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| Jake made this...he's good. I think somebody's getting it as a tattoo. |
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| Taken on Orientation Day |
Thursday – Testing, Testing, 1, 2
There were many great days in this final week in Flagstaff but today was the worst one. It started off with back to back phone calls at 6am from my old park. There was no way in hell that I was going to answer them. My boss left a voicemail saying he had some information to pass along and I immediately knew that was no good. I tried going back to sleep but I was too curious as to what he could’ve meant by that. When I called him back he acknowledged the e-mail that I sent to personnel about coming back and informed me that it was passed on to the higher ups…and then he informed me that there were no full-time ranger positions available at this time. He went on to tell me that they would bring me on as a seasonal until a full-time position opened up and could possibly pay me more than the average seasonal, which is $7.25 an hour, because I’m a full-time caliber employee. Ya think? I was one of the most educated non-supervisory rangers (you don’t need a college degree to get in there and most of the staff doesn’t have one, I have 2) in the whole Park System and now I have 4 months of Federal ranger training under my belt so yeah…thanks for stating the obvious John Madden. I later received an e-mail from personnel stating I’d have to apply to both the full-time & seasonal position but made no mention of the accelerated pay rate. Do I really want to go back to this?
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| It could be cool wearing that uniform again...especially if I could bring her to work with me everyday. |
I eventually went back to sleep but woke up to receive some more bad news. I’ve been referred to 2 of the 24 or so parks I’ve applied to; Delaware Water Gap hasn’t returned any calls and Kings Mountain hasn’t responded in 3 weeks to my reply e-mail expressing my continued interest in the ranger position…so I reached out to them; a lot of my classmates have been told that parks are still working on their budgets so that may have been why nothing’s been said. There was no contact number in their e-mail asking if I’d be interested to work there so I sent another e-mail asking if the position was still open and if I was still being considered then I would to talk with them about the park and the position. Five minutes later I get a response. “The position has been filled. Thanks for your interest. Sorry for the delay in notification.” Wow really? I guess I can appreciate him getting right to the point but what I don’t understand is the fact that the job announcement stated there were few positions open. When he sent me the initial e-mail asking if I was still interested there was only one other recipient…so who filled these few vacancies? If it was just the other e-mail recipient, how do they get the job without ever talking to me? Seriously…screw this hiring system!
Everything that transpired really put me in foul mood. I thought I was going to have to make a choice between going back to my park or moving down to South Carolina to take this job and now neither of them is available to me. That sucks! I will get to make a triumphant return to the security realm but that’s only a few hours here & there. I got my eye on a few things so we’ll see what pans out.
The class decided to get cards for our three main instructors, Kathy (director), Doug (assistant director), & Mike (PT) and gifts for the directors. We ordered a sweet crystal looking arrowhead plague thing for Kathy, honoring all her years serving the program, for a farewell gift, and we’re giving a Doug a photo album of us during graduation and a bottle of Jameson (his favorite) after graduation because he wouldn’t accept gifts from students. Since I was the unofficial photographer of the class I said I’d get the pictures for the photo album that Turiya picked up taken care of. I picked all my pictures out and had them in a sweet folder but when I tried loading them onto Walgreens.com, the site would keep crashing. All of this was going on while I looked over my study guide for 2-3 minutes and then we had to rush out the door to make it to campus for our tests.
I walked into the building and still had no idea exactly what the tests were on, either of them. I got an 86 & a 78...I’ll take it. Once again, grades don’t matter for me because I’m not a credit student. I already had the necessary grade to pass the course so I could’ve gotten 10s on the tests & still passed the program. That’s not how I roll though. I thought I did better on the test that I actually did worse on…but there were things covered on that test that I have no recollection of even hearing about before soooo go me. It took me about 15 minutes to finish both tests and then we had to meet up in the classroom for our course evaluation at 2pm. I took that time to cross something off of my Flagstaff Bucket List…take a picture wearing Nic & Dennis’ Martyr shirt next to a NAU sign…representing the spread of their brand. Pat was my photographer. When we were walking back in, the outrageous wind that has found its way to Flagstaff ripped some stapled papers he had in his back pocket and blew them across a field and then into a parking lot. The papers stopped at a tire of a stopped SUV whose occupants were watching Pat chase them down…laughing as hard as I was in the process. When Pat got up to the SUV, the wind picked up and sent the papers on their way again. He eventually got them but the pursuit looked something like that old gag were somebody puts a dollar tied to a string and then pulls it away from their victims as they reach for it. It was hysterical.
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| I know what it looks like...no I'm not peeing on the sign |
Back in the classroom, the class turned into a mini circus. Everybody was ecstatic to finally be done with everything. We had a list on the board of who was bringing what to the pot luck dinner at Jake’s tonight for a few days now…well today Jake drew a little map of the area around his house…which prompted other people to start drawing on the board. At one point somebody suggested drawing a mural and Brad & Eric constructed a fairly accurate depiction of every store, gas station, bank, restaurant, etc. along the main road that you’d take to Jake’s. It was impressive. We were so loud I thought for sure that somebody would come in and tell us to shut up. We took some more pictures, signed our class picture for the classroom wall (with Unstoppables at the bottom of it), Doug sang us his version of the FBI fight song (he retired from there & it was hysterical) and we basically just hung out until 2.
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| hahaha...there will be other ones on my FB page shortly |
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| Back row...my home away from home away from home |
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| Poulos, Brice, Pat, & PING |
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| Some of the circus |
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| Our finalized/ signed class pic |
When Kathy came in the room, we handed in our books and then filled out an evaluation packet about the program outlining our likes and our dislikes about various things and then the class came together and talked about it. I think I was the most articulate I’d ever been in the classroom during that conversation. We provided some good feedback; most of us felt there should be more scenarios and a better PT program. To help remedy the PT aspect of the program, I talked to Mark, who will be taking over the program once Kathy leaves, and gave him as much information as possible about the Aquaplex. Then we kicked the instructors out of the room, finished collecting their gift money, and signed all three of their cards. We are done!!!!!!!!!!!
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| Mark - the future, Kathy - the leaver, Doug - hates hugs |
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| Leaving behind a Legacy |
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| Classroom...fade to black |
The only thing we really had left to do was party and show up to get our certificates and take some pictures. Nick & I got home and each found a present on our beds. Mama Jane left us bags with our names on them and inside, beautifully framed pictures of Arizona scenery. Thanks Mama Jane! I tried uploading the photo album pictures again, it didn’t work again so I saved them on a flashdrive and we went to Walgreen’s. Naturally, one of the machines was broken and there was a slow old lady on the one that worked. She didn’t take long, set up the pictures and headed to Safeway so I could get my contribution to the pot luck, potato salad. Safeway is home to my new favorite bbq side dish, deviled egg potato salad. I picked up a pound & a half of that and a pound of loaded baked potato salad, Nick grabbed his charcoal and we were on our way.
We were on our way back home when we saw Mama Jane coming from the other direction. She turned around and pulled up next to us just as our traffic light changed and we both shouted out the window, “I love you. I’ll miss you.” and waved emphatically. That was our good-bye. We didn’t want to say it the night before but we missed our opportunities ever since. Apparently she stopped by the house while we were out and we missed each other. So sad; she’s a great woman and has been more like a friend than anything else…even before I got out here. I’ll miss her dearly.
I picked up T-Rav’s and Hamstring’s flashdrives so I can give them copies off all the pictures I had, we got Carter and then Travis and then headed over to Jake’s. I soon realized that it was quite chilly for an outdoor; this wind just won’t go away. It was awesome that Kathy came out, and Jake’s mom & brother were in town for graduation. We had a decent turnout. We played some cornhole…which had some rules that I didn’t approve of but whatever. We had a TON of food. I brought a monster container of cheeseballs since everybody liked them at Arkansas’ bonfire party thing, Carter made her famous chocolate chip mint cookies, Travis made his famous egg macaroni salad, Sean had a bunch of chips & dips, CJ brought a gallon of ice cream and Kathy brought the burger meat. We stuffed our faces and then watched various cop shows inside. Kopplin’s dad came and after about 15 minutes of watching the shows with us he exclaimed, “you know watching these shows with you folks is a lot different than watching them with other folks.” Hahahaha. We were critiquing every action the cops & bad guys were making…naturally…we just spent 14 weeks learning about this stuff.
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| NPS Mint Cookies...amazing |
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| Yay! We're Done! And I have bunny ears! |
It was like Christmas Eve when I got home; I couldn’t sleep out of anticipation for tomorrow’s events. I put together part one of this post and browsed a bunch of stuff on my computer to pass the time. I ended up falling asleep at like 4:30 in the morning. Woof!
Friday – Mission Accomplished
I woke up at 9 o’clock…extremely tired…to learn of some good news on this already very good day; Mr. Stone, Laura’s dad, was discharged from the hospital and was finally allowed to go home. I didn’t go get a haircut because it’s at the length where you’d get left at if you walked into a barber shop but it was too short to try to do anything to it…so I just showered and hoped it wouldn’t look like a complete fuzz ball. I shaved and then took a while to get dressed so Nick went out and picked up the pictures for the slide show while I scraped some dirt off of my shoes. We finished getting ready and realized that we looked like twins…to some people. We had the same color blue shirt & tie on but he wore dark khakis with brown shoes and I wore that white/cement color with black shoes.
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| Get yer programs here. My camera took really crappy pictures throughout the entire graduation |
The ceremony was at this place called the Kilted Cat and it was located in the rich part of Flagstaff…the houses looked like those in Colts Neck, Rumson, & Holmdel back in New Jersey. I think it was a type of a country club but instead of golf courses they had a horse riding club. We were in a small reception hall with round tables condensed throughout it. When I walked in Nick $ and Owen were setting up the slide show with the projector. We got it up & running and I stood there forever just watching it. I’ve seen the pictures dozens of times but I was actually getting emotional…both happy & sad…watching it. I made my way to my table and sat with Curtis, Nick, Nick $ & his family, Jake & his family, and Carter. We took the window table…oh yeah! Kathy gave a brief introduction and then called us by table to hit up the buffet line. On Election Day, I was mad that the class voted this meal to be our lunch today…but it was actually fantastic! Bread, salad, steamed vegetables, some sort of awesome potatoes, bbq marinated chicken, something else I skipped & some sort of steak…I voted for the Italian meal and we lost by 2 votes.
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| Massive plate...one of the few that didn't need seconds lol |
We winded down with lunch around 1 and then our ceremony began. Kathy gave another brief introduction in which she said that she was thankful to have a class like ours as her last at NAU. She basically said we were the best. We didn’t break off into cliques and showed a real desire to learn and not just jump through hoops to get a piece of paper. I could tell that just by being a part of this class that we were special and knew that there was never one like us before…we were too unique. When she was done, NAU’s Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences spoke followed by a professor in the Department of Geography, Planning, and Recreation. Once they were done speaking Kathy called Travis up for his Class President’s Speech. He’s done a great job all semester as Class President. His speech was well thought out and he put an interesting twist on it…he wanted to include a memory or a known fact about each student in the class so he sought my advice. I was happy to see that he used it. He went through the class alphabetically and presented everything really well. When he got to me, he told everybody that I was like a human radio because I knew so many songs by heart. He also told everybody that I’m the Rapping Ranger which he followed up by saying “I’m no rapper but I did right a little poem for him.” Here’s his poem:
He knows almost every song,
A rapper who tries to do no wrong.
But what do you expect,
He deserves quite the respect,
Even if he’s from a lot in Jersey,
He’s still as sweet as chocolate from Hershey.
He got a resounding round of applause for it. The “lot in Jersey” line refers to something one of our more lighthearted instructors said in class. When he picked on somebody for an answer, he’d read their name tag and say something about their state or name...I got “Mr. Ward, what parking lot in New Jersey are you from.” I heard it a bunch the rest of the semester haha. I will say this now and probably again later…I’m surprised that I haven’t gotten one Jersey Shore reference from an instructor since I got out here.
When Travis was done called the class up so we could present our gifts to the instructors. I think we just got Mike a card…which he appeared very emotional about; he may have even teared up. Next it was Doug’s turn. Doug made it abundantly clear on the first day of class that he hates being touched and he absolutely loathes being hugged. We found that out when he told us the story of a kid in last semester’s class that hugged him at graduation…so he knew it was coming at some point. He walked to the front of the room very cautiously and we had a bit of a standoff when I went to present his photo album to him. We eventually shook hands and I thanked him for everything. Finally we got to Kathy. Travis spoke and thanked her as he presented our class picture to her and then Turiya spoke as she gave her the sweet crystal looking plague. She got a round of applause and then we took our seats for the student award presentation.
The following are the awards that were presented along with the recipient:
Top PEB Award: Turiya
Top Gun Award: John “The Marine” Meharg, final average – 29.1 out of 30
Driving Award (Most Cones Hit): Lauren Kopplin – the award was a cone signed by the driving instructors.
Top Academic Award: Lauren Kopplin…she must be studying while she’s driving
Director’s Award to the Instructors: NAU PD
We had a large number of faculty members in attendance so Kathy had them stand up and be recognized; my three favorites (lead firearms instructor & 2 DUI guys) were at the same table and they were sitting right next to our table. They’re awesome! Before we could get our certificates we had a keynote speaking, the Chief Ranger from Grand Canyon…another very cool fellow. Okay now it’s the class’s time to shine…certification time. Kathy called out our names, Doug handed us our envelopes, and then we shook the hands of the first two speakers and the keynote speaker. In the envelopes were our certificates, final grade sheets, our final PEB sheets, and a copy of our syllabus for purposes of listing any training when applying to jobs.
Once again we went alphabetically. When Lauren Hamstring went up she snuck a hug from Doug. WHAT IS THAT!?!?! I exclaimed. Jake followed right behind her and also tried to hug Doug...only to be pushed away. When Jacob Lewis received his envelope he somehow managed a one-armed man hug. “That’s it! You’re going down!” I once again bellowed across the room. Nick went up and stood in front of Doug and tried to give him a pound (fist bump, people)…he eventually figured it out and pounded Nick back. When Nick came back to his seat I unveiled my plan to him.
Doug was going to be expecting to me attack on the first pass, after he gives out the envelopes and shakes your hand he turns toward Kathy for the next envelope. I told Nick that I was going to go down the line and on my way back I was going sneak attack Doug with a hug. When I got called up he an untrusting look on his face, I shot him a look back. I walked up to Kathy for her to pound the potato, then Doug and I laughed and I thanked him as I shook his hand and I made my way down the line. On my way back to my seat I was just about back to Doug and he that’s when he turned to Kathy for the envelope and that’s when I struck! I wrapped him up in the biggest bear hug ever. All I could hear was him laughing in one ear and my audience clapping and laughing the other. I held on to him for a long time and almost slow danced with him for a few steps across the floor…partially for dramatic effect but also because I feared getting hit. He was a good sport about it and when I let him go I almost bumped into Josh who was patiently waiting for his certificate hahaha. I looked inside the envelope to check my grades and I was a little disappointed. The instructor that we had for a week was way harsh on our group project/paper. We got like an 85 on both. That’s crap. If our park visit presentation got graded we would’ve gotten a 100%. I still finished with a 90 for the year…which doesn’t mean anything but still. An 85?!?!?
We wrapped up the certificate portion and then the entire class stood up at their seats for a round of applause, then the parents, family, and friends stood up for their time to shine as we expressed our appreciation. The ceremony ended and goodbyes began. I hate goodbyes. Seven of my classmates were leaving Flagstaff tonight and I was not happy about it. We got some pictures together and said our goodbyes. It was most likely the last time I’d ever see Brice, Brad, Jake, John, Turiya, Matt, and my partner in crime, EKV. Sad. That’s all I have to say about that. Travis, Curtis, & Sean were trying to figure out tonight’s plans in the parking lot when we walked to Nick’s car. I suggest Brews &Cues since A.) That’s where we had our meet & greet the day before the academy started so it’d be a nice full circle deal. B.) That’s where we usually go whenever we go out and C.) Because they usually have good drink specials and people can play pool, the TV trivia game, or board games, watch TV, and BS at the bar and all be happy. We had the place picked out now we just needed a time. Some people wanted to go right afterwards but if it was going to be a late night there was no way I was making that. We decided to take some time to chill for a little bit and then we’d meet up around 5-6 and we were staying dressed up because some of us bought clothes specifically for today and we were going to put them to good use.
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| Jerzinois Certs |
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| Doug Wearing a Kilt at the Kilted Cat |
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| Kathy & I...cheeeese |
We headed home and I called my dad and Laura to let him know I made it through then I needed to recharge all sorts of batteries. My camera died right after the ceremony and my phone was racing to meet it in the afterlife. I needed to recharge my personal batteries but there was no time for that. We were quickly out the door and heading to the post office to ship my last box home. The post office OWNS the UPS Store; I shipped this box for $30 less than the last box I shipped that was the same size from the UPS Store. Nick suggested that UPS charges you to ship with them and then turns around and uses the post office to actually ship the box for them. Interesting theory. We then stopped by Kohl’s real quick for Carter to get some shorts and we were on our way to Brews & Cues where a group of us were already waiting…eager beavers!
When we showed up Kopplin, Josh, Pat, & Travis were already at the bar drinking beer and Bloody Maries. Bloody Maries were one of the drink specials along with LITs. Just as I ordered an LIT the group said they were hungry & wanted to hit Fratelli’s. That place sucks but fine we’ll go. I drank my LIT like it was water and I just ran the PEB….that’s fast…then we were on our way. The world famous Question Queen was the counter girl and she took care of us…she gave us all a 10% discount since it was our graduation. She kept checking on us throughout the meal and I told those who knew her from WFR…I like her a lot better outside of class hahaha. She had a teammate that was on the prowl for some dudes…I could just tell. As we’re wrapping up she asked what we were doing tonight…I KNEW IT! We invited them to Brews & Cues but they didn’t answer. As we were leaving, the co-pilot stopped one of us…who shall remain nameless and no it wasn’t me…and invited him to some techno dance party. Damn I’m Good!
I called Laura on the way back to Brews & Cues totally not knowing that she had to work the midnight shift and was sleeping. Whoops. As I walked in, Forrest sent out an e-mail telling everybody to come out to Brews & Cues for one last hurrah. We had such a great turnout…19 of us took over half of the place…that’s not including family members & loved ones. I had a blast, I didn’t drink as much as anticipated so don’t worry everybody…Franklin basically hibernated. At one point EJP played Regulate on the jukebox and we had a little improvised karaoke (there were no mics, we just tore it up). A small group of our crew surrounded us and stood there in awe of my rap along to the music skills. They looked like cavemen looked the first time they saw fire, I’d imagine, they’re all hopped up on bluegrass, classic rock, and county music. I told them that this song was practically the theme song to my life and I name all of my sports teams after it. I chose the next song that came on…LIT – My Own Worst Enemy. By the time the chorus kicked in, half the place was singing at the top of their lungs. It reminded me of the time my band bought me Rock Band 2 for my birthday and we played this song that night. I think there were a dozen people in my den hanging out and when that song came on…everybody sang along. It was awesome and was also the reason I picked this song tonight. Mission Accomplished. Transitioning from Flagstaff to Freehold, somebody not in our group selected Taking Back Sunday’s Cute Without the E and that me excited for my return home.
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| East Coast Connection Once Again: PA, NY, NJ, NY, NC, VA |
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| I did not pick this |
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| Clowns until the very end...I'll miss these guys |
Before I knew it, it was getting to be that time. I was standing by the bar with EJP & Nick $ and we started talking about it sucking that we won’t all be seeing each other anymore after tonight. We made a pact that we take the time once a week to call somebody from the class to see how they’re doing…let’s see how that works out. Not soon after, people started leaving. Forrest & Alex were heading somewhere else and not coming back, so I had to force a goodbye out of them. Then ChrisPING, Owen, & Hamstring were getting ready to go and I could feel my face sink when they came to say goodbye. Hamilton will be working at Zion this summer so I had a moment of seriousness with telling her to be safe and wished Owen the best of luck. I think Nick & I were next to leave so I had to make my rounds. It was even hard saying goodbye to family members and girlfriends of my classmates and I didn’t even know them. There was surprisingly no crying involved but if I had to stay any longer I’m sure I would’ve lost it. A few of my classmates had some great things to say about me & my personality and they came in for 4th and 5th helpings of Jeff Hugs…”a hug from a DuB is like a Hallmark Card.” I had a hard time saying goodbye to Travis but something tells me he won’t even remember it hahaha. When we were leaving I was getting even sadder and I happened to run into Curtis in the parking lot. He hugged me and told me he loved me. A bunch of these guys swore they’d take a trip to NJ to come see me…I know my crew would love these guys so I hope they do come up.
I was totally bumming after we left. I was quiet and kept to myself. Nick had to stop at the grocery store; I stayed in the car with my hand over my face. My FB status said I hate goodbyes and EJP & I had a whole conversation back and forth through my status about how much this sucks. When I got home I all but finished packing and put some pictures on my computer. Remember that digital camera that I left in my D-Tac pants when I washed them and had to buy a replacement camera? Well I never threw the camera out and as I was packing I decided to give it one last try…wholly crap it works perfectly! Now I have two awesome digital cameras! I got so excited about the news that I crashed for the night not too much later.
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| Can you tell it's over? |
Saturday – Leaving Day Eve
Happy Birthday, E-Dogg
There hasn’t been much going on today. I woke up at 7:30 for some reason and I’ve been up ever since. I wake up earlier on my days off than I do for school days. I started writing this here Part 2 of Final Days in Flagstaff and then I drove with Nick & Carter for their hike up Mt. Elden, then Nick let me use his car the rest of the day. I wanted to print some more pictures out so I went to Walgreen’s…low & behold…there was another old lady taking up the only working photo machine. I waited awhile for this lady to get done but she took forever so I left, put gas in Nick’s car since he’ll be running me to the airport tomorrow, and headed to Walmart. Their picture station went much smoother. I ordered the 1 hour prints and then did some souvenir shopping. I did some souvenir shopping about 2 months ago, have no idea what I bought, so I got some more things just to be safe. I walked around Walmart for a little bit, got my ass kicked in some PS3 tennis game, and walked around some more. I picked up my pictures and was out the door.
I ran around the house most of the rest of the day, washing sheets, cleaning out my food cabinet, trying to make some food while still writing bits & pieces of this post as I go. I picked up Nick & Carter and my sister Maureen called me on the way to get them. When we got home Carter got very lucky…at least that’s a common belief if this happens to you; she got pooped on by a bird that was perched in the tree just overhead. I passed some more time by working on the blog, cleaning up & packing, and working on this here post some more…that was until I looked out the front window and saw my boy Travis pull up. It was pretty funny because he pulled up right after I typed the sentence that I said goodbye to him but he won’t remember it…haha. I knew last night wouldn’t have been the way we said goodbye. He wanted to see if Nick & I wanted to go out to dinner one last time before us 3 amigos disbanded.
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| See....poop |
We hung out for a little bit and then Nick, Carter, Travis, & I headed over to the Lumberyard. Travis said dinner and I belted this place out before he could even finish his sentence. This was the one restaurant I needed to cross off my hypothetical Flagstaff Bucket List and I really didn’t think I was going to get a chance to make it; it did not disappoint. The place, like many restaurants & bars out here, had its own brewery in it which was seen through large picture windows in the dining room. We had some awesome fried macaroni & cheese balls that our waiter suggested a different dipping sauce for. I agreed to try his little change up and I warned him that if it sucked then we’d beat him up. It was amazing! That guy should get a raise. Looking to try something new, we ordered these things called Irish Eggrolls. They were like little reubens in an eggroll served with thousand island dressing and a spicy honey mustard dipping sauces. AMAZING! I can’t believe we didn’t come to this place sooner! For dinner I had a burger that came highly recommended by some locals but I was too stuffed to finish it. I would put this place right up there with Granny’s as my favorite restaurant in Flagstaff. Granny’s has commonly known foods and they are all delicious. Lumberyard has a bit more of a variety and everything we ate tonight was fantastic. If you’re ever in town I suggest trying both of these places.
Travis brought me home and that meant that one of the hardest goodbyes was coming up. I knew this was going to be a tough one because this guy was like a brother to me…and he felt the same way. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger; an excellent leader, competitive, someone you’d trust with your life, and a great person to everyone he meets. He’ll be working as a backcountry protection ranger at Yellowstone this summer so I gave him the same “be safe” talk while we hugged it out and we swore we’d meet up once he’s done with the season. He’s a great dude and I wish him nothing but the best. I spent the rest of the night packing and cleaning everything out and now here I am…about to say goodnight from Flagstaff for the last time…
Looking Back
The seed to partake in a program like this was planted a long time ago. When I was in college I took a career aptitude test (or something) and the #2 occupation that matched my answers was a park ranger. I guess I was so fixated on that response that I don’t even remember what #1 was. Nothing panned out for me after college for over 3 years. Interviews came and went, promising leads fell apart, the only things that I was being offered was telemarketing and working from home scans. I still had the Chili’s and security thing going but I was dumb with the little amount of money I was making and ended up in a rut…commonly known as “Jeff Hating.”
One weekend, Laura and I visited our friends Dana and Eric (& Riggs) in Arizona. Eric, who I was meeting for the first time, was a NPS ranger at Lake Meade and he showed me all kinds of the cool things that they do at work and briefly introduced me to a lot of their procedures. He also mentioned that went to a park ranger training program in Santa Rosa, California…but I didn’t really pay too much attention to the details. Something must’ve clicked somewhere because not too soon after we left Arizona I saw a Park Ranger position was open for my county’s park system and I jumped at the opportunity. I scored like a 96 on the test…I even remember going to my brother’s to watch The Shield after I took the test and thinking that that could be me one day. It took awhile to get the test results back but I was the 4th ranked person on their hiring list so I landed an interview. I have never been more confident when entering or leaving a job interview in my life. Within weeks I was hired. Within months I released that I wouldn’t make enough money to survive in New Jersey and the Jeff Hating crept back into my life.
A year or so later, Dana, Eric, & Riggs moved to Virginia…Eric took a job there. We visited them once again, this time with our baby Indy. Obviously frustrated that life hadn’t improved for me, I paid more attention this time when Eric talked about his seasonal academy and Laura & I stayed up that night talking about the options. I was still way over my head in debt and knew that there was no way I could drive to California and take 3-4 months off of work. Slowly but surely my financial situation remedied itself. I worked an insane amount of OT at the park, a shift or two a month at Chili’s, and concert security whenever I could. The totality of the circumstances (thank you NAU PRTP) of where I was, the lifestyle I was living (all work & no play, still living at home, hardly seeing Laura, my friends or my family) had to change. I applied to a couple of Federal Park Ranger positions that were semi-local and hoped for the best. I received two reply e-mails that said to read over the qualifications again. I looked it over and saw that I needed to have a certificate like the one I just received on Friday. For some reason I was under the impression that my 2 years of park ranger experience would carry over and I could just transfer into the Federal system…WHOOPS! I began scouring the internet for SLETPs (seasonal law enforcement training programs) and the only two ones that were feasible (financially & time wise) were the programs in Santa Rosa and the one here at NAU. I’ve always wanted to live in Arizona, NAU’s course was shorter & cheaper, you didn’t have to buy your own duty gear for it good because I wouldn’t have a job afterwards), and it was slightly closer to home…figuring I’d be driving. I looked over all of my bills, saw that I’d have my car & 2 credit cards paid off by the time the fall semester rolled around but I’d be damn near broke if I got in. I applied to the fall semester anyway…it was 3 weeks shorter than the spring semester but it was more condensed. It didn’t take too long to hear from Kathy that I was 14th on the wait list for the fall semester and if I held out for the spring semester then I’d be 6th on the list. I asked her to keep my name on both lists and she interviewed me over the phone right then and there.
About a week and a half later, Kathy called and left a voicemail while I was at work. She informed me that a spot opened in the spring class and asked if I was still interested. I couldn’t get to a parking spot fast enough to call her back. With the Kathy sense of humor that I now know and love, as soon as I told her who was calling she responded “sooooooo do you want the spot?” “ABSOLUTELY!” was all I had to say to her. As soon as we hung I called Laura at work; I could hear the mixed reactions in her voice but she backed me up. I was too nervous to talk to anybody else so I texted my family & Rath. When I got back to our office I gave a resounding high five to Anti-Touching Augun, they all knew I was waiting to hear back from this place for awhile. I got home and told my dad right away, he also had mixed emotions as well as that fatherly “think this through” tone about him. I almost had to draw a business plan to explain everything to him…several times. He had his reasons for being hesitant in jumping on my float in this parade, but he too backed me up.
That was back in June, I had 6 months get in shape and get my act together. That meant trying to balance doing more overtime at work, going to the gym, and seeing my family and friends that I’d be leaving for 4 months as much as possible. Working overtime ended up winning 95% of the time. The months passed and more information became available as far as what to bring and what would be expected. I had to find a place to live. The rent I the apartments in Flagstaff is far cheaper than any of the ones in New Jersey…and Kathy said this was the expensive part of Arizona. I couldn’t believe how low the prices were. I played e-mail tag with a couple of different complexes but when they were it for too long and stopped tagging me. Thank goodness for smart phones. Kathy began sending out e-mails for rooms to rent at people’s houses, most of them were more expensive than the apartments I was looking into. Then one day Kathy forwarded an e-mail from Jane MacDonald. I read the description and didn’t hesitate an instant…I replied to who I now refer to as Mama Jane and locked up a spot right then and there. We would share e-mails about ourselves and the house as time went on…usually when I was shopping for stuff to bring with me. I’d be shopping at the mall with Laura and suddenly realize that I needed a brown belt to match my nearly impossible to find size 15 brown boots, so we’d pick one up. Then she’d ask me a question about the availability of something in the house and I’d Google Talk Jane on my Android about it. Just as I finished shopping for the ranger program, I received an itinerary for the WFR course just about 2 weeks before I’d be boarding a plane to take the course. I couldn’t afford to buy the stuff with Christmas coming up so I made an Amazon Wishlist and I got HOOOKED UP! The next day it snowed, I got really sick, missed my second to last day of work only to have to suck it up to meet the car shipper guy and then work a half day the following day…without getting a chance to say goodbye to my co-workers…..but that’s all covered in my very first post…check it out if you haven’t already.
Bring It Home
It’s been a bumpy 4 months. I needed to get out here for a bunch of reasons, I was dealing with a lot of personal issues and was really looking for this place to serve as an escape for me to better myself as a person as well as taking a breather from a lot of the things that were bogging me down. I do feel like I’ve improved a lot about myself and I’ve had some once in a lifetime experiences out here, I just hope I continue to grow when I get home. As you all know, I’m not leaving here with a job lined up. As many of my backers back home stated on my Facebook the past two days, I know it took a lot of guts to throw caution into the wind and come out here…leaving behind every comfort I’ve ever known in hopes of bettering the situations that have flat out depressed me the past few years. A la Babe Ruth, I called my shot and followed through but I can’t help feeling like it was a strike out. My plan involved getting a job at Gateway National Recreation Area (NJ) for a season and then jumping into a permanent ranger job at Independence Hall (PA). The NJ thing didn’t pan out and PA is still on the table…now that I have a copy of my certificate so that I can apply to it, but it’s just a crappy time in the world to try and get a job with the Federal Government right now. I am by no means giving up, I would just be happier about returning home if I knew I had a job in place instead of having to search for one. I’m Unstoppable, I know it’ll be alright.
I may not feel like a winner but I’ve had a lot of fun playing the game these past 4 months. I finally got to go camping, I shot a near perfect score on qualification day, I injected somebody with a syringe in WFR class, I finally had a normal “college” experience/social life, I tried my first Thai food, I accomplished one of my lifetime goals of living in AZ, I drove like a movie stuntman, I had people I haven’t talked to in ages help lift me up through this rollercoaster of a time, I’ve had parents of friends from grammar school and even earlier show an interest in what I’m doing out here (Hi Mrs. Kane & Mrs. Connelly! J ), I served as a liaison between my classmates and their parents in the form of writing, I lived without television but not without a TV, I showed a few people that messing with me or my friends isn’t the best idea they’ve ever had in their lives, I proved many doubters wrong, I persevered through illness and severe back pain I spread my “contagious” personality through 25 other individuals, I made friends wherever I went, I drove to Las Vegas, I slept in 2 different states and 4 different cities, more people fell in love with my songs, I learned how to blog…sorta, I learned that Bluegrass isn’t just what Boise State plays on, I went to a country bar...twice, I got stuff for free, I applied what I learned in a real life situation when I witnessed a car accident, I made people laugh, I dropped below my 2+ year plateau weight, I swam in a pool outside in March, I rode an indoor water slide, I made some unforgettable friends and I was part of a new family, and most importantly…I faced my fears in hopes of living my dreams.
I can’t thank all of you enough for reading about EVERY single day that I’ve spent out here, even those of you that I’ve never met or have any idea who you are. If you’ve missed a day, feel free to go back and catch up on what you missed. Be on the lookout for my DVD with all new bonus features including an alternate ending as well as the soundtrack featuring all original songs by J~DuB including…Mandi, Be Unstoppable, Let’s Go Rangers, The Stan Seals Rap, Leaving Day, the NAU PRTP Class #21 theme song…and many more. Okay I’m just kidding about that…but that’d be great wouldn’t it?
I don’t know if I’ll have any other posts after this so please feel free to leave me any kind of feedback…in fact I encourage and am almost begging you to.
I have to be on the road heading toward the airport in about 5 hours…so it’s time for me to go.
Thank you all again.
Good Night.
MOUNT UP!!!
Flagstaff Observation
I’ve been compiling the following lists for about a week now…I think this is all the observation I need. Enjoy.
What I’ll Miss
· The Unstoppables – we came in as strangers...judging by your Facebook pics I figured most of you would be complete buttholes and I was perfectly fine if I didn’t make any friends through all of this. You all know my personality so you know that would never be the case and it’s been an honor sharing the past 4 months of my life with you. I’m leaving town with new found brothers & sisters. No matter what happens, make sure you go home at the end of the day and BE UNSTOPPABLE!
· Mama Jane. It’s been almost 11 years since my mom passed. I see so many of her qualities in you and I couldn’t ask for a better landlady, motherly advice figure, or friend. Thank you for everything.
· Mama Jane recap sessions – especially because she talks like Butt-Head and Quagmire…alright
· Fiona Coyote – the most talkative, hairy, and best mannered cat I’ve ever met. She’s my cuddle buddy
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| She's Crying Because I'm Leaving |
· Mama Jane’s motivational chalkboard messages
· My roomie Nick. Jerzinois. With maybe one or 3 exceptions I’ve been very fortunate to have some great roommates. Nick is a great guy, very squared away. He reminds me a lot of myself so he must be good. He’s the kind of guy that if you ever needed anything he’d be right there to help you with it. He also must be a good dude because I didn’t kill after he touched my face over & over or when he bumped into the back of my car in the driveway. I’m not sure what he’s got his sights on next but I know whatever he does, he’ll be great at it.
· Seeing mountains everywhere whenever I walk out of a building
· Pumping my own gas
· Shooting guns, evasive driving maneuvers, courtroom testimony, scenarios, defensive tactics
· Being an hour & a half from the Grand Canyon
· The Aquaplex…where else will I find a gym with an indoor waterpark?
· The waterslide at The Plex
· The hot tub at The Plex that always seemed to cure what ailed me.
· “Dr. Hottie” – also always seemed to cure what ailed me.
· PT morning basketball, basketball at the Plex…both on the court & in the pool
· Highways without medians
· Brews & Cues
· Deviled Egg Potato Salad
· Jasper…the neighbor’s (almost…damn cat on the roof) never barking dog that always runs to the fence for some petting and back & side scratching whenever we pull into the driveway
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| He was by the door when I pulled up, this is how he was when I opened the car door... |
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| It's almost a daily routine. He's so sweet. I hope they take good care of him |
· The snow melting almost as fast as it falls
· How extremely nice just about everybody out here is like the people at the grocery store who smile and ask if they can help you find anything….they do it at every one!
· The first question being asked after being greeted at a restaurant is something along the lines of “would you like for me to split the check?” So convenient!
· No more Hoop or Aunt Pam packages
· Guns being legal and walking around with your friends that are carrying them
· Our bird clock. It plays different bird noises every hour…the damn owl sounds like a frikk’n train running through the house
· My Mandi song. Oooohhhhh Mandi. You came now the driveway’s all taken, cuz u did your laundry oooohhhhh Mandi.
· Walking outside to do laundry
· Our adopted family friends from the pool in Phoenix
· The nice dancing Liberty Tax guys
What I Won’t Miss
· Annoying transition trips from PT to class
· The obsession with bluegrass & country music out here
· 12 days on, 2 days off
· 31 days on, 1 day off
· Not working
· Crappy Chinese food
· How slowly this entire town operates
· Being stuck behind the slow check payer, sale arguer, or receipt discrepancy-ier on line at the various checkouts across town
· The random homeless people begging for money, especially the ones who put their dogs & babies on display to gain your sympathy
· All the stray dogs…I’ve seen at least two a month roaming the neighborhood and I don’t get out much
· The various rule differences to games that I play back in the Jerz like with pickup basketball and cornhole/baggo/whatever
· Having to be clean shaven every day
What I’m Looking Forward To
· Seeing all of my dogs…I have all of their greetings down pat…I just hope they remember me
· Seeing my family & friends…their support as I’ve gone through this has been remarkable
· Katie Spaghetti
· My sweet ass LED TV “The Kid”
· WaWa hoagies & Sorrento’s subs
· Real Chinese food & pizza
· Putting my life back together…starting with finding a job
· Seeing Laura’s new room
· M~DuB recap sessions
· Stepping back into the security ring…Bamboozle Baby! – Boyz II Men, E-Town Concrete, TBS!!
· Seeing my first Yankee game at the new Stadium on 4/28
· Pursuing some more licenses and certifications – EMT, SCUBA (since I’ve never actually received my card), Firearms permit & purchasing ID, motorcycle (???), Gaming employee
· Returning to “the felt” in AC
· Grass
· Rain
· Bugs
· VIDEO GAMES!!! I think I’ve played a total of 10 hour of console video games, that doesn’t include Angry Birds or Words With Friends (sucks) on my phone. 10 hours used to be a Rock Band jam session with the Stir Fry Commas…or a rainy day/night playing Oblivion. I’m looking forward to the next Oblivion sage, the new SOCOM, getting my hands back on Madden, and playing more than 5 minutes of the COD: Black Ops.
· Hitting the gym hard! I didn’t reach my fitness goals for the program or my goal sustainable weight…I’m coming for you Work Out World.
· The Beach!!! I haven’t been on the beach in 3 years…I’m due but first gotta drop some more weight…even though I now need to buy a smaller bathing suit.
· Spring/Summer Movies – Scream 4, Pirates 4, Thor, Transformers, Captain America…I’m sure I’m missing a bunch
· Getting a real haircut
· Buying a tent and a sleeping pad so I can go camping again.
Thanks Again
