Rides like a caddy

I got my new ride home on Monday evening. The guy I purchased it from rode it half way and let me ride it on home with his tags and insurance on it. He said to just mail his plate back to him. He told me to ride it all I wanted that evening. He said he would keep the full coverage insurance on it until 9 am on Tuesday. What a nice guy. I rode it straight home, (about 20 miles on the interstate,) as it was getting late and I didn't want to take advantage of his generosity. I put his plate in the mail first thing Tuesday morning. Then on Tuesday afternoon after my shift, I got my own tags and insurance. Off I went for a ride. I rode about 50 miles before going back home. Then I rode it to the station this morning. I think I am going to get a lot of time in the saddle. All the stats that Harley have on file state that the '02 Road King gets 54 miles per gallon on the highway and 35 in the city. That is a huge difference from my 3/4 ton Dodge truck with the V-10 engine getting 9 miles/gallon. As long as the snow holds off, I expect to be on two wheels. Maybe we'll have a mild winter this year?

Today was an ordinary day. We were at the station doing our usual daily duties. Checking off the squad, drink coffee, plan lunch, answer the phone, Go check on the controlled burn someone called in, drink more coffee, etc.
At my station we have an average of 1 run per day. Saying that some days we have none and some days we have 2 or 3. You just never know. Today was an ordinary day as I said. The usual until 15:50. 1 hour and 10 minutes before quitting time. A call came in for Chest pain. Now most of the time we take the patient to the hospital and go through the protocol for chest pain. ( Oxygen, asprin, nitro, monitor (12-lead) and sometimes but not often Morphine.
Today, when we got to the dispatched address, someone met us at the driveway and said that he is hurting real bad. Again most times that means little. This time when we got to the patient he was diaphoretic, grasping his chest and pail looking. On the scene was myself, my partner and two volunteers. First, place 02, NRB 15L. Upon attempting the 12-lead, the ECG patches would not stick because of the sweat. They would not stick long enough for a 3-lead. He had an elevated BP and irregular pulse. This guy was not obese and he was only 54. As the volunteers brought the cot in, I said let's get him in the squad and get going. After getting him in the squad, and getting enroute, Volunteer driving, I made the decision to "Light them up", the usual took place. IV, nitro, asa and dry him off to attempt 12-lead again. This time we got the 12-lead. He was having a septal STEMI. He then said the pain would not let up. I gave him a second nitro and went for the morphine. Then the pucker factor set in for real. He went unresponsive and the monitor said V-fib. ACLS went into full swing. Long story short. If you can call this short. After 2 shocks and one round of drugs and a brief period of CPR, we got a pulse back and he sat up. I never did get time to give the Morphine. Upon arrival at the hospital, they did their thing and raced him off to the cath lab.
Sometimes in this business, there are so many "bandaide" runs and you get kind of "tired" of the Crap that you have to put up with. Every time I think there is so much crap that it is not worth all the hours of training and working on our skills, then today happens, and you really make a difference. Bottom line is that if not for the Medic crew on station today, that man would be dead right now. I don't know if this guy will make it back home or not, but he has the best chance anyone could have. He was in the cath lab before we were done with the report. If you are a person who prays as I, remember him and his family tonight and remember all the Medic crews out there who put up with the crap day in and day out just to make a difference once in a while.

New Ride

A while back, I said that I was looking for a motorcycle. Well, today was the day that I became the proud owner of a new Harley Road King Classic. It is a 2002 model with just less that 4000 miles. It is for all practical purposes, a "new" machine. I will be the third owner, but with only 4000 miles, this machine has not been ridden. At least not much. I looked at different machines on the net, and last weekend, a friend and myself went to a salvage shop, and a couple stops at dealers, "to look". Nothing at the salvage shop for me. Brand new machines cost around $20,000. That is a bit above my funds availability. I was thinking that I would limit myself to $10,000. Everything I found under the 10,000 mark was significantly older and with age, they had miles, lots of them. Most were in the 1992 year range with over 30,000 miles. And they were still near the top of my limit of funds, somewhere between 8 and 10 thousand dollars.
After much thought, I came to the conclusion that if 16 year old machines were still bringing that much, that money spent on a "new machine" could be recouped down the road, after I ride it those miles. That means, in fact, that if nothing changes, I should be able to sell the machine in 2016 and still get near $10,000 for it. That being said, the Road King will only cost me the dollars over that amount that I had to come up with. Plus maintenance and repairs, if any, (and that comes with any machine).
I had to do much talking, (to the wife), to get her to agree with spending the $12,500 that my new ride cost but with convincing, she agreed. She even went with me to look at it. And (upon my suggestion) she was the one who signed the check. I thought that was a good idea. That way I can always say she bought it for me.
I did have to take her to dinner on the way home. That was another $50. But she did buy ice cream at the dairy queen.
I can't wait now to get it home and take a ride. I should have it in my garage later this week. The current owner wanted to wait for the check to clear before I could take possession. That was agreeable. I would want the same. He even threw in a leather "Harley" jacket that he never wore. It still has the tags on it with the price of $192. I hope he is as happy with the deal as I.

15th Anniversary

Yesterday, July 10 was exactly 15 years that I married my wife. A lot of the time people say that it was a mistake to get married. Not for me. When my wife and I got married, I knew that it would be a good thing. Don't ask me how, but some things you just know. We usually plan to go somewhere on a trip. This year we went over the 4th. We were gone for 3 days. It is good to get away but always good to get home.
When I got up yesterday, there was a nice card from her on the table for me to see first thing. Last week, I ordered roses to be delivered to her work on the 10th. She called me at about noon to thank me for the flowers. They had arrived. Bonus points for me....everyone at her work saw them being delivered.
After getting home from the dept. she asked me if I wanted to go out to dinner. I told her that I had a late lunch and would likely enjoy that after a short nap. She agreed to the nap. Well, me on the couch and her in the bed, we each got some shut eye. She was up first and woke me at about 8ish. Well, I was not in the mood for a heavy meal then.
I asked her where she wanted to go, and she said for me to decide. I did just that.
I took her to Dairy Queen. I got her a chilli dog and me just a milkshake. It appears she was thinking something more.
I am now going to go a little further and take her to a "nice" place tonight. Maybe "Red Lobster" or "Road House". I think she might enjoy that more. I think I will eat an earlier lunch today and not nap first.
And YES, I would marry her all over again.
Only 35 more and we make 50 years.

The last evening of our trip.

On Saturday night, we were in Strausburg, Ohio. They were having a festival and fireworks in New Philly, about 10 minutes down the road. After dinner at a pizza buffet, we decided to see what the celebration was like. We got to see fake tattoos, green hair, and a fake Kiss concert. What was most impressive was the amount of people they could squeeze into such a small area.

A stop on our trip.

We stopped at a fire dept in Toronto, Ohio. They had a nice memorial of 9-11 near their station. The sun was fading some of the items but it did bring a lump to my throat. They were getting ready for the parade in their town. The town was small but it was one of the cleanest towns on the Ohio river.

July 4 trip with the wife

My wife and I went on a small trip over the weekend. Since the 4th of July was on Friday, it seemed like a good time to go away. Also since I have been seriously thinking about a bike (one with a motor), we stopped at this HD shop to "look".
And "look" we did. They had two nice looking bikes but one had 60,000 and the other had 70,000 miles. They must have been owned by some serious riders. The oldest one was a 97 model. I think I will keep looking. I am thinking I can find something in the 10,000 mile range. I have decided I can't take anything less than a Road King.

Jump or stand fast?

I'm thinking about buying a motorcycle. I've owned motorcycles most of my life. About 5 years ago, I sold the last two I had. I have been without a bike ever since. I told myself then, that if I ever got another, it would have to be big, newer, and a Harley.
I have been half-heartedly looking for a short while. Last night I found this one. It is just what I imagine myself having. With fuel prices the way they are, it makes more sense now than ever.
I guess the question is not whether to buy it or not, but whether to A). Ask the wife if I can have it and have her say no. Or B). Get it and ask her for forgiveness. She might be angry for a while but she would probably get over it. Eventually.
It seems I have a lot to think about in the next few days.