One day, I heard an argument break out across the street in a reasonably normal neighborhood. This was not a shouting match but a display of weapons and attitude. I called the police. They showed up and made arrests.
What really important was putting them exactly where they can notice other criminal activity. It was not long before they put together the puzzle of robberies taking place in the vicinity. The SUV used in these robberies was the same vehicle I almost bought from a nurse friend. He had sold it unknowingly to a gang of thieves.
There was another houseful of trouble nearby. I finally saw the perps. I was able to get a disturbance call placed. These guys ran and were rounded up. They were placed in detention thanks to me. Interestingly, later on, I found out that one guy was wanted for murder and a bunch of other crimes along with his girlfriend who was his accomplice. It was three different states he was wanted in when he committed these crimes.
The arrests made all the difference in the world. All I was doing was trying to bring a little quiet to the neighborhood so I could sleep during the day. I worked 12 hours on the night shift. I was in no mood to put up with bad behavior. Don't wake a sleeping bear. He will figure you out and eat you for lunch.
One of my housemates was a young skinny blond who was using all sorts of dope and drank beer like a fish also having sex with many men. Her wealthy parents bought her a cowboy truck. They eventually made her move out. She landed in my sphere of influence. She truly hated me. This blond would use drugs right in her room which was next door to mine. Many times, I could not sleep because of her psychic intrusions and loud music. I finally had enough of this torment and took the license on her truck. I usually shopped at Walmart. One night, I spotted a cop making rounds in the parking lot checking plates. I flagged him down. I told him the story about this young woman drinking and driving, drugging and annoying others. I was prepared, having written down her plate number. I gave specific directions to intercept her and at what time she made her way home from these drunken orgies. It was not long before she was arrested the truck taken away and she went to rehab. Sometimes, force is the only way forward. This is what it took to get some sleep. Nearly every rental had some problem with criminals living close by. Whether this was due to my bad luck or something else, it was hard to tell. I was forced to live in the cheapest places in order to save as much money as I could.
One of my housemates was a young skinny blond who was using all sorts of dope and drank beer like a fish also having sex with many men. Her wealthy parents bought her a cowboy truck. They eventually made her move out. She landed in my sphere of influence. She truly hated me. This blond would use drugs right in her room which was next door to mine. Many times, I could not sleep because of her psychic intrusions and loud music. I finally had enough of this torment and took the license on her truck. I usually shopped at Walmart. One night, I spotted a cop making rounds in the parking lot checking plates. I flagged him down. I told him the story about this young woman drinking and driving, drugging and annoying others. I was prepared, having written down her plate number. I gave specific directions to intercept her and at what time she made her way home from these drunken orgies. It was not long before she was arrested the truck taken away and she went to rehab. Sometimes, force is the only way forward. This is what it took to get some sleep. Nearly every rental had some problem with criminals living close by. Whether this was due to my bad luck or something else, it was hard to tell. I was forced to live in the cheapest places in order to save as much money as I could.
If I would have been married then I doubt that I would of had the initiative to get involved. I sure made the police force happy, though. They had been trying to get a handle on all the crime in Rochester and now they had some reliable information.
There was another household that I moved into closer to work with another ditzy blond who decorated the bathroom to her liking in pink. I came home early in the morning and needed to shower away the night shift. I was awakened by a shrieking voice and a pounding on my door complaining about a towel I used upsetting the decor. The bipolar blond was my nemesis. I moved shortly after one of these episodes.
I got out of town to a small, one horse village. I rented a place above a bar which I thought could be OK for me since I worked nights and slept during the day. One of the local sheriff's office personnel also lived there. He was injured and in great pain due to a a career ending back injury. Dave was trying to control the pain with narcotics. It was very difficult for him. He also made it difficult for me since I had a zero tolerance policy for narcotics.
There was another household that I moved into closer to work with another ditzy blond who decorated the bathroom to her liking in pink. I came home early in the morning and needed to shower away the night shift. I was awakened by a shrieking voice and a pounding on my door complaining about a towel I used upsetting the decor. The bipolar blond was my nemesis. I moved shortly after one of these episodes.
I got out of town to a small, one horse village. I rented a place above a bar which I thought could be OK for me since I worked nights and slept during the day. One of the local sheriff's office personnel also lived there. He was injured and in great pain due to a a career ending back injury. Dave was trying to control the pain with narcotics. It was very difficult for him. He also made it difficult for me since I had a zero tolerance policy for narcotics.
One of the other cops I was trusting was on the take. He was stealing county equipment and reselling it on E Bay. He was busted and was paraded on the Perp Walk of Shame. There were many instances of maleficence in these small towns. I think the weather drives these small towners crazy.
There were other things I did for the community. I was instrumental in fingering the many drug gangs that infested the city. One day, the Chief of narcotics got lucky. He called the right dealer through my information. He was able to take 2 kilos of cocaine off the streets in one fell swoop.
Along with these criminals, he was able to corner the Mendosa sisters who were selling cocaine from a baby carriage. Other people were caught in his dragnet of justice. I was simply an informant. I was accurate and precisely knew what was going on in and around the Mayo Clinic. Honolulu taught me well.
I listened to the people who knew something about the dealers and how they operated. One individual told me of these guys parked at a service station. In the winter, no one pays attention to the overall scene at a busy station. This information led to the arrest of these dope sellers at the now infamous gas station.
I listened to the people who knew something about the dealers and how they operated. One individual told me of these guys parked at a service station. In the winter, no one pays attention to the overall scene at a busy station. This information led to the arrest of these dope sellers at the now infamous gas station.
The crazies tried to make me feel bad about that particular incident but I was having none of it. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. I never received any commendation but I sure participated in law enforcement. There should be a merit badge developed for this sort of thing. Wait, there is.
One night, I heard one of the narcotics officers was nearly run over by a dealer he was trying to arrest. My friend Tom survived with just a shoulder injury. Together we can change the overwhelming surge of crime in our communities which is ultimately fueled by drug addiction.
I bought a ten speed to get around town since a car was out of the question. I was racing the thing home in the rain on the bike trail with wet brakes. I passed under the roadway. Two black guys stepped in the bike way. These guys had been drinking. One guy was right in my way. I yelled a warning, No brakes. I glanced off his shoulder. He gave me this startled look. He turned angry and came at me with clinched fists. I hopped back on the bicycle and made my getaway. I am sure he would have killed if he had gotten hold of me.
I spent seven almost eight long years there at the Mayo clinic. I was there when the Mayo got this huge donation from a wealthy Indian family. It started a huge building program. I watched the Guggenheim Building being built. So many other important installations were added to the Mayo legend then.
I bought a ten speed to get around town since a car was out of the question. I was racing the thing home in the rain on the bike trail with wet brakes. I passed under the roadway. Two black guys stepped in the bike way. These guys had been drinking. One guy was right in my way. I yelled a warning, No brakes. I glanced off his shoulder. He gave me this startled look. He turned angry and came at me with clinched fists. I hopped back on the bicycle and made my getaway. I am sure he would have killed if he had gotten hold of me.
I spent seven almost eight long years there at the Mayo clinic. I was there when the Mayo got this huge donation from a wealthy Indian family. It started a huge building program. I watched the Guggenheim Building being built. So many other important installations were added to the Mayo legend then.
George Harrison came to the Clinic to be treated for brain cancer. They couldn't help him because of the type of cancer he had. He was a life long smoker. That was a sad day when we found out. I was working on 8 D and E the Neuro Unit, one night when Kenny Rogers was rolled in from back surgery to correct some problem.
These were the types of famous people that I saw. They closed the top floor of Methodist Hospital which is a part of the Mayo. I was soon to find out that none other than George H. W. Bush was having hip replacements done. The Secret Service manned the floor. The people you meet are part of your daily routine. You keep secrets or you are dismissed instantly.
Another night an Arabian sheikh flew his blind father from one of the UAE countries to get treatment. I was part of the admitting crew. He was still wearing desert clothing and the garotti which is the ring on his head that keeps his head rag from flying off. It appeared as if he just gotten down from a camel. Speaking of royalty, the King of Jordan also came to Methodist to be treated for brain cancer. He gave a silver covered, embossed Bible to the doctors of Mayo still on display in the Lobby. He was sent home to die a dignified death in Jordan.
There are so many others that come to Mayo for help. No one is turned away including federal prisoners. These people are shackled to the bed. It is a great place to study gangland tattoos. Mara Salva Chucha tats were common on these patients. There was a huge round up of these gangland soldiers from Central America that came to the US decades ago. The tats are fading, which is probably a contributing factor in the death of so many of them. You can tell the killers by the spider web on the elbow. The tear drop tats at the corner of the eye indicate how many times they've been in prison.
Rare diseases were the house specialty. There were nights when many rooms were coded isolation. Patients in isolation would get special treatment. One night I was working on the Cancer Unit at Methodist. This poor woman had end stage cancer but was able to walk around the room. Death, in all its horror was overtaking this woman. Her eyes were filled with blood. She appeared terrifying to everyone. The mirrors were all removed but she could see her reflection in the sliding glass doors. There was nothing anyone could do. All I can do is remember her for posterity.
They gave me a few days off. I drove north to a place called Park Royale Island in the middle of Lake Superior. The road was filled with truckers debris. It was the middle of the night. I hit something in the road which cut my tire. I stopped to change the tire while the big rigs roared by in the pitch black. It was the most threatening scene imaginable.
Another night an Arabian sheikh flew his blind father from one of the UAE countries to get treatment. I was part of the admitting crew. He was still wearing desert clothing and the garotti which is the ring on his head that keeps his head rag from flying off. It appeared as if he just gotten down from a camel. Speaking of royalty, the King of Jordan also came to Methodist to be treated for brain cancer. He gave a silver covered, embossed Bible to the doctors of Mayo still on display in the Lobby. He was sent home to die a dignified death in Jordan.
There are so many others that come to Mayo for help. No one is turned away including federal prisoners. These people are shackled to the bed. It is a great place to study gangland tattoos. Mara Salva Chucha tats were common on these patients. There was a huge round up of these gangland soldiers from Central America that came to the US decades ago. The tats are fading, which is probably a contributing factor in the death of so many of them. You can tell the killers by the spider web on the elbow. The tear drop tats at the corner of the eye indicate how many times they've been in prison.
Rare diseases were the house specialty. There were nights when many rooms were coded isolation. Patients in isolation would get special treatment. One night I was working on the Cancer Unit at Methodist. This poor woman had end stage cancer but was able to walk around the room. Death, in all its horror was overtaking this woman. Her eyes were filled with blood. She appeared terrifying to everyone. The mirrors were all removed but she could see her reflection in the sliding glass doors. There was nothing anyone could do. All I can do is remember her for posterity.
They gave me a few days off. I drove north to a place called Park Royale Island in the middle of Lake Superior. The road was filled with truckers debris. It was the middle of the night. I hit something in the road which cut my tire. I stopped to change the tire while the big rigs roared by in the pitch black. It was the most threatening scene imaginable.
I arrived at the departure point for the Island. You get to park in a secure area. The fare to the island was expensive. The trip to the island was nice but long. As we departed the ship, we were greeted by the rangers who gathered us like criminals for a lecture.
We were told many things which made one think that you would be devoured by mosquitoes then eaten by wolves or trampled by moose. There is not one single mosquito on the island. They are all married with great big families, so goes the introduction to island life. And that was if the bears didn't get you.
The wild flowers were extraordinary as you hiked along the seldom seen terrain. The dew was so heavy that your boots became soaked and your pants as well. You must plan for every contingency. There were hiker's cabins. All carved with messages of warnings. No fires whatsoever were allowed except for the camping stove.
The one message I sort of enjoyed was from a honeymoon couple and their choice to honeymoon on this island. I am sure it was no honeymoon for these newlyweds. Throwing yourself in a survival situation for a honeymoon is pretty damned unique.
Unbelievably, it snowed on my birthday in the middle of July. I hiked all the way across the island to a remote beach on Superior. I laid down in the sunshine and napped. A moose was making his way into the water. It was an extraordinary sight because you could see swollen ticks covering his body.
Unbelievably, it snowed on my birthday in the middle of July. I hiked all the way across the island to a remote beach on Superior. I laid down in the sunshine and napped. A moose was making his way into the water. It was an extraordinary sight because you could see swollen ticks covering his body.
The small lake on the island looked inviting until you examined it. The water is filled with liver flukes. This parasite latches on to your liver and slowly devours you from the inside and creates more larvae to feed on your vitals. The Superior water is fine to drink though. You always try to use some sort of filter and iodine drops just to be totally safe.
My summation was this island is a hostile wilderness that should be avoided. The mosquitoes are huge and unrelenting. They will bite you through repellent. The real worry is liver flukes and their larvae which you can see in the inland lake waters of Park Royale. This parasite is life changing if you become infected.
On this trip I stopped in Ely. We dreamed of Ely and canoe trips in the great marshlands in the north on the border of Canada. They dug canals where you could put the canoe in and start your voyage. I stood there watching expeditions getting started to the many islands in this area.
On this trip I stopped in Ely. We dreamed of Ely and canoe trips in the great marshlands in the north on the border of Canada. They dug canals where you could put the canoe in and start your voyage. I stood there watching expeditions getting started to the many islands in this area.
I wanted to go. I knew it would be difficult to join an expedition. I really dislike asking for anything. I simply continued on to Park Royale Isle in Lake Superior for my own hiking adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment