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November 2009

The Archives

• Libel

  THANKS FOR LISTENING

  11.30.09 | Permalink | 5 Comments

  If you haven’t noticed, I have been blogging a lot lately.  I have been in a funk.  In a mood.  In a depression.  And completely alone.  I work mostly at night now.  I sit in a little room where the phone rings every time someone dies.  I then assess whether or not tissue and eyes [...]

• Libel

  SECOND AMENDMENT

  11.29.09 | Permalink | 8 Comments

  Back in 2000 I worked for a private ambulance company in Dallas, TX.  I had become part of a fairly tight knit clique of individuals.  And as will often happen with EMS cliques, we went drinking on a semi-regular basis.  One of the kids who had gone drinking with us on one particular outing (I [...]

• Libel

  VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE

  11.28.09 | Permalink | 2 Comments

  “I brought you in here to talk about a run.”  The Director had called me into his office.
  “Shoot.”  I had nothing to hide.
  “Well, a nursing home complained about you.  They said you asked too many questions.”
  I was racking my brain to figure out who I had pissed off lately.  There were two or three candidates, [...]

• Libel

  SEIZURES, SEX CRIMES, AND ROLLER COASTERS: A CAUTIONARY TALE

  11.27.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  I was huddled up in the closet that functioned as a radio room adjacent to the ambulance bay.  It was way passed the bedtime of responsible adults.  I was smoking a cheap cigar and playing ‘Roller Coaster Tycoon.’  I never was any good at that game.  I always spent hours trying to build the most [...]

• Libel

  THE DORABELLA MOVEMENT

  11.26.09 | Permalink | 5 Comments

  This is the second installment in my series of blog portraits that were inspired by Sir Edward Elgar’s ‘Enigma Variations.’  The first portrait in this series and an explanation can be found here.  As will always be the case with these portraits, the name of this person will be withheld. 
  *           *           *
  “She is [...]

• Libel

  THE MAGIC OF HOLLYWOOD

  11.23.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

  I asked why he was called Hollywood, and no one really knew.  He had quite a reputation for having a personality.  Those who hadn’t worked with him had at least heard a story about him and knew who he was.  His biggest claim to fame was something called the trauma dance, and he performed it [...]

• Libel

  THEY CALL ME RED BAG

  11.19.09 | Permalink | 3 Comments

  I was having gastronomical problems.  That may be putting it mildly.  It was actually quite horrific.  But to get through my shift on the ambulance I had developed a rhythm.  I would make a run, drop off the patient, and run to the restroom to take care of some business.  Make a run, drop off, [...]

• Libel

  LACK OF SLEEP

  11.18.09 | Permalink | 1 Comment

  Lately this blog has been my cathartic dumping ground while I reconstruct my career, and this post will be no different.  The events that I am about to describe have haunted me for years.  I am almost 40 years old, and it is hard to change gears and start in a new direction.  This may [...]

• Libel

  BUICK VS. HOUSE

  11.13.09 | Permalink | Comment?

  The turn proved to be too tight.  The huge divots in the lawn were proof of that.  At first big chunks of lawn were missing, as if a dog had spent all day looking for a lost bone.  Further into the grass the tires had found some purchase and bold muddy ruts were visible.  This [...]

• Libel

  THE NIMROD MOVEMENT

  11.10.09 | Permalink | 8 Comments

  Years ago I picked up an overtime shift in Denton, TX.  It was a vacation station.  Our company decided to have a presence in Denton, but the presence came before the contracts and crews mostly sat around doing nothing while our competitor ran all the calls.  Consequently it was the most coveted overtime shift in [...]

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Buckman is the co-host of EMSEduCast.com and a frequent contributor to EMSGarage.com. Swim at your own risk.