Wednesday, January 25, 2012

I have Time, God Willing...

If you haven't already tried them, the Hot & Spicy Cheez-its are where it's at.  ....and I do not like Cheez-its.  They are seriously the perfect snack.  Did I mention I don't like hot stuff?  Well, I don't.  But these are the bomb.  I'm not even sure if anyone even says "the bomb" anymore, but that's what they are!!

What does any smart lady do after a long day at work and a nice workout? That's right, I soaked my feet...and ate Cheez-its of course.  It felt wonderful and was very relaxing.  When I first began working as a dispatcher, I would come home from work every day and sit on the couch and absorb nothing but utter silence.  Having someone in your ear for twelve hours a day - albeit talking to them on the 'worst day of their lives' - made me realize how much I thoroughly enjoy peace and quiet.  Who knew?  I still become a nervous wreck at work sometimes.  The best advice I received was to never get comfortable in my position, and I have to a certain degree, but I'm going to quote Forrest Gump and go ahead and say that answering 911 is like a "box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get."  Anything from a pet snake running loose in someone's home to someone just getting "knocked up side the head with a baseball bat."  Keeping those nerves under wraps and knowing how to keep your own emotions under control is key.  Nonetheless, it keeps the job interesting and provides a challenge for me everyday, which is a quality in a career I was looking for.

I honestly have no idea what made me want to be a dispatcher.  Perhaps it was the idea that I could help someone, and anyone who knows me knows that I would help anyone I could.  This is definitely not what I pursued a Bachelor's degree for, but I am definitely thankful that I have a job - and one that I love.  Sometimes the twelve hour days are very long, but the days off more than make up for it!  Before I started dispatching, my brother (dispatcher-turned-police-officer) told me that I will LOVE to HATE this job.  It didn't make sense to me at the time when he told me that, but it definitely makes sense now.  I definitely love my job and definitely hate it at other times, but I love the fact that I can love my job and hate it at the same time.  I know that may not make a lot of sense to anyone reading this, but it makes total sense in my mind.  I'm not really sure what the future holds for me as far as a career is concerned, but I'm quite content where I'm at.  Throughout college, I never really had an idea of what I wanted to do post-graduation.  (Still don't!) I majored in Political Science because I liked the curriculum and I enjoyed the class discussions and having a job in a branch of government definitely appealed to me - and still does.  I do believe that everything happens for a reason and I believe that only time will tell which direction will be best for me.  I have time, God willing.

I guess myself and my fellow dispatchers have all been on edge lately as our career fates are in the hands of the Town Commissioners.  Until we find out what will happen to our center after one agency leaves us, I guess we will all be on edge.  Hopefully we will find out something soon so we can put some of these nerves to rest, but until then, I have a feeling it will be at the forefront of all of our minds.

I hope I can continue to keep readers interested in what I have to say and I hope I can keep up the momentum here.  Until next time, Tootles!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

ARD


For those of you who do not know, I work as a police dispatcher.  Oftentimes, I find myself looking up things online to fill time when nothing is going on.  My doctor recently diagnosed me with Acid Reflux disease.  While this is very common for people to have, I found it odd because I have never even had a bout of heartburn until it started bothering me so badly to where I needed to see my doctor.  I went through a 90-day prescription of pills – which, by the way, did nothing – and then went through some tests.  I am perfectly fine.  My doctor informed me that it may not be my forever-loving pasta addiction that has brought this on.  She told me that stress can sometimes be a factor that will cause ARD.  After undergoing some blood work and an ultrasound, I think we have decided that stress is my main causing factor.

Coincidentally, CNN had multiple articles on their website today regarding ARD. They had a list of foods to eat that actually FIGHT ARD and also had some suggestions for ARD sufferers.  Some of those included losing weight, eating oatmeal, eating wheat pasta without red sauce (not gonna happen!), adding ginger to your diet, sleeping with your head up (not gonna happen, either!), and to not wear tight clothing.

The other thing they suggested to ARD sufferers is to cut certain foods out of their diets.  The list includes spicy foods, fatty red meat, French fries (and other fried foods), citrus fruit, raw onion, tomatoes, chocolate, caffeine, butter, oil, and peppermint.  Whoa, talk about killing the fun out of food.  I always thought that peppermint was good for an upset stomach.  I guess if your stomach is hurting bad enough, you’ll withstand the heartburn if you think a peppermint is your only option.

Enough about ARD.  I am excited for my oldest younger sister, as she is turning 17 this Friday.  Gosh I feel old.  I remember the day she was born and the horrendous pink sweatshirt and sweatpants I was wearing when I went to meet her in the hospital for the first time.  Her turning 17 reminds me of when I was 17 and how different of a place I was in back then – for the better, that is.  I wish her a lot of luck and success in her upcoming years and I wish she lived a lot closer so that I could help her make a lot of those important decisions she will have to make in the near future.

I suppose I have rambled enough for this entry, until next time, Tootles!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Inside My Mind...

I find myself with so many things running through my mind and I can't make them stop.  My mind is going in circles thinking about the Costa Concordia cruise ship, the South Carolina primary tomorrow, thinking about the Presidential candidate nominees, upcoming wedding things, etc, etc.  This is nothing new, as my mind is always going around in circles and spiraling out of control.

My BFF and I were just having a conversation via text about who would be a good President if we had to choose between the current potential candidates.  Boy oh boy, I'm just not sure which way I would turn at this point.  None of these guys meet the criteria I want in a candidate.  I've been reading through their platforms and I'm getting more and more confused on what I actually want in a candidate.  It doesn't really matter what they say anyhow, they know most of their ideas are just political rhetoric that Congress will never pass.  I'm looking for a genuine candidate.  Someone give me something to believe in!  I know that people tend to think of the general public when they cast their vote for President, but I think we should just vote based on our own needs.  Afterall, our vote is our voice, so we have to make it count where we can.  It is important to think of our country as a whole, but at the same time, what may not work for some people may work for others.  As the saying goes, you can't please everyone, so you might as well try and please yourself.  For the most part, we pretty much have the same needs anyway.

I am also thinking about the article that CNN published online about my hometown - Lancaster, SC <http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/19/politics/south-carolina-lancaster/index.html?iref=obnetwork>.  When I read it, I got a depressing feeling.  The same depressing feeling I get every time I pass through my little "podunk" hometown.  And it isn't just me!  A lot of people I know get that same feeling.  Moving away from Lancaster was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me, even though I was a reluctant 15 year old at the time.  I was telling my BFF earlier not to be mad about the way CNN depicts our town because people who read that article and believe that every resident of Lancaster is a 'hillbilly redneck looking for a handout' are the ones who are narrow-minded.  It really does feel like Lancaster is a dying town, because once people get an opportunity to leave that town, they take it and hardly ever look back.  Otherwise they get sucked in and stay there forever.  I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it makes it that much harder for us to be proud of our hometown when we know deep down inside that Lancaster did nothing for us.

I have been obsessed with the partial sinking of the Costa Concordia - I can't tell you why I am but I am.  I am always checking for updates and I just don't know what to think about this.  I can't believe that people are saying such bad things about the crew and I can't believe the Captain is such a jerk - if the media is correct on how he is being portrayed.  I still believe that cruising is one of the BEST most FUN ways to take a vacation and I also believe this was a RARE, HUMAN error.  I also believe the Concordia had a bad omen since the champagne didn't break on the launch date, then it struck the port in Italy in 2008.  However, I still feel that cruising is a very SAFE way to take a vacation and I know that this incident will be a lesson learned and will result in an even better and much safer cruise experience for those considering a cruise in the future (such as myself for my honeymoon in November...).  And who is this chick the Captain was having dinner with as the ship was sinking??  She is out doing positive publicity for the Captain about how many extra lives he saved, etc, etc - how much extra is she getting paid for that? LOL!  Time will only tell what is going to happen to this Captain and the changes that will be made (for the better!) for the cruising industry.

Next topic: our dog.  We sent off a DNA swab of his a few weeks ago and I am happy to report that we officially know the breed of our precious baby.  He is half italian greyhound, part doberman, part german short haired pointer.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to find out this information!!!  We thought for sure he was going to have pit bull in him and there is none.  This just shows how much of a nerd I am - I get excited over finding out the breeds of our mutt.

The wedding.  Wedding planning is coming along just fine.  We are mostly at a standstill at this point because there isn't anything more we can do until we get the invitations!

I s'pose I've said enough for today - more later!  Tootles!





It's Just Me.


(I will probably add more to this as time goes on!)  So I promised somewhat of an introduction about myself.  My name is Katie.  I chose the username for my blog based on the fact that over the years I have met so many people who, for some unknown reason, always have to add some other name to the end of my name.  I have been called ‘Katie-did’ ‘Katie-Belle’ ‘Katie-Mae’ ‘Katie-Lou’ and so forth.  So here we go - I:
  • Am 24 years old
  • Planning my wedding (11-3-12!!!!)
  • Work as a Police dispatcher
  • Born and raised in South Carolina
  • Love animals
  • Have a dog
  • Love the color blue
  • Am moderate on most issues
  • A person that wears my heart on my sleeve
  • A person that loves to write
  • love to help others
  • am marrying a police officer
  • love to travel



Saturday, January 14, 2012

Never. Stop. Learning.


You know the old saying, ‘Ya learn something new every day’?  It’s definitely true.  Most importantly is that we recognize this and continue to do so.  I’m going to introduce you to something I like to call an “education meal.”  You have to eat every day, and you must learn every day.  Since I was the age of four or five, I have been provided an education meal.  A meal that was fulfilling and uplifting.    These things that I learned, whether it is learning to tie my shoes or my dad explaining to my how parts of his airplane work, are things that I have carried with me.  They make life more enriching and I believe they should inspire us to learn more.  I hope you’re following me, and if not, I’m sorry – I know that I am random and scatter-brained, I can’t help it!
I will say that as I was getting closer to graduating from college – with no immediate plans to pursue a Master’s degree – I began to feel anxious because I began thinking that I would no longer be receiving my meals.  I was so used to being spoon fed – no pun intended – that I wasn’t sure how I would continue to learn if I was no longer going to be assigned things to learn and think about.  The great thing is that I still find myself learning every day and continuing to grow as a person.  For example, I have been planning my wedding (with the help of my most wonderful fiancĂ©!) since last May and I have seen the highs and lows of stress, something I am continuing to learn more about.  I have always been indecisive and, boy, planning a wedding really puts your decision making ability to the test.  Everyone always says, “Just do what makes you and your fiancĂ© happy.” Well, that’s easier said than done because he and I both want everyone to have a good time, thus we worry about what other people will want and how they will feel.  Plus, we don’t want a crappy DJ.
At any rate, I still have no plans to pursue a Master’s degree in the near future, but I am not wasting any time.  I feel like I am learning about myself and growing as a person and learning to appreciate the things that I didn’t care to take time for while I was in school.  That is most important to me at this point.  Earning an education was a very important milestone in my life, but I view it the same way I view knowing a foreign language.  If you don’t use it, you lose it.  And I have no idea if that’s true or not; it’s just how I feel.  It’s almost as if I don’t continue to be in an educational environment, then I will lose all those years of hard work and learning.  I know it may sound weird but I attribute these feelings to that awkward feeling when you can’t think of a word you want to use, which happens to me quite often.  I wonder if this is a memory lapse or if I’m losing my education.  I’m really not crazy, I swear.  I suppose I’ve said enough for today and for my next entry, I plan to introduce myself.  Tootles!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Hello World!

So I did it.  I created a blog.  I have toyed with the idea for quite some time inside my mind contemplating what in the world to blog about and who in the world would even read it.  I finally decided that only time would tell.  And here I am.  For anyone who doesn’t know me, I can go ahead and clue you into the fact that I will more than likely have nothing AMAZING to blog about, it’s just me writing because I want to.  I began writing when I was very young and I enjoyed it.  It seemed exquisite to me that I could say whatever I wanted to in written form and no one could stop me, and if someone read it, by God, they had to listen to what I had to say – what an outlet!  I used to believe that I may one day have a career in writing somehow, as I have been published a few times.  Although the sense of accomplishment made me feel that I was going to be someone, the realization that I was only young and the possibility that my writing “capabilities” were just a phase put a damper on my hopes.  Then I stopped writing for awhile because my writing time became absorbed with papers and reading assignments and all of the decisions a college student has to make.  I changed my major three times (Elementary Education, then English - Secondary Education - then Political Science) and I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I guess the most important thing I gained from my college experience was finding out what I didn’t want to do.  I’m 24 years old now and it seems like a distant memory that I was in college, scurrying across the campuses of CCU and Winthrop, trying to figure out why I was taking some of what I called “redundant” classes.  Besides the fact that they were “required” classes in order to graduate, I always assumed there must’ve been a deeper meaning and that leaders of the Campus wouldn't put us through such torture, otherwise.  I fully believe in the idea of a “liberal arts education.”  I get it.  Because if nothing else, I got exposure to many different things and it actually brought me to the path of becoming a Political Science major.  I could honestly care less about politics, itself, but I will engage in a healthy conversation about it.  At any rate, here I am again, throwing myself into the world of writing.  This time, however, with a much different audience.  So I am rolling the dice so-to-speak on this blog idea and we’ll see where it goes.  Happy reading, y’all!