Dan's Bucket O' Stuff

Have you seen me lately?

2010-07-14T18:56:00.003-04:00

Alright folks, I realize I haven't posted often in the past, but I am starting to get on a roll on my current blog. If you haven't changed the url in your bookmarks, blogreader or following list, head on over to http://blog.dancummings.pro. See you there!

2010-07-08T05:15:00.003-04:00

So you might already know that I moved my blog to http://blog.dancummings.pro as part of my new website (for right now, it's mostly an online résumé but will eventually have more, it will just take me a while...).

I am just letting you know, if you haven't updated your blog reader, or your bookmarks, or whatever, that I posted something. Take a look at my latest post "Grad Plan."

Moving Day

2010-07-02T13:02:00.004-04:00

Hey guys! How are you? Long time, I know. Well, I have decided to consolidate my online presence, and have moved my blog to my own personal website. Really, it's just a name change, but didn't the Bard say something about a blog by any other name would read just as... um, I'll let you fill in the adjective there (dependent on your own enjoyment of the blog...).

Anyways, the new site is http://blog.dancummings.pro

It comes as part of my new website, which for now is just an online CV, but in the future I hope to make it my own personal space on the web for all things Dan. You can check out what I have so far at http://dancummings.pro and feel free to drop a comment on the above blog with your website, I'd love some ideas on what to do with mine.

So family, readers, followers, and casual acquaintances, lurkers, stalkers, and anyone else who reads, this, please keep reading! (Just at a different place).

Thanks, and I'll see you on the other side of the interweb!

-Dan

Lose It! Weekly Summary for Week of Mon, Mar 8th

2010-03-15T13:04:00.003-04:00

Weekly Summary for Week of Mon, Mar 8th

for Dan Cummings

Daily Summary
	Budget	Food	Exercise	Net	+/-	Weight (lbs)
3/8/10	2,652	2,442	842	1,599	-1,053	267
3/9/10	2,652	3,136	572	2,564	-89	267
3/10/10	2,652	2,802	996	1,806	-846	267
3/11/10	2,652	2,665	122	2,544	-109	267
3/12/10	2,633	3,813	1,081	2,732	99	264
3/13/10	2,633	2,465	1,336	1,129	-1,504	264
3/14/10	2,633	2,193	0	2,193	-439	264

3,942 calories under budget for the week

Lost 3 pounds this week

Nutrient Summary		% Calories
Fat	844g	37.6%
Saturated Fat	285g
Protein	901g	17.9%
Carbohydrates	2,247g	44.5%
Sugars	1,268g
Fiber	288g
Cholesterol	2,326mg
Sodium	26,191mg

Exercise Summary		Calories
Stationary Bicycle	20 Min	191
Weight Lifting	30 Min	127
Running	35 Min	513
Stairmaster	1 Hour 15 Min	954
Walking	50 Min	244
Elliptical	2 Hours 10 Min	1734
Circuit Training	1 Hour 20 Min	1187
Total	4949

Report generated by Lose It!. For more information or to sign up for your free Lose It! account, please visit http://www.loseit.com

So this is March Madness Week 2, with the emphasis on cardio exercise. We had a competition to see who could log the most minutes of cardio this week, results are still forthcoming, but I am sure I was in the top 3 of the family... This next week's competition is around flexibility training, so we will see who can log the most time improving their flexibility. Yoga stretches... here I come.

Lose It! Weekly Summary for Week of Mon, Mar 1st

2010-03-08T12:04:00.006-05:00

Weekly Summary for Week of Mon, Mar 1st

for Dan Cummings

Daily Summary
	Budget	Food	Exercise	Net	+/-	Weight (lbs)
3/1/10	2,679	3,010	473	2,536	-142	271
3/2/10	2,679	1,952	791	1,162	-1,517	271
3/3/10	2,679	3,295	710	2,585	-93	271
3/4/10	2,679	1,821	0	1,821	-858	271
3/5/10	2,679	2,960	129	2,830	152	271
3/6/10	2,652	6,340	1,335	5,005	2,352	267
3/7/10	2,652	2,698	85	2,614	-39	267

146 calories under budget for the week

Lost 4 pounds this week

Nutrient Summary		% Calories
Fat	831g	38.4%
Saturated Fat	262g
Protein	911g	18.7%
Carbohydrates	2,084g	42.8%
Sugars	765g
Fiber	247g
Cholesterol	1,877mg
Sodium	35,746mg

Exercise Summary		Calories
Stationary Bicycle	1 Hour 10 Min	784
Weight Lifting	1 Hour 35 Min	407
Walking	50 Min	343
Elliptical	2 Hours 30 Min	1989
Total	3523

Report generated by Lose It!. For more information or to sign up for your free Lose It! account, please visit http://www.loseit.com

So that's this week. I am very surprised at how many calories Pizza can have. Grrrr. Ok, no more fast food for the month of March. Once again, I am a little skeptical of the "4 lbs" lost, and I suspect my body is simply a little dehydrated. Once I get into the 1-2lbs/week I think we can trust the scale a little more. I still need to even out that carb:protein ratio. It should be more like 40:30 (with the other 30 being healthy fats). I guess more beans and fish are needed. Too bad salmon is so expensive. : (

Lose It! Weekly Summary for Week of Mon, Feb 22nd

2010-03-08T03:04:00.002-05:00

So I use this program to track my calories and to keep track of my exercise. You may have noticed my Facebook status updates are mostly from this app. (It's called "Lose It," it's on my iPod Touch, and I am quite impressed with it.) In the interest of transparency, I am now sharing my weekly reports from the program with you. I have found that this has increased my accountability, and I kind of see it as an opportunity to keep a record of my progress.

-Dan

Weekly Summary for Week of Mon, Feb 22nd

for Dan Cummings

Daily Summary
	Budget	Food	Exercise	Net	+/-	Weight (lbs)
2/22/10	2,712	2,541	350	2,191	-520	276
2/23/10	2,712	1,869	561	1,308	-1,404	276
2/24/10	2,712	3,168	699	2,469	-243	276
2/25/10	2,712	2,386	0	2,386	-325	276
2/26/10	2,679	3,192	663	2,529	-150	271
2/27/10	2,679	2,450	0	2,450	-228	271
2/28/10	2,679	2,299	0	2,299	-380	271

3,250 calories under budget for the week

Lost 5 pounds this week

Nutrient Summary		% Calories
Fat	433g	27.4%
Saturated Fat	150g
Protein	641g	18%
Carbohydrates	1,941g	54.6%
Sugars	720g
Fiber	275g
Cholesterol	1,959mg
Sodium	23,545mg

Exercise Summary		Calories
Weight Lifting	2 Hours 0 Min	488
Stairmaster	1 Hour 5 Min	997
Walking	1 Hour 40 Min	460
Elliptical	25 Min	329
Total	2273

Report generated by Lose It!. For more information or to sign up for your free Lose It! account, please visit http://www.loseit.com

A little fuzzy...

2010-02-26T14:36:00.003-05:00

In 45 minutes I have an appointment with an optometrist. Things have been getting rather fuzzy trying to read powerpoints in class and other small text at a distance of more than 10 feet. I had an exam over 2 years ago and had 20/15 vision, but I think that is no longer the case. If I do get glasses, will you, my readers, help me select frames?

Here's to vision!

Yo Krebs....

2010-02-23T02:18:00.001-05:00

For all of you former Bio students, this is probably as enjoyable as the Krebs Cycle and electron transport chains get....

2010-02-22T13:53:00.002-05:00

I seem to be sharing Public Health messages more often than personal updates. I am off to my Vet Lab class to help with some spays and neuters (I get to intubate the animals and sometimes assist with the surgeries). This makes me want a dog more than ever. When I am settled and established, I believe I shall adopt.

I will leave you with this one video from the UK (they have by far the most poignant safe driving PSAs). Enjoy!

Kon-Tiki

2009-10-31T16:23:00.004-04:00

So last night I went to a Halloween party thrown by a friend of a friend, and I ran into a guy who is Norwegian. We talked about the usual stuff, as my dad served his mission there, and I have visited once. The guy is a student at BYU, studying International Relations (maybe you will meet him too Michelle) and Econ. This actually is rather surprising to me, as I have met several people from Norway here at BYU, one of which I actually met in Norway first... The guy's name is Tor, so naturally I asked if he was named after Thor Heyerdahl, of Kon-Tiki and Ra expedition fame. He said no, (Tor/Thor is a common name after the Norse god), but was impressed that I knew the name. In fact, I have been to the Kon-Tiki museum in Bygdøy, Norway. I have also been to a lecture by Thor Heyerdahl. I even read Kon-Tiki once. I should probably read it again. Anyways, if you are not in the know about one of these famous Norwegians, here is the opportunity.

An Oscar-winning documentary on Kon-Tiki

and of course, the wikipedia page.

PS. Thank you Dad, so much, for taking me along on that business trip years ago. Many good memories, and I can now say I have watched my sister fall in a fjord...

Public Health Stuff

2009-10-30T12:12:00.002-04:00

I am learning a lot in my Public Health classes. Here is a great video about diabetes in Native American populations. I was interested to hear about the most likely cause of the diabetes epidemic in this population (the dam upstream of the Gila River), which changed the lifestyle from a more self sufficient farming community to a community more dependent on the government and western diet.

This is from a documentary called "Unnatural Causes" that aired on PBS last year. You can see more video clips at http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/video_clips.php?

I should know in a few weeks if I passed the Utah Reciprocity Exam for Paramedic. I'll keep you guys posted.

This is Public Health

2009-09-19T14:03:00.004-04:00

Also, if you are interested in my interest in Public Health, check out this video. I actually have a hard time not getting a little teared up by the end, now THAT's good social marketing... I recommend clicking on the "watch in youtube" option so you can see it full screen. Thanks for checking in on me!

generationpublichealth.org

I have a job, and some classes

2009-09-19T13:25:00.003-04:00

So I've had some questions about what a "Health Promoter" does. Essentially they develop programs to increase awareness, compliance, safety and health in the community or industries they choose to work in. The reason I am in this track instead of say, Environmental/Occupational Health or Epidemiology, is that I plan to use this training and knowledge to make me a better Paramedic. I see the more progressive EMS systems in the country as taking a more public health oriented course in their future. I mean, why not? Trauma and chronic disease (the major reasons for EMS utilization) are public health problems. In some EMS systems, they are identifying at risk patients (usually "frequent fliers"), and developing programs to decrease their need to visit the Emergency Department. For example, a diabetic who is non-compliant with his oral medication and diet recommendations frequently calls 911 for low blood sugars and minor injuries related to his peripheral neuropathy (a complication of uncontrolled diabetes). If the EMS system preemptively came by his house at scheduled intervals and visited with him, they might prevent his need to utilize the EMS system for transport to the hospital. They might go over a checklist where they offer to check his blood sugar, look through his refrigerator to see if he has appropriate meal options. Check his supply of oral medication, and if low or depleted, offer recommendations on low cost prescription options ($4 prescription plans, etc.). They could also survey the house and try to eliminate trip hazards and make sure he has a pair of "house shoes" to prevent foot injuries, a precursor to diabetic ulcers and injuries that require amputation. All this could be done in an hour, and in that prevention visit, which probably costs the community $70, they could avoid a trip to the ED that would cost over $1400, which would also be charged to the hospital and the community if the patient is unable to pay (honestly, most patients that match this description can't). I could help develop those programs, after getting some Paramedic street cred.

/Rave.

So anyways, I have a job. I am a research assistant for a father-son professor team on campus. They teach in my department and I actually have classes from them both. I am researching articles describing experiments done to prove the ideas behind the upcoming changes in the First Aid Guidelines put out by the American Red Cross and American Heart Association. This is the first research position, so these first weeks have been about getting used to the searches etc. Later next week I will present what I have so far so I can restart it and do it the right way after they give me comments on what I have so far. It's going to be for a book used in First Aid Training. And I get to pick my hours. Sweet, but tempting to put in fewer hours than I need to, as I don't have "scheduled hours."

Classes are good. As I mentioned, I am taking classes from my employers (professors). They are both named Thygerson (said THUR-ga-son). The father teaches my Injury Prevention class, and the son teaches my Occupational Safety and Health class. Injury Prevention is being taught using a team learning approach. We take a test every class, once as individuals, once as teams. We do an application activity as a team every week, and starting next week, we will be doing team presentations on interventions to prevent specific injuries (in 2 weeks, my team covers Occupant Protection in Motor Vehicle Collisions, I am covering the "seat belt reminder light" and it's effectiveness in preventing injury). I am surprised how much I like this class as well as my Occupational Health class. I find the idea of being a safety manager at a company interesting. My other classes are the Public Health Intro class, which I have yet to get a seat in (I am enrolled, but there are exactly the number of students as there are seats, and no one scoots to the center of the aisle.) Also Program Planning and Evaluation, which is only once a week. The teacher is interesting, but his lectures are very scatter brained. I guess we'll see how I do on the first test... Aside from that I am getting credit for research, taking a Geology class for GEs and also taking the EMS Continuing Ed class.

Yup, I'm doing BYU EMS again. I am a "floating" supervisor this year, meaning I fill in where needed. I will be co-teaching some of the classes this year as well, specifically the Pediatrics Section. More on this later probably.

As far as fun stuff, I spent the night at a friend's cabin up near Sundance. I went last year for an EFY Counselor Clump, and just like last year it was a blast. Thanks Davis and Jenna for inviting me. Great night sky, clear crisp mountain air, and staying up till 4am talking to friends. It was great.

So that's the last week in a nutshell. Take care all!

Ins and outs, ups and downs

2009-09-07T14:42:00.005-04:00

So where have I been in life for the past months? In order of majority percentage wise, I put it like this:

Finishing my National Registry Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic Certification (NREMT-P)

Sleeping

Working full time hours at a "part time" job... (Inova Loudoun Hospital Emergency Department)

Getting ready for BYU

Getting ready for Michelle and Greg's wedding

Spending time with my nieces and nephews (their parents are great too...)

Cleaning my room.

That's life in a nutshell for what I have been doing since January. To expound a bit, also in categories.

NREMT-P

I finished my clinicals with little time to spare. My personal favorites among the clinicals were the NICU (Neonatal/Newborn ICU) followed closely by the OR rotation where I got to do intubations on live persons! In the NICU at Mary Washington, I finished my Pediatric requirements, assessed 14 newborns, changed some diapers, got to ask lots of questions, and attended two C-Sections (one for Pregnancy Induced Hypertension/PIH, the other for being several days past due with failure to progress). I finally got to practice some of the skills I learned a few years ago in my Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) class I took at LDS Hospital. I think if I were to take on nursing, I would want to be a NICU nurse. As for the OR, I choked on my first intubation, which is not unusual. I just couldn't seem to get his mouth open wide enough to put the laryngoscope in to visualize the vocal cords. That gentleman was in for a nephrectomy (kidney removal due to a tumor). The next one, which I did get, was a lady who was to have a D&C due to miscarriage, but instead, ended up having a partial salpingectomy (fallopian tube removal), because of an undiagnosed tubal pregnancy... The next few I had were gall bladder removals (cholecystectomy), and one was for a bronchoscopy, where the surgeon explained the anatomy as he passed the bronchoscope. All in all, it was fascinating. I practiced ventilation of real adult and pediatric patients, saw several pediatric intubations for tonsillectomies, and saw a fasciotomy for compartment syndrome. Although some of the anesthesiologists and anesthetists were, let's say reluctant to acknowledge my presence, some were downright hospitable and taught me a lot. As for the testing, the Computer Adaptive written portion cut off at 85 questions (I passed), and the practical portion, I also passed the first time around. I got sent this really ugly patch to prove it too! I am really glad to be finished with the program, and feel like I can use these skills to improve the lives of others.

Sleeping - 'nuff said...

Working full time hours at a "part time" job - I was slated for 24 hours, but have been working 36 for the last few months. This nearly led to me not finishing the paramedic program, as that is also pretty much like full time schooling with a part time job (clinicals) already... Anyways, the people at Loudoun were good to me, and it helped me earn some needed capital for the upcoming semesters.

Getting ready for BYU - I am back at BYU for a full year to finish up my bachelors. I started at BYU in 2001, went on a mission in 2002, returned for 2004-2007, then had to leave due to some personal circumstances (this did allow me to finish my paramedic, though) I have changed my major to Public Health - Health Promotion. I know that a lot of people finish school in 8 years. Most of them are called Doctor : ) Anyways, I am looking forward to my classes, and next week will write little blurbs about them and my professors, as well as the research I am doing.

Michelle and Greg's Wedding! - Michelle got married, Greg is my new brother-in-law, and the Teichert Family is amazing. What more can I say? To see some great pictures, see the blot on the side "30 Marens Agree."

Spending time with nieces and nephews - Wouldn't you if they looked like this?

They are pretty adorable if I do say so myself!

Cleaning my room - I need to get rid of so much stuff, it isn't funny!

So on goes life, and hopefully a weekly blog posting habit! Hope all is well with you all, have a great Labor Day!

Hey, I'm posting!

2009-01-23T20:52:00.006-05:00

So since I last posted, I have shaken the former POTUS' hand, been in the West Wing twice, the Oval Office once, kept a fish alive for more than a few days (I'm on almost 3 months here), gone on a date(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and gone contra dancing.

So yeah, about the date. As some people know, I haven't forayed into dating very much, so experience is light in this area. I think it went well though. I was running late (as always), and then we had some setbacks along the way, most of which included me getting lost. Aaron was amazing though and got us through by having a friend with Secret Service connections reschedule our entrance time. Kind of cool, eh? Having a brother that knows someone with connections like that? Chris, a bud from EFY (3 years running) who is doing military training in the area was great enough to accompany me with his date, Lyndsay, a nurse from the area. My date, Kandi, was also an acquaintance from EFY this summer, works in the area for a company that does group and team building activities in an outdoor setting.

Here's a picture of it: we forgot a camera, so cell phones pictures are all that I have to treasure it...

As for the fish, his name is Botticelli (the bott part is pronounced like the word BOAT). Here is a picture:

He is a good friend, and it is nice to have something else alive in the basement with me. If you are curious, over the summer another Betta named Botticelli and I became friends, though I think his name was said "bott" and not "boat." Anywho, this was (where else?) at EFY this summer, and at one point we thought he had died. He floated at the top of the bowl for an hour, and then started swimming again... Later we deduced that the air bubbles from having his water changed from an aerated faucet made him buoyant. It was traumatic nonetheless.

Coming up in some more recent installments, I talk about NREMT testing and results, and the exciting prospect of moving in April... Till next time, I will leave you with this cool video of contra dancing in Glen Echo park. (Skip to about 55 seconds to get to the good part, it is fun, and you actually pick it up kind of fast, more on this as I plan to go again).

Ahhh technology...

2008-11-10T19:47:00.009-05:00

So I was reading the comics page in the newspaper today. After getting a chuckle out of the panels, I pointed my finger at the paper and held it for a while...

And then I realized what I was doing....

You know it's been too long since you read the comics page offline when you hover your finger over the page waiting for the alt text to appear (one of my favorites, and another).

For those of you not familiar with xkcd, it is one of my favorite comics when it is within bounds. It's pretty easy to skip over the inappropriate ones to get to the others. I have stated before that it, like Calvin and Hobbes, describes a lot of my sense of humor.

If you don't know what alt text is yet, hover the mouse cursor over the comic and some extra text will appear.

Here's another one of my favorites.

The moose is my personal favorite...

2008-10-20T00:07:00.002-04:00

You all have probably already seen this, but hey, it's worth a shot if you haven't...

I found this REALLY funny. Although I still get the impression that many of the SNL staff are Democrat, I don't think these skits were really damaging. I think America can afford a laugh at its political process now and then. If rap is not your cup of tea even when humorous, you probably won't like this...

Snapshot

2008-10-09T23:49:00.008-04:00

My cousin DiscoMom does these and I love them. Melinda, my sis, also does them about Trina, our youngest sister. Here's the scoop: Spencer, Emma, and Adam stopped by tonight while everyone was out at Mutual/Activity night. I was the only one home. When Spencer noticed this, he looked up at me and said "Uncle Dan, do you want to play Pirates with me?" (Insert doe eyes and smile here) Uh, OF COURSE!

A short while after getting in the appropriate pirate gear, including swords, pistols, and of course, some belts to go around our shoulders... (Spencer was very particular on that one). We dug for treasure in my Dad's closet, sailed on a boat on the couch, and even delved into other fun play scenarios, all while maintaining our "pirate-ness" of course... At one point Spencer said "I'm sick!" and so we started to play hospital. Emma was the nurse, and I was the fellow pirate. When it was time to give the "go-to-sleep" shot for the "operation," Emma was noticibly absent, so I had to do it.

Me: "Shouldn't the nurse be giving you the shot?"

Spencer: "Well, pirates can give shots too, you know..."

Me: "Oh, I didn't know that, OK."

Spencer: ("snoring", because I had put him to sleep)

I really need to play more often with these guys, how else would I have found out that Pirates can give shots?

Here they are, my current niece and nephews (and in a little over a month, another one!)

The newest one yet...

Isaac
Spencer

And Emma.

In the tops of the mountains...

2008-09-28T11:47:00.005-04:00

Stewart Falls - Provo Canyon - Near Davis' family cabin
Suffice it to say, I am having a blast out here in Utah. I will give better details in coming posts, but I am staying at Gpa. Bezzant's house right now. I have taken care of a lot of details for me to return to BYU next fall, and I have seen a lot of people I know and love out here. Namely, family, work friends (RAs, BYU security friends, and EFY COUNSELORS...), and a lot of guys that were residents when I was an RA. It has been great to see them become great men, and also see how the ways in which they haven't changed, which can be comical. Oh, and I have met up with a few people from BYU EMS, and things are really starting to take off for the program in a lot of ways. I feel like I could write term-paper sized posts about each of these areas. Things are going very well though. I feel sad I will be leaving.

A wordle? Sounds Suessical...

2008-09-24T12:50:00.002-04:00

The first 2 are limited to 150 words, number 3 is the top 50 words from my recent posts. Words that occur more frequently are larger. It kinds of gives you an insight into the big things in my life... like ALSO, REMEMBER, GET, and THINK. Maybe I do these things too much? You can get your own wordle here.

2008-09-18T12:59:00.006-04:00

visited 24 states (48%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

So Katy posted a map with all the places she's visited. I thought I would post one as well. I had to reflect on what I was going to include. You see, I could include a few states, but I don't remember even passing through them. Here are some story lines to go along with the states I remember being in; in alphabetical order:

(I have a surprising dearth of A states)

California - Grandpa Bezzant's House in the hills near the SF Bay. I remember trips to the dump and ice cream stops. I also remember going to where Grandpa Cummings lived in Pasadena, seeing the Mars Observer Satellite fail, and seeing a lot of observatories. I also remember eating Crystallized Date Shakes in Indio, CA when I visited with Aaron and Cousin David (I think it was near Thermal). Last but not least there is Lake Almanor and the famed Bezzant Cabin, to which I went a few times in youth and twice during college for Thanksgiving.

Connecticut - "the state of my birth" (This phrase originated on a trip to get to EFY UMass 2008, it sounds like a state of entropy or something... and that's why it was funny) Also of note, some really awkward conversations also occurred in a car heading north about "if my umbilical cord was twitching" because I was going through the state of my birth. Ah, the memories. I am sad to say that we didn't dwell longer, though. I would have liked to do more than refuel. Other than this trip, I don't recall having returned since birth.

Florida - When I think of Florida, I think only of the reason I want to go there. Disney World. I think that about cover it, as I have been three times and don't plan to stop there. I think whomever I marry will have to at least entertain the thought of a honeymoon there. Is it asking too much to at least think about it?

Georgia - Waiting in an airport after leaving Disney World, or (going to?). I didn't even get a peach.

Iowa - I remember going through parts of this to get to other parts of LDS Church History. I think we were all sick with a stomach bug as well.

Maryland - I live across the river from Maryland, so I get there often. Memorable points are the Washington, D.C. Temple, Greenbriar Lake and Cunningham Falls before that.

Massachusetts - Aside from the fact that I have cool cousins there that I haven't visited... I went there for EFY as a Health Counselor this year in Amherst. It was pretty cool, and I loved getting lost for two hours in the backwards parts of Massachusetts. That is not meant to sound sarcastic, because I really thought it was very green and peaceful.

Missouri - The first thing that comes to mind is visiting the (then) RLDS temple. After that, however, are things that mean more to me, like the Far West temple site, Independence, and the Liberty Jail.

Nebraska - Yup, I remember this state for a phrase from John Bytheway's tape "What Are You Carrying in Your Backpack?". It was one of the tapes I used to listen to in my youth, and I always laughed when he said "... and anytime I expected to see a sign saying 'welcome to Nebraska.'" Anyways, we spent a LONG time passing through this state.

Nevada - Men's Chorus tour in 2007 that took us to Las Vegas and the Henderson Pavillion. Also a road trip in the green hornet/lantern/SANNHET that resulted in my first 911 call as we thought we were going to run out of gas on a mountain pass in the middle of a snowstorm and freeze to death. Yup, fun times. ("I'm more than a bird, more than a plane" - from a song that kept playing on the radio). The trucker we woke up in Oasis that refused to help when our cell battery died, etc. SOOO fun! When we finally got to the other side, we tried to call in and let them know that we made it on fumes and faith, but the 911 dispatcher had no idea what we were talking about... Oh well.

New Hampshire - I should have been here for the first EFY session ever, but instead I was in NY. Most memorable is Lake Winnipesauke where the Cummings 50th Anniversary was held. I still remember the fun stuff and the little kid wanting to hang with the older boys drama. I'm sure they loved it, right?

New Jersey - I'm sure there is more, but all I have for now is that I stayed at Sarah Wanlass' house while Jenny and I visited NYC.

New York - Chorus trip Sophomore or Junior Year with Marie (we either won third or nothing at all). Also a fun trip to Dad's work's apartment where I say Phantom of the Opera again, then an awesome trip with EFY counselors my first year in 2006 where we saw Hairspray, rode The Beast, and didn't climb the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. (I am never going to go to the Statue of Liberty again unless I actually get to go all the way up. Waiting for hours to see the pedestal is not my thing...) I also liked Ellis Island. I would love to live here for 3 months, maybe on an internship.

North Carolina - many family Memorial Day beach vacations, a recent trip with (who else?) EFY counselors last month, and climbing Cape Hatteras Light House 4-5 times. I even got it in before they moved it. So many times, you say? I must like it a lot. Actually, I absolutely refuse to climb it again. My family has gotten me up there for pictures the last 4 times, but no more. I am learning Photoshop and know well enough how to put myself in. That is all.

Pennsylvania - I took a BDLS and ADLS course at Einstein Medical Center there recently. I liked visiting Philadelphia and Valley Forge for the historical value with the family recently.

South Carolina - I was there for Aaron and Katy's wedding. I liked seeing the Lexington Temple, and there was good food.

South Dakota - the famed Black Hills, Biker Conventions, more bikers, Harleys, etc. Also Mount Rushmore.

Texas - I spent an hour layover here before I left the US and landed in El Salvador, the furthest south I have ever gone. I remember seeing the Restroom signs in the Airport with larger lettering for Spanish than English and thinking it was weird... Damas and Caballeros, uh, why not Mujeres and Hombres? I also wouldn't mind living in Texas.

Utah - This is obvious, BYU, SLC, Gpa. Bezzant, Mormonville. I also really enjoyed coming out of my shell a little during Education Week visits.

Vermont - Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory.

Virginia - Leesburg: my home town. Buena Vista/SVU - the place that holds the 2nd most important place in my heart as far as VA. (I spent 2 years as and EFY participant and 3 as a Health Counselor, made a lot of friends, and learned a lot about myself).

West Virginia - I have visited this place just to visit a couple of times. I make frequent jokes about it, but they are no more true than they are about 90% of Virginians as well. I went to an interesting stake "high adventure" in WV.

I've just realized that in order to drive cross country as we did, there needs to be contiguous marking on the map. I can't remember which states we went through. Maybe y'all can help remind me?

Also, coming next - states I haven't visited and what I want to do there... Feel free to suggest something to do in the states I am missing in the comments.

My thoughts exactly...

2008-09-16T13:48:00.003-04:00

I guess you could call this WikiPolitics...

This also seems relevant in the current political culture...

The number you say? Is it unusual...

2008-09-09T20:04:00.003-04:00

So, I added all the blogs that I follow on a semi-regular basis (that is to say, about weekly) or better to Google Reader to give it a try to keep my time spent down a little bit. This means that you all can see the blogs I read as a function of Blogger. I thought maybe an explanation was in order. If I have ever been in a group or ward or job with you, and I made an effort to get to know your name, I will likely start reading your blog. I hope you don't think I am stalking you, I just like to keep in touch with people but am terrible at initiating the contact. I need to get better at this, but for now, it is a great way to touch base, and to have something to say in the event that I should actually meet you. I also have some blogs written by people I have never met. These are mostly 100 Hour Board writers that came after me/were too secretive to come to Board Parties : ), or people/organizations that I find witty/funny/informative. So, we'll see how this week goes on Google Reader. As a question, how many blogs do YOU follow? Any suggestions?

Oh yeah Gandalf?

2008-09-09T16:22:00.004-04:00

Bummer, so I didn't pass my reentry*. I had a whole post venting about the inadequacies of my partner and frustrations at the system. While it was good to vent, it wasn't very constructive and not effective in changing anything, so I deleted it like one of those letters that you are supposed to write, seal in an envelope and then burn. It did help to get it out, but now to move on.

The part I didn't pass has plagued me before. When I was trying to get back into the local county EMS system they do their own little testing. The Trauma Scenario is 20 minutes long, 10 of which are allotted for scene time in unstable patients. You almost always get an unstable patient, usually unconscious. You have those 10 minutes to manage life threats to Airway Breathing or Circulation (ABCs), do a rapid assessment for life threatening injuries, and get them immobilized on a backboard. That's a lot to do for 2 EMTs, and I'm sure we both could have done better. But anyways, it took me about 14 minutes to finish immobilizing the patient and be ready to say "We are in the ambulance."

I can't start my clinicals until I get certified, and I can't recertify for another week. Will that be in time? Will I still be able to pass the classes coming in to the rotation 3 weeks in? Man, this is not the best situation, but I'll get through it, move over Gandalf.

*Basically, a test that determines if I can recertify after I have expired. It still requires that I have all the recertification credits (CEUs/CMEs) needed to renew before the expiration date, just if you are over the date they make you retest. I got into this mess when some of my credits didn't qualify because they weren't submitted by my county training office, which doesn't believe in CEUs/CMEs. Wonderful!

The return...

2008-09-07T22:10:00.004-04:00

(at L it's me at the OBX with some EFY Counselor friends clumping)

I've done a pretty good job keeping up with all y'all's blogs, but I haven't done a great job keeping up with mine. I am going to give a quick update on my past, present and future.

Past:

In the past I posted some of my goals. Here is the update:

I carried my beginning Braille book with me all summer, and didn't take the chance to feel it up at all. (Actually, I am learning to "read" it with my eyes first). So that isn't going super well, but I did do some research and am narrowing it down to which book of fine literature I am going to purchase to fuel my desire to learn to read with my fingers. It is definitely going to be one of the Hardy Boys series.

I am not much closer to finishing the Appalachian Trail hike I'd love to do than I am to starting it. I have, however, made the acquaintance of an EFY counselor who was a ranger (the one who starts troops out on their trips) at Philomont Scout Ranch. She has quite a lot of knowledge about that sort of thing, and I was impressed, so I am going to need to do some research to get to know the requisite info before I embark on what will likely be 2-3 month trips.

I started my ASL class at NOVA last week. I guess if I can't read with my hands, I can at least start to learn to speak with them. I know the words for right, wrong, yes, no, "you're over my head", "slow down", boring, Republican, Democrat, "If McCain gets elected I'm moving to Canada" (my teacher is, I think, a Democrat : ), and the alphabet as well as numbers one through five and the word "first". I have learned that there is a continuum of deaf speech which goes all the way from "Signed Exact English" to "Pidgin Sign" to ASL. ASL and SEE are the extremes with most deaf culture groups/people using Pidgin Sign, although the only actual language is ASL. What does that make SEE and Pidgin, dialects? I'll need to look up the definition. Very interesting.

I started Paramedic classes again last week as well. This semester I am taking Special Populations (Pediatric/Neonatal/Geriatric/Obstetric patients), Medical Care (with an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Class, though I am already ACLS certified), and the ever popular clinical (6 hrs now vs. 3 last semester) and the added bonus of 12 hr internship on an Ambulance. The one hitch is that I need to recertify (technically called "reentry" in this case, but never mind) my EMT. I am not sure if I passed my re-certification test. I really hope I passed, but if I don't I will just recertify a few weeks later and postpone this semester (stinky option, but I am looking into other ones, all while hoping I passed).

Going to space. Yup, that one's gonna take a little while. The closest I have gotten has been dinner table conversations and looking at this site for the chance to have a Zero-G flight like the ones the astronauts train on. Yup, $4,950

Speaking of weightlessness; Griffon, the coaster at Busch Gardens, is my next quarry. Some time in October I think. Watch this space for the recounting of the experience...

That's all for now folks. I'll be dealing up another update soon. Any suggestions?

Nie Nie and Co.

2008-08-28T22:37:00.006-04:00

I know by now that my readership is low/gone because I haven't blogged in months, but I wanted to pass on something that has amazed me. It is the awesome efforts to support Stephanie and Christian Nielson in their recovery efforts after a plane crash. Today a marvelous, magnanimous and massive effort to raise much-needed funds for these people started. I was tipped off to it from Disco Mom, to whom I am proud to claim relation. It is a silent auction! I actually think most people that might read my blog may have already heard of this, but if not, it is free advertising. Most of the gifts are reaching past my giving limit (set by the amount of money in my account at this point, not my own imaginary ceiling).

To see the cool things up for auction, see here!

So, I will bid on a couple things, but likely end up just donating directly. But see, that's the point! You potentially get something awesome, give something needed, and everyone involved gets a cool feeling. So, my first effort to help will be free advertising. Here go the banners/buttons!

This one leads to the page dedicated to updates and recovery pitches, especially of note is the blog, which enumerates the upcoming events (like today's Nie Nie Day).

I'm a Grandfather! (Kind of, uh not really)

2008-05-27T00:00:00.005-04:00

Well, to be a REAL grandfather, you need to have children, and I have none. Someday, after I am married. But, even though I don't have children, I DO have a son. Two actually (in the LDS mission sense, ie. missionaries I trained). My first is Jorge Andres Morales Soto from Alajuela, Costa Rica. The other is Alberto Juarez from Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. (I need to look up his full name... sorry Beto). I will update soon with the full names and accents soon... Here are photos.

Elder Morales (Area El Nopal, Ahuachapan, 3 months as companions, 6 months in area)

Elder Juarez (Area Las Colinas, Juayua, 3 months as companions, 9 months in area)

Anyways, I went down for Beto and Vero's wedding last year for Spring Break in March. It was my first time in Guatemala. Beto emailed me telling me Vero [Veronica] was expecting and now the new arrival is here!

Les envío algunas fotos de mi hija!!!

Se llama Astrid Elena; nació el viernes 16, a las 19:15. Pesó 6 libras y 15 onzas.

Translated it means "I am sending you some photos of my daughter!!! Her name is Astrid Elena; she was born on Friday 16, at 19:15 [7:15 pm]. She weighed 6 pounds and 15 ounces.

Congratulations Beto, Vero, and Astrid!

Roll Call

2008-05-16T12:08:00.003-04:00

So this is a pretty funny video I thought you all might like. I am also doing something I won't do more than once a year, I promise. It's a roll call. So if you read this blog, no matter how fast you skim over it, please leave a comment with at least one character in it. It could even just be a punctuation mark (like !, #, $, %, ^, &, *, etc.) If I don't have your blog on my reader I will then add it. The facial hair is now gone, by the way.

BYU Approved Facial Hair!!!

2008-05-11T17:06:00.005-04:00

So I have been taking my facial hair off in stages. Today, I went from the goat (goatee, candado, etc) to the BYU approved mustache. Above and below are the results.

Now as much as I look like a child molester... not really, but that is the joke that was made today. Thick skin, thick skin... Anyways, I have backup. Take a look at this... You must listen to the song.

Or this, this is pretty good to, by one of my favorite groups at BYU (favorite groups include BYUEMS, the 100 Hour Board, BYU RAs, and...) Divine Comedy. See below.

I originally meant to take off less, I was going to leave a "flavor saver" on my chin, but I was rushed to get to church, and took off a little too much. Here is an artist's representation of what I would have looked like. Too bad, I think it doesn't look that bad.

So that's it for the facial hair. I will shave it off in one week's time unless I get overwhelming comments to the contrary. I only kept the goatee for the last month because people said they liked it. Anyways...

I got straight A's in the Paramedic program I am in, I aced the final exams too. This is the first time I have gotten straight A's in my life. The closest I came to that was freshman years of High School and University, when I got mostly As and 2 Bs each. So to celebrate the occasion, I am sharing a video shown in my ECG Class. It is about Wenckeback. That is, a 2nd Degree Type I AV block (in the heart). Also known as a Mobitz Type I. It can be distinguished by the elongating PR Intervals, eventually resulting in a "dropped beat" where the atrial depolorization is blocked from conducting to the ventricles and results in the characteristic "Normal, Longer, Longer, Drop, Now You've Got a Wenckeback" like appearance. Like so...

So here is a music video. I guess Justin Timberlake's music is a theme on this post, just like the mustache...

The Magician's Nephew

2008-05-09T19:29:00.002-04:00

Recently, in preparation for the up and coming movie the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian I dug out my Chronicles of Narnia audio book. Rather delightful things, they are. The particular set I have is unabridged (thank goodness), and narrated by rather famous British Voices. The one I am listening to right now is the Magician's Nephew, which is narrated by Kenneth Branagh. The last one I am to listen to is the Last Battle, narrated by Patrick Stewart. The other voices are familiar, but the names don't ring a bell. They do a rather good job reading and doing the voices (some of them, rather like Jim Dale with the Harry Potter books). Anyways, this has made for some good drive time diversion. The last few weeks I have been listening to snippets of the books during the 50 minute stretches of highway. Now that I am finished with finals, though, I have taken to listening at home. I am moving out of my room to make way for new arrivals (Jen, Nathan and Isaac). Dad is working on finishing the basement, but due to trips and other things he hasn't been able to finish the electrical wiring. Since it needs to be inspected, and can't be inspected until it's all done, there is a bit to do still. The lighting needs to be wired, the bathroom finished (it is only jury rigged as of now), and only after that is all inspected can the wallboard go up. Then after the wall board is mudded, sanded and painted, then the carpet. So there will be a lot of construction still going on. (Sorry Jen and Nathan...). Anyways, that's what is going on at the homestead right now.

Update

2008-05-02T18:53:00.002-04:00

So to update on a lot of previous posts:

I am almost done with my Braille beginning book for sighted people. It's a little less than I thought it would be, but more than I can handle at this point. I can still read words like cat, bag, etc, (actually, not etc), but I still can't "read" them. That is, I can't read them by touch. I am probably going to make some flash cards to make the recognition easier, and get the braille version of a flash card set, which is actually a keychain thing. More on this in the future.

On ASL, I signed up for the class. I am going to re-learn the finger spelling alphabet, and start to learn my numbers. That is all for now.

On the Appalachian Trail thing, I am going to read over the summer the book Aaron and Dad suggested. As far as exercising, being sick has stopped that until next week, but finals loom. Alas, I will need to find another excuse, or else just start doing it...

Roller-coasters: Some time this summer, I plan to visit Busch Gardens. Maybe between weeks at EFY or something. They have a great few roller-coasters there, and a few I haven't tried yet, like Griffon.

That's it for now.

It's OK, I'll Live. (or die trying) : )

2008-05-01T12:57:00.004-04:00

So today I am off to the visit my dear old friend the doctor. Or Robert, as I call him. That is, when I'm not in front of him. I am feeling rather ill, since Tuesday before last. I feel better for a day or so, then fall into a pit of despair and fever, only to rally enough to go to class, drive home and collapse on the bed. Fever is 99.5 WITH Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen, and when I wake up it's up to 102.something. Guess it's a good thing Katy and I didn't share that water at the Feist Concert. (That was one of the nights I was feeling a lot better, it was a blast, well worth it. Thanks Katy and Aaron). Ruminations on the Feist concert will be in the next post. I think there is even a Youtube clip or two of the very night. Anyways, I am going to see George today to see if I have pneumonia, like I did in 1999 in Highschool. It kind of feel like it did, but then I don't remember much. When they heard I had a history of pneumonia, they tried to pawn me off on the ER, but I thought that would be a little hypocritical after one of my past rants and raves, right? That's not the real reason I refuse to go to the ER. It's more of the fact that I prefer to handle things through my PCP if at all possible. This may be a feeble attempt to correct the way our healthcare system is going, but hey, if Robert can fit me in at 3:30 same day, I need to give it a try. You'll know if I survive if I post again. Mwuahahaha.

Don't worry, I'll live, (or die trying) : )

PS. for a link to something that made me chuckle in spite of the headache (gosh I'm whiny today), look here.

ER Overcrowding

2008-04-16T13:09:00.004-04:00

An interesting article from the Annals of Emergency Medicine about who it is exactly crowding the Waiting Room at the ER. It isn't the uninsured. Their visit rates over all are slightly declining. It is those referred there by their primary care physicians.

Here is the full article or if you only have time for a summary, Journal of EMS (JEMS) does a good summary here.

This fits with my retrospective informal view as well.

Here is my personal rant on it.

Things I've Always Wanted to Do

2008-04-16T01:50:00.000-04:00

and will probably do someday...

As my second installment of this series, I decided to up the ante a little...

I am also going to mention at least one thing I will do in the next week to make these things more possible to do. Seminary teachers (and later, mission ZLs and DLs) always talked about things that we want and how they are nothing but dreams until you make a goal that is measurable, achievable, and etc. (SMART is an acronym that comes to mind: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely). See President Young, I really was paying attention! I seem to remember an aside comment that President Young tried to find a Spanish-equivalent acronym, but was unable to.

Ahem. That brings to mind in the MTC, my district spent quite the time coming up with "new phrases" in Spanish that we transliterated from popular mormon (and just plain popular) culture. One was SAEVE. It came from SMILE. 2 Ne. 9:39 (Spiritually Minded Is Life Eternal) I think I heard that every other year in seminary as a student devotional (I may have given it myself, come to think of it. You know how it is when you show up on Monday and bam, "How did my name get up there under Devotional?") SAEVE means Ser de Animo Espiritual es Vida Eterna. We even took it so far as to take a picture of each of us representing a different letter in ASL at an MTC District Reunion we had. We actually had everyone but 2 people there, surprisingly. (Both were not in Utah at the time). Yes, I know, it sounds ridiculous, MTC Reunion? But hey, it was fun.

That leads me to what I want to do! I want to learn ASL. I have always loved the thought of talking with my hands. Now for what I am going to do about it. I will sign up for an ASL I class offered this fall at the college where I am doing my Paramedic degree right now. I didn't realize this would be such a complicated process, but it involves returning an overdue library book, paying a late fee, sending an email to request the hold on my account be lifted, and then signing up for the class... whew!

Next, I really want

to hike the Appalachian Trail in its entirety. I am in no shape to do this, I have no time, no money, no supplies, but I still want to do it. I think it would be great to do with one or two close friends and use the time to see really cool things, learn better tolerance for mud, rain, cold weather, etc. Beautiful scenery won't be enough to get me through, so I will need to develop better stamina. Hence, the thing I am doing this week to prepare is to start the beginnings of an exercise lifestyle again. At the moment all I do is pace and worry. Very bad. I plan to start walking this week, starting tomorrow. A few weeks from now, maybe I'll be back up to jogging. For this I will need a new pair of shoes. Man, this is going to take a while, but someday, I'll be in AT shape...

That's all for today folks. Another view into my brain.

Have Fun Storming the Castle,

-Dan

A Thneed!?!

2008-04-07T22:38:00.000-04:00

There is no describing it, really... You just need to read it. Here. This is the blog of my good friend Jeff Hoopes and his wife, my good friend Stacey Lea. Featured is Jacob, the little Hoopes.

2008-04-03T22:33:00.001-04:00

Things I've always wanted to do, and will probably do someday...

This will be a reoccurring topic of my blog, possibly weekly.

I have always wanted to read a book in Braille. Not just a Dick ran with Jane book, but a REAL book, something like... Hardy Boys. Now there's real literature! I used to stay up thinking after lights out when Aaron and I shared a room, that I could have kept reading all night if I could read Braille...

(While somewhat irreverent, I find this rather funny...)

Another thing that I really really REALLY want to do someday is to go to space, especially on the Space Station. I guess I could get a PhD. in Microbiology or something (they don't take Latin American Studies for some reason in the Astronaut Corps... Must be the whole immigration thing {groan, smile}). Maybe someday...

Have Fun Storming the Castle,

-Dan

Momma, your boy's a junkie...

2008-04-03T21:35:00.000-04:00

I'm a Junkie. Yes, I realize that it has a negative connotation. I'm OK with that, I can take it. I just can't get enough of roller coasters!

Oh, what, did you think I was a heroin addict? Oh how embarrassing! (for you, not me, what were you thinking?)

I have just recently become aware of this infatuation. I guess Disney World brought it out. It was a good introduction, but it just left me craving more. I find myself reminiscing the feeling of my stomach pushing my diaphragm up and the feeling of the chyme in my stomach pushing against the cardiac sphincter. Funny how my reminiscences are anatomically correct. Must be those anatomy classes.

I decided that today's post would be a list of roller coasters/thrill rides I can remember riding, in reverse chronological order, as best as I can remember:

Spaceship Earth - Epcot (Narrated by Judi Dench in English, it was surprisingly good. I rode with Melinda, and at the end, they have you answer questions about your ideal future, then a cartoon representation of your future with prancing cartoon characters with your head pasted on that lollip around the screen. It was pretty funny. It made up for it being the slowest ride by far. I wonder if anyone famous narrates it in Spanish? {You can choose the language})

Maelstrom - Epcot (It's a Norweigan Viking ship, of course it's awesome! It also went backwards. The attendants {from Norway} gave us our off-loading instructions in the mother tongue, as Dad had spoken to the the on-loading crew and they passed on the word about Dad, thinking that the whole family spoke Norsk...)
Soarin' - Epcot One of the coolest concepts I have seen, a dome shaped screen that fills your peripheral vision. I felt like I could have fallen hundreds of feet. It was also really cool that you could smell the orange groves, the pine forests, and the salty sea.
Test Track - Epcot (Ah, it was OK... the best part was seeing the blue screen of death on one of the ride displays... Even Disney has to use Windows sometimes...)
Space - Epcot (3Gs of Mars Blastin' teamwork-building fun, also the only ride I have seen with air sickness bags next to each seat...)

Tower of Terror - Disney Hollywood Studios (The last time we rode, we saw the "ghost occupants before one final drop. It was pretty cool.)
Rock-N-Roller-coaster - Disney Hollywood Studios (Not quite as good as Space Mountain, although the LIM blast at the beginning is great...)
Everest - Disney's Animal Kingdom (Good ride, best backward going coaster I have been on. Also the fact that you switch directions because the track rotates in front of you was really cool...)
Dinosaur - Disney's Animal Kingdom (Easily the scariest ride at Disney World)

Star Tours - Disney Hollywood Studios (Not as good as I remember... It MUST have been better when I was a kid, there is no other explanation!)

The Great Movie Ride - Disney's Hollywood Studio (For the first time, the gangster was a girl! Good to see that more and more women are holding up helpless tourists...)

The Mummy Returns - Universal Studios (This was a great coaster, didn't much care for the special effects, but the ride itself was great!)

"Jaws" - Universal Studios (Like the Jungle River Cruise, but way scarier. Dad and I rode at night. I don't think it would have been bad during the day though. After I saw Jaws back in 2000, I wouldn't go farther than chest deep in the ocean the whole summer).

Dueling Dragons - Universal Islands of Adventure (Fire was better than Ice. Since both coasters are timed to meet at certain points, you feel like you are going to run in to the other train. Cool. Also the best waiting-in-line experience, a really cool castle... We rode 6 times)

The Hulk - Universal Islands of Adventure (It was cool, but a typical coaster. The LIM beginning was a cool way to get up the initial hill though, no wait, just ZOOM)

Spider Man Ride - Universal Islands of Adventure (Cool "4-D" mixed with an actual ride. It felt like the car was actually falling down hundreds of feet off a building)

Jurassic Park River Ride - Universal Islands of Adventure (This would have been cool to ride at night, seeing the Dinosaurs pop out of the river with no warning. Coolest ending, better drop at the end than Splash Mountain)

I am going to have to finish this post in a second part, with the rest being Magic Kingdom and previous. So long!

Have Fun Storming the Castle,

-Dan

Blackbeard's Ghost

2008-03-28T01:45:00.000-04:00

So since I haven't covered my life since the last post, I'm moving on. This week:

I am growing a beard. I have done this before, usually during family vacations or during the summer, but this is the first time it has been during the school year. My reason for being hirsute is this: I am the lead male in a community theater production: Little Women. I play Prof. Bhaer, and I speak with a faux German accent, except when I'm singing. I have had a time fitting in rehearsals with my night classes, but they have been very accommodating. I almost worry that they are too accommodating, and that I will not be ready for the final production... One fun thing is running over my lines with various family members. Melinda gets in to it, and does all the other voices. Sarah even helped me the other day, but I'm not sure I'll read with her again, she makes me say it over until I get it right! (Just kidding, good job Sarah). Another interesting experience has been that of being the 24, now 25 year old male playing against a 16 year old leading lady, although in the play he is 34 and she is in her early twenties, the age gap is daunting. Luckily no kissing will take place, even less than I faked during "Kiss Me Kate" back in Senior Year at LCHS (fake a stage kiss and what do you get? smudged lipstick on your cheekbones).

Moving on, I upset one of my Paramedic instructors this week. I guess it was a bad week for me to take off for Disney World, although we were reviewing things we have learned already and that I do daily at the hospital - IVs.

Speaking of IVs, I find those to be the most therapeutic part of my job as a tech. This could be for a variety of reasons. One, it is the only time I usually get to sit down. Two, I get to have an actual conversation with the patient instead of my canned "HimynameisDanIamatechnicianIamheretocheckyourbloodpressureits146/82that'salittlehighis

thereanythingelseIcandoforyouwhileIamhere?Thankyouandusethecallbellifyouneedanything"

(move on to the next patient) This is where I find out where my patient's are from, what they are here for, and I find that I learn more from these small conversations about the signs and symptoms of various conditions than I do from my co-workers, who are often too busy. Three, I am pretty darn good at IVs. Most shifts, I get every IV I attempt in the first try, and the ones I don't get are usually the ones where a physician has to use an Ultrasound to find the vein. I guess it's like reverse acupuncture. That is, I, the one doing the poking, am the one who relaxes. There are some off days for IVs, as happens with anyone, but luckily I don't have that happen too often (it really bugs me when it does happen, I am restless for days!).

Disney World!

So if there was one thing I would have gone to Disney World for, it was the Finding Nemo

Show! It was amazing. I don't think that any of the new movies except Pixar movies have made any good attractions for theme parks in recent history, and I like what I have seen of Wall-E so far.

Anyways, one of the reason's it's Dan's Bucket 'O Stuff is that it is often random uselessness. As much as I love reading other's blogs, I figured it was time to get on with my own, so hold on kids, this might be a bumpy ride.

Have Fun Storming the Castle!

The Standard Apology

2008-03-28T01:41:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogged in about 8 months, give or take a few, so this is the only apology. Sorry. That was it. Moving on.

Random Things

2007-07-19T11:39:00.000-04:00

This week has been great for me at EFY, but I guess a little stressful for everyone else. It is really cool to have Melinda and Heather here. I really like their counselors as well, they are down to earth and not the completely crazy we should always be happy and cheerful. I think that being more of a realistic person actually helps people be more of a happy and cheerful group because they want to be, instead of because they are being asked to by the counselor, or "guilted into".

So our session director is AMAZING. Brother Hank Smith is a seminary teacher in, um, Arizona? He brought his wife Sarah (who is an EMT and former nursing student, which means Emily my co-counselor and I think she is really cool), and his 10 month year old son Mason Savage Smith. He makes me miss my nephew and niece a LOT. Something random and funny about this kid is that he has a bronze/orange tint to him. At first I thought either he was being exposed to the sun too much, but then noted that the Smiths were very shade-conscious. Hmmm. So I asked. It turns out that he favors squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes so much that they can hardly get him to eat anything. So yes, this kid is orange because he eats his vegetables. It looks like he has a tan, which is darker than mine, but his parents are nothing near that dark. I will try to post a picture, he is really cute, and cuddly even with nice strangers with bad breath like me. :)

Harry Potter comes out soon, and there are actually 3 participants leaving early to sleep outside Barnes and Noble to get some of the first copies off the presses. Wow.

So there is a participant named Jeremy that is living in Beijing with his parents who work for the State Department or something. Jeremy has Cerebral Palsy. He has surprising mobility, is able to walk, speak clearly and with a normal speed, and he is able to do many things. He is visually challenged and needs to read with one eye less than an inch from the page to make out the letters. So that's pretty amazing. Here is the real amazing part. Jeremy wins prizes at top level recitals for playing the piano, he carries a harmonica with him at all times just in case a group that breaks into song needs some jazzy backup. Jeremy can quote General Conference talks almost word for word, and even is able to do impressions of the delivery in a General Authority voice that makes you look twice to make sure L. Tom Perry isn't the one reciting. He hasn't missed a day of scripture study in years, in spite of the difficulty it is to read. Wow. His counselor, Matt, was having a hard week I think towards the end of last session, and I have never seen him smile so much. The group is unified and most of all, having fun. In Matt the Counselor's words, "I think they think they are helping him, but towards the end of the week, they are going to realize that Jeremy has helped them". And that is really true. They were the last ones to finish a lot of the games last night, but they won in the stuff that really matters (and the stuff that gets you points). Most kids don't know that the group first to finish is awarded some points, but the group that stays together gets points for unity, the group that cheers for their company gets points, and the group that cheers for other companies gets points as well, so Games night is more of an exercise in unity than a contest for athleticism. Anyways, this company had all the right stuff. And they drank lots of water, which got them brownie points from me, as a Health Counselor...

On another random not, the maker of Cranium, not a member of the Mormon Church, wrote in his explanation of how the game Cranium came to be, that one of the reasons he and his co-worker made it, was because there were few games out there where "everyone can shine", which is the motto of Cranium Company. Also that there was so little out there to help the families of the world to connect and get away from the lack of virtue on every media avenue. Pretty cool, check out their website at www.cranium,com. Also for those who are interested in some cute little kid pics, look here. I think I might make some onesies like this for my future growing pool of nieces and nephews. Haha.

July the 4th

2007-07-04T22:53:00.000-04:00

So to begin the day, it was my morning off, so I got to sleep in a little bit. After moving downstairs to the couch, which for some reason is more comfortable than my bed, I finally rolled out of bed around 11. After checking my email, I clicked on one of the RSS feeds I usually check daily. Today in history. Yeah, that was pretty stupid of me, what else is there going to be on July 4th? Yup, it was on the Declaration of Independence, although I learned that it wasn't really signed completely until August 2nd, and only 12 colonies voted to accept it on the 4th, with the actual draft that was approved having been finished two days earlier on the 2nd. New York didn't vote to accept it until July 19th. Hmmm. I guess it is the thought that counts.

One of my other favorites to look up on my RSS feeds are XKCD, which aside from the occasional profanity is a very good example of my sense of humor. It is like Calvin and Hobbes, but for a more mature audience. The feed is at feed://www.xckd.com/rss.xml and the archives can be located at . My favorites as of late are this, this, and this just to name a few. While the heart picture isn't appropriate for this holiday, it was the best holiday themed one I could find, although it makes me chuckle a lot.

EFY is going fine, So I won't go into to many details. Have a great day!

EFY VA 2 - So far

2007-06-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

Virginia session 2 is going well. I was planning on heading home for the weekend, but TROFAST has developed some issues. When I get into the 45-55 mile range, right as it is about to shift, the RPMs bottom out and I hear this chugging sound akin to chitty-chitty bang bang. I can't describe things near as well as my acquaintance, Petra, but that is the best I can come up with. Anyways, one of the counselors and one of the youth have rashes that are in rather inconvenient places. Luckily, they aren't related. One is left over from scout camp where he touched poison ivy and then we all know what happens when you don't wash your hands before you use the facilities... The other seems to have contracted ringworm in a similar location. So now we deal with making sure that it isn't spreading, and that these people get treated. I must admit, I am glad to have a General Practitioner as our Session Director, because in addition to being real down to earth and not all crazy the gospel should always be easy and make you happy... he has helped us deal with what these rashes are, and what to do for them. Not many counselors can say that they have shown their supervisors well, never mind.

So after that really awkward encounter times two, we had a great dance on Tuesday, a good games night, and an alright pizza night. Some groups did nothing but watch TV, but most spent time bowling with tennis balls and soda cans in the hallways, that was one of the best unification activities I have seen, actually. Anyways... That's the week for now.

Day One - Bucket O' Stuff

2006-12-29T17:55:00.000-05:00

Explaining the name.

Bucket O' Stuff is what I name all things electronic that hold things dear to me. My Mac's hard drive, my iPod, my flash drive, my external hard drive, are all named "Dan's Bucket O' Stuff. I think this makes them unique to me, as a google search said that none other in all of Googledom uses that tag line assosciated with the name Dan. And that, ladies and gentlemen is my first blog entry.