Another great things about sports, is that no matter how bad you team is, there is always next year. And even when they suck year after year, (ie. Leafs) at least I have other sports with other favorite teams. Queue the 2008 Blue Jays. Going into this year the team has spent more money on their lineup than any year previous and we are expecting big things. We still have to compete in the ultra competitive AL east with the Yanks and Bo Sox, but if this years jays live up to their potential, and stay relatively injury free we should be able to make our first playoff appearance since Joe Carter hit that infamous home run almost … wow, almost15 years ago. (Man I am getting old).
Lets play ball.
Plus with playoff hockey only about a little over a week a way, we are entering the glorious time of spring time sports.
Can’t wait to get those golf clubs out. Just like my beloved leafs.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
The Good with the Bad
Well lets see, I am about 6 weeks into firefighting school and I haven’t blogged even once. Well I thought on this Sunday when I should be either studying or working out I would spend some time and post something for all you loyal readers out there. (anyone look at this thing anymore.) But I also think it will do my good to put some of my thoughts down on paper.
So far school has been pretty good… not perfect, but pretty good. First and for most, I think vermilion is a fine town with nice people but I really miss Regina and all that it has. Of course the one thing that vermilion does not have is a wife for me to live with. It has not been easy living away from Mrs. Brody, and this might sound silly, but it’s been harder than I thought it would be. It is such a young group of people in my class, I would say average age of maybe 21. In some cases the “kids” are 18 years old…that means I am a full 8 years older than they are…wow! I don’t consider myself to be old but I feel pretty old compared with some of these folks. What a change going from a corporate setting in which I was clearly the young one to now being one of the old guys, and the only married one. (last night I went to the bar and didn’t have my ID, I just told the bouncer I was 26 and married and he let me right in.) There are definitely a couple of meat heads in the class, but there are also some great people that I can see myself being friends with for a long time. But I’m afraid I am passed my prime years for going to the bar 3 or 4 night a week, I just don’t enjoy it that much anymore. I quite liked my social life in Regina and miss it quite a bit. I feel like I am being thrust back into my early twenties, or even late teens. Sometimes I fell even younger. Last Thurs about 6 of us went biking around town, stopped at other people house to see if they could “come out and play”, we stopped for slurpees, and then went to play video games at the dorms. ( this was actually a lot of fun), but man o man, what a change from a couple months earlier when I was flying to Winnipeg for work, going for a business supper with colleagues, trying different kinds of wine and discussing current events and business ideas. Truth is in my in old job I felt like I was pretending to be older than I feel or am, and now I feel like I am pretending to be younger than I feel or am. I think that is why I miss Mrs. Brody and the rest of you so much because that is really where I feel the most like myself.
In my head I was ready for a very exciting program and with a few exceptions it has certainly NOT been exciting so far. No emergencies, no sirens, no jaws of life, not even any fire. But I must be patient and realize that stuff will be coming soon. On Friday we finally got out bunker gear (stuff you wear in the fires), and helmets (I got one to fit) and in another week or two we will start doing more hands on stuff. I guess we have to walk before we run.
The instructors all seem like good people, but some have no real clue how to teach. I think they will be much better once we get in the field, but in the class room they seem sort of lost. Last Thursday I think we had half a dozen people sleeping during the lecture, and I am not exaggerating at all.
Highlights so far have been that I got to back a fire truck into the bay, and the ambulance too. I also have learned a lot of cool medical stuff that I didn’t know before. I actually am confident that in an emergency I could now help someone. Henning, just give me a call when you are ready to have that baby and I will be all over it.
Most of the time I think about how I can’t wait for the program to be over so I can get back to Regina, get a job, and actually get the opportunity to do the things I hope this job will let me do…mostly I just want to help someone. But I really need to allow myself to enjoy my time here, somehow. So many former students say this is course has been the best time of there lives, and I need to allow for that possibility. I will find my place within the class and I think once things pick up at school I will enjoy my time here much more. And no matter how many negatives I find to dwell on, all I have to do is think about the job that I left and I know that I made the right choice.
Anywho, hope you all are doing well, I will catch up with all of you some time soon.
Take care,
So far school has been pretty good… not perfect, but pretty good. First and for most, I think vermilion is a fine town with nice people but I really miss Regina and all that it has. Of course the one thing that vermilion does not have is a wife for me to live with. It has not been easy living away from Mrs. Brody, and this might sound silly, but it’s been harder than I thought it would be. It is such a young group of people in my class, I would say average age of maybe 21. In some cases the “kids” are 18 years old…that means I am a full 8 years older than they are…wow! I don’t consider myself to be old but I feel pretty old compared with some of these folks. What a change going from a corporate setting in which I was clearly the young one to now being one of the old guys, and the only married one. (last night I went to the bar and didn’t have my ID, I just told the bouncer I was 26 and married and he let me right in.) There are definitely a couple of meat heads in the class, but there are also some great people that I can see myself being friends with for a long time. But I’m afraid I am passed my prime years for going to the bar 3 or 4 night a week, I just don’t enjoy it that much anymore. I quite liked my social life in Regina and miss it quite a bit. I feel like I am being thrust back into my early twenties, or even late teens. Sometimes I fell even younger. Last Thurs about 6 of us went biking around town, stopped at other people house to see if they could “come out and play”, we stopped for slurpees, and then went to play video games at the dorms. ( this was actually a lot of fun), but man o man, what a change from a couple months earlier when I was flying to Winnipeg for work, going for a business supper with colleagues, trying different kinds of wine and discussing current events and business ideas. Truth is in my in old job I felt like I was pretending to be older than I feel or am, and now I feel like I am pretending to be younger than I feel or am. I think that is why I miss Mrs. Brody and the rest of you so much because that is really where I feel the most like myself.
In my head I was ready for a very exciting program and with a few exceptions it has certainly NOT been exciting so far. No emergencies, no sirens, no jaws of life, not even any fire. But I must be patient and realize that stuff will be coming soon. On Friday we finally got out bunker gear (stuff you wear in the fires), and helmets (I got one to fit) and in another week or two we will start doing more hands on stuff. I guess we have to walk before we run.
The instructors all seem like good people, but some have no real clue how to teach. I think they will be much better once we get in the field, but in the class room they seem sort of lost. Last Thursday I think we had half a dozen people sleeping during the lecture, and I am not exaggerating at all.
Highlights so far have been that I got to back a fire truck into the bay, and the ambulance too. I also have learned a lot of cool medical stuff that I didn’t know before. I actually am confident that in an emergency I could now help someone. Henning, just give me a call when you are ready to have that baby and I will be all over it.
Most of the time I think about how I can’t wait for the program to be over so I can get back to Regina, get a job, and actually get the opportunity to do the things I hope this job will let me do…mostly I just want to help someone. But I really need to allow myself to enjoy my time here, somehow. So many former students say this is course has been the best time of there lives, and I need to allow for that possibility. I will find my place within the class and I think once things pick up at school I will enjoy my time here much more. And no matter how many negatives I find to dwell on, all I have to do is think about the job that I left and I know that I made the right choice.
Anywho, hope you all are doing well, I will catch up with all of you some time soon.
Take care,
oh and just in case any of you miss the good Taylor picks. Here is a shot from this weekend. Taylor in fine form singing his heart out.
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