Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 5/24/11

Good morning, here is the news, Battalion News follows:

Team Meeting—I'm giving serious thought to changing our meeting to Saturday, 4 June, down at NTC, starting about 8:30am.  It's graduation day for the Academy, so parking might be tight, but they will have the CERT trailer out and open.  If I can work this out, we can spend a few  minutes going through the contents of the trailer.  Most of our newer grads don't get to see the trailer at graduation, and many of you have not seen it in a long time (hint: if you still think we have axes, you need a fresh look).  Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in this, if I get more than about 5 people, we'll move the date.  Otherwise we'll stick with our 10 June date, Friday at the Senior Center, starting at 6.

Training Hours—It's time to pull together your training hours for this month, I'll ask for them next week.  Even if I saw you at some qualified event, including our Team Meeting, you have to send me a note.  You are responsible for tracking and reporting everything you attend for CERT, to include Date, Time, Title of the class, Instructor and number of hours.  Generally Red Cross approved classes such as CPR/AED and First Aid qualify for Continuing Education, for anything else if you are taking it solely for the credit, please ask me first so I can get it approved.

That's all for this month.  Questions, comments, you know how to find me.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 5/17/11

Good morning, here is the news, Battalion News follows:

Team Meeting—The tenth falls on a Friday in June (yippee....).  We are in The Senior Center again.  This time I'm pretty sure we'll be in the Library, they'll be doing things in the main hall.  We'll shoot for 6:00 again, that seemed to work out well.

it is almost June—Yes, halfway through the year.  I don't have that many ICS certificates yet.  I know, it's a big chunk of time to get one of these done, I'm just giving up some mindless TV nights (Law and Order Criminally Redundant will just have to go on without me).  Please don't let it wait, that won't make it better, trust me.   If you have some technical issue I might help with drop me a note, I'll do my best.  Some of you are falling a bit behind on your training and/or team meetings, if you are having a lot of scheduling conflicts with CERT functions I need to know, we'll try to work something out.  You are all valuable to our program, and I want to keep everyone on board.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, you know how to find me.  Battalion News follows.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 5/10/11

Good morning, here is the news:

ICS/NIMS Online classes—I took my first one last week (IS-100b), and was really very impressed by the quality of the instruction, it's a thoroughly professional presentation that was very informative.  They walk you through successive screens of information, then ask a few review questions that are answered on the spot, and you get a chance to re-answer the question if you get it wrong.  Sometimes you are asked to simply type in your impressions or answers, then they give you possible answers, there is no "right" or "wrong" on these.  Then there is an occasional video.  They manage to provide a learning experience that works for nearly everyone without being overbearing, it's a pretty good trick.  A few technical issue, sometimes their feedback is short, sometimes there is quite a bit of it, you have to be sure to scroll down on every screen whether or not it looks like there is something there.  Also, once you get started, you can't drop it and come back later unless you leave your browser open to where you were in the instruction, this is one time I would have appreciated it if they dropped a session cookie on me so I could come back to it later and start where I left off.

I strongly urge you to get started on these if you have not, they are required as you know, and there is good reason for that.  Pretty much every First Responder in the Country is required to know these concepts.  They will be invaluable when the Day comes.  Here is the list of required classes:

100b

200

700a

704

800b

You can access these courses here:

http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp

There is no signup on the CERT web site.

It's good stuff, trust me.  get on it.  Do remember to save your certificates as PDF files, so you can send them electronically to your Team Leader.

SD CERT Refresher—Still taking registrations, Saturday, 25 June 10-2, at our training facilities at NTC.

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=SDFD+Refreshers

If you aren't sure if you need a Refresher, drop your Team Leader a note today, please don't wait on this.

Volunteer Victims—Still needed for Academy Graduation, 4 June.  Know any Sumo Wrestlers?  Sign 'em up, these guys need a challenge, right?  Seriously, all types and ages wanted.  The makeup is really cool, but as I understand it if you really don't want the makeup, that's good too.  Have them go here:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Team+Trainings/Activities

to sign up.

Academy 27, Register for Notification—No, we don't have the next Academy on the Calendar yet, but if you know someone who  is interested, have them go here:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Team+Trainings/Activities

where they can register to be notified as soon as the next Academy opens for registration.  Registering for notification does NOT register Candidates for the Academy, when they get the notification they have to follow the link to sign up.  I think this is probably the only way to get in to the very popular Thursday night session these days, so tell your friends and co-workers this is the way to go if they want to join CERT.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, drop your Team Leader a note.

Red Cross Backpacks @ Costco

Red Cross Backpacks @ Costco: "

Here’s a great gift idea for those that keep meaning to get prepared that never quite get around to it. One for the car, one at work, one at home.

"

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 5/4/11

Good morning, a day late, here is the news:

Team Meeting— Tuesday, 10 May.  At the Senior Center, Mira Mesa Blvd. between Westonhill and Camino Ruiz.  I intended to swing by there yesterday to confirm our reservation and get the time moved from 5:30-6:30 to 6-7, but that didn't happen.  If I get in there today, I'll send a confirming note this afternoon.  I think we will discuss ICS as opposed to having a drill.  It might be good to talk about the thinking behind the model, and how we would relate in a larger organization during a large incident.  I know some of you have taken all or some of the required online courses, feel free to come and share your experience.  See you there!

Battalion News follows.  Maybe not right away, but I'll get it done.  Questions, comments, drop me a note.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 4/26/11

Good morning, here is the news, Battalion News follows:

Training Reports Due—Any training you took this last month, or anything you have scheduled on Saturday, please let me know via email by this Friday close of business.  As always, I need the title of the course, instructor, date and the number of hours.

Team Meeting—Tuesday, 10 May, Verne Goodwin Senior Center, 8460 Mira Mesa Blvd.  Between Westonhill and Camino Ruiz, remember you have to approach this place from the East (traveling West), unless you have a very substantial vehicle and a contempt for median barriers (and little regard for local traffic laws, let's talk about this).  I'm going to check in with management there about having our meeting from 6:00 to 7:00, as several of you come from a ways away to get here.  Of course, if you have a problem going until 7, now is the time to weight in.  I should have some news on what we are doing next week, a little busy this one.  Your ideas are always welcome.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, you know how to find me.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 4/19/11

Good morning, here is the Team News.  Battalion News follows:

Team Meeting—Tuesday, 10 May.   We'll be meeting in the  Verne Goodwin Senior Center, on Mira Mesa Blvd. between Camino Ruiz and Westonhill.  These great people found us some space, really hard to come by these days as so many of our City facilities close at night.  Meeting starts at 5:30.  I know a few of you have told me that you have a problem with the 5:30 time slot and would prefer 6-7, I might be able to get this changed for subsequent meetings (I'll have to ask the folk at the Senior Center, we have four more meetings scheduled there this year).  Please let me know if you have a vote one way or the other.  Not sure what we will do yet, but I think we are way due for some ICS work, so that will probably be it.

Cinco de Mayo—We have a booth at the Old Town festival.  Saturday and Sunday, 4/30-5/1.  No, it's not on Cinco de Mayo, never is unless the day falls on a weekend.  I'll have more on this in the Battalion News.  It's a pretty good recruiting opportunity, if you have some time for this, please give it some thought.  We don't have much detail yet, but as I remember shifts are usually two hours.  Sign up here:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Team+Trainings/Activities

Roster Update—I am churning through a long-overdue roster update.  If any of your contact information has changed over the last year, please drop me a note.

That's all for now, questions, comments, you know how to find me.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 4/12/11

Good morning, here is the news.  Battalion news follows:

Team Meeting— Tuesday, 10 [May], at the Mira Mesa Senior Center, starting at 5:30.  We'll be in the Library/Media Room, not a huge facility, but it should hold us.  Frankly, I haven't thought a lot about this one, last Sunday's drill ate up a lot of "volunteer" hours.  I think maybe I will cobble together an ICS table top drill, other teams have been doing this, and it works.  I'll have more next week, as well as directions to the Senior Center.

Thanks to everyone who made it to the drill/meeting last Sunday, I thought it went pretty well.

That's all for this week (hey, they can't all have content like the New York Times).  Questions, comments, you know how to find me.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 4/5/11

Good morning, here is our Team News.  Battalion News follows:

Team Meeting—This Sunday, 10 April 2011.  Carmel Valley Recreation Center:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3777+Townsgate+Drive,+San+Diego,+CA+92130&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.891082,135.087891&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3777+Townsgate+Dr,+San+Diego,+California+92130&z=17

Please RSVP for this meeting.  If we need more equipment, we can get it.

We will start PROMPTLY at 1:00, and go until about 3:30.  Yes, that's 2 1/2 hours, as we all know practicing rescue techniques takes time.  This is a Battalion 5 meeting, so we'll have people in from Teams North Coastal and Carmel Valley.  We've got a good mix of skills training planned, including:

* General rescue principles (just a few things they don't tell you in Academy)

* Effective size-up

* Transporting on litter

* Transporting with backboard

* Other carry techniques

*  Extraction with cribbing

*  Extraction when you don't have cribbing

* Common knots

Several of you have been after me for awhile to throw some knot practice into the mix, so we'll give that a try here.  I know some of you really aren't crazy about the Rescue practice, yes, it can be hard.  But really, if you don't want to practice Rescue, then you need to be at this meeting.  Remember our unofficial motto at CERT "Bring all you  have, do what you can".  We'll need you on the Day, and that will be the wrong time to find out what you can and cannot do.  My solemn promise, you will NOT be required to do anything you don't feel comfortable with.  So drop me a reply email and plan to be there.

That's all, questions, comments, drop me a note. Battalion News might be a bit later today (why yes, I DO have  a day job), but I should get it out before COB.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 3/22/11

Good Morning, here is the Team News.  Battalion News later in a separate mail:

DSW Renewals—These are due in at the end of them month.   I'm going to grind through the requirements in the Battalion News that will be coming out later this morning with any luck at all.  Those of you who are recent graduates, I should have all of the info you need in there.  If you have questions or need my help with this, drop me a note.

April Team Meeting—10 April, Sunday, 1:00pm at the Carmel Valley Rec Center.  We're doing a joint meeting in April with the other teams in Battalion 5, North Coastal and Carmel Valley.  We'll practice basic search and rescue skills, and possibly utility shutoff.  I will ask for RSVP two weeks before the event, we'll want to plan our activities for the size of the crew we have.  Great chance to meet people from our sister teams in the Battalion and work with them.

Communication Plan—We did a bunch of work on this in our meeting two months ago, and I have not touched it since, so of course now it's real fresh.  I may have some time over the next week to write that up.  For those of you who participated and are waiting for the result, sorry for the delay and thanks for your patience.

That's all for this week, questions, comment, you know how to find me.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 3/15/11

Good morning, here is the news.  Remember, you'll get another email from me later with the Battalion-wide stuff in it.

April Team Meeting—10 April, Sunday.  We're doing a joint meeting in April with the other teams in Battalion 5, North Coastal and Carmel Valley.  Right now we're planning to have it at the Carmel Valley Recreation Center.  I'd like to shoot for a 1:00 start time, plan on two hours.  I think we will need RSVP for this one, we'll want to be sure to bring enough equipment to keep everyone busy.  We'll practice basic rescue skills, including extraction, stabilizing the patient, loading, unloading and transport.  Please get this one on your calendar if you possibly can, I would like to have you all meet our other Team Leaders  Greg Hom (North Coastal) and Preston Drake (Carmel Valley), one of them could be at the helm on The Day, and you should get to know them.  I'm going to get moving on coordinating this one with Greg and Preston over the next few days, and should have most of the details next week.

Last Month's Radio Drill—Somehow I don't think we got quite as good a coverage, but it wasn't bad.  here's what I think we learned:

·         We can still cover most of Mira Mesa with FRS radio, and buildings don't seem to make much of a difference, but if you are behind even the slightest terrain feature, you need to move.

·         Antenna position is important, straight up and down is best, and it seems that standing actually helps, the higher the better.

·         If you are in  a car, even stopped (you guys did STOP right?), it's probably best to get out of it to transmit

·         I was wrong about the radios, the $10 ones don't seem to work as well.  You probably need to invest over $20.

·         I have talked to the Teams on either side of us East to West (Carmel Valley and Scripps Ranch) and in those areas FRS is nearly useless except for close proximity work such as a search/rescue.  They are going HAM.  Expensive, but much, much better.

Upcoming Meetings—I was finally able to book the Senior Center for several of our meetings this year.  Great people in that place, they are all-volunteer.  I admit it's not on the top of my list, but I'm going to try to get the rest of the Year's Calendar for our Team finalized by the end of this month.  Next week I intend to post a preliminary plan in this Update with dates, times, locations and tentative subject for your review and comments.  Who knows, I might even get it posted on the CERT web site (Whoa, easy there Steve).

That's all for this week, questions, comments, you know how to find me.

-Steve

Emergency Water Storage

Emergency Water Storage: "

Here is an ingenious way to store a large amount of drinking water in your home during emergencies. http://www.waterbob.com/ A relative in Hawaii just used one this morning to store water prior to the tsunami evacuations. These can also be found on eBay for $21 each (not including shipping)

"

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 3/2/11

Good morning, here is the news:

******MIRA MESA***********

Training Hours due—Please turn in the details of any training you took in February to me as soon as you can.  I can accept submissions up until tomorrow close of business.

Team Meeting— Next team meeting is Thursday, 10 March.  Please let me know as soon as possible if you plan to attend   We will start at 5:30 again.  End at 6:30, or shortly thereafter.  This is an FRS radio test.   You will start from your residence or other location you have identified to me.  I will establish a controlled net at 5:30.  After my announcement, you will call in with your call sign and location.  If you do not hear the announcement, listen at least five minutes.  If you hear someone else responding to the net announcement, try to communicate with them, and have them relay your call sign and location.  If you cannot hear anyone after five minutes, drive approximately half-way to the rally point, pull off in a safe location, and try again.  Please, do NOT operate your radio in a moving vehicle if you are driving.  When you get to the rally point, we will map your location when you first joined the net, and try to get some idea of our coverage. 

*****BATTALION 5*********

Training Hours are Due—If you have not turned in hours for February, please try to do so right away.

Continuing Education, Incident Command System Online Training—FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers a series of online self study courses for learning the Incident Command System.  The following courses are now required for all San Diego CERT.

100b

200

700a

704

800B

You can access these courses here:

http://training.fema.gov/IS/NIMS.asp

Take all five courses and you can receive 2 CE credits.  So you can satisfy an entire year's CE requirements online.  Pretty good deal.  Here are some other details:

·         You have all year to do this (although you probably want to take them all  fairly close to each other and soon).  I have not seen a lot of certificates yet, please don't wait on this just because it's not due right away.

·         If you took any of the equivalent courses since 1 January 2005, they will count toward your requirement if you can produce the certificate you received.  You will not get credit for volunteer hours or a CE for courses you already took, but those courses will help satisfy the five-course requirement .

Send certificates for completed courses to your Team Leader.  You might want to accumulate all five and send them in a batch.

St. Patrick's Day Parade—Saturday, March 12, which is coming up fast.  Registration closes this Saturday at 5:00.  This one has a lot of moving parts.  Our partner for this is the San Diego Firefighter's Emerald Society:

http://www.sdffemeraldsociety.org/

The are hosting a breakfast that either begins at 5:30 according to their web site, or 6:00 according to our flier.  I'll get this cleared up for next week's blast.  It appears that there is no charge for breakfast, I'll find out about that too, and whether or not we have to register some place (I don't know a whole lot about this, do I?).  We do know that breakfast is at the Hook and Ladder Museum 1572 Columbia Street.  The Emerald Society appears to believe that you somehow become part Irish when you become a Firefighter, and who is to say they are wrong?  They have a bagpipe and drum band, I presume they will make an appearance at the parade, along with a bunch of Firefighters and trucks.  If you don't make the breakfast, staging starts at 9:30, on 6th street between Juniper and Ivy.  Plan to get there early if you want to park anywhere near there.  March in a Parade, Bagpipes, fire trucks and engines, what's not to love about this event?  Go to the web site to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Team+Trainings/Activities

Occasional Rant—Cut my finger this last weekend in a painting project (you cut yourself painting?  Really, it's not that good a story).  Anyway, went rummaging in the bathroom for some stick on bandages (the kind we don't use in CERT).   Found some fingertip bandages I must have purchased when the first Bush was president.  They came apart when I opened them.  Obviously my home first aid supplies need updating, how about yours?  Are they roasting nicely in that little steel box you bought?  Here's a clue, if they actually came in a steel box (not plastic) you probably want to open that up and take a look.  Be emotionally prepared to pitch the whole thing.  Replace your kit, don't count on raiding the stuff in your Go-Pack, it's a different mission, and you need that stuff where it is.  I like to have fingertip/knuckle bandages around, some good waterproof strips, fresh peroxide and good splinter tweezers (I like Tweezerman Slant style you can get at most beauty supply stores, haven't seen anything better).

That's all for this week, questions, comments, drop your Team Leader a note.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 2/22/11

Good morning, here is the news:

*******MIRA MESA*********

Team Meeting—Next team meeting is Thursday, 10 March. We will start at 5:30 again.  End at 6:30, or shortly thereafter.  This is an FRS radio test.   You will start from your residence or other location you have identified to me.  I will establish a controlled net at 5:30.  After my announcement, you will call in with your call sign and location.  If you do not hear the announcement, listen at least five minutes.  If you hear someone else responding to the net announcement, try to communicate with them, and have them relay your call sign and location.  If you cannot hear anyone after five minutes, drive approximately half-way to the rally point, pull off in a safe location, and try again.  Please, do NOT operate your radio in a moving vehicle if you are driving.  When you get to the rally point, we will map your location when you first joined the net, and try to get some idea of our coverage.  I will have more details as we get closer to the drill, for now, if you are planning to attend, please do the following:

*  If you want to join this drill but don't have an FRS radio, contact me by email, we have some that we can lend.

*  I will start asking for RSVP for this drill starting next week.  If there is any chance you will attend, please RSVP, we will want to assign a call sign to you for this drill.

* If you have rarely (never) used your radio, try to get some practice in before the drill.  Only have the one radio, and no one else to practice with?  Drop me an email, we'll arrange something.  Oh, and take a look at that manual, ensure that you know how to operate the controls.  If your radio has a privacy setting, turn it off (don't know what that is?  check your manual).

*  Ensure that you have either fresh batteries or a fully charged radio before the drill.

Carmel Valley Team Meeting—  This Thursday, 24 February, 6-7:30.  I will be hauling the wound care classroom materials over there.  We will go through the same wound care procedure we did last month at our meeting. If you missed our meeting, and really want to practice wound care, we have been invited to attend by the Carmel Valley Team.  At the Carmel Valley Recreation Center on Townsgate Drive, Just off of El Camino Real, South of Del Mar Heights (it's in Carmel Valley, handily enough).  Drop me a note if you have questions about this.

******BATTALION 5*********

Continuing Education, Volunteering and Your Taxes—26 March, 9am—11am down at NTC.  Malcolm Gettman, Battalion Liaison, veteran IRS Agent.  Go here to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Refresher—Several of you have asked about this.  I have been in regular contact with CERT Administration, and I am assured that it is a high priority.  You probably know that refreshers are hard to put together.  The requirements are comprehensive, and we have to work with our available training resources to  actually make it happen.  I appreciate your patience, and can assure you that you'll hear about it as soon as I know through this, our regular communication channel.  There is also the possibility that the County will put together a qualified program as they did last Fall, I will keep you informed.

Occasional Rant—Earthquake in Christchurch New Zealand today.  About 6.3 on the Richter scale.  When you have a few minutes today, please look over some of the images available and watch the video coming from there.  Go to your favorite news source, or try here:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/feb/22/quake-in-new-zealand-kills-at-least-65-traps-more/#

and here, Google's Crisis Response Project:

http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/christchurch_earthquake.html

This is what it will be like.  No, I'm serious. If you are thinking "we'll come through a 6.3 a lot better than that", no, we probably won't.  Watch the videos like I did, try to live the experience, observe what is being done and how it is being done.  Ask yourself "What would I do"?  If you are activated, then you will be the one in the helmet and the vest.  People will look to you for leadership.  Note in several of the videos the focus is on groups of people extracting a patient from a car, or pulling blocks of rubble out of a hole.  Note that the entire surrounding scene is filled with dazed survivors.  Some of these latter are going into shock, and might not make it.  They need someone to tell them "come with me, I'll take you to a safe place".  That's a rescue, every bit as important as the car extraction, because it produces a live survivor who might otherwise have been lost.  Also note that some of the rescuers are doing things we will not do.  CERT does not stand on top of collapsed buildings, or go into them, unless we are supporting Professional First Responders.  We rescue the people we can, and as many as we can, and we stay safe.  That's our mission.  If these scenes from New Zealand bring the experience a little closer for you, then I urge you to spend some time studying the videos, and thinking about what you would do.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, drop your Team Leader a note.

-Steve

Mira Mesa Team Newsletter 2/15/11

Good afternoon here is the news:

*******MIRA MESA********

Team Meeting— Thursday, 10 March, beginning at 6:00.  You will begin the meeting at your residence, or some other agreed upon point.  I will establish a controlled net from the rally point on FRS Channel 7.  If you can hear me from your location, you will respond with your call sign, then proceed to the rally point.  I will have a lot more details as we get closer to the date.  For now, if you plan to participate I will need to know, as I plan to assign call signs to everyone for privacy's sake.  So drop me a note if you are planning to join us, if later you have a conflict that's ok, but I want everyone to have a call sign.

Carmel Valley Team Meeting—Those of you who missed our Team Meeting last month when we went over wound care can have another shot at it.  I'm taking the wound care class materials over to Carmel Valley Team for their February meeting, 24 February, 6-7:30pm, at the Carmel Valley Recreation Center on Townsgate Drive, Just off of El Camino Real, South of Del Mar Heights:

Here is the Google Map

A good chance to brush up on Wound Care techniques and meet Team Leader Preston Drake and some of his sorry mob.  They are folk we will probably get to know really well if we ever have a real incident.

******BATTALION 5*********

Continuing Education— Family Preparedness with Brian Kidwell.  Thursday, 17 February, down at the NTC, starting at 6:00pm.  That's this Thursday, yes, it is the last minute.   This is NOT the same as the Survival Class, Brian doesn't bury rice in the back yard or burn corn chips.  I don't think he does anyway.  It's a big classroom, and there is plenty of room left.  I'm serious, this might be the best investment you make this year  in your own safety and the safety of your family when the big one hits.  Please plan to attend.  Sign up here:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Continuing Education—Sunday, 20 February, 9am—1pm, down at the NTC.  That's this Sunday, it's the last minute for this one also.  It is billed as a "learning exercise" and "not for everyone".  They still have a few slots left, but they are not many, sign up today if you want to do this.  As I mentioned before, if you are currently on crutches or something like that, this may not be for you.

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Continuing Education, Volunteering and Your Taxes— The first class is full.  The open class is 26 March, 9am—11am down at NTC.  Malcolm Gettman, Battalion Liaison, veteran IRS Agent and straight shooter.  This could be very timely information for you, and you get CE credit, you just can't lose.  Go here to sign up:

https://apps.sandiego.gov/ereg/cert/courses.php?grp=Continuing+Education+Opportunities

Occasional Rant—The folks teaching the CE's for this month are all volunteers.  I'm sure everyone knows where the City is with the budget.  One more time, don't think we can keep this up.  Yeah, we are all busy, and maybe I'm over-doing it here (who, me?) but I'm the guy who is going to be hearing from a bunch of you over this year as your graduation anniversaries get close and the Calendar is empty.  If you are several months into your qualifying period, and you don't have a CE on the books, snap one of these up.  They might get scarce really soon.

That's all for this week, questions, comments, drop your Team Leader a note.

-Steve