Jen the Bug

Like, if someone asks me how I’m feeling right now, they could plug in and feel a mix of accomplishment and sleepiness after my shift, superficial happiness from the kpop song I’m listening to, annoyance at Men From Reddit (tm) and their opinions, and slight worry about tonight’s shift because Tough Girl left early last night.

And if one of the Men From Reddit (tm) plugged into my brain, they could see what I meant by my comment instead of what they’d like me to have meant because it feeds into their worldview. (In this case, I made the mistake of saying “I’m married, I love my husband, and I also think this other guy is attractive sometimes.” I am a cheating whore forever lol.)

I could share my link with Cory and blast him with immense love and wishes for his health and strength and self-sufficiency, instead of reminding him to make therapy appointments (which sounds like nagging and I hate it).

I could have my therapist plug in and she’d be like “You really live like this?”

I could upload a file of all my thoughts and feelings towards The Most Interesting Woman in the World (who I haven’t heard from in nearly a year!) and send them in an email.

And at work, when a hospital calls for the third paramedic transport in a night, I could say “Our ETA will be extended, so I’ll call mutual aid and give you a call back with who’s coming and when,” while offering up a link that shows how few paramedics we have and how annoyed I am about it and when my crews’ off times are and where they’re going now and how much I genuinely want to help but the help just isn’t there.

On the way out, we saw a sign: BIERGARTEN

Husband said he was curious about it. I said, “curious about it meaning you’d like to check it out now?”

“Well, if you’re offering…”

So we went to the Prost Biergarten and had a wonderful time. (Their kolsch is amazing and their schwarzbier is also great)

In the middle of having this wonderful time, I got a message: “It’s time to check in for your therapy appointment with [Ms Therapist] at 1700”

FUCK

So my choices were to try to slam a beer and get home within 15 minutes (we live 20 minutes away) or miss the appointment. I missed the appointment.

Unfortunately, it was a *therapy* appointment. I don’t think I can lie to my therapist. So when I get asked about this in two weeks, I’m gonna have to say “I was drinking beer with my husband” as my reason for missing the appointment.

I spent most of the time playing in the kiddie wave pool with Caballero. I didn’t actually go on any rides; it was only 85F outside, and that water is COLD! Getting my feet wet was enough.

I got a sunburn, but not a bad one, and I’ll consider that a success.

Here are the things that Caballero (4) thought were important in the kiddie wave pool:

Thanking the wave whenever it gave him a particularly good push

Pointing out airplanes

Playing tag (slowly and safely, he doesn’t know how to swim so he was within arms reach at all times)

There was an interesting bug in the water, so I rescued it and put it on the side. After he confirmed that the bug wouldn’t hurt him, we watched it for a good 5-10 minutes.

Showing off his floatie

Getting wet in the fountains

After we got done with the kiddie pool and were ready to leave, we took some pictures. I will not be posting them because I forgot to get permission from the kids and their parents, but I will say that Caballero should be a model. Little man LOVES the camera. I got him to stop playing by offering to take his picture. He put himself in every group picture (which was fine, and adorable). He posed. He checked every picture afterwards and pointed himself out to say, “Awww, I’m so cute!”

Well guess what happened last night.

Morgan Wallen at the football stadium!

Tailgating! Drinking and fighting and the local hospital conglomerate trying to assert control but not knowing what they’re doing! Expensive tickets resulting in obnoxious and entitled fans! Police blocking off roads and not letting ambulances through! A new app to learn with NO notice, courtesy of the hospital conglomerate! Somehow being staffed with a handful of the most obnoxious people I’ve ever had the displeasure of dispatching!

But we made it.

LOOK AT THAT SKY

I get to see this when I get home now!!

This week I started the 1700-0500 shift (again), because I finally have a partner on overnights. So stoked! She’s good, too. She came from another private ambulance company, one that uses the same computer system as us, so she knows more than we do in some ways. (The Mini Boss, our “subject matter expert” on the program, really isn’t one)

On top of that, she knows private ambulance. While all the less experienced people are rightfully freaking out because fucked up things are happening, her and I are like “Yep. This is fucked up, and it has happened at other companies before, and it is outside my sphere of influence, so I’m just gonna kick back and dispatch.”

I need to ask her how much she makes, btw, note to self. I’m planning on bringing up my pay in a “based on my experience and performance, and the salaries of other people in comparable positions*, I should be making $xx/hr.”

*I just won’t mention that the comparable positions are in the same company until my exit interview—at that point, all bets are off

Everything is fine, except for the oncologist herself, who is still a thoroughly aggravating person.

I have a new lung nodule, 2mm, “probably inflammatory or infectious” per radiology. They’re not worried, Dr Oncologist isn’t worried, but it is something new. And because of that, I have to get scans and come back in four months. 😒

Because of a stop by my primary care clinic to get my home blood pressure cuff validated and a trip to the lab for bloodwork, I didn’t get home until noonish. And I only got to sleep in until 1830.

Poor Soba is having such a bad day.

Not allowed in the fridge.

Not allowed in the pantry.

Not allowed in the cabinet above the pantry.

Not allowed to steal bagels.

Not allowed outside.

Only got one good smack in on Momo’s ass as she was running past.