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My heart is leaden with grief for the innocent children and teachers slain at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, and the families of the lost. Hug your children and guard them well, people. The world does come with warning signs that say “Here there be monsters.” Tonight, KatyBeth has her first sleepover, and I will have three squealing 10-year-old girls ...

… in honor of how I feel today. ********** Musings on Time, Death and Toilets   There are 60 seconds in a minute. That’s 3600 seconds in an hour, and 43,200 seconds in a twelve-hour shift. Given the fact that our parish has a population of roughly 150,000, and there are usually at least four ambulances on duty at any ...

I live in a country led by a President with whom I share few values, whose policies I disagree with, whose vision for the future of our country lies 180 degrees from my own, and a legislature comprised of men and women I cannot respect, including some I supported with my vote. And each and every one of them gained ...

As a frequent EMS conference speaker, you learn quickly to develop a thick skin. Some people enjoy your schtick, some people don't. Some people resent the fact that you challenged some of their most cherished myths, and rate you accordingly on their speaker evaluations. Some don't appreciate your sense of humor. And some people just don't like anything, about anybody. ...

When I made my first foray into the blogosphere in 2005, the first "big" blogger to link me was LawDog. Not long after, was Tamara, Queen Mistress of Snark. A few links later, and I got my first ever Tamalanche. Back when I was averaging 1400 visits a day, a big chunk of those were from View From The Porch. ...

I never served. But I understand brotherhood, and I understand sacrifice. And so today, I salute you, the Brotherhood of Arms, for the sacrifices you have made in the name of freedom. The veterans of the armed services of this country have sweated, toiled, bled and died around the globe to secure the blessings of liberty, not only for their ...

I have nothing else to say. And I swear to Shiva, the first person to post a divisive political comment for either side on this post eats the Ban Hammer. Permanently. I’m sick to death of political debate. It’s time to give it a rest for a few months.

… and I'll say it again: Respect isn't conveyed with a name. But in case you EMT's have forgotten, here you go: ********** R-E-S-P-E-C-T   What’s in a name? Everything, apparently. Over at the JEMS Magazine Facebook page, they apparently link to my posts fairly frequently. And whenever they do, the indignant remarks about the title of my blog usually ...

Rescheduled my 10:00 am flight tomorrow out of Washington Reagan International airport to 6:00 pm today, in order to get out before Hurricane Sandy hits. No such luck. Got to the airport at 4:00 pm, only to be informed that all flights after 5:00 pm today were canceled, and none tomorrow, either. Found out from the airline that the earliest ...

… they held their lighters aloft and swayed rhythmically. Men bought me drinks, women threw their panties at my lectern. You know, the usual. Seriously though, nice folks at the Pyramid EMS Conference. I enjoyed my 22 hours in Maryland.

… headed to a gig at the Pyramid Conference in Clinton, MD. Getting in is easy. Looks like flying home might be the hard part. Y’all wish me luck, and don’t drink all my Nerd Beer while I’m gone.

Overheard on FaceCrack: “To me, debating which Queen song is better than another is like saying cowgirl is a better position than missionary. Either way, you’re still getting laid.” ~ John Gaines Although, I will put in my vote for Fat Bottom Girls.

Any newbies attending EMS Expo in New Orleans? If so, wanna be a guest on the Confessions of an EMS Newbie podcast, 4:00 pm on the 30th? Hit me up by email if you’re interested.

The black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus, is a burrowing rodent whose range once stretched from southern Saskatchewan to Chihuahua, Mexico. They are still common across much of the western and southwestern United States. Prairie dog colonies range from populations of five to many thousands of individual animals, and are arranged in a fairly sophisticated social structure. The typical black-tailed prairie ...

… and this is one of them. I debated the fallacy of SSM with a Borg Supervisor Drone when they implemented it in our area, and all he could counter with was anecdote, and ultimately cut off the discussion with, "Well, it's policy now, and you have to follow it." My reply: "Only an EMS supervisor could believe it is ...