Pocket Olives

Well, this one has been cooking in my brain for a week or so and one of the side effects is that I can now add to my original thoughts on Springfield.  The middle grandson (Boy Genius) and I went down for a couple days this week during his Spring Break.

So, for starters, we all made it home safely from Springfield.  It was quite a unique experience, let me tell you.  No, I mean it, let me tell you about our experiences at the Legislative Conference.  I mean, after all, it's kinda what I do here, you know?

Let's see... where to start... Oh!  I know!  Food, let's talk about food!

Or at least where we ate.

Now, granted, Springfield doesn't have the concentration of fine dining that a city like Chicago does.  So, don't misunderstand what I'm about to say.  Besides, the food itself was fine.  On the other hand, the service was, well, I don't know, awkward?  The place we chose is known for who you see there as much as for what you eat there.  It's very popular among the political crowd, which means it's not unusual to see various elected officials dining there.  I think that's why our chief political nerd chose it for dinner our first night.  I'm not throwing stones at him either fwiw, but if you know me, you know I hold my stomach in high regard and would much prefer an excellent meal over random politico sightings.  After all, they're in season now and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one.

I wouldn't btw.

Swing a dead cat, that is.

So, you know, don't sic the ASPCA on me.  Keep Sarah McLachlan away too.  I'm fine with cats, really I am.  For most of my life I've shared a residence with them and we've always been fine.  Although, truth be told, if that arrangement never comes up again, I'm ok with it...

Back to the topic...

We were seated after a brief delay.  Although some IBEW guys came in after us and were seated before us.  Just sayin.  Once in, we placed our beverage order along with, I believe, an appetizer or three.  As our waitress started bringing the drinks by, there was, oh let's call it a bit of confusion on her part.  Up to and including dropping the olives for the martini that was ordered by one of our little group.  I'm not sure why they weren't, you know, IN the martini, but whatevs.  At any rate, when she came back, she produced, from her pocket, replacement olives.

Two things came to my mind...

A.) Why did she have olives in her pocket?  

B.)  Pocket Olives would be a great name for a band.

There were some interesting suggestions on her part, in accompaniment to our food selections.  She seemed particularly proud of their red gravy, even suggesting it along with an Alfredo sauced dish.  But, before I stumble off onto an unwarranted ramble, let me direct you to the end of our meal.  Several of us ordered coffee at the end of the meal, nothing unusual there.  And, if you know me IRL, you know just how important a part of my life coffee is.  I mean, after all, I'm sitting in a coffeehouse as I write this.  Whiskey may be the water of life but coffee is, at the very least, nature's defibrillator after all.

The coffee that was delivered to us was, ummmmmm, an abomination, no, a crime against humanity, no, it was, it was, GOOD CHRIST I CAN'T EVEN FIND THE WORDS!!!

I think in all honesty, the coffee was run through old grounds.  You could see the bottom of the cup through it, that's how thin and watery this slop was.  So, obviously the above is only a mild exaggeration.  And to top it off, she kept asking us if we wanted more.  Like, every 30 seconds or so. It was like the record had a skip in it.  OK, I recognize I'm dating myself with that reference, so if you don't get it, ask an old person.  And screw you for pointing it out to me.

Just kidding.

Not really.

Other than me stepping on a portion of my anatomy you never want to step on in front of a recently defeated candidate, the trip was more or less uneventful.  Oh wait!  Hold that thought.  Our very own Local 3234 Secretary/3234 PAC Chairman presented to the assembled group on the last day of the Conference.

He did great btw, showing how to set up your very own local PAC.  That was one of the high points to me, seeing him on the statewide stage representing our Local.  One of the other guys represented Local 3234 in the Honor Guard at the opening ceremony and that too meant a lot to me.  Lastly, having two guys make their first visit to Springfield for this event made my highlight list as well.  Looking at the end of my career, it helps ease the separation anxiety when I know 3234 is being left in capable young hands.  The guys that came before me sacrificed so much to establish what we have.  Knowing the younger guys understand the importance of that and are ready to take on the challenge of growing it is definitely a warm fuzzy.

This week, I made a return trip to Springfield with the Boy Genius in tow.  The weather was not our friend; cold and drizzly if not downright biblical deluge coming from the sky for the better part of our visit.  But we did manage to get a visit with a State Senator from Rock Island, Neil Anderson, who btw is a firefighter in Moline, IL along with a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Museum.  Thanks to my State Rep. (and one time political opponent) Barb Wheeler for the hook up on tickets.  We spent several hours there looking through the various exhibits and really enjoyed ourselves.  We agreed to head back around 3:00 yesterday afternoon and had, despite horrible weather for much of the drive, an uneventful (that's a good thing btw) trip home.

As we were heading north, I found my mind wandering to a variety of topics over the course of the four hours or so drive.  Driving through rural northern Illinois, I wondered who came up with the address system currently in use in some parts.  I wondered how the local FD's get where they need to go and I played through in my head what I would say and how I would describe to the 9-1-1 dispatcher where to send the troops.

"Look, I'm on XYZ Road about a mile or so east of ABC Street.  I don't know the number, because, apparently, you people don't require them.  I'll tell you what, unless you drop those tones right now and get them started you can just tell them to drive north out of town, they'll see the header cause that fucker is getting pretty big already"

Or something to that effect.  It made me laugh.  A couple times over.

Unless the Quiet Child is reading this.  In that case, what I meant to say was that my mind was laser-focused on driving, the roads, and the vehicles that we shared those roads with.  Because I would never, ever, do anything even close to letting my mind wander while one of her offspring is in the car with me...

For real.

Peace

Leslie

Well, here we are.  And by "we" I mean, of course "me" but you get the picture.  I hadn't really considered getting to this point back in November 2013, but time does what it does and so...

For those of you that haven't kept up with the rest of the class, November 2013 is when the Great Vincenzo and I brought Leslie from Houston, TX to the greater Downers Grove, IL area.  Leslie, in case you didn't know, is a pink fire engine.

She's a 1989 E-One Hush pumper, or, she was in a previous life.  She has been a part of the Pink Heals family since 2012 and has seen parts of both coasts and (since November 2013) a good portion of the Midwest.  That's when several of us started the "Chicagoland" chapter of Pink Heals.  In that time we've done countless home visits (ok, maybe not "countless" but I'm not going to sit here and try adding them up.  Let's just say we've done a lot) and multiple other events, trying to put a smile on the face of someone going through a bad time health wise.

I've been involved with this fine organization since 2011.  I wrote about my adventures out on the road with the National Tour a lot, if you check out the archives over >>>>>> here, in 2012 and 2013 you can get a good idea of the fun we had and the people we met.  Also, after exhaustive (not really) research, I've discovered my all-time favorite PHT picture is not commemorated in any blog posts...  I now have a sad.  Sigh.

Well THAT was an odd little detour.  I'll blame it on hunger.  Yeah, that's it.

So, to the reason for this post.

In November 2013 it never occurred to me that Leslie would ever be housed anywhere but DuPage County.  I mean, it's a well populated area and with my numerous Fire Department (and non-Fire Department) contacts from working there for 24+ years, I figured she'd always have a home there.  But, as the time for me to retire inched closer and I started looking in earnest for someone to take her over, I realized the number of people with the availability and/or the required time commitment were few and far between.  And I get that, I really do.  I learned a long time ago, not everyone has the same level of interest in any given thing.  I don't take it personally and I don't hold grudges.  But, I can't just let something like Leslie fall by the wayside either.  I've seen first hand how much of an impact she can have on someones mental health, at least for the short term.

So I started thinking of suitable homes for her.  And the first thing that popped into my head was this. The Rock Falls/Sterling/Dixon/Morrison area has done an amazing job of supporting both Leslie and the National Tour for the last several years.  They get what we're doing and they embrace it fully.

So, I reached out to some folks I know out there.  And after a few conversations, they're thrilled to be getting Leslie.  As much as it saddens me to take her out of an area with so much need, it helps to know there are three other chapters within an hour of DuPage County and all are really good at what they do.

And so, finally, to the point of this little literary adventure.

Last fall, while returning from the last (good timing) home visit of the season, Leslie's motor blew.  Technically, she dropped six fuel injectors, but the end result is what it is.  She's been sitting at a repair shop over the winter while we scrambled, trying to find funding to get her up and running.  My feelings on running a non-profit is, as long as we've got enough to go out the door, we're ok.  And that philosophy works fine, by and large.

But when you're faced with a major, unexpected repair, well, not so much.

So, to that end and after much debate, we've decided the best way to raise the $6,000.00 we're looking at in repairs is to set up a Go Fund Me page for Leslie.  Just click on the link and you'll head over to her page where you can (if you like) donate any amount.  And by "any amount" I truly mean "any amount".  As in, no amount is too small.

I fully recognize economic uncertainty.  I also recognize, and I hope you do too, that more and more people are falling through the cracks of society and furthermore that those cracks are getting larger and larger.

Leslie is very good at helping people through those moments.  We're hoping that right now, you'll be good at helping Leslie through this moment.

Thanks so much for any help you can provide.

Peace

Brotherhood

Two weeks ago I was in D.C. for our union's Legislative Conference, yesterday was the first day in Springfield for our state association's Legislative Conference.  It got off to a good start, imho.

For instance... Local 3234 had a nice mix of old guys and new guys; two first timers, a second timer and a third (fourth?) timer.  This makes me happy as it tends to indicate to me that my local will be in good hands after guys from my generation are gone.  And there's not many of us left.  

The other thing that pleased me about the day was this; it reinforced my feelings that, while the International (IAFF) may have vacated the "we support those that support us" theory, our state association (AFFI) has not.  Not by a long shot.  A look at the speakers list reveals the truth.  

Without having the materials in front of me as I write this, we've got Rep. Durkin, the minority leader of the Illinois House, tomorrow along with Senator McCann among the speakers.  He's one of my favorite examples when I try and prove the point to new guys.  The "we support those that support us" point, that is.  Here's the deal, as it turns out the good Senator has many state employees that live in his district.  Many union workers that live in his district.  For those of you that may not be aware (you don't come around here very often, do you?  Welcome!) our current Governor hates organized labor.  Hates it.  btw, that should be said like the "Men On Film" bit from In Living Color  and if you Google it, you'll thank me.  Back on task now, Governor Bur... errr Rauner, attempted to do one of the few things he has in his playbook, throw vast amounts of his personal wealth at his problems.  

Last I heard, our Governor (side note; if you Google image search C. Montgomery Burns you don't need to scroll very far before you get to an actual photo of our Governor) has given roughly $54 MILLION of his own into the campaign fund to defeat Democrats or any Republican that dares to challenge his views.  Which brings me back to Senator Sam McCann.  He understands what it's like to be a middle class resident of Illinois.  He recognizes the value union membership has for a family working hard to make ends meet.  And he refused to turn his back on those members and their families.  And union members all across his district rose up to support him as he (figuratively) kicked the Rauner designee in the teeth and won despite vast sums of money getting funneled to his opponent.  

Don't get me wrong, I'm a liberal Democrat and I always will be.  But I'd like to think I'm pragmatic enough to understand both sides need to work together.  Or should.  See my earlier comments about negotiating.  It's kinda the same thing.  

This, imho, is one of the key reasons nothing is getting done in our fair state.  

"Somebody" refuses to negotiate in good faith.  I don't understand the basis for this... phobia... the Guv has with organized labor, well, actually I guess I do, but I don't believe it's founded in reality.  Historically, organized labor has tended to lean Democratic when it comes to politics.  Anecdotally, however, I think we're far closer to an even split if not 60/40 to the Republican side.  Yet, the Governor hates nothing, NOTHING, more than organized labor.  

Wait...  Check that...  There is one thing he hates more than unions....

The letter "G"

Seriously, have you ever heard him speak?  I'm sure it's all affect, trying be all "common man" but instead, it's laughable.  It comes across as hollow.  And pandering.  And disingenuous.  The "$18 Timex" he wore while campaigning or the Carhartt jacket he wore that looks like it never seen the outdoors.  Side note, out of all the Governors listed in the Legislative Handbook in D.C. guess who the only one was whose photo didn't include a suit and tie?  Ok, the only male.  So, yes he thinks we're all rubes and boobs that buy into his act.  

Gosh, our Governor may have a net worth of a Billion dollars but he sure does talk like one of us.

Uh huh.

We're getting ready to head over to the Capital to meet with our State Representatives.  The Senate isn't in this week so it'll be a quick day.  Then off to the Legislative Reception tonight.  

It should be a lot of fun, let's hope it's productive. 

Against our own best interests

While perusing social media this morning, I noticed today is the 25th anniversary of the organizing of Dolton's firefighters union.  So, first off, kudos to the brothers and sisters over there.  But, secondly, and of (hopefully) more relevance to many of the rest of you, it got me thinking again about our own Local 3234 union meeting last night.

As I was giving my regular spiel about what was happening politically; I recapped the events from the IAFF Legislative Conference last week in DC for starters, followed by a preview of the AFFI Legislative Conference next week in Springfield.  Quick photo detour from last week...

Anyway, as a part of my preview, I touched on pending legislation, both pro and con, that stands to affect our profession.

Off the top of my head, there are five bills that we, as a union, support.  They range from qualifications for a potential Fire Chief to logos on privately operated fire department vehicles to pension contributions for secondary employment.  None of these proposed bills have a fiscal impact on taxpayers yet each may make life, at least somewhat, better for our profession.

On the other side of the ledger there are no less than NINE bills we oppose.  These bills represent efforts by minions of our virulently anti-labor Governor C. Montgomery errr... I mean... Bruce Rauner.  And I can't describe to you how much it pains me to put his name in one of my quality productions.  But it needed to be done.

To the bills.  By taking a page out of Wisconsin's playbook, these bills attempt to weaken our profession by eliminating presumptive illnesses.  When compared to the general population we have a significantly higher statistical chance of contracting (multiple types of) cancer due to the chemicals we come in contact with fighting fires.  We have a significantly higher statistical chance of dying from heart disease or stroke due to the stresses of our job.  Those are just for starters.  Illinois was among the leaders in recognizing these risks and now are among 37 states the protect against heart disease and 32 states that protect against certain cancers among firefighters.  This bill removes all such protections.

So much for America's heroes.

Another two bills go after our pensions.  The money WE pay into our own pension funds so that we may (hopefully) retire with some security.  btw, statistically we tend to die about seven years after our retirement.  Seven.  Years.  That's not very long imho.

Another bill prevents payroll deduction for collecting dues, a very popular tactic to weaken organized labor and one that has no purpose other than that.

There's a bill that limits what we are allowed to bargain over.  To steal a line from The Princess Bride I don't think bargain means what you think it means.  Nothing happens until both sides say "yes" to it.  See, when we "bargain" a contract, there's no such thing as unilateral acceptance between the two sides.  They must "agree" on every issue or it doesn't work.  Perhaps you've heard of the phrase "give and take" or something similar.  It's what's known as "negotiating"  Look it up, sir.

I also (they've got to be tired of hearing me talk about this) restated my opinion that our members could make no better investment in their own future than to send money to our unions Political Action Committee to help facilitate the work our members to do for all of us.

Now, you may ask yourself "why do firefighters and paramedics need to worry about protecting their jobs?  I thought everyone liked them?"  My reply to you is to re-read the preceding few paragraphs.

Back to the meeting...  As always, when I finished, I wondered if I'd had any impact at all on our younger members.

I got the answer when we got back to the station.  My Lt. came up to me and told me Nate (you've been wondering if I was going to write about you, happy now?) mentioned to him that the things I'd spoken about "scared the shit out of him".

Nate, if you want to stay out of future posts, heed my advice and start working on your own future.  And if any of you other new guys (even if you're not from my local) are reading this; get up, get out, get on your feet, and get to work.  You have much to appreciate that was provided by the guys that came before you.  Repay that debt by continuing the effort to protect what you have.  Believe it or not there will be guys following you.  Lay solid foundations for them.  I promise you that time will come before you can possibly imagine now.  My 25 years has gone by in the blink of an eye.  Yours will too.  The work you do now will help to ensure you can retire one day too.

Lastly, remember, Democracy is not a spectator sport.  Be involved in your own future.

Return Trip

Well this had potential to get ugly...

For some reason I had it in my had that I was flying home tomorrow afternoon.  So, yesterday, I thought it might be prudent to set a reminder on my phone to check in today for tomorrows flight.  When I pulled up the app, I saw boarding was 17 hours or so away.

I said to myself "self, that doesn't sound right..."

Upon further review, my flight was scheduled for today at 12:50 PM.  Imagine my surprise.  Go on, I'll wait...

Now, I had plans for this morning.  A tour of FBI Headquarters, guided by the sister (Thanks Jill, it was pretty cool to see!) of a friend of mine back in Illinois.  I didn't really want to blow that off and going to a place like that isn't really the kind of thing that allows for the whims of a careless traveller, you know?  But a few clicks of the keyboard and I rescheduled (after a small fee...) for this afternoon.

Now, here's a couple examples of why this town fascinates me.  I was walking back from the Metro to my hotel after my tour.  Quick side note - James Comey is very tall.  Like, really tall.  Like I had to look up at him when he walked past us on his way to some ceremony.  Anyway, as I was walking up the street (cursing my wardrobe choice since it was a mix of snow and rain and not at all pleasant) past the National Geographic Museum (second, quick, side note - that's a pretty cool, albeit very small, museum and I thoroughly enjoyed the photography display) listening to the Dance Band of the Revolution (if you know them, you know them) when I saw a young woman wearing a vest identifying her as representing something.  I couldn't make out what.  But she waved me down, smiling and made some random small talk.  I stopped, fully aware she was going to try and sell me something.  I had an old FIREPAC pin on my sport coat and she asked what it was about.  I explained it to her and she told me she had worked on the campaign for Hillary last fall.  We talked about politics and how I felt like my party needed to do a better job of finding candidates.  She said she was woking for The Nature Conservancy while she was waiting to hear if she was accepted in to Law School.  She asked me about the weather in Chicago so I asked her what school she was looking to get into.  She said she had applied to Northwestern so I tried to tell her a little about what to expect in the winter and told her she was close to a lot of entertainment options in that part of suburbia.  I asked her what she wanted to do with her law degree and she said something about banking but that she thought maybe when she got into her 40's or 50's she'd try a run for office.

I told her not to wait.

See, here's the deal.  Like I said up above, my party needs bright, young candidates.  Desperately.  I told her briefly about my (failed) attempt at running for office and how I regretted not doing it at a younger age.  I told her I understood the need to make money while you can, but I urged her not to wait so long.  She already had experience canvassing and working in a campaign office and those are not things to be scoffed at.  Imho one of the most intimidating things in a campaign is canvassing, especially if you're the candidate.  You're putting yourself out there, metaphorically, naked and alone and at the mercy of whomever answers the door you've knocked on.  You can meet some pretty great people that way.  You can also get cursed at, get doors slammed in your face (literally) and even get threatened with physical violence.  It's tough work, yet it can be incredibly rewarding and there is no better way to learn what really matters to voters.  I just felt like she was ahead of the game since she was already experienced and comfortable with it.

I gave her a lot to think about.  I really hope she does something, if first impressions mean anything she's incredibly bright and very personable and those are key points in her favor too.  I asked her name, I told her after she gets elected to Congress I wanted to be able to say I knew her way back when.  Brittney, I doubt very much you'll ever read this, but I wish you nothing but the best.  And always support your firefighters *smiley face*

Later, on the ride to the airport from my hotel, the driver asked where I was going.  I replied I was going to "National Airport"

He said "Reagan?"

"Yeah, but I refuse to call it that" I replied laughing.

He asked why and I told him my thoughts about that particular President.  He told me he had another passenger tell him something similar.  He understood.  We spent the rest of the trip to the airport commiserating about the foibles, faux pas and foul ups of 45's run so far.  I didn't ask him where he was from originally, but from the name on his livery card and his accent I think it's safe to assume he came here from the Middle East.  I know how freaked out I get at the prospect of our future here.  I can't imagine how someone who, by nature of his name, speech and appearance is targeted by a large segment of our population due only to those facts.  This man spoke articulately about everything that's been happening here for the last couple dozen or so years.  I remember thinking how so many of the people I know are no where near as prepared for a similar discussion such as the one we had.

So yeah, this town fascinates me.  No doubt.  I find that when I'm here I spend a lot more time staying up to speed on events around the nation as a whole and here in particular.  And, I feel a little ashamed that I'm not as diligent when I get back home.

That's something I need to work on.

Although, for starters, I'm going to a protest tomorrow to "welcome" our Governor in to my town where he'll be attending the annual County GOP party fundraiser.

I wonder if he'll be happy to see me???

Peace

PS - And just in case you're wondering, what started out as a semi-secluded corner of the gate has devolved into a reasonably full house.  Including the little old lady that decided to curl up and take a nap in the chair immediately next to mine.  Thank god I realized she was getting ready to plop into it and was able to grab my laptop bag out of harm's way in time.  Jesus woman, personal space much?

Again,

Peace

Road Beef

Well, here I sit, in my happy place.  One of them anyway.  If you know me, either here or IRL, you know I love me a good coffeehouse.  So I'm currently perched at a window counter, looking out at a drizzly, overcast District of Columbia.

That's not a metaphor, btw, it's the actual weather here today.  Although maybe...

Before this spirals off into a whole other direction, let me get back on task.  I'm out here for our annual IAFF Legislative Conference, just wrapped it up last night, and I'm taking a couple extra days to play tourist.  This town fascinates me, I'm not gonna lie.  I could live out here, except I'VE NEVER WON THE LOTTERY AND JESUS GOD IT'S EXPENSIVE OUT HERE!  Seriously though, there's an amazing amount of things to do here and if you're any kind of history nerd at all *raises hand* you will find yourself enthralled regularly.  The city is incredibly diverse, and it's filled with interesting people.  Choose your definition of "interesting" btw.  All qualify.  Possibly more on that later.

So, to the week.  Monday was filled with speakers, elected officials and one political pundit from a "news" channel I refuse to acknowledge.  Bleeding heart liberal here, sue me.  He's been here before, two or three years ago, I think, and he's actually pretty funny up on the dais.  But I found three of the speakers to be especially impactful.  The newly appointed DNC Chair, Tom Perez, is very passionate about trying to right the ship of the Democratic Party.  I wish him well.  I thought he did a fine job as Secretary of Labor and I hope he can accomplish great things in his new position.  The other two, both newly elected U.S. Senators, were California's Kamala Harris and Illinois' own Tammy Duckworth.  Her speech was one of the most inspiring of the day, mixing humor with drama as she described some of the incidents around her helicopter getting shot down in Iraq.  She spoke of her door gunner, how despite his being wounded himself, taking his weapon and moving from the wreckage to protect the perimeter after the crash until they could get rescued.  This was part of his assignment for the day.  And as she related his sense of duty; how he wasn't about to let anyone in to cause further harm to "his" crew, I think many in the crowd were able to draw parallels to what we, in our jobs, must do from time-to-time.  She pulled a couple standing ovations and prolonged rounds of applause.  Senator Harris spoke of her recognition of some in the political arena trying to balance budgets by throwing stones at public safety employees.  Not an uncommon thread here, but I'm told by my friends from California that she's always had their backs.  From her words Monday I believe she will continue that stance.  I also believe she has bigger things ahead of her.  Very impressive human being.

One of the more enjoyable parts of coming together with firefighters from all over the country is renewing old acquaintances.  I saw a guy that worked us in the Deeg back in the day and left for a gig out by Seattle. Craig and I spent about 30 minutes talking about those days, although it was at the end of the night and there was a little bit of distilled spirits on board so our recollections may not have been very accurate.  Just sayin.  Either way it was good to see him.  I had a nice chat with our 8th District Vice President, Mark Sanders.  I sent him an email voicing my displeasure a couple months ago and had gotten a prompt, thoughtful, respectful reply and wanted to thank him for that.  I saw a handful of guys from the Political Training Academy I attended a couple years ago; guys from Pennsylvania, Cincinnati and Arkansas - shout outs (shouts out?) to JT, Doug and Seth.  In fact, last night after a long day of meetings and such, I had called it a night early.  I was up in my room watching tv while Scott did his level best to maintain our social image when I got a text from Seth asking where I was.  He guilted (not really) me into coming back down for "one" drink.  And we hung out for a couple hours swapping stories and laughing our respective asses off about a variety of things.  Quick plug for the podcast Firehouse Problems Kitchen Table Solutions (which can be found on whatever platform you use) because they do a great job.  I remember one episode in particular (no, not that one, I wasn't in it) Seth and Kyle talked about (but if you're looking for mine it's episode 23.  Take that Womack!) how glad they were that their firehouse had a bunk for each guy because they didn't want to have to roll around in all the disgusting things (unless it was their own disgusting things) science tells us are on our beds.  So, imagine my surprise when Seth told me he and the other guys from Arkansas he had travelled out with were sleeping two to a bed.  Now, I'm no more or less homophobic than the next guy, but that's a line I won't cross unless it's a dire emergency and, quite frankly, I can't visualize just how dire an emergency it would take for me to cross that line in the sand.  Seth, I'm telling you right now, you are obviously more comfortable in your manhood than I am in mine.  Of course all the jokes about cuddling and similar activities ensued because we're a bunch of twelve year olds.

Alright, speaking of funk, I just realized that I've been working on this more or less for an hour.  Since Scott did such an excellent job of keeping our social image well represented last night I probably could have run a marching band through the room with no effect but I decided to just run out for a quick cup of coffee and "a little" work on this.  I think it's time I headed back to the hotel and jumped in the shower.

At least that's what the facial expressions of some of the people around here are telling me...

I may toss out an update or two on my travels out here, I haven't decided yet.  I mean, don't hold your breath, but I have a feeling this city is rife with posting potential.

Besides, since I've been here the sun burned the overcast away and is now shining brightly over the District.

Still not a metaphor...

Peace

Yaaay travel

I enjoy traveling, really, I do. Whether it's driving or flying or by rail (something I'd like to do more) I generally enjoy traveling.

That's not to say my journeys have all been silky smooth. Far from it. But, by and large, I've had a lot of fun on the road. Met some great people, seen some amazing sights. But that's not why you're here. 

I'm currently en route to Washington DC for some union business over the next few days. And by "en route" I mean sitting at the gate because my flight has been delayed by two hours. Quick side note... autocorrect assumed the delay would be days, weeks or years. I'm hoping that's not a sign...

I worked yesterday, and what started out as a crazy busy day with five calls before noon, actually settled into a lovely Saturday including homemade, deep dish pizza for dinner. We slept (mostly) through the night (although I woke up at 2:00 and 3:30) until a call at 4:15 for the medics and one at 4:30 for the engine.

One of the guys from today's shift came in early for me so I was out the door by 6:00, at the airport, checked in, through security (no random Pre Chek assignment today though, sad emoji) coffee in hand and seated at my gate by 7:15 or so. Plenty of time before my 9:16 flight. I was seated for less than a minute, literally, when my phone rang. It was my carrier calling to advise my flight had been  delayed two hours. Sigh. No specifics were given, only that they were making every attempt to get our flight back on time. Uh huh. Short of suspending the time-space continuum I don't think that'll happen.

I probably should have seen this coming. As I packed my bag Friday night, I couldn't find a tie that I liked for the suit and shirt I was bringing. I thought I'd just stop in at the local men's store not too far from the firehouse and pick one up. No big deal. Saturday morning, as I was getting ready to leave for work, I thought I'd grab a sport coat and shirt to wear on the flight (a residual of my time with the pirate) but somewhere in between the coat and the shirt I saw something sparkly. Needless to say I didn't think about the shirt until I was halfway to work. Sigh.

 But wait!  There's more!

I got to work and as I started to change into my uniform I realized I'd also forgotten my belt. Oh well, as I'd already planned on going to the store, I wasn't too terribly bothered by these lapses. Other than, you know, the prospect of dementia looming ever larger.

So here I am. I have a prime location, sun at my back, right next to the gate. I feel a little like Frank Costanza, I'm afraid to move for fear of losing my spot. Even though I've been drinking coffee since before 5:00 this morning. Just sayin. Not only that, one of my favorite pastimes is people watching and there are few locations on the planet better than O'Hare airport to do that. As I sit here and watch the mess of humanity (not a typo) go by, I marvel at how we, as a species, have managed to last this long at the top of the food chain. Like watching the cliffhanging, season ending episode of a favorite TV show, or game 7 of the last World Series, I don't want to blink for fear I'll miss something amazing.

Peace

PS- as I sit here editing this post, I got a call from... any guesses?  Yes, you got it! The carrier!  My flight is now pushed back to 1:00 pm, a mere 3:45 past the original departure time.

Again.

Sigh.

Peace