Rode my bike in the snow for the very first time. Going down a Mt. Baldy and Glendora Mountain Road with black ice in the shady spots was pretty exciting. We spent four hours of climbing which turned into a 4,368 ft. of elevation gain and two Mountain peaks later. Then 4,368 ft. of descending which only lasted 48 minutes.

This holiday season has been a good one. December went by really fast. With work, Princess Jaymee and cycling four weeks seemed like one. Of course, I waited till the last minute to get gifts but I don't think I will ever change. My sister and her husband didn't really want anything so I got them each one of those 100% recycled toothbrushes from Whole foods. They didn't seem really into it but then again she didn't get me shit. My mom got me a badass CD player for my car which included a remote. My goal is to only use that for everything.

Now to the exciting stuff! I'm waiting to hear back from the guy that does the hiring for Compton Fire Department. I will be working as a EMT still but I will make 400 dollars more and the department has been known to "sponsor" there EMTs through medic school if they come back and work as a paramedic for them, not bad right?
Who wouldn't hire a guy like below?

I'm trying to go on more "epic" bike rides during the winter season. I strongly believe its the only way to keep me up to par with the following racing season. After getting almost 12 hours of sleep and eating I left. I went up through Santiago Canyon that eventually turns into El Toro riding that to Laguna Canyon and ending back onto PCH. Traffic was light, Only a few Harleys and 2 jackasses racing each other in their expensive cars, That's it! The ipod was out of my ear's and you could actually hear nature. Not just busy PCH like half my other rides.

My sister found out the other day that she is going to have a boy. I told her to name the kid Kyle or Kilee, well she didn't listen but, she is going to have the boys middle name daniel (get it? Kyle daniel Stallings) That's chill I guess. I don't think I have told that many of you guys yet but, I'm looking into moving out of southern California. I'm on Marchs waiting list at UCLA and my chances are not looking to good. There are quite a few schools up north. I'm currently looking into Santa Cruz, San luis Obispo and even as far north as Seattle. There is also a small chance of Flagstaff Arizon. A friend that I worked with is working there now and if you commit to working for the company 2 years after your schooling they pay for it, not bad. Considering it will cost me about $20,000. Once again, this is all in the air for now. Could you ever believe it? Myself, moving out of Long Beach? I catch myself thinking about the distance from my family and I, If it were going to happen. Hell, I might be able to see my sister post-birth... Well, enough of that. Stay safe.

It was my second time voting and this time around felt like you were actually doing something great. Don't get me wrong, Kerry vs. Bush election in '04 was amazing but this time was different. My Mom and Grandparents were unsure about Obama and would never vote Republican. Being raised in Lakewood my Mom witnessed zero African Americans due to Lakewood's law about not selling a house to a "colored folks" at that time. To make it short one day while I was having dinner with them politics were brought up. I sold them by only saying this: "It is 2008, not 1958" ... Bam! three more vote for Mr. Obama. My whole family voted for him except for Mrs. "OC" her self, my sister. She sent me a text right after CNN said that he was the elected president saying she is moving. I told her she lives in the only "red" part of California and the midwest does'nt have Fashion Island. Her child (boy or girl) is going to grow up watching a African American on T.V. as the President of the United States, That is bad ass!

Paramedic Prep. was the best/worst time of my life. For one month I did'nt do anything except read Paramedic Care "Principles & Practive" Medical Emergencies and Introduction to Advance Prehospital Care. Those two books have blown my mind. Along side of reading those books we had class objectives varing from Repiratory Emergencies all the way to Shock and Truama. Coming out of that class (3rd highest grade in the class and the highest test score in the class!) has made me look at every call we get now at a Paramedic level and not a EMT level, it's great. I'm on the March waiting list at UCLA medic program so we will see how that goes. In the mean time I plan on getting my ACLS (advance cadiac life support) and PALS (pediatric advance life support) Cards, nothing else better to do right?

Since this class it blows my mind how this Paramedics even function nor have a job. We ran a call a few days ago with a guy that pull a 14" laceration in his inner calf muscle from a skill saw. He was laying in a pool of blood and it only gets better... You could see where the saw cut into his fibia bone and when I asked him if he could move his foot you could see the tendons move. BADASS! We raped his leg up and then the medic proceded to give me the run sheet that was half-assed and then they left, leaving two EMT's to deal with it. I drove really fast to the hospital. A co-worker later saw the guy in the hospital and said he did'nt look good and the doctors had two huge bags flowing into him trying to stop the bleeding but they could'nt do a good enough job and were waiting for a opening in the Operating Room. Amazing right? Whatever happened to patient care, shouldn't that be #1? and not to hurry and get back to the fire station because a football game is on? I will leave you with this, My medic Prep. teacher told us this on our first day of class.

"Paramedics save lifes, EMT's save the Paramedic hes job"