"Free" is my middle name

Imagine how excited I was to see that Beautiful Britain magazine is offering a free sample issue to everyone who signs up. They also have back issues on their website available for viewing as .pdf files. I read a charming interview with the author Bill Bryson about his work with the Campaign to Protect Rural England. I'm anxiously awaiting my sample issue, but I feel another subscription coming on . . .

I finished reading Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself By Becoming an EMT by Jane Stern over the weekend, and it was very entertaining. I enjoyed the first part of the book, when Stern was attending the EMT training courses, much more than the second part of the book when she actually was an EMT. It was fascinating to read about her experiences, and how becoming an EMT at the age of 52 helped to pull her out of a chronic depression. Still, I marvel at how someone who was fearful and anxious in general, and claustrophobic in particular thought it would be a good idea to become an EMT. Dealing with blood, stress and terrifying situations on a daily basis, not to mention having to ride in a small, boxy, enclosed ambulance as part of your job description would seem to override any impulse to follow through with the training. Yet Stern perserveres, and although she has plently of missteps along the way, she ends up becoming an accepted member of the local rescue team. Although I have to wonder at how this was achieved, especially when, on her first call as a certified EMT, she attends an elderly lady who has fallen and broken her hip and manages to kick the patient in the hip!

Final Verdict for Ambulance Girl: Three Gherkins, for starting out strong, and offering an insight into the interesting world of EMT training

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She lived in London, doesn't that count?

OK, so she's not British, but Irish author Marian Keyes lived in London for many years, so that's close enough for me. Just now I'm distressingly low on audio books from the library, so I had to dig out one of my own for a re-listen. I'm currently enjoying Marian's Under the Duvet: Shoes, Reviews, Having the Blues, Builders, Babies, Families and Other Calamities. This is not a novel, but a collection of previously published articles that appeared in various magazines and newspapers, as well as some new material. The articles are mostly hilarious, and deal with such things as her love of shoes (even though, like me, she has ridiculously small feet and can almost never find any that fit), buying and remodeling a house, and learning to drive. She reads the audio book herself, and gives the stories hilarious inflections and accents that greatly add to the enjoyment of the book. Her family members are make frequent appearances in her stories, especially her husband, AKA "himself." My favorite part (aside from the numerous funny bits), are the appealing Irish turns of phrase that pop up regularly. At one point, she discusses talking with another Irish expat in London, and being glad not to have to explain the meaning of such phrases as "ride me sideways." Well, because she doesn't have to explain it to the other Irish person, no explanations are given, but it does make for amusing speculation!

Another true life story that I'm currently enjoying is the book Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself By Becoming an EMT by Jane Stern. Stern is a well-known food journalist who reports regularly for NPR with her husband Michael. At the age of 52, she was overtaken by a severe form of depression. A not leaving the house, watching Jerry Springer all day, not ever getting dressed type of depression. Seemingly on a whim, she stops in to apply when volunteer EMTs are needed at the local fire station. At first, because of her age and overall poor physical condition, she is not exactly welcomed with open arms. However, she joins the training class and quickly discovers that if she can keep her latte down during the more graphic and bloody slide shows, she has a true interest in the subject. So far, I am really enjoying the story. It's quite amazing to read about how a woman who was so depressed and anxiety-ridden decided to volunteer for what must surely be one of the most stressful occupations on earth. On the other hand, after dealing daily with people who have severed limbs, brains leaking out of their skulls, and "feces that look like coffee grounds", I suppose your own problems don't seem so bad. Right now she is still in the training class, but I'm anxious to find out what happens when she goes on her first call!

Final Verdict for Under the Duvet: Four Gherkins, for occasional London references and many, many hilarious situations!

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