I tend to brag about my boss, Jonathan, from time to time, but it's because he definitely deserves it. He does everything he can as a boss to keep us content, but does a fantastic job of being a good friend, too. I sometimes hear how lucky I am to have a boss with whom I get along, but I realized something new tonight. Jon has been out sick the entire week, and it's definitely not something light. But here it is....
Jon is the only boss that I've had that I would call just to check up on. No emergencies, no questions about the office, just wanted to check up on my buddy. Now THAT is golden.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Ironsomethong
Cliff Notes version: I went to New York. It was cold. I did stuff. I came home.
(Sure - it's all true, but it's not gonna get you thru a test on it!)
Slightly more detailed version:
I took my first real vacation in a long time last week, and I used it to go visit my friend Renee up in Rochester, NY. I got up there around 7ish on Thursday night and we had low goals for the evening. Just ate some dinner, exchanged Christmas gifts and played various Wii games. The drive wasn't too bad, just lonely and long. Sure, I had TomTom and his scattered remarks to keep me company, but we weren't always on good terms considering his unnecessary side-trips that came up for no reason. Don't worry - we talked things out and are doing alright now.
Friday was fairly uneventful thru the day because, even though I had off work, Renee did not and still had two separate shifts to work that day. So her boyfriend, OD, and I mostly lazed around with more Wii-based enjoyment. I opted to go out and take care of some errands, but he insisted we do nothing. Ooooookay. We were responsible for figuring dinner for us all, so we eventually decided on going out to TGI Fridays. OD's car was riding a little funny on the way over, the cause of which (we soon discovered) was a flat tire. Oh joy. We left the car overnight and walked the VERY chilly 1/2 mile back home. But we still got to enjoy a good dinner and a few drinks, not to mention our often-running waiter, whom we suspected to have eaten a big bowl of Heroine-O's for breakfast. Nevertheless, he gave great service and was very nice.
Saturday started earlier than I liked with me getting up and driving OD to his shift (test administering) at some high school 20 mins away. I dropped him off in my car on account of his still-flat tire and said I'd pick him up later. I told TomTom *grumble* to save the location of the school for later reference. OD told me the name was Irondequoit High School, but I was still very sleepy and I tried to type in "Ironsomething", which turned into this blog's title. I blame TomTom and his tiny keypad for jumping around on my sleepy eyes. I go back home and sleep for a while, then hang with Renee for a while. We played Wii tennis to the point that she knocked over a cup of water in a swatting frenzy. To be fair, though, we won the game. We later raced out to pick up OD with little help from TomTom since he didn't really want to save that "thong" location from earlier, plus I could barely remember my route from earlier that morning. Not a morning person at all, remember?
Once we got home, we chilled for a bit (and I learned that Gilmore Girls is kinda good), then Renee had to run off to her shift. OD got obsessive over playing Rayman: Raving Rabbids, so I just kinda sat back and let him geek out a bit. I later reminded him about his flat tire, so we ran out and fixed that up without much trouble. Honestly, I felt like the more competent man between us, and that's just sad. Afterwards, we had some quiet time with our own books, so that was nice. We later made a trip to Wal-Mart, which yielded another Wii controller and ample amounts of beer. OD and I managed to turn Mario Kart 64 into a drinking game. We designed it so that the better driver would have to drink more in order to level the playing field. The result? I kicked his ass up and down, drank more than him, and still dominated. We wound up meeting Renee at a nearby mall, ate dinner at the foodcourt, then just malled around for a bit. Most of our time was spent in the pet store and the Gifts of Asia store with weapons and windchimes and Go stones. Renee did some clothes browsing, so OD and I sat outside and fantasized about sliding under the security gates as stores closed up. (No, we didn't try.) Upon getting home, we changed into comfy clothes, played more games until way-too-late AM, and Renee and I both out drank OD.
Sunday = all driving back to MD. Not much more to say, 'cept I was bitter about never finding a Quizno's despite TomTom saying there was one around where I stopped AND a giant sign I saw from the highway. Drat monkeys...
In conclusion, the evidence suggests that pants are indeed necessary in the workplace, no matter what liberal interpretations might be taken from "Casual Fridays." No, wait - wrong conclusion.... Oh yeah! Overall, it was a fun trip and I was very happy to see Renee again.
Part II to follow shortly...
(Sure - it's all true, but it's not gonna get you thru a test on it!)
Slightly more detailed version:
I took my first real vacation in a long time last week, and I used it to go visit my friend Renee up in Rochester, NY. I got up there around 7ish on Thursday night and we had low goals for the evening. Just ate some dinner, exchanged Christmas gifts and played various Wii games. The drive wasn't too bad, just lonely and long. Sure, I had TomTom and his scattered remarks to keep me company, but we weren't always on good terms considering his unnecessary side-trips that came up for no reason. Don't worry - we talked things out and are doing alright now.
Friday was fairly uneventful thru the day because, even though I had off work, Renee did not and still had two separate shifts to work that day. So her boyfriend, OD, and I mostly lazed around with more Wii-based enjoyment. I opted to go out and take care of some errands, but he insisted we do nothing. Ooooookay. We were responsible for figuring dinner for us all, so we eventually decided on going out to TGI Fridays. OD's car was riding a little funny on the way over, the cause of which (we soon discovered) was a flat tire. Oh joy. We left the car overnight and walked the VERY chilly 1/2 mile back home. But we still got to enjoy a good dinner and a few drinks, not to mention our often-running waiter, whom we suspected to have eaten a big bowl of Heroine-O's for breakfast. Nevertheless, he gave great service and was very nice.
Saturday started earlier than I liked with me getting up and driving OD to his shift (test administering) at some high school 20 mins away. I dropped him off in my car on account of his still-flat tire and said I'd pick him up later. I told TomTom *grumble* to save the location of the school for later reference. OD told me the name was Irondequoit High School, but I was still very sleepy and I tried to type in "Ironsomething", which turned into this blog's title. I blame TomTom and his tiny keypad for jumping around on my sleepy eyes. I go back home and sleep for a while, then hang with Renee for a while. We played Wii tennis to the point that she knocked over a cup of water in a swatting frenzy. To be fair, though, we won the game. We later raced out to pick up OD with little help from TomTom since he didn't really want to save that "thong" location from earlier, plus I could barely remember my route from earlier that morning. Not a morning person at all, remember?
Once we got home, we chilled for a bit (and I learned that Gilmore Girls is kinda good), then Renee had to run off to her shift. OD got obsessive over playing Rayman: Raving Rabbids, so I just kinda sat back and let him geek out a bit. I later reminded him about his flat tire, so we ran out and fixed that up without much trouble. Honestly, I felt like the more competent man between us, and that's just sad. Afterwards, we had some quiet time with our own books, so that was nice. We later made a trip to Wal-Mart, which yielded another Wii controller and ample amounts of beer. OD and I managed to turn Mario Kart 64 into a drinking game. We designed it so that the better driver would have to drink more in order to level the playing field. The result? I kicked his ass up and down, drank more than him, and still dominated. We wound up meeting Renee at a nearby mall, ate dinner at the foodcourt, then just malled around for a bit. Most of our time was spent in the pet store and the Gifts of Asia store with weapons and windchimes and Go stones. Renee did some clothes browsing, so OD and I sat outside and fantasized about sliding under the security gates as stores closed up. (No, we didn't try.) Upon getting home, we changed into comfy clothes, played more games until way-too-late AM, and Renee and I both out drank OD.
Sunday = all driving back to MD. Not much more to say, 'cept I was bitter about never finding a Quizno's despite TomTom saying there was one around where I stopped AND a giant sign I saw from the highway. Drat monkeys...
In conclusion, the evidence suggests that pants are indeed necessary in the workplace, no matter what liberal interpretations might be taken from "Casual Fridays." No, wait - wrong conclusion.... Oh yeah! Overall, it was a fun trip and I was very happy to see Renee again.
Part II to follow shortly...
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Midnight meme
Alright - for reasons of blogger-audience confidentiality, I can't tell you who exactly I stole this meme from, but his/her name rhymes with Bikki DeFlarco. Having said that, here we go!
A - Age: 25
B - Band listening to right now: Atreyu
A - Age: 25
B - Band listening to right now: Atreyu
C - Career future: physical therapist or rockstar - it's honestly a toss-up at this point
D - Dad's name: Richard
E - Easiest person to talk to: Nikki or Laura
F - Favorite type of shoe: eh - whatever's comfy
G - Grapes or Grapefruit: "grapes, grapefruit are gross." (You said it, Bikki!)
H - Hometown: Waldorf, MD
I - Instrumental talent: electric guitar... that's about it
J - Juice of choice: orange
K - Koala Bear or Panda Bear: Koala, but only because of fond memories of some old Nickelodeon cartoon that featured them.
L - Longest car ride ever: probably Waldorf, MD to Nashville, TN
M - Middle name: Neal!
H - Hometown: Waldorf, MD
I - Instrumental talent: electric guitar... that's about it
J - Juice of choice: orange
K - Koala Bear or Panda Bear: Koala, but only because of fond memories of some old Nickelodeon cartoon that featured them.
L - Longest car ride ever: probably Waldorf, MD to Nashville, TN
M - Middle name: Neal!
N - Number of jobs you've had: 6, but only if you count my old babysitting days
O - OCD traits: Hardly OCD, but I prefer the open side of my pillowcase to be to my back.
P - Phobia[s]: being forgotten
Q - Quote: "There is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do." -Bill Watterson
R - Reason to smile: New books, visiting friends, upcoming date!
S - Song you sang last: "My Heart" by Paramore
T - Time you wake up: 8:00ish
U - Unknown fact about me: I have the worst case of delayed reaction ever. It involves a joke from a Calvin and Hobbes strip and an "ant-elope" pun. Then it hit me nearly 10 years later.
V - Vegetable you hate: Brussel sprouts taste like condensed evil.
W - Worst habit: going to bed without brushing my teeth
X - X-rays you've had: teeth, chest
Y - Yummiest food your belly likes: cheese toast, meaty pizza, Mom's pot pie, 5 Guys burgers
Z - Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
O - OCD traits: Hardly OCD, but I prefer the open side of my pillowcase to be to my back.
P - Phobia[s]: being forgotten
Q - Quote: "There is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do." -Bill Watterson
R - Reason to smile: New books, visiting friends, upcoming date!
S - Song you sang last: "My Heart" by Paramore
T - Time you wake up: 8:00ish
U - Unknown fact about me: I have the worst case of delayed reaction ever. It involves a joke from a Calvin and Hobbes strip and an "ant-elope" pun. Then it hit me nearly 10 years later.
V - Vegetable you hate: Brussel sprouts taste like condensed evil.
W - Worst habit: going to bed without brushing my teeth
X - X-rays you've had: teeth, chest
Y - Yummiest food your belly likes: cheese toast, meaty pizza, Mom's pot pie, 5 Guys burgers
Z - Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Sometimes work is really funny.
Well, crap. I've been thinking about posting another blog lately, mostly just a self-addressed letter telling me that I needed to get back in the habit. But leave it to Laurel to post something new and now make ME look like the laziest blogger. Game on, Sutton!
It's weird and kinda silly how I'm always waiting for something deep or profound to blog about and not just semi-normal funniness or oddities. Today was actually marked by a couple of those funnoddities. (Neat word, huh? You know you wanna use it!) Fortunately, both of them came thru work, so that made for a more enjoyable shift.
#1 - The other guy I work with had a guy coming to get a strength test for a job application. This test involves maximum exertion for a few quick rounds, so Mike and I try to keep pushing them and shouting encouragement. But when Mike walked back to our desk with his "no friggin' way..." expression, he explained that this heavily Hispanic guy knew barely enough English. So as a joke of a bet, I offered $20 for Mike to start yelling, "Arriba, arriba! Andale, senor!" The result? I kept my $20 and we avoided legal complications. :P
#2 - The washing machine is on its last legs, which is why Mike and I also got to drive around Columbia to drop off 100 lbs of dirty towels and pillowcases. It got semi-fixed this afternoon, but Jonathan asked me to make a sign so that the other employees would know to be gentle with it. I got creative and made this....
It's weird and kinda silly how I'm always waiting for something deep or profound to blog about and not just semi-normal funniness or oddities. Today was actually marked by a couple of those funnoddities. (Neat word, huh? You know you wanna use it!) Fortunately, both of them came thru work, so that made for a more enjoyable shift.
#1 - The other guy I work with had a guy coming to get a strength test for a job application. This test involves maximum exertion for a few quick rounds, so Mike and I try to keep pushing them and shouting encouragement. But when Mike walked back to our desk with his "no friggin' way..." expression, he explained that this heavily Hispanic guy knew barely enough English. So as a joke of a bet, I offered $20 for Mike to start yelling, "Arriba, arriba! Andale, senor!" The result? I kept my $20 and we avoided legal complications. :P
#2 - The washing machine is on its last legs, which is why Mike and I also got to drive around Columbia to drop off 100 lbs of dirty towels and pillowcases. It got semi-fixed this afternoon, but Jonathan asked me to make a sign so that the other employees would know to be gentle with it. I got creative and made this....
"Me fail laundry? That's unpossible!"
Please wash only small loads since this machine is almost shot.
Do it for Ralph.
Please wash only small loads since this machine is almost shot.Do it for Ralph.
This gave me great enjoyment! Plus I've just learned how easy it is to embed images into blogs. Time to start taking more pics for everyone! Woot!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Musical Frustration
Despite the title, this has nothing to do with my own musical endeavors or somewhat dormant creativity of late. This story, which still somewhat upsets me, is about people I didn't know at the time, nor will I ever see them again.
Wednesday night was a fairly pleasant evening at Tyson's Corner, enjoying dinner with Nikki, Andersons and Sextons... Oh - and some DeMarcos were there as well. Dinner was quite enjoyable (save for the temperature and the long wait). But I had arrived at the mall and found the restaurant well ahead of schedule, so I ambled about to see what was to see. This includes no bathrooms and no maps. Non-peeing, easily-navigating jerkholes...
Anywho, I found my way into a Sharper Image store because I like electrons and such. They had an electric guitar starter kit, so I felt obligated to try it out and play rockstar for the rest of the crowd. The staff member that gave me the OK to play it stood around and complimented some of my crappier playing, probably thinking that he was gonna get me to buy something. Poor fool.
While I was playing and checking out the kit, a mother comes up to the salesman and starts asking about the package, particularly if it would be fitting for her 5/6-year-old son. Then the salesman said something about it being too complicated for a child of that age. The mother discussed with someone on the phone how that was the gift he was looking for: an electric guitar start-up kit. But she dismissed the purchase on account of the Sharper Asshole advice.
This is where I should've stepped in, and I still feel regret that I didn't. Honestly, I don't know who to be more angry with: the mother or the salesman. The mother shouldn't have listened to the salesman, who obviously hasn't held a guitar in his life. This is what her son wanted, and it was a good-quality kit. "Too complicated" my ass... Yes, it's a very complex and diverse instrument, but you don't have to be a technical master to use it as an outlet of musical passion. And shame on that guy for indirectly telling a kid he's not good enough for something. Something he might have a great passion and dream for, no less. I hope they both realized their mistakes later on, and I hope the kid plays whatever the hell he wants, no matter who says he can't.
I am obviously a huge advocate of making music a part of people's lives. Yeah, sometimes I come off very opinionated and condescending in my tastes and knowledge. But if someone's heart is behind making a sound that's beautiful and moving to them, who am I to judge? It's not our love of the same music that unites us, but rather the love itself. Love without limitations, and turn up the volume as high as you can stand.
Wednesday night was a fairly pleasant evening at Tyson's Corner, enjoying dinner with Nikki, Andersons and Sextons... Oh - and some DeMarcos were there as well. Dinner was quite enjoyable (save for the temperature and the long wait). But I had arrived at the mall and found the restaurant well ahead of schedule, so I ambled about to see what was to see. This includes no bathrooms and no maps. Non-peeing, easily-navigating jerkholes...
Anywho, I found my way into a Sharper Image store because I like electrons and such. They had an electric guitar starter kit, so I felt obligated to try it out and play rockstar for the rest of the crowd. The staff member that gave me the OK to play it stood around and complimented some of my crappier playing, probably thinking that he was gonna get me to buy something. Poor fool.
While I was playing and checking out the kit, a mother comes up to the salesman and starts asking about the package, particularly if it would be fitting for her 5/6-year-old son. Then the salesman said something about it being too complicated for a child of that age. The mother discussed with someone on the phone how that was the gift he was looking for: an electric guitar start-up kit. But she dismissed the purchase on account of the Sharper Asshole advice.
This is where I should've stepped in, and I still feel regret that I didn't. Honestly, I don't know who to be more angry with: the mother or the salesman. The mother shouldn't have listened to the salesman, who obviously hasn't held a guitar in his life. This is what her son wanted, and it was a good-quality kit. "Too complicated" my ass... Yes, it's a very complex and diverse instrument, but you don't have to be a technical master to use it as an outlet of musical passion. And shame on that guy for indirectly telling a kid he's not good enough for something. Something he might have a great passion and dream for, no less. I hope they both realized their mistakes later on, and I hope the kid plays whatever the hell he wants, no matter who says he can't.
I am obviously a huge advocate of making music a part of people's lives. Yeah, sometimes I come off very opinionated and condescending in my tastes and knowledge. But if someone's heart is behind making a sound that's beautiful and moving to them, who am I to judge? It's not our love of the same music that unites us, but rather the love itself. Love without limitations, and turn up the volume as high as you can stand.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I'm registering WetRiffs.com. Let's get on this.
Here's my 20+ quirks that some might find weird, but others might see as endearing. Enjoy and feel free to remind me of anything I forgot. (Now get that post back up, Laurel!)
1. I make equations out of my odometer readout, and also get excited when it's a palindrome.
2. I can't dance worth anything.
3. I am very opinionated about music.
4. My skills in the kitchen are quite lacking. I am content with bagel bites or PBnJ.
5. I travel to see my family almost every weekend.
6. I do my grocery shopping at 11 PM.
7. I rock out hard in public and don't care who sees me.
8. I would rather talk online than on the phone.
9. I am extremely hesitant to share romance details with my family, mainly the parents.
10. I read books about science, death and cadavers and it doesn't bother me.
11. I'm not antisocial, but I have a hard time with new people.
12. Sometimes I'm a spiteful jerk on the road.
13. I quote movies, TV and Homestar Runner... a LOT.
14. I overthink just about everything.
15. I don't feel guilty about spending my time reading.
16. I might love hoodies and sweatpants a little too much.
17. I can still use various body parts to make fart sounds.
18. I love playing both my PS2 and Wii. I am a gaming nerd, though not to the creepy extent.
19. I really enjoy the comfort of not wearing pants.
20. I have a strange fondness for fire, and a hint of pyromania.
Bonus quirks!
21. If I'm about to rinse my hair out in the shower, I always rinse my lathery hands off first.
22. I believe the 5-second rule is totally relative. The 3 factors are what you dropped, what did it land on, and will anyone see you if you pick it up?
23. I relate very closely to several XKCD strips. (http://xkcd.com/238/, http://xkcd.com/252/, http://xkcd.com/150/, http://xkcd.com/231/, http://xkcd.com/337/ and http://xkcd.com/175/) Okay - I gotta stop; that could keep going on and on....
24. I can flip small pieces of food or candy nose-to-mouth.
25. I will still go ballistic over bubblewrap. Bigger bubbles = greater excitement!
1. I make equations out of my odometer readout, and also get excited when it's a palindrome.
2. I can't dance worth anything.
3. I am very opinionated about music.
4. My skills in the kitchen are quite lacking. I am content with bagel bites or PBnJ.
5. I travel to see my family almost every weekend.
6. I do my grocery shopping at 11 PM.
7. I rock out hard in public and don't care who sees me.
8. I would rather talk online than on the phone.
9. I am extremely hesitant to share romance details with my family, mainly the parents.
10. I read books about science, death and cadavers and it doesn't bother me.
11. I'm not antisocial, but I have a hard time with new people.
12. Sometimes I'm a spiteful jerk on the road.
13. I quote movies, TV and Homestar Runner... a LOT.
14. I overthink just about everything.
15. I don't feel guilty about spending my time reading.
16. I might love hoodies and sweatpants a little too much.
17. I can still use various body parts to make fart sounds.
18. I love playing both my PS2 and Wii. I am a gaming nerd, though not to the creepy extent.
19. I really enjoy the comfort of not wearing pants.
20. I have a strange fondness for fire, and a hint of pyromania.
Bonus quirks!
21. If I'm about to rinse my hair out in the shower, I always rinse my lathery hands off first.
22. I believe the 5-second rule is totally relative. The 3 factors are what you dropped, what did it land on, and will anyone see you if you pick it up?
23. I relate very closely to several XKCD strips. (http://xkcd.com/238/, http://xkcd.com/252/, http://xkcd.com/150/, http://xkcd.com/231/, http://xkcd.com/337/ and http://xkcd.com/175/) Okay - I gotta stop; that could keep going on and on....
24. I can flip small pieces of food or candy nose-to-mouth.
25. I will still go ballistic over bubblewrap. Bigger bubbles = greater excitement!
Friday, December 7, 2007
New job: check; big raise: check; asshole patients: check.
So today wrapped up my first week of full-time work at my new job in Columbia. I'm not sure I've explained it much to people, but I'm now an Exercise Specialist. No more silly gopher work for me! I do some work with cardiac rehab patients, basically taking vitals every so often and keeping them on track with their routines. I will also be doing some personal training with patients that need some one-on-one supervision. Oh - and the Biodex. The Biodex is a big machine that we can use for all sorts of things, but some companies will send us interviewees to make them take a strength test that's relevant to their job. Lots of new toys and protocols to learn, lots of people to interact with, lots of excitement. Overall, it's been a good first week.
It's really strange having that "new guy" label again, especially after being the veteran and go-to-guy of Pasadena. I think I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to impress these people and connect with them, but it's probably too much. I know from my sport psychology that team cohesion comes from success more than success comes from cohesion. But I don't feel like one of the crowd yet. It's kind of intimidating to be in such a huge facility with so many people. And with so many people comes so little time to see each of them. I dunno... At least I'm not pressing myself on people and trying too hard, but I'm anxious to hit that comfort/reliability zone. But then this was only the first week.
Did I mention that this is a major raise for me? Yeah. So when my boss called me a few months ago and told me I was the #1 guy on his list for this job, I was psyched. Then when he tossed out a salary number, I thought he was kidding. It's more than double my income as an experienced, skilled tech! PLUS, I'm gonna get paid for my travel miles! We might not log new miles, but just compensate me for old miles driven, but that's like 1.5 years times 30 miles. Ka-CHING! This means there's a good chance I could be emancipated from my dependence on Mom-n-Dad Welfare, Inc. That would be so awesome! Now... what to do with all this extra cash? :P
What does this mean for grad school? I dunno yet. I'm certain that I'm not gonna pursue anything in the next year. I want to really work my way into this job before I start fading out for academic crap again. Do I want a PTA, a DPT or just keep it up with my new spot? I dunno yet, but I've got more time to think it thru. I'm happy because I know I'm making these decisions for me and me alone. I have nobody's model to live up to or standard to meet. I just have to set and work for my own goals.
And now it's story time! Please keep your arms and legs inside the blog at all times. Also secure any loose items you may have brought on with you including purses, wallets, jewelry and other items I will keep if you forget them. Here we go... So Columbia is supposed to be one of those business-thick, rich, snobby areas. I've heard some stories of patients being very blunt, intrusive and rude, but my reception so far has been very welcoming and pleasant. Maybe it's because our population is typically much older, and old people are trying to be nice so they get into Heaven when they die next weekend or whatever. :P But I had my first two encounters today.
#1: I had to be there at 6:45 this morning. That suuuuucked. But I got there and let in all the fitness program people that just want to work out super-early. Most people know my policy on being up before the sun, but I make the effort. So they all get to work and I kick on the radio so they'll have some background noise. But the reception seems to be kinda finicky, so I sometimes have to search around for a station (a GOOD station) that isn't fading in and out. 99.5 will play fine as long as I stand up on my chair in a certain position, but I'm not doing that. First I get a complaint about static, so I try searching around again. The stations I'm used to hearing are kinda hit-or-miss. So before I found something steady I heard one of the older guys commenting how "the new guy just wants to play with buttons." Bite me, sir. My job has nothing to do with keeping you musically entertained. I never let on that I heard him, but I was still annoyed that my attempts to please were seen as just messing around. Bah - go die already.
#2: There's this hilarious old lady we call Dot that comes in and keeps us occupied. We like giving her a hard time and she likes giving it back. Those are the best patients, the ones that you can joke with and be sarcastic and they'll dish it right out to you. So I was standing around talking with her while I was starting to walk back to my desk. I joked about how I had to quit listening to her and go do my job. That's when Fatty McEavesdropperson kept her eyes on her book, but not-so-directly addressed me with, "That (listening to the patient) IS your job." Bitch, I know what my job is. And I don't care what she thinks of me because she doesn't know me and how I like to interact with patients. Again, didn't say anything to her, but just irked me a bit.
One week down, many more to go. I have a long weekend, so that should be quite enjoyable (despite the total lack of college football). I'm gonna spend some time reading since my queue is piling up, and hopefully take care of some Christmas shopping. Oh - and everyone be safe on the roads with all this snow/sleet/crap hitting. H to the oight!
It's really strange having that "new guy" label again, especially after being the veteran and go-to-guy of Pasadena. I think I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to impress these people and connect with them, but it's probably too much. I know from my sport psychology that team cohesion comes from success more than success comes from cohesion. But I don't feel like one of the crowd yet. It's kind of intimidating to be in such a huge facility with so many people. And with so many people comes so little time to see each of them. I dunno... At least I'm not pressing myself on people and trying too hard, but I'm anxious to hit that comfort/reliability zone. But then this was only the first week.
Did I mention that this is a major raise for me? Yeah. So when my boss called me a few months ago and told me I was the #1 guy on his list for this job, I was psyched. Then when he tossed out a salary number, I thought he was kidding. It's more than double my income as an experienced, skilled tech! PLUS, I'm gonna get paid for my travel miles! We might not log new miles, but just compensate me for old miles driven, but that's like 1.5 years times 30 miles. Ka-CHING! This means there's a good chance I could be emancipated from my dependence on Mom-n-Dad Welfare, Inc. That would be so awesome! Now... what to do with all this extra cash? :P
What does this mean for grad school? I dunno yet. I'm certain that I'm not gonna pursue anything in the next year. I want to really work my way into this job before I start fading out for academic crap again. Do I want a PTA, a DPT or just keep it up with my new spot? I dunno yet, but I've got more time to think it thru. I'm happy because I know I'm making these decisions for me and me alone. I have nobody's model to live up to or standard to meet. I just have to set and work for my own goals.
And now it's story time! Please keep your arms and legs inside the blog at all times. Also secure any loose items you may have brought on with you including purses, wallets, jewelry and other items I will keep if you forget them. Here we go... So Columbia is supposed to be one of those business-thick, rich, snobby areas. I've heard some stories of patients being very blunt, intrusive and rude, but my reception so far has been very welcoming and pleasant. Maybe it's because our population is typically much older, and old people are trying to be nice so they get into Heaven when they die next weekend or whatever. :P But I had my first two encounters today.
#1: I had to be there at 6:45 this morning. That suuuuucked. But I got there and let in all the fitness program people that just want to work out super-early. Most people know my policy on being up before the sun, but I make the effort. So they all get to work and I kick on the radio so they'll have some background noise. But the reception seems to be kinda finicky, so I sometimes have to search around for a station (a GOOD station) that isn't fading in and out. 99.5 will play fine as long as I stand up on my chair in a certain position, but I'm not doing that. First I get a complaint about static, so I try searching around again. The stations I'm used to hearing are kinda hit-or-miss. So before I found something steady I heard one of the older guys commenting how "the new guy just wants to play with buttons." Bite me, sir. My job has nothing to do with keeping you musically entertained. I never let on that I heard him, but I was still annoyed that my attempts to please were seen as just messing around. Bah - go die already.
#2: There's this hilarious old lady we call Dot that comes in and keeps us occupied. We like giving her a hard time and she likes giving it back. Those are the best patients, the ones that you can joke with and be sarcastic and they'll dish it right out to you. So I was standing around talking with her while I was starting to walk back to my desk. I joked about how I had to quit listening to her and go do my job. That's when Fatty McEavesdropperson kept her eyes on her book, but not-so-directly addressed me with, "That (listening to the patient) IS your job." Bitch, I know what my job is. And I don't care what she thinks of me because she doesn't know me and how I like to interact with patients. Again, didn't say anything to her, but just irked me a bit.
One week down, many more to go. I have a long weekend, so that should be quite enjoyable (despite the total lack of college football). I'm gonna spend some time reading since my queue is piling up, and hopefully take care of some Christmas shopping. Oh - and everyone be safe on the roads with all this snow/sleet/crap hitting. H to the oight!
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