15. August 2010 by [JP].

The Invisible Killer

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted
thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental
inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there.
Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage.
Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and
possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance.
For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:

is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
contributes to the “greenhouse effect.”
may cause severe burns.
contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream,
lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global,
and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has
caused millions of dollars of property damage in the US.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

as an industrial solvent and coolant.
in nuclear power plants.
in the production of styrofoam.
as a fire retardant.
in many forms of cruel animal research.
in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains
contaminated by this chemical.
as an additive in certain “junk-foods” and other food products.

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done
to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is
extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution,
or use of this damaging chemical due to its “importance to the economic
health of this nation.” In fact, the navy and other military
organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing
multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations.
Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a
highly sophisticated underground distribution network.
Many store large quantities for later use.

Visit www.dhmo.org for more information.

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15. August 2010 by [JP].

The rules I live my life by:
1. Always do the right thing.
2. Always wash your hands.
3. Dont forget to ride off into the sunset.
4. Dont get involved with elected official’s daughters.
5. Always tip your server.
6. Dont piss off your nurse.
7. Never look the other way.
8. Hold people wearing a badge to a higher standard.
9. The media probably got it wrong.
10. Everyone deserves at least one person to defend them, even if they’re incorrect.
11. All women are crazy, so when you find one whos necroses you like, hold on to her.
12. Never forget your mama’s birthday.
13. Speak for those who cant speak for themselves.
14. When it doubt, kick it to 4 low.
15. Always carry a pair of gloves.
16. Dont forget your charger.
17. Dont hit people unless they deserve it.
18. No matter how bad your life is going, someone will always be worse off.
19. Always have one sanctuary.
20. Always keep your boots within reach.
21. Family comes first. Even if they arent related.
22. If you die saving someone today, you cant save someone tomorrow.
23. Dont forget to eat.
24. Share what you have.
25. Dont taste unknown powders.
26. Keep your finger off the trigger.
27. Words before getting physical.
28. Sometimes physical is the only option.
29. Sometimes the right, just choice isnt the best choice, but do it anyway.
30. Do what you need to do to come home at the end.
31. Know when to let go.
32. When you love someone, love them for who they are, not who you want them to be.

Been writing and adding to these since I graduated high school.
It occurs to me that they’ve never been posted outside of my personal journal.
Maybe this can help others.

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25. July 2010 by [JP].

Pocket size, specifically.

As i’ve probably mentioned more then once before, I love the line of clothes from Scottevest/SEV.

I’ve got several of their light jackets… fleece pullover and hoodie, and their cotton hoodie, as well as several versions of their shirts, both cotton and performance fabric. I use their black performance polo when i’m working in hot climates, and it ROX in the sun.

Recently, Scott Jordan, the guy behind the line, got a Droid X, and realized that its too big to fit in the chest pocket of his Q-zip line.  He asked on twitter if size matters, and should they increase the size of the pocket.

Heres my take on it.

First off, I dont carry my BIG phones in the chest pocket, and I have big phones. My primary phone at the moment is a CLIQ (Yes, running 2.1, be jealous), my backup is a CLIQ XT, and my work issue is an i1. The i1 especially, despite being thin, is a heavy sucker. It makes the shirt look funny if I keep it in that pocket, so when i’m working in my polo (which only has that one single pocket) if theres anything in there, its usually something small.

However, I think phones larger then 4 inches are going to start appearing more and more. The droid X, the evo, the HD2 are all large phones… hell, the dell streak is 5 inches, and being marketed as a phone, rather then a tablet.

Also, there are small tablets in the 4-5 inch range that are becoming more commonplace.

So, with that in mind, I’d say that yes, SEV should consider increasing the size of at least one pocket on their shirts. Doesnt exactly have to be the chest one, as most of their shirts (except the polo) have 3. One on the chest, and two adjoning ones on the side along the bottom seam.

PS. Scott. Take a look at the 5.11 tactical polos. Two features they include that i would love on your polos are the mic loop below the buttons, and the dual pen pocket on the sleeve.

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24. May 2010 by [JP].

I spent most of the day on saturday sore, tossing and turning on the stupid couch, not sleeping well at all, and just generally feeling cranky and crappy.
At some point in the morning, i had finished the powerade i had, so it was sitting there empty on the table.
I vaguely remember Zach coming into the room.
Apparently, he picked up the empty bottle, threw it away, and then brought me a new cold one from the fridge for me when I woke up.
How awesome is that?

Later on, i was feeling a little better, and wanted to go somewhere, and he wanted to go to the airport, so we went. Since it was saturday, there werent many planes to watch, so we drove around it a bit, and got out of the car and got close to some of the gates, then parked in short term parking, and went inside to see the models.

His favorite plane, however, wasnt outside. Its the only Super Guppy still in service, owned by NASA. Its based out of the Johnson space center in TX, but frequently parked in El Paso.

Its HUGE. And shiny.

Weirdest airplane i’ve ever seen, its amazing that something that big can actually fly.

Its awesome taking him to the airport. We can literally sit there for a couple of hours, as he watches the planes taxi, take off, and land. We found the perfect spot to sit, where we can see the main taxiway, and part of the biggest runway. Also, he can see the smaller planes as they refuel and park at the private aviation yard. I need to video tape him when he jumps up and down when he sees his two favorite airliners (Southwest and american) pass by.

I love how he notices the most random things.
And how he likes the coolest stuff.
Like tonight, I needed powerade, and he wanted to sit in the car while i moved the cars around so that the jeep wasnt blocking my dad for the morning… then he buckled himself in and wanted to go get powerade with me. So, when we were driving away, he said “I want to see the sign that blink blink blinks”
Theres a new street sign they installed by my parents house, by a curve that everyone speeds thru, it has radar and tells you your speed, and it blinks if you’re going above the limit.
He wanted to go see that sign, so i drove that way, and as we approached it, he was reading off the speed. He said “Dad, you’re going 3 7.”

Then trains, he loves to go watch trains. We can sit by a crossing and watch the train pass by, and he’ll wave to the crew, and then try to count the cars (of course, he generally cant count high enough, or has a long enough attention span to count them all, but he’ll remember how many engines they had)
And i’m seeing cabooses on trains more and more lately, i thought they didnt use them any more, but apparently they do.

One of the cool things about being a ham radio operator, is I can use one of the radios in the truck like a scanner, and I know the frequencies for the airport tower, and the trains, so he can listen to them as we’re watching them. And he understands them too, like he’ll hear the tower telling a southwest jet that they’er clear to taxi or take off, and he’ll tell me whats happening, and then he’ll watch for it.

Or, if I have the radio on scan and it locks on a fire channel, he knows the tones mean that a fire department is getting dispatched to a call.

The word he learned sunday was “windsock”. He had asked me why the NASA hanger has a weird orange flag, and I explained it was a windsock. Then he saw the one on top of the control tower, and told me it was a windsock too.
I think i’m going to get a windsock and put it in the backyard for him.

Back in the day, long ago, Tomi and I would get these ranch bacon burgers at Carls Jr. Little burger, swiss, ranch sauce, bacon, and an onion ring.
Well, I got two the other day, and gave him half of it, and he totally loved it. No big surprise there.

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13. March 2010 by [JP].

I think I did at one point, but I cant find it.
So heres a quick explaination:

It starts with a pancreatic enzyme called lipase. In case you dont want to read the wiki link, human pancreatic lipase (HPL) is responsible for breaking down fats in the digestive system.

For whatever reason, from time to time, without warning, my pancreas stops producing HPL. When that happens, fats build up in my blood.

As the fats build up, the liver and pancreas become clogged with them, causing them to inflame.

As they inflame, they stop producing other enzymes and hormones, most importantly, the pancreas stops producing insulin, which is the hormone that the body uses to consume glucose (sugar) in the blood.

When the insulin production stops, then my body starts building up sugar as well, which causes a reaction that is basically like type 1 diabetes. Sugar spikes, which causes futher irritation to the internal organs.
As the sugar continues to build up, and my body starts to go into Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) my kidneys go into overdrive to try and flush out the excess glucose in my blood, causing urine output to increase, which in turn dehydrates me.
As I get more and more dehydrated, the concentrations of both sugar and fat in my body increase, as the fluid levels decrease.
That, in turn causes internal organs to shut down, and in an extreme case, the tissue in the organs can actually die.

Now. We have no explanation to why this occurs. We think the condition might be an inherited condition, or genetic.
There is no cure.
The only things to do to treat it, is for me to take lipid blockers and triglyceride lowering medication the rest of my life.
Also, we’re experimenting with omega 3’s to stimulate lipase production, and we may try supplements to stimulate insulin production or insulin efficiency as well.

Now, during the event of a crash, the primary treatment is massive fluid replacement. One or two IV’s wide open, putting as much fluid in me as my body will take. Generally, i’ll take 6 or 7 liters of fluid via IV within the first few hours. This reverses the dehydration, and starts to reverse the DKA. In addition, morphine for the pain, generally something for the nausea, and electrolytes like potassium and magnesium to replace the lost fluids as well. Usually insulin is required for a few days as my body adjusts to normal output.

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23. February 2010 by [JP].

Well, one of ANY public safety worker’s greatest fears, is not coming home at the end of the day.
Andy Tingwell dying in the line of duty after rescuing a lost hiker.
John Sutter and Anthony Archuleta, and their pilot, when their helicopter crashed during a training mission.
And now, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office lost a LVN who worked for their detention division, when she was hit by a car, after stopping to render aid to a vehicle crash victim when she was off duty.

Its an eye opener to all of us, a realization that we are still mortal.
One of the things that has stuck with me over the years, is the second thing one of my former instructors said in class (always wash your hands being the first). He said, in order to save lives tomorrow, you have to come home today.

I’ve had some close calls over the years. I’ve been hit twice. Once by a car driven by an old lady as I was rendering aid at a scene… walked away from that with just some bruises. Another time, while working an accident scene, one of our units got sideswiped by a drunk motorist, and my partner and I were both hit with flying glass and debris.
When you’re in the middle of it, generally you’re paying more attention to the life you’re trying to save, rather then your own, and sometimes that can get you killed.
Even when you’re paying the utmost attention to your surroundings, the unpredictable actions of others will still get you.
And sometimes, only the loss of one of our brothers or sisters in the field is what it takes for all of us to start watching our own backs that much closer.

So. For the rest of us. Be careful out there, and always come home to your families, so that you can go back out tomorrow.

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18. February 2010 by [JP].

Ok, pretty much have it perfected at this point.
So here we go.

First, you need the chicken. If you’re in a rush, get a roasted or rotisserie whole chicken from the grocery store. De-bone it and either shred it or cut it up into small chunks. Discard the skin and bones.
If you have the time, then instead get about a pound and a half of boneless chicken tenderloin, season them with spices, boil them till fully cooked, then drain all but about 1/4 cup of the remaining stock. Then shred the cooked chicken and let it sit in the stock until you’re ready to cook the filling.

You need:
2 15 oz cans of green chili enchilada sauce
1 small can of green chilis
1 small to medium can of green chili strips
1 onion, diced.
1 16oz tub of sour cream
Shredded or cubed chicken
1/4 cup of chicken stock (or water with a chicken cube)
2 tbsp of butter or oil
1 doz medium sized (6 inch diameter) corn tortillas, as fresh as you can get.
About 6 cups of shredded cheese. I use a mix of sharp chedder and queso blanco, but you can use any cheese you want. The mexican or fiesta blend of shredded cheese at the store works well.

In a saucepan or skillet over high heat, melt the butter or pour the oil in. Put the onion in, and fry until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, stirring frequently. Then add the chopped green chili, and continue to stir. Pour in the chicken stock and one can of enchilada sauce, and bring to a bubbling boil. Add the chicken and stir and reduce heat to medium, and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring to keep the bottom from burning.
If you’re using a skillet, then transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl. If you’re using the saucepan, then just keep it warm.

In a skillet, mix remaining green chili sauce, strips of green chili, and sour cream over medium high heat. Stir until blended, and remove from heat.

Dip a tortilla into the sauce, coating both sides. Put on a oven-safe plate, put a small amount of cheese down the center, add 2 spoonfuls of the chicken filling, then roll. Continue with all tortillas, then pour remainder of sauce on top, top with cheese, and bake, uncovered for 10 minutes.

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7. February 2010 by [JP].

I suddenly awoke. I rubbed by eyes and blinked a few times.
It was pitch dark and cold. I pretty quickly realized I was in my own bed, in my own room, alone. Beyond that, I knew nothing.
There was a slight glow coming from my left, as my CLIQ was plugged in, but upside down. I picked it up, and typed a motoblur update for my twitter, facebook, and myspace. Halfway thru it, i saw the time in the corner. 12:55 am. Not sure which day though, although I assumed sunday morning. I had 4 missed text messages, and about 9 missed emails from various accounts, none of them anything I wanted to know about.
I got up, and come to the laptop, wearing a tank top and boxers. Its probably 50 degrees in the front room, so that wasnt too good of an idea.
I sipped powerade zero, then went and put on the clothes on top of the stack.
I slowly pieced together what i remembered. I remembered not sleeping at all last night. I remembered showering and going to the charity thing. I remembered I had a work order after it, to go assist another unit in the next county over as they worked on restoring the backup to the power unit at a critical goverment building.
I checked my email including a report on that work order, the other employee had found the problem early, a lack of fuel in 2 generators, and had corrected the problem, cancelling me. I dont know if I even got the cancel message before i slept.
My black dress shirt, black tie, and black pants were on the back of the chair.
I had one black sock on, and the other was on the box i use as a night stand.
I went back out to my computer, and found messages from Julia and Amy. Found out who the medics were involved in the crash, confirmed the one I thought was involved, and found out a second one I had worked with previously was also involved.
Responded to some messages on facebook.
I went outside and got my cap, and put it on, to tame my hair, which was pretty much doing a Don King impression.
Hmm, what is this in my pocket? Oh, its an albertsons fundraising key tag for the Children’s Grief Center. Probably from earlier today.
Oh, yes. I wore a tie.
I made several failed blurry attempts to take a picture of said tie.
Heres one that almost worked.

No. I dont smile much lately. Especially when the picture is taken a few seconds AFTER i expected it to be taken.
Ok, now that I’m more aware of what time it is, and when, I think i’m going to get something to eat. And probably drive around the cold, dark, silent city for a while.
Alone. As usual.

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5. February 2010 by [JP].

I’m flipped around again. Slept all day. Awake all night.
And dang, I have to be at the thing tomorrow at 11. And i have to tie a tie in the morning, so I need to be semi-functional.

I slept part of the night, woke up at 2, screwed around on the computer. Woke up at 4, felt cold and in pain, and decided that staying in bed was better then going to the cold living room and looking for meds.
Was woken up at 8:03 by my doctor, who decided she wanted that chem20 done RIGHT NOW. Managed to get to the lab right before they opened at 8:30, got stabbed, came home, went back to sleep. Phone got left in the car. Bahahaha. Missed a few phone calls and emails. Oh well.
Got back up about 5pm. Responded to said calls and emails.
Took meds.
Ate a yogurt.
Went to get fuel.
Tossed some black clothes + my good black pants, and my black dress shirt in the hamper. I’ll go to the 24 hour laundry at some point tonight and wash them, and iron them when I get home… i wonder where my iron is.
Went to starbucks to do paperwork. An hour later, still there, no paperwork done, but deleted 56 applications off my facebook that I never use.
Planning on a cheeseburger on the way home. MMM.
I’m on call tonight, 9pm-9am. Probably NOT going to help with my schedule.
Few interesting emails of the social variety that I need to respond to.
And I have paperwork i’m still avoiding. Wont hear the results of the blood test till monday, but i’m in El Paso on monday for court.

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3. February 2010 by [JP].

A trained investigator is a poor choice of customers to attempt to rip off.
I’m just pointing that out, just in case.

Arrived at the bar at 9pm.
Drank one draft beer at the bar. 4.75
Ordered a second draft beer and proceeded to kick my own ass at pool, 3 games in a row. 4.75
Ordered a mixed drink, 4.25
Slammed said mixed drink, then played 3 additional rounds of pool.
At about 10pm, decided I had enough punishment at my own lack of pool skills.
Sat back at the bar, ordered another draft beer, 4.75 which I drank slowly.
Ordered two shots of Baileys over ice, 5.25 each, total of 10.50 and closed out my tab. Tab was total of 28.75

Ordered a third shot of Baileys, paid for it with my change, and added some cash as a tip.

At this point, I had a zero tab.

Went to the car for additional cash, with the intend on purchasing two additional shots.
Ordered ONE additional shot of Bailey’s. 5.25
Recieved 9.50 in change.

See the problem here?

I called him out on it, and he paid me the 5.25 from his tip bucket.
Which was a pretty big indicator that he had in fact tried to rip me off, rather then made an accounting error or overcharged me accidentally.

I’m going to go discuss his poor judgement with his boss tomorrow. The only thing that sucks, is this is one of two bars in Albuquerque that I actually LIKE, and the other one is loud, expensive, and way too yuppie for me in general. So, this may actually affect me more then I want it to, but oh well. Its the right thing.
Besides, I only drink like once every few months anyway.

BTW, heres the calculation that I did to determine how intoxicated I was by the end of the night.
First 90 minutes, I consumed 3 standard drinks. At 190 pounds, my BAC was probably in the .07 to .08 range. I was legally drunk. (And I could feel it, mostly in my lousy pool shots)
Second 60 minutes, I consumed 4 additional standard drinks. This probably brought my BAC to a peak of .12 to .15
Well over the legal limit. Which was probably what he was counting on, for me not to notice him ripping me off.

Too bad for him, i’m very observant, even under the influance of alcohol.

A shitty pool player… good thing I wasnt playing anyone else…

But still observant enough to know when something isnt right.

Ironic for him, i probably would have tipped him at least 5 or 6 additional bucks or more when I was done, so he made less money then if he was honest.

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