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Blogs As a Stress Reliever
I was wondering how many of you read the blogs.
I find myself reading them, will comment on a few, but for the most part, I will just read 'em. Kinda like the newspaper, you know?
Anyway, I like to write. I have contributed many articles on a wide range of fire service topics, but I find the most joy in writing episodes for a fictitious work that I started a few years back.
The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie is about a fictitious fire department (Grandview) and the various characters that populate the city and its fire department are loosely based on people that I have known and from some of my own experiences as a firefighter.
Here is an excerpt, where I introduce a main character, Jake. If you want to read the entire episode, go to my blog. If it proves to be popular with the folks here, I have many more episodes. I will tell you this: there are several episodes devoted to a serial arsonist who finally winds up in Grandview.
Let me know your thoughts.
Jake O’Melia has been on the Grandview Fire Department for eighteen (18) years. He made lieutenant after just five years on the department and made captain two years ago. Many feel that Jake will be chief someday, but only if he can improve his “interpersonal” skills.
Jake doesn’t believe in sugar coating anything and his divorce has left him particularly bitter. Each time he visits with his two kids-Joey, a ten-year-old boy and Sara, his seven-year-old daughter-his emotional scarring deepens, because, though he despises his ex-wife, Cindy, with every fiber of his body, he loves his kids very much. Jake would die for his kids, if need be. Jake’s marriage to his high school sweetheart was straight out of a Harlequin romance novel. During the early years, Jake and Cindy were inseparable.
But as Jake became more interested in being the best firefighter that he could be and moving up the chain of command, he was neglecting his family obligations. In his mind, the very reason that he was working so hard-his family-was actually causing him to lose them.
When Cindy finally asked for the divorce, it was almost more than Jake could bear. He started drinking heavily and would even fight with his closest friends. But where it came to Joey and Sara, Jake would show uncommon compassion and patience. He did not want to see them hurt in the same way that he was hurting. As for Cindy, Jake had nothing but dark thoughts and could not bring himself to wanting her to be happy. She could die and he wouldn’t miss her. Everything he did, he did for Joey and Sara. Nothing else and no one else mattered.
Jake had trouble adapting to apartment living. His neighbors are “whiners” and his place could not hold all of his junk. And let’s face it: moving from a two-story, four bedroom home with a large family room complete with pool table and bar and a huge, fenced backyard to a four room apartment would be a shock to anyone. Jake wasn’t claustrophobic, but he liked to “stretch out” when not working. He often kidded that; when he lived in his house, he could go two days without ever leaving the house and not see Cindy. He liked that!
But he liked his time at the fire station even more. He liked his men and especially running with his truck company. The guys were experienced and each could count on the other. They had been to Hell and back many times. They have had their share of close calls. They drink mass quantities of their favorite Guinness dark beer, while solving the World’s problems and ignoring their own. Jake is their captain; their leader; their moral compass. They wear St. Florian and curse their city leaders. If one of them has a problem, they ALL have a problem. But they are quick to fix the problem. They don’t like change. They like tradition, history and the legacy that has been left to them. They don’t like outsiders and they hate new guys even more!
Jake is at his desk on Monday and while working on a stapler that keeps jamming up, a voice from the doorway breaks his concentration.
“Excuse me, sir; I’m Vinnie Cappaletti. I was told to report here.”
Jake jams a staple into his thumb…
Art
I find myself reading them, will comment on a few, but for the most part, I will just read 'em. Kinda like the newspaper, you know?
Anyway, I like to write. I have contributed many articles on a wide range of fire service topics, but I find the most joy in writing episodes for a fictitious work that I started a few years back.
The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie is about a fictitious fire department (Grandview) and the various characters that populate the city and its fire department are loosely based on people that I have known and from some of my own experiences as a firefighter.
Here is an excerpt, where I introduce a main character, Jake. If you want to read the entire episode, go to my blog. If it proves to be popular with the folks here, I have many more episodes. I will tell you this: there are several episodes devoted to a serial arsonist who finally winds up in Grandview.
Let me know your thoughts.
Jake O’Melia has been on the Grandview Fire Department for eighteen (18) years. He made lieutenant after just five years on the department and made captain two years ago. Many feel that Jake will be chief someday, but only if he can improve his “interpersonal” skills.
Jake doesn’t believe in sugar coating anything and his divorce has left him particularly bitter. Each time he visits with his two kids-Joey, a ten-year-old boy and Sara, his seven-year-old daughter-his emotional scarring deepens, because, though he despises his ex-wife, Cindy, with every fiber of his body, he loves his kids very much. Jake would die for his kids, if need be. Jake’s marriage to his high school sweetheart was straight out of a Harlequin romance novel. During the early years, Jake and Cindy were inseparable.
But as Jake became more interested in being the best firefighter that he could be and moving up the chain of command, he was neglecting his family obligations. In his mind, the very reason that he was working so hard-his family-was actually causing him to lose them.
When Cindy finally asked for the divorce, it was almost more than Jake could bear. He started drinking heavily and would even fight with his closest friends. But where it came to Joey and Sara, Jake would show uncommon compassion and patience. He did not want to see them hurt in the same way that he was hurting. As for Cindy, Jake had nothing but dark thoughts and could not bring himself to wanting her to be happy. She could die and he wouldn’t miss her. Everything he did, he did for Joey and Sara. Nothing else and no one else mattered.
Jake had trouble adapting to apartment living. His neighbors are “whiners” and his place could not hold all of his junk. And let’s face it: moving from a two-story, four bedroom home with a large family room complete with pool table and bar and a huge, fenced backyard to a four room apartment would be a shock to anyone. Jake wasn’t claustrophobic, but he liked to “stretch out” when not working. He often kidded that; when he lived in his house, he could go two days without ever leaving the house and not see Cindy. He liked that!
But he liked his time at the fire station even more. He liked his men and especially running with his truck company. The guys were experienced and each could count on the other. They had been to Hell and back many times. They have had their share of close calls. They drink mass quantities of their favorite Guinness dark beer, while solving the World’s problems and ignoring their own. Jake is their captain; their leader; their moral compass. They wear St. Florian and curse their city leaders. If one of them has a problem, they ALL have a problem. But they are quick to fix the problem. They don’t like change. They like tradition, history and the legacy that has been left to them. They don’t like outsiders and they hate new guys even more!
Jake is at his desk on Monday and while working on a stapler that keeps jamming up, a voice from the doorway breaks his concentration.
“Excuse me, sir; I’m Vinnie Cappaletti. I was told to report here.”
Jake jams a staple into his thumb…
Art
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Firefighter Nation WebChief on
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Thanks for posting Art.
Rest assured people are reading blogs (and forums) in pretty good numbers...just as with anything takes a bit for someone to post. I think of all the views of blogs in the last month, only a fraction of the people who viewed (less than 2% probably) added comments. I see alot of it on MySpace too....lots of folks post 'comments' on profiles but not necessarily on blogs.
Keep 'em coming!
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Permalink Reply by mike newbury on
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art...to be honest...I just get bored and need something to do...You see I come from a urban structural backgound and a fast house, in "the hood", 2k+ responces per year, lots of fire...and got transfered to and then promoted at , of all places, the airport firehouse and am now a arff firefighter, who while I love the studiousness of the arff world...I get bored easy and so I read these and other blogs and on a really slow night like tonight I might even put my wothless 2 cents in.
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Permalink Reply by Joe on
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People like me that like to see whats going on in the world out side our departments and coverage area like to read these. Plus guys like me working the midnight shift have something to read/ something to do.
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Good to see there are alot of us fire nutcakes out there...when I say I get bored...I mean it but it sure helps make a slow day go by faster when you can talk shop with the other nutcakes out there.
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Permalink Reply by Tiger Schmittendorf on
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Art -
As a fellow contributor, I too am somewhat disappointed in the lack of feedback after writing a blog. However, you refer to reading blogs as a stress reliever - I find writing blogs to be a tremendous stres reliever.
FirefighterNation allows me the forum to get all of the crazy ideas I have - out of my head. Hopefully more people will take the time to read the content we generate and provide valuable feedback.
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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Tiger:
I read your stuff.
It's good stuff.
I always learn from it.
And that's because I am far from knowing everything.
Thanks for your positive contributions to these discussions.
Art
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Just to let you know that I posted another episode of "The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie" on my blog.
Hope you find it entertaining.
Art
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Just to let you all know that I just posted Episode #3 of The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie.
In this episode, I introduce you to Jimmy Mac and Lori Lynne Vincent. Mac is a tree trunk with arms and legs. Lori is the administrative center of the fire department. Nothing gets done at HQ without her. And you don't want to make her mad. She isn't a pussy cat, but can be a real bear.
Hope you like it.
Art
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