1.27.2008

On the Brain

I hate how sometimes something can happen that completely consumes you. No matter what, even if it didn't happen to you, you can't stop thinking about it.

Case in point:
The VT shootings of April 16th. I have a ton of friends who go there, and for some reason it truly affected me. In class, in my room, at the station, I couldn't get it out of my head. It brought up bad memories and it drove me insane.

And once again, something has happened to somebody else, and it is terrifying. In my apartment, at the library, while I study, it's always there. Once again brings up bad memories, and it's driving me insane.

Does anybody else have this problem where something that doesn't happen to you ends up affecting you to no end? Just wondering.

1.24.2008

Lyrics

Earlier today, I was thinking about how meaningful some song lyrics can be. Some that don't seem to be ("If I were a carpenter, and you were a lady, would you marry me anyway; would you have my baby?") can have a lot to them, and how some have more and more meaning each time you hear them ("It's those pills that you don't need to take, medicating perfection now that's a mistake").
This evening, we were joking about how I should audition for American Idol. Steverino asked me "what song would you sing?" I think that if I ever had to put myself out there like that, I'd sing "Stand By Me." If you really listen to the lyrics, they're so amazing.

"When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me"

So anyway, that's just a brief rambling on how much song lyrics mean to me.

What lyrics have a lot of meaning for you?
--Sam

1.22.2008

Movies

I meant to post on this earlier. In one day, I saw "27 Dresses" and "The Bucket List" with my mom. I wanted to post something about them, so here goes!

27 Dresses:
Very cute. It's honestly not that bad at all. I was expecting a total chick flick, and I hate chick flicks. The scene at the bar is possibly the most romantic thing I've ever seen. Yes, it's a predictable movie, but not so much so that you shouldn't see it. Good date movie :P

The Bucket List:
Definitely not as cliché as I thought it was going to be. Extremely touching, mildly predictable, and tear-jerking for sure. I liked it a lot, and as my grandfather said, "Jack Nicholson is Jack Nicholson in every movie." Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson make a great, unexpected pair.

In any event, they're both great, and both worth seeing. Can you tell I'm bored?

Heath Ledger

...is dead!?

Here is the article

And for you skeptics, here's another from the Washington Post.

Okay, now I'm not one of those freak-out fan-girl types, but...Heath Ledger is dead!? He was supposed to be in Batman :(

1.19.2008

A little bit about Sam

Alright boys and girls, I've gotten tired of having nothing to write about. Here's the thing: I've been on winter break since I had to come home and get the ol' appendix out. That was roughly six weeks ago, and I haven't run a call since then. When I get back into the swing of things, I'm sure my memory will be sparked, and I will have the push to write about things old and new. But for right now, I'm feeling a little lackluster when it comes to posting.
So here's what I'm going to do. I know that I can *always* write about myself (after all, don't they say that you should write about what you know?), so I'm going to give you a little insight into who this "Sam" is that you all have come to know (and love, I hope).

According to this story, my name is Samantha Evelyn Montgomery. It's not, in case you were wondering. I've been asked many times why I picked the name "Sam", so I will let you in on the story. Once upon a time, my good friend "Anni" told me that fictional characters named Sam reminded her of me (read: Sam from the movie Garden State, and Sam from the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower). I was beyond flattered, and so I promised her that if I ever wrote a book, I'd be named Sam. True to that promise, here we are.

I'm often asked how I got into Emergency Services as well. My dad is an OB/GYN and I grew up around all things medical. When I was a tiny Sam, I had tiny pink scrubs that said "Nurse In Training" on the back that I would wear when I made rounds with him at the hospital. I was very miffed that they were a)pink and b)proclaiming that I was going to be a nurse. I wanted blue or green scrubs like my daddy, and I was most certainly going to be an OB/GYN just like him. Well, I'm still miffed about them being pink, but now I realize that being a doc is simply not for me. For years after the death of my 21-month-old god-brother, I wanted to be a pediatric radiation oncologist. I later came to see that I would be an emotional wreck every day, and I was simply not cut out for that. Later, I wanted to be a forensic scientist like nobody's business. I wanted to go to the University of Tennessee, work at the body farm, and all that. I saw a couple of autopsies, and I was sure that'd be my life's work. Truth be told, I simply wasn't interested in continuing care, and it's hard to do so for the dead. After that I decided to be an English teacher, but that lasted for a very short time. My roommate "Olivia" got an email from her sister one day about a class that taught you how to drive an ambulance (EVOC). She had gotten it from her former professor, and wasn't interested, but thought Liv might be. Sure enough, I get a phone call, and I hear Liv saying "Hey Sam...wanna learn how to drive an ambulance?" I'm always up for an adventure, so I said "Hell yes I do," and a few weeks later I was getting my certificate in the mail. That's how I got started officially, although I had been interested for much longer. As a kid I went to "rescue camp" every year, which was put on by the local fire/rescue. We were taught first aid, CPR, things like that; once I even got to pretend to be a patient for the EMTs that were there to learn more. I had often wondered if I'd make a good EMT, but by the time I was 16, I was applying to colleges, getting distracted by boys, and doing all those extra-curriculars. Moral of the story--what started with pink scrubs is ending with navy BDUs.

Alright, so besides EMS, I do a lot of neat stuff. I'm Secretary of the Senate of my school's Student Government (not to mention a Senator for my class), a member of Alpha Phi Omega (a co-ed service fraternity), a Creative Writing major with a minor in Spanish and a minor in Leadership, a die-hard Redskins fan, a vocalist, an actress, a Girl Scout for 13 years (with my Gold Award, the equivalent of an Eagle Scout Award), and a cross stitching/knitting fiend (don't judge).
I laugh loudly, sing constantly, dance awkwardly, and love wholeheartedly.

Random fact you'd never know about me from this blog:
I'm going to be on the History Channel. I got to act as a patient for the History Channel's show on Nightengale Air Ambulance's 25th anniversary. So if you're ever watching the channel and you see some girl all bloodied up from a 4-wheeler crash getting her pants cut off and her chest needled--that's me!

My favorite quote is either:
"Everything is always okay in the end; if it's not okay, then it's not the end."
or
"The absurdity of life does not relieve one of the duty...to live it through as bravely and as generously as possible."

I'm a very strange girl, but I'll be damned if I'm not as fun as can be! I'm relatively out of things to say right now--props to you if you read all of this. If you have any questions, just comment and I'd love to answer them, seriously. I promise I'll write something you all want to read soon, but I need to get back into that frame of mind before I can.

Two more things:
1) My dear friend over at http://medic9emt.blogspot.com/ was recently working the biggest fire in his city in 10 years. He needs to blog about it. I am *dying* to hear about it from his point of view, rather than from the news. So if you will, please go over there and bother the hell out of him until he obliges. Thanks!

2) Em (http://emergencyemilly.blogspot.com) just got engaged! Go on over there and tell her congratulations, will ya!?

Now you guys take care out there.
--Sam

1.13.2008

Drew

My heart sinks as the tones drop. I know it's something bad; I can feel it in the air.
"Station 1," the dispatcher begins, "respond to 852 Westbury Lane for an unresponsive male." I look around; it's just Drew and me. Everyone else is still at the hospital on another call. Panicked, I pick up the radio.
"Station 1, central."
"Go ahead Station 1."
"Medic 1 will be en route; requesting ALS."
"10-4, Station 1."
As Drew starts the medic, I hear dispatch tone out for ALS, and I pray that somebody answers.
"Medic 11, Medic 1."
"Go ahead Medic 11."
"Medic 11 is still out of service, and will remain so for a while." Shit. Drew looks at me and shrugs.
"Hell, they need somebody," he says as we pull into the driveway.
A fifty-something year old male weighing well over three hundred pounds lies on the ground, breathing irregularly, with a glassy look in his eye. His daughter stands nearby, obviously too traumatized to act. She says something, but the words are fuzzy. I look at Drew, and he looks back with the same scared stare.
"Central, Medic 1."
"Go ahead Central," I say as my voice shakes.
"Medic 1, no ALS is available."
"10-4," I manage to squeak out as I look down at our patient. Drew simply shakes his head.

I sit bolt upright in bed, too startled to worry about the cold sweat I'm in. I feel around as I try to figure out where I am. I'm in my room, in my bed, and it's four in the morning. It was a dream. It was a dream. I pinch myself hard to shock myself back into reality. There was no dying patient, no distressed daughter.
My phone is flashing blue--a text message. I flip it open and see it's from Drew.
"Sam, we need to run a call together now that I'm an EMT!"
I try not to laugh as I type back "Yeah, but how about we wait until I'm ALS." I can't wait to explain that, I think to myself as I roll over.

Managing to ignore a hypnic jerk as I fall back to sleep, I hear it again.
"Station 1, respond to 375 Mill Avenue for an unresponsive female."

1.05.2008

Congratulations (again!)

Kyle is now an officially licensed paramedic! Go on over there and give him a little love. He's worked really hard for this!

(I'll blog again soon...I hope)

Yours,
Sam

1.04.2008

Random Thoughts

Alright you guys, my dear friend Epi has created her own 101 list of goals to complete in 1,001 days. I'm really excited for her, and can't wait to see how she does! Go check her out here and give her your support!

On a side note, I am now the proud owner of a copy of Mother, Jugs & Speed. I am a super happy camper and cannot wait to finish watching it :)

Let's go, Redskins, I expect to see a good game tomorrow!

Yours,
Sam

1.01.2008

Happy New Year!

I do hope that this new year finds you healthy and happy!

In this year, I:
Became an EMT
Got a set of amazing roommates
Made a few enemies
Had some amazing nights with some amazing people
Learned how to trust myself
Challenged myself
Had mononucleosis
Had my appendix out
Met an amazing person that I can't wait to learn more about each day
Learned how to be uncontrollably happy
Smiled a lot

I rang in the new year with my mom, dad, roommate, roommate's fiance, roommate's sister, roommate's sister's boyfriend, and my roommate's parents. We went out for a very nice dinner with an unbelievable creme brulée to end. Then we came back just in time to watch the ball drop, have some Asti Spumonte, and help my roomie start her 101 things.

My 101 things (http://emtsam101.blogspot.com) are going to commence as soon as possible, and I am ridiculously excited about them. I encourage you to make a list too--it's a lot of fun.

Happy New Year :)
Yours,
Sam