Lisa. 37. Married. Green-eyed redhead. Pagan. Gothic chick. Gemini. ER RN/CEN and Paramedic (NREMT-P, baby!). Military brat. Former desktop publisher, webmistress, graphic artist. Avid intermediate belly dancer. Tattooed and pierced. Caffeine addict. 4'11"—really.

Me and my beloved, May 2007. Yes, those are real tattoos. ;)


  • HollyBrooke (my adorable nieces!)
  • Casey
  • Angela
  • Art and Carly
  • Art's Woodworking
  • Jewel
  • Miramar
  • Lunachick
  • Inkubus


  • Excelsior College
  • Cash4Books.net
  • Tina Logan's CPNE Workshop
  • Lynn's CPNE Workshop
  • Tina Wirsa's CPNE Workshop
  • Rob's CPNE DVD
  • EC Study Group
  • AllNurses Distance Learning
  • StudyGroup101 Materials
  • Lisa Arends' Notes


  • PixieCam
  • Pain and Sorrow Tattooing
  • IAM (BME)
  • Women in EMS
  • The Dialectizer
  • Joe's Cartoons
  • eBay
  • Gothic Auctions
  • GothAuctions
  • Urban Legends
  • Translator


  • The Open Hearth Foundation
  • The Witches Voice
  • Religious Tolerance


  • A Day In the Life of An Ambulance Driver
  • Baby Medic
  • Blue Ridge Medic
  • Crass Pollination: An ER Blog
  • Meat in the Seat
  • NYC EMS
  • Ventricular Entropy

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    1.19.2005

    I start my new job on February 3! :) Yes, I know that's a Thursday. I'm taking a couple of days off in between!

    This weekend: Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) recert. Fun fun fun!

    pixie.dust sprinkled at 4:48:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

    1.08.2005

    So as many of you know, I've been a desktop publisher/graphic designer/webmaster, etc., in the corporate world for more than 10 years. In 2000, I went back to school to become an EMT-Basic, then continued on with the Paramedic program to become a National Registry EMT-P and Virginia EMT-P in July 2003, while keeping the day job (I don't think I slept for a couple of years, ha ha ha). I thought that volunteering as a Paramedic would be enough for me, but no ... so in a few weeks, I'm going to quit my desk job and start working full-time as a "Patient Care Tech II" in an ER in Loudoun County, Virginia. I'm very excited about this ... I spent hundreds of clinical hours in ERs during Paramedic school, so I know what to expect. I'm still going to volunteer as Paramedic — that won't change.

    I interviewed for the position Monday morning, and my soon-to-be-new boss called me at home Monday night to make me an offer. YAY!!! I'm excited, and nervous because this is a huge career change. I know I'll be fine, though. Like one of the other ER Techs told me — a lot of the job is stock, stick, or scrub. :) But there are times when all the nurses will be calling on you at one time to perform standard ER Tech procedures (IVs, drawing labs, EKGs, etc.), and it will get hectic.

    And it'll be a three-day work week (12-hours shifts) ... wow. :) I know the 12-hour days will get long, but that's just about what I'm doing now, with the commute. Now it'll only be 30 minutes (or less) to work. I can't even imagine how great that will be!

    I am so darn happy. :)

    pixie.dust sprinkled at 5:45:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)

    1.03.2005

    Great holidays! :) We got lots of time off together, which was nice. I was off on Thursday and Friday, the 23rd and 24th, as well as the weekend, of course; Michael had the 24th and 25th off, too. Nice! And our offices closed at 2 p.m. on Thursday the 30th, and I had the 31st off for the New Year's holiday. Michael was off on Saturday, so we went to a late lunch, then saw Ocean's 12 (very disappointing movie!). New Year's Eve itself was pretty mellow — we walked a couple of blocks down to Old Town Winchester, which was pretty packed for the city's "First Friday" festivities. We went to the coffee shop, then went home and caught part of the Law & Order: SVU marathon on TV. We stayed up until a little after 1 a.m., then went to bed. We were able to see Winchester's fireworks at midnight from our front porch. Handy!

    Happy 2005, everyone!

    pixie.dust sprinkled at 4:39:00 PM • 0 witty remark(s)