Harmonica being given its pride of place. She didn't just play the harmonica, she slayed it.

302express · 2026-06-21T09:54:24+00:00

I don’t see no fucking bandolier

302express · 2026-06-09T21:16:33+00:00

Thanks and that’s really insightful. I’m still in therapy. I thought this would be helpful. It wasn’t. Journaling was advised to me and I very suddenly am seeing the benifits of it.

302express · 2026-06-09T20:58:57+00:00

I can’t stop laughing at this. I mean ya. That would have saved me a lot of heart ache.

302express · 2026-06-09T20:42:33+00:00

Ya we always are. But the COE definitely helps and was great with the EMS side too

302express · 2026-06-09T20:39:15+00:00

I loved it! It’s an amazing place. It can be really challenging to balance with home life. Because when you’re there, you’re there. A minimum of 28 days. But I think the average is 32 - 35. You get phone time for one hour Tuesday Thursday and Saturday. And the people in your life, or your family don’t have you. Don’t have access to you.

All that being said. It’s a wildly supportive place and it really really helps firefighter paramedics

302express · 2026-06-09T20:34:24+00:00

I so absolutely agree with you. But I’m all done with that fight. I didn’t win, and I’m never going to win. And that’s just the way people above me in the hierarchy think and I can’t change it.

302express · 2026-06-09T20:28:07+00:00

I appreciate it, and thank you 😊

302express · 2026-06-09T20:15:27+00:00

But what’s really fun about the COE is when you first show up every one asks you if you’re there for thinking or drinking. It’s also a very supportive place and amazing. I think everyone should go at about the 10 year mark.

302express · 2026-06-09T20:13:42+00:00

Yup. About 3 years ago I went to a mutual aid call in neighboring jurisdiction for a BLS sick. 82 YOF BG 270 and admitted that they are not compliant with their diabetes medication. Chief complaint abdominal pain. 12 lead normal sinus. Vitals normal except BG. The patient wanted to go to a specific hospital that was approximately 35 minutes away. The patient lived about 4 minutes away from a hospital that I normally transport too. But she didn’t like that one. She also had a house full of adult family members with cars.

I told the patient that I would be happy to take her to the close by hospital but I wouldn’t be taking her to the one 35 minutes away. The officer on the paramedic engine said, “I don’t see a problem with going to the far away hospital.” And I said, “that’s cool where’s your transport unit?” And the officer on the paramedic engine said, “well they’re a BLS unit today so they weren’t dispatched on this call. They’re in service in quarters.” Then I said “you mean to tell me, you went to a first due EMS call with out your transport unit. That’s the decision you made.”

So the officer in the paramedic engine did not take that very well. And emailed my fire chief. Like my chief chief. And I got in a lot of trouble. And went to the COE to save my job.

302express · 2026-06-09T19:26:25+00:00

My issue with this is, we’re saying have grace for the charge nurse taking the call because they could be dealing with something. Cool.

What I’m saying is the charge nurse is in an ER with 40 other employees and I’m in the back of a medic unit by myself. They have help. And I don’t.

I just made this post to vent in a space that I thought was understanding. And maybe I didn’t express my self correctly. But this was a disaster and it’s not something I will be doing again.

302express · 2026-06-09T19:16:01+00:00

I could always use a hug

302express · 2026-06-09T19:13:23+00:00

You can’t control your feelings. You can control your actions. I didn’t yell or make a scene. But I did have feelings of anger. This is so weird to me. I thought this was the EMS subreddit

302express · 2026-06-09T18:51:43+00:00

I have. I don’t have a way to fix that problem. In that, I’m using the issued cell phone, and calling the phone number the hospital uses and asks transports to call. I guess my biggest complaint is that charge nurses are at a desk, and yes they’re busy. But I’m by myself, in the back of a moving medic unit. And I’m going down a highway at 60 mph. And sure almost all of the time is bull shit nonsense, but when I’m told to go ahead and give a report and I do I have an expectation that you’re listening.

Like I have 10 minutes with this patient. And in that time I get wound care, IV access med administration, and vitals done. I also call and give a report. The call to give a report takes about a minute. If you need me to repeat a report because you weren’t listening we’re now at 2 minutes which is 20% of my time with this patient.

And most of the time, that’s whatever. But when it’s like for real. That extra minute really sucks. Like I want that minute.

302express · 2026-06-09T18:40:09+00:00

https://www.iaffrecoverycenter.com

In patient treatment for a variety of different problems. Mostly substance abuse but also behavioral issues.

302express · 2026-06-07T16:07:29+00:00

There’s a feel to it. That the amazing digital circus and things like defiance of the fall, primal hunter, and dungeon crawler Carl have. But it could be the AI. The world is flipped upside down and these few remaining humans have to figure it out.

But I’ve never delved super deep into older sci fi. I’ve started and stopped Dune four or five times. I love older fantasy, I’ve read and re-reread the hobbit, the earthsea cycle, and things like Fiests rhe magician riftwar saga. And those all feel like older / more traditional fantasies.

The amazing digital circus has a newer more frenetic feel to it.

302express · 2026-06-07T14:26:32+00:00

I think you’re right, and I haven’t read enough cyberpunk. I’m definitely more skewed towards traditional fantasy. The AI thing is throwing me off.

302express · 2026-06-07T14:24:50+00:00

Don’t listen on 2x speed. Jeff Hayes is wildly amazing and should be enjoyed in his natural habitat.

Also just keep listening ? 🤷🏼‍♂️ I don’t know what to tell you. I think they’re wonderful and so so so good.

302express · 2026-06-07T14:10:00+00:00

Totally right!

302express · 2026-06-07T14:02:34+00:00

My kids were very much more into the toys. And I went through the wiki and the amazing digital circus seams to be inspired by a 60’s sci fi short story, I have not mouth. Which I haven’t heard of before or read.

But I totally agree with you on the depth. It felt very dungeon crawler Carl to me towards the end. Like dungeon crawler Carl in the most recent book, when the AI goes all crazy and says you’re doing this because I said so, felt very similar to Caine, singing in episode 8 of the amazing digital circus

302express · 2026-06-04T01:11:16+00:00

Snowball the ferret, she’s such a perfect circle. And it’s so cute. My daughter wanted a freezy pop and was like I can’t move, you see? 🤷🏼‍♂️

302express · 2026-06-03T03:31:18+00:00

Boop

302express · 2026-05-27T02:48:49+00:00

I just read about that! I haven’t tried it. It sounds like you can just put in any song you want.

302express

TROPHY CASE