2/21/2006

I love getting to play and getting paid for it! Today I started my four-day rescue training class. Instead of going to work, I got to sleep in and drive half the distance to go jump off towers. Woo hoo! We played with knots, learned how to set up rigging, and practiced lowering each other off a 60 (or so) foot building. Very fun! Tomorrow we're going to practice patient packaging and lowering. Man, I can't wait to be dropping to the ground while strapped to a backboard . . . .

I was one of two females in the class of 27, and the other was quite a bit older. While this in no way bothered me (Mines taught me nothing if not to be used to being in the extreme minority), I found it interesting that there was always a guy waiting to help me unhook after being lowered. Even more interesting is the fact that none of the guys in my group received any help unhooking when they were lowered. So the question is, did the asistees think I needed more help, or did they just enjoy getting up close and personal with the sole pretty young girl? Hmm . . .Fortunately, I am either a) easygoing or b) egotistical, and have decided it was the latter. I found it very amusing. We'll have to see if that continues through the week!

Oh, and I've decided that BBQ is to (SE) Texas what pizza is anywhere else. Lunch is provided with this course, and what else did we get but BBQ. This has been quite the trend in most of the lunches I've had in the past month or so. However, I don't think I've had pizza yet. The amazing thing is that the BBQ is always the same: brisket and possibly sausage, baked beans, dirty rice, flimsy white bread, onions, pickle and banana pudding topped with vanilla wafers. The drink is always iced tea. Today I was really excited, because there was potato salad too. Amazing! I guess I really can't complain (and honestly, I'm not, the food is generally pretty good), it's just another way to tell that I've a moved into a whole other culture!