickly abandoned when I realized that the hanger was both too short to reach the door handle and not strong enough to pull it. With my patience at an all time low, I used a hacksaw to cut the hinge on my wing window, pulled the hinge pin out and reached through the wing window to open the truck's door. Another 45 minutes wasted. At least it was a moment of hilarity for Dad!

After the auto parts store, it was on to Home Depot to buy a "Chase" (Like a tap, but tapered) to fix the threads in the block where the bolt was cross threaded. We also bought a new bolt and lock washer.

Then back to the truck, where I fixed the threads in the bolt hole and installed the new starter in about 5 minutes.

Throughout the whole thing, Dad was there giving me advice (what with my distinct lack of mechanicin' ability), hand me tools, and explain what was happening. I am SO glad that he came along, and very glad that he taught me how to tap out the bolt hole. I would have probably tried to just thread the bolt back and hoped for the best... that would have been a colossal blunder.

The next day I worked at the race track, and then at the fire station. Then, Wednesday night, Tonya called me and said that her van had broken down on the way home from church!

So, the next day I had to go and change out her alternator on the side of the road. Luckily, there was no problem this time, and it went smoothly!

That's my week from heck. hope it entertained you, I'm going to bed.

Be careful,
ME

The envelope please......

Jason has been sick for the past 2 days. We are not sure what is going on, but he is very congested, has a nagging cough and his throat is very sore. It is probably just a cold, but what has me worried is the congestion. He had an episode today where he could not breathe well, and it really scared him. I was there, and calmed him down until he could breath again. Please pray for him to get better.

Ok, now on with the results of the great captains' bid of March 2009.

I'll start out by saying that I bid for and won the captain spot at Station 16 on the B shift. For those of you that I haven't spoken to yet, that does not mean much, I know but lets just say that I had a list of the top 4 stations that I thought I would bid on and Station 16 was not on the list. The reason it was not on the list was simple.... because I never even thought that there was the slightest chance that I could get that spot!

Station 16 is one station north of my current station (17), and we share a large portion of our territories. We compete to be first-in on calls, fight fire together, back each other up. In short, Station 16 is very much like 17. And, since we work together regularly, I know the crew at 16's already! They are a tight crew that has been together for several years. It has an engine and a Tiller Truck, just like 17's, so I am still a Truck Captain.

The best part is this: all those Captains who have been complaining for 3 years that I did not "deserve" to be a truck Captain on a busy Truck can't say a thing. If they wanted this assignment, they should have come and bid for it. Unlike my assignment to station 17, there is no ambiguity about this one... This is my spot, no ifs ands or buts.

I decided to link to both stations on Google Maps.
Here is Station 17, where I am now.
Here is Station 16, Where I will be soon.
And here is a map showing how close they are to each other.

The street view of Station17 is kinda cool, because it was taken while the Air truck was parkedd out in front of the station.
For some weird reason, the street view of Station 16 shows the station from the side on flowers road. if you want to, you can work your way around front in street view.

Alright, that's about it for now,
Be careful,
ME

Is this thing on.....?

Hey folks.
I promised Dad I would Blog this weekend, so here goes:

Tonya and the kids are doing well. The big news is that Sarah went to the eye doctor, and has had to get glasses! I will post a picture soon, but let me just say that the glasses she chose are adorable, and she looks downright cute in them.

Tonya has taken a second job. She already worked at a preschool 4 days a week for a total of about 18 hours a week. My pay with the city has been cut about 18% since July, and my part-time work at Road Atlanta had quit entirely. so, Tonya went to the daycare where Jessa works and asked if she could be an on-call substitute to cover when someone called in sick or whatever. The owner begged her to come to work there every afternoon! With the shape of our finances, she agreed.

The good news is that starting the last week of February, Road Atlanta has picked back up. March and April are just as busy as they were last year. That's a big load off my mind.

As I posted last time (hey!... just over a month ago... I'm gettin down right chatty!) D-day for the moving of my truck is approaching. Things are changing day by day, but here's what I know for now. Tomorrow (Monday the 9th), I go to the bid conference. I will either have to bid on a spot, or be placed wherever the administration sees fit. Unfortunately, the place that they see fit looks like it may well be the airport. They need someone to head-up the Haz-mat unit there.

Since I do NOT want to be sentenced to the airport for another stint, I will need to bid on something. I really don't know what will be available when they get to my name, but I figure that I'll take the best thing available. One possibility is that my haz-mat and rope training might put me at the top of the list for station 1. For those who don't remember, this was the station where I started my career. It is right down the street from Phillips arena. It would be almost as good as station 17. It would be a great thing if I could pull that off! I give my chances about 60-40 in my favor.

If not station 1, I will just have to see what is available, and pick the best from that lot. Either way, I plan on making the best out of whatever I get. I will, after all, be the guy in charge. Whatever crew I get is in for a good time! I figure that we, as a crew, can make work fun or we can make it miserable - and my plan is fun.

I will be here tomorrow afternoon to let you know where I end up.

Be Careful.....
ME

This is my life.

This is a test to see if anyone even bothers to check my blog anymore.....

Let me give you all a quick update on my life.

Tonya and the kids are doing fine.

Jessa is getting ready to graduate from High School, and we are in the middle of the "what do I want to do with my life?" madness. She desperately wants to go to East Georgia College in Statesboro. The problem is that she only wants to go there because her friends are going there. We don't talk a lot about it, but Jessa has a learning disability that has resulted in her graduating with a technical rather than a college prep diploma. She cannot even qualify for East Georgia. On top of that, I don't have the money to send her there. So, it looks like she will be going to a technical school, probably Gwinnett Tech. This is good because she can qualify for the HOPE grant (not to be confused with the HOPE scholarship). The HOPE grant would pay all tuition, and some money towards book and student fees. Keep your fingers crossed that this is the way she goes!

Ben is ... well he's Ben. He is a good kid with a stubborn streak. School "bores" him. so... he got terrible grades last semester. We are doing everything we can think of to get him to apply himself, an so far this semester we think we have hit on an answer.... It involves grounding him and not allowing him to see his girlfriend. So far, this is the only thing that has gotten a response out of him, and it seems to motivate him.

Sarah is doig well, and working hard. She gets decent grades, and her Trumpet playing is improving greatly.

Jason is a nutcase. He keeps us laughing. AND he gets the best grades of all of them! He's a good kid.

And now for something completely different:

I have made the conscious decision to not to bother telling you all every time some new rumor comes along, because things at work change from day to day, sometimes hour to hour. Often, while my boss is telling me about new policies, procedures, appointments, promotions or transfers, other people of equal rank are telling THEIR people different and conflicting things. The AFD is a ship without a rudder.

BUT...

I guess it's time to fill you all in on the current situation, and tell you my best guess about the near future. I know that there are lots of things that you would rather hear about (like toe fungus or boils), but believe it or not, this crap occupies most of my time right now.

The fire chief continues to completely dismantle and realign the entire Department. If you want a good over view of the state of the Fire Department from the rank-and-file perspective, check out this letter from the President of the firefighter's union to the Mayor. Decisions are being made that even the newest rookie can see are poor.

The latest plan involving me and my station is as follows: My Truck (Truck 17) will be moved to station 14 in March. It will be made into a "Heavy Rescue" Truck company. In order to be assigned to this unit, a person would need certain specific training. Ironically, I have the required training, but there are some other Captains who also have the training, and who also have seniority over me. So, I will not have the opportunity to go with the Truck to Station 14.

So plan B: I will stay at my station, transfer over to the Engine, and remain Captain of Station 17 which will now be a single company. Hey - it sounds good! Half the people to manage, a station designed for 8 people but staffed with 4 means lots of room!

BUT...

My Chief has already told me that since Engine 17 is an Advanced Life Support unit (that means staffed with Paramedics), I would eventually be booted out of my spot in favor of a Paramedic Captain (I am an EMT - a lower level of training).

So plan C: Look for a different station to be assigned to, and bid for the spot. Problem there is that there are no "good" stations available right now.

So plan D: Stay at Station 17, and force them to move me... then sit back and wait for something good to become available and bid then. (note: once I bid on and win a position, I MUST stay there at least 2 years - that's why D seems best I don't want to do plan C and bid on a not-so-good spot and be stuck there).

So this is my life of perpetual LIMBO. It is really hard to lead a crew when I can't even promise them where they will be working next month. I have already had one of my best men to bail on me and transfer to a station with a more stable future. An I can't blame him.

One of my fellow captains and I were talking the other day, and he said something that blew my mind: "If we had sat down two years ago and come up with a plan to completely destroy this fire department, we could not have hoped to do a better job than this administration has done".

And I agree with him 100%

I'm feeling beat-down...

Hi! Just thought I'd let you guys know that I am still alive. I am sorry that I don't blog here more often. Let me fill you in on some of what I've been doing:

First, I spent 2 weeks in Pensacola Florida doing Haz-Mat training for a huge manufacturing plant there. I know it sounds like vacation, but truth is, when I go teach somewhere, I get up each day, teach for 8 hours (actually 10 hours a day on this trip!) get back to the hotel, eat, prepare for the next day, and go to bed.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

That, combined with some other work kept me off my motorcycle for 3 weeks!

Second, Road Atlanta has been very busy! That's a very good thing. I have been up there almost every off day this month. BONUS: I get to ride my cycle there every day :)

Third, things at work are really getting ugly. Money isn't tight - it's nonexistent. Stations closing. Squad 4 gone. 3 men on a fire engine. doing more with less, and morale is in the crapper.

Recently, the Chief came out with a decision about the personnel assignments that we have been working on for the past 2 and a half years. As you may remember, I was "temporarily" assigned to station 17 in March of 2006. Since then, I have been told over and over again not to get too comfortable here. The department was working on a policy that would let Officers "bid" on open positions, and mine was to be the first one up for bids. Many Captains want this spot, since it is one of the busiest and highest profile Trucks in the city. well, to make a long story short, (I know! too late for that) the Chief has decided that it would be too difficult to go back 2 and a half years, and transferring over 200 people just to implement this policy. So, 3 days ago he announced that while the "bid system" is indeed being put in effect, it would start from here on, not going back to March 2006! That means that I am now permanently assigned to Truck 17! Yay!

Now the bad part: Since I got to stay here, I am on everyone's Sh*t list. It is almost unheard of for a new Captain to get a Truck company (as opposed to an Engine company) let alone one as coveted as Truck 17. All of those guys that wanted my spot are really ticked at me. I have been accused of being politically connected, paying someone off, and committing unnatural acts. My parentage has been questioned. I have been asked if I have compromising pictures of various officers. In short, most of the Captains who have seniority on me are ticked off at me. Never mind that I had no say in the matter, or that I have spent 2 and a half years in limbo. Somehow it's my fault.

On the other hand, all of the Captains who have less seniority than I do (and thus were in limbo also) are ecstatic. They now also have permanent homes. At least they understand my situation.

I'll survive. My crew is happy that I get to stay. I refuse to spend my time defending a policy that I had no say in creating. For 20 years (yep! I've worked here that long...) I have come to work knowing that the fire Department could transfer me any time they want to for any reason. They still can. I'm not gonna stress over where I report - as long as I have a job I love.

Take THAT you jealous jerks!