E'ryday Heroes

Yesterday, a lifesaving incident requiring CPR on the pool deck. Luckily my manager Steph was on the scene immediately, while 13 other lifeguards began to all ask "What do we do now?" I ended up clearing the pool on the megaspeaker. The kid had no pulse (nor any nearby family members), but was quickly revived. A miracle, considering that (if my memory serves me correctly), most victims who require CPR don't make it (99%).

My personally save tally for the year, none of the incidents being that serious: 5.5*

*I included a half because one time I had to dive in after this ole' boy who was drowning right next to his parents, and my whistle made them realize that I was about to have to save their kid.

Today, Rock the Bells.

In the Summertime...

...when the weather is high. A song everyone's heard but nobody can identify. My dad finds this particular 70s jam by Mungo Jerry to be great, and not just because of the coincidental name overlap (that's right, Jerry, short for Jerome). Particularly, he likes to repeat to me the lyric "Have a drink, have a drive/go out and see what you can find/If her daddy's rich, take her out for a meal/If her daddy's poor, just do what you feel." Anyway, summer's shaping up to be alright. Today at work we scored three hours of overtime just to participate in a relay that consisted of two teams made up of 4 guys and girls apiece. A member of each sex had to either swim, bike, run, or kayak. Unfortunately, it ended in a tie, but I did my part and achieved a sizable lead on bike. By the way, a picture of the pool I work at:

And the crew I work with:

And the hot dog contest that went down today in a poor mimicry of that Coney Island jawn. By no means an IFOCE event, but a fun thing to watch. My supervisor Ryan (not pictured) won by eating six hot dogs the fastest, in about 15 minutes.

Rules are Rules

This is a picture of one of me bosses at work, Ryan. I'll admit, I've grown to be pretty judgmental over the years, and this ole boy definitely appears to be the type of ego-maniacal jock I've come to detest post-high school. But the truth is, he's not. He's real chill, has good taste in hip-hop (we listen to Illmatic on our 75-minute-long breaks, for example), and knows how to have a good time. At a party a coupla weeks ago, he showed up with a case of Blue Moon and gave it to all the guards. I guess the moral of the story is that not all jocks are tools, just the ones I graduated with.
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My other boss, however, is obsessed with domesticity and perfect relationships, and it is only when we're talking about these things that she seems perfectly contented. I'm sure it pained her somehow to know that I've never had a real relationship, although it doesn't bother me in the least bit. Fortunately, she has great potential to be cool, also, particularly when she bakes up some mean cookies.

This is labor!

Livin' is good! Work this weekend has proven to be a cinch...as lifeguards we split 30 minutes between two chairs, and because it's the weekend and the whole crew is present, there are enough of us that our breaks are an hour. It's legit, and I usually pass the time just chillin or reading some Bukowski or whatever. My coworkers are very chill for the most part. A couple are obsessed with healthy living and body image and that kinda shit, which puts a damper on things at time. Regardless of how dope your pale body might look in a swimsuit, I'll have it be known that you're a major eyesore to watch hefting weights around. Whatever.

Nothing else too exciting in my life right now. Missed a major Friends Club meeting, and I hope everyone understands I was there in spirit.


Currently listening: Aesop Rock's Labor Days

Tragedy Has Struck

Yesterday was the first time I had ever ran out of gas in my car, a 1986 Volvo 240DL Station Wagon, or, as I prefer, Station Weapon. Coincidentally it happened right after pulling into the driveway of my sister's boyfriend, who I was dropping off after we played some basketball together with some old boys from the community. My dad, needless to say, was not happy about having to buy me gas and drive me out to my car.
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The good news is that I was hired yesterday as a lifeguard at Little Buffalo State Park. Thirty-eight hour weeks, and 5 days of vacation all summer. I'll be sho to keep everyone posted.
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This afternoon I'm driving down to Millersville University for my fourth Hugh O'Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership conference. I was awoken this morning by a call from one of the directors, who told me a Facilitator had backed out due to mononucleosis and inquiring if I, as an Associate Facilitator (or Ass-face), would be interested in filling in her position. I said, OF COURSE, and immediately pocketed the $150 my mom had given me to attend. For those of you who don't know me well enough to connect the dots, this spells out KICK MONEY. The only question is whether it should be spent in Harrisburg or Philly/New York pending whether I can roadtrip it or not. I might just cop a Radiohead ticket for Camden, instead. In due time, all who wish to know shall.