Spooky

Halloween was a bit of a disappointment this year. I was working a vanbulance shift - in a real box ambulance - and nobody on day shift was even kinda costumed. We went around to hospitals and nursing homes as usual and there was a disturbing lack of both holiday spirit and CANDY. These are places that have had candy for a week or two now, and on the actual day, nada. The best I saw all day was a patient at one of the homes who had an orange vest with bats, a matching headband with stuffed bats on springs and bright orange garland with plastic bats wrapped around the wheels of her chair. I wish I had a picture for you, but this particular place wasn't a likely candidate.

Trick-or-treating is town-regulated to run from 6-8p only and my shift ended at 6p so I was home for most of it. I'll just say that there were so few candy-begging ghouls and goblins, we actually watched all of Saw from 7-9p and only had to pause twice to answer the door. So much for being in a better place for trick-or-treat.

Patient quote of the day, as we were lowering the stretcher so she could move to her wheelchair and I had just been hit by a n-a-s-ty wave of stink: "Oh, girls. You made me so excited I just farted. Sorry, I think it smells a little." I could only wish I had been at the head of the stretcher instead of the foot right then.