So Dramatic

I passed my pack test and completed my refresher course, which means I’m qualified to be a wild land firefighter for the summer of 2015. This year is going to be very active and very busy, at least that’s what I’ve been told. There’s already a crew up in Alaska fighting a fire up there, and it’s still June. That’s incredible. I actually hope to get called out sooner rather than later, even when I wasn’t feeling too enthusiastic about fire season this year. Simply being back in the grind, seeing familiar faces, surrounding myself with fire talk, it all just came back, all that enthusiasm just came back.

Except I’m sore. I’m really sore. I have blisters on my feet from my 3 mile pack test and the 45 pound weight vest dug into my shoulders, leaving a very painful mark on both shoulders. It was also hot, and I’m pretty sure the top of my head and the back of my neck were burned. I’m already miserable, but this will pass, I think… I hope.

It’s time to make some money. I know I’m making the best money of my life at school, but if I can make a little bit extra? Why not, right? I helped the fire instructor today with his computer issues, and I told him I did this for a living, and he “let” me help him for the whole course. It was pretty cool. If I can find some odd tech jobs similar to this, then I’ll be ecstatic. I wonder how to do that, though? Mine my network? Post on Craigslist? Post fliers around town or whatever? Eh, it’s just a thought that might never gain traction. OR IT COULD CHANGE MY LIFE. So dramatic! Haha.

A student from the USC School of Cinematic Arts called me not too long ago, and I answered. They’ve actually been calling me like once a week for the past few months, but I’ve always ignored them, but I was lying on my couch watching TV when I saw the call, and I knew they were going to ask me for money, so I thought about donating to them, and I thought, why not? Lets make this persons day. So I answered, and she told me her name, and we updated my contact information, and she talked about another addition to the cinema school, which is kind of ridiculous but we are the best film school in the world so why not, and then she talked about how alumni help current and future students by supporting and funding all scholarships, and she asked me if I would donate $250. Uhhh… I was willing to donate $50, but when I said $250 was too steep, she said that’s okay, how about $100? And I was like, how about $50? And she sounded really great and excited and I gave her my credit card number and yeah, some student will get a scholarship, and $50 of that will have come from me.

That’s a pretty nice capper to a pretty good day.