Speaking in public

This is something I hate to do.  I never took speech class in high school for this reason.  When I was asked to give a speech at our graduation from the citizens’ police academy, I didn’t know what to say.  I was shocked that she asked me because we had lots of people there in the class, but I was also flattered.  She said she asked because I was writing a mystery series of books and wanted my perspective of the academy once it was over.  I have a hard time saying no too, so I told her I’d do it.  I had one day notice and was a bundle of nerves.

I sat down at my computer that night to type up something I had roughed out earlier in the day.  I was going to use bullet points and then speak letting those jog my memory, but in the end I ended up writing a two page double-spaced speech to read.  I figured I’d probably get tongue-tied and it was better to have everything written up that I wanted to say.  And I didn’t want to leave anything out.

The next day before class I went over it again and printed it out.  My neighbor was my guinea pig and good enough to listen to it beforehand.  I was grateful for that.  I got a bit emotional while reading it to her.  I thought I’d be a basket case at the graduation.  After all, the mayor, chief of police and deputy chief would all be there, along with a few of the officers.  However, I tried not to think about all this as I drove over.  I do speak to strangers at Costco all day long, day in and day out, so I tried to envision my audience in that way.  I have no problem at all talking about my demo all day long.

The mayor spoke first and then the police chief.  I thought “oh no!  I’m next.”  But as it turned out another older man and volunteer at the department was called next and then I was last before our completion certificates were handed out, along with a class picture we took a few weeks ago.  We were called up in alphabetical order and had to walk to the front, much like any graduation, except there was no cap and gown.  Afterwards we had to go down the line and shake hands with the mayor, police chief and deputy chief and the officers there that got in that line.  The officers were all gracious and thanked me for saying such nice things about them.  I meant every word.

 Our binder of info, the graduation certificate and class picture

 

I did become a bit emotional as I told them how sorry I was the class was over, how nice and prepared all the officers were and how passionate about their jobs they are.  I wanted to thank them all because I learned so much and I know it took a great deal of their time to prepare all the presentations for us.  We had power point slides and handouts.

After that we all had snacks that were nicely laid out on two big tables in the back of the room.  There were sandwiches, chips and dip, veggie trays and fruit platters.  The water was in big, clear glass dispensers, one with lemon slices and the other without.  It was all very nice.  We formed small groups and talked about the class as we ate with our fellow classmates.  Of course we joked about not knowing what to do on Tuesday and Thursdays nights now that the class was over.  We decided we might need a support group, or an advanced class. 

A few of the class members have stopped by for some samples at Costco since that night.

I’m still looking for the right frame for my diploma and class picture and will hang it proudly on my office wall.  

Many firsts

Citizens' Police Academy continues

Now that isn’t a bad thing at all.  This citizens’ police academy has been such a nice experience that I would encourage anyone to sign up; if you have a program like this where you live.  So much has happened since I last wrote about my classes but I don’t want to bore any of you with everything that goes on, although nothing has been boring to me.

I’ve truly had more going on in my life the last month than I’ve had in a long time.  Last Thursday’s class we all met at the jail in the next town over.  I hardly ever drive there, but I found it just fine. 

The sheriff’s department is also in this building.  We had a simulator on three giant movie screens in their training room where we gathered and could actually strap on a laser gun and answer dispatch calls, as if we were the police officer responding to the calls.  This was very interesting.  Then we got to interview a prisoner in the jail.  They brought him into the room in shackles.  How many of you out there have ever done that?  It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.  The man is serving a twenty year sentence for murder that he got reduced to manslaughter.  It was his first offense.  He gets out in three years and seems to have changed his life while in prison.  He’s spent his time going to school and has earned two bachelor’s degrees.  His intention is to help future parolees obtain jobs and help them to adapt back into regular life.

 I took no pictures in this class and the following pictures will be equipment only and not any people.

The only disappointment in this night was that we didn’t get to see the booking process firsthand.  I’ll ask about that in a future class, if we’re allowed to make suggestions.  Of course I would have actually liked to have toured the jail itself, but I imagine they thought it might be a danger to us so that wasn’t offered.

 This is some of the bomb squad equipment

 

Saturday’s class was a morning one so I had to drag my butt out of bed and get my act together.  Thankfully the shooting range is only about ten minutes from my house.  It was drizzling and a nasty day with highs in the fifties, but we all assembled there and got to watch demos from the bomb squad, SWAT team and the motorcycle patrol.  Their training facility for some of this stuff is up there at the shooting range.

 This is one of the explosions I took a pic of

 

This coming Tuesday we get to meet the canine patrol and view a demo by the drug dog, Emma.  In conclusion, I have to say they have put together a great program that must have taken many man hours to prepare.  I have a three-inch binder full of information now.  Plus I have some business cards in case I want to interview any of these people later when the serious rewrite for my books begin.

I finally had to break down and do it

I’m talking about going to the doctor, which I hate to do.  I always try home remedies first and usually only see the doctor once a year.  I keep a positive attitude and am always optimistic about things, even when times look bleak.  Usually I can fix whatever it is myself, but sometimes it takes the advice of a sister or friend.  This usually always works.

In mid-December I had to go to the doctor when I came home from work with a fever and still had it the next day.  I had a bad cold and a sinus infection.  I think I probably wrote about that in a previous post.  The situation now is a bad case of athlete’s foot I can’t get rid of.  I’ve been trying home remedies for the last few weeks.  I attribute this to having to wear socks and sneakers daily at work.  My feet do not like socks and closed-in shoes.  I like going barefoot and wearing my flip-flops.  The first thing to come off after work is the shoes and then all the other clothes I have to put on for the job.  Anyway, this foot problem is an ongoing thing and I expect it to be as long as I have to work and wear this “uniform.”

After burning my feet with a vinegar bath twice a day, I had to call that quits after three days.  I was intending to kill the athlete’s foot fungus.  Well it seemed to get a bit better, but it also burned the rest of my feet.  Being the determined person I am, I put up with soaking for thirty minutes each time.  After the third day, even my strong will power figured I was doing more harm than good so I went back to my green alcohol and medicated Gold Bond powder.

 Birdbath fun

Just inserting a few pics here to break up the text.  Believe me you don't want to see my feet. 

 

Then I decided to unwrap my poor patio plants and water them and let them get some air.  That led to cleaning up the whole patio and getting rid of leaves and dirt and all the stuff that drifted in over the winter.  Naturally, I was wearing flip-flops to do this entire job, which took a few hours.  That finished my feet off, not to mention my poor aching back.

 Blooms on our Bradford pear tree

 

Since then I’ve had the worst blister on my big toe.  And of course the athlete’s foot is still there too, but not as bad as it was.  It was finally time to go and see the doctor again.  Good grief!  Twice in three months.  I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.

To make a long story short, I have two new prescriptions to pick up at the pharmacy tomorrow.  Tonight I start my Epsom salt bath for my feet that I have to do twice a day.  “Stop all the home remedies” the doctor said, but the Gold Bond powder is okay and I can continue to use my ointment for the athlete’s foot until I get my prescription. 

This stuff better get rid of these foot problems because I can’t wear my flip-flops until that blister is gone.  I’m crossing my fingers here.

 Raven wanting to play

 

On a cheerier note, I got my car fixed and it looks great. The weather has been fantastic.  I love the 80’s and having the windows open.  And the cats continue to amuse me every day with their antics.

 A beautiful sunrise on the first day of spring

 

I’m still attending the citizens’ police academy and learning so much.  The chief of police came to talk to us tonight and Saturday we get to go to the shooting range and watch a demonstration by the SWAT team.  I can’t wait for that.  More later.

An action filled Saturday night

This is a similar vehicle that I was in for my ride-along

Wow!  Wow!  Wow!  I couldn’t have asked for a better ride-along with the police department.  I was so stoked I’d love to do it again, but nothing could top this one so I’d likely be disappointed.  And after comparing notes in my citizens’ police academy class, I think I had the best one so far.

I’m not going to mention any names here because I really don’t think it’s my place to say too much about this experience and I don’t want to step on any toes without permission.  Let’s just say it was better than any TV show, or the movies.  After all this was happening in real life and right in front of my eyes.

We did a lot in three hours.  That police radio goes off constantly.  I really don’t know how the guys and gals keep it all straight because the reports come in non-stop and they change every few minutes.  I learned so much from the officer I rode with that night.  He was careful to explain all the equipment and let me look at the laptop that’s mounted partially over the passenger seat.  Luckily, I’m small enough to fit in the tiny space that’s left.  Everything is computerized these days and there are little gadgets hanging everywhere. 

Of course I had instructions to stay inside the car for my safety when he made traffic stops, but I was able to bring him up on the tiny monitor mounted above my window and actually listen to him speaking to anyone when we made stops.  He also explained to me how the radar mounted on the dash worked.

Our first stop actually turned into an arrest of a drunken man that we later drove to the jail after he was handcuffed, read his Miranda rights, and frisked down right in front of me.  Wow!  The officer placed him in the backseat behind me.  Of course there’s a Plexiglas window between the seats.  So that started things out on an exciting note.  After that he took calls for two domestic disputes, stopped a lady for speeding, and then to top the night off he took a call for a stolen vehicle.  That was a crazy experience with about five cars in on the chase to apprehend this person.  I’m not going to go into any more details here. 

Once I got back to the station, I was ready to go out again, but the officer had reports to write up and I needed to come home and wind down.  Needless to say, I was still wound up for the next couple of days.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget this.  It was the most exciting Saturday night I’ve ever had in my life.

The splendor of nature

Sunrise under a stormy sky

I’m posting some sunsets and other odd things today.  My life has been way too hectic to write up anything intelligent.  I seem to be moving at a pace that’s much faster than I’d like.  Between working, going to my citizen’s police academy and doing all the chores around the house, there’s no time left over.

 A fiery sunset under storm clouds

 

Sometimes I really wonder how all the people I work with are still going strong.  Many of them have been there way longer than me, not to mention are much older too.  Maybe they go home after their shift and collapse on the couch like I do.  Sometimes it’s a real chore just to get my body out of the car once I get into the garage.  LOL  I like my job, but it can wear me out.

 Raven using this box from Costco as a new hiding place

Raven and Koki with a toy mouse. 

 

I’m learning a lot at the academy.  I hope it’ll come in useful when rewriting my mystery series.  

We had our gates redone.  After 12 and 1/2 years they needed it.

Do you have what it takes?

Clip art

I’m talking about the passion to do something so badly that you’ll do whatever it takes to get there.  This desire can be about anything in life but, right now with two classes of the citizens’ police academy under my belt; I can see it takes great fortitude to do this job.  It’s very dangerous in the times we live in today and passing all the tests to even realize the passion of finally becoming a police officer isn’t for the average person.  I never realized what all goes into this until our meeting last Thursday.

I think pursuing this profession has to be even harder than running for the presidency of the United States.  Just the physical endurance test that comes first would knock many wannabe’s off the list.  I’m sure this would be similar to boot camp, but it doesn’t last as long.  If you can manage to pass this endurance test, then you get the opportunity to move on to the next test of 100 “canned” questions.  If you’re still standing after all that, then it’s several months of interviews and background checks that cover your entire life.  If you’ve passed all this then it’s onto the police academy for a few months of training, then back to your own town for more police training before you can become a sworn in officer.  All of this takes the better part of a year to complete.

I sure did learn a lot from the Patrol Captain who was one of our speakers during class two.  Wow!  You really, really have to want to help the community and its citizens live in safety to go through all this preparation.  And also be willing to put your life on the line daily in the course of your job.  I have great respect for these people and all they do.  I’m also glad they do such extensive training and background checking so that the ordinary citizen knows they’re being protected in the best way possible.  It should be a comfort to know that there’s also ongoing training all the time to keep the officers up-to-date on all the latest technology and procedures.

I’m learning a lot about our police department here and this class has barely gotten underway.  We’ll even get to do a ride-along.  Wow!  Now that will be very interesting to see everything in action, although we’re told we have to stay in the vehicle all the time for our safety.

Other than work and class, the weather is warming up here.  Thank goodness!  It’s so nice to see 70 degrees and sunny skies.  Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

There is life beyond work

It’s occurred to me that I’ve really been complaining about work lately so I think it’s time to write about something else altogether for a while.  While it’s true a lot of my time is taken up with work, there’s also life beyond the world of food demos. 

We’ve had some gorgeous sunsets here in the desert and I’ve managed to capture a few of them.  I just love all the oranges along with the gold and pink.  Sadly sunsets never last long enough for me.  I’m not always in a position to grab the camera soon enough either.  Sometimes the pinks and oranges give me a 360 degree view and that’s impossible to capture in one picture.  It’s a nice five to ten minute feast for the eyes though.

 Sometimes the rocks and mountains behind the house light up at sunset

Hubby got a shot of this big hawk on the roof the other morning

 

We’re also beginning to get just a small taste of the spring weather that’s coming and not too soon for me.  A few days ago it was in the low 60’s here, sunny with beautiful puffy clouds all over and just beautiful.  We had a slight breeze and it was so nice I would have liked to have bottled that day.  The next day it was back to the gloomy business with more rain and it was quite a bit colder again.  We’ve had a lot of rainy days this year, but I guess that’s better than snow and ice.  Luckily we’ve only had one day of that so far and it was hailing one night when I got off work, so that wasn’t at all fun to be out in.

 Koki likes to chase her tail on this level of the cat tree.  She's done this all her life.  She'll be twelve in May.

Raven and Koki on the cat tree

 

My cats are playing together more, which makes me very happy.  The two of them only have each other now so it’s good they can get along.  Of course I get no sleep when they both pile on the bed because one sleeps on my pillow and the other on my legs.  But I can’t throw them off the bed.  They won’t be around forever and I know I’m gone working a lot so I’m glad they’re happy to see me.

Koki sharpening those claws to attack me with later.  LOL

 

Raven with the new toy I got him for Christmas

 

On another note entirely, I’m not writing as much as I used to (except for blog posts) because I simply don’t have the time to sit quietly and think.  I hope to get back to my mystery series of future novels soon.  I found out about a citizen police academy on the radio last week so I inquired about that and have signed up for the classes that start in February.  Of course they do a background check but I expected that.  I wouldn’t want any criminals taking the class with me.  My purpose in doing this is to make my murder mysteries as realistic as I can.  My editor suggested I go to the police department and talk to someone there about protocol, so I figured this would be even better.  This class is two times a week for three months and will cover everything that the police department does.  There will be more about this later.