Blissful Entropy

$49.95

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sun, 12 May 2013 02:26:00 +0000

Really, Harley Davidson??

They're f#£&ing FLIP FLOPS!

I may have mentioned...

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 07 May 2013 01:13:00 +0000

I love this man.

Nice, cat.

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:33:00 +0000

Nice.

Friday Night Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:33:00 +0000

On the way up the hill to the best little steakhouse ever with my soul mate and best friend, the man who saved me from a miserable place a handful of years ago.

It's been a fucked-up week, but it's a gorgeous night and it feels good to be out, soundtrack by LMFAO and Patsy Cline and Shattersphere and Trailer Choir and Ke$ha -- and it's all good.

I love this man.

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 04:57:00 +0000

:-)

"Baby, put on your best sweatpants..."

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 00:34:00 +0000

"I'm takin' you out to the Johnny Carino's for supper!"

This blows.

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:33:00 +0000

It is so windy, there's a draft in my car strong enough to chill me, despite the fact that all the windows and doors are sealed and the heater is blasting.

Why don't grown-ups get snow days?

Happy Valentine's Day to My Best Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:08:00 +0000

It's occurred to me more than once this week just how much I depend on this amazing man in my daily functioning. While I'm being treated like a queen in Dallas by a wonderful company I'm delighted to work for, I miss my other half terribly.

I used to think strength meant independence. Over the past several years, though, I've learned how difficult it can be to learn how to trust somebody with your heart again - and what a wonderful feeling it is to feel accepted and unconditionally loved... and how much stronger I feel as half of this partnership. The fact that I feel lonely and lost after just a little bit of time away, the fact that I think both of us are better people for having found and learning to trust each other... And as I told a co-worker and new friend yesterday, Scott and I have found ourselves in some crazy situations, some awful places, and some interesting circumstances over the last six and a half years - but there's no one else in the world I'd rather have those misadventures with. He's the one I want to call whenever I have news of any kind... he's the one I want to be next to, whether we're saying anything at all or just sitting...he's the one whose touch calms me down and fires me up...he's my other half and my soul mate and the person I want to grow old next to.

Happy Valentine's Day, honey. I love you and I can't wait to get home.

Shame On You, Howbert Coach!

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:35:00 +0000

I'm completely disgusted right now. I'm a big believer that the purpose of youth sports is to teach sportsmanship right along with fundamentals.

So, Mr. Coach of the Howbert Elementary traveling basketball B-squad team, shame on you. If I wasn't annoyed enough already after an entire game of listening to you scream at your own players with contempt (they're fourth graders, for Christ's sake), then start making horrible calls in your referee duties when you noticed your team was losing...

Sir, the icing on the cake Came at the end of the hard-fought game, which your team won by three points. Since time immemorial, opposing teams phave huddled at the end of the game to give the other team a cheer, regardless of the outcome of the game.

Our team, little hearts broken at the loss, still managed to holler a hearty "Howbert!" in the spirit of good sportsmanship. And your team, you asshole, cheered for themselves, under your command.

Way to go, douchebag.

Goodbye, Butt-Ear!

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:27:00 +0000

Alas, Hayley's butt-ear, aka Petey the Fish, is no more, thanks to the world's finest plastic surgeon, the inimitable Dr. Rupesh Jain.

That's How We Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:30:00 +0000

Hayley on lead vocals, the boys on backup and harmony, Mom on beat box... Just another Monday morning commute.

Happy day!

It's January, and we're riding. In tank tops.

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:10:00 +0000

How much better could it get?

Damn You, Bourbon St.

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 14:40:00 +0000

I think I shall leave a pound or two heavier.

Really??

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:18:00 +0000

This, people, is patently ridiculous.

Just unveiled a few days ago, I give you the iPotty, an iPad assisted potty training gadget.

What are we doing to our children?? Weirdly, mine were pretty easily potty trained with a system of sticker rewards, total outlay for two kids approximately $0.99 total, in addition to the $20 for the potty chair they both used. Twenty one bucks. $10.50 per kid. And a handful of wasted diapers, because it was easier than I expected it to be.

If your kid can't be potty trained without a $600 gadget strapped to the potty chair, you need to turn in your parent card.

That is all.

Them's Mah Boys...

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:30:00 +0000

But what they don't know about is the large chunk of mom's youth spent playing pranks on people.

Game on, lads.

Rule #1: Don't Be a Douche.

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 01:08:00 +0000

This is *awesome* - Awesome.

Fellow Passengers Tape Drunken Idiot to Seat

A Tale of a System Failed

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:31:00 +0000

For those of you who've caught this already via Facebook, I apologize. For those who haven't, read on, and catch the lively commentary on http://www.facebook.com/ScottsSideoftheStory.

My husband is a paramedic, and by all accounts a really, really good one. He's been in emergency medical services for 19 years, and nearly all of that here in town for the local ambulance service (save for a stint in Detroit where he enjoyed twelve-hour shifts of being shot at and called "cracker").

Well, last week - exactly two weeks before Christmas - he was let go, and the circumstances are truly shitty. Take-away message: you aren't allowed to defend yourself, just let the patient beat the piss out of you.

Here's Scott's story:

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your words of support and encouragement. Nearly everyone I have spoken to about this has expressed shock and outrage, and it is my intent to outline the facts of the situation below to encourage truth and transparency and discourage the escalation of the standard rumor mill.

On the night of December 5, my partner and I transported a mental health patient who was intoxicated and presumably under the influence of "bath salts." The patient was extremely combative, and as such I placed him in four point Kerlix restraints, and administered 5 mg of Haldol and 50 mg of Benadryl IM prior to leaving the scene. Upon our arrival at the hospital, the patient broke free from the Kerlix restraints and struck me behind the left ear hard enough to knock me onto the floor of the ambulance between the bench and the cot. I looked up and saw the patient above me and moving toward my partner, and had no other choice but to attempt to neutralize the situation. From my vulnerable position, my only option was to strike the patient in an upward motion, and the impact was successful in convincing the patient to return to the cot and comply. The patient did sustain a fractured orbit as a result of this interaction, and the force of his blow to my head caused a moderate concussion and a neck strain, and forced me to check into the emergency room myself as a patient and effectively ended my shift.

All investigation by my immediate supervisor, the police department, and the hospital staff resulted in overwhelming agreement that I had acted in self-defense, and had had no other choice but to protect myself and my partner.

I received notification the next morning from management that the investigation was officially concluded, that i had followed all company policies and procedures, and that I was cleared to return to work as soon as cleared by my physicians.

Approximately 3 hours later, upon the arrival of the regional director to the office, that decision was reversed and I was placed on administrative leave pending more investigation. That investigation, spanning the next five days, did not include any discussion with my partner, the police involved, any of the hospital staff involved, or anyone else, despite multiple phone calls made to management by the hospital staff and the police department in attempt to provide information on a voluntary basis.

I was asked to meet with management on Monday to provide my side of the story, which I was more than willing to do. During this meeting, I was asked if I thought there would have been anything else I could have done differently. My reply was that I could have curled up into a ball on the ambulance floor and allow the patient to beat me and my partner to death with the oxygen bottle, or I could have escaped to the front of the ambulance away from my partner and just allow the patient to beat her to death. I refused to allow either of those things to happen, so I took control of the situation with the only tool I had available to me at the time.

I was terminated by my employer on Tuesday, December 11, with the reason given being code of conduct violation. In 18 years of combined prior service to the organization, I had received discipline of any kind only twice before.

I am a solid paramedic with an impeccable commitment to professional integrity and ethical conduct, and I have done my best throughout my career to take good care of my patients and represent my employer well. My opinion is that there are other issues at play in management's decision to terminate me, which will be addressed in the future.
Thanks again for all of your support and friendship. I appreciate it more than I can say.

****

Pretty shitty, huh?

Feel free to visit the Facebook page and check out the comments, the related posts by other folks, and a link to a donation site started by our dear, wonderful friends Nate & Erin...

So, now you know why I didn't get around to sending Christmas cards this year. It's been a nutty couple of weeks and promises to continue to be as we get this all figured out.

Happy Holidays, anyway!

The Twelfth Plane of Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:31:00 +0000

...Getting out of bed this morning.

I've turned into such a total pussy since becoming a Coloradan. Growing up, this was winter in Idaho, from October to April, and 22 degrees didn't faze me. 16+ years of intermittent 50 and 60 degree winter days has spoiled me.

Brrrrrrrrr.

The Eleventh Plane of Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:17:00 +0000

When both of your nine-year-old boys kiss you sweetly...and then fart just before they get out of the car at school.

Like a Knife in My Eye

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:09:00 +0000

Is there a "Grammar Performer" to keep shit like 'freezed' out of public view?

Number 667

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 07:01:00 +0000

A quick scan of my blog stats shows that it totals 666 posts.
Not cool... I'm not a religious chick, nor a particularly superstitious one...but I figure, why tempt fate?

Whew!!

Picture Potpourri

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:29:00 +0000

(It's not a command. Well, picture it if you want to. But this is just a post containing pics that really require no explanation. Enjoy.)

Today's Sign of the Impending Apocalypse

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:38:00 +0000

@pontifex, all you pious tweeters.

Here's to you, Dennis Farrell

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:20:00 +0000

So I get all sorts of comments in this space, from all sorts of people. Most of 'em are fairly positive, and as such appreciated. Every once in a while, I piss somebody off, and they comment accordingly, and that's fine too. Anybody who's followed this blog for any length of time will agree that I'm usually very reciprocal in terms of my response to those comments, as I am in real life: be nice, and I will too...be a douche, and the gloves are off.

To wit, I give you Dennis Farrell. Who qualifies for the Ignorant Ass-Clown of the Year award. (And whose Blogger profile lists his e-mail address as thaiodonata@gmail.com, should any of his fans wish to get in contact with him.) Here's what he had to say in his comment, from the summer, which I had not previously seen fit to publish until a recent discussion with a dear friend. Who so happens to be British and one of the most eloquent people I know.

Please. Should you feel compelled to spend time compiling a blog regarding mispronunciation in everyday ENGLISH, please, at least, communicate in English ... pet 'peeve' ???? Do you mean pet hate? English should stay in England, as far as I am concerned. Should you wish to continue with this 'blog', at least have the decency to say American NOT English. There is a fundamental difference. Most of your ramblings are nonsensical gibberish. Interesting all the same, and I wish no barrier across the big pond ... unless you continue to refuse to use the verb, got. Good morning to you, sir. on Mispronunciation Mayhem

Oh, Dennis, you sad, sad little man.

However to address this?

Let's start with IT'S MY FRIGGIN' BLOG AND I'LL USE WHATEVER KIND OF LANGUAGE I WANT...SURF IT OR DON'T SURF IT, MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME. I am quite literate, and as such, comfortable with using some degree of artistic license whenever I like.

I believe you meant, initially, to criticiZe my blog entry, which would've been clearer had you not referred to the entry itself as a blog. The blog is the whole; familiarize yourself with the terminology if you're gonna call yourself a blogger.

I do all of my writing - nearly all, that is - in English. It goes without saying that my particular brand of English is American English - because, after all, I am AN AMERICAN. When I read anything written by someone in Britain who chooses to use words like utilise, labour, criticise, and so forth...I don't rant and rave and get all ass-hurt because they're writing in their own language. I don't scream and holler that they haven't bothered to disclaim that they write in British English. Yup, there are some differences between British English and American English. Get over it. We have our own version, earned in blood at the hands of our forefathers and independently evolved - and if you're still pissed about the Revolution, get over that too.

Thereby and forthwith, I DO mean pet peeve. I DO wish to continue with this blog, as I have for seven years or thereabouts despite all kinds of changes in my life that have meant far more to me than your opinion, sir. And your use of single quotation marks ('blog') as well as your choice to place the comma outside them perfectly illustrates my point. This is, in fact, a blog, negating the necessity of quotation marks of any kind. (You're probably the kind of guy who makes air quotes, aren't you??)

My ramblings are just that - my ramblings. I don't, as unbelievable as it may seem to you, write them for your personal entertainment. Just me. Writing is my introspection, my therapy, my absolution, the balm of my soul - and I share it so that anyone who cares can follow. So, if you think my writing is nonsensical gibberish, I don't give two shits, you pompous turd. Feel free to navigate elsewhere.

"I wish no barrier across the big pond"??? Really, sir?

And I've no clue what you mean by "refuse to use the verb, got" - again, you go ahead and speak your own language, whatever illiterate version of British English that is, and I'll speak mine, mmmmmkay??

Jesus Christ, people. Whatever happened to proofreading or at least looking over the shit you spew online??

Lastly, Dennis, my fine friend, had you paid any sort of attention whatsoever to any portion of this blog, any entry therein...you'd realize that I'm a chick, fuckhead, so your closing "sir" is the icing on the cake.

Good day.

Ode to My Children

noreply@blogger.com (Erica) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:09:00 +0000