Patrick's Weekender

(Link at left)
Saturday Six--Episode 165

1. What do you consider more important to your long-term happiness: your relationships, your location, your career or your dreams?

Family. OK, I know that wasn't an option, so it sort of fits into relationships, and my friends are important, but really, if I mess up the family, I'm screwed for real, aren't I?

2. Other than a significant other, how many people do you feel you can truly turn to for advice?

I can turn to lots of people. I am likely to turn to only about five or six others, and outside of family, probably only a couple. And I suspect that they know who they are. Oh, and our pastor.

3. Of the people you think know you best, how surprised would you think they would be if they knew "everything" there is to know about you?

I doubt it would be anyone I 'know' online!! Ya'll know everything! ;-) My family--sisters, et al.--knows very little about my regular activities, and that is very intentional. My mom would be VERY surprised.

4. Take the quiz: Are you living the wrong life?

According to my result, I'm 32% off-track. I tend to agree.

5. What is the longest you’ve stayed in a job you weren’t happy in?

I liked my first full-time job for about six months. Then the bloom was WAAAAYYYYYYY off the rose and I loathed my boss, the organization, and several co-workers for the next five-and-a-half years. One of the things I promised myself at that point is that I would never, ever put myself through anything like that again. I'd rather deliver newspapers (done it).

6. What single factor made you stay the most?

After awhile, when I realized that it was not I who was clinically mental, but the boss, I determined to outstay her. I did indeed outlast (and outplay) her, but at the cost of many sleepless nights, a great deal of compromise, and thirty-plus pounds that I have yet to remove from my ass. Oh, the other reason was at the bottom of it all, I really did like my job: being a reference librarian.

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Saturday Six--Episode 166

1. Have you ever talked to your doctor about stress levels in your life?

I have skirted the issue on a couple of occasions, but I have actually skipped passed the 'regular' doctor twice and hit the therapist's office. Once for job-related stress (see above), and once for life-related stress (moving to a new community, quitting my job, having to deal with a seriously reduced standard of living, and having two family members die, all within 8 months).

2. How likely are you to "let go" of something that stresses you out?

Uhm, all together now, you people who know me....

Yeah. Not.

3. Does your family or your work cause the most stress in your life? Do you think your family members or co-workers realize how much stress they generate?

I'd say right now, today, it's my family that's running things, not Sparky & Beast so much as the extended family: wedding, serious illness surrounding me, and a lot of sad stuff in general.

4. Take the quiz: Will You Live to 100?

My result is here: there's a 57% chance that I'll live that long.

5. When you think that you are at the breaking point, are you more likely to have an angry blow-up, a self-contained meltdown, or something in between? When was the last time you had such a moment?

I cry. A lot. And then I cry some more. And cry and cry and cry. Generally, it's self-contained, but I do flare (and flail) out at other people on occasion. Poor Beast, and Sparky: they bear the brunt of that. But I've flipped at work, too. And church.

The last time I really lost it? It's been awhile, actually. Just little lightning bolts. I did snarl at one of the other youth leaders at our mission site last week because she was completely negligent, clueless, and rude. IMHO.

6. When you’re stressed out, what is the first clue someone who knows you well is likely to pick up on?

Tone of voice, teary eyes....generally snarky attitude. I do NOT (cannot) hide it well.

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Saturday Six--Episode 167

1. How far from your home is your nearest fire station?

We are probably less than a quarter of a mile in linear distance from the station on our side of the lake. It is staffed every other day. The alternate day it's probably 3 miles away across the lake. Weird. Can you tell we live in rural-ish America??

2. Have you ever made a call to your local 911 service? If so, how long did it take for emergency personnel -- whatever type you needed -- to arrive?

As a matter of fact, we have. I called 911 for the first time EVER just about two years ago when Beast's back went out completely. The guys got here in probably five or six minutes, but I could hear them leave the firehouse, drive a quarter mile away, from us, then drive parallel to us, then come back toward us. There is no direct route to go the 3 blocks from the station to our house. {eyeroll}

3. If you had to choose one of the following, which emergency employee would you want to be: police officer, dispatcher, paramedic, firefighter; and why would you choose that one?

Paramedic. I don't deal well with panicking people on the phone, I definitely don't want to be a cop (no interest in carrying a gun for one thing), and firefighting is freakin' dangerous! I actually have considered volunteering for paramedic around here on occasion.

4. Take the quiz: What firefighter tool are you?

What Firefighter tool are you
New York Roof Hook you like overhall, checking for extensions, taking out ceilings and walls.
Take The Quiz Now!	Quizzes by myYearbook.com

It must be a firefighting thing with spelling. My brother can't spell basic words either. Should it be "overhaul" not "overhall"?

My but I'm picky tonight! And that is a sort of cool-looking tool, actually....

5. When you were little, did you ever dream of being a first responder?

Nope. I dreamed of being safe. My brother did though, and he did end up a cop (briefly), then an EMT/paramedic, and for the majority of his career, a firefighter. He now sells firetrucks. He's just a big ol' kid. ;-) Me, I have always liked life to be safe, controlled, and emergency-free.

6. What is your favorite first-responder-related movie or television show; and how realistically do you think it depicts what they really go through?

I would love to watch "Rescue Me" but I'm afraid I would find it a little too intense and too personal. I did like "Backdraft" which I watched with my brother who pointed out all the inconsistencies (relatively few) and stuff Ron Howard et al. got right (most everything). I loved "Emergency!" as a kid, too: in fact, I'm pretty sure that show was formative for my brother. I don't think it was at all accurate about the details, but also it was probably as close as it could be at the time.