Another Action-Packed Weekend!

What an amazing weekend this was! It was fun-filled, action-packed and educational. And the weather is PERFECT.

Yesterday we were up around 0630. I had breakfast and we showered, dressed and I talked Luis into coming with me to my parents' house. He did and fixed their computer (again) and then did some other stuff to it while Ray and I went to the Costco to get paper goods. We picked up toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo and Jelly Bellies (a very important part of a well-balanced diet). We also stopped at Willowbrook and grabbed a bite to eat. We did not tell Luis about that part of our trip out.

We came back home and Luis still was doing things to their computer so Ray and I were talking while playing with the dogs - they had the two pugs, Skippy and Harley. Skippy is pretty young, maybe two years old, but Harley is quite old and deaf, but a very sweet dog none-the-less. I really like dogs, in general, but my favourite breeds are dachsunds and pugs. They are much more special and something about them really appeals to me. And they know it.

We spent a little more time there and left around 1330. We came home and I cleaned up the house, while Luis hung out with the computer and the telly. We headed out to the Club then and picked up Carlos, Daniel and Eric.

What an uncomfortable thing that started out... Luis wouldn't speak Spanich and their English is not that good, not nearly good enough to manage a conversation on their own with me. He was being obstinate and then fell asleep on the ride back. When we got to the house, I took them over to see the ambulances and they were really amazed and happy to see them. The conversation actually got to be an ongoing thing! Carlos' father was with a volunteer rescue group in the mountains of Mexico, near Mexico City. He has seen some amazing things, things like I've seen. It's always nice to talk to someone who has been through what you have.

While we were there, Jack Reed was in the squad house and came out to see what was going on. While there, two guys pulled up and asked if we needed a driver. I didn't even hear the call go out. Without tones, I would not have... but Jack said he had and I asked if he could take it with me, so we went - a woman having a diabetic problem. We raced out to Dafrac and on the way, on North Beverwyck, a kid ran across the street in front of us. We were both really pissed off - this kid was a young teenager and he could have easily gotten killed or killed us and others had we been forced to swerve to avoid hitting him. The light was in our favour.

We showed up at the call and an enormous woman was face down on the ground. We walked right over to her and Jack started to shake her back and call out to see if she was conscious. There were a lot of people standing around her and they all called out, "No!" when we did that. She wasn't having a diabetic moment, she'd tripped coming out of her house and then fell on her face. She was howling about both her arms being broken when we were trying to log-roll her onto the back board. We did finally get her on and then got her strapped up and onto the stretcher. She was a big woman, around 400lbs. And a heavy smoker. She yowled and fussed the whole way up to the hospital - annoying. We got here there and make it back here in an hour and two minutes. Fast...

This broke a lot of the discomfort. Luis had to speak to them as I left. When I came home, they were in the sunroom with drinks and were looking at the telly. They were all watching and listening to 80s music.

They were here until 2115. We had pizza, looked at Mexico and the United States in the atlas, chatted in English and Spanish throughout. We talked about life in the US and life in Mexico - the government and the system is so completely corrupt. The police can all be bought, the votes are bought... not that it may not work like that here, but it is not so above-board here. I don't doubt that a certain amount of corruption exists at every level in every government, but I was aghast hearing what they had to say. Carlos was an armoured truck driver and at one point was shot in the head by one of the perps. He was under arrest and monitored by the police at the hospital - for being a victim! There seems to the general mindset that every one is a criminal there. What a horrendous life that has to be.

These guys could work 14 hours a day doing back-breaking labour and get paid a whole $40 or 400 pesos a week. A week! Then rent on a small apartment was $150 or 1500 pesos - more than your work would pay. This is not a good situation. So working here is an amazing thing - they put in the 40 hours at regular pay and then anything over that at the overtime rate (time and a half) - so most of it goes home. Understandable. This allows them a great life in Mexico but here would still be a struggle to live on.

Carlos is here with his wife and two children, ages eight years and three years, home in Apecapeca just outside of Mexico City. He loves them but this is too good an opportunity to pass up. His truck driving job has a pension that does not pay nearly enough to support his wife and kids. The two guys, Eric and Daniel, are single and don't have children. I was relieved to hear that. Most of the people I encounter here have lots of kids on either side of the blanket.

They do use and have access to birth control there, called anticoncepcion, interestingly enough. They don't promote it as a contraceptive but rather as disease prevention. Who cares how they sell it if it works? That is all I care about. It needs to work to keep people from having a million kids, and if they need to say it is all about disease management, I can live with that. As a result Carlos has two kids, clearly wanted and Eric and Daniel have none. I don't think any of them are so young or innocent that they've not had sex.

We joked about women drivers, talked about the prevalence of alcohol and drugs in both of our cultures. It was an amazing experience. Carlos said that I'd be welcome anytime in their houses and hearts and were very happy to have been invited over. I was delighted to have them here.

We took them back to the Club and I imagine I will see them at some point this week. I usually do see them at some point during the week... they'll be coming from the cart barn and I will see them as I'm walking to my car. We managed such a good conversation last Thursday, that I impulsively invited them over. It turned out really well.

And I love learning.

We came home from the Club, and I wanted to look at the sky for a bit in the hammock. Luis came with me and we looked at the sky with its pinpoints of light, Polaris and Venus and Saturn, watched as the clouds moved from north to south (unusual but it does happen). We began fooling around in the hammock and then Luis made a lewd suggestion - I would have liked to have done that in the hammock (we have in the past) but he wanted to go inside to do this. So we came in, I blew out the candles, turned out the lights and came to bed. The sex was great!

At 0559 the alarm went off. I got up, got my plektron and returned to bed. I fell right back to sleep until 0800 when I was blasted out of bed for an old man with difficulty breathing. I ran across the street and got the rig out, waiting for Chris to come. He'd forgotten that I was on with him, I guess - he called looking for a driver but I was there and ready to go. I drove us to the scene. We responded to Baldwin Oaks and met up with David and another medic. I've been on calls with both, but David is my favourite and the other guy is not. He has no people skills. So I was happy to see David. And the patient - he was the cutest little old man! He was very happy, very sweet and we enjoyed taking him to the hospital. He was too funny, and so was David.

We got home from that after nine and I came home and ate. I needed to eat big time. I also needed to wash my hair which I did manage to do. (I looked like Medusa on the first call.) I washed it and had it up in a towel when we got a call for a woman who drank too much and was vomiting. Yuck. I managed to get my hair looking mostly presentable and ran across, where a young man showed up as well. His name is Shaun and he is with District Four and can do the driving. Chris and Eileen radioed that they would meet us on scene so we ran to the apartments, Troy Hills Village. The patient was not vomiting, thanks the gods, but she was toasted in a big way. She was very obviously intoxicated. It was disturbing. When we got her onboard, I started asking her questions and asked her when she began drinking. She responded that she started two days ago. And the drink of choice? Brandy. Is that flavoured brandy? Or plain? Plain, oh, and with Budweiser. I told her jokingly that this was disappointing. The brandy seems like very good taste but then to mix it with Budweiser?! Ye gods...

We took her up to St. Clares, too.

I'm delighted to say that nothing happened after that. Since then I'm just hanging out. I wrote a letter to Harry and I've started one to Molly. I did some stuff online and watched some telly. I also cleaned the house. The cleaning people are coming tomorrow, after all!