So here we are, at the end of my first week of school. It's my first weekend as a mature student (which I'll be spending as my freelancer self, but that's beside the point) - tadaa. *plants flag ( Read more... )

How come night shifts are never quiet when you want them to be?  Hardly saw the bed tonight. Silver lining: I got to see a gorgeous sunrise from the wrong side of the night.

If you have a few minutes to spare, you'd be a huge help! I've been recruited to organise and write some newspaper articles for St John Ambulance profiling various volunteers in my region. They're pretty straightforward interview-style articles ( Read more... )

I just came off an impromptu night shift at Richmond station (the cosy one that's actually a house). I hadn't done a full night before. So far, it involved lots of tv watching, banter, a 3-hour drive to the middle of nowhere for a migraine, and then sleeping for 4 hours before being dropped home. There's definite cool factor to being dropped off at ( Read more... )

I'm coming off my shift today feeling a bit stressed and inadequate to the task of knowing everything I should. But, as my dad once told me, there's no shortcut for experience except experience. And to add good advice to good advice, when I caught up online, the dailyquotes quote of the day that met my eyes was ( Read more... )

It has finally happened. I bought a watch. My 11-year-old intention to live outside the shackles of time as much as possible has been compromised. From now on, at least once a week, I'll have to wear it. This probably doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary to most of you, let alone a reason for woeful moaning, but I feel like something ( Read more... )

I'm off tomorrow morning to my St. John Induction course. I imagine it will entail the usual subterranean caverns, ceremonial robes and blood oaths (particularly appropriate given the nature of the profession, don't you think?) - which means I will be MIA until Sunday night/Monday morning. I know - crazy. I, Alsha, internet addict of the most ( Read more... )

This weekend is my Induction weekend - finally! Come Saturday morning, I'll get to leave the house at 5am and bike down to the ambulance station, where I'll catch my ride to Blenheim. Then it's two days of Inductiony activities (not a clue what they'll entail) and motelling with a stranger for a night. I'm missing the chance to see the kakapo ( Read more... )

Three weeks till my ambulance induction weekend. The location was just confirmed - in Blenheim - so I get a weekend away at St John's expense! Most likely I can get a ride over with one of the station managers; it'll mean getting picked up around 5am on a Saturday morning to get there in time for the 8am start, but that's okay. Roadtripping with ( Read more... )

My St John induction course is still a month away. I'm starting to feel restless again without shifts to look forward to, especially with work being relatively slow as well.

On the bright side, I've written 1000 words over the last few days, entered a contest to win an electric scooter, and discovered that Mike Carey's Lucifer keeps getting ( Read more... )