it got a little outta hand

the winds of change

2008-02-20T12:15:00.000-08:00

maurie and i have been grafted into a house church community in norwood (a city inside cincinnati). hitherto we have simply leeched off said community (vineyardcentral.com) in an effort to detox from our previous church experience and hear a fresh word from God.

it was not our intention to find a home so quickly. we braced ourselves for what we thought might be a long season of desert-like travel and orphan-like living. however, God saw it fit to provide for us a cohort of fellow pilgrams and we are happy to have them.

now we must make plans to leave our home in cheviot - not an easy task - and face the winds of change. if you are the praying kind - now's the time. as it stands, we've called off the search.

we're calling off the search

2008-01-03T16:55:00.000-08:00

if you were lost, those would be the worst words you could imagine hearing - right?

calling off the search means that all available resources have been used up and the probability of yielding a positive result has eclipsed the use of further resources. those who have waited for your return have now had their last hopes dashed against the rocks. it would be a tough phone call to make as well as receive.

maurie and i have called off the search. more news to follow.

the corner of percy and gate

2007-12-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

...1 alarm fire - corner of percy and gate for engine 35, engine 12, truck 21, truck 17, rat 20, district 3, district 2, rescue 38 and squad 14 to respond to the 1 alarm. caller reports smoke from the building, kids trapped inside box no. 2549.

getting dressed in a moving pumper going to a fire should be an art form if it's not already. sirens and airhorns disturb the quiet winter night as we steam toward the unknown. there was confusion (and there always is) about where the hydrant would be and who would layoff. but in the end, ethan and i pulled the crosslay and headed for the house. the fire was on the second floor and it wasn't much of one. the kids reported trapped had started the fire and were long gone by our arrival.

we drug hose, masked up and called for water. ethan gave me the nozzle and the flames were out in no time. that's just about all i know...

Firefighter injured in fall at scene

THE ENQUIRER

WESTWOOD --- A firefighter was knocked unconscious Sunday after tripping and hitting his head on a bedpost while attacking a Sunday evening fire here.

The firefighter, identified as Joshua Hanauer, was taken to University Hospital for an evaluation and then released.

Officials with the Cincinnati Fire Department say the blaze in the 2400 block of Gate Street began in a bedroom after a child was playing with a lighter. Firefighters were called to the scene at 6:20 p.m.

A May Day – firefighter in distress call – blared out over the radios after the firefighter was knocked unconscious. The firefighter regained consciousness after fellow firefighters got him outside.

It took roughly 15 minutes to bring the blaze in the two-story home under control.
Officials reported heavy fire damage to the bedroom where the began and smoke damage to the second floor. There was a working smoke detector in the home. Officials estimate damages at $15,000.

and so tonight - after our gifts have been opened and baby put to bed - i thank the make-up crew of engine 35: fao ronald dance, ff (in charge) perry herbert, ff vondell caldwell and most of all ff ethan pagliaro for a job well done and more.

the mountains

2007-12-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

"the simple truth is, not all of us become the men we once hoped we might be."

the finest of sports have evolved from man's need to do something. the bobsled might be the one exception to that otherwise fine rule. mountaineering is then the truest and finest sport in all the land. even the equipment is cool.

in the coming weeks i train for a summit attempt on mt washington. at this moment, winds are sustained at 40 mph and it is 26 F.

here is how the observatory describes the mountain:

Bitter cold, dense fog, heavy snow, incredible wind...
Mount Washington is the home of the world's worst weather.

a perfect backdrop for things to get a bit outta hand.

details and pictures to follow. though we will be climbing sans campbell. duty calls in the form of paramedic school and he doesn't want to miss the first few days... i question his priorities. as it stands, i will drive to columbus, ohio around 3 bells (am) and catch a flight to boston, mass. then i will meet up with two other guys i've never met and learn to ice climb and try my hand at the mountain.

CAUTION: good times ahead

i don't want to visit iceland

2007-12-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

what is it about iceland? the name implies a terribly cold and foreboding place. a wicked combination of land and ice. besides, 80% of the exports are fish and i am not all that big a fan of fish. almost everything, save energy, is imported and the cost of living is therefore high. when you think vacation - do you think iceland?

neither do i.

that's because i don't want to visit iceland, i want to live there. i want to buy some sheep, learn the language and tell the old norse stories to my great-grandchildren (the hanauers come from bavaria). i noticed this about myself in college. my friend belville and i flew to london to talk to them about Jesus. while most found themselves buying "mind the gap" t-shirts, i was scoping out flats and perfecting an accent. i wanted to live there.

then came moshi, tanzania - recifie, brasil - amsterdam, netherlands - kyiv, ukraine. and while i visited those places and even lived for a bit in kyiv - i have settled my family in my hometown. my story could best be told by bruce and the e street band. most likely, i will never get to live in the places i have longed for. my wife tells me there simply aren't enough years to be had for me to do all that needs done. this might sound tragic to you the reader. but, to me, it is profoundly beautiful.

when i think of life, i often think of those things that are yet to come. food yet to be tried, hobbies yet to be pursued, beer yet to be tasted and places yet to experience. i don't want to visit iceland, i want to live there. i want to be a local and enjoy the taste of cod with the sea in my face. and yet i want so much more.

mastering my desires will be lifetime pursuit for me. my wanting to live in cultures that vary from my own is only the start of where this gets outta hand.

...don't think that i am miserable. today i have been married for six years to my high school sweetheart. together we know that the best is yet to come. i know what i have - family that loves me, a job that satisfies something primal, the ability to think and to learn, money enough for food, shelter, clothing, a big truck and many other extras. my life is good and i plan on sucking out every last drop. and when death comes, just play some sigur ros on my five-string armadillo guitar from bolivia and i shall be free.

in the end, i don't want to have just visited - i want to have lived.

help wanted

2007-12-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

hanauer fun fact no 165: i have never been turned down for a job that i have interviewed for.

...an (incomplete) list of jobs (since age 16) - in no order

1 checking account envelope stuffer (OHSL)
2 logistics manager (capital city container [dell corp])
3 real estate helper guy (can't recall agent's name - nashville, tn)
4 cashier and stockboy (furrow hardware - glenway ave)
5 resident assistant (highrise dorm - seventh floor - lipscomb u)
6 delivery engineer (sims-lohman cabinets)
7 milkman dispatcher (purity dairy - nashville, tn) *never actually dispatched anyone
8 loader/unloader (ups)
9 driver's helper (ups)
10 quality control (xomox industrial valves)
11 ukrainian education intern (kyiv, ua)
12 plasma donation specialist (unsure if i could claim this as employment)
13 adt salesman (a division of armour security - nashville, tn)
14 art teacher (mwenge primary school - moshi, tanzania)
15 owner/operator (unit 4 investments) *specializing in lawn care, house flipping, roof repair, closet building, etc.
16 emt (cheviot fire department)
17 dorm floor cleaner
18 old lady landscape specialist
19 jewish family handyman (don't ask)
20 firefighter (cincinnati fire department)

a recommendation

2007-12-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

honestly, i'm unsure about this whole 'blog thing'.

a man we'll call kevin recommended that i start recording those times in my life when things 'got a little outta hand'. i am certain that i cannot trace the roots of this compulsion to not just do something - but more.

meanwhile, i work as a firefighter on engine co. 35 for the cincinnati fire department. it is the greatest job in the world. [readers should note that sweeping and exaggerated statements will be a feature of this blog]

my wife and i will celebrate six years of marriage on sunday. my almost five month old daughter sleeps in the next room while i type. my iMac begs to be replaced and my K2 fuse cries out to be ridden. winter cometh.

welcome.