Wednesday, March 09, 2005

You've got some 'splaining to do.

Apparently, I am supposed to explain this stuff.   I should just leave everyone wondering and thinking I'm some kind of wild woman but I'll be kind and break it down. I'll remove the mystery and leave everyone wondering the same thing I did as I wrote these. What have I done lately? Except for number ten, I don't think any of these are recent. They are all from when I was younger and more daring.

1.   I've fired a machine gun, grenade launcher, LAW, and a sawed-off shotgun, amongst other weapons.

Except for the sawed-off shotgun and a few other weapons, all of the above I did while in basic training twenty years ago - this year as a matter of fact. The sawed-off shotgun was while I was on a date. No, I didn't kill my date or knock over a liquor store. I did, however, contemplate killing my mother for setting me up with him. He was nice enough, just a wee bit reserved. I'm not a very reserved person. Well, I wasn't back then. Now, I'm scratching my head and wondering what happened to me.

My mom had set me up with a friend of hers' son. That was back in the day when she still had hopes that I would take the "normal" route in life - marry and pop kids out by the pairs. I was in the Army at the time going through training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. The guy thought that since I was in the Army, a great place to take me on a date would be a firing range. I must admit, his weapons were pretty cool. That sawed-off shotgun packed a wallop of a kick. My arm hurt for days.

2.   I've drawn blood, given shots, started IV's, and inserted Foley catheters without having a license to do so.

Rest assured, although I didn't have a license, it was perfectly legal for me to do the above. I was a 91A/Medical Specialist (Medic) when I was in the Army. They sent me to Ft. Sam Houston for the eight (maybe it was ten) weeks of training to learn how to do all the above things and more. After that, I worked in an Army hospital and got to do all kinds of cool stuff. But, the fact that you can do all that stuff with only eight or ten weeks of training still blows my mind today.

3.   My feet have been in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and one of the Great Lakes.

I have swam in the waters of the Atlantic from Maine to Florida. I actually grew up in Florida in a small town right on the beach and learned to swim in the ocean.  I lived in South Texas my senior year in high school. We were about fifteen miles from South Padre Island; as such a good portion of my free time was spent hanging out on the island. The other portion was spent in Mexico getting drunk. Life for a teen in South Texas is really boring; there's not much else to do.

I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle one summer. They lived a couple of miles from Lake Michigan. I vaguely remember going there. I think. My Aunt would have to refresh my memory on that one though.

Of course, now I live about twenty miles from the Pacific Ocean. However, I had to limit myself to saying my feet because I have never went swimming in the Pacific Ocean. The water is so freakin' skanky and cold that I can't bring myself to do anything more.

....to be continued.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hah! Atta girl! I just left a comment on the other entry demanding that you do this! Woo-hoo!

No I'm going to read 'em.

Anonymous said...

I was mighty curious about #2 and wondering HOW and WHY you would do such procedures without having the license to do so. Eight weeks of training, huh? (Thank God I never wanted to be in the army. Yoikes.)

You're still an adventurous go-getter, Robbie!

Anonymous said...

wow, nothing here shocked me until you got to the last line:  the Pacific Ocean is "skanky and cold"??? !!!   @_@ !!!  
never have i heard that, never would i have thought such a thing!  i thought it was paradise on Earth!    

Anonymous said...

I now live in a west coast state and I STILL haven't seen the Pacific Ocean other than the Puget Sound by Seattle.  Pathetic, isn't it?  

But the Atlantic...I've been all over it.  

As for all the medical things you've done, I kind of assumed it was probably with the military.  As a nurse, if you let your license expire and try to do those things...you'd probably be thrown in jail...or, at the very least, you'd lose your ability to practice as a nurse.  

Love the pic!

Bridgett

Anonymous said...

I agree with your assessment of the Pacific Ocean for swimming purposes.  The water is not skanky up here, but it IS freakin' cold.  I see little kids out there playing in it and I think, why are they not popsicles?  Lisa  :-]

Anonymous said...

Keep going! Very interesting! rich

Anonymous said...

LOL My brother got his vampire training in the Army too. ;-) He works in a blood bank now.

Anonymous said...

But Robbie, you ARE a wild woman! hehehe untameable for sure and we wouldn't want you any other way. Hugs Lanny

Anonymous said...

question...your RESERVED date took you to a shooting range and let you shoot an ILLEGAL sawed off shot gun? Um...RobbieK you have me worried about your definition of reserved!
About the IV's...try two weeks of training and being all by yourself in the department at 3:00am with very little sleep and sticking a needle in someones arm...that's kinda scarey...but hey, that's small, understaff hospital USA for ya and apparently military too.

Anonymous said...

oh and love the pic...you're so damn cute! Staff sgt. couches hahahaha.

Anonymous said...

damn...a sawed off huh?  I am IMpressed....


Anonymous said...

i knew you had been in the military so it explained part of you list.  
can't wait until you finish up going over your list.

kathy

Anonymous said...

Shall I call Homeland Security about you now or later?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for 'splaining. you sure look young in that picture and very cute I might add. Paula

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love getting to know you this way.  You've done an awful lot in your young life girlfriend!  ~Tara

Anonymous said...

LoL!  Skanky.  People always tell me I haven't seen beautiful beaches until I see the beaches in Cali.  I tell them that they have not seen the most beautiful beaches in the USA until they see Florida's sugar white sand beaches.  Still cracking up about the water being skanky!
Hugs,
Chrissy

Anonymous said...

Look how cute you were in that picture ...
 
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