Old Man Bull

A quarterback on the line of scrimmage calls an audible to change the next play on the fly before the ball is snapped.  Hopefully, the rest of his team is on the same page, otherwise the play will fall apart. Questionable hearing can have some serious implications.  Communication is very important to our daily lives and essential to how our interactions proceed with others, and how we are perceived by others.  Any slight misunderstanding can lead us down a different path.  Since the surgery in March, there have been instances where I thought I heard a piece of a conversation one way, only to find out later that I heard it completely wrong.  The end result is not being on the same page with the rest of the folks on the field. It's good to laugh at these sometimes!  I will be trying my best to keep track of these moments and share them with you. Scenario #1 - South Pearl Farmers Market Walking by a vendor tent on crowded South Pearl Street, a woman ven...

One outlet for so much downtime is writing and thinking, and listening to the Bruins games on the radio. It's exciting to listen to these games on the radio.  I've been lucky to catch most of the games on the internet by streaming the audio from my cell phone signal, which is them pumped via bluetooth technology into a portable speaker!  I can bring it anywhere.  I brought it outside for yard work, inside for laying on the couch, even into the bathroom for showering!  I like radio, and think the commentators are much more imaginative and exciting.  They make you really think about what is going on, and to pay close attention to the game. I remember going to our family camp in Maine and listening to the radio a lot.  Most of the time, all we could pull were the French stations from Montreal.  Once in a while we got lucky and could catch the Sox or Bruins and listen to the game out on the porch while we got eaten alive by mosquitoes.  Our radio ...

Opening up Microsoft Word to a blank page reflects my activities for the next 30 days. A few weeks ago, our Prospective Member class at Alpine completed our 24 hour overnight training, which consisted of navigation, multiple patient packages, evacuations, rappelling , medical assessments, radio communication work, and an overnight in some frigid temps without a sleeping bag or tent. It was awesome to be a part of this experience with a team of others all working towards a common goal. I realized I was allowed to do this by my doctor, and that a follow up visit with her loomed. I was able to see her today. The doctor has ordered no running or activities at altitude (including hiking or flying) for 30 days. This may be easier to cope with if my leg was broken, or I was otherwise incapacitated. The thing is, every part of my body works fine, and every part of my body wants to go- none more than my wandering mind. It has only been about an hour since hearing the news, and al...

I know that there hasn’t been an entry on this blog for quite some time, and that’s not to say that there has been a lack of things to write about. There have been many things to write about and reflect upon in the last few months. There has been training for and completing the Canyonlands Half Marathon in Moab, Utah. I’m also working towards becoming a field active member of Alpine Rescue Team in Evergreen. The job, the life, everything! Why the delay in writing? I’m not so sure I can explain it. About a month ago, I underwent a surgery to repair problems with my inner ear. The surgery itself was a piece of cake as far as I know. They removed a cyst, and made me a new ear drum. I just thought the biggest deal would be going in and getting my IV installed, and I’d wake up and it’d be all over. It was true. I did wake up. Job done. Let the anesthesia wear off and it’d be back to normal life. I must write that the last month or so has been one of the most d...