What did you do today?

[MexicanDragon]

Haven't been around much but the past week:

Started a new job last Monday. Easy stuff, being trained, learning quicker than others, applying things quicker than others, kinda having fun with that part. Realizing I need to go back to school. Eyes are shot from looking at crappy screens all day without access to HC Chat. Got to go out drinking for the first time in a long time with some people friday after going to a AA minor league baseball game (Chattanooga Lookouts, former Reds and now Dodgers farm team). The blue hats are much cooler than the red ones. I did take my camera to the game/after-game festivities and got a few hundred pictures (many just playing with settings while shooting fireworks). Oh, after getting in around 4am I was right back up to go to my little girl's penultimate soccer game of the year. Skies were overcast, starting to sprinkle, but the game wasn't called off. That is, until we got there. We pulled in as 75 SUVs were pulling out of a lot in the pouring down rain. I then spent 2 hours with the kids in a waiting room with about 15 other people waiting to see my brother during visitation in a local "correctional facility". That was a blast. Then went to a birthday party 1.5 hours late for someone from Xavier's daycare... wound up hanging out for 3 hours. The woman throwing the party (the kid's grandmother) and I talked for a couple hours while the kids played. She has a pet wolf. Memo to self: don't let Xavier spend the night.

So far the new job is going well, though. Spent all of today out of training an "on the floor." We have certain standards to meet, and a way to keep track of it. I was on goal to beat what I needed today, but we ran out of work, so back at it again tomorrow. Heh... I did have to tell my trainer how to use a new messaging system we got, and was, on my second or third day, called out by my supervisor (above the trainer) about giving advice to the other trainees (over what had just been covered... some didn't retain the information as well). Heh. Oops.

**BRENT**

[Superpredator]

Planted leftover CSA potatoes from last season.

[Knuckledragger]

Had a crazy ex try to make contact with me. I ignored her. \

[Craig Sawyers]

Had a crazy ex try to make contact with me. I ignored her. \

Probably a good idea - you've seen the movie Fatal Attraction?

[diebenkorn]

Went to visit my friend in gainesville (never thought there would actually be a place that I would want to live in Florida) Shot some pistols for the first time, an old colt (can't remember the caliber) a browining 1911, hk 45 and walther 22. My friend assures me shooting is much more fun outside then in some concrete bunker with paper men.

[morphsci]

^^^ Go back in July and see if you change your mind.

[tyrion]

Summer in Gainesville is brutal.

[Salt Peanuts]

Found out there's yet another possible development in plan for woods behind/next to our house. Now I need to find out exactly where in the woods they're are actually planning for this development as there are 2-300 acres of woods behind/next to our house.

[boomana]

Just spent the entire morning at yet another Aggression Control training. I've been to at least 15 of these over the years and they really piss me off (yes, I get the irony). There is nothing realistic about 80% of the stuff they teach you, and I can only wonder if these paid trainers have actually ever been attacked in their lives. Sure, wouldn't it be nice if someone realitvely my size came at me with a single punch to the head I could easily block and then back away a nice five feet and call for help. Yup, that's how I'm going to choose my next attacker. The review on pressure points is always helpful, but that's about it.

Back around 1983, I worked at a children's home (ages 12-21) in Longmont, Colorado. Every one of the "children" was mentally retarded, psychotic, and violent, and they lived there year round. No one fought clean, and every body part was a weapon. We used to have to leap off furniture to take them down and restrain them, if needs be, because you get a 20-year-old psychotic male on an adreneline rush, you do what you have to. Last time I was attacked at work, fortunately many years ago, a rather large patient who had been calmly eating a popscicle unexpectedly jumped up and swung a chair at my head, then came after, fighting. I learned in the Aggression Contol training that would have been my fault for being too close, but then someone should have designed our offices larger. Yes, I get the whole de-escalation thing, which I'm quite good at, but sometimes you don't have that choice. I get the whole legal and ethical take on no harm to the patient, but the truth is that I work almost entirely alone on the second floor of my building, and if someone is going to attack me, they can go ahead and fire me because I'm more ethically inclined to protect myself in any way I see fit.

Now I'm all pissy and have a morning's work to catch up on. I'm typing here to calm down from all my built up aggression....actually do feel a bit better

Edited April 28, 2010 by boomana

[Dusty Chalk]

Did you tell them you were taking an outside course (from VPI)? Maybe next time you can test out.

(makes a mental note to sign up for a martial arts class)

[shellylh]

Sounds like a bunch of BS to cover their asses. If there is one thing I have learned in Krav Maga is that men are really big and strong and that I don't want to be attacked. On the other hand, if I am every attacked, there is not going to be any backing away and calling for help!

[Beefy]

I don't envy you, boomana. I always remember a friend of the family who was a mental health nurse when I was much younger. They used to constantly check that they were the one with the keys, just to help keep themselves sane......

And your aggression training sounds exactly like what police friends go through. Don't use the taser, don't use the baton, don't pull the gun, don't touch the bad guy - just bring them in on the strength of kind but firm words. Ridiculous!

*

Me? Same thing I've been doing every day this week. Trying to prepare a seminar for a very important conference, without having the final data yet. Goddamn research assistants - would be quicker to do the whole bloody thing myself

[tyrion]

I learned that the Flaming Lips cancelled the show for tomorrow night. Now I have to decide if I will go to see Albert Castaglia and ZZ Top instead.

[boomana]

Sounds like a bunch of BS to cover their asses. If there is one thing I have learned in Krav Maga is that men are really big and strong and that I don't want to be attacked. On the other hand, if I am every attacked, there is not going to be any backing away and calling for help!

That's pretty much my thought on the matter.

What's interesting is how our client base has also changed over the years. So many of our younger (21-25) patients are into Ulitmate Fighting, are steroild abusers, and whatnot. We're talking about patients that have trained for at least a few years in various martial arts, boxing, and basic brawling and they like to intimidate with it when they feel insulted or offended, which is pretty much all the time.

That said, we have a very very low incident rate of person-on-person violence here, though lots of walls have seen their share of abuse. The last time I even felt slightly threatened was about a year or so ago when I was doing a family session with a crazy, brain-injured wife and her ex-husband, who had a long history of domestic violence between them, with her as the aggressor. The husband was sitting next to me, and the door was between us. She lept from her chair across the room, charging at him, arms flailing, and I was able to grab one arm, swing her with her own momentum out the door and close it fast. This all happened in about one second, and I wasn't even consciously aware of what had just happened for a few more seconds. Reflexes are interesting, but I'm fully aware that I was lucky and it could have gone an entirely different direction. The husband had just covered his head and crouched down in his chair, and would have been zero help.

[cetoole]

Put a security deposit down for an apartment in Hoboken.

[Superpredator]

Found out there's yet another possible development in plan for woods behind/next to our house. Now I need to find out exactly where in the woods they're are actually planning for this development as there are 2-300 acres of woods behind/next to our house.

That bites. Some asshole just built a house on the magical little wooded half acre at the bottom of the street where I grew up. We used to engage in heady summer games of flashlight freeze tag there. Asshole.

[jinp6301]

Put a security deposit down for an apartment in Hoboken.

nice. I have a friend who lives around there

[Craig Sawyers]

That bites. Some asshole just built a house on the magical little wooded half acre at the bottom of the street where I grew up. We used to engage in heady summer games of flashlight freeze tag there. Asshole.

Happens all over the world. The countryside we used to play in as kids and chill as teens first became an open cast coal mine, was infilled, and then a four lane road put through. Life sucks when they erase your childhood.

[mypasswordis]

[boomana]

Put a security deposit down for an apartment in Hoboken.

[en480c4]

Put a security deposit down for an apartment in Hoboken.

No jokin'!!!

[en480c4]

Last day in Jacksonville and the conference ended @ noon, so I swung by the beach. What a surprise... The water is a little warmer in Florida than is in Maine!

[shellylh]

That's pretty much my thought on the matter.

What's interesting is how our client base has also changed over the years. So many of our younger (21-25) patients are into Ulitmate Fighting, are steroild abusers, and whatnot. We're talking about patients that have trained for at least a few years in various martial arts, boxing, and basic brawling and they like to intimidate with it when they feel insulted or offended, which is pretty much all the time.

That is a bit frightening.

Put a security deposit down for an apartment in Hoboken.

Cool!

[jinp6301]

fell asleep in class

i think no one noticed

[aardvark baguette]

^^ should've used the pencil trick.