The Interview Project

I came back from Arizona with a case of what I suspect is conjunctivitis. I have no idea how I got "pink eye" without coming into contact with a pre-schooler, but there you have it. My eyes are puffy, red, itchy, oozing gunk -- and I don't feel like sitting in front of a computer.

So the Arizona meet posts will have to wait. In the meantime, I'd like to introduce you to Jan - a remarkable young woman I met last week. Through blogging, of course....

I was late to the party for Neil "Citizen of the Month" Kramer's Great Interview Experiment:

"I know most of you won’t agree with me, but I think anyone who decides to write about their life online is interesting, even those who may not do the best job yet of conveying that on paper. We all should be interviewed, at least once."

So here is what Neil proposed: The first person who commented on that post was interviewed by Neil. That person, in turn, interviewed the next commenter - and so on and so on. By the time I got on board, Neil was well on his way to facilitating 300 blogger interviews.

The ones I have read are fascinating -- in part, because of the random nature of the pairings. The interview you are about to read is a perfect example of that:

My subject was Jan, a young (I think she's 20-something), outdoorsy, female firefighter from New England. She's kind of the polar opposite of SoCal Mom, who is old, lethargic, allergic to fresh air and decidedly not young any longer. Did we manage to connect? Read on and see...

SoCal Mom: I'm curious about the title of your blog: Time Czar. What does that mean, where did it come from, why did you choose it?

Jan: It comes from a JM Gottman psychology book called The Relationship Cure. In the book he describes personality types [Sentry, Time czar, Adventurer, Jester, etc.]. A Time Czar is a person who conducts their life being concered about having enough time to do things, enough sleep, etc. I chose Timeczar as a joke. The LAST thing I am is a time czar. I'm more of an adventurer ('hey guys, let's do this!') or a Jester ('Hey guys, watch this!').

SoCal Mom: You have been blogging just a short while. Is this your first blog? Why did you start the blog? Is it doing for you what you'd hoped? Is there anything about blogging that has surprised you? If so, what?

Jan: I had a MySpace account, but I am told that this is not a real blog. I got a blog because I loved my friend Christine's blog (http://christinetexiera.com/wordpress/) and decided that, if I were going to have a journal, which I would try to be supremely narcissistic and silly about it.I really don' let my freak flag fly this much anywhere else. If you were to meet me in real life you'd probably think I'm a softie; My blog is probably who I wish I could be.

SoCal Mom: You are a firefighter, which sounds like an exciting, interesting and very challenging profession to this outsider. How did you choose this profession? And why are you now contemplating a change?

Jan: I became a firefighter 'accidentally on purpose. Why don't I self-plagarize and send you an excerpt from my entrance essay for Physician Assistant school:

It has been my experience that most children answer the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with the standard, "fireman, policeman, or astronaut." I was not your average kid, however. My grandfather was a radiologist at Holyoke Hospital in Holyoke, Massachusetts and he was my idol. So, naturally, I had always planned to be a doctor. In fact, when I was feeling especially precocious, I'd announce to the adults in my life my intentions of becoming a craniofacial surgeon. I fantasized about being the hero doc in a third world country who repaired cleft palates. If I didn't get an astonished reaction to my statements, I sometimes added, "or neonatologist." Most adults guffawed. A few probably wondered, "What's a neonatologist?" But, my grandfather would just beam proudly. He believed in me and knew I meant to follow through.

I was on course with my plan to become the world's most amazing physician. Then, reality set in. Right out of high school I enrolled at prestigious Oberlin College and it quickly became clear I possessed neither the maturity to handle the difficulty of college nor the funds necessary to keep myself in good standing with the bursar's office. After three semesters I took a leave of absence. In retrospect, I very much regret my decision but, at the same time, realize it may have been one of the better life-decisions I have made, as the steps I took next made me the person I am today.

I had no intention to give up completely on school while I was taking a semester off to plan for my future and so I enrolled in an Anatomy and Physiology class and a Basic Emergency Medical Technician course at Greenfield Community College. I intended to get a job working on an ambulance to pay for school and also to get a taste of what it might be like to take care of patients. From the start I found myself loving to learn about the subject of the care of the sick and injured in a way I hadn't before. I felt at home. After I passed the certification exam I joined a volunteer fire department so that I could go to medical calls, agreeing to fight fires so that I could do EMS. To my surprise, I came to love being a firefighter just as much as I loved being an EMT. I signed up to take the next statewide civil service exam, the test a person takes if they want to be a career firefighter in this state and, after three years of hard work and waiting, found myself being sworn in as the first ever female career firefighter in the Town of Greenfield.

The life of a firefighter gets into your soul in ways that change you. I won't ever forget the camaraderie or the back-breaking, do or die work of the fire academy; the joy of having a person thank us for saving his house; or the horrific memory of the big, brown, empty eyes of the two-year-old my group cut out of a car and tried desperately to resuscitate one Thanksgiving eve, the car of the drunk driver who took his life long gone before we ever made it on scene. Firefighting has raised the caliber of person that I am. I now lead a life where hard work, honor and a responsibility to others means that deciding not to finish a task or lend a hand is not an option. It's true that it takes a certain kind of person to devote ones life to the service of others. I know in my heart that I am that kind of person. I can't envision being happy if I were to ever stop taking care of people.

To the best of my ability, I want to be able to provide the highest level of service and care to the people for whom I work. I find myself increasingly frustrated with the limitations of my scope of practice. The fire department in Greenfield is very busy and at least forty percent of our responses are to serious medical emergencies such as strokes, traumatic injury or cardiac problems. Transportation to the hospital and advanced life support are provided for patients by a separate, private, ambulance service. The fire engine often arrives on scene first yet, due to statewide treatment protocols, the EMTs may only act at the First Responder level until the ambulance arrives. For me, this means I am repeatedly in the situation where I know, from experience or training, that a patient is in need of specific immediate medical intervention but I am either constrained against or not trained to perform to that level. Then, after the patient is transported, I am often left not knowing whether or not they survived. Emotionally and ethically this is becoming more and more unacceptable to me. Why should I go back to the firehouse and wonder, what if I could have done more? I've come far enough in life and my career to know that I could be a successful physician's assistant and become one of the people who are ultimately responsible for their care.

I feel a strong desire to do more and have come to realize that becoming a physician's assistant is something I need to do to move forward; I see it as a goal I must achieve to feel I am following the right life path for me. I am lucky to be blessed with the ambition and love for medicine that I believe will make me a capable and competent provider. Perhaps, even as a child, I've known what I wanted to do all along and I simply needed the perspective of going out and "making it" in the world before I took this step. I see Springfield College's program as the most efficient and plausible means to be able to achieve my goal within the parameters of my life. I like living in Western Massachusetts, feel compelled to study here, and will, hopefully, work in a hospital here when I graduate. On a personal note, to feel as though I am "finishing what I started" by obtaining a degree is an attitude I hope will carry me through the program and make studying for my future career a joyful experience. I believe in my abilities and know I have the determination and maturity to make sure I do my job well. I think this attitude makes me an enthusiastic student, one who could compliment your program.

Lastly, I have to admit I'm a pretty sentimental person. I think it's a good quality in a person who likes to help others because I allow it to feed into my compassion for the people for whom I work. As a result, I feel the need to "step on the gas" a bit with regard to my career. My grandfather, my mentor and cheerleader, is not getting any younger and so he's now starting to resemble a lot of the patients I see each day: he is experiencing the cascade of medical problems that naturally comes with being very elderly. His faith in me was a huge boost as I worked to become a firefighter and I can't wait to succeed for the next thirty years doing what I've always said I wanted to do. I'd love to be able to go to school at Springfield and be nearby, so he could get a play-by-play of my education. I'd get a lot of satisfaction out of that; about as much as I would if I felt that by succeeding in medicine for my own sake that I'd be, in a way, continuing his legacy.

SoCal Mom: What is contra dancing?

Jan: The most fun you'll ever have with your clothes on.

http://www.sbcds.org/contradance/whatis/

SoCal Mom:  Do you have a favorite post?

Jan: I have a favorite story that goes along with the posts. I call it the "Shit covered dog story."  You should have heard Aaron tell that story to my parents. Oh man. Thankfully, my parents have a pretty good sense of humor and laughed their head off about it. (The uncensored story is even funnier.)

SoCal Mom:  Do you have any good "Bad Jan" stories you feel comfortable sharing? (That was MY favorite post, btw -- that and the one with the naked sex offender.)

Oh god, I am such a disaster in relationships. Bad Jan comes from my friend Meg who helped me through moving out of my ex's house. She helped me though this via drinking and karaoke. I became bad Jan I guess because I was really nice to men who I met, until they tried to make a pass at me. Then, I became "Fighter Pilot Jan." Ahhh, too convoluted.

The "Bad Jan story" from my blog, however, is actually a story from my very magnetic, albeit melodramatic with my friend/sometimes [mostly not] boyfriend. So, on that vein, I do have some great Aaron/regular old Jan stories.

I think that it probably embarrasses him that I think he is so funny/eccentric but I love him for it and that is why I tell the stories. I know it annoys him because he once came over to my house, opened the fridge, poured himself a glass of milk, and then put whipped cream on it. "Now you have another good story for your friend!" he said.

…So, my good story: I got home from a particularly hard bike ride and I felt a cold coming on. I had ordered some fatty chinese food and was happily anchored into my couch when the phone rang. It was Aaron.

Jan, you aren't bailing out on going to Salsa dancing with me tonight, are you? Damn you, everyone always bails on me!

No, Aaron* (*a lie) I'll see you in 20 minutes.

I drove to up to where I was supposed to meet him. Aaron is parked and notice he's in his car. I can see his huge head of curly hair bobbing up and down. I go over to the car and Aaron is trying to open an enormous cheese log with his teeth.

I get in the car and glare with disbelief.

"I'm hungry." He said.

To this day I laugh just thinking about it. I have no idea why this is so hilarious to me.

SoCal Mom: Tell me about your puppy! Is that her picture on your site? You listed springer spaniels as an interest -- have you always been a fan of that breed? (My sister and her family lost their springer to old age a couple of years ago -- one of the best dogs I have ever known, so they are a favorite of mine, too.)

Jan: Piper is an 8 month old Springer Spaniel. She's really smart and very obedient if constantly watched (what dog isn't). Lucky for me she is teaching me how to be a better parent the hard way. So far she has eaten 5 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of panties, 3 bras (one not mine), one iPod, one Life of Pi book on tape, one regular book, one aloe plant, one bag of trail mix, one down comforter, and only 3 bags of dog food! She has pooped or peed on 8 floors, brought one dead bird into the house, run through one cow manure lagoon and killed one chicken.

But she is so damned cute, does tricks, and cuddles like it's her job. She tried as hard as she can at night to get as close to me as possible. I love her so much it scares me.

I met her at a friends birthday party in July when she was 9 weeks old and I've been sunk ever since.

SoCal Mom: You are from New England. How do you feel geography affects your world view? (This from someone who calls herself "SoCal Mom," so I guess you know where I stand on that!)

Jan: Oh, you mean other than the fact that I'm a super liberal, organic food eating, clog wearing intellectual? Well, I guess the fact that I like sweaters differentiates me from a Southern Californian. (Wink.) Seriously, by that I mean to say, well, yes. New Englanders are a unique breed. And we're vicious recruiters. There's still some land in Vermont available, if you're interested in taking up skiing!

I love the region in which I live, and feel blessed every day to be from New England. I've traveled all over the world and felt homesick. It's nice to visit other places but when the leaves change in the fall I know why this is home.

SoCal Mom: You said in one post that you missed Ireland. Did you live there? Tell me about your relationship with that country.

Jan: I spent some time there on a guy named Mark's floor just outside of Dublin. I was with a group of other Americans. One day we woke up and decided to drive to see the Cliffs of Moher (in Co. Claire).

"You're crazy," Exclaimed our friends. "That's on the other bleedin' side of the country!" "Why would you do a damned thing like that?"

When we explained to them that the drive was akin to a day trip to Boston from my house (Half the distance between L.A. and San Diego) they looked at us blankly. Talk about a different world view!

My family, like many from New England, has English and Irish roots. I play the fiddle. I think it's kind of a New England stereotype to be Irish.

SoCal Mom: Do you have a favorite joke? Share it here.

Jan: I love all jokes. Ironically, this is supposed to be the funniest in the world, but I don't get it. (But I find it less despicable than LOLcats.com, ugh!)

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy takes out his phone and calls the emergency services.

He gasps: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says: "Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a gunshot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: "OK, now what?"

Comments

[Jan (TimeCzar)]

Donna,
Thank you. I feel famous!

[Lorna]

I was going to write something deep about how Jan is fearless and thouoghtful and brave, and about how you're a thorough and insightful interviewer but I'm too busy laughing at the ineradicable picture of the hunter and the dispatcher...

[akakarma]

Great job SoCal and Jan! It's fun to read about Jan from another perspective than her own. That hunter joke is a good one. I totally agree with Lorna's comment too...