I May Be In A Movie.

I neglected to mention a couple of weeks back(Oct 6th) that they were filming a movie down town called "Leaving Omaha" -About some family trying to get away for vacation and wacky things happen to them.
The movie has:
Dave Foley,(kids in the hall) Lea Thompson( too many movies to list), Patricia Richardson, (Home Improvement + West wing) Cynthia Stevenson,“Agent Cody Banks,” “Six Feet Under”) Ethan Phillips, (“Bad Santa,” “Star Trek” movie and TV episodes) and Vicky Lewis (“Seinfeld” and “Home Improvement”)

They were filming all day infront of the Starbuck's I work at.

(I made a late's and Cafe Mochas for all those guys.)

Had a bunch of pictures taken with them,.
Anyway, during my lunch break, the "Location Director" had me walk back and forth along the side walk during a couple of scenes.

Who knows, maybe I'll make the cut.

Results Mailed

Wow, they're moving fast.
Checked this morning and the NREMT website indicated that they mailed the results off already today. Now I can apply for Nebraska state licensure and then for Kansas state reciprocity.
-Sigh- Jocoems, was supposed to call me again yesterday for to establish a date to take "thier" test.
C'mon guys, I just took the NREMT National Registry. Isn't that good enough?

Wasn't supposed to work tonight, but my boss needed a fill in. I'll be working for her.
At least she's going to work my Saturday morning for me. It'll be nice having a Saturday off.
Maybe watch some football. Do I really want to watch my Huskers play OU? Yes, but I'm going to be nauseous during the entire game. Last week's loss against Missouri hurt. We've got to win this one. I know the Huskers are better than the way they played last week.

YAAAAHOOOOOOO!

Maybe I've been drinking a bit too much coffee, every day since I've taken my Paramedic National Registry test I've been checking the website to see if I've passed or not.
Yesterday they indicated that they had received it and it had been passed on to grading. ( Takes 72 hours)
Well, I didn't want to wait 72 hours so I checked this morning and then checked this afternoon.
It says:
=========

Name:	BugAhaBuc*
Level:	Paramedic
Status:	Registered
Description:	Currently registered with the NREMT.

Written Exam Date:	10/17/2005
Written Exam Scored:	10/25/2005 Passed
Written Results Mailed:

=========

Now, that's all they give you at this point. They mail the results later, as you can see above where we'll be able to see the break down of our scores, including the overall score.
What matters most, however, is that I freag'n passed!!!!!

Now, I need to go drink more coffee.
Rift Valley Blend today. Made it in the French Press.
Mmmmm...............

Free Time?

Holy Cats!
I have four days without work.
I can't remember the last time I had so much free time.
Maybe read a book? Hmmmmm.....

"Moses supposes his toses are roses..."

"...but Moses supposes erroneously."
-Singin' In The Rain (1952)

Friday night we had the dreaded responsibility to explain to the maternal birth family of our youngest (whom we are in the process of adopting) that we would be changing his name.
As we expected, it was difficult to recieve. What I find interesting, is that not only the birthfamily, but the adoption counselor assumed that we would keep his given name. Now, we recieved him at 5 months old, so all parties involved have been used to his legally given name, but to assume that we would not take the same time, care and thought which we put into our bio-kids names for his name as well....you know what they say about assuming....
We want to fully claim him, he is part of our family as much as any of our bios. I think, in the long run, it will be good for the birth family. It hit them like a Mack Truck, but they needed the umbilicus cut. I know that they'll recover and hopefully the relationship will be better because of this. I think they still felt in control and quite frankly, they aren't. What kind of pisses me off, is that the so called adoption counselor should really know better. She took it upon herself to put his given name on the adoption/court papers we signed without even asking what we were going to have has his name. This chick has been doing this work for 15 years.
Amazing....what do you expect? She is a Notre Dame graduate, after all.


"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;"
-Romeo and Juliet | Act II, Scene 2

The birth grandfather (Whom I like the best of all of them) said the most mature comment of the entire birth family. "He's still the same sweet little boy." Mature, and sober, but the whole name thing as it influences who we are is a discussion I will expound upon at a later date.

I'm Finally DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just completed 8 hours of testing of my second day of testing!(that sounds strange)
Only three hours last night.
I am finally done!!!
I passed the Practical portion of my National Registry for Paramedic!!!!
(All results are unofficial pending authorization from Deparment of Transportion National Registry)
I actually can't find out my written results for another two weeks and that's online with a PASS or FAIL.
The official document comes in the mail in about 4-6 weeks. Big envelope good, little envelope bad. But, for all tense and purposes, I'm done!!!
--
There were Paramedics from different schools there as well, got to change institutional stories with them. I can say with the utmost certainty that Creighton University is one of the Best EMS schools in the country!!!
Check it out.....There was even a Physician(Maxillio Facial Surgeon) who is a volunteer fire fighter. The only way he can function medically in the course of fire-fighting is by taking a Paramedic bridge course and National Registry.
:snicker: he was actually having to take his cardiac (code) portion over again. That was sure a shot in the ego for Bug.


Well, we may go to AppleBee's to celebrate, kids eat free on Tuesdays or we may use this coupon for Famous Dave's BBQ.

I may go out with some buddies for some beer time later tonight! We'll see.

I'm done, I'm done, I'm done....I'm finally DONE!!

Oh and as I walked in the door today after having finished my National Registry (Did I mention that I'm done?), my wife of course congratulates me then hands me a packet from Johnson County Med-ACT asking me to schedule an interview!
If I get hired, their academy starts the Monday after Thanks Giving.
May be moving to Johnson County, Kansas soon!
I'm looking forward to having a job that can support a family of 6.


(Did I mention that I'm done?)





I'm done, I"m done, I"m done!!!!!

Kicked in the head!

Wow, I felt like I was kicked in the head!
Every single one of us left the written test with deer in the headlight expressions on our face.
It was much harder than anyone expected. Funny how on tests like this most everyone collects outside to see how everyone else did instead of going home. Mutual reassurance or something.
Discussing my answers with everyone else made me feel a bit more comfortable.
We can find if we passed or failed online within two weeks or so.
We won't be getting actual scores for about 4-6 weeks. Then it's little envelope BAD big envelope GOOOOOOD.
Please, or please God send me a BIG envelope!!
OK, after a short night sleep, back to review and then long hours of practical testing.

Possessed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday night I was awakened at 2:00 am by my television blaring and then turning on and off and on and off and......
Turns out that the on off swithch that was broken no matter what we did (aside from unplugging it) it keep doing what it wanted to do. My poor kids kept trying to watch cartoons the next day, but could only watch about 45 seconds at a time.
Television was taken by the trashman this morning.

Culmination

It's finally here. What this whole thing has been about.
The 17th and 18th are what equates to Paramedic Boards the infamous National Registry.
The 17th is the written portion, and the 18th is the practical testing portion. Wednesday the 19th is set aside for those who have to retake any aspect of the practical.
I feel pretty ready, actually. There are those in my class who have taken it earlier in other states and have said that Creighton has prepared them well. Creighton would not consider anything less than an 80% passing, but Registry considers 70% passing. Not that I am going to rest on that, but it is reassuring that we've been trained at a higher standard.
I hope I'm not overconfident, we'll see how it goes.

Rejection.

Well, I'm spiralling down the rejection cycle.
I was at a review session for the National Registry at Creighton and one of my classmates who took the Fire Test in Lincoln with me told me that Lincoln Fire and Rescue hired thier class. He got the rejection letter a month ago. I didn't get one. (our postman sucks, by the way)
He says he was in a funk for about a week afterwards; this is the second time he's applied in Lincoln. Well, I guess I need to concentrate on the Overland Park/Johnson County thing.
I just put in a call to one of my former Paramedic classmates who works down there to try to get a pulse of the sitiuation down there.
Moving to the KC area actually sounds better to me anyway. I've already been looking for apartments for the family.
Sigh, can't get to caught up in it all. If I lose focus and don't pass National Registry then the whole thing is mute anyway.

Buddy Walk

The Buddy Walk went well.
Lots of Starbuck's partners were there.
I didn't know before hand, but four stores brewed coffee and made hot chocolate for the walk.
It was needed, boy was it cold.
Man, I didn't know there were so many Down kids in Omaha. My wife wonders where they've all been hiding. It was encouraging to see so many that are so able bodied. Gives us hope.
- - -

Going to a 5 hour review session at school for our National Registry next week.
I'm so glad, it's needed. I'm just nervous as all get out. This is it. This is what the last 14+ months have been all about.
----

Still haven't heard anything from KC or Lincoln. Hopefully there will be someone to talk to tonight who is in the same position. Nothing like encouragement.

Tired

Man, I'm stink'n tired and I have no idea why.
Not a good time either.
Got a service to go to tonight, more than likely will be getting home late.
Tomorrow I have to make coffee at 06:00 at Starbuck's because they're donateing coffee and coa-coa to the Buddy Walk. Buddy Walk is to raise $$ for Down Syndrome. Then I have to work at my store until close, which is followed by a bachelor party in Council Bluffs. (no, not that kind of party even though it's over in skank land, Iowa)
I just want to sleep, man...
Oy, I really need to crush med-math before my tests on the 17th-19th.
Can I just say that I can't wait to move?

Almost There

I really haven't been clear about the adoption, have I?
OK, after a few months of meetings and stuff we were chosen to be the adoptive parents of a 5 month old baby boy with Down Syndrome.
We are now approaching the state mandated 6 months of having him in our home before he can be officially adopted.
The lady with the private charity organization we are adopting through just left after having us fill out tons more paper work. (We'll come back to this)
We are doing an open adoption. That means the birth families get to visit him at least monthly [feels like freag'n more] and have all sorts of contact with him. Now, we signed the papers knowing this.
Now, if anyone is considering an open adoption, DON'T! Seriously, don't do it. They'll give you all of these books trying to tell you how wonderful it is as you "parent" together. Let's think about that for a moment....You gave your child up for adoption, you gave up your right to "parent" that child! The books make it look WONDERFUL, for the birth family! They don't (and with good reason) bother getting the adoptive parent perspective. That's because it sucks for them. It is a pain totally disruption of your family. These interlopers always wanting as many visits as possible whenever it's convenient for them.
Let the child go!!! You chose another family for a reason. Let the child adjust to his/her new forever family!
OK, so, The birth families on both sides, still don't get it. They have this perception that we are some sort of annoying baby sitters they have to wrestle with whenever they want to see "their" child. No cutting of the cord here.
So, since his name is still legally what he was born with, we've been calling him by that name.
Well, now that we are approaching d-day, we are calling him a new name that we chose.
The lady from (Now we're back to this) the adoption agencey comes with his old name all over all the documents, and seemed absolutely shocked that we change his name. HE'S FREAG'N OURS LADY!
With her, an adoption specialist, reacting like that, we know it's going to not only surprise the birth family, but stink'n piss them all off.
That may actually make it all worth it. :)

Relocate?

Alright, I'm getting impatient with Licoln Fire and Rescue, so I'm putting my feelers out.
Can't really support a family as a Starbuck's Barista.
Sending my "Rezzzuuuuumay" to Johnson County Kansas to work with thier 911 paramedic system.
A change of venue might be nice. It's nice area down there. Wish me luck, whoever reads this thing.

NIFEREX

Ok, to get my iron levels up, the Doc has me on 150mg qd of Niferex. It's a polysaccharide-iron complex. IE, iron suppliments on steroids. ;)
Been on them for 2 weeks, and I can't tell the difference, really. He wants me to see him again after 60 days of it.