So, my upstairs neighbor needs to change their smoke alarm battery.
It’s evidently mounted in the stairwell just on the other side of my apartment wall and either they can’t hear it or they don’t have a battery for it.
I’ll happily change the battery if they an’t figure out how, I’ll give them one and even a spare.
The lonely, high pitched, beep the thing is emitting has become like Chinese water torture to me. I’m anticipating every beep and, being a firefighter, it pains me to know that there is a detector with a battery unchanged.
Alex asked me last night "What did you do today?". It’s a simple enough question, you’d think.
It happens that yesterday I didn’t do a lot. Right now I’m dispatching a fire call.
I don’t have a typical life, to say the least. I don’t have a ’9 – 5′ job, I haven’t had one since February of 2007, that’s when I decided to take a leap and focus on my companies. It worked, for the most part.
I reallydon’t have a typical day, that’s for sure. The most regular thing I do is coffee with the guys when I can (my offline social networking).
A day for me consists of typical activities set to no particular schedule. Thusly:
Email of course. My email is open whenever I’m near a computer. Lots of you know I can be a speedy responder.
Blog Reading. My Google Reader gets crazy but there are blogs in there that I read on a (nearly) daily basis.
Blog Writing. This has been getting a little lax of late but it’s getting better. I try to post something to one of my blogs at least daily.
Twitter. I try to check in on Twitter when I can during the day. Mostly to say "Hi" and catch up on happenings.
Coffee at the Real Estate office (around 10am and around 4pm)
Working at the Police Dispatch desk and random fire calls often mess up my ‘schedule’. Meetings add something different to some days too.
What did you do today? Are there things you have to do on a daily basis?
I’m feeling…. underquantified. (I know that’s hardly a word)
Do you know what I do? do you know what I’ve done? Do you know what I can do?
Have you ever met a person who seems to know everything?
Have you had a conversation with someone who tries to one-up you in everything you say?
How to you stop yourself from being ‘that guy’? I try my hardest to never be like that and if you ever find me doing that please hit be or something.
At the same time, how do you promote yourself in a public/group setting? How do you let others know what you’ve done, what you can do and what you’re capable of?
While traveling in the UK Dad would spot a Manx License plate somewhere and leave a note on the windshield saying "hi" Random and kind of weird but I hope it would have made a few people smile.
I’ll never forget, during one of many fire company related classes we were discussing ‘Tot Finder’ stickers. You know, the ones that you see in Windows so that firefighters know there is a child in that room in case of emergency. They’re good and bad. People know there is a child in that room, at the same time people know there is a child in that room.
I spotted this on Gizmodo today. The B-2 Stealth bomber is becoming something of a old bird but it’s still heartbreaking to see a 1.2 billion dollar aircraft wrecked like this.
This, by the way, is the aircraft that crashed in Guam a little while ago [see here]
Munhall, Pennsylvania. Just outside Pittsburgh (bordering on the City limits) home to about 10,000 people, 5 fire companies, part of the Waterfront, a large cemetery, and ummm well, it’s Munhall. It’s nice because it’s close to all the necessities. There’s the Waterfront, Mall, Sandcastle, Downtown, Kennywood and all that fun stuff. Even on a more local level, on Main Street for example (yes, Main Street) there is a gas station, fire station, grocery store, pharmacy, card store, numerous tanning salons and numerous pizza companies.
When I’m not at my computer (rare) I’ve been finding myself at the local real estate office. Two doors down the street is an office that has been a part of Munhall for about…. ever. The fact that it’s a Real Estate office and occasionally some real estate is bought, sold or whatever is really only a technicality. During the work week at 10 am and 4pm (and before 10, between 10 and 4, and after 4) a group of local men of varying ages gather there to put the world, and each other to rights. It’s like a daily roast for all involved. There are no holds barred. It’s too bad that so few of the ideas born in the back of that office make it out of the door, surely the World would be a better place for it.
Oh, there is coffee too. Lots and lots of coffee, half as many do-nuts as there can be, a third of the muffins there should be and never enough creamer.
