Relax. And Breathe.

    Today is my last day at the job I have held for nearly 7 years. I am down to about 3 hours. In truth, it has not really registered that this will be be the last time I shut down this computer and walk out that door. No more torturous freeway commutes. I will no longer be the only voice of optimism in the office. I will no longer feel my soul being drained by the pervasive gloom that hangs about with the heavy pressure of a pending thunderstorm. I am stepping into a new job, with a whole new cadre of coworkers, into a business that reeks of optimism, potential, and dreams. I tell myself to slow down, do not let the imagination run rampant with the possibilities I am facing, but that is not my nature. Instead I am seeing glorious possibilities, with the job itself, as well as the culture surrounding this new world. Not only will my pay be better, allowing me to catch up, pay off, and relax a bit, but the non-monetary potential is vast. I am already pondering how the connections I will be making will influence my future. The potential is mind boggling. For today, I just need to remember to relax, breathe, get through the next 3 hours. I do not think the reality will sink in until I walk through the door of my new employer on Monday morning. Then, then I will feel the reality of a dream realized. A hard fought, deserved dream coming to fruition. For now, relax, and breathe.

New Job. New Adventures.

    The last 72 hours have been an absolutely phenomenal adventure! I knew that my finals and graduation from the Academy were slated for this weekend. Hell, that has been a carrot on a stick for the last few months, though I admit, I will miss the Academy. What was not expected, or on the agenda was an unexpected job interview. Finally, my months of intensely blanketing the job market paid off. Not only did my efforts finally bear fruit, but it was the most succulent fruit I had hoped, wished, and dreamed of. Not only did I interview splendidly, with a guy that I think will be an excellent boss, but at the end of our meeting he said, "Okay, let's do this." Me, "You mean I got the job?" YES! YesYesYes!!! I got the job. A job that I know I can excel at, that will use my odd, vast array of skills, let me stretch my wings, and learn new, cool shit. What is this sugared plum of a job? Selling Harley-Davidson parts and accessories at the big H-D dealership. A great job, with good pay, full benefits, excellent hours, and Harleys!!! Could it get any better? I don't think so. I really don't. I will be working directly with one of my passions, surrounded by gleaming chrome and luscious paint, the aroma of leather and carnuba wax, and in a culture that I fit into and feel comfortable with.
    I feel like all the pieces of the puzzle have finally, suddenly, snapped into place. Yes, I know there is no guarantee of  Happily Ever After, but I think I have arrived in a place and space where anything seems possible. It has been a battle and a struggle, every step of the way, I won't deny it. It has been a hard fought battle these last 2 years, as I fought, wept, and bled. The one thing I did not do is surrender. Yes, I felt despair, dejection, rejection. I was kicked in the teeth, knocked flat, run over, beat to shit, battered, bruised, and left in the ditch to die. Every time, I picked myself up, wiped away the blood and grime, and continued to put one foot in front of the other. The last 6 months my journey has picked up the pace, I have gone from crawling, to staggering, to bulling ahead, to the final sprint for the finish. So far, 2013 has passed in a frenetic blur. A glorious, difficult, exhilarating, wondrous, adventurous, frenetic blur. I will not rest on my laurels, there is still much to do. Much to learn. Many adventures waiting for me to pull the trigger. Adventures. Grand, Glorious Adventures.

Graduation

The Epicness of life continues. I am now an official, pager carrying, uniform wearing, fumbling probie Firefighter I. Yesterday's graduation was an exhilarating fusion of excitement, relief, enthusiasm, camaraderie, triumph and pride for each and every one of the small graduating class of 2013. I am still processing exactly what this means. For starters, I have my weekends back... at least until the First Responders course I will be taking in June... and the Water Rescue course with dates TBA. There is a lifetime of continuing education opening up before me, mostly free to me, one of the benefits of being a volunteer member of our Fire District: Hazmat training, Search and Rescue, rappelling, EMT classes, learning to drive the station's various emergency vehicles, Incident Command training. The list is endless, and there are going to be classes available that I haven't even thought of yet.

But for now, I will bask in the triumph of an intense 4 months of cramming my brain full of information, and training my body to respond without hesitation. Now the learning really begins.

Advanced Ladders

    Interesting point of Grand Adventures, they do seem to leave less time for passive past-times such as writing, and writing about Grand Adventures. I have been going at a breakneck pace since the first of the year, but as the initial Academy phase of my epic Firefighter Adventure comes to a conclusion in just a few days, I may have just a wee bit more downtime. Maybe. A wee bit.
    Firefighter Academy has had more epic adventures than I can even list. So I will stick with a few recent, extreme highlights. One class I had been awaiting with eager anticipation since my earliest introduction to the Engines, was Advanced Ladders. I know, I know, it does not sound all that amazing. That is, until you realize that part of the class involved the fabulous Ladder Engine. The Engine with an 85' aerial ladder. My heart races a bit just thinking of her. The day of Advanced Ladders dawned sunny and mild, as early Spring in our neck of the woods can be. It truly was a gorgeous day. By 8:30am we were in our PPEs, on the drill grounds, hoisting the 40' extension ladder. Yeah, not so much fun, except that there was a definite sense of victory to hoist that cumbersome mother into the air, extend it to its full height, and to be the first to scramble up and slap the side of the drill tower, 40' in the air. That was kinda cool. We spent the morning hoisting hand ladders, all the while knowing that we had the 85' aerial awaiting us. It was definitely the carrot on the stick. The sooner we showed proficiency with with the bigger extension ladders, we would get our chance to climb to glorious heights.
    Of course, when it came time to climb, the instructor did not even manage to get the words out of his mouth, "Okay, who wants to be first...."  "ME! ME! ME!" My hand was in the air, I was literally jumping up and down, and ready to make a mad dash to the engine. I got to go first. It was every bit as fabulous as I imagined. I was quivering with excitement, like a racehorse at the gate. I had to force myself to climb with an iota of decorum. Once up in the basket, the view was fantastic. I got a brief tutorial on the controls up in the basket, and then I got to feel the grace in which the ladder moves, side to side, up and down, seamless and smooth. I understand the fanaticism of Truckees, the crew assigned to the Ladder Truck, she is an amazing creation. Maybe, someday, if the fire gods smile down on me. I may get to crew such an engine. Or not. I find that each engine, no matter how small or large, is a wonder in its own right. Each engine has a personality, a purpose, and siren's song, literally. I LOVE FIRETRUCKS!