I am so glad it’s the weekend…considering I worked both days of last weekend due to a project at work, I’ve been looking forward to just having this weekend.   Today was a really nice low key day as I took a coworker and his wife to Doukenie to help celebrate her birthday.  They’d never really been wine tasting, but they enjoyed it enough to become club members.  I joked with someone there that with as many people as I’ve been recruiting for their club lately, I should get something   We left Doukenie and stopped by the outlet mall in Leesburg.  Man, that’s just dangerous for me.  The Coach store has moved and is much BIGGER!  Once done shopping, we headed over to Clyde’s in Ashburn for dinner.  It turned out to be a very nice low key day.

I can officially practice my medic stuff in VA now.  And I’m looking forward to starting my internship with the County. It’s going to be a hell of a lot of time and effort, but will be very relieved when it’s done.

Right now, I’m watching the very first episode of SNL that was ever aired, and it’s kind of like watching ghosts.  It’s being aired obviously in remembrance of George Carlin…but just to watch so many people (John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Andy Kaufman, Jim Henson) that you know died long before they should have is kind of eery.

Tomorrow, I really would like to do _nothing_, but with the upcoming move, I really should work on packing.

Also, I’m kind of irritated with the fear mongering and panic on the TV news about "OH NOES THERE WILL BE BLOOD IN DC NOW THAT GUNS ARE ALLOWED!"  I actually don’t think the crime rate will notably change either way.

I am so incredibly exhausted but pretty much every moment of the last 2 days has been worth the exhaustion.

Saturday: I went to Doukenie with a couple of friends who were threatening to give up on VA wine after trying another place and they just were not impressed at all.  I took them as my guests on Saturday.  They liked it so much that one of them signed up for the club.  We hung out on the "club members" patio for probably about 3 hrs, partaking in the pig roast (soooo good!) and killing a couple of bottles.  We started to leave about 3, and just as we were leaving…other friends of mine pulled up.  Since the first set were just leaving and heading home, I kind of "ditched" them and stayed and hung out with the second set…and joining them for food later.  It really turned out to be such a wonderful day, even better than I imagined.  While I missed seeing other friends who were out at Breaux, this was still a very enjoyable day.

Sunday: ENGINE time.  I haven’t ridden a fire engine in probably 2 years, mostly because I thought it a waste of my time while pursuing my medic.  But now, I am trying to get engine time and start looking at how to be the EMS provider for an engine company.  It started out with 1 call, then get food, then do some housework, another call, then some training videos/discussion, then finish the housework…then hose testing in the parking lot (basically, this means testing/inspecting all the hose lengths for any leaks, ruptures or other issues), then reracking the hose.  Shortly after this, we got our last 2 calls back to back which were on I95….in opposite directions.   We finally got back to the station just in time for me to change and go into the bingo hall to work bingo.  I didn’t even have time to help them take the engine out of service, and put everything away, etc.  Today completely and totally kicked my ass though.  I was cursing that I didn’t take any workout clothing…I didn’t need to, I got a hell of an upper body and even lower body workout through the hose testing.

I’m going to go collapse in bed now…SLEEP!  (Oh, and tomorrow, I’m doing this type of thing again, but with the ambulance)

This week is going and beyond to be just insane.

Monday: Work then putting ambulance in service with my chief and one other person overnight.

Tuesday:  Work then headed out to dinner with some friends, then have to go to the firehouse to pick up the excursion for the next day.

Wednesday: ACLS (being held at Prince William Hospital in Manassas) then county fire association cookout and meeting.

Thursday: ACLS (same place), teleconference meeting with county’s Chief Training Officer, and take excursion back to the firehouse.

Friday: Work, then nothing right now…I almost hope it stays this way.

Saturday: Cajun Festival at Breaux Vineyards

Sunday: putting engine in service with my chief, then have to work bingo.

Monday: fire department membership meeting, and then potentially putting ambo in service after….

I can’t even think beyond then what’s going on.

Last weekend, I went to Fabbioli Cellars in Lucketts, and then on to Breaux Vineyards for a vertical Merlot tasting and 5 course dinner.  Well, the food was good, and of course the wine was good. But man, the amount of food received in this dinner made mlook at Ryan and say "Are we going to get food after this?"  To which the answer was a resounding "Oh hell yes."

Unfortunately though, I realized on the way to Magnolia’s that I’d lost my phone.   I’ll have a replacement tomorrow, but I’m more irritated at the phone numbers I’ll likely lose/have to find again.  GRRR!

Also, I discovered I can’t exactly drink port the way I drink red wine normally

I’m having a hard time deciding which vineyard is my favorite.  I really like Potomac Point in Stafford and its wines…but it’s a bit commercialized.  Although I really think it has its charms that way too.  But then there’s Fabbioli Cellars and Doug and Colleen.  Their wine is good, and Doug and Colleen are some of the nicest people you could encounter.  They treat us so well every time we are there too.