Ambos get TVs, not life-saving equipment

There is a lot which I can let wash over me but the recent efforts by the Courier Mail to get society stabbing QAS with their pitch forks has found me feeling increasingly frustrated.  This one, so far, takes the cake.

What the heck is it with media who take a picture and systematically photoshop out all the important contributing factors to create their own little piece of controversy? What is it that these people think they are achieving by bagging the day lights out of the only ambulance service in Queensland??  I see this and all I feel is anger!

The pitchforks are being pointed in the wrong direction.  The QAS is a government owned and operated organisation which means they are subject to government policies... that includes budget.  Government policy when it comes to budget is ludicrous. The budget obviously has various divisions devoted to all kinds of expenses.  However, once funds have been allocated, they are fixed within that division.  Consequently, if for example, funds for patient care supplies are depleted but funds for general station needs e.g. furniture, is relatively untouched, the excess cannot be diverted to patient care supplies. Ever wondered why the Australian government can afford to fund millions for Olympic fireworks and yet the old age pension is pittance??  Same policies...

The next issue is that if the funds are not depleted by the end of the financial year then the budget for that area gets cut.  Of course that is no guarantee that those funds will be redirected instead of being withheld and claimed as a saving on expenditure either...  So... yes... a few stations went nuts towards the end of the last financial year in order to keep the budget.  But there is not keeping people happy is there?  Paramedics get paid less than nurses, wardies, security guards and just about every other professional in the health system but it is frowned upon when QAS managers actually utilise an opportunity to give a little extra in looking after the staff at station. Heaven forbid we should not be forced to sleep (rare) on dilapidated old furniture and perhaps actually enjoy the work environment, boost morale with a little music and a TV that hasn't fallen out of the 80s!

Point your pitchforks at something worthwhile. Your crusade fails to be productive in the places where help is actually required and is based entirely on deliberate ignorance.  QAS is not at fault here...Anna Bligh...

 Ok - done now.

W2D3 down this morning.  It seems making the effort to stretch out has been paying off because I wasn't sore except for my glutes. My lowers legs were fatigued though and quickly made that clear.  I made a gradual effort to increase my speed as I went along.

Something is askew because my guts were playing up when it got hard again. By the end I was working hard not to allow a nasty case of diarrhoea.  I figure it is either one of three things.  Nutmeat, milk or hormones.  I am primarily suspicious of the nutmeat cause I generally feel a little gluggy after eating it. Only re-introduced that this week because of holidays but happy to cut it out.

Anyhow, put down a record time this morning despite all the fatigue.  Did cheat a little bit by only walking 90 seconds for the last interval and sprinting the rest of the way home.

I have decided that tomorrow will DEFINITELY be a full rest day.  Rehydrate and relax before my first shot at week three on Monday.

Stats for W2D3:

3.45km in 21 minutes and 22 seconds with an average speed of 9.69km/hr