Still kicking

Just in case you've been wondering, I'm still kicking!

Work is going very well! I'm really enjoying it & so far, I should be "signed off" by the end of the week. Basically, I'll be working on my own. Luckily, until the end of the year, I'll be staying on a day shift rotation... So, no nights.... So far! But I'm not complaining about nights either! I did do 1 overnight shift & it was pretty neat. It was extremely quiet as well; however, you have to come with a different work mentality.

On a different note, Olivia is having her 1 birthday on Saturday! This is unreal! I can't believe that it's already been 1 year! I know that they say that time flies when you have fun, but this is truly unbelievable. I mean, to think that in a few days, Olivia is going to be one.

She isn't quite walking yet; however, she is standing on her own & she does walk with a little encouragement. Also, talking is not far either. She makes sounds that sound exactly like words, but we aren't sure if they are really words or just jibber jabber....

We have quite the shindig planned for her and we are very happy to have everyone at our house to celebrate her big day!

So, that's about all that's new so far... stick around for more!

'til next time!

Must Read

I saw this on Digg.com today & I really recommend this read! I think that it's unreal that this is what the world has come too. Being a firefighter, it's in my nature to help and to be honest, I wouldn't even second guess myself for helping out; however, you never know what someone else may think..."If I see a child or a pre-teen crying on the beach I change my direction"I am a (male) high school teacher and I have a daughter. If I see a child or (worse) a pre-teen crying on the beach I change my direction and put as much distance as possible between us. It’s too dangerous even to take a picture, imagine TOUCHING them.

read more | digg story

All work and no play

Believe it or not, but I'm actually on day 3 of my 5 days off... This is my first official week on the phone and so far I'm loving it.

True, it's just another job; however, I truly believe that I'm heading down the right career path this time. I haven't taken any really bad calls yet; however, the calls that I have taken have been easier then I truly expected.

I was a little nervous to start on the phones, but that pretty much all went away when I answered my first call.

Not a whole lot else going on. Olivia is growing up and her first B-day is almost here! That's really hard to believe! I have no idea where the last year has gone... Allison pretty much has the party all figured out and it's going to be a blast!

Allison and I actually just got back from the movies... only the second time in a year. It was nice to get out, just the two of us.... We saw "Dan in Real Life".

It was a really good movie! I was pretty impressed, but then again, Steve Carrell is great anyways!

Well, that's about it for now!

'til next time!

Home Stretch

Well, we are in our final hours of classroom training.

Tomorrow is our final exam and it's taking most of the afternoon - if not all of it! I'm really anxious to get it over with so I can start working! I'm kinda itching to get on the phone... Mind you, if I was a keener, I could have done so already a few times!

A lot of things have changed since my last post. We had a few conversations with management & they decided that we are going to be based on performance & not only on our knowledge/memory of the procedures.

I'm really happy about that! As most of the time, I learn by doing, not only by just reading it....

This is only a short message as I need to unwind a little before test time...

'til next time!

BitTorrent blocking goes north: Canadian ISP admits to throttling P2P

Candian ISP Bell Sympatico has admitted to using bandwidth throttling technologies that impose limits on peer-to-peer traffic.

read more | digg story

How's it going?

Well, isn't that a loaded question. So far, the course is extremely harder then I could have ever imagined, considering that I was told that there was 2 weeks of training & then we'd be on the phones.

Well, that's not quite what is happening. We have 4 weeks of training & then 4 rotations (4 working days & 5 days off) of preceptership and once that is complete, we finally start on our own. So, it was a small shock to the system when I first found that out!

Well finally today, I was able to go & sign my letter of employment I'm officially temporarily employed by SERHA, at least until Dec 16 when Ambulance New Brunswick takes over.

I can't really complain. I mean, so far I have only failed 1 test where I have 3 fails maximum.

As you can see by my posting time below, it's almost 4am and I've actually just gotten back from PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) for a listen along & I found it very interesting. The two places are very similar in the service that they provide (answering 911 calls & sending out help: ie: ambulance or police/fire); however, the set up & software is completely different. I'm anxious to see (if I make it that far) what ANB is going to bring to the table.

Well, I just wanted to give a quick run down & maybe non of this makes much sense; however, I don't want to post-edit it either as this is "Another Day in the Life of Joel".

Have a great night, I'll certainly try!

'til next time!

Car Seat Safety

Allison is a very observant mother. She was watching TV one day & noticed this "Child Safety Link" commercial with an toddler certainly older then 1 year old. Allison wasn't sure what to think, so she emailed Child Safety Link. Here is a copy of the email (read from the bottom up):

Hi Allison:

Good questions. The benefit of being rear-facing is that it distributes the force of the crash evenly along the child's spine, providing better protection for the brain and spinal cord. This outweighs the risk of injury to the legs. It is okay for the legs to be
touching the back seat or crossed for the child to get comfortable. In a forward facing position, all of the force is concentrated in a small area of the child's neck. Their head will pull the neck forward. If the child's bones and muscles are not strong enough (which generally happens around 17 months or more) there is the risk that the vertebrae will separate and cause the spinal cord to stretch or tear. So
therefore we recommend that parents not rush to turn forward facing. I know that it seems like a graduation, a milestone to be reached, but it is actually a step backwards in terms of safety if the child is not sufficiently developed.

I hope that this helps.

Kim Mundle
Car Seat Safety Specialist
IWK Health Centre
tel: (902) 470-7324
toll free: 1-866-288-1388

>>> "Allison Gallant" <alliecat@******.ca> 16/10/2007 12:18 pm
>>>
Hi Kim. Thank you for your response. I now understand better why the girl in the commercial was rear facing, however, at her size, wouldn't there be a risk of her legs breaking in the event of a car accident? Wouldn't it be safer for her to be forward facing since she does meet the minimum requirements for forward facing?

My daughter is 10 months, 30.5" and 21lbs. I was planning on turning her
car seat around on her birthday (December 4th) because I know she will meet
the minimum requirements, however, is it safer to wait as long as possible
before doing so? I guess I'm unclear as to what the risks are rear facingvs forward facing.

Thank you for your information.

Allison

-----Original Message-----
From: Kim Mundle [mailto:Kim.Mundle@iwk.nshealth.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 11:47 AM
To: alliecat@********.ca
Subject: Re: I would like to express my concern over a Child Safety Link commercial that

Hello Allison:

Thank you for your comments about the commercial. The girl in the commercial is over the age of one, and over the minimum weight of 22 lbs because the safety recommendation for the rear-facing position is that children remain rear-facing as long as possible, within the rear-facing weight limit and height limit for the seat. Most seats sold in Canada can be used rear-facing up to 30 lbs, and therefore many children can remain rear-facing until age 2 1/2 or 3 years old. The age one and 22
lbs is the minimum that children must be to consider going forward facing. As well, they should be walking solidly on their own. When filming the commercial, all of the images were overseen by a certified Child Restraint Systems Technician for accuracy. Do you have any questions regarding car seats? I will be out of the office for a few
days but would be happy to talk with you when I return.


Kim Mundle
Car Seat Safety Specialist
IWK Health Centre
tel: (902) 470-7324
toll free: 1-866-288-1388

>>> "Allison Gallant" <alliecat@nb.sympatico.ca> 13/10/2007 11:21 am
>>>
I would like to express my concern over a Child Safety Link commercial that I recently saw. This commercial is talking about car seat safety and the importance of rear facing seats for children under the age of 1. The girl in the commercial that is climbing into the rear facing seat is clearly over the age of 1 and is way too big to be riding rear facing. I feel that this is a misrepresentation of good car seat safety. My sister and I are mothers to children all under the age of 3 and take child safety very
seriously. We feel that your commercial would be more beneficial if it was properly
advertising what your message is about.


Thank you for your time,



Allison Gallant

All I can say is wow! I would have never thought! This certainly opened my eyes & we are going to seriously think about when we are going to turn Olivia around.

Just thought I'd share this news!

'til next time!

A new adventure

Day 2!

It's hard to believe that it's already been 2 days that I'm no longer employed with RBC. It's even harder to imagine that it's been just over 8yrs that I was with RBC. I certainly can't say that I have been miss-treated by the bank...

I have started a new employement, but this time, it's really in line with my final career. On Monday, I started with Medical Transport Coordination Center, aka: MTCC. So far the training is pretty intense. Lots to learn in a short period of time. Well, actually, we have 4 weeks plus 4 weeks of on the job training.

It is pretty interesting & I'm learning stuff, but a lot of it you have to know it on the tip of your fingers. I know that it will come to that, but I'm the type where I have little patience and want to know everything now.... but that's just part of life! What's even more fun is that in my class, I actually know half of the people, 2 from the FD, 1 a friend from school, 1 ex-client and 1 person who's house we'd saved!

Well, that's about it for now! I have to email my old payroll coordinator to see if I can get access to my payroll sheets to see how much I'm getting paid next week...

'til next time!

It's official

What a day!

If you would have talked to me this morning, I would have told you something completely different then what I'm telling you now!

TD Bank called me this morning & made an offer of employment which I ended up accepting. It was kinda crazy - a pretty decent offer actually! I was getting everything in place and then I got another phone call...

JP from MTCC asking if I was still interested.... The funny thing is that I didn't know who was calling me since he didn't really identify himself... I said that I was still interested and certainly couldn't wait to start.

So, at the end of the day, I had to make a decision. I had 3 possible jobs, my current RBC, a new TD Bank & a new one with MTCC.

Since being a firefighter and wanting to be in the emergency services industry, I ended up going with my heart - MTCC.

Starting on Monday, I will be in training for that job. Things should go pretty well. What is even funnier is that I'm going to be joined by 2 other fellow Dieppe Firefighters - Danic Brun & Mike Belliveau.

It's going to be a blast! I can't wait to get started!

Also, tomorrow at the Fire Dept, we are hosting the JOLT competition (Jaws of Life Tournement) which puts Fire Depts against each other to see who can extracate someone from a vehicle the quickest & most efficiently.

I'll grab some pics & post them as soon as I can!

'til next time!

Is it really worth it?

So, yesterday I decided that I wanted to refresh my notebook so I did a complete re-install/re-image of my hard drive.

Everything went perfectly well except for the fact that I can't get my iTunes to work like it was working before. Unfortunately, I have already synced my iPod with my re-installed iTunes, so there is nothing that can be done now!!!

The only real problem that I'm having is that my play list & top rated have disappeared along with my album art. I guess I can live with that, but I'm going to have to continue to try to figure out how to fix it! I may call on DearCali for this one.... we'll see!

So, tomorrow afternoon is going to be an interesting afternoon. 3pm isn't going to come fast enough! Again, can't go into too many details just yet, but keep your fingers crossed! Everything could change between now & Friday!

Off to bed!

'til next time!

10 years and counting

Hard to believe that it's already been 10 years in the Fire Service. Time has really gone by fast. When I sit down & think about it, I haven't even really seen a lot of fires as per say!

I've fought a few, but nothing major where we can "surround & drown" the place. I guess that just means that Dieppe Fire is very efficient!

We had our open house this weekend (Oct 7th) and that's where I was presented with my 10 years of Service Maple Leafs. Also, during that time, Allison & Olivia came down & I was able to snap some good pictures with Olivia. You can see them on my Flickr page.

Other then that, not a whole lot is going on. I'm still waiting for news about some movement, so it's still all hush hush, but I'll let you know as soon as I know something. I'm sort of anxious to get it all over with and I have to be careful that it doesn't affect my current performance.

Well, that's about all I've got for right now....

'til next time!

Stay Tuned

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I will be meeting with an opportunity to do some local business. I know that I'm being vague; however, I don't want to jinx things.

On Thursday, I will also be meeting with MTCC do complete an aptitude test. I'm sure that these are pretty simple things; however, they are kind of stressful when you think about it.

So, stay tuned & I'll be able to share more news as soon as I have it available.

'til next time!

Fire Fire Fire

Well, on Sept 25, we had quite the little adventure!

Allison went to a scrapbooking party and I was at home with Olivia. I had just sat down from putting Olivia down & was on my computer - actually thinking of something to blog about, when the phone rang.

It was my accountant telling me that he had some questions in regards to my taxes (2006 - yes I know that it's a little late! LOL). As we where going through that, my pager went off at 2056. My heart starts to race as I listen to the dispatch.

The call came in that the building was already half involved in flames. I couldn't believe it! I was at home stuck on the phone. I never wanted to hang up so quickly in my life to call Allison & see where she was at.

Once I was finally done with the accountant, I called Allison really quickly. As she answers, I ask "where are you?" She simply replied that she was getting ready to leave. I was happy about that. Cause I knew that we where going to be spending some time on scene.

Once Allison arrived, I headed to the Fire Hall and discovered that there was 3 other people there too.... looking for the Deputy Chief's keys. He was out of town.

All in all, the fire went well. The building was not half involved as the dispatch came in. It was contained & we where able to keep the fire from spreading too much.

Other then that, I've got 2 new developments coming my way. Two local employment offers have arrived on my door step. I don't want to go into too much details just yet as I don't want to jinx anything.

Olivia is growing up very quickly. She can now easily stand and also crawl up the stairs. She is also recovering from Tonsillitis.... She had a very high fever last week - as high as 102. All in all, it was scary, but under control. The only thing that really bothers me about my work is situations like that. I was in Richibucto and Allison wasn't sure what else to do. I rushed home & spent time with them while we waited for our Dr's appt.

So, Olivia is going to stay on meds (penicillin) for 10 days, just to make sure that eveything is completely gone.

Well, that's all I've got for now!

'til next time!

Arrr

Apparently Sept 19 has more then 1 meaning in this world! Not only is it my birthday, but it is also International Talk Like A Pirate Day! I think that's pretty cool!

Talking about my birthday, I was "conned" into going to Bouctouche on that morning so that they could give me a cake! The cake was good, but I think I would have rather stayed in Dieppe because the Airport in conjunction with the Dieppe Fire Department had a mock aircraft accident. Turns out not a lot of people showed up; however, I think it would have been nice to train some more. Apparently, not a whole lot of people showed up for the "indicent" which could mean more then the actual training itself.

We are having a hard time staffing people during the working hours - which is normal as the majority of the volunteer firefighters are also employed full-time mostly during the daytime. Another great example would be the call that I attended yesterday. We received a dispatch for a MVA with no injuries for a Truck that hit a building.

I was the first "call-out" to reach the station & only 1 other person showed up. We were 2 for the whole time, until I left & the DC asked for the call to be paged out again to get some back up at the station.

What else is going on? Not a whole lot! Apparently Olivia is now crawling up stairs with very little assistance! I'm pretty pleased about that, but I have yet to see her do it! I've been really busy at work lately - working 9 out of the last 10 nights... It's starting to take it's toll on me. I'm barely seeing Olivia & Allison as I'm dead tired and basically crash either on the couch or get ready for bed & pass out!

So, I'm sort of keeping my eyes open for local opportunities as traveling is starting to be a necessary evil! So, we'll see what happens!

'til next time!!!

Just Wrong

Just Wrong
Originally uploaded by firemanjoe509

Allison & I went for a walk in the mall today & we decided that we wanted to go to Toys R Us. So, what does Allison spot near the entrance? This horrible toy! I mean, come on... it's so obviously wrong! I'm almost speechless!

Flying Car

This is what Firefighters in the UK do on their down time.

Another year has gone by

Please remember to take some time to remember those lives lost in the Sept 11 attacks and the deaths of our soldiers since the start of the War on Terror.

Back from vacation

We are back from our trip to Toronto with great news! Olivia is not going to require any surgery! This is great news. Dr Clark said at this point, Mother Nature will do just as good of a job as surgery would, so why bother putting her through all of that for the same results.

Other then that, we had a great vacation. The drive was surprising not that long. I mean, we did do over 3300 km's round trip; however, it didn't feel that long. The first night, we stopped at the Four Points by Sheriton in Quebec City. It was a beautiful hotel; however, I felt that the room's furniture was a little over size for the room itself.

That morning we went downstairs to the restaurant, Le Dijon and we had a great breakfast. Afterwards, we trucked all day to Belleville On. It was approx a 6hr drive from Quebec, but with Olivia having to eat every 3 hours or so, it made it a little longer then that. Olivia was the greatest in the car. She never really fussed or anything. She mostly slept all the time!

Our last stop before Olivia's appt was in Ajax at Allison's uncles place. It was great spending a few days there. We didn't have to rush anywhere, just kinda sat back & enjoyed the pool. The first night, he heated the pool up to 92F. It was awesome! Just like in a hot tub!

Our drive to the Hospital itself was an interesting drive. On the 401, it was really smooth; however, we were suggested that we should get on Avenue Rd and simply follow that until we to the Hospital as Avenue Rd transforms into University Avenue.

I thought "no problem!". Well, little did I know that the transformation isn't the smoothest! At one point, you have to turn left at an intersection that actually continues to Avenue Rd. Well, instead, we went straight throught & ended up in a residential area. We did a couple of turns & I decided that we needed to get some directions. I pulled up to a stop sign & there was a couple walking along. Allison asked them where University Rd was & it turns out that the people we asked where from Nova Scotia; however they where also familiar with the Sick Kids Hospital as their grand child had been operated on a few times already.

Anyways, they pointed us in the right direction & we were off again! Overall, it took us approx 20 minutes from Ajax to Avenue Rd, but it took us approx 1hr and 15 minutes to go from Avenue Rd & 401 to the Hospital. That was crazy! Talk about going nowhere fast!

We had planned on going to Niagara Falls on Thursday; however, Olivia decided that she wanted to sleep in (for the first time since Monday morning) and also she was going to have a big lunch. It usually takes her about 1hr to eat, but that day, she stretched it out to 2hrs. So, that put us back a couple of hours and everyone suggested that traffic was going to be horrible so we should just hang out there! So we did!

While we were up in Ontario, my cousin had her baby! It was almost perfect timing. So, we simply modified our trip home & headed back to Belleville to meet our newest family member. They named him Rayden and he was born at 10lbs 3/4oz! Certainly not a little fellaw, but he seemed tiny compared to Olivia....

To finish off our trip, we left Belleville and drove as far as Drummondville, Quebec. We stayed the night in a Quality Suites which we felt was a better hotel then the Four Points was.

When we got up on Saturday, I quickly calculated what we had left to do as far as time in order to get home & made the decision to simply go all the way & finish the drive. So, we got on the road & kept on driving until Olivia was hungry. We'd stop to eat and then get right back on the road and keep on going.

Overall, we had a blast. It was fun to see & we did get to see lots of stuff. It would have been better if we could have stayed downtown Toronto longer, but I think we are going to plan for something like that next time. They would like to see her again in May for a check up. So, we'll have to plan another vacation - maybe - and do it all over again!

'til next time!

*Cough*Cough*

Well, that was a fun week! I wish I could say that we actually went to Toronto, but we had another type of adventure instead!

As we put Olivia to bed on Saturday night, she started to fuss a little. After a few minutes, Allison went in & just as she leaned over to check on her, Olivia vomitted in her bed! Well, that was only the start!

To put a long story short, every 20minutes, Olivia was sick. We ended up going to the hospital around 11pm on Saturday night & they admitted her for the day. She was sick until they where able to get an IV into her. It was horrible. She was screaming because she had nothing left in her. She was basically dry heaving & all she was bringing up was bile! Poor girl! There was nothing we could do!

They decided to keep for for 2 days (Sunday & we left late Monday afternoon).

You'd think that the adventure would be done there! Nope, not at all! Once we got home, Allison wasn't quite feeling well, but we passed it off to not having slept at all on Saturday night & also not having had a good night sleep on Sunday night.

Shortly after we got home, Allison was sick! Not a good start to the week because shortly afterwards, I was sick!

We ended up being out of commission until Tuesday night for Allison & Wednesday for me! It was truly horrible. We are not 100% sure, but we can only assume that we had a GASTRO virus going around because my sister-in-law was sick, her fiance as well and my father-in-law was sick too!

I can certainly tell you that it's not a fun trip spending almost 12 hrs in the bathroom sick like a dog!

Everything has been postponed to next week. So we are going to be doing the same adventure as last time. Spending a week on the road, stoping in Quebec the first night and spending some time with family on our way! We are also going to see our friends Colin & Heidi at Niagara Falls! It's going to be a blast!

So, again, I'll try to post from the road as much as I can.

'til next time!

New Adventure

Well, I'm on vacation!

That's right! We are leaving for Toronto on Sunday Morning - bright & early! Keep your eyes open because I'll be snapping some pics with my camera phone & posting them to my flickr account.

Also, whenever I can get a connection, I'll try to post an update of how the trip is going & where we are so far in our journey!

Stay tuned!

Police officer tries to shoot a snake - hits a 5-year-old boy instead

I know that it takes all kinds to make the world go round, but I mean, this if completely stupid! Why would anyone try to kill a snake by shooting it. Snakes are quick & very agile.... A bullet only flies in one direction!I can't even imagine what that poor family is going through! I hope that officer gets what he deserves!"A stray bullet from the gun of an Oklahoma police officer, meant for a snake in a rural area, struck and killed a 5-year-old boy Friday night, authorities confirmed."

read more | digg story

One Step closer!

Well, there are a couple of things new since earlier today!

I am 1 step closer to my interview & Olivia sat up all by herself!

Yup! you read that right! Olivia was able to figure out how to sit up all by herself! The way she does it is very cute! She rolls onto her belly, then brings her knees in and brings her feet under her belly then walks her hands backwards until she's on her butt! Very cute & ingenious of her!

We're gonna have to try to get her on dvd....

Waiting for what?

Well, another week is almost over & I've decided to pursue another job opportunity!

The Mountain Rd branch has an opening for a Senior Account Manager (SAM) and I think I'm pretty well qualified for it! I put in my application - which closed on Monday and now I'm just waiting for my interview! I really do hate waiting, but it's the only way things get done.

Other then that, not a whole lot else is going on. Almost had a huge fire last night; however, turned out to be some kids that decided to burn a tire instead. The passerby who called 911 stated that there was heavy smoke showing.... There was, but it was from a tire and not a building.

Olivia is almost 8 months old now! That's really hard to beleive! She's growing up really fast & I can still see changes in her every day! We're pretty sure that she's already waving to us when we say "HI" & "BYE"... She'll lift her hand up and wiggle her fingers.... it's really cute!

So, I'm in Richibucto right now & when I first got here, there was an MVA just outside of work. Didn't seem to be much damage; however, it looked like it may have been some visitors to the area. Now that really sux!

Allison & I tried to go & see The Simpson's Movie last friday & when we got there, it was already sold out!

We ended up going to see Transformers instead!

IT ROCKED!

The movie was excellent. Very well done! You couldn't tell that the Autobots & Decepticons where CGI. I hope that they make a second.... I was also surprised to see some of the other big names that where in the movie. Josh Duhamel and Jon Voight, I'd seen in commercials; however, some of the others, I was surprised to see!

Well, that's all I've got for today!


'til next time!

21 Things I Learned From The Simpsons About Being Guy

Funny (and in many cases oddly true) observations about being a man, courtesy of that man's man, the man about town, the man women want to be with, and the man men want to be: Homer Simpson.

read more | digg story

Simpson's The MOVIE!

OMG! I can't wait!

Allison & I have a date tonight & we're going to go & see the Simpson's! I can't wait!

Firstly, we haven't been to a movie in about 10 or so months. I can't even remember what the last movie we saw together was. I can't wait & I hope that we can get some tickets! I think I may have to stop by & pre-purchase some tickets - just to make sure that we can get in!

I just checked online & so far, there seems to be some space available! This movie is going to rock! I hope Allison doesn't mind some absent minded laughter!

On another note, we have our referral to go & visit Toronto Sick Kids. We will be going up on August 22. We haven't decided if we are going to drive or fly up. Flying would be much quicker; however, I think driving would be more fun because we can come & go as we please once we get there! We have lots of family in the area as well that I would love to visit. My aunt Yolande & my cuzin's are in Belleville - a couple of hours away & Colin is in London - which is a couple of hours past. Allison also has family out there that we can always crash at! At least we wouldn't be stuck.

I truly hope that the Dr Clark gives us a good diagnosis! What I mean is that I'm hoping for a no surgery option. I think Olivia will be able to strenghten that arm on her own & that it will continue to heal.

Well, that's all that's new for now!

'til next time!

globeandmail.com - Smoke, fire and Lou Gehrig's disease

This is scary stuff! I guess this really emphasizes the importance of using the proper equipment...

read more | digg story

Edmonton Condo Fire

WOW is all I can say! Unreal!



They said that over 149 Units where lost in a new Condo Complex & 18 other Duplexes where lost! That must have been some hot fire to fight.

Real Men Love the Fifth Element

This is an awesome movie!!!!

read more | digg story

What a day!

Well, yesterday was certainly an interesting day!

Like any other day, it started out ok, until I turned on my phone & noticed that I had a voicemail notification.... I remember that from the day before, I had 9 saved messages that I needed to work on.

Well, as I started checking my message, I quickly learned that I had 5 new messages from between 8am & 9am - when I started my day!

WOW

That's all I could think of. I never remember having that many voicemails in a very long time! I had a hard time keeping up.... Oh well, I finally caught up around 3pm and that's only because I had to go to Bouctouche to meet with 3 different appointments - 5, 6 & 7pm. What fun!

Well, I finally got home last night around 845'ish & put my supper in the oven. Allison tells me that the dryer isn't working.... well, i'm not sure what go into me, but i needed to fix it & not stop until I was done! So I did!

Only ended up eating supper around 1045 or maybe it was closer to 1100.... either way, it was late & sort of a good thing! I'll explain in a sec!

Ok, here's the explanation.

I headed to bed around 1230'ish & was tossing & turning. Apparently, I must have fallen asleep cause all i heard was this vibrating on my night stand next to me!

I open my eyes & look at the pager - it's not doing anything, so it must have been a dream.... until, "Dieppe Fire, That's Dieppe Fire. Could you please respond to a house fire at 103 Merlot St, that's 103 Merlot St...." it's now 1:15 am!

WOOHOO!!!! Time to roll.....

Got up, got dressed, got my eyes in (apparently one of them was in backwards) and headed out to the station.

I was second to arrive & got dressed & ready to roll with E-26. Kevin showed up & I'm glad, cause I really didn't want to drive - I wanted to be in the house!

Once we got on scene, we went to see the Chief for assignement. I did get to go in, and help with the overhaul & search for fire extention.

When everything was said & done, I crawled back into bed at 4:45am.... and I originally wanted to get up for 7am to listen to a conference call.... sleeping was not going to be a big part of my night....

I was also just thinking that this was my second house fire of the year! I've missed a couple - I think but it was exciting!

That's all I've got for now!

'til next time!

Guy Changed Middle Name to "Megatron"

This is commitment to the movement!

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Where did the time go?

WOW! I can't believe that most of the month of June is already gone! It's unreal!

Well, work is getting pretty busy and today was one hell of a phone day! I mean, i had something like 10 or 15 voicemail to get through - as soon as I would check them, I would get another call to work on, then I would have 2 more voicemail to check after... just crazy!

Other then that, not a whole lot more going on. Did some really good training at the Fire Dept lately. We did some pumper training & also did some Auto Extrication. It's been fun!

Charleston had a major lost yesterday! They lost 9 firefighters in a Sofa Store fire. Here is a link to the story.

Olivia is doing very well... She's growing up like you wouldn't believe! She's starting to develop an attitude - where if you take something away that she's playing with, she will let you know that she wasn't done with that yet! It's really funny & awesome to see her grow like that.

So, things may be changing soon with me. I can't go into to many details just yet, but kep your eyes open & you'll see what's happening.

Well, that's about it for now!

stay tuned for some news!

'til next time!

Wheel chair gets stuck in 18 wheeler front grill guy goes for ride! 50mph

WTF! This has got to be the weirdest story ever. The wheel chair of a 21-year-old man became lodged in the grill of a semi truck as the vehicle pulled out of a gas station. The semi then began driving down Red Arrow Highway, with its new and unusual hood ornament still attached. Speeds of 50 mph were reached, picture included.



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School to exhibit custom-built motorcycle

What an awesome cause!



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Great Weekend

The Fire Dept had a weekend training in Wolfville NS. It was very interesting. The whole program was put together from FDIC Atlantic. I ended up being a replacement for someone else and I'm glad that I went.

I took a class on the First 5mins in & Advancing the Initial Attack line. This was put on by a Capitain with the City of Toledo Ohio. It was fun because he was full of energy & involved everyone in the room. What I enjoyed also was the fact that he broke it down to usualable scenarios within our own departments & not in the same makeup as what his department has.

All in all, it was a great weekend.

That's all that I've got for now,

'til next time

Anything new wtih you?

Well, not a whole lot is happening on my side of things, but Olivia is pretty busy. She now has a tooth, she's sitting up, rolling over..... what's next - walking i think! LOL

She's also eating - actually self-feeding. She grabs the spoon & puts it into her mouth & everything! It's really awesome to see! We where a little worried that because of her left arm, she would be a little late in the rolling over & stuff, but she's right on time. Everyone is really pleased with her progress.

It's hard to beleive, and I'm sure that I say this every month, but it's already been 6mths. WOW!!!! I can't beleive how fast it's really going by! We are also waiting to hear from a neurologist from Halifax who is going to evaluate Olivia & suggest if we still have to go to Toronto or not.

We are pretty much hoping that the answer is no, but you never know & we are prepared to do what it takes in order to make sure that she has functionality of her arm.

Talking about functionality, we had some company this weekend. Our friends from St-Leonard where down & we had them over on Friday & Saturday. It was fun. I wasn't able to stick around too much unfortunetly because we had 4 fire calls - 2 grass fires - in a very short period of time.

I'm certainly not complaining. I got to drive our Tanker truck at the 2 grass fires. That truck is old & really needs to be replaced, but it's supposed to be done soon.

Zoe, their daughter is growing up really fast! She now has a baby brother who is 10 days older then Olivia & he's a little monster. He eats like there's no tomorrow.

Well, i think it's time to hit the road... gonna head home & get ready for training tonight!

'til next time!

Bird Shits on Bush During Press Conference

This is just funny! I can't believe how people will try to turn it around & say that it's a sign of good luck. - read the article to find out what i mean!



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1000 Pictures of 1000 Women Wearing $1000 Wedding Dress

Photographer Sonya Naumann's ambitious project that documents her capturing 1000 women wearing her wedding dress.



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Sunday - what a day

Well, Sunday was our daughters baptism. It was a beautiful ceramony. The way that it was done is the church had 3 family having baptisms done. The funny part is that we each knew each other.

The first family was the lady who did our early childhood learning class, the second family was Erin, Allison's sister, and of course we where there.

The great thing was that the minister that baptised Olivia was the same minister that married Allison & I 6yrs ago! That was really nice of her to be able to do that for us.

We then went to Allison's grandmother's house & spent most of the day there. All of the family was invited & we had a brunch. It was really good.

Other then that, not a whole lot going on lately. Work is still pretty busy and I'm trying to make the most of it! It's sometimes frustrating, but I guess that's just the way work is. I mean, the worst thing is that I'm getting frustrated for deals that the clients are screwing up themselves.

Oh, I almost forgot!

We had a house fire on Sunday morning. I wasn't able to attend, as mentioned above, but the guys where on scene from approx 0900 to 1430... It must have been a long day! According to the Times & Transcript, the fire was under control within 20 to 30 minutes. Overhaul is always the longest part of the fire. Making sure that all the hotspots are out.....

I discovered another great site today! It's called flickrvision. It allows you to see what people are uploading to flickr from around the world in real time. It's pretty neat. You get to see the pics & if you want to see them larger, just click & voila!

Well that's pretty much all that i've got for now!

'til next time!

Bloggin

Why is it so hard to think of something to say when you want to say something! Does that even make any sense?

I guess I just wanted to start with a ramble! now that's out of the way, we can carry on....

Olivia is the big 5 today! I can't believe that 5 months has already gone by! You never really realize how fast time does go by until you have a child!

Talking about a child - I ordered some stuff from rbcperformance - a reward program that work has, and it's already in! I'm so excited! It's a fish rocker for Olivia, a walker and a golf bag for me. I think I'm going to take a drive tonight & pick those things up! I can't wait!

Other then that, not a whole lot else is going on. Still pluggin away at work, trying to make a million$$, but I don't think it's going to happen this year. Oh well....

The competition is trying to tempt me to cross over! Talked to an old colleague who works with them & she said that she likes it very much! I'm not sure that I'd want to make the move, just cause, after a 3rd straight year, I'd be starting over again. So I told the area manager for the mtg development officers that I wasn't interested anymore & she didn't take no for an answer... Just like a true banker!

She told me that she was going to send me some information regarding how they work & asked me to compare it to what I'm doing now.... i have yet to receive that email.

Talking about jobs, my sister is going to have an interview with Moncton Regional Vice President on Monday. I'm anxious to see what's going to happen! I can't wait! I hope that she gets it! She needs to have a better income job. She's worked at Coles for the last 10yrs & she's done well, but the income is - as always, retail income. Never enough to really be able to live.

There's also some pretty interesting news with the new Banking Acts. Homeowners no longer need to have a 25% down payment. The Federal Government has decided to reduce that to a 20% down payment before default insurance has to kick in. It might not affect a whole lot of purchase transactions; however, it will have a huge impact on the refinance deals & our new Homeline product.

Talking about new products, RBC has also come out with a way for you to get free banking depending on the number of products that you have. It's a way for us to say Thank You.

Well, I guess that's all I have for now! I must be going!

'til next time!

Bush: “I’m the Commander Guy”

Our friends in the south have it tough!!! All hail to the Commander Guy!



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Cho Seung-Hui Sent Package to NBC Between Shootings!

Sometime after he killed two people in a dormitory but before he slaughtered 30 more in a classroom building Monday morning, Cho Seung-Hui sent NBC News a rambling communication and videos about his grievances, the network said Wednesday



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32 Nerdiest Tattoos on the Planet

You thought playing games & watching movies 24/7 was enough to make you a nerd? Well these people have taken it to the next level with some of the weirdest & geekiest tattoos known to man. Ranging from Halo to Soul Calibur through to Star Wars....



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VT Shooters Father Commits Suicide

This story keeps getting worse & worse!



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Blood-puddle Pillow [Pics]

This is hilarious! Check it out!



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Rural Arkansas school turns school buses into classrooms

This seems to be a very interesting way to promote education & learning on the fly! Let me know what you think.



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HUMOUR : Six Funny Life Lessons

Number 7 is especially funny!



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Virgina Tech College Shootings

This is truly unreal. Here is a link to some photos taken on scene. The first thing that came to mind when I heard about this shooting, was our own shootings in recent times at Dawson College and the horrible incident they recently suffered.

What's even worst is people trying to capitalize on such events. I'm sure that if we where to do a little digging on the net, we'd be able to find all kinds of horrible things.

Our thoughts & prayers are with all families that are affected!

The power of the internet certainly makes things global seem local.

Geek Culture [PICS]

Want to see some hardcore PC setups? Check it out!



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Too lazy to look at the stars?

I know there are people like me who are too lazy to look out at the night sky. So just sit down and click around.



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Picture : Someone who is gonna HATE going to work tommorrow

the guy that has to deal with this problem is going to wish he took a sick day.



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Decisions to be made!

WoW!

What a week that I've got planned - or should I say had planned out! I can't believe that the week is already over!

I've made a big decision - all of my clients this week and part of next week are during the evenings. Well, the way that it's going now, I never get to see Olivia & Allison although we usually don't get to bed until 1 or 2am anyways! So, what I'm planning on doing is simply modify my work schedule to allow me to spend more time with Allison & Olivia during her "waking" hours.

So, if I don't have any clients during the day, I'll try not to book any appointments, unless the clients ask for one, and spend that time with them. I know that this will just continue to strenghten our family bond!

Talking about bonding, we purchase a Sony Handycam this week. I think this was a great investment. Allison & I were talking and she wanted me to convince her why we should get one. I told her that some of the most important times in our lives are coming up pretty quickly - for example, when Olivia starts to walk, talk, crawl, sit up - anything like that! I want to be able to have a video record of it instead of a low light caption on our digital camera.

Work is treating me well so far! I've been busy, maybe not at busy as some of the other reps; however, I'm still holding my own... I've got 30% of my target done with 1.5 quarters done of the year. So it's not too bad! I hope that it continues this way & that it gets busier. I'd love to have big paychecks!

I hear that the weather is supposed to change for the worse tomorrow! I really hope that we don't get hit with another 20cm's of snow! I really can't handle that! Considering it's only going to be the second major snow storm of the "winter season", it's not too bad.

So, I've had my "donation" button live for a while, but I have yet to receive any donations.Mind you, I'm not getting as much traffic as I'd hope, but none the less... i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I am continuing to try to find different places where I can be introduced to the people of the web - I've added my blog to a few different listings - as shown on the right...

Well, that's all I've got for now!

'til next time!

TireCraft Fire

The City of Moncton lost another business last week. TireCraft or Presidents Tire was completely engulfed in flames & was a complete lost. Here are some pictues of the huge fire balls of flames.

What's going on?

I am now officially starting to ask myself why we are fighting this war! We have lost 2 more soldiers in Afghanistan.

I have always been proud of our Canadian Military; however, I was proud that we where peacekeepers & not peace makers. I think it's time we start revisiting why we are there & consider pulling out!

Defendant prevails in another RIAA file-sharing case

Another file-sharing case is dismissed, and the RIAA is on the wrong end. Next up is a motion for attorneys' fees in Elektra v. Santangelo. Glad to see the RIAA loosing some of it's cases!



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If Homer Simpson was Real

We're used to Homer in 2 dimensions, we've even seen him as a 3D character in the series. But what would he look like if he was a real person? This step by step study answers this question.



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Phony Craistlist ad invited people to burglarize house

This poor lady had her house emptied by Craigslist.... Just goes to show the power of the internet!



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Help me get a MAC

Well, I've pretty much always been a Windows kinda guy & lately, I've been listening a lot to Leo Laporte and what he has to say on anything & everything tech wise.... Well, it's got me curious in regards to what a MAC has to offer.

What I would love to have is a MacBook Pro. I've started to like technologie more & more as I'm working this Mortgage Rep job because it gives me time to listen to the podcast while I'm driving & gives me ideas of things that I'd love to do! (if you make a donation, you will see that you are directed to my paypal site with my business name - 5alarmgifts.com - don't be alarmed - that's really me!)

I have so many ideas as to how I can grow this business that it's unreal. The problem is that the bank isn't always ready to embark on such adventures. I know that the competition is doing it because I've listened to their podcasts.

When I think about it, I understand why they want to control everything, but I think if they allowed some user generated content onto some of there sites like mine for example, I strongly believe that I could generate more leads & in turn generate a higher income for RBC. I know that myself, I can't make a million dollars for RBC in net income; however, if we all did the little things, I'm sure that it will add up.

Allison & I have been talking lately about a possible career change. I've love to do something technological, but I'm not sure that will happen in Moncton. Plus the fact that I don't have any Tech Certificates doesn't help!

I'm keeping my options open & I'm not actively looking for employement, but if someone was to make an offer that was very interesting, I'm sure that I would consider it!

Well, that's all that I've got new for now!

'til next time!

Free running gymnasts push the envelope

Looks like some people from Moncton are going to be very "internet" popular!!! This is cool!



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Great News

We have movement!

Olivia started to raise & lower her arm a couple of weeks ago & she finally started to bend her elbow last Thursday!

This is very very exciting! We are very happy with what we are seeing & hope that she continues to progress like she is. It's weird seeing 2 arms moving around, but we are extreemly extreemly happy!!!!

More to come later!

'til next time

You'll Never Guess What's In McDonald's Chicken McNuggets!

Think you know what's in a McDonald's Chicken McNugget? Oh sure, there is a little bit of chicken (though it's mostly corn). But the real shocker is what else is in a McNugget. You'll never guess in a million years ....



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Stuck on You

I have to say that I think I invested into a great item!!!!

RBC Promos had a sale on recently & I thought that I'd invest into some magnets - fridge magnets to be exact! They where regularly priced at $0.40 each & the sale was for 50% off. So, I thought why not! Lets order 1000 pieces since it's not going to be expensive!!! I've handed a few out to clients already as I have just received them & also sent some to the old staff that I used to work with!

People love them! I've had smiles, I've had compliments - it's great! I really think that this was a great idea. I just hope that it now starts to pay out!

Kent Homes is doing an open house next weekend in Bouctouche! I'm very anxious to see how much business I'm going to get out of this! I hope that it's going to be a great day! They are going to set me up with an office & internet connection, so I'll be able to provide people with instant pre-approvals & so on. This is going to be great!

I think that the snow if finally all gone! I hope that it really doesn't come back!!!

Other then that, there's not a whole lot else going on. I've finally decided to remove my Microsoft Office stuff! I've gone open source! I'm using Open Office right now & I'm liking it. The files can be saved either as a .xls, .doc or whatever type of file you need. It's great & it's FREE!!

I kinda wished work was like this as well, but it may come with time! I'm also starting to debat what I want to do with 5 Alarm Gifts.... I'm not working at it as hard as I could be/should be - so I'm thinking I may take Allison's advice & close up shop. I mean, it's treated me well, but I'm also self-employed as a Mortgage Specialist, so it's no longer a tax issue. I think I want to take this business (Mortgage Rep) as far as I can go. I mean, I'm always in contact with a marketing manager in TO helping me put things together for either advertising or other little things.

Man oh Mighty! I'm sleepy!!!!

Talking about sleepy! Olivia is now sleeping 10 to 12 hrs! it's truly awesome!

Well, i think that's all I got for now!

'til next time!

HAZ-MAT

Tonight is going to be a busy night! I have to write my exam to obtain my "Introduction to Haz-Mat" and afterwards, I have to meet a client.

I don't mind though! I kinda enjoy the rushing around. Keeps me busy! Other then that, there's not a whole lot going on.

As you can see, I've added Twitter - so all my fans - which I know that I have at least one or two, can stay on top of what I'm doing..... LOL

Olivia is still improving. I think we are going to start seeing some elbow bending soon! She is starting to move her arm around more & more every day!!! I'm so happy that it's slowly coming around!

Last night, I was playing around with the idea of trying to manager my own RBC Mortgage Specialist website & I may have convinced some key people to let me do it! So as a temporary site, this is what I have created - Joel Gallant. This page isn't a final copy or anything, but it's just to show what can be done in a couple of hours!

As you can see, I am thinking about doing some podcasting. Obviously it would be Home Ownership related - Either as a buyer or as a seller....

I'm already planning on different topics & hoping to do at least 10 episodes... Something monthly I think. So, we'll see what happens with the whole website thingy first!

Well, client is almost here, so that's all that I've got for now!

'til next time!

Nothing - just Nothing

I've been wanting to blog a little more often recently & today, I can't seem to come up with anything interesting to say!

I know of one thing that could make a lot of people happy! RBC has put a $250 000 prize giveaway together for the Spring Mortgage Campaign. If you want a chance to win, just go to the following site - Gold Key Giveaway and fill out a short survey. You will then be asked to click here to obtain a number or to enter your number from our scratch cards.

Other then that, there's not a whole lot going on. Business is going pretty good. It's really busy in Richibucto lately! I can't beleive it! I almost feel bad for my Bouctouche markets because I haven't been there in almost 2 full weeks.

The Moncton Home Show is also coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm debating if I want to go & spend some time there or not. They Moncton Team is having a meeting next Wednesday & I may go & drop by to see what it's all about. I have made a great partnership with Kent Homes & I'm hoping that it's really going to pay off.

I'm not sure if I had mentioned it or not, but I was contemplating a career change not too long ago. I was thinking of going into Real Estate as a Realtor... Potential money is a million times better then what I'm making now, but also harder to sell a house compared to a client walking into the branch & wanting to meet with me to Refinance their home or whatever.

So, who knows.

I'm also debating if I want to try to create some kind of podcast that would talk about Real Estate & what is involved with Buying & Refinancing. It could be very interesting & could potentially help increase my income.... So, it's always a thought!

Well, I think I'm going to go & visit the Bouctouche Branch!

'til next time!

Light at the end of the Tunnel

Hard to beleive that 3mths has already gone by! WoW!!

The great news is that Olivia has started to move her arm at the shoulder level. She most of it happens during stretching; however, we are still very happy & excited to see this.

We are going to see the Physio on Friday to get some more assessment done. We are still hoping that we won't need to go to TO.... but we'll see!

That's all i've got for now!

'til next time!!

And you think that you argue with your spouse

I found an interesting website online today....


http://www.thingsmygirlfriendandihavearguedabout.com/

It's long & worth the read!

All Wet!!!

Urgh!

That's all I can say! Last night was out monthly association meeting and was my official 6mth probation since my return to the Fire Department. The meeting had gone well up to the end where someone made the comment that "someone's initiation" was due.

Well, I can't say that they didn't warn me. I ended up hoisted in our hose dryer & soaking wet! They had hosed me down - I guess the 2nd time around really is worst then the first!

There were pictures taken, so I'll post when I can get my fingers on them.

'til next time!!

No Go

Well, I finally got some answers regarding Toronto.

We've talked to our Pediatrician, Physio and a couple more people, including the Physiotherapist at the Clinic & they basically all said the same thing - there's nothing that can be done until Olivia is at least 6mths or older.

So, basically, we are going to let nature take it's course & see what happens with her arm from there.

On a sadder note, we found out yesterday that my grand mother's cancer has spread pretty much everywhere in her body. So, the docs are only giving her 5 weeks to live.

Not sure what to think or anything like that, but I guess it's just like anything else, we live our lives to the fullest & when it's time to go, it's time.

I think what's been the hardest is the fact that she's been sick for the last number of years with Cancer. She now has bone cancer & this will be it. My aunt is down from Belleville Ontario to spend time with her & mom has also taken time off work to be with her.

On another topic, did you hear that Anna Nicole Smith has passed away. She was found unresponsive in her hotel room.... Wonder if it was caused by the stress of her son's death. She's also leaving her new born daughter behind.... that's sad!

Now, talking about sad, last sunday Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service lost 2 Captains in a tragic house fire. They have set up an online book of condolences. If you have a chance, please make sure that you sign the book.

Well that's pretty much it for now!

'til next time!

Febuary, Seriously!

Holy crap it's cold outside!

I guess that's what you get for Winter.... LOL, especially in the Atlantic.... But you know what, we can't really use that as an excuse anymore. We've had really weird weather, but so has everyone else!

Enough about the weather! I talk enough about it at work - you know the small talk during the introductions while your waiting for the file to come up! Urgh! I hate awkward moments!!!

So, we got a call from the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital. The lady who set up the appointment didn't really seem to know what was going on. It almost sounds like we have to go up for a 1hr appointment; however, we aren't prepared to spend airline tickets, taxi fees and anything else that comes with a trip to Toronto for a 1hr appointment.

We asked our Physiotherapist here at the Moncton Hospital to get more information for us. So we are basically waiting to hear from her.

It's not that I don't want to go up, it's just that I want to minimize the travelling as much as I can. We have to ensure that we can afford it all and not end up on the sidewalk.

Olivia went for her 2mth needles yesterday. It went pretty well. She cried, but in Allison's arms, she calmed down pretty quickly. The only thing is that she didn't sleep at all last night. Allison said that she was up until 4am. I only climbed into bed at 3am....

We also forgot to take Olivia's 2mth pictures on Sunday. It was crazy!!!! We sort of have an excuse though - Allison's computer's hard drive crashed & we've spent the last couple of days recovering everything. What a mess.

Well, I guess I should get back to work! I've got to travel to Bouctouche & meet with a couple of clients there....

'til next time!

The wait it OVER!!!

Not me, not this time! AGAIN!

Well, I didn't get a phone call yesterday noon! I was a little pissed yesterday & needless to say, I didn't get any work done at all.

The job went to 2 relatively new guys - Jeff Pike & Marty McDonald. They both recently graduated from FF school and I'm *sort of* happy for them.

As you can imagine, I wish it was me there instead of them, but the Chief did say that there was going to be 3 more jobs posted between now & 2008. So, it's just a matter of days/weeks/months before I get a job...

What else is new....

Not a whole lot! Olivia is doing well. We visited our pediatrician and she is sending her for some test. She detected a small heart murmur and also a floppy trachea. So Olivia got xrays & will also get an ECG done shortly. The Dr said that there's nothing to worry about, so I'm not worrying too much, but it's always on my mind!

Her arm isn't getting any better! So, the Physio Dr started the referral process to send us to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Kids. We are truly hoping that it doesn't come to that; however, we are prepared to do what it takes in order to give Olivia the best life possible.

Not a whole lot else happening right now! Work has slowed down... So, there's probably going to be a month or so that's going to be a little tight - just going to have to tighten the belt a little! LOL

Well, that's about it for now!

'til the next time!

All over again! The waiting game continues!

What a week!

This is one of my busiest weeks at work in a very very long time. I'm happy because usually in the winter months there's not a whole lot of mtg activity that goes around. If it continues like this, I'm not going to have any reason to complain!

So, I had my interview this week with the FD. I was very pleased with it. I think it went a million times better then my last one went. Also, my Fit Test went really well as well. I couldn't believe how much better that I felt afterwards. I was exhausted like I was last time & so on.

I really hope that I'm able to get this job. I love firefighting and can't wait to do it on a regular basis.

'til next time!

Lets see if i can blog from my phone...

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31 days and counting

I can't believe it!

I'm back to work & that means that Olivia is 1 month old! This is truly amazing. She is growing by the second & I am totally in love with her! Baby's are so amazing. They eat, sleep, pee & poo. It must be nice!

I didn't feel too sleep deprived while I was home on "vacation" because we where sleeping when she was. Yesterday was my first day back to work & I only worked half a day. Today, I'm out all day & won't be home until later - this should be interesting!

On another note, I didnt' get the first casual job posting at the FD. I wasn't too upset about as I know that there are 2 more postings in January (actually as we speak). I asked the Chief where I needed to improve & he stated that my knowledge was a little weak and my physical was hurting too! Needless to say, I didn't have time to get into shape, but I'm going to try my hardest to improve my time. I was pretty upset at myself that I didn't know more about the trucks & equipment, but I guess being away for a couple of years didn't help. I guess I don't like going to the Fire Hall and hang out with the guys just because. I feel like I'm intruding & don't want to do that.

So, I'm doing my knowledge test tomorrow & physical on Tuesday. We'll see how things go!

Other then that, life is pretty good. Really can't complain!

'til the next time!