Live For This

Up, Up, and Away:

So it finally happened, I overslept…almost. My excitement to get my Mock Scenario post up while everything was fresh in my brain had me up all types of late and I was exhausted.  Strange thing, I was having a dream in which Jessica Simpson & 1 of the Olsen Twins were singing a Martina McBride song at a podium at some award show and when Jessica was singing a high note her hair got shorter…no more 14 hour days at high altitudes for me.  “Jeff?” I hear sheepishly asked from behind my closed bedroom door.  “Yeah” I say as I frantically roll over at look at the clock. 9:04???? SHIT! We were supposed to leave at 9! “Are you almost ready to go?” Nick follows.  “Yeah just give me a minute.”  Threw on a pair of jeans with no kind of long johns on underneath them and a thermal shirt with no wife beater underneath for insulation…the first time all week I was leaving the house with neither item on.  I amazingly got dressed and we were out of the house in about 5 minutes.

The Mass Casualty Mock Scenario was behind us and today was going to be another fun filled day…Helicopter Day.  The class was meeting at 9:30 and we would then follow each other to the Flagstaff Airport to meet up with Dan again for an orientation with the EMTs of the sky, Guardian Air.  Miraculously, we made it to the rendezvous point on time…in fact we weren’t even the last ones to arrive.  Nick learned a lesson from me after I discovered my traffic violation warning last night, he was going to drive in the parade to the airport then he found out how to get a visitor’s pass for the lots. Lesson lived, lesson learned. We break for the airport and of course the leader of the parade, “Paul’s in Charge”, blows through a yellow light and we lose sight of him.  We’re now behind another student who vaguely knows where we’re going when we get onto the airport  roads but our new leader misses the turn and have to turn around…looking a bunch of dopey tourists.  The Flagstaff Airport is very small, reserved mostly for private planes, airborne EMS, & for shuttle flight services from Phoenix & Vegas (I believe). The roads were still not completely plowed so finding parking was going to be tough. Pulled up the hill into 1 lot…lots full.  Nick had to throw her into reverse but was held up by the rest of the parade.  We were finally able to park in a snow bank that I thought there was no way in hell we’d be getting out of. 

We make our way into the building and get a brief tour of the radar/GPS room.  The maps were really cool to look at and our little guide informed us that even at this time of year the helicopter is called out 6 times a day…even more in the summer.  Most of the calls this time of year are for hospital transfers whereas in the summer they’re usually for people in distress or injured.  From there we made our way into an oversized garage and there she was, “Angel 5”.  The helicopter was much smaller than I anticipated.  I pictured a military transport type chopper with large openings on the sides for the gunners.  In Flagstaff that probably would’ve gotten very cold.  We gawked in amazement at the novelty bird, some students walked all the way around the tail which was a big no no and one the EMTs made sure we knew that. We were supposed to walk under the tail if in the back but ideally we’d go around the front so that we don’t get hit by the propeller or whatever at the back. The cool thing about this chopper was the mechanism they have in place to angle a patient on a backboard or stretcher so that they fit all the way in, stretching from front to back. It was too difficult & awkward to get a picture of it but stretcher slid toward the back and then angled out the door while remaining in the chopper.  Once the patient was loaded, the stretcher angled back in and the patient’s head would slide up near the pilot.  It was cool, trust me.  It didn’t look like much else could fit in there but after a long period of questions spearheaded by Q2, we soon found out that things aren’t always as they seem. 

Toward the end of the mini presentation Chris, who was the EMT talking to us received a page on his phone which was essentially a text message telling him where they were going and what was going on.  It was apparently a low priority transport from one hospital to another as made evident by the crew still talking to us as they readied themselves & the helicopter for action.  The giant garage doors open and the jack which Angel 5 was resting on was pumped up and she was wheeled out and prepped for takeoff.  We were told that they got in trouble if they weren’t in the air within 10minutes of the page.  I don’t think they made it on time in this case but the pilot and 3 EMTs crammed into that little guy.  We were a good distance away from the chopper & the door was partially closed, but we were still pushed back as it began its ascent.  The sound was loud and the air that was blown back was cold but it was so cool watching Angel 5 ground taxi its way to the runway and then go down the runway partially as if it were a plane.  I always thought they just went straight up. 

The fun stuff was over and we had a half hour to get back to class but we were only a few minutes away.  Nick forgot to grab a pair of boots he borrowed for the scenario the before so we rushed home for him to grab them.  I was still so beat that I tried dozing off while he handled that & drove back to campus.  We had to stop & get a parking pass at a kiosk but had no idea which lots were which, as the pass was lot specific, with the exception of the parking garage…our old fail safe.  Not only was the pass lot specific, in this case it was floor specific.  I just knew were going to be late.  We parked on the 3^rd floor and saw 5 of our classmates’ vehicles up there as well.  Looks like I taught all kinds of people a valuable lesson in dealing with the parking services. We made our way into class and the Jeopardy review game was just about to get started.  Once again, we still weren’t the last ones back but we were somewhat late.  Good thing we had this Jeopardy review because a lot of the things covered on it I’d never heard before but for some reason the tougher questions were worth less points.  Strange.

After the review the class was split in half and some of the students would do their skills check off sheets and the others would take part in “Scenario Blitz”.  Nick & I paired up for the skills check off and we flat out nailed it.  Matt had to watch or hear each of us describe how to make a splint, do adult CPR, dress a wound, roll over patients, immobilize & clear C-Spine, get a set of vitals, and explain what airway adjuncts were.  Everybody started off with splints because they take the longest.  We were the last ones to be checked.  Then Matt overheard my dry run of CPR and said it was perfect then had me essentially grade Nick while he watched.  He basically left the grading up to us from there and he would come back and verbally quiz us.  Everybody else was fumbling with bandages and everything else; we just answered some questions and were the first ones done.  Go Jerzinois!!!

There’s just something about scenarios that throws me into panic overload.  Nobody knew what to expect so as more pairs finished their skills challenge the larger our study group got.  A student, who shall remain nameless, suddenly appeared to be under the influence of sort of narcotic and I only bring that up because it almost led to a situation between us during “The Blitz”.  We were grouped a little bit differently and I was going to play the victim at station 1 (of 7).  My scenario was I was a depressed dude that was essentially cheated on by his girlfriend and I decided to slit my wrist.  It’s happened to me in the past by every one of my girlfriends before Laura, so I was ready & raring to go.  That was up until I saw I had to sit on the ground and squeeze a pump that would squirt fake blood all over the place. I was able to avoid all the fake blood and make up the entire length of this course and the very last thing we do, I have to squirt this fake blood concoction through a hidden tube and keep doing so until they physically stopped the bleeding.  So I’m in a shaded area in 20 degree weather with nothing really insulating my bum from the ground and I have to sit there for a half hour with a butter knife in my hand and fake blood squirting all over my hand…at some points making the knife stick to my hand.  The point of my station was to make the scene safe by convincing me to get rid of the knife and to stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure.  I let my would be rescuers have it!  I got to curse them out (really loudly in a college courtyard hahaha) and really challenge them to use their words.  Three of them tried coming right in to stop the bleeding and totally ignored the knife, some of them tried just talking to me about my “girl issues”…ignoring the bleeding.  Then came the possible pothead.  He came in ready to fight me and literally almost did until I backed him up and turned into an instructor of sorts.  He still wasn’t getting it at first.  He went into a real life story about him cutting himself and then calling me stupid for wanting to kill myself…just what a suicidal person wants to hear; how they’re no good.  I pointed that out to him and he finally got the drill. 

I was literally freezing.  People were offering me their jackets to sit on, the knife felt like an icicle, my leg had gone completely numb…I nearly walked inside & said “Fuck This.”  Then the cycle was over & it was my chance to be a rescuer.  My first 3 victims I knew what was going on but couldn’t get the wording out or the proper treatment done.  Anaphylactic shock, hernia, & a patient with diabetes & a broken wrist.  Danced all around the issues but was slow in administering proper care even though 1 victim, Brad, said I offered the best care of anybody that he had I just didn’t cover all of the bases in the ever shortening time span. I finally got my momentum, broken pelvis from fallen off a horse, unresponsive man in need of an evac, and then hammered home in about a minute the victim that was nearing the stages of having a heart attack.

The last learning class was over & some of the Double Ds grabbed a bite to eat at Buster’s…best damn turkey club I ever had!  It was no 4pm and I hadn’t eaten since Dr. A’s the night before at The Scenario, so I was going on about 21 hours without food.  That’s rough for me and I was definitely showing decreasing brain function when I ordered two appetizers for the table that both contained tortilla chips as their main component; nachos & a spinach dip.  It literally was like a switch went on after I ate the first chip. “Why did I order 2 things with chips!?!?!?!”  The waitress stopped back to check on us and I jokingly made it seem like it was her fault…I told you my sense of humor is country wide AND to top that, we got free bread for the dip because of the brain fart haha. What the hell anyway, they were half prized hahaha

We got home and I immediately got into bed…but couldn’t sleep.  I wanted to get an hour or 2 of sleep in and then hit the books and practice scenarios before the big test, only problem was, I couldn’t sleep a wink and I was exhaaaaaaauuuuuuusted.  I had to wait for Nick to get back from returning “Arkansas’” forgotten backpack to go over scenarios so I decided I’d head out into the kitchen area to go over some notes and returned homeworks.  When I got out there I saw Jane and kicked it with her for a bit.  I don’t remember how it came up but I ended up telling her how traumatic about half of the year 2000 was for my family and then Nick walked through the door.  We got a good 3.5 hour study session in and then conked out.

The REAL Hell Day still lied ahead of us.  

“That’s Like a Dollar an Hour”

Figures! The day I wake up early-ish and have to pee like a racehorse, Nick is just getting in the bathroom for his morning routine.  I hate getting dressed without brushing my teeth yet but I got all ready for school and hadn’t even taken my morning wiz yet.  Gross! Much like just about every morning with this class I was, in Nick’s words, all gloom & doom.  I think it’s obvious at this point (if you’ve been following the Triple F) that I’m not the most confident in my book smarts with this WFR course.  I tried reviewing with Nick on our way in but it was useless.  Walked in, picked up a test book & answer sheet and went to work.  I knew going in that I should’ve had for breakfast, I learned no lesson from the nacho/spinach dip fiasco and it showed.  I handed in my answer sheet expecting to get a 101; checked over all of my answers & everything.  I then signed my name on the board for my practical, and filled out a class evaluation form on which I actually wrote a lot about my likes & dislikes. 

I’ve mentioned this earlier but this class is super fast in getting your grades back to you.  In today’s case it meant that I didn’t have to wait for the bad news.  A group of us were waiting for our practical when I heard everybody sharing their grades with each other.  All I had to do was ask the day’s TA what my score was.  I should’ve known I was in trouble when mine wasn’t in the same pile as the others.  A big red “-23” was at the top.  We could only miss 20 and even when you facture in our point for winning the relay race, I still missed by 2.  TWO!  They give an option to look over your answers and I saw that I didn’t fill answer one of the questions.  WHAT THE HELL?!!?!? I even went back and double checked all circles were filled in.  With the exception of 2 questions, the remaining 19 questions were just simply brain farty mistakes! 

DAMN IT!  I bet it wouldn’t happen had I eaten!  Once again I had to immediately get over something that didn’t go the way I expected it to, one more thing that I wanted but couldn’t have, another mess up that led to my own bad break. I had to push all of that aside and focus on my practical.  I don’t know where it came from but I got 40/40 even though my score was actually 38/40.  Derek didn’t hear me verbalize one of the steps but I did say it and I did a “chunk” check too late.  So weird, I thought I had the test stuff and was worried about the practical but I messed up the test & aced the practical.

For some reason though, I didn’t panic.  Even though it looked like I just wasted $500 of my own money to take this course and leave work, my friends, and my family 2 weeks sooner than I needed to get this certification, I didn’t panic and I hardly even got upset.  I knew everything would be alright and something would get figured out.  Good thing I checked with Matt instead of listening to Derek’s answer of coming back during the week to retake it. I found solace in the fact that 2 other guys missed more than 20 and of the three of us, I was in the best shape score wise.  Everybody wrapped up their practical and then we sat with Matt or Derek.  They verbally read the questions we got wrong to us & I only missed 2 in the end.  Imagine if I got a 97 or 98 just by eating something and actually focusing on what was being asked!?!?!  It would’ve been the highest grade in the class…not bad for the inexperienced in both first aid & wilderness settings funny guy from Jersey, ey?

Following the test just about the entire class went to this Thai restaurant, Dhara Thai.  I’ve never had Thai food before and I don’t think the restaurant has ever had a group of 35 people show up in the middle of a Wednesday looking for lunch.  I truly do feel for all of them, it’s the ever popular food service nightmare that so many of us in the industry have had; some form of overwhelming stressful situation of feeling like you have to take care of the entire restaurant. I was told to get the Pad Thai and it was awesome but other than that, everything was awful.  People on 1 end of the table were done eating before the other end even ordered; before poor Acute Mountain Sickness Brad even got his drink.  To make the service portion even worse, one section of us got over charged for stuff they didn’t get and one guy didn’t even get the right food.  Total service nightmare but we tried to make the best of it.  An inspiring singer/songwriter, Andy, was telling a group of us about how he wants to write a song a week for a year and pick his best 12-14 songs for a CD.  I asked him if he made up a song to help him study various things we covered in class.  He just looked at me.  YOU SHOULD ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT! Without missing a second’s hesitation, I totally improv’d 2 verses of a song that would help someone remember an initial scene size-up and the pain assessment mnemonic, OPQRST.  I held our side of the table’s attention and got a hell of a laugh.  Unfortunately I don’t remember how it went and I didn’t do long enough for the middle of the table to forget their “not having their food in front of them woes.”  It was at this lunch where I got my now Facebook famous WFR card & updated CPR card but Matt was out of the cool WFR t-shirts so I couldn’t buy one.

Lunch had ended and it was pretty sad. This makeshift fraternity that was a major part in almost all of my Flagstaff memories to date was disbanding.  I was looking forward to the class ending but I wish I could just hang out with everybody longer. Yes, I’ll be going forth with 6 other students in ranger program for the next 13.5 weeks…who ironically I seemed to have clicked the most with…but still…goodbyes suck. Once again, me being the big goof that I am, I pretended to cry and sing “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by one of the greatest musical groups to ever walk the Earth, Boyz II Men, and more people laughed.  Then, another switch flipped….another page began to turn and you could see in my face and my mood that I could feel it just as it was happening.  I was walking out the door at the Thai place and I was PUMPED!  I literally felt like I was playing in a highly competitive basketball game against a hated rival and the momentum was going our way.  Everything we did was being executed to perfection and the crowd roared at every vital move we made.  All this was going on while Hatebreed, E-Town Concrete, Killswitch Engage, Atreyu, 40 Below Summer, & Ill Nino are blasting in my ears and pumping my blood through my body.  This certification that I pursued as a resume builder, that pushed me almost to the verge of quitting something for the first time in my life, that was a rude awakening a day and a half of being away from home and back in school for the first time in 5 years, and that proved that I could form fraternity type bonds no matter where I am in life…was finally over with and under my belt. 

We were walking out the door and heading to Nick’s car.  “We’re going to go meet up with Kathy. (Director of the Ranger Program)” The only thing I could hear in my head was Jay-Z’s “On to the Next One.”  I’ve got 5.5 days until I get into the reason I came out here, to jump into the only thing in my life that wasn’t a “sure thing”.  I’ve gambled in AC, Vegas, & various lottery retailers but this the very first risk I’ve taken in my life and it’s FUCKING EXCITING!  I was giddy and just doing my old school motivational yells from my high school basketball day.  Nick would be driving, it’d silent and I’d belt out a booming “Let’s Go!”  “Park Ranger Baby!”  “Let’s Get It!”  That probably was not good for Nick’s heart or nerves but I couldn’t keep it in anymore.  I persevered through a lot of bullshit in my life and I know I’m nowhere through the rest of the bullshit I’ll see as life goes on but this WFR deal pushed my brain & psyche to all sorts of limits so coming out on top obviously played a huge part in my elation with getting back into the ranger realm…1 of the few things in this world that I actually feel I was meant to do…in my sites I can’t help but have that kid at Christmas time buildup.  I’m sure I’ll bitch about the 12 days on, 2 days off over the next 13 weeks but this is one of the few things in my life that I’ve gone out on my own to find, research, & follow through on made happen.  It’s only just the beginning but I can’t wait to tear into this baby!

Wow…that was a little bit off track.  Excuse my stream of conscience there haha.  We parked at the Social Sciences Building on campus and walked inside.  Criminal Justice & Psychology stuff littering the hallways and it took me back to 8 years ago, when I switched majors from Marine Biology to Criminal Justice AND Psychology.  I belong working amongst people, serving them, and dealing with them in unique circumstances…all things my wonderful Aunt Pam pointed out to me in a very sweet & much needed pick me up letter during my days of doubt.  We weaved our way through the maze of hallways and found the park ranger section and I got that nervous butterfly in the chest feeling and instantly felt proud of myself.  We made our way to Kathy Dodd’s office and she was on the phone.  In my mind I was taken back to that day in June when I got the voicemail by the Forest Edge Shelter Rental at Holmdel Park that one of the spots I was wait listed for had just opened up and if I was still interested to give her a call back.  I couldn’t find a parking spot close enough to call her back and commit to taking this step to do better for myself because I know I deserve it.  I’d finally have a face to go with the voice.  This is so cool.

She was on the phone with a NPS representative regarding an applicant that went through the program and I instantly got some things to keep in mind as I progress through these next few months.  She hung up and invited us in.  She was short, soft spoken woman but you could tell by looking at her that she was all about Ranger Business. She shook our hands and made sure to establish eye contact.  I really didn’t want to meet her at this point because I was still very scruffy with my Mass Casualty Mock Scenario natural face & head warmers, but what can you do?  She was very nice, very informative, & very cool.  We got our parking passes, talked a little bit about some of the training, and she gave us a tour of the classroom.  My favorite part was looking at some of the pictures of the previous classes she had up in her office…many of the dudes were older and in way worse shape than I am.  Big weight off my chest.  What I didn’t like is when I found out that as non-credit students, we don’t have access to any of the recreational facilities outside of class hours.  That’s CRAP!  She did however suggest a gym/sportsplex that’s only about 5 minutes from our house but it’s $120 for a 3-month membership. Continuing on with her coolness, Travis had stopped by earlier and I guess during his visit he told her a bunch of the WFRers were planning a trip to the Grand Canyon this weekend. Not only did she tell us the different rangers that work there that would be our instructors and to make contact with them if we see them but she also suggested other places to check out and possibly talk to other rangers.

Kathy: Take advantage of the free time while you have it.

Me: Because after Tuesday we’re aaaallllllllllll yours for the next three months.

Kathy: Yup!

Hahahaha this is going to be such a blast.  I hope I don’t look back on this entry a couple weeks from now with any kind of shame or resentment.  I hope she doesn’t beat on us until we hate her.  She’s really nice she wouldn’t do that…would she?  I was even more pumped than ever walking down the stairs from her office.  We had to drive back across campus to get our ID cards…which again I didn’t want to do with my facial grizz & I couldn’t wear a hat…I haven’t taken one off outside the house since I got here.  HAT HAIR BIG TIME!  We pulled into the lot and meter parked. 

Nick: These people really rip you off!

Me: How much is it?

Nick: 25 cents for 15 minutes

Me: (Napoleon Dynamite voice) That’s like a dollar an hour!!!

I knew the day would come that I could use that quote and it would make sense!!!! Hahahahaha We left campus, & had a mini Double Ds outing at TCBY yogurt. Nick announced that everyone was in the mood for yogurt as a line was starting to form in the store.  I responded, “Dude this is like summer in Flagstaff.”  An older lady behind Nick in line said I was right….but what else is new? It was so nice outside today and I’m sure the fine people of Flag weren’t going to waste a rare no snow outside opportunity. Following our yogurt trip we returned Arkansas to her car parked on a downtown street…she got A TICKET for being there too long! Damn these cops don’t play. We then took my uniform pants to the dry cleaners to get them pressed.  MINI CULTURE SHOCK: The female behind the counter definitely did not look she belonged working there.  In NJ, the very few dry cleaners I have experience with were Asian owned and operated.  This girl was like red haired, freckle faced, pretty, and spoke very good English. I’m sorry, but you just don’t see that in NJ.

Nick & I got home and didn’t know what to do with our freedom.  I instantly threw a DVD on, Archer season 1, and started messing with some Facebook pics before attempting to do my first load of laundry.  I made sure to take some time out to annoy Nick with some of my famous “observational songs” while lying on the couch & having a pet fest with Fiona. I started shining my boots for the ranger program but I think the fumes started to get to me a little bit.  Travis hit me up to see if we wanted to meet up with him & his roomie at a country bar around the corner from us. I had some hesitations but I knew Laura was into this scene so I wanted to check it out & I wasn’t going to bail on my new boy.  Nick & I went out for our first run in Flagstaff and the incline up to the top of Jane’s street messed my head up BIG TIME!  It felt like my brain was seesawing in my skull which might’ve had something to do with my feeling weak & lightheaded throughout the day. Stupid me who just dealt with a peer having Acute Mountain Sickness symptoms, didn’t retreat and I carried on with the run. Once we reached the plateau it was fairly easy to get a good jog in. We did a little over a mile but I felt like it wasn’t enough…or that I might be able to do more so I suggested walking up the hill & running back down.  We walked back up the hill of Jane’s street & my head started acting all stupid again. It was so weird.  We started jogging back down and I was getting to a point where I wanted to sprint home but just was I about to take off, a car turned onto the street.  Not wanting to freak the driver out, I maintained my jogging pace until they pulled into the house across from Jane’s place and then I was off.  I didn’t go far nor my fastest but that’s how I had to finish.  I walked to the other end of the street, stretching & catching my breath when I turned around and saw the driver coming to talk to Nick.  Oh crap! Maybe I did scare her!  Nope, she was being polite & neighborly; just wanted to introduce herself.  Her name was Casey & we met her 3 kids 1 of which, Evan, slipped on some ice & landed on his booty. 

We made our way inside and I did some pushups & some stretching, washed my hand and began making myself some dinner…boiled corn on the cob, salad, & 3 leftover wings…mmmmmmm. Finished up eating then found out from Nick that Travis wanted to go to some country DANCING bar.  I’m not doing any kind of line dancing.  He finally convinced us to go by telling us a DJ would be there & he plays all kinds of music.  Most of the time it was country but some Usher & 50 Cent found its way into the mix, which ironically was the only time the dance floor had more than 4 people on it.  We got there and it was your typical country bar.  Most of the guys were dressed as cowboys, rocking their cowboy hats…looking like rejects from a Varsity Blues casting call.  I think girls dress the same no matter what kind of club/bar they go to but some of them sprinkled in some cowboy boots.  We were there for 2 minutes and Travis knew I wasn’t the most comfortable I’d been since getting out here so we went & got a beer and played pool the entire time….something else I suck at hahahaha. Travis wanted to go there because it was roommate’s friends BDay so all of their lady friends came out.  I’m not sure if their objective was to hook one of her friends up with Travis but it started to turn into a drunken mess amongst them so Nick & I just bounced. 

It was a very long day that capped a very long stretch of class time.  My sickness symptoms came & went throughout the day which was very weird.  Even after I was kneeling for my practical exam I almost immediately had to hold onto the wall because I felt a little woozy.  Maybe some rest will make it feel better.  I’ve got to rest up, possible hiking trip in Sedona could be in the works for tomorrow.

A Moment of Flagstaff Reflection:

I know I’ve had nothing but good/nice to say about them but I am very very very lucky to be living with the two people I’m living with out here in Flagstaff.  I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about other Ranger Trainees’ landlords/landladies and whenever they purge their “bad beat” stories to Nick & I we don’t say a word…we don’t even make eye contact…we just high five & go about the conversation or whatever we happen to be in the middle of because we know how great we got it.  Jane once referred to herself as a surrogate mother and in many ways she is….and she’s super cool.  Nick, I’ve known the guy just over a week but we haze each other like we’ve known each other forever.  The dude doesn’t drink…at all…and he doesn’t smoke. With everything I’ve been bitching about since the beginning of this blog going back to the last maybe month in NJ, I couldn’t be happier with how the outside of the classroom stuff has been going here in Flagstaff.  It can’t top the ones I have “back east” but it’s very cool that at least something is going so well for me out here.

Flagstaff Observation

1.       Indy’s not here…I miss her

Have a great day everybody!

MOUNT UP!!!