Like I mentioned before, these past few weeks have been pretty busy and eventful. To start of I got promoted to the rank of Firefighter II. I still ride the back of the truck and do most of the hands on work but now with more responsibility. On our dept. a firefighter II is kind of a jack of all trades. He pretty much jumps from one position to the other depending where he is needed. He may be assigned to drive, or even ride the seat which is a fancy way of saying "playing" captain of that company for the day. And because he goes where he is needed I got some unfortunate news. I would be transferred from my station to one across town where they needed firefighter II's. When I say across town I mean it. I'm going from a station less than 5 miles from my house to one almost 35. Depending on traffic it could be anywhere from a 30 to 45 minute commute. Needless to say I wasn't excited, especially with a pregnant wife at home alone. Just the proximity brought peace of mind that if anything were to happen I would be a few minutes away. But no assignment is permanent and eventually I can make my way back to "my" station or one closer to home. And at the end of the day, I still got the best job in the world wether I'm at a station by the house or be across town.
We also had out first appointment with the midwife. Her name is Pamala and she's super nice. She definetley created a relaxed and chill atmosphere. The day after, we had a songram done and got a 3D picture of Micah. Alot of people told me that he looks like me. He pouted the whole time ....just like his dad. I've also fixed my car dilemma. The day after we got the 3D picture, I took a ride to a Toyota dealership in Concord to test drive a 4runner. I've always trusted Toyota's and love how they hold their value longer than other vehicles. Negotiations went smooth, and I got what I wanted from my truck as a trade-in and we made it happen. Hell, even Micah helped. I was talking to the salesman and asked him to go back and tell his manager what my requirements were and he said "I don't think he'll do that!" so I took out my phone to Micah's Ultrasound picture and said "Don't do it for me, Do it for the baby!" One thing I noticed is that the salesmen still use the "leave you at the desk while they go negotiate with their managers for extended periods of time" tactic. Sorry to break it to you guys, but in the world of smartphones with internet and apps it doesnt work anymore! I dont know if they were trying to test my patience but I was relaxed. Everytime they left to play their game, I played one on my phone, or watched a video on youtube. I ended up leaving that night with a 4runner. So I can check that one off the list.
At the firehouse there's a tradition that if you get promoted you have to buy steaks for the whole crew. It's a nice way to show your appreciation to the guys that helped you move up and shed some knowledge on you, it also sets you back a pretty penny. Kind of like saying "Hey, congrats on your promotion and the raise ! Now give us that first pay check so we can eat some steaks." We all have to do it, It's tradition. But at our station it's more of a contest to see who can buy the biggest steaks. I did good this year. We had so much meat, PETA and the vegans rallied up a protest outside the station! I knew I wanted to get huge steaks but was not counting on the size of the cut that I bought. When I went to Harris Teeter, I asked if I could get some Ribeyes cut but the lady said the butcher was gone for the day and all that was available was whatever was in the pre-packaged meat section or behind the display counters. I didn't even bother with the Pre-packaged section because I had a statement to make. So I asked how much one from behind the glass would cost me. She said "Oh you don't want those. That's the kind of steak that men buy when they want to show off to their buddies at a cook-out!". I looked her straight in the eye and said "I'll take 5." No kidding, each one was at least an inch and a half thick. I pretty much bought everyone their own cow Jk. Throw in some sauteed parmesan green beans, a sweet potato, and Oh were they delicious. I guess you could say it was my last attempt to get the Battalion Chief to pull some strings and tell me I could stay at my station. Tough nuggies, I'm still leaving. Once he thanked me and told me that it was one of the best steaks he'd had in his life, I told him there was another one in it for him if he got me back in the future!
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| Ain't that the truth! |
Changing the subject and tone, I'm sure many of you have heard of the 19 firefighters that lost their lives in Arizona a few days ago. What a tragedy! Next to 9/11 that's the second highest firefighter LODD (line of duty death) in US history. I believe I read somewhere that their average age was 28. Most of them were husbands and fathers. One of them left behind a pregnant wife. She was 7 months pregnant with their first child. That one hit me pretty hard. It's always sad to hear and my condolences go out to all the families of the 19 firefighters and to those affected.
