Well it's been a long time since I have written a post here. Not that I have been doing nothing... on the contrary I have been either editing or working on another book(an older one written before The Kings of Angkor. Another one that is dear to me, but that's another story.
No, I haven't just been sitting around. I have decided that the second book in the series will be torn apart and started again. I could see the way I wanted it to start and I wasn't liking the way it was coming along... So I am attacking and tearing apart the 2nd book...
On top of all this I am back in school. I am going for my Fire Fighters 1&2. I had joined the Camden FD back at the end of September. I went to all the trainings even before I was official which came the beginning of Dec. Just in time for the monthly meeting, which was a supper meeting with Camden's Town Manager. Where she welcomed me onto the CFD personally. I can tell you that was a happy day. I will also tell you just because I am a woman doesn't make it easier for me. If anything I feel I have to work harder and now with these classes I am going way beyond anything I have ever thought I would do and it's only the beginning.
Just to get into the academy I had to pass a fitness test. Which for me shouldn't be hard even though I am 50. BUT I had to do it in a certain amount of time... So me who power walks anyway , doing everything had to be faster. Plus I had to do sit-ups and push-ups... Now I have never been able to do push-ups... and I was given the choice to do them regular or bent knee. I thought "sure I will do them bent knee" I only had about a week to get myself up to snuff. I ran every day. Not power walk but run and I was running hard to get my pace and beat my time every day. The chief was impressed because sometimes our work out times would overlap. I decided to move my test day up to the Monday right after Christmas, two days earlier. I figured I have been just about making my time and that's all I had to do was make it. Why torture myself with two more days and not sleeping due to stressing over it... So that Monday I went in. I was bound to get this done and pass. It wasn't an option of failing... At one point though I looked at my distance and the time I had left and I was like "I'm not gonna do it..." Well that just gave me that extra kick. when I was near the finish line I yelled for the Assistant Chief who was timing me and just kicked it into over drive and sprinted the last bit. He yelled at me to stop and said I had done it. I had run further then I had to but didn't even care about my time. All I cared was I had finished it! I told him "give me twenty and I will do the rest. I ended up doing my sit-ups in less then half the time. He said he should have had me do what the 20 year olds were doing. Then came the push-ups... Lol I tried the bent knee and failed...I just couldn't do it. So the good thing about the push-ups. I only had to do 2 and I had as much time as I wanted. I did 3. I am now up to 5 but I only do those once a week. I am running still 6 days a week. I give myself one day off. The first time the chief saw me still running and working out. He came in and was standing next to me while I ran on the tread mill. I pulled my ear bud out and looked at him while I ran and he smiles and says "What are you doing?" I looked at him and said "And what does it look like I am doing? I am running." He smiles and says "BUT you don't have to now you passed and did well." I just shook my head and said "But I have to stay in shape cause it's only going to help me to keep up." He just shook his head and smiled.
Last night at the beginning of class while we were don(ing) our gear he, the Chief says "I am going to be adding work to your lessons on Wednesdays..." I must have been a sight in my gear and putting on my face mask . I stopped and just stared at him open mouthed at him with a look like 'you can't be freaking serious' cause he had added stuff to my course load already that I worked on all yesterday while I was in bed sick. I worked on two FEMA classes. I was still not feeling great. Well he smiles and laughs and says "but I won't tonight because I am upsetting Mary... I can tell by the look on her face... So out of courtesy to her, you guys won't have extra work tonight." I took off my face mask and said "Thank you!" Cause I would have been so over loaded at that point.
So if nothing eles going through the academy is making me realize every minute counts and there is no time for wasting. Any free time I have is used for writing and or studying. When I run I work on plots and scenes.
As my Mom would say "there is no rest for the wicked..."
A P.S. here
It's the 25th of Jan. We are into chapter 12 already, Ladders. Monday at training we went over the Ladder Truck . I was at the controls. To say the classes are hard is well an understatement. Then again there are days I feel like it's easy and then days when it's like I just want to bury my head somewhere. Thank goodness I have a good class and even though the Chief spoke to us on Friday of last week, he thought we didn't interact enough together. He doesn't see us in class because he generally leaves. BUT when we were putting on our gear(don) , one of my classmates always gets his on first in about 29-34 second range. That is getting your night hitch pants on, that includes your boots, then your protective hood, then your turnout coat. Have it all closed up and then your helmet and then your gloves. Well I come in right behind him. My best time has been 34 seconds. When you are complete you slap your gloves together. Then this classmate and and I smile at each other. This time though I saw a gap in his suit which would mean a instant flunk in that part of the end test or if on the fire ground not safe. So I ran over and fixed him quick and the chief smiled at me. He then after everyone got their gear on said "That's what I want to see..."
We really do interact and actually joke around. Ie are just so intent with what we are learning we don't do much at least while he is around.
So with all the studying I make sure in the morning, early I write or edit. Going back to school makes me even more disciplined then I was before.
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