Category: Work Stuff

Work Stuff

Rash Moments Always Bite Me in the Butt

Karen

So last Wednesday, I got this burr up my butt and I applied for a job.

A technical writing job. *breaks out in a sweat just typing that out*

First of all, I was surprised to see there was even a technical writing job advertised … and especially for this area. I think I had convinced myself that there wasn’t a technical writing job in the whole Midwest region. I think I got that idea from school – when I graduated with a technical writing degree ten years ago.

And I don’t know, maybe there wasn’t any technical writing jobs in my area ten years ago … but there are today.

Kevin has been keeping an eye out for me on the job front. And he’s sent me two technical writing job listings so far. And the companies specialize in areas that I happen to have experience in: banking and healthcare.

But I dragged my feet (I.E. – life happened and I was simply too busy to think about it, quite frankly), and the opportunities passed me by.

I don’t know why I went ahead and applied. The position’s deadline had long passed but I thought, why not. What’s it going to hurt? What’s the least that could happened … nothing.

So. I applied on Wednesday. And to my utter surprise, I got a call back Thursday … at 9:20 a.m.

What the …

I spent the rest of the day in shock. And digesting how this would change my life. Even though I hadn’t gotten the job, I could get the job and … then what? Part of the job requirement included about 20% travel time. Did I really want to travel? Would I have to dress up every day? I mean, wearing scrubs every day is a pretty sweet gig, ya’ll. I’m comfy and don’t have to think about clothing combinations, you know?

I called the gal back Friday morning, first thing. And she wanted to call me back later in the day to have a phone interview.

At 2:30, she called me back and we talked. She told me a bit about the job and asked me a few questions about myself and my “experience” (I.E. none in the technical writing world) and said she would let me know if she wanted me to come in for a face-to-face interview.

I was on pins and needles all day Monday. I checked my cell phone all day hoping, and yet dreading, a call back. I mean, how cool would it be to actually work in the field I went to school for?? And yet … I like my healthcare job (except for the stupid flu vaccine REQUIREMENT) and I love the girls I work with so …

At 4:45 p.m., I got the call. She wanted me to come in Friday morning for a face-to-face. I agreed, of course, and then spent the rest of the week with a giant black cloud of nervous energy above my head.

I went out and bought a business blazer for way too much money at Dillards. However, I can wear this blazer to everything (it’s charcoal gray) and I’ll likely have it for the rest of my life.

Friday morning came and instead of dressing in scrubs, I donned business attire. I wore black slacks, a white button down oxford shirt, my blazer and heels. I looked sharp.

And way over dressed. Because when I arrived at the company, the people going into the building were all wearing jeans.

Swell.

I walked into the reception area and I signed in. The receptionist gave me a visitor badge to wear and I sat down to wait for my interviewer to come get me. This was the type of organization where you couldn’t go into any of the doors, or use the elevator, unless you had a pass key.

My interviewer greeted me and took me up one floor to a room where another woman was waiting. I sat in the “hot seat” with a woman on either side of me and spent AN HOUR answering the toughest questions I could possibly be asked. I gave believable, GENERIC answers, but that wasn’t good enough. They wanted SPECIFIC instances of the scenarios they were asking me about. Most of the time, I gave them specific situations, later, when I had been there for a while and sweat was dripping down my torso and THANK GOD I had a blazer on because by the end of the interview, my blouse was soaking wet (literally, I had to hang it up to dry when I got home), I started making shit up because OMG, I was so sick of being asked questions and being pounded that I honestly didn’t care if I got the job or not. A few times, I just flat out said, “I’m sorry. I honestly can’t think of a specific incidence at this time.”

And at one point, I even laughed, rubbed my brow and said, “Ladies. You’re killing me with the questions.”

Luckily, they laughed. But I’m pretty sure that wasn’t exactly “approved” interview behavior. But honestly? I didn’t care at that point – I just wanted the hell out of there.

Kevin seems to think that since they kept me for an entire hour, they were interested in me. He said, often times, he would interview someone and if he could tell, right off the bat, that he didn’t like the person for the job, he would cut the interview short because what was the point? He wasn’t going to hire him/her.

Which is a good point and encouraging, I suppose, but honestly? I think I sucked. I left feeling equal parts annoyed (with myself), disappointed (with myself), relieved that it was over, and sad because I’m convinced I wouldn’t get the job.

It’s a strange place to be, I assure you.

But then I got to thinking (always a dangerous past time) – did I really want the job? In addition to the travel (which honestly, I’m okay with), I would be working in teams. ALL THE TIME. In fact, everything they do is through teams. GAH. Teams. I just remember what that was like in college and I usually ended up doing all the work because no one else would take the imitative and do the work. And the work itself? Sounds boring as hell.

There. I said it.

But it sounded like they had some SWEET benefits. For instance, they work in jeans and often times, you could make arrangements and work from home. Which, I’ve blogged about before, is not necessarily a good thing for ME, per say. I lack discipline. And motivation. But if I was working FOR someone and was receiving a steady income, I’m pretty sure I could get over those self-imposed hurdles.

They asked for writing samples. I didn’t have any technical writing samples to give them. I haven’t done any technical writing since college (save for the school websites – which they are aware of, I might add. And by technical I mean, the schools dumped piles of information on me and I was responsible for organizing it and then putting it into a coherent, cohesive website).

So I ended up giving them an essay-type style of writing and a piece of fiction. And if you’re sitting there with wide eyes and open mouth because GAH, that has absolutely nothing to do with technical writing, wait … it gets better. I handed over my writing samples, laughed and actually said, out loud, not just in my head, “Now don’t laugh.”

OH MY DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?

It was like I was handing my writing over to a critique group, not a prospective employer!!!

Geez. I’m so stupid sometimes. But I was nervous and I always do, and say, stupid things when I’m nervous.

Anyway. It’s over (thank the good Lord above) and honestly? I don’t expect a call back. The gal said she would let me know either way and I’m pretty sure the one-sided conversation will go something like this:

“Hello, Karen? Thank you for coming in and speaking with us, but I’m afraid we’ve decided to hire someone else.”

*sigh*

I’m not the world’s best interviewee … can you tell?

Live and learn.

Day-By-Day, Work Stuff

Wednesday: It’s Been One Year??

Karen

It didn’t dawn on me until the day was half over …

TODAY IS MY ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!

For you long-time readers, can you freaking believe this??? It’s already been one year since I started in the healthcare field.

That just boggles my mind. And even though I’m going to leave healthcare at some point in the near future … I’m not sure I thought I’d last a whole year. The first few months were rough – REALLY ROUGH. Like I would go-home-and-cry rough. There was SO much to learn. Not only was I learning about the industry, and all the terminology and acronyms, and policies and HIPPA rules, etc., but I was scrambling to learn brand new software and terrified I was going to schedule the wrong patient with the wrong doctor (check), or a wrong test (check) or forget to put them on the Imaging schedule for a test (check) … it was nerve wracking.

It didn’t help that I had no help – AT ALL. There was virtually no training. I watched my office manager for maybe – maybe – two days before she said, “Okay, you’re on your own. Just jump in, that’s the best way to learn.”

Now granted, I’m a fast learner, but COME ON, I’m human and I was completely lost for several weeks. Slowly, I started getting the hang of it and I must say, looking back on the experience one year later, my office manager is the worst office manager on the face of the earth. She openly despises her job and she in no way ever, EVER offers to help anyone out.

It’s really quite sad, if you want the truth. She’s an alpha female (which technically, I guess you could say I am too, but I’m also a smart alpha female and I’m aggressive in more effective ways – heh) and she likes to feel like she’s in control of everything. So … she doesn’t teach anyone anything so you have no choice but to rely on her.

Meh. Whatever. She can sit on her throne and feel self-important – I could give a monkey’s butt.

So yeah, I’ve been there for one year now and it never ceases to amaze me how people refuse to take responsibility for their health. I had one lady I was trying to set physical therapy up for and she whined and fought me every step of the way. She kept complaining how she couldn’t afford it and yes, I realize it’s expensive, but this is your health we’re talking about – I’d say that’s a good investment, wouldn’t you? I’ve moved past the point where I allow people to bully me. That happened a few times when I first started, but I quickly got over that and now I know when to stick to my guns and when to compromise. I stuck to my guns with this woman and after a while, she laid her head down and mumbled, “I just want an injection.”

Yeah. I thought so.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the crux of it. People want a quick fix. They want an injection. They want a pill. They want surgery. They want the solution that requires the least amount of work from them possible. It annoys me to no end when people act this way. Or. They get upset with the doctor because he didn’t immediately suggest surgery.

First – contrary to popular belief – surgery should be the LAST option, not the first option. Our doctors put patients through physical therapy, injections and pain management programs in an effort to see if any of these conservative treatments will work. Secondly, the doctors prescribe conservative treatment because insurance companies will not pay for surgery if the patient hasn’t at least TRIED conservative treatment … and you can see why. If we all skipped conservative treatment, insurance companies would go broke paying for everyone’s surgeries.

It’s also frustrating to try and explain to patients that they are not surgical. Our doctors are neurosurgeons – if they determine they can’t help a patient, that that patient is not surgical, then we have to refer them to a pain management doctor or back to their primary care physician (PCP) because we can not help them. Patients simply do not understand, or accept, the fact that our doctors can’t help them. i know they pin all of their hopes on our specialists being able to fix them, to help them get past their pain and if surgery is ruled out, they are left feeling hopeless, scared and frustrated because now what? The quick fix is no longer an option and CRAP, they are going to have to start taking responsibility and make lifestyle changes – exercise, lose weight (which is about 85% of the problem, if you want the truth), stretching, etc. …

It’s really hard to NOT lose patience with people sometimes. Most of the time, I’m pretty sympathtic, even empathetic because my back goes out sometimes and I get it – I GET IT. But there are some patients that you can’t just get through to … and it gets so bad, our doctors refuse to see them back for whatever reasons.

And trust me when I say, you really don’t want to get to a point where your doctor “fires” you and yes, that happens more than you think.

So the next time you go to the doctor and he/she prescribes conservative treatment remember three things:

1. He/she is trying to avoid an invasive procedure.
2. Insurance companies demand conservative treatment options first
3. It’s a process of elimination and if the doctor can rule out certain possibilities, then he/she can come make a more accurate diagnosis.

And the ultimate goal is to feel better, right?

Day-By-Day, Work Stuff

Tuesday: Avoiding Doctors

Karen

I avoid doctors at all costs – both the ones I pay to look at my various body parts and the ones I work for. It’s a game really. I’m a peon – and I’m COMPLETELY okay being a peon. I wouldn’t want to be a doctor. Doctors get a bad rap, you know, but have you ever stopped to think about how much responsibility doctors have??

The brain doctors I work for quite literally have the patient’s life in their hands. Would YOU want that much responsibility? And because having that much responsibility comes with MASSIVE stress, don’t you think they DESERVE to be paid well to endure all of that on a daily basis?

Of course you do. Don’t be a jerk and say no.

My doctors are intimidating. I don’t really talk to the doctors. In fact, any time I have a question, I avoid the doctors and go straight to the nurses.

But once in a while, when I have to leave my desk and go back to the clinic area, (where the exam rooms are), I run into a doctor. And I have no choice but to address my question to them because, well, it concerns their patient.

Most of the doctors are pretty cool. Their answers are always short and concise because they have so many things running through their very intelligent brains at any given time, but a few of the doctors are not personable at all and scare the hell out of me, quite frankly. One doctor never addresses me directly – I will be standing not five feet away from the man and he’ll answer my question THROUGH the nurse, who in turn looks at me and repeats what he just said.

It’s sort of insulting.

This tends to bother some people but me, meh. I honestly don’t care. I think it’s sort of amusing, actually. I mean sure, the man has several intelligence points on me, but he’s not any better than me as a human being, he’s just more accomplished and way more successful than I am. And he’s in his element – I’m sure if the man tried something I was good at, he wouldn’t hold a light to me, either.

(Or maybe he would).

At any rate. Doctors have Texas-sized egos. It just sort of comes with the territory. And I suppose they sort of HAVE to have this arrogant, confident attitude so patients will trust them. Who wants to turn their health over to a man who can’t complete a sentence or who acts like he’s scared of his shadow?

Exactly.

And I’m proud of our doctors – like mama bear proud. These men are amazing human beings. They comfort people. They fix people. They SAVE people.

Case in point:

This patient checked out with me today and he talked my head off. Sometimes, I get impatient with patients who feel the need to tell me their life stories because I’m thinking in the back of my head of all the things I need to get done in the next few hours, but then I take a breath and force myself to slow down and listen, really listen, to what they’re saying.

People have incredible stories. If you ever think your life is hard, you should try listening to people who have health problems. It’ll put you in your place pronto.

This patient I talked to today had a brain bleed – two bleeds, actually. And he passed out whacking himself on the head so much hard that his brain swelled. He was out for two days. One of our doctors fixed him. And he was fully functioning, and speaking clearly and it was really a miracle that he was alive.

And he was sitting in my chair telling me about all of his near-death experiences in his life.

And how he praised God for protecting him and helping him through every single incident.

It’s stories like that that make health care worth it.

And patients like that that make me feel proud to be in a position to help them.

Day-By-Day, Work Stuff

Monday: I Look Like a Boy

Karen

At least, according to my husband.

SEXY, RIGHT?? (Kevin routinely “compliments” me like that – I’m used to it. Also? Tough. My hair. Deal).

I got a trim and a color this past Saturday. My hair is even shorter than it is in my profile picture you see in the right-hand column. It’s my fault, really. I allowed the stylist to talk, and talk, and talk and whack, whack and whack and by the time I really noticed how much she was taking off and on the verge of saying something, she stopped, stepped back and said, “Is that short enough?”

I nearly shouted “YES” back at her.

So yeah. It’s short. And it’s dark. Like almost black. At least, it feels that dark to me, but really, it’s pretty close to my natural hair color. Which is what I wanted, actually. The stylist used a different type of color on me this time – it’s supposed to cover gray better. *shrug* I don’t know, I can’t really tell a difference, but everyone I worked with today said something to me.

They liked it. And they thought the shortness (because I can’t really say the “length” since there isn’t a “length” to it) looked good on me. One gal thought my new “do” made me look younger.

I’LL TAKE IT!

Let’s put it this way, my hair is SO short, that the stylist had to use an electric haircutter-razor thing to shave off the tiny hairs on my neck.

I know! But you know? I like it. It’s super easy to take care of and it’ll last me a good seven, possibly eight weeks before I feel like it needs another trim. (My hair grows insanely fast. Nearly every stylist I go comments on that).

So I went to work feeling self-conscious, but left work feeling pretty good because so many people made positive comments. I have no idea if they really felt that way, but … DON’T CARE. It made my day.

I have a public service announcement:

Healthcare clinics are not emergency rooms.

I talked to a patient’s husband today, and he was concerned about the amount of pain his wife was in.

Understandable. This is especially hard for men because it’s an instinct for them to “fix” things and they want to make everything better. When they can’t, they get frustrated.

I get that. I understand that.

However. We are a clinic. Our doctors are certainly in the business of fixing people, but if it’s an emergency and requires immediate attention, that’s what an emergency room is for. We schedule patients and our doctors rely on this schedule when they see patients. They rarely, RARELY, work patients in because they are in extreme pain.

Everyone who sees our doctors are in pain – get in line.

I try not to be annoyed with people who throw an absolute hissy fit about not being able to be seen the next day, but let’s be real – we’re not an emergency room. If a patient goes to the emergency room and our doctors take a look at whatever test they do in the emergency room and determine that the patient needs to be seen in the clinic, trust me, WE MAKE IT HAPPEN.

But the norm? Is to make an appointment for people who are in equal, if not more, pain.

I had a patient ask me how she was supposed to KNOW if she needed to go to the emergency room.

No one KNOWS when to go to the emergency room, there’s no hard and fast rule, everyone is different. Every situation is different. Everyone’s pain tolerance is different. You just listen to your body and you usually know, deep down, when something is not right. If you’ve reached that deep-down part of you that knows something is wrong and you feel scared because it FEELS wrong, then for the love of God, go to the emergency room.

That’s why it’s called an emergency room – it’s an emergency. We can’t do much for you in a clinic setting, we’re not physically equipped to handle emergencies – we’re equipped to provide a setting for the patient to speak with the doctor about a standing issue and nothing more.

I can understand why doctors become de-sensitized to the whole process … because there’s just so much of it. EVERYONE is in pain. EVERYONE wants to be fixed. And though our doctors are awesome, not everyone CAN be fixed surgically. Many patients can be fixed if they are just willing to make some lifestyle changes.

But alas, society today relies too much on quick fixes – whether that’s a pill, or a surgical procedure to correct whatever is wrong or not working properly.

So please. Do not treat clinics like your personal emergency room because it’s not that we don’t want to help you, it’s because we’re not physically equipped to do so.

Work Stuff

The Hospital Bought Us Lunch

Karen

Work is going well.

For the most part, I have a handle on things now. I was thrown a curve ball that took me nearly six weeks and a call to my supervisor to solve, but I finally got the patient taken care of – even though I found out later that I wasn’t really supposed to take care of that particular problem to begin with, it should have fallen onto the nurse, but hey, I’ll know what to do next time … IF there is a next time.

I haven’t found a job yet, I haven’t really been looking yet. Kevin and I are going out of town in the next few weeks and I don’t want to rock the boat by finding a job and then saying, “Oh, by the way, I need a week off.”

I can’t, in good conscience, do that to my new employer.

So. I’m working my tail end off, 40 (sometimes plus) hours a week trying to stay on top of things. I’m coming home exhausted, but it’s a pleasant exhaustion and I feel like I’m accomplishing something … which is something, I suppose.

Kevin and I went to the company “picnic” yesterday. Apparently, the hospital throws an annual “thank you” picnic at an expo center and I missed it by one week last year. So we went this year.

IMG_1329

It’s a good thing it was held indoors because it rained ALL DAY yesterday. I’m not complaining, we really needed the rain. And as long as it was THIS week and not NEXT week when we have our first band competition, then I’m good.

It was sort of cheesy. It was geared mainly toward little kids and since we don’t have little kids anymore, we basically went for the free meal. The food was catered in by Rib Crib, so it was super yummy and I mentioned it was free, right??

We didn’t stick around very long, in fact, I’m not even sure we were there an hour, but it was worth going to and I’m glad we went. We grabbed a Pumpkin Spice Latte afterward and got my oil changed since we are planning an out-of-town trip nearly every weekend for the next six weeks. Then we went grocery shopping.

It was a busy and yet relaxing Saturday.

Which are the best sorts of Saturdays, don’t you think?

Life, Work Stuff

The One Where I Get Paid to Watch a Cadaver Lab

Karen

Even though I was paid to go to work yesterday, I did very little working.

I work for neurosurgeons (brain/spine). There. I said it. So when I tell you that I work for some of the most brilliant minds in the country, I assure you, I’m not exaggerating. The doctors I work for are SMART COOKIES, ya’ll.

And every year, they have a neuroscience conference where they ship cadavers in and practice techniques, compare notes and teach residents what they know. It’s an esteemed conference and quite coveted – only a select few residents are invited to participate and that’s mainly because there simply isn’t room for all of them.

This conference is not open to the public, for obvious reasons. But since I work for these wonderful doctors, they invited the clinic staff to visit the cadaver labs and watch them do what they do best – fix people.

I went with five other co-workers yesterday. We all piled into the company van and drove to the conference. We arrived while the doctors/residents were still in a presentation, so we walked around and enjoyed the sights. The conference center was located in the heart of the Ozarks and the view was breathtaking. Even though I live in a county close by, it’s still nice to visit neighboring counties. And it’s really cool to see what I’ve grown up around with fresh eyes whenever you talk with someone new to the area and they point out all of the beauty that has been surrounding me my entire life.

Missouri really IS a beautiful state, ya’ll.

You should visit sometime.

Anyway. When the presentation was completed, we followed the doctors/residents into a different ballroom and patiently waited for them to put on scrubs and gather around the cadaver of their choice.

The day before, they worked on brains – I wasn’t sure I could handle that (considering I’ve never been to a cadaver lab before), so I opted to go on the day they would work on spines.

I braced myself. A lot of people cautioned me about the smell, but I was pleasantly surprised – there was virtually no smell. (Save for the occasional burnt hair smell when the doctors cauterized nerve endings). I later learned, that the cadaver escort carefully cleans them on a daily basis to help keep the smell down. I must say, she did an excellent job because there was virtually no smell.

And that’s something else – these cadavers? Are treated with the utmost respect, ya’ll. Everyone appreciates the sacrifices these people have made to science and it’s mind boggling how their contribution helps our doctors come up with new and improved ways of saving future people. It nearly brings tears to my eyes, it’s so moving.

Anyway. Once the doctors/residents settled in, we, the handful of invited spectators, walked around and simply … observed. We consciously stayed out of everyone’s way, but quite honestly? Everyone was SO NICE!!!!! I was shocked by how helpful and informative everyone was. We had doctors, PA’s, and even residents, pausing to explain to us what they were doing and why. I know they were getting something out of the impromptu lesson, too, because it helps to learn something when you have to explain it to someone else. One of the doctors I schedule for directly worked on a cadaver that had a big TV screen attached, so we had a really good view of his work. It was terribly interesting and not at all gross. (Well, okay, it was a little gross, but not as disturbing as you might think).

Our group walked around and watched various procedures. The other cadavers didn’t have TV screens so it was harder to see, and hear, what they were doing, but it was almost as equally interesting, to me at least, to simply watch the doctors interact with the residents. The residents were so serious and intense as they soaked up what their mentors were telling them.

We stood/walked around all morning and the doctors finished up their procedures around noon. They were scheduled to have more presentations that afternoon, so our group left and we headed to Garfield’s for lunch. We were seated around a round table and it was fun to compare notes and talk about clinic stuff while we ate.

We arrived back at the clinic around 2ish. I had numerous calls, and a few fires (i.e situations that required my immediate attention) to put out and I ended up working until 4:30 p.m.

It was a long day, but it was a satisfying and interesting day and it was SO NICE to get out of the clinic and break up the monotony.

I feel so honored to have been invited to observe the cadaver lab. Not many people can say they’ve ever done that and it’s certainly something I’ll never likely forget, that’s for sure.

(Oh. I forgot to mention that one of the PA’s invited us to don surgical gloves and touch an exposed spine. I’m embarrassed to say that I was too chicken to do it. I regret it now!!)

You know what’s sad? I really like this job. I mean, I REALLY do!! Which makes this next part that much more frustrating to me.

The problems are: it’s WAY TOO STRESSFUL for the money. AND, the hospital has implemented a new policy effective this year: get the flu vaccine or be fired.

Period. End of story.

And yes. They can legally do that. Because Missouri is an “Employment at Will” which means: An employee can be hired and fired at any time for any reason. And because of this, I don’t have a legal leg to stand on.

Unless I was part of a union, which probably could fight the “get the flu vaccine or be fired” stance, but alas, I’m not part of a union so I’m screwed.

(How ironic. I don’t really believe in, nor agree with, unions and yet, I’m in a situation where being in a union would actually help me. One of the few cases, that I can think of off the top of my head, where belonging to a union would be a GOOD thing).

So – I have until November 9th (my birthday – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) to get the flu vaccine or lose my job.

Swell. Freaking swell.

Now, ya’ll KNOW how I feel about the flu vaccine. I’ve made no secret that I think it’s wrong and poisonous and I’m now even more determined than ever to NOT get it because now they’ve backed me into a corner and I resent the hell out of it.

BULLIES.

However. I’m also realistic. Jobs do not grow on trees right now (thank you Mr. Obama and your attempts to socialize our country), so I truly have been backed into a corner. My personal beliefs versus financial obligations.

Kevin will likely kill me for saying this on the internet, but it’s no secret to anyone I work with (because my boss pulled me into her office, along with the head nurse, to tell me that she rallied for me with the hospital administration about my situation and how she DID NOT WANT TO LOSE ME, which made me feel good that she went to that much trouble, but was told this was how it was going to be, period, and she thought having the head nurse in there to help “alleviate” my fears [I don’t fear the vaccine, I simply don’t agree with the necessity of it] and hopefully convince me that it wasn’t all bad [they did not succeed] and was honest with me and wanted all of us to be on the same page when/if we got to the November 9th deadline and I hadn’t gotten the vaccine) that I’m now in a standoff with my employers.

It’s a game of chicken, if you will.

I’m going to put off getting the vaccine as long as I can and in the meantime, yes, I’m looking for a new job. I don’t want to – I like my job and I LOVE the people I’m working with, but now it’s a question of compromising my morals (and my body, quite frankly), and I simply can not allow that to continue.

However, like I said, I’m realistic. Jobs are not easy to come by right now … so, if I haven’t found a job by the deadline, I will get the flu vaccine and buy myself another year.

Either way – my time with this company is on a countdown.

I have so many mixed feelings about this situation that I can’t even adequately write about how I feel – but what I DO know is that NOBODY BACKS BABY INTO A CORNER.

So, people, I’m begging you. Let’s vote this socialist out of office so businesses will feel like it’s safe to come out from under their rocks and start hiring again so it’s not quite as hard to find jobs.

Deal?

Life-condensed, Work Stuff

Taking Off Early … For a Change …

Karen

I’m HOME!! I left work at 1:00 p.m. today (we didn’t have any doctors and I have everything “pretty” much caught up) and OMG … it feels so good to take an afternoon off!

This does not happen very often, but I’m going to try and make it happen at least once a month, if possible, because it does wonders for the morale!!

I came home to find both boys looking rough and beds unmade. I hate that I’m not around to whip their butts into gear, but oh well, they’ll have to learn they can’t sit around and be lazy all day soon enough. I’m taking Jazz out to buy some clothes. I haven’t bought the boys clothes in, oh gosh, over two years? And I know Jazz is only down to one pair of jeans that fit him now and I think he rotates about three t-shirts now – everything else is too small.

I told Dude a long time ago if he needed new clothes, he would have to get a job and pay for them himself. Of course, knowing Dude, he couldn’t care less and will likely wear his clothes until they literally disintegrate on his body.

I need to buy more body lotion (I LOVE shopping for body lotion) and pick up my 5K packet today, too – the Girls Just Wanna Run 5K is tomorrow morning, so I GUESS it’s not “technically” a day off since I’m running errands, but STILL ….

I’M SO HAPPY TO BE OFF WORK!! I know that sounds so silly, and taking off four hours early is not that big of a deal, and yet, it FEELS like a big deal and … FREEDOM!!

I have a lot of website work ahead of me this weekend so I feel like I’m playing hooky by taking off early.

Yep. I’m going to have to do this more often.