Journal Entry

Saturday, September 23, 2000

All of my EMT/EMS gear arrived on Thursday as expected... The stethoscope works well, the scissors look like they could cut through anything, and the polyester uniform shirt fits well. I decided to send back the EMS pants to get a couple more inches around the waist. Why not wait an extra 1-2 weeks for pants that really fit, rather than putting up with a pair that doesn't leave much room for unhealthy college food. Besides, I don't incur any cost for the return or exchange.

Last night I went with a few folks from our floor to watch Gladiator at an on-campus theater. Pretty large, with a huge screen. It was a cool movie--lots of blood and gore, and a little lengthy, but overall very good.

Thursday night I had my first real prelim exam--Chemistry. It was a bit more difficult than I had expected, but the intention is to drive down the average percent correct for the entire class. Basically, in the hopes that it leaves more room on the higher end for simple, stupid mistakes here and there, rather than making them a huge influence on the overall exam grade. It's complicated, but I think I did okay.

Today will be my day to study, do homework as usual, and relax yet again. What weekend is a real weekend without a little relaxation? The week takes its toll, and the weekend has an obligation to me to make up for it. Tomorrow, church and study session for Computer Science in preparation for Monday's CS prelim. Should be fairly easy... basic input, output, variable and array management, and stylistic issues.

Sunday I will also be getting signed off for NY State EMT training reimbursement--my virtual $600+ paycheck (or "reward") for volunteering my professional services to the people of this fine state of New York. When my correctly sized pants arrive, I will begin running shifts with CUEMS. Should be fun.

After the NYS EMT training is complete by May, I will have the opportunity to apply for and test into the National Registry of EMTs, which will give me all but direct reciprocity to Oregon (and most other states)--meaning I can, by way of signing my name and stamping an envelope, be registered as an EMT in Oregon. This, as opposed to being subjected retesting and recertifying with each state I intended to practice in.

If by now you're wondering something like, "Jeez, can't he talk about something other than EMT or EMS?!?" then I have an answer for you. If you really, really want me to talk about the oh-so-interesting topics I'm learning in Calculus and Chemistry, then please e-mail me and I'll suffer through writing them in the journal. Otherwise, that which truly makes my world go around each day will probably be the topic of my journal. Of course it will change fairly often, but recently, you can see what encourages me to rise every morning. That, and the fact that I have this crazy obsession--ack, bad word...make that, fascination--with the UPS tracking system.

And Andrew... I don't know what about the "gold chip" that makes your student ID tick, but our IDs are linked to our meal plans, laundry plans, stored cash (namely Big Red Bucks here at Cornell), and the CornellCard (low-limit credit card account). Though we have no chip, everything is run off of the magnetic stripe and Cornell's central account system. Not sure how many locations accept Big Red Bucks off campus, but I think the number is growing. Very smart idea for college campuses, but I think Penn St. and Cornell share the fact that we are out in the boonies, and everything surrounding the campus is supported by the campus itself.

Hope everybody has an excellent weekend!

Aaron

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