While working on my car and listening to Wilco, this song came on and stopped me in the midst of what I was doing. Last year I was in a relationship that shortly turned into a long distance relationship after a week or so of dating. This song reminds me of making the choice to leave a loved one behind all the while being driven by some unseen force. It reminds me of being across the country from someone you love, all the while feeling the hopelessness and pain of the distance between them, searching the radio or your own music collection for songs that remind you of the person and that can ease your pain.
Radio Cure
by Wilco
Cheer up, honey I hope you can
There is something wrong with me
My mind is filled with silvery stuff
Honey kisses clouds of fluff
Shoulders shrugging off
Cheer up, honey I hope you can
There is something wrong with me
My mind is filled with radio cures
Electronic surgical words
Picking apples for the kings and queens of things I've never seen
Oh, distance has no way of making love understandable
Cheer up, honey I hope you can
There is something wrong with me
My mind is filled with silvery stars
Honey kisses clouds of love
Picking apples for the kings and queens of things I've never seen
Oh, distance has no way of making love understandable
Oh, distance has no way of making love understandable
Oh, distance has no way of making love understandable
Oh, distance has no way of making love understandable
Cheer up, honey I hope you can
17 March 2010
16 March 2010
Breaking Point
I feel I've reached a breaking point in my life. I've tried hard over the past 7 months to justify as to why I didn't go back to McMurdo and why I'm not getting ready to head out west for another fire season. Hindsight, I look back and realize that they were just that: excuses. Now I will say being back has made me realize how much I love the friends I have here between friends from the fire department and friends from high school. I have, however, fallen into a mild depression from being away from everything that the DC area does not have: snow-capped mountains, endless deserts, fresh air, laid back outdoorsy people, etc. I also miss the adventures that come with those experiences whether one likes them or not. I feel people are probably getting tired of hearing about driving to Vegas on a regular basis from Cedar City, getting drunk with good people in Antarctica, losing my luggage on some international flight, watching sunsets in Rarotonga, exploring the Boise Night Life with fellow wildland firefighters, or living up dozens of other experiences I'll never forget. The past week or so, I have come to realize that these stories are masking my true feelings about being back home. I know what I need to do but it's hard to take that giant committing leap. I have applied for a Lieutenant's position with the Antarctic Fire Department again. This time I'd be heading down for the winfly season (early August). Who knows, I may even do something as crazy as staying for the winter as well! Don't get me wrong, I do love what the DC area has to offer...but there is more to life than the metro area...and when you get a taste of it, well, that addiction is hard to shake...
The Importance of Pondering and Memories
Prior to me being born and my subsequent adoption, my parents moved into a quiet little neighborhood in Great Falls, VA right around 1980. Our house sat at the beginning of a pipe stem nestled into the surrounding woods. A single level house with a loft, a basement, and a deck envied by most in our neighborhood, it was all that we needed and we never complained. When it was built, a row of conifers, a mix of black spruce and eastern white pine, were planted on the southern edge of our property separating our yard from the main road. A large, blue-stemmed goldenrod on the same side of the house as the conifers grabbed your attention with it's bright yellow flowers especially in the spring as you drive down our street. Probably the most dominating feature of our property was the large, rounded willow tree in our front yard whose sheer volume engulfed the northwest corner of our house for nearly two decades. The same willow robbed a smaller white pine of it's equally deserved attention as they shared the same corner of our house. Our house had a very small courtyard one would have to walk through as they came to our front door. On one side of the courtyard was a rather robust and prickly holly bush frequented by the neighborhood robins, warblers, and chickadees. The other side boasted a small oak that for some reason never reached full maturity.
Slowly over time, our house has seen some changes. The exterior color went from a very drab collage of browns to subtle blues that manage to contrast perfectly with the green of our surrounding yard. A sunroom was added onto our house on top of most of the deck leaving a small 2 meter by 2 meter sitting area outside accessible only from the sunroom. My bedroom over looks this remnant of our deck. I built a garden for my mom next to our drive way which boasted a variety of perennials and shrubs she would change up every other year or so. We eventually planted a Rose bush next to the Goldenrod bushes. A heart-leafed aster went in between them later. I have a lot of fond memories in and around our house: helping my dad with the yard, building a garden pond for my mother, trips to the nursery, building forts in the the pines, etc. Even at a young age, I knew life would go on and change but I never thought our house would. My childhood home, to me, was infallible.
Today has probably been the nicest day so far this year. With bright skies, robust colors, and a warm breeze, I lazily strolled to our mailbox out on the main street. As I turned around and stood in a spot I frequented to frame the house for photographs, I looked at our yard and marveled at the change it has gone through over the years. The Willow has long lost its volume to pruning, wind, and snow/ice storms. The black spruce has aged into some twisted Dr. Seussian dwarf of a tree. The pine in front of our house fell victim to the first storm of the winter when it toppled over at the roots (it took me 3 days to finish felling and bucking that damn tree). While looking at this changed landscape I couldn't help but relive the changes I've experienced in my life. I thought about my dog, Corolla, long gone and how he loved to run through leaves. I thought about my neighbors (who have long since moved away to the town of Leesburg), the Linton's, and how they mowed their lawns religiously in a clockwise fashion every Friday or Saturday (the husband has since passed away). I remember climbing most of the trees around that have fallen into some state of decrepitude (the willow, the spruce, and the pine(s)). Most vividly, I remember my father. I remember how happy he looked working on our cars or mowing the yard with me. I remember pruning the trees with him every spring. My favorite memory was as I laid in bed almost every summer night, while trying to fall asleep, I would quietly open my window when I heard him open the door leading to our shrunken deck. I remember listening to him sit silently in the tranquility of our summer nights. I had always wondered what he was thinking when he sat out there: was he looking at the starts reminiscing of working for NASA during the Gemini and Apollo programs? Was he reflecting on Vietnam? Was he reflecting on life in general? Out of the many hundreds of times he would spend the last several minutes of his night out on our deck, I never learned what he was thinking. Today, after standing by our mailbox for a few minutes, I finally understood the importance of such pondering...
Slowly over time, our house has seen some changes. The exterior color went from a very drab collage of browns to subtle blues that manage to contrast perfectly with the green of our surrounding yard. A sunroom was added onto our house on top of most of the deck leaving a small 2 meter by 2 meter sitting area outside accessible only from the sunroom. My bedroom over looks this remnant of our deck. I built a garden for my mom next to our drive way which boasted a variety of perennials and shrubs she would change up every other year or so. We eventually planted a Rose bush next to the Goldenrod bushes. A heart-leafed aster went in between them later. I have a lot of fond memories in and around our house: helping my dad with the yard, building a garden pond for my mother, trips to the nursery, building forts in the the pines, etc. Even at a young age, I knew life would go on and change but I never thought our house would. My childhood home, to me, was infallible.
Today has probably been the nicest day so far this year. With bright skies, robust colors, and a warm breeze, I lazily strolled to our mailbox out on the main street. As I turned around and stood in a spot I frequented to frame the house for photographs, I looked at our yard and marveled at the change it has gone through over the years. The Willow has long lost its volume to pruning, wind, and snow/ice storms. The black spruce has aged into some twisted Dr. Seussian dwarf of a tree. The pine in front of our house fell victim to the first storm of the winter when it toppled over at the roots (it took me 3 days to finish felling and bucking that damn tree). While looking at this changed landscape I couldn't help but relive the changes I've experienced in my life. I thought about my dog, Corolla, long gone and how he loved to run through leaves. I thought about my neighbors (who have long since moved away to the town of Leesburg), the Linton's, and how they mowed their lawns religiously in a clockwise fashion every Friday or Saturday (the husband has since passed away). I remember climbing most of the trees around that have fallen into some state of decrepitude (the willow, the spruce, and the pine(s)). Most vividly, I remember my father. I remember how happy he looked working on our cars or mowing the yard with me. I remember pruning the trees with him every spring. My favorite memory was as I laid in bed almost every summer night, while trying to fall asleep, I would quietly open my window when I heard him open the door leading to our shrunken deck. I remember listening to him sit silently in the tranquility of our summer nights. I had always wondered what he was thinking when he sat out there: was he looking at the starts reminiscing of working for NASA during the Gemini and Apollo programs? Was he reflecting on Vietnam? Was he reflecting on life in general? Out of the many hundreds of times he would spend the last several minutes of his night out on our deck, I never learned what he was thinking. Today, after standing by our mailbox for a few minutes, I finally understood the importance of such pondering...
 |
| From Home - D.C |
07 March 2010
A Spiritual and Personal 180
Life.....is a journey. That maybe a super trite and cliche sentence but it's the best I got as an intro into
14 February 2010
Valentines and a Muzzle of Bees
I really hate Valentines day. The idea of professing one's love for another person on a single day out of the entire year through gifts and other monetary displays of affections sickens me. I guess that's why I'm still single. Never the less, the romantic side of me is still forced to think more about love on this day than any other thanks to 14 February's commercialization. Usually when I think about love it's in the form of favorite "love songs" of mine and what they mean to me. One of my all time favorites is Muzzle of Bees by Wilco. I'm not going to go into what the song means to me because it's hard for me to put it into words. I'll let you figure out what it means to you.
Muzzle of Bees
by Wilco
There's a random painted highway
And a muzzle of bees
My sleeves have come unstitched
From climbing your tree
And dogs laugh, some say they're barking
I don't think they're mean
Some people get so frightened
Of the fences in between
And the sun gets passed from tree to tree
Silently, and back to me
With the breeze blown through
Pushed up against the sea
Finally back to me
I'm assuming you got my message
On your machine
I'm assuming you love me
And you know what that means
Sun gets passed, sea to sea
Silently, and back to me
With the breeze blown through
Pushed up above the leaves
With the breeze blown through
My head upon your knee
Half of it's you, half is me
Half of it's you, half is me
Muzzle of Bees
by Wilco
There's a random painted highway
And a muzzle of bees
My sleeves have come unstitched
From climbing your tree
And dogs laugh, some say they're barking
I don't think they're mean
Some people get so frightened
Of the fences in between
And the sun gets passed from tree to tree
Silently, and back to me
With the breeze blown through
Pushed up against the sea
Finally back to me
I'm assuming you got my message
On your machine
I'm assuming you love me
And you know what that means
Sun gets passed, sea to sea
Silently, and back to me
With the breeze blown through
Pushed up above the leaves
With the breeze blown through
My head upon your knee
Half of it's you, half is me
Half of it's you, half is me
03 February 2010
Captain Hickory - A Short Story of a Ski Down Memory Lane
In defiance of the incessant bitching from DC and Metro area residents in regards to the recent snow storms that have graced our presences, I set off into the local woods with my skis adorned with climbing skins to relax for a bit. There's a trail all to familiar with my childhood in my neighborhood I set off for. It starts on Harriman St across from Shesue street. The trail meanders along a chain-link fence line riddled with vines and small pine saplings. This fence line soon turns into a tree line where the property contained within ends. The trail follows the treeline at the edge of a 2 acre field favored by herds of local deer. Following the field as it dog legs around the backside of a hill dominated by a few houses, I come to a large pond partially circumnavigated by the trail. The trail itself disappears into the woods for about a half a kilometer till you reach a stream about 3 meters across.
During the summers when I was a lot younger, I used this path to reach the home of one of my best friends, Jeff Burke. Taking the 45 minutes to walk to the beginning of this trail and complete it (the trail conveniently contoured the base of a large hill the top of which was the Cul-De-Sac where Jeff's pipe stem originated) was a lot easier than pestering my parents to pinball through our neighborhood, onto Walker Rd, then onto Minburn St only to work all the way to the back of Jeff's neighborhood. When I first discovered this trail at 8 years old, it took the better half of an afternoon to muster up the courage to jump over the stream in order to complete my expedition into this newly found land. After that, Jeff and I took upon many projects to remedy the stream crossing...some seemingly gargantuan feats of engineering. We laid logs, built bridges, rope swings, etc. I look back now and think how proud my dad would have been calling the Army Corps of Engineers trying to get me a job based on my determination to cross Captain Hickory Creek. The longest lasting solution to our fording problem was a simple bride made out of a bunch of 2x4's we found lying around the woods. To this day, that bridge still hangs on, weathered by feet both young and old of those who enjoy exploring the backwoods of Great Falls.
I made it to this bridge only to relive the memory of building up the courage to cross the untamed Captain Hickory. I wondered, "How well will climbing skins grip snow on wet wood?" as I stood precariously at the banks of the Cap' 6 feet above the water. The bridge leaned to one side as a result of erosion of the clay supporting it. I scowled in discontent as I muttered, "Fuck it..." and started to make my way across the bridge. I stopped to think about the fact that I'm skinning across a bridge: a thought that made me giggle and stare at the water below. Between the canopy of the trees surrounding me and the overcast sky, the water was dark and the Captain's creek bed barren. During the summer, crayfish live a pretty-carefree life this far up the Difficult Run and Captain Hickory Creek drainage with their only predators being Raccoons and similar sized animals who usually do not brave the steep banks and deep water. During the annual droughts of late July and August when the water level drops to a few inches, it's free game for all of the wild inhabitants of Great Falls as they flock to the nearest creek, run, or tributary. I continue across the bridge only to slip my ski off the side at the last few feet of the bridge (thankfully onto solid ground). I continue my way along the creek towards the Cul-De-Sac of Minburn St. Gliding along Captain Hickory reminds me of the book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard and her love of the Appalachian creek that bears the books title, it's wildlife, and the land around it all of which which ran through her back yard. As the creek doglegged about, I started to glance up with hopes to get a look at Jeff's parents house. I continue until Captain Hickory turns into a drainage which eventually ends on the norther side of Georgetown Pike. I turned around to head back to my truck reliving memories of scrambling up the muddy hill to the Cul-De-Sac, jumping my bike (and failing) across the Captain, and GI Joe battles in the water. Canadian Geese and Lesser Scaup gossip in the pond as I leave the tree line. I follow my skin tracks back to my truck, put my skis back in my rack, trade my boots for sandals, and drive back home. Jeff now lives in Winchester, VA and everyone else I can think of with whom I've enjoyed the Cap' live elsewhere. All of them, however, were with me as I took a stroll (or a ski I guess) down memory lane for a couple hours. This weekend's forecast is predicting up to 45 cm of snow. Bring it on.
During the summers when I was a lot younger, I used this path to reach the home of one of my best friends, Jeff Burke. Taking the 45 minutes to walk to the beginning of this trail and complete it (the trail conveniently contoured the base of a large hill the top of which was the Cul-De-Sac where Jeff's pipe stem originated) was a lot easier than pestering my parents to pinball through our neighborhood, onto Walker Rd, then onto Minburn St only to work all the way to the back of Jeff's neighborhood. When I first discovered this trail at 8 years old, it took the better half of an afternoon to muster up the courage to jump over the stream in order to complete my expedition into this newly found land. After that, Jeff and I took upon many projects to remedy the stream crossing...some seemingly gargantuan feats of engineering. We laid logs, built bridges, rope swings, etc. I look back now and think how proud my dad would have been calling the Army Corps of Engineers trying to get me a job based on my determination to cross Captain Hickory Creek. The longest lasting solution to our fording problem was a simple bride made out of a bunch of 2x4's we found lying around the woods. To this day, that bridge still hangs on, weathered by feet both young and old of those who enjoy exploring the backwoods of Great Falls.
I made it to this bridge only to relive the memory of building up the courage to cross the untamed Captain Hickory. I wondered, "How well will climbing skins grip snow on wet wood?" as I stood precariously at the banks of the Cap' 6 feet above the water. The bridge leaned to one side as a result of erosion of the clay supporting it. I scowled in discontent as I muttered, "Fuck it..." and started to make my way across the bridge. I stopped to think about the fact that I'm skinning across a bridge: a thought that made me giggle and stare at the water below. Between the canopy of the trees surrounding me and the overcast sky, the water was dark and the Captain's creek bed barren. During the summer, crayfish live a pretty-carefree life this far up the Difficult Run and Captain Hickory Creek drainage with their only predators being Raccoons and similar sized animals who usually do not brave the steep banks and deep water. During the annual droughts of late July and August when the water level drops to a few inches, it's free game for all of the wild inhabitants of Great Falls as they flock to the nearest creek, run, or tributary. I continue across the bridge only to slip my ski off the side at the last few feet of the bridge (thankfully onto solid ground). I continue my way along the creek towards the Cul-De-Sac of Minburn St. Gliding along Captain Hickory reminds me of the book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard and her love of the Appalachian creek that bears the books title, it's wildlife, and the land around it all of which which ran through her back yard. As the creek doglegged about, I started to glance up with hopes to get a look at Jeff's parents house. I continue until Captain Hickory turns into a drainage which eventually ends on the norther side of Georgetown Pike. I turned around to head back to my truck reliving memories of scrambling up the muddy hill to the Cul-De-Sac, jumping my bike (and failing) across the Captain, and GI Joe battles in the water. Canadian Geese and Lesser Scaup gossip in the pond as I leave the tree line. I follow my skin tracks back to my truck, put my skis back in my rack, trade my boots for sandals, and drive back home. Jeff now lives in Winchester, VA and everyone else I can think of with whom I've enjoyed the Cap' live elsewhere. All of them, however, were with me as I took a stroll (or a ski I guess) down memory lane for a couple hours. This weekend's forecast is predicting up to 45 cm of snow. Bring it on.
24 January 2010
Pick-Up Follies
Sometime after Thanksgiving, I was out in the parking lot at work my supervisor and a bunch of co-workers around trying to replace a serpentine belt in my truck. As the seemingly simple task of replacing the belt was becoming more daunting and difficult it started to dawn on us that maybe the auto parts store made a mistake and gave me the wrong sized belt. Before that concept could sink into my head, my supervisor who at the time was giving it a try sheared off the bolt to the tensioner pulley (note: in order to remove the belt you have to relieve the tension on it by applying leverage to a bolt that moves the pulley away from the belt). "Fuck" was the first word that came to mind and my mouth. Step 2 at this point was easy and all to familiar when it came to problems with this truck: I got a ride to my house (in our ambulance in this case), picked up my other car, and had the truck towed at a later day. The 7 weeks following that day were spent swearing and sweating as I attempted with all of my might to remove the pulley bolt and eventually the entire pulley tensioner assembly off my engine block with the intention of replacing it. Two things proved my downfall in a speedy repair of my truck: the first was the lack of the appropriate tools to do the job and the second being my reluctance to pay someone to do what I at first thought would be a simple job. It being a new year and 6 months since I've been able to drive the old girl, I finally swallowed my pride and had the truck towed to a diesel mechanic who had the entire tensioner assembly replaced in a few hours. Since she was in there I had him take care of a few other minor problems. Hopefully I'll be swinging by Monday to pick it up. As much as I love that truck, my new year's resolution for 2010 is to again own a car newer than 2000...
23 January 2010
Happy Birthday...
This past week leading up today has been very distracting for me. Today, my father would have been 71. His birthday has held a somber tone with me ever since he died. I keep forgetting that mine is in 8 days but I always know within a few weeks that his is upcoming. I still miss him terribly and every once in a while it really affects the way I think/concentrate as well as my performance at work and in life. Yesterday while at work, my partner and I were called to INOVA's Heart and Vascular Institute (a facility from which we're bound to do 2-5 transports a day but for the sake of this post it's the part of Fairfax Hospital in which my father died) to pick up a patient and take them back to their residence. Upon arriving at the ambulance entrance, as we were getting out, a funeral home van pulled into their designated parking spot, pulled out a gurney, and proceeded inside the building. Seeing that this was a normal part of our (and his) job we continued doing what we were doing. However, what proved to be creepy was the large Raven that was hanging around the black van on that cloudy and particularly gloomy day. We proceeded inside up to the 2nd floor to pick up our patient. As we got to the nurses station, I looked around and my eyes fell upon the room in which my father died: 259. Flashbacks from that early morning came to me fast. I fought them back in order to focus on my job but that dull feeling I first started experiencing outside stayed with me for the rest of the day.
Today wasn't bad though. My partner has become a good friend of mine and he helps keep a sometimes mundane day interesting. I managed to stay focus and happy. I use my father's birthday as a day to embrace his life and life in general. The years fleeting away from 2006 are getting better and better. Now, I have my own birthday to contend with...
Happy Birthday
Nathan E. Bevans
23 January 1939 - 20 April 2006
Today wasn't bad though. My partner has become a good friend of mine and he helps keep a sometimes mundane day interesting. I managed to stay focus and happy. I use my father's birthday as a day to embrace his life and life in general. The years fleeting away from 2006 are getting better and better. Now, I have my own birthday to contend with...
Happy Birthday
Nathan E. Bevans
23 January 1939 - 20 April 2006
04 January 2010
Disconnected from Maleigha
I'm trying to covertly establish myself as an unofficial live-in member at the firehouse. It's been working very well. So well that a) not many people have realized I've been doing it the past week or so and b) I see my house about once a week. Between living at the firehouse, being sick, and work, I haven't been able to talk/see my daughter in a couple weeks which has worn me down a bit. Her mother and I have been attempting to arrange to get a hold of each other at least once a week which worked for a bit but now it's been hard. With my new laptop, I'm hoping to find time in the evenings no matter where I am to give them a few minute call...even at work that has proved pretty hard.
Maleigha has definitely grown! Her vocabulary, still very limited, is definitely more extensive since I last saw her in August. Kim has told me that it has grown even since I last spoke to her so I'm hoping for a surprise when I talk to her/them in a couple of days...
Maleigha has definitely grown! Her vocabulary, still very limited, is definitely more extensive since I last saw her in August. Kim has told me that it has grown even since I last spoke to her so I'm hoping for a surprise when I talk to her/them in a couple of days...
03 January 2010
Mid-Atlantic Winter Recreating...
It's been pretty cold here in the DC area the past couple weeks. The nights have been getting down into the high negative teens (that's Celsius...so the positive teens Fahrenheit). With a near constant wind over the past few weeks, the windchill has been getting into the low negative teens if not pushing -20 C. I'm very use to this. For my friends and family who have yet to venture beyond either of the polar circles the weather has proved merciless and frigid. We've already had one major snowstorm that dumped about 55 cm on the DC area and more are predicted well into late February. I'm longing for the wind and snowdrifts of Antarctica right now...
The cold does not stop me from heading into the wilds. The problem with a lot of DC climbers is the fact that the second the temperature drops below 10 C they run for the comfortable confines of a gym until there's enough fake snow strewn about the few ski resorts we have in the region. Finding climbing partners who are willing to venture out in the cold and snow in the middle of January to climb a few pitches of trad is definitely a feat. Trying to coordinate schedules is even worse! There is always skiing though. The nearest resort to the DC area is Ski Liberty near Gettysburg, PA. Albeit a small resort...it's something. The closest place where I'd have to wear a transceiver would be 9 hours away in New Hampshire. So here I am, stuck in this hole called the Mid-Atlantic. I should come up with a paypal donation account to raise money to fly me somewhere snow laden and mountainous...
The cold does not stop me from heading into the wilds. The problem with a lot of DC climbers is the fact that the second the temperature drops below 10 C they run for the comfortable confines of a gym until there's enough fake snow strewn about the few ski resorts we have in the region. Finding climbing partners who are willing to venture out in the cold and snow in the middle of January to climb a few pitches of trad is definitely a feat. Trying to coordinate schedules is even worse! There is always skiing though. The nearest resort to the DC area is Ski Liberty near Gettysburg, PA. Albeit a small resort...it's something. The closest place where I'd have to wear a transceiver would be 9 hours away in New Hampshire. So here I am, stuck in this hole called the Mid-Atlantic. I should come up with a paypal donation account to raise money to fly me somewhere snow laden and mountainous...
01 January 2010
A New Year
Well it's a brand new year as well as a new decade (unless you're Roman in which case your new decade starts next year...). A year ago, I was hoping to be spending this recent New Year's back in McMurdo. After dealing with several issues regarding my school, distant learning, and the sheer fact that I was attending Virginia classes online in Antarctica, I felt it necessary to put McMurdo on hold for a while until I'm done with school. It was incredibly painful then while I was down on the ice knowing that I wouldn't be coming back the following year. It was especially painful throughout the entire fall reading blogs and facebook status updates of friends who were heading back down there. Such is life though. I figure I can dream and research cool things to do here, around this country, and around the globe but for now I'll definitely live one day at a time.
I've been told that I've been offered a job with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Fire Department by a chief there who retired on the 31st. My being hired then was in preparation of the subsequent promotions to fill his spots and the spots that would open up underneath him. This, my friends, came as bittersweet excitement: I am totally stoked that I am working for MWAA's fire department. I really am. They have everything I look for in a fire department sans a wildland program: Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF), a haz-mat team, a technical rescue program, a marine program, etc. At the same time, the prospect of settling down for however long in a permanent job scares the shit out of me. Fear aside, I really can't complain. I'll be working in a fire department job with benefits, I'll be receiving a decent paycheck, and I'll be receiving some excellent training and experience. I'm hoping to continue working for PTS on a part-time basis as well as picking up a part-time job with Patagonia in Georgetown (outdoor clothing and climbing equipment is expensive!). So for now, I'll be living in the DC area for a lot longer than I expected...
I've been told that I've been offered a job with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Fire Department by a chief there who retired on the 31st. My being hired then was in preparation of the subsequent promotions to fill his spots and the spots that would open up underneath him. This, my friends, came as bittersweet excitement: I am totally stoked that I am working for MWAA's fire department. I really am. They have everything I look for in a fire department sans a wildland program: Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF), a haz-mat team, a technical rescue program, a marine program, etc. At the same time, the prospect of settling down for however long in a permanent job scares the shit out of me. Fear aside, I really can't complain. I'll be working in a fire department job with benefits, I'll be receiving a decent paycheck, and I'll be receiving some excellent training and experience. I'm hoping to continue working for PTS on a part-time basis as well as picking up a part-time job with Patagonia in Georgetown (outdoor clothing and climbing equipment is expensive!). So for now, I'll be living in the DC area for a lot longer than I expected...
08 December 2009
First Winter Storm, First Winter Problems
I've been slacking on the post front which I really apologize for. I'm hoping to put some past stories that take place from the past few months up but in the mean time I'll start with today's actions.
Saturday the Washington DC area experienced it's first winter storm for the season. We received about 4-6 inches of snow that reduced the area into a state of mild pandemonium. Grocery stores were packed. There were motor vehicle accidents everywhere. You would have thought the apocalypse was coming. Sadly, this is fairly typical for the metro area when we get any type of storm with the word "winter" in it. My Saturday morning was spent waking up at a friend's apartment still drunk from the night before. I managed to slalom amongst the timid crowding the roads from Arlington back to Great Falls to sleep in an actual bed versus a couch. My day was fairly uneventful. I had been looking forward to an ice skating date with a friend later that night so I just lazed around the house wasting time until night fall. About an hour before I left, my mother cried out to me, "Did you hear something fall?" I had heard nothing. Then again, I was playing music pretty loudly and had barely heard her. My friend who had been walking with his wife by our pipe stem came, knocked on our door, and informed us of the source of the noise: A 20 meter tree with a diameter of almost a meter fell over in our yard barely missing our house. I cut up some branches so our neighbor could in fact get out of their driveway, took a shower, and went out with my friend.
My friend and I came back to my place with a bottle of wine and watched TV till we eventually passed out (from skating and not necessarily wine that is...). When I woke up it and left the house to take her back, it dawned on me a) how much of a task it was going to be to get rid of the tree and b) how lucky we were that it didn't fall 90 degrees to the right into the house. I had no luck Sunday trying to find a chain saw so I lazed around again till Monday. We used the phrase "Saw shape" to describe how in shape one was to run a chainsaw for hours on end in a fire. Saw shape I was not in. The tree was hemmed up in several different trees in our yard. I spent most of my time cutting away brances of smaller bushes and trees just to get to the tree that actually fell so I can see how to get that one down. I left my house after hours of cutting bushes and broken branches to get more fuel and contemplate as to how long it would take me to finish falling this tree. While I was out I decided to get some fuel and something to eat.
I went to a Sunoco at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Baron Cameron Ave in Herndon/Great Falls, VA. I started the pump and went inside to get a gatorade and something to eat. I looked like shit. I was wearing dirty oil covered overalls, and a black flees with sawdust all over it. I was walking out and to my car when a woman that had just pulled up in a Lexus put her credit card in my hand and told me to, "fill it up with regular and make sure you do a good job on my windshield when you wipe it this time!" A wave of anger overcame me stemming from working in my yard for hours on end. My mouth loosened to say something vulgar but I hesitated. Instead, I smiled, said, "Yes ma'am", stuck her card into the pump, stuck the Diesel nozzle into her tank on full blast, and gave her card back (she never even looked me in the eye while she was talking on her cell phone). I got in my car and left.
At this point I was pretty upset with the way the day was going. I finished for the day around 1730. There was shit everywhere. You could smell pine for hundreds of yards. Our yard was covered with sawdust, pine needles, mud, and bucked up logs. There's still 25 feet of tree hung up in another tree that I have to take care of tomorrow. But, our house is standing and we're alive, thank God. Hopefully the rest of the storms throughout the winter don't bring any other problems to our home.
Saturday the Washington DC area experienced it's first winter storm for the season. We received about 4-6 inches of snow that reduced the area into a state of mild pandemonium. Grocery stores were packed. There were motor vehicle accidents everywhere. You would have thought the apocalypse was coming. Sadly, this is fairly typical for the metro area when we get any type of storm with the word "winter" in it. My Saturday morning was spent waking up at a friend's apartment still drunk from the night before. I managed to slalom amongst the timid crowding the roads from Arlington back to Great Falls to sleep in an actual bed versus a couch. My day was fairly uneventful. I had been looking forward to an ice skating date with a friend later that night so I just lazed around the house wasting time until night fall. About an hour before I left, my mother cried out to me, "Did you hear something fall?" I had heard nothing. Then again, I was playing music pretty loudly and had barely heard her. My friend who had been walking with his wife by our pipe stem came, knocked on our door, and informed us of the source of the noise: A 20 meter tree with a diameter of almost a meter fell over in our yard barely missing our house. I cut up some branches so our neighbor could in fact get out of their driveway, took a shower, and went out with my friend.
My friend and I came back to my place with a bottle of wine and watched TV till we eventually passed out (from skating and not necessarily wine that is...). When I woke up it and left the house to take her back, it dawned on me a) how much of a task it was going to be to get rid of the tree and b) how lucky we were that it didn't fall 90 degrees to the right into the house. I had no luck Sunday trying to find a chain saw so I lazed around again till Monday. We used the phrase "Saw shape" to describe how in shape one was to run a chainsaw for hours on end in a fire. Saw shape I was not in. The tree was hemmed up in several different trees in our yard. I spent most of my time cutting away brances of smaller bushes and trees just to get to the tree that actually fell so I can see how to get that one down. I left my house after hours of cutting bushes and broken branches to get more fuel and contemplate as to how long it would take me to finish falling this tree. While I was out I decided to get some fuel and something to eat.
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| From Home - D.C |
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| From Home - D.C |
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| From Home - D.C |
I went to a Sunoco at the intersection of Leesburg Pike and Baron Cameron Ave in Herndon/Great Falls, VA. I started the pump and went inside to get a gatorade and something to eat. I looked like shit. I was wearing dirty oil covered overalls, and a black flees with sawdust all over it. I was walking out and to my car when a woman that had just pulled up in a Lexus put her credit card in my hand and told me to, "fill it up with regular and make sure you do a good job on my windshield when you wipe it this time!" A wave of anger overcame me stemming from working in my yard for hours on end. My mouth loosened to say something vulgar but I hesitated. Instead, I smiled, said, "Yes ma'am", stuck her card into the pump, stuck the Diesel nozzle into her tank on full blast, and gave her card back (she never even looked me in the eye while she was talking on her cell phone). I got in my car and left.
At this point I was pretty upset with the way the day was going. I finished for the day around 1730. There was shit everywhere. You could smell pine for hundreds of yards. Our yard was covered with sawdust, pine needles, mud, and bucked up logs. There's still 25 feet of tree hung up in another tree that I have to take care of tomorrow. But, our house is standing and we're alive, thank God. Hopefully the rest of the storms throughout the winter don't bring any other problems to our home.
01 November 2009
October
I was actually amazed by the amount of people that follow my ramblings about my life regardless of whether I'm traveling or not which made me fell somewhat bad that I haven't been updating this thing much since I've been back from Utah. I'm still working for Physicians Transport on probably one of the best shift-schedules I could possibly ask for (3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 7 days off). I'm back volunteering with AVFRD on a more-than-regular basis and I'm in the process of trying to volunteer on a regular basis at Seat Pleasant Fire Department. I'm volunteering with Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group but not as much as I had been hoping to on account of scheduling conflicts at work. I can say for the least, I'm happy with everything I had planned for this time of the year.
October was a rough month for me despite everything going well. For most of the month I've had an overwhelming feeling that I should be somewhere but here. I should be flying somewhere, or staring at a mountain, or exchanging money. Alas, I am here, in Great Falls, VA. It feels good to be at home being close to school so I won't have the academic problems I did when I was halfway around the world this time last year. I did not get the job I was hoping to with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authorities which means unless I get another semi-permanent job along the lines of what I was looking for with MWAA, I'll be back out west next summer. I've made the decision to apply for both summer and winter alternate Lieutenant positions within the Antarctic Fire Department because, hey, you never know what I'll do if presented an opportunity at the last minute but for now, looks like PTS with an interim for the summer with the NPS somewhere.
October was a rough month for me despite everything going well. For most of the month I've had an overwhelming feeling that I should be somewhere but here. I should be flying somewhere, or staring at a mountain, or exchanging money. Alas, I am here, in Great Falls, VA. It feels good to be at home being close to school so I won't have the academic problems I did when I was halfway around the world this time last year. I did not get the job I was hoping to with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authorities which means unless I get another semi-permanent job along the lines of what I was looking for with MWAA, I'll be back out west next summer. I've made the decision to apply for both summer and winter alternate Lieutenant positions within the Antarctic Fire Department because, hey, you never know what I'll do if presented an opportunity at the last minute but for now, looks like PTS with an interim for the summer with the NPS somewhere.
11 September 2009
Never Forget
On this specific day, I've been reading a lot of Facebook status updates, twitter feeds, news headlines, etc. and thinking about the meaning of a lot of what people have to say about today. Some of them were elaborate. Some people tried to reach out to the masses with large and striking fonts. Some people were very passionate and emotional, sometimes evoking muse from biblical passages. There was only that truly stood out to me. One that still evoked emotion with two simple words yet managed to encompass the thoughts and feelings of Americans as well citizens of other countries sympathetic to us in our time of remembrance and sorrow: "Never Forget". I really don't think I need to say anything more to symbolize the importance of those words and this day...
A Recap
I've been extremely lazy with my posting here on tmbevans.blogspot.com. The reality is I don't even have an excuse. To recap since my last post on the 11th of August, life is a little bit slower now. I drove back to Northern Virginia/D.C. after visiting my daughter in Boise, ID. I traded my Nissan Xterra for a 1993 Ford F-250 and have been happy and ecstatic over the decision ever since. I'm back volunteering on a regular basis at the Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department and I forgot how much I miss the place and the people here. I volunteer my time with the Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group doing Search and Rescue here in the mid-Atlantic. I work for Physicians Transport Services as an EMT-Basic and am loving (almost) every second of it. Class(es), traveling, and just spending time with friends sums up the past few weeks...
As far as current events, I've applied to a firefighter position with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority whose hiring process I start next Wednesday. I've been feeling pretty down that I'm not heading back to McMurdo this year. I've been reading a lot of status updates on Facebook of friends heading down or getting ready to and it sometimes makes my heart sink. I also felt pretty bad leaving Zion helitack so early despite how slow the season was even after I left. But it does feel good to be home...
As far as current events, I've applied to a firefighter position with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority whose hiring process I start next Wednesday. I've been feeling pretty down that I'm not heading back to McMurdo this year. I've been reading a lot of status updates on Facebook of friends heading down or getting ready to and it sometimes makes my heart sink. I also felt pretty bad leaving Zion helitack so early despite how slow the season was even after I left. But it does feel good to be home...
02 August 2009
Back at Work...Stuck at Coal Pits
My days back following my medical follies were spent at a lovely location outside of the main part of Zion National Park called Coal Pits. Coal Pits is a hellish patch of desert in the Virgin River gorge where Springdale and Rockville, UT are located. It's owned by the NPS and is used as a helibase/spot for incidents in the park as well as a shooting range for the rangers. Our stay there was to support the 100th Anniversary Fire named in honor of the Centennial celebration within the park. Our involvement was limited to helibase duties which, for a fire this small, was pretty limited in it self. Still I can't really complain...I'm physically able to be back at work and I'm getting paid to sit at Coal Pits for 3 days. It would be nice if someone turned down the heat a little.
29 July 2009
Health Insurance Follies
With impecable timing regarding a possible reform on health care in America, I ended up going to the ER last Sunday morning right before I was suppose to go into work. Thinking my pain was pulmonary related (sharp, stabbing pain in my right chest under my armpit) I wasn't really that worried. I came to find that the nurse that was reviewing my x-ray thought I had some enlargement of the left side of my heart and I was having a mild arrhythmia (ST Elevation to be exact). A shock indeed, but almost right away I really didn't think much of it for some reason. It could have been my faith in that what ever will be will be and my life was in the hands of God (which I was happy with)...or it could have been the fact that I had been working out the past few days in a row all the while reaching my target heart rate with no pain, ill effect, or any suggestion that anything cardiac was wrong with me. After a few hours of hanging out in the ER with a friend (Thanks Thea!), I was discharged with orders for light duty at work and an echocardiogram sometime within the near future. Monday morning it was and the beginnign of my insurance follies. Now, after reading an article about how a girl got sued by her apartment rental company for complaining about mold in her apartment on her Twitter page, I'll with hold the name of the insurance carrier for fear of a law suit for defamation (I know, I must be ill, right?). Throughout the afternoon after I got out of the ER I was trying to prepare myself for whatever tests and appointments I had to schedule (and pay for) considering I was still thinking in the back of my head something may be really wrong with me. My insurance company did not want to pay for the appointment since they believed it to be elective since I was not getting the procedure done in the ER. After and hour of arguing I finally managed to convince them to cover me (which was sad I had to convince them in the first place). Monday morning, when I was sitting in the receptionist's office, she informed me that my insurance company in fact changed their mind when they found out that I was out of state. Needless to say, ferocity ensued. The overall tab for the echocardiogram turned out to be $1100 plus another $400 for a consult later on that week. A day after I had that simple, albeit expensive, 30-minute procedure, I came back to the ER only to find out that nothing was wrong with me and whoever red my x-ray completely misread it. On top of that the degree of ST elevation I had was completely normal for me. I'm still fighting the issue with my insurance company but I am relieved to be in good health. This could, however, end up to be a $1500 check-up for me if I managed to lose this fight. All I gotta say is that Obama, something needs to be done because this is appauling!
23 July 2009
A July Synapsis
I've been pretty lazy with my posts for the month of July (as is typical I've noticed for the summer months as far as this blog is concerned) so I figured I'll recap the entire month in one, long-ass entry...
The beginning of this month began with fire. Our first two fires were in Zion National Park. The Woofman fire and the Horse fire both started out pretty small in the first few days of their existence. I never made it to the Horse fire (we were only needed for two days on my days off) but I managed to get a couple operational periods in on the Woofman fire:
A week went by before we went on another fire to the north of us near Richfield, UT called the Amos Canyon Fire. This fire didn't see us do much asides from assist with a couple recons only to leave a few hours after we showed up. We went on our first major fire on 11 July up near Panguitch Lake. The Horse Valley fire proved our longest roll so far. 6 days were spent running the helibase and working on the line combating the tens of spot fires the main fire had caused.
Since then most of our time has been spent running small single-trees that have been struck by lightening and doing some project work around the place. Now, (of course 3 weeks before I drive home) we're definitely starting to pick up a lot of lightening and a lot of local fires...as crazy as it sounds I'm probably going to miss this place when I leave on the 18th...
I've managed to get out for a few local climbs but nothing in the park this month. With me being the states for the rest of the winter, I'm really not too worried about trying to get as much climbing as I can in the summer...
Asides from all of that, I've been trying to trade in the Xterra for an older model Ford pick up...like a 1996 F-250 or something like that. Despite being away in the winters for the past two years, I've driven the shit out of that car over the past 5 years and it has held up pretty well but I'm looking for some thing that will hold up for a few hundred thousand miles versus what a gas engine will. I dunno. I have 3 weeks to pull it off...hopefully I'll be driving home in something different than what I have now...
I think that sums up the month of July so far...
The beginning of this month began with fire. Our first two fires were in Zion National Park. The Woofman fire and the Horse fire both started out pretty small in the first few days of their existence. I never made it to the Horse fire (we were only needed for two days on my days off) but I managed to get a couple operational periods in on the Woofman fire:
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| From Zion Helitack 2009 |
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| From Zion Helitack 2009 |
A week went by before we went on another fire to the north of us near Richfield, UT called the Amos Canyon Fire. This fire didn't see us do much asides from assist with a couple recons only to leave a few hours after we showed up. We went on our first major fire on 11 July up near Panguitch Lake. The Horse Valley fire proved our longest roll so far. 6 days were spent running the helibase and working on the line combating the tens of spot fires the main fire had caused.
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| From Zion Helitack 2009 |
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| From Zion Helitack 2009 |
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| From Zion Helitack 2009 |
Since then most of our time has been spent running small single-trees that have been struck by lightening and doing some project work around the place. Now, (of course 3 weeks before I drive home) we're definitely starting to pick up a lot of lightening and a lot of local fires...as crazy as it sounds I'm probably going to miss this place when I leave on the 18th...
I've spent a little time here and there getting away from Cedar City. I had my sea kayak shipped out this way so I could use it on the many lakes and reservoirs around this area...primarily Navajo Lake:
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| From Cedar City |
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| From Cedar City |
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| From Cedar City |
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| From Cedar City |
I've managed to get out for a few local climbs but nothing in the park this month. With me being the states for the rest of the winter, I'm really not too worried about trying to get as much climbing as I can in the summer...
Asides from all of that, I've been trying to trade in the Xterra for an older model Ford pick up...like a 1996 F-250 or something like that. Despite being away in the winters for the past two years, I've driven the shit out of that car over the past 5 years and it has held up pretty well but I'm looking for some thing that will hold up for a few hundred thousand miles versus what a gas engine will. I dunno. I have 3 weeks to pull it off...hopefully I'll be driving home in something different than what I have now...
I think that sums up the month of July so far...
26 June 2009
A Wet Situation in the Present and Busy Situation in the Future
Dreams of firefighting glory and paychecks fat with overtime and hazard are slowly crushed into reality with the continued assault of rain on the land here in Southern Utah. Every morning at work we read the National Situation Report praying for an increase in activity or an elevation of the National Preparedness Level. Slowly, the amount of fire we're seeing in the states is increasing. I guess now it's just a matter of time before we start working fires on a regular basis.
My time here away from work is spent relaxing. As much as I love (and sometimes hate) it out here, I'm counting down the days till I can get back home and enjoy several months at home. While I'm here, I'm hoping for fires for more experience and to attend certain trainings to further advance my career with qualifications.
I'm looking, this coming fall/winter/spring, to pile on things to keep me busy. I have a job (hopefully) lined up with an interfacility ambulance transport service which will be my main source of income over the months. I'm already planning on returning to duty with Ashburn during the last week in August. I'm looking to volunteer for Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group when I get back as well. Hopefully in November, Virginia's wildfire season will be busy enough to warrant a deployment out of me. With Zion Helitack's hopeful plans of putting up an aerial ignition module for the winter with the sole purpose to provide prescribed fire solutions to various government organization I'm hoping to possibly come back out west to do one or two two-week details with the crew and possibly work on some aerial ignition qualifications myself. And maybe, if I'm not busy enough as it is, I'm hoping to work part-time with Patagonia in DC to help with financing my addiction to climbing and (now) skiing. With work, obviously, comes play. I've been telling myself since I won't be going to Antarctica this season I'm looking to do a couple weekend Europe, Africa, and/or Central and South American trips this winter. For a while (before I even knew that I wasn't going back down to Antarctica during the 2009-2010 season) I had been planning on a trip to Iran to do some backcountry skiing and climbing. A lot of people (due to their ignorance) expressed their displeasure in the idea which fueled the urge to go through with the trip even more. With the current political upheaval and social unrest in the country I may put that trip off for a little bit longer. All of that on top of school means for a fun, albeit busy, winter...
My time here away from work is spent relaxing. As much as I love (and sometimes hate) it out here, I'm counting down the days till I can get back home and enjoy several months at home. While I'm here, I'm hoping for fires for more experience and to attend certain trainings to further advance my career with qualifications.
I'm looking, this coming fall/winter/spring, to pile on things to keep me busy. I have a job (hopefully) lined up with an interfacility ambulance transport service which will be my main source of income over the months. I'm already planning on returning to duty with Ashburn during the last week in August. I'm looking to volunteer for Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group when I get back as well. Hopefully in November, Virginia's wildfire season will be busy enough to warrant a deployment out of me. With Zion Helitack's hopeful plans of putting up an aerial ignition module for the winter with the sole purpose to provide prescribed fire solutions to various government organization I'm hoping to possibly come back out west to do one or two two-week details with the crew and possibly work on some aerial ignition qualifications myself. And maybe, if I'm not busy enough as it is, I'm hoping to work part-time with Patagonia in DC to help with financing my addiction to climbing and (now) skiing. With work, obviously, comes play. I've been telling myself since I won't be going to Antarctica this season I'm looking to do a couple weekend Europe, Africa, and/or Central and South American trips this winter. For a while (before I even knew that I wasn't going back down to Antarctica during the 2009-2010 season) I had been planning on a trip to Iran to do some backcountry skiing and climbing. A lot of people (due to their ignorance) expressed their displeasure in the idea which fueled the urge to go through with the trip even more. With the current political upheaval and social unrest in the country I may put that trip off for a little bit longer. All of that on top of school means for a fun, albeit busy, winter...
18 June 2009
Rain, Rain, and Lots of It
We're 3 weeks into June and it has done nothing but rained it's ass off. This time last year we were already well into our fire season with the Corn Creek Fire that grew over 2500 acres before being considered "controlled". Here we're getting rain on an average of every other day. For us firefighters here in Color Country (and probably everywhere), every day at work we see rain proves demoralizing for the fire season outlook (as well as that of our seasonal salary). It's like I explain to everyone that's not a firefighter: firefighters and EMT's don't wish death and destruction on anyone...but we damn sure want to be there when it happens. Anyways, our days have been spent trying to find things to keep us busy. Hopefully it picks up and we can get away from the base for a while...I think we all are getting pretty restless...
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| From Zion Helitack 2009 |
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| From Zion Helitack 2009 |
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