12/14/2011
Dear Friends,
HealthONE EMS Manikins (left to right) Baby Hal,
Suzie, Hal, and Justin Case
It has been a miraculous and traumatic year (traumatic in the clinical kind of way). I can’t believe that it has been 525,600 minutes, since this time last year. When you are manikin, you really don’t have much sense of time. Day after day, after day, after day, after day is like the previous.
At the same time, we welcomed Tony Orlando and Dawn. Pardon, I meant Alice Fleisher, Travis Smith, and Don Stroup. The EMS office has been great! Roy Ramos continues to scare everyone with his moulage. Heidi Cabell received the employee of the year award and Dr. Luyten received the Wohlauer Award. Nice going, team! It has been a great year for students, instructors and staff, too. Although, for a short stint, I thought we’d even bring in the parents with our own EMS PTA, but it didn’t come to pass.
If you haven’t heard, we moved since last year. Our lease was up and management decided to relocate us to a simpler and more sedate environment. I think that they found too many open beer cans and Big Hal had been sneaking into the bar late at night. Regardless, we moved from the north side of the building to the shi shi A/V closet. You’d think with all of that A/V gear that the tech guy could have left us a stereo. Nada. However, we do like our new digs. The accommodations are cozy, even though we are on top of one another.
We had our first awards banquet in May. When the envelope was opened, Hal Jr. was named “most likely to get a new name”. Thus, Hal Jr. became Justin Case. I feel that he also should have been recognized for his sporty clothes. The guy has some fine threads. Justin is a lovely boy. He just showed up last spring and we decided to keep him. He is a real go-getter, but has trouble verbalizing. By the way, the rumor that he’s been hanging out with a ventriloquist is false! He is a wonderful child, never complains and always has a focused intense look.
Our health has been typical for most manikins. We had a lot of scares with Hal. I’m not exaggerating. I think he went into Cardiac Arrest over a hundred times over the year. While his care was good, I sometimes think that he was frequently manikin handled. Also, there was a stomach bug, too. All of us received new tummies. Other than that, I (Suzie) am doing well. When I’m not working, I like to sit around and around and sit around some more with baby Hal.
Outside of the Gaumard household, I’d like to report that my cousin Noel is expecting again! She is so fertile.
For fun, the kids have been playing a lot of games. Their favorites are: Compressions with Friends, Angry Patients, Stone face and I Careless. Our good friend Dennis Edgerly seems to be the only one that can make any of us blink, during Stone face.
The kids continue to go to school, but none will be graduating anytime soon! I’m starting to think that they are intellectually challenged. Someone even called them dummies. As if... .
I guess that I should wrap it up. We wish you and yours Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year .
Love,
The Gaumards and Laerdols at HealthONE EMS
