Finally, a Workout

I skipped fire drill last night to have dinner with TaxMan who is going overseas for 2 weeks.  I've got a tradition of taking chinese food over for anyone who has just moved (and he did), so we had food out of boxes amid the boxes.  I had some soup, half an eggroll, some shrimp and a few pieces of General Tso's chicken.  It was low key and nice.  My stomach is smaller now, so I'd have to force feed myself to eat much more. 

I'm getting used to taking a break from the fire department.  My house is quiet.  I don't have to drop everything at all hours of day and night.  It's very peaceful.  I've had time to get some perspective on the big jerk that pissed me off so badly and calm down and realize that I like everyone else but him, and I really do like the work.  This time last week I was thinking about quitting.

I felt so much better about it this morning at 7am that I responded to an EMS call.  Only one other fellow showed up (a former chief), so we chatted about stuff.  He and some other folks had noticed that I wasn't coming around and they had guessed it was because of the big jerk.  They all know this turd is out of control, but everybody's a little afraid of him.  (Yay, a grown up bully.  Wonderful.)  One of them was going to talk to the president and I asked him to please, don't do it because of me.  That would make it worse for me.  Just like a bully situation.

I came home after the call and cried my eyes out.  I didn't realize that people noticed how hard I've been working, doing even the crap work like hauling hose that nobody else wants to do.  My hard work had earned some respect.  These old guys see their wives or their daughters when they look at me, and they have a problem when I get treated badly.  (You know what got them going?  A few weeks ago I was learning how to operate the pump on one engine and the jerk was operating the pump on the other engine, feeding me water. His radio interactions with me were sarcastic and a little nasty.  I didn't really notice, but it pissed the old timers off on my behalf.)

I can't say I feel good, but I do feel better than the awful I felt last week.  At lunch I went to the gym and worked out HARD on the elliptical with the music LOUD, and felt cleansed at the end.  It was my first workout in a week.  I've heard that ya gotta surprise your body, but after a few days not working out isn't a surprise any more!

241.6 this morning, same as yesterday.  Last night's chinese food hasn't hit my body yet.  Maybe the workout will cancel out the chinese food???