Dribs and Drabs

I have only been back to blogging for a few posts, and here I come with the bullets. I am a lazy blogger, but I don't have anything that would make a whole, real post.

**Our house guest has moved on after working a bit at Sweetheart's job site. It wasn't permanent, but it gave him a little boost. I don't know if he will come back at a future date, but he may. Actually, he was as easy to have around as anyone could have been, but I wasn't sorry that he was gone.

**I finally got the prescription thing straightened out and have all my drugs. So, not going off the deep end any time soon.

**I have been waking up early enough in the morning to eat a bowl of oatmeal before I leave for work. This has never happened to me in my life. I think having a regular schedule instead of one that changes week to week is a positive thing for me. I still feel tired more than I would like, but I think that is improving.

**I saw the movies alone this morning. I saw Amelia, about Amelia Earhart. I enjoyed it, but it was somewhat slow in parts. The theater was huge, and while carrying my brunch of popcorn and milk duds, I actually walked into the wrong theater. It was still in the previews, but I was a bit surprised to see just two men in the seats. Fortunately, I went and double checked before Saw IV came on the screen!

**I almost decided not to give out candy this Halloween, but finally gave in and bought two bags today. I haven't yet opened any of it, and the leftovers will be rushed off to work early Monday morning.


Have a happy and safe Halloween!

I never really thought about how hard it was

You know the people who work at the doctor's office? The ones who open the door holding a chart? The ones to whom you look with eyes begging that they call your name? The ones who take your blood pressure and temperature and leave you stranded waiting for the doctor to come into the room?

I learned how to be one of those today. Or at least I halfway learned how to be one of those. The calling names is easy. Blood pressures? Also easy. Taking temperatures?? Easiest of all. All the other shit one must do to make sure you call the right names at the right times, have the right chart for the right patient, updating stuff in the computer so everyone else knows what room what patient is in and what needs to happen next?? Nerve wracking. How crazy is that? All I know is that I will try very hard not to think anyone has an easy job without sufficient information again.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention pulling down the roll of paper that cover the examination table in between patients. Doing it is easy, remmebering to it--not so much.

Drugs

I had a lovely evening yesterday after I tried to pick up my prescriptions. The woman at the drugstore said it was going to be a thousand dollars and some change. Turns out that previous job (instead of continuing my benefit through the end of the month like every single other job I have ever left) cut off my prescription benefit as of the last day I worked. Seven PM on a Friday is never a great time to try to figure out something like this.

The meds in question are for my depression/anxiety. I am finally on a cocktail that seems to be working fairly well. I figure the last thing I need is to start having panic attacks while I am trying to do my new job. That would go over exceptionally well, wouldn't it?

I called the member number on the back of the card, and found out they don't have a particular policy about when coverage ends, they just end it when the benefits people tell them to do so. I muddled through a bunch of my new hire stuff trying to find out which company was carrying my new prescription coverage. It is already in effect, but I do not have a card to give the pharmacy. If I had a thousand bucks to pay now, I would get reimbursed, but who the hell has that kind of money lying around? Certainly not me. I managed to call the company, but my information is not yet in their computer (no surprise). So, I got three days worth of drugs at the cost of $110 (also an amount I don't really have lying around currently).

Monday, I will talk to benefits and beg my doctor to me some samples of at least one of my meds to get me through. In the middle of all the goings on, I called my dad who is retired from HR. His HR expertise wasn't what helped, but turns out that he was prescribed the same anti depressant I was and it didn't agree with him. He's sending them to me in the mail to arrive on Tuesday. That will get me to the point that I can figure something else out.

Overwhelming

That's the best single word I can use to describe my new job. I think I am going to like it, but I also think it is different than I initially thought.

It is going to be much more supervisory and less patient care. I can deal with that. I think I have good skills managing people, and the group seems to be a good one. I'm sure there will be challenges, but I am up for it.

I am currently learning to do the job that I will be doing and that the people I supervise already do. I have never been in that situation before. The computer system is complicated and less than user friendly in a number of circumstances. Thank goodness I am not afraid of computers or I might have cried already.

There was one slightly awkward moment when a nurse I had met 2 minutes before came up to me and said, "Here's the only important question. Are you a christian?" In case I haven't mentioned it here, I am not. I could tell that would not be the best answer. I ended up just saying that I did not go to church, but that I tried to live my life in an ethical and moral way. I guess that was a bit of a copout, but I think it was the answer that made the most sense. Next week is less computer time, and getting ready for the accreditation inspection that takes place the following week. I just hope I remember my password when it is next time to get on the computer.

What my sister won't get around to posting

My nine-year-old niece got into a bit of trouble at school last week. Then she had the following conversation with my father when he tried to talk to her about it.

Punkin Head: I don't want to talk about that.
Grandaddy: Well, when will you feel like talking about it?
Punkin Head: Just before the apocalypse.

I laughed my ass off.

Visitors

I will attempt to make this something other than a "why I am glad to be leaving my job" blog--though this is much on my mind. I am now at the 3 day countdown.

We have a house guest for the foreseeable future. Sweetheart has a friend who has become down on his luck to the point of homelessness. He has been living in his car or a tent for the past many months. He is now living in our spare bedroom.

I find it interesting that I have mixed feelings about this. I am more than happy to help someone who needs a bit of a leg up. He is a nice guy and not one single bit of trouble to have around. However, I am less than social in my general life. We don't have parties, and we rarely go to them. We are homebodies--me even more than Sweetheart. I come home from work, put on my pajamas, eat dinner in front of the television, sit on the computer, take a bath and go to bed. With company, I have to stay dressed and be conversational for far longer amounts of time than I am accustomed to. It also feels weird having a guest of indeterminate length. That seems incredibly selfish to me that I feel even a bit put out by having to do those two things. I suppose some of it has to do with the fact that I am not necessarily in my best frame of mind currently.

The bottom line is that I have no problem having him here. I want to be generous and help somebody who needs a bit of help. I am fortunate that I have plenty of family that if I lose my job and end up with no money, I will be a long way from living in a tent. I should remember this and be thankful on a more regular basis.