Random Thoughts For Early April

My EMT class continues to keep me very busy. I'm doing quite well in the academic portion of the class, but I do need some work on patient assessments in the skills area. I did 4 shifts at our local hospital's Emergency Department. Let me tell you, there is a heck of a lot to learn on the "other side of the waiting room." I can understand why it takes so long to be seen and sometimes treated. They really do go on a "sickest goes first" system. I have a new appreciation for the staff working emergency medicine.

I have done 1 out of the 4 shifts with an EMS service, which is also required for my class. In a 14 hour shift, we only went on 3 calls. That's pretty slow for them as I understand it. The ride-along was also very, very interesting.

I found an old friend I knew in the Army whom I last communicated with over 20 years ago. It was great to catch up and see what he's been up to. This is one of those guys I knew who "fell off the face of the Earth" never to be heard from again. Google is a great tool for finding people.

I got a few new CDs in the past couple of weeks. My wife got me the latest (and potentially last) release from Bob Seger. There are some good tunes on it, though they are not what I would call "typical Seger." I also got "Anthology" by The J. Geils Band. They did a great job grouping tunes together so the first CD is all studio stuff and the second CD is mostly live. The J. Geils Band is one of those who did their best stuff live, though they did a lot of great studio work as well.

There are some classic rock acts which sound better live, some which sound better in the studio and some which have great work in both realms. Here is a list of my opinions, you can take them or leave them:

• Ted Nugent: Definitely better live. I might be a bit biased since I saw him live 4 times when I was younger. He is a great entertainer and I think "Double Live Gonzo" is some of his best work - even if he didn't record "Motor City Madhouse" in Detroit.
• Rush: These guys did some fantastic tunes; "The Spirit of Radio," "Free Will," "Tom Sawyer," "Time Stands Still" are among my favorite songs of all time. However, I cannot stand their live stuff. I know a lot of people will disagree with my opinion here (my wife certainly does) but I prefer Rush in the studio rather than live.
• Bob Seger: Here's one who stands equally well both live and in the studio. "Live Bullet" has some of his best work, but there are a few "clinkers" on there too. There are some timeless Seger tunes which were done in the studio.
• The J. Geils Band: They have 3 songs which I think are some of the best live recordings of all time: "First I Look At The Purse," "Whammer Jammer/Hard Drivin' Man" and "Land of 1000 Dances." If you've never heard J. Geils' cover of "Land of 1000 Dances" you've never heard "Land of 1000 Dances." They also did some great studio stuff, though some of the "Disco"-sounding tunes I can take or leave.
• Journey: Definitely better in the studio.
• REO Speedwagon: Great in the studio. However, the studio version of "Riding the Storm Out" isn't even the same song as the live version. I would hate that song if it weren't for the live version.
• Lynyrd Skynyrd: Great in the studio, but their live version of "Free Bird" is my favorite of their work.
• The Who: I think better in the studio than live. Their live version of "Summertime Blues" is a classic in my opinion.
• Led Zeppelin: I don't like the live stuff I've heard from them. Definitely better in the studio. I will throw out there, though, Heart's live cover of "Rock and Roll" is excellent.

Enough of that for now. I need to study for a test I have tomorrow.