Do I wake or sleep?

Too bad you can't post a picture of that. I'll just have to use my imagination.

You did the heimlich?

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I was in the shoe department, looking for shoes to match a red dress I was wearing that night for the Christmas party at the theater where I worked. A woman came running across, very upset and saying "she's not breathing, call an ambulance." She had a 2-3 year old with her who wasn't breathing. Another woman tried to whack her on the back and I stopped her, saying "you're only supposed to tap infants on the back--you have to do the Heimlich with a bigger child." I picked her up and did the thrust a couple of times, and finally a wad of plegm (I think) flew out and the child started crying. Then the woman grabbed her and started sobbing, and I said "she's crying, so she's breathing. You need to calm down because you're upsetting her." I was pretty calm for most of it, then when it was over I started shaking. I sat down and the manager flew over and was all, "Oh my God, I saw that, can I get you anything, some water, something?" I handed him the floor sample and said "Can I see these in a 5 and a half?" He got me the shoes and then just gave them to me for free. A friend of mine from the theater saw it and came over as well; we talked about it and then I left and went home and HAD A DRINK. I was really shaking. It's a Wonderful Life was on TV when I got home too, which seemed appropriate. When I got to the theater that night, my friend had gotten there first and told everyone, and people were applauding, and coming over to me. It was...interesting. An interesting experience.

Hey, free Bandolinos, you can't beat that with a stick.

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And oh yes, use your imagination.

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I am truly impressed. I actually just got re-certified last week in CPR but I've never had to use it. You really did save her, or at least save her from some brain damage. Sounds like the shaking was a delayed response when it hit you that that little girl is alive because of you. You didn't panic and focused on the manuever. I probably would have felt the same way afterward. Good for you. Sounds like you're a good chick to have around in a sticky spot.

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Oh yes, I will.

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You know it's torture to have to read posts like this while stuck in the office. No time to daydream. :)

Very interesting story about the little girl and the Heimlich maneuver. I didn't know you were a hero!

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So you saved a little girls' life.....and all you got were a pair of shoes?!?!?

Well, they were Bandolinos.

Sounds like you're a good chick to have around in a sticky spot.

What are you trying to say...? ;)

When I did my ship contract, I enjoyed the emergency drills. It was frustrating to be assigned a really pansy task during drills--herding the passengers into line--when what I really wanted to do was raise and lower the lifeboats. I learned how to do that and when the safety officer would ask for volunteers, I would beg to be chosen, and he'd only choose me if no guy was available. Our safety officer was really sexist--it was ridiculous, because most of the guys on my safety team were exhausted (they worked in the laundry) and I was all fresh and perky, and dying to lower the lifeboats. I did get to pilot them once.

We also watched a video once about the sinking of the ferry Estonia (a terrible disaster that happened in the mid-'90s) and learned there were different types of response modes in emergencies--denial, panic, an assessment of what needs to be done, and the ability to execute it. I guess I'm the latter because I've always been good in emergencies. It's always afterwards when I start shaking and need a drink. or several.

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You should see the sexy shoes I bought at lunch today...strappy, dark bronzish-brown sandals with a 2-inch heel...I can't wait to kick them off...

Seriously, they're quite sexy. I probably should've bought them in black but I thought this color was much more sophisticated.

The Heimlich experience was interesting, as I said. I wasn't sure how to process it, especially with It's a Wonderful Life--that seemed too coincidental. So I had a Scotch and called my grandmother and cried.

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Like I know what the hell Bandolinos are..

Oh and now you're just as trained as I was in shipboard emergencies? Well if we ever wind up on a ship together I'll just follow your lead since I trust your judgement and I would probably turn into Dr. Smith. Oh deah...oh deah!

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Indeed, that is a little freaky.

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I'll be sure to have both of you aboard the first time I skipper my own boat, in case of emergency.

I'm with

ceebeegee on the "act swiftly, shake later" thing. I've never saved anyone's life but my own, but I have the exact same response after the adrenaline wears off from a life-threatening situation. I shake, and I feel weak like I haven't eaten in a month.

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I don't remember the show -- in fact, I don't think I've ever seen all of it, despite Tricia's best efforts to force me -- but I'll take your word that it's not a good show to watch in close temporal proximity to a near death.

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You mean Captain Smith? Are you talking about the skipper of the Titanic?

Bandolinos are expensive Italian shoes. And I have a pair, my very own pair, in Fuck Me Red patent leather.

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No I mean Dr. Zachary Smith of Lost in Space

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It's not that IAWL not a good movie in those circumstances--it's that it's too good. It's about how one person's life can make a huge difference; how if that person had never been born (or in this case, if they'd died as a toddler), things would've been drastically different. Despite its sentimental reputation, IAWL is actually quite dark in places. The part where he's freaking out and yelling at his kids always gets to me.

It was just too perfect; I felt like I was receiving A Message.

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You probably were. God really wanted you in those shoes.

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mysticblaze.livejournal.com

Never underestimate the sophistication of pantyhose at the office. There is a certain air of elegance that one achieves by wearing hose even in the summer, when you would be most expected to not wear them because it is too hot. I know that I would never consider wearing a skirt suit without hose because I have always been told that they are required corporate wear.

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Well, they do look good on, that's for sure. I'll have to model them sometime...

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I agree--I would never wear a suit without hose--but this is not an elegant outfit. It's quite sporty, and I fear the hose are a bit de trop but I was trying not to be too hoochy-mama. The sacrifices one must make in corporate America...

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If you want to throw that bikini in too I wouldn't complain.

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mysticblaze.livejournal.com

Actually, your outfit sounds office casual, not sporty casual (without knowing the texture of the skirt fabric). The hose are most appropriate, and give a more put together, "take me seriously" look in my opinion. Hoochy-mama definitely does not work in corporate America... on the other hand, once you leave the office building for the day... that is when the fun begins. :)

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Hmm. I suppose I could force myself to parade about in a bikini and FMR heels. With a tan.

Mae Mordabito: What if at a key moment in the game my, my uniform bursts open and, uh, oops, my bazooms come flying out? That, that might draw a crowd, right?

Doris Murphy: You think there are men in this country who ain't seen your bazooms?

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