Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Ben update

As you all know Ben started his 1 month of hell, I mean academy with Ventura City Fire on December 15th and I thought I should send out an update. Week one started out pretty mello with your regular administrative / HR business. We are all set up with our benefits which are pretty decent, I was happy to hear our HMO actually includes Acupuncture and Chiropractic:). Mello ended last Thursday with search and rescue drills along with RIC (rapid intervention crew) . While I was home being the happy home/trailer maker, as Ben puts he was getting the shit kicked out of him. The crazy part is he likes it. When he came home he was drenched in sweat all the way through to his underwear and omg he wanted a hug and kiss and being the good wife I am, I told him to go away. Since Thursday it has been an overall ass kicking. Friday, is a blur to Ben, Monday they tried to kill him. by having them do crossfire exercise in full turn outs to include their SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) which all together weighs about 70lbs. This exercise lasted about an hour. Ben said at one point he started to see stars and thought he was going to pass out, but he didn't he pushed through and was happy with the calories burned. I think I would rather skip a meal. Tuesday they had EMS classes which are not physically hard but mentally draining. Ben has it drilled into him according to Riverside Protocol but now has to some how erase all that and learn the Ventura way. I have no doubt that he will kick its ass. Ben is a very smart man and loves to Learn. The rest of this week including today is pulling hose which is very strenuous. Ben is coming home drenched and ya I still tell him to go away, he smells really bad. The first part of the week we were practically out of water and Ben was unable to shower, he had to use baby wipes to get the stink off, poor guy. At least tonight he can take a hot shower if that's what you want to call it, you get wet, turn off the water, soap up, turn on the water to rinse and your done.
Even though Ben is wiped out he is very happy and looking forward to his career with Ventura City Fire. By what he tells me it sounds like they are all a bunch of good guys. I'll keep you posted as he progress's, keep him in your thoughts.
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3 comments:

  1. Rob LangleyDecember 21, 2011 at 10:36 PM

    This is Bob again. Determining how much space you really need to live comfortably is pretty interestng exercise. Linda and I always get along just fine traveling up the coast or in the Sierras in our Rv which has around 180 square feet. But, at home we appreciate all of the 3000 square feet we have in our house. It really leads one to wonder how big a house you really need.

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  2. Eastman Trailer Trash DiariesDecember 22, 2011 at 5:47 PM

    I agree when I think about the space we used in a 3200 sq. ft. It was mainly the kitchen, family room and our bedroom, Granted we had others using some of the other space. Now here is a different story, this trailer is great for camping almost to big, but to live in as if a house is a little ok a lot to small. I do think when we buy we will be fine with 1000 sq. ft. but we will need good outdoor space that can accommodate the trailer for times when we have company as will need somewhere to sleep them. How much space does one need. Definitely something to think about.

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  3. Eastman Trailer Trash DiariesDecember 27, 2011 at 9:52 PM

    It's week three and Ben can hardly move, but he is still smiling in between grunts and groans. He received his station/shift assignment today, yeah that means we can start making plans and Ben will be back to semi normal. He was assigned to station one which is a bicycle ride from here and still very close to mid town, where we want to live. Ben is excited to start. He has had the opportunity to already get to know his Engineer and Ben says he is a really good guy. Everything is going great for Ben.

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