The life,times, troubles, toils, and tribulations of Raymond.

 
Yesterday, for fun, I went to a Physical Agility Test for the Garden Grove Police Department. That now rates pretty high up on my list of “Stupid Things Raymond Has Done.” Now, this was mainly stupid because I am very much out of shape. I know you would think the fast paced world of radio would give me a ripped body of a Greek god. Not quite the case, instead I am stuck with the mildly active Irish body of a guy who sits on his ass for hours at a time. So in going to this Physical Agility Test I just about induced a Myocardial Infarction on myself. Now I want to make it clear that I did pass the test……I actually did well on the first two thirds of the test. But by the last third of the test I was not in good form.

The Physical Agility Test consisted of three different portions, a 440 yard run, a dummy drag , and an obstacle course. I decided to start with the 440 yard run. I figured if there was anything that was going to kill me, it would be the quarter mile sprint. You are required to complete the 440 yards in 1:52. Yours truly finished in 1:19, of course I couldn’t feel my legs nor get them to move in rhythm by the time I finished the course. But alas, I finished, so there. Ah ha! I have conquered the quarter mile.

The second portion of the Physical Agility Exam was a drag of a 165 pound dummy 35 feet in 10.3 seconds. Now I really couldn’t feel my legs but I knew all I had to do was drag this dummy so I could grab ahold and start falling backwards. No real skill here. I was able to take care of it in less then 6 seconds.

Now I had breezed through my first two parts…of course my heart was about to explode but I had made it this far, and dammit I was going to finish it out. Now the obstacle course wasn’t to bad when you really look at it. But lets remember that the last time I did anything remotely athletic, I was playing a nancy game of touch football against a bunch of girls, and I wasn’t even good enough to cop a feel. So this course did have the potential to eat me up and spit me out. The first part of the course was a slalom where you just had to run back and forth between these boards. Doesn’t look bad from the outside but when you run it you realize that is about quadruples the distance you have to cover. Then there is the scaling of a 6 foot wall. You get three chances to scale it. Lets just say I was getting close to not making it but on that 3rd try I got over that sucker. After that you have to walk a balance beam. No problem for me. Then some belly bars, which are like hurdles that you have to swing your body over. I was able to handle these. Next, a four foot wall, not quite as daunting as its six foot brother. After the second wall climb you have to traverse some monkey bars. Now this I was able to handle but I really wonder how often in the pursuit of criminals does a peace officer need to climb monkey bars. Whatever. It maybe took me longer then I would of liked but I was able to handle them without falling on my ass. Finally we have to jump through a simulated window, I was tempted to dive through it, maybe break my neck and end it all, but I crawled my way through it and then finished the course with a short sprint.

This all has to be completed in 1:53. Yours truly finished it in 1:51. SO, all you slow assed criminals had better watch out. Cuz I will chase you across monkey bars and over 6 foot walls and then shoot you for making me do all that.

posted by Raymond at 2:35 PM

 
So yesterday I drove down to Wilmington, and took the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Technician Certification test. I called for my results today…..I got a passing score of 83. I was a little disappointed that I scored that low but I figured I passed so I should just be happy. So, I guess I will soon be certified to save lives in the State of California. Whoohoo! I am waiting for a callback from Lifeline Ambulance this week. If I don’t get called this week, I think I will contact AMR or Care Ambulance down in Orange County. Both of whom I have heard are good companies to work for and both have rigs that respond to 911 calls. So those could be very interesting gigs if I end up doing that. So we shall see.

In other news, they have apparently reopened a closed theater as a dollar theater in La Mirada. And I am excited. I am currently too poor to pay the $7 to go to the nice AMC or Krikorian theaters nearby, so now I have the option of going to the theater for $1.50. Yea! for me. I remember when it was a regular run theater. It used to be a nice Krikorian Theater, and I had been there once before. In fact I think I saw Toy Story 2 there when it opened in theaters. But then it closed shortly after that when the economy took a little dump. And the place stayed empty for a while. But now it is back as cheap entertainment. Yahoo!

Well the baseball show is winding up tonight, and the level of homosexual references is reaching an all-new high. I must regain control. Goodnight Now!

posted by Raymond at 12:06 AM

 
Thursday, September 04, 2003
10:24pm

Yesterday I drove home to have lunch with Mom, and talk about how I was looking at a possible career change. It is kind of weird going back home now, because everything is the same, yet everything is different. She seems to be taking the lack of children in the house fairly well, although I guess a better way would have been to ask Dad how she is taking it. Anyway she took the news well. Basically she just emphasized that she really wants we to finish up my degree from Biola. Which is something I very much wanted to do, its just that I do not have the financial freedom, nor do my parents, to enable me to do so. I really just wish I knew what I do now, about 14 months ago. I would of just stayed and finished out classes even though it would of taken me a little longer.

But like I said both Mom and Dad seemed to take my ideas of career change pretty well. I have my Los Angeles County test Tuesday. I am going to try and cram over the weekend and make sure I pass this puppy first time around. I am trying to figure out how to test for Orange County but I am not having much luck finding out. Although I am not tremendously worried about that now.

I went and applied at Lifeline Ambulance in Montebello. They seem like a nice small company, but seeing as how they are a small company, I am unsure as to if they will be able to offer a full time job. I overheard a little bit of talk in the office but I didn’t hear enough to make sure. I guess I will see how things go there, once I am able to figure out the whole Orange County EMS thing I plan on applying to Care Ambulance. So we shall see how that all goes.

Regular season Raiders and UCLA football are launching this weekend, time for me to say goodbye to all my free weekends, but at least it is fun work. Beats having a real job.

posted by Raymond at 10:47 PM

 
Hanson Rocks!

So last night I was treated to one of the better concerts in my young concert going career. The Hansons, Live at The House of Blues, Anaheim. And for as much crap as they get, those three kids are some talented musical bastards. First of all Lindy and I were quite surprised by the sheer number of people. That venue was pretty much packed out. And there were your normal range of girls of all ages, but also there was an odd mix of guys out for the show too. In fact by the time Lindy and I had arrived the line to get into the building extended quite a ways. I was unsure it this was the line for Hanson or Big Thunder Mountain, but alas it was for Hanson. The weird thing was though, when we got in line there was lonely looking fellow about our age, perhaps a little younger, that looked completely out of place. Even odder was, when we got in line behind him we saw that he was wearing a Bob Dylan concert T-shirt. Obviously this was someone who did not belong to this mass of Hanson lovers (and neither did I really). After waiting in front of us for about 5 minutes he walked away never to be seen again.

All in all the concert those guys put on was really solid. They performed for just shy of 2 hours and they covered all of their hits and hit a few classic oldies including: “Summer Time Blues,” “Gonna Rip It Up” “Teach Your Children Well,” and “Love Me.” A very solid show and a very intense crowd, highlighted by one girl raising a sign that said “Hey Isaac, Wanna Pork?” God bless Hanson fans. Because I am sure no one else will.

I talked to Ben after the concert and he seems to be doing well in Boston. He has found an apartment to live in. Expensive, I hear but at least he has a roof over his head now. I really hope I can get out and visit him soon and see how things are going for the kid.

I was thinking that I really do kinda miss school. I hope and pray that I will get a job that will support me enough to allow me to go back to school in the Winter; and not just because everyone else has their degrees but I still feel like there is so much for me to learn, and I just keep thinking I could do more if I just had a bit more of an education behind me. Well that’s enough for now.

posted by Raymond at 5:09 PM