Entry #2: Humor in the ER

    In this week's entry, I will go a little in-depth about something that some people might find a little disturbing and difficult to wrap their heads around—having experience working in the ER as an emergency medical technician. Essentially, I work alongside nurses, carrying a wide range of responsibilities. These included performing CPR during codes, starting IVs on seriously ill patients, connecting critical patients to monitors so we can track their vitals from the nurse's station, assisting with trauma cases, and doing EKGs, among other tasks. This line of work can be extremely stressful, and sad at times, However, there's one thing that helps many of us get through it: dark humor.

    I know that the idea of joking about serious situations can seem morbid, but for many people in EMS (Emergency Medical Services) or healthcare, it's simply a way of coping with the challenges we face daily. One ICU nurse on Reddit put it perfectly:

"We all do, it's how we cope with death and

dying on a daily basis. The crap you see 

and hear about doctors and nurses getting

fired over being "inconsiderate" or similar

is HR trying to be PC instead of backing 

up its staff.

Poll 1000 nurses and 99% that are honest,

especially ICU nurses, will admit to a

jaded and dark side. We don't go around 

poking fun at patients but sometimes you 

are blunt and morbid when taking about

patients which can come across the wrong

way to someone outside the profession."

    This resonates with me, and seeing it firsthand was initially a bit of a shock. Then seeing me now and some of the things I joke about. I know I can only talk to the other nurse about it because the general population of people would just think I'm crazy. From some perspective, it is a way for us to build such a strong support system with our staff. Bonding through jokes about the trauma, death, and sadness, has made some of the people I work with become some of my closest friends. Having friends and support like that is very important in this line of work because there are some times when you do have your breaking moment and were it all seems like too much, but knowing that your staff has your back, and they all know because they have been there, has made me extremely proud and reassured in my career choice.

    To sum it all up, YES, nurses and EMS staff do make very dark and morbid jokes, but just remember that this is just one of the ways that we cope with the terrible things we see daily.

ALSO if you are into TikTok, this here is a funny video that can explain some of the stuff we deal with and just a good laugh

Entry #1: Snowboarding could be a great new Hobby

  Hello, my fellow peers, and to whoever decides to read this. My name is Deegan Stephens. I'm 19 years old, and I'm an EMT in Glendale, Arizona. While I spend most of my time either working, sleeping, or doing homework, there are still quite a few things I like to do in my free time. These things include fishing, camping, going to the gym, and what I'm going to talk about here today: Snowboarding. 

 Now, I will say I am nowhere near an expert in the sport. Snowboarding is something I've only done twice now, but each time, I've seen much improvement with every run. I want to share with you guys the things I've done that have helped me as a new snowboarder and my opinion on places I like to go. 

 First off, I want to give some credit to REI: Expert Advice, I've used this website before going up both times and just as a refresher and things to keep in my head when hitting the slopes. Everything you do when it comes to snowboarding makes a difference. Your stance, which foot to keep forward, how to turn, and what's most important to me is HOW TO STOP. Which has been a bit of an issue for me from time to time.

 Second, I'm going to give you my opinions on where to go if you are a new snowboarder looking to get after it and live in the Phoenix area because we all know that we've got to travel to see some snow out here. My personal favorite and where I went the first time was Sunrise, in Greer which is very eastern Az, almost bordering New Mexico. The second place I've been which might be more convenient, is Snowbowl, up in Flagstaff, AZ. My opinion about this place might be slightly biased because I just went up, and we have been getting no snow out here, and it was a warm day but let's get into the facts of it. Prices are generally about the same when it comes to lift/rental tickets, I believe Snowbowl is a bit cheaper and I know there are a few places in town that rent even cheaper. The census, Snowbowl is normally pretty packed, and that is where sunrise has its beat for me, with fewer people I was able to feel like I could learn at my own pace and now being swarmed by all these more experienced snowboarders around me. Location, the unfortunate thing about Greer is it is about a 4-hour dive from Phoenix, whereas Flagstaff is only about 2 and a half, so that is where the convenience of it comes in and why so many people prefer Snowbowl over Sunrise.

Snowbowl, Flagstaff AZ

Sunrise, Greer AZ

 All in all, I encourage anyone who is looking into their first snowboard trip to do some research before you go and find what and where is going to work better for you. Just work on the basics, be safe, and PLEASE WHERE A HELMET.

Entry #0: Did I miss the “Blog” trend? Did I miss out on much?

  As a 19-year-old, all I've ever heard about blogs was they were a way for soccer moms to share every living moment, and brag about their kids to the world. Or, Grandma sharing her garden with her girlfriends online. Now, as I'm entering my early adulthood I'm asking myself, “Did I miss out on the blog trend, or dodge a bullet?”

As I mentioned before I thought every blog was just every middle-aged woman, new mom, social mom, or anyone of that nature, thinking that they needed to share every waking moment of their life with the world, while no one cared to look at it. With this recent college assignment, I decided to look into blogs, to see if this could be some hidden gem I've missed out on thus far in my life, or if it is something I could continue to live without. Unfortunately, moving forward in my research there was quite an abundance of blogs that, supported my skepticism. Blogs like "jennhallak", and "Thesoccermomblog", popped up in my blog searches, and nothing looked like anything I was interested in, or cared to look at.

However, being the persistent person I am I kept looking and started using keywords of some interests of mine, such as; camping fishing, hunting, etc. That is where things started to get interesting for me. I found these two blogs that stood out among the rest. One was about a guy in Arizona who is infatuated with bowhunting, And another one with tons of great information on camping, more specifically spots in Arizona. Finding these opened up a whole new world of information for me. Normally whenever I'm trying to find information on camping where the limits are and information on specific spots I use the Forest Service website, and while they do provide a ton of facts and information, they lack personality, reviews, and recommendations. Same with the AZ Game and Fish website, it is great with the facts but can be a little vague at times and this guy goes into detail with a lot about bow hunting in Arizona.

                                                                                                               Photo by Stephen Miller, via BowhuntingAZ

All in all, Blogs are definitely one of those don't knock it till you try it kind of things, while there may be a million mom blogs, baking, or garden blogs that just aren't your thing. But, in my opinion, there are tons of good blogs out there with tons of information on topics you might enjoy. Give it a shot!