Practical exam

I passed the NYS practical exam on Monday. The exam consisted of three advanced life support skill stations (cardiology, ventilatory management and intravenous therapy) and four basic life support skill stations (trauma assessment, seated spinal immobilization, bleeding control/shock management and long bone splinting). Some of these stations had multiple components, however, so it actually felt like more. For example, cardiology was broken down into static and dynamic cardiology and there were two pharmacology sub-stations during the intravenous therapy evaluation.

I passed all of the stations on the first try except for one; I accidentally placed my finger in the wrong spot while starting an IV and contaminated the site. That mistake was easy enough to correct, and I passed the retest with no problems. The rest of my class passed as well, which means there are nineteen students preparing to take the state written exam in August (nine from the night class and ten from the day class).

Between now and then, I am studying for the state exam, working on the ambulance and just trying to enjoy my last weeks in Western NY. It's been a full and exciting year, and I'm intent on ending the year on a high note by passing the state exam. Almost there!

In other news, the Boy Scouts of America announced their newest Merit Badge: Chess!

Turning 23

I turned twenty three last Saturday. To celebrate the occasion, I went down to Westchester to visit my family and attend Old Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium. It was a short trip, on account of the looming community college final exam for my paramedic program, but it was chock-full of activities. On Friday, my brother and I saw the just-released "Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Talk about a complex movie, but it was quite an experience, especially seeing it on the big screen.

Saturday was the big day itself. New York City was experiencing a heat wave, which meant staying shielded and hydrated was extremely important. My usual modus operandi for baseball games is to forego sunblock, suffer a severe sunburn and then wish I hadn't. Older and wiser now, I instead opted for the preventative application of some SPF 50. That in conjunction with some well-placed shade made for an altogether sunburn-free day.

The Old Timers' Day festivities were a lot of fun. Many of the surviving figures in Yankees lore were in attendance, luminaries like Whitey Ford, Don Larsen and Ron Guidry. Yogi Berra had planned on coming but he had suffered a fall the night before and was recuperating at home. After the introductions were complete, there was a two-inning scrimmage between the two sides, although many of the old Old Timers were replaced by more recent veterans such as Pat Kelly and David Cone.

The Yankees-Rays game was less dramatic than the exhibition game preceding it, in large part because A.J. Burnett gave an early preview of the final result by allowing five runs in 2.1 innings. Still, we had great seats and it was fun to see my favorite players up close. Watching games on TV just isn't the same experience, for watching the players or the game. And of course the new Yankee Stadium has to be seen to be believed. It was quite a birthday!

Final exams

I finished paramedic school this morning. This doesn't mean I'm a paramedic yet; I still have to pass the state practical and written exams. But as far as the community college is concerned, I have completed its program and will be graduating next month. The program culminated in a two-day, 276 question comprehensive final exam administered yesterday and today. It was a demanding exam but a fair one, and I am satisfied with my score. Now to duplicate it (or better) on the NYS written exam!

Now that the college final is behind me, I'm hoping to tackle the mountain of tasks that have piled up while I was immersed in the thick of clinicals. (Reading, writing, chess, paid ambulance work and vaccuuming my bedroom headline a long and distinguished list.) I'm also looking forward to being able to help Ellen with wedding planning again, after too long with too little to contribute.

I've also picked out two chess tournaments, one in August and one in September. I haven't played over-the-board since January, so I'm looking forward to getting back into it. Hopefully I'll have a little time to study and prepare before playing round one!

Speaking of chess, congratulations to International Masters Irina Krush and Samuel Shankland, the new U.S. Women's and Junior champions, respectively!

A New Hampshire Fourth

I traveled to New Hampshire last weekend to spend the Independence Day holiday with Ellen. It was a terrific trip in so many ways. We continued to set up and furnish our apartment, and apart from those brief errands, there was nothing to do but spend three days enjoying the beautiful weather together. On Sunday, we stopped by the Dartmouth Green after church for Hanover's Fourth of July celebration and then watched Lebanon's fireworks show in the evening. The Hanover event was shockingly small, much more so than in years past. We had a great vantage point for the fireworks, though, and enjoyed the show quite a bit.

I had hoped to continue on to Westchester after my visit to New Hampshire, but unfortunately my clinical schedule did not allow it. I was assigned a new preceptor at the end of last week, and the way his schedule was set up, I just couldn't spare the time away. My father and I had planned to see Ringo Starr at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, but I guess it'll have to wait until another year. Happy birthday anyway, Ringo!

Big week for sports coming up. The World Cup final is tomorrow, the Home Run Derby and All-Star game are Monday and Tuesday, and the U.S. Women's and U.S. Junior Closed Chess Championships began today and will last through the week. It's going to be exciting!