I owe my few but faithful readers a huge appology:
I have been so crazy with work (50-60 hour weeks but wow that OT is nice) that I have really neglected everything that wasn't necessary for survival. I eat, sleep, work, and try to spend what little time is left with my husband and Bailey.
So I am sorry.
To make it up to you and to challenge myself to see if keeping this up is something I really want to do, I have signed up to do NaBloPoMo. If you are not familiar with the blogosphere, it means "National Blog Posting Month" which means that I have committed myself to posting every day for the month of November.
That's right. I promise to do it. I do not promise that the posts will be good. But a lot has happend lately and I think I can come up with something each day with out too much trouble.
So, see you tomorrow :-)
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
A Hook, A Brain, A Trick
Work has not gotten any better since the last post. In fact, it's gotten worse.
During the first week with NC I was told that if I had any problems with anything I was not to vent to any hospital staff, but to one of my supervisors. So when I had an issue with someone who was over both myself and my supervisors and I knew there was nothing I could do about it, I vented to the supervisor I felt I connected with the most. Two days later, the person I vented about showed up. (Keep in mind that the office these people work out of is a 2 1/2 hour plane ride away.) Then she proceeded to tell me how unprofessional and disrespectful I was and that if I ever said anything about any of my superiors again, I would be terminated immediately and she would not have to give a reason why. Oh, yeah... we were in a busy hotel lobby when this conversation took place... and I am "unprofessional."
It took every ounce of self control in me not to throw the 4 inch binder I had in my arms at the time right in her face... I wanted to break her already crooked nose, I was so angry. My response: "I was doing what I was told... I am sorry if you felt I was being disrespectful... if that had been my intention, I would have said it all to your face."
Two weeks later, during a conversation with the supervisor who narked on my vent, she asked me how things were going. I told her the I was upright and breathing and that was as good as I could give her:
Sup: Well you know you can talk to me if you need to.
Me: No, actually I can't, because if I say something you don't like, you'll run and tell (hook nose) and I'll get fired.
Sup: You can still talk to me, you just have to watch what you say.
I just said "no thanks" and told her I'd text her when I got to my next site.
I have a call into NC HR to speak with someone about the whole thing... if they want to fire me, I'm taking hook nose with me...
********************
Bailey was 73 pounds last time we weighed... her growth is slowing down, but her intelligence keeps growing...
She gets 6 cups of food a day, 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening. The other day, I was filling her bowl one cup at a time. She watched me put one in, then the next... as soon as I put the third cup in, she got up from where she was lying and walked over to eat... she waited until the 3rd cup to come eat... too smart.
And the trick she learned in only an hour's time: to play dead. I tell her "Bang!" and she walks in a circle all dramatic and such, then falls down on the floor... sometimes, her head barely hits the floor when its back up looking for the treat she knows must follow such a performance :-) She has the dying part down, but the actual part of looking dead seems to be a bit of a challenge...
Still, I am proud...
During the first week with NC I was told that if I had any problems with anything I was not to vent to any hospital staff, but to one of my supervisors. So when I had an issue with someone who was over both myself and my supervisors and I knew there was nothing I could do about it, I vented to the supervisor I felt I connected with the most. Two days later, the person I vented about showed up. (Keep in mind that the office these people work out of is a 2 1/2 hour plane ride away.) Then she proceeded to tell me how unprofessional and disrespectful I was and that if I ever said anything about any of my superiors again, I would be terminated immediately and she would not have to give a reason why. Oh, yeah... we were in a busy hotel lobby when this conversation took place... and I am "unprofessional."
It took every ounce of self control in me not to throw the 4 inch binder I had in my arms at the time right in her face... I wanted to break her already crooked nose, I was so angry. My response: "I was doing what I was told... I am sorry if you felt I was being disrespectful... if that had been my intention, I would have said it all to your face."
Two weeks later, during a conversation with the supervisor who narked on my vent, she asked me how things were going. I told her the I was upright and breathing and that was as good as I could give her:
Sup: Well you know you can talk to me if you need to.
Me: No, actually I can't, because if I say something you don't like, you'll run and tell (hook nose) and I'll get fired.
Sup: You can still talk to me, you just have to watch what you say.
I just said "no thanks" and told her I'd text her when I got to my next site.
I have a call into NC HR to speak with someone about the whole thing... if they want to fire me, I'm taking hook nose with me...
********************
Bailey was 73 pounds last time we weighed... her growth is slowing down, but her intelligence keeps growing...
She gets 6 cups of food a day, 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening. The other day, I was filling her bowl one cup at a time. She watched me put one in, then the next... as soon as I put the third cup in, she got up from where she was lying and walked over to eat... she waited until the 3rd cup to come eat... too smart.
And the trick she learned in only an hour's time: to play dead. I tell her "Bang!" and she walks in a circle all dramatic and such, then falls down on the floor... sometimes, her head barely hits the floor when its back up looking for the treat she knows must follow such a performance :-) She has the dying part down, but the actual part of looking dead seems to be a bit of a challenge...
Still, I am proud...
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Time Management And A Ladder
I want to apologize to my few loyal readers for taking so much time between posts lately.... I started training with NC and those were the longest 2 weeks of my life... Then they left and it got worse...
We went live at 2 of the hospitals I cover on July 15th, one site without a full staff which I didn't know about til I showed up on the first day... who in their right mind does that? Especially when the largest of the hospitals they are taking on isn't set to go live til September? It makes no sense... so I trained with them for 2 weeks then on Friday 7/25, they left me to it and went back to the regional office, which happens to be a 2 1/2 hour plane ride away.
That Sunday, I had a screener at one of the hospitals text me at 8 am to tell me she had a fever... so I had to go in... It's happened before and on a bad day it took me maybe 30 minutes per baby... but with a new machine on which I did a total of one baby during the training and all the extra paperwork required, it took me 5 hours to do 4 babies... absolutely ridiculous!!!
Then this last week, each day I had to go to the understaffed hospital to screen, then perform the administrative duties I was hired to do for NC, then cover the main hospital that isn't yet a part of the NC system... I usually work 35 hour weeks... I worked 50 this last week... and because the time was split between 2 different companies, I won't get overtime... luckily, I am currently hourly at both so I will still get paid for all 50 hours... However both companies are refusing to pay for my mileage, which is part of my compensation package with each, because I an traveling between companies, not between sites for one company... WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!
********************
Last weekend, my husband and I were out on the water for a local festival and water ski show when we tied up the boat with a few others. On one of the boats in the make-shift barge, there were a couple dogs who kept jumping in after a ball their owner would throw out in the water... I watched them closely for a while and noticed that both dogs USED THE BOAT LADDER TO GET OUT! That ladder can be difficult for a human to use, so canine use was impressive... I decided if they could do it, so could my dog.
My mom came out to the house today and we took Bailey out on the boat. I dropped her in off the side closest to the ladder and guided her around to it. I then took her front paws and held them on the top rung of the ladder until she got her footing and could lift herself the rest of the way out of the water. With my help, she did this 4 times over the course of 4 hours and each time she found her footing quicker and quicker. I was so proud.
She still isn't a fan of swimming but she loves the water and is learning to get out on her own...
On 7/27, Bailey weighed 71.5 pounds... I can't wait to see what she weighs tomorrow.
We went live at 2 of the hospitals I cover on July 15th, one site without a full staff which I didn't know about til I showed up on the first day... who in their right mind does that? Especially when the largest of the hospitals they are taking on isn't set to go live til September? It makes no sense... so I trained with them for 2 weeks then on Friday 7/25, they left me to it and went back to the regional office, which happens to be a 2 1/2 hour plane ride away.
That Sunday, I had a screener at one of the hospitals text me at 8 am to tell me she had a fever... so I had to go in... It's happened before and on a bad day it took me maybe 30 minutes per baby... but with a new machine on which I did a total of one baby during the training and all the extra paperwork required, it took me 5 hours to do 4 babies... absolutely ridiculous!!!
Then this last week, each day I had to go to the understaffed hospital to screen, then perform the administrative duties I was hired to do for NC, then cover the main hospital that isn't yet a part of the NC system... I usually work 35 hour weeks... I worked 50 this last week... and because the time was split between 2 different companies, I won't get overtime... luckily, I am currently hourly at both so I will still get paid for all 50 hours... However both companies are refusing to pay for my mileage, which is part of my compensation package with each, because I an traveling between companies, not between sites for one company... WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!
********************
Last weekend, my husband and I were out on the water for a local festival and water ski show when we tied up the boat with a few others. On one of the boats in the make-shift barge, there were a couple dogs who kept jumping in after a ball their owner would throw out in the water... I watched them closely for a while and noticed that both dogs USED THE BOAT LADDER TO GET OUT! That ladder can be difficult for a human to use, so canine use was impressive... I decided if they could do it, so could my dog.
My mom came out to the house today and we took Bailey out on the boat. I dropped her in off the side closest to the ladder and guided her around to it. I then took her front paws and held them on the top rung of the ladder until she got her footing and could lift herself the rest of the way out of the water. With my help, she did this 4 times over the course of 4 hours and each time she found her footing quicker and quicker. I was so proud.
She still isn't a fan of swimming but she loves the water and is learning to get out on her own...
On 7/27, Bailey weighed 71.5 pounds... I can't wait to see what she weighs tomorrow.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Disappointment, Swimming, And A Puppy Serenade
I have been training with NC all week. It has been a brain fry if I ever saw one...
As for my ladies, 2 were hired on at the main hospital, 1 was hired by a hospital I don't cover, and 1 was not hired at all. They said she didn't interview well and that she had an attitude.... I think she was just reflecting back the attitude of the person interviewing her, as well as expressing her frustration at the unreturned phone calls and e-mails and the 2 phone interviews when she got stood up...
It's gonna be emotional when I have them all over for the screener BBQ...
********************
Bailey Loves playing in the water a the dog park. She splashes on the rocky beach and playfully jumps around til the water is almost up over her back... But she doesn't swim. She stays where she can touch.
We recently got a new pontoon boat which I am learning to drive. Bailey likes to stand up front and feel the breeze in her face... She does it all the time with my husband. But the other night I was driving and she was getting very close to the edge and was pawing at the water... I told my husband to put her life jacket on because she was making me nervous... he told me to slow down if I was that uneasy, and because I am still learning, I did... but I did it too fast... and Bailey flew off the front of the boat...
I threw it into neutral and my husband flew to the back of the boat... she was swimming but instead of doing the typical doggie paddle, she was just splashing with her front paws. She was moving forward but she was too freaked out to use her back legs. He went halfway down the ladder and helped her into the boat when she finally got to it. We put her life jacket on and went to a cove to drop anchor so we could swim some more... we didn't want her to be afraid of the water... He lowered her in and had her swim to me and she did okay, still splashing around. Then he pulled her back in and jumped in himself... while I was drying off, Bailey got too close to the front edge again and fell in as she was turning around... she did okay that time, too.
And the next time we went to the dog park, she was splashing around in the water again... still only where she could touch, but that's enough for me...
AND she was 69.6 lbs. on 7/13... she is getting so big!
********************
This is the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jCnAjel02lM
You'll have to copy and paste it because I still haven't figured out how to make it a link...
As for my ladies, 2 were hired on at the main hospital, 1 was hired by a hospital I don't cover, and 1 was not hired at all. They said she didn't interview well and that she had an attitude.... I think she was just reflecting back the attitude of the person interviewing her, as well as expressing her frustration at the unreturned phone calls and e-mails and the 2 phone interviews when she got stood up...
It's gonna be emotional when I have them all over for the screener BBQ...
********************
Bailey Loves playing in the water a the dog park. She splashes on the rocky beach and playfully jumps around til the water is almost up over her back... But she doesn't swim. She stays where she can touch.
We recently got a new pontoon boat which I am learning to drive. Bailey likes to stand up front and feel the breeze in her face... She does it all the time with my husband. But the other night I was driving and she was getting very close to the edge and was pawing at the water... I told my husband to put her life jacket on because she was making me nervous... he told me to slow down if I was that uneasy, and because I am still learning, I did... but I did it too fast... and Bailey flew off the front of the boat...
I threw it into neutral and my husband flew to the back of the boat... she was swimming but instead of doing the typical doggie paddle, she was just splashing with her front paws. She was moving forward but she was too freaked out to use her back legs. He went halfway down the ladder and helped her into the boat when she finally got to it. We put her life jacket on and went to a cove to drop anchor so we could swim some more... we didn't want her to be afraid of the water... He lowered her in and had her swim to me and she did okay, still splashing around. Then he pulled her back in and jumped in himself... while I was drying off, Bailey got too close to the front edge again and fell in as she was turning around... she did okay that time, too.
And the next time we went to the dog park, she was splashing around in the water again... still only where she could touch, but that's enough for me...
AND she was 69.6 lbs. on 7/13... she is getting so big!
********************
This is the sweetest thing I think I've ever seen:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jCnAjel02lM
You'll have to copy and paste it because I still haven't figured out how to make it a link...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Camping
We met some friends at their campsite the other night... here are some of the funnier things overheard while we were there:
"Daddy, are you drunk?" said by a 12 year-old girl after her dad tripped over the wood pile in the dark...
"Daddy, she's growing boobs!" said by a 9 year-old girl after the 12 year-old said "ouch" while they were rough-housing with their dad...
"I know what a porno is" said by a 12 year-old boy who happened to overhear a conversation he wasn't meant to... followed by "My mom and I can talk about stuff like that..." Nice to know they have such an open relationship...
"I peed all over my flip flop" said by a 6 year-old girl after her older sisters tried to teach her to squat in the woods...
It was definitely an entertaining evening...
********************
Bailey weighed 65.1 on 6/22... I haven't weighed her since... we start her Advanced classes on the 7/13 so she be weighed again then.
Hope you all had a good 4th!
"Daddy, are you drunk?" said by a 12 year-old girl after her dad tripped over the wood pile in the dark...
"Daddy, she's growing boobs!" said by a 9 year-old girl after the 12 year-old said "ouch" while they were rough-housing with their dad...
"I know what a porno is" said by a 12 year-old boy who happened to overhear a conversation he wasn't meant to... followed by "My mom and I can talk about stuff like that..." Nice to know they have such an open relationship...
"I peed all over my flip flop" said by a 6 year-old girl after her older sisters tried to teach her to squat in the woods...
It was definitely an entertaining evening...
********************
Bailey weighed 65.1 on 6/22... I haven't weighed her since... we start her Advanced classes on the 7/13 so she be weighed again then.
Hope you all had a good 4th!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Road Rage
I have horrible road rage. But I have been working on controlling my temper behind the wheel. So here goes:
Dear lady at the gas station:
I know sorting your mail is important to you, but there is a time and place more appropriate than in your car, beside the pump, after you're finished pumping gas, when there are lines at every other pump 2-3 cars deep.
Next time, please try to be courteous to those around you and separate the bills from the ads when you get home.
Dear gentleman in the 1st position in the left turn lane at the green light,
The line of ten cars behind you honking their horns are not trying to say "hello." In case you've forgotten, green means "go".
Next time please try to pay attention so that more than just your car can get through the intersection.
Dear lady in the same spot as the gentleman above,
Were you happy about being left in that position by the guy right before you? Those same horns are honking at you now. You are just asking for someone to attack your car with a baseball bat.
Next time, please forgive the guy who was in front of you and let the folks in line behind you through the light as well.
Dear lady in the monster car-boat,
You are lucky that my reflexes work faster than my thought processes. Seeing as you did not signal or check your blind spot before entering my lane with hardly an inch to spare, I should have just hit you instead of slamming on my breaks.
Next time, please signal and/or check your blind spot just in case it's me again because I could really use a new car.
Dear playboy in the vibrating clunker,
Not everyone in traffic wants to hear your music. If you are looking to impress people, a muffler and a new paint job would have been sufficient.
Please call me in 5 years so I can fit you with $4000 hearing aids which are not covered by health insurance.
Dear teenage boy with the buzz cut,
If you haven't noticed, you don't have much hair. So no matter how many times you run that large brush through it, it isn't going to look any different than when you rolled out of bed this morning.
Please remember that it is not safe to cross the street and brush you hair at the same time.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for supplying my needs for transportation. And for the patience you give me while driving in traffic so I don't snap and commit vehicular homicide.
Dear lady at the gas station:
I know sorting your mail is important to you, but there is a time and place more appropriate than in your car, beside the pump, after you're finished pumping gas, when there are lines at every other pump 2-3 cars deep.
Next time, please try to be courteous to those around you and separate the bills from the ads when you get home.
Dear gentleman in the 1st position in the left turn lane at the green light,
The line of ten cars behind you honking their horns are not trying to say "hello." In case you've forgotten, green means "go".
Next time please try to pay attention so that more than just your car can get through the intersection.
Dear lady in the same spot as the gentleman above,
Were you happy about being left in that position by the guy right before you? Those same horns are honking at you now. You are just asking for someone to attack your car with a baseball bat.
Next time, please forgive the guy who was in front of you and let the folks in line behind you through the light as well.
Dear lady in the monster car-boat,
You are lucky that my reflexes work faster than my thought processes. Seeing as you did not signal or check your blind spot before entering my lane with hardly an inch to spare, I should have just hit you instead of slamming on my breaks.
Next time, please signal and/or check your blind spot just in case it's me again because I could really use a new car.
Dear playboy in the vibrating clunker,
Not everyone in traffic wants to hear your music. If you are looking to impress people, a muffler and a new paint job would have been sufficient.
Please call me in 5 years so I can fit you with $4000 hearing aids which are not covered by health insurance.
Dear teenage boy with the buzz cut,
If you haven't noticed, you don't have much hair. So no matter how many times you run that large brush through it, it isn't going to look any different than when you rolled out of bed this morning.
Please remember that it is not safe to cross the street and brush you hair at the same time.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for supplying my needs for transportation. And for the patience you give me while driving in traffic so I don't snap and commit vehicular homicide.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
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