Crossing over...

To the insurance side of the medical game.

Yes, you heard right - starting Oct 17th, I will be working for *************** as a precertification nurse. I am excited about it - the company has a fantastic reputation as both a provider and as an employer, and the chances for advancement, using skills that I enjoy, as well as their employee benefits were too good to walk away from.

I do regret having to start over yet AGAIN, but I'm hoping this will be the last time. I gave my current employer every chance - when I became unhappy in my position, I tried to work through many of the issues,and to be fair, SOME of them have improved, but not enough, and not soon enough. I also tried to find another position within the company. In eight months I applied for 6 or 7 positions - and never even received a phone call. I felt forced to look outside the company. Had they made any attempts to meet my needs, I never would have looked, and thus would never have been aware of the positions available within ********.

I am getting a little nervous about the transition - but that's normal for me. I commit to change and then I freak for just a little while. LOL

Word spreads like wildfire where I work and several hours after I officially gave notice, one of the physicians that I've worked with for four years, and had problems with off and on for four years, lol, made it a point to wish me well and tell me that he personally was going to miss me. It really startled me - and meant more than anything anyone else said. I could tell that, despite our differences, he truly meant it and it made me tear up. I never would have suspected that HE would be the one to actually 'get' to me. LOL

Getting to know you...

Welcome to another edition of getting to know your friends. What you're supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire email and paste it onto a new email that you'll send.Change all of the answers so that they apply to you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know "INCLUDING" the person that sent it to you.The theory is that you'll learn a lot of little known facts about your friends. It's fun and easy. You might be surprised with some of the things you learn about people you think you know!

1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A SECOND HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
A country home up in the mountains with shade, and a lake/stream and a huge fenced area for the muttlings to run.

2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? I don't like clothes - LOL but I guess a big floppy T-shirt is the least restrictive.

3. THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT? of Music?! OMG - I can't remember the last time I actually specifically purchased music.

4. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? workday - 5:30. Other days - 7:30 ish

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE? Dishwasher - if it's working then I don't!

6. IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I used to play clarinet, but I'd love to play the tin whistle

7. FAVORITE COLOR? Depends on the day. Blue/green/maroon

8. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV? SUV

9. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE? Yes - absolutely. I'm also a big believer of reincarnation and karma.

10. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK? Madeleine

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Spring

12. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Telepathy - I'd love to FINALLY know what people are thinking rather than what they 'say' they are thinking. Grrrr.

13. CAN YOU JUGGLE? Sure! I juggle a job, a house, 2 maniacal dogs, and a chronic illness - what more do you want??? lol

14. THE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO. My 9th grade algebra teacher. His class changed my life more than he could possibly imagine. Not only did he convince me that I COULD do math - he suckered me into LIKING it!

15. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY? Saturday

16. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR/TRUCK? Jimmy Hoffa. No, seriously, 4 full size kites, 2 small kid's kites, one tent, sleeping bag, cook gear, air mattress pump, charcoal and assorted other camping sundries.

17. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? Hamburger

18. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? Any that don't make me sneeze.

19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL? Whatever someone else both prepares AND cleans up. :-)

20. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? July 67

21. SOUP OR SALAD? Ick. Steak

22. MOUTHWASH OR BREATH MINTS? I'd rather have an apple

23. COMPUTER OR CELL PHONE? computer

24. POPCORN OR PEANUTS? What? Are you TRYING to put me in the hospital???

25. PEPSI OR COKE? Diet Lime Coke with Splenda

26. CABLE OR SATELLITE TV? Cable. I'm cheap.

27. OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU WILL EMAIL THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TORESPOND FIRST? Carla

28. WHO'S LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Probably Noel - He hates junk mail lolol - I think I'll send it to him too!

29. WHO DID YOU RECEIVE THIS FROM...... Cathy

30. EMAIL or SNAIL MAIL.? E-mail of course...

31. PAY BILLS ON-LINE, BY PHONE OR SNAIL MAIL? Online

32. LAST MOVIE YOU SAW? Hmmm - was watching LOTR Fellowship extended version the other night on DVD. Can't remember the last thing I saw in the theater - prolly LOTR, ROTK. I am such a Tolkien fiend, and the movies are a plus in that they're kind of like a gal's 'swimsuit' edition, with all those hot male bods...*laughs*

Sucky sucky day

So, here I am on a gorgeous morning, my last holiday day before back to work and I decide I'm going to go for a bike ride. I load up the bike on the trunk rack, grab my helmet and fanny pack and head over to the RiverWalk to check out the new trail. Once there, I put my sunglasses on, put my regular glasses in their hard case, grab my helmet and head to the trunk to get the bike off the rack. I remember putting helmet on head, to free up my hands to undo the bike. Apparently I set my regular glasses down. Started to get the bike down, and then remembered I hadn't checked the tires. Back to the front seat to grab a tire gauge. Checked em, yup, need air. Back in the car to drive to gas station to inflate tires.

When back from gas station, suddenly I get a sick feeling in stomach - "where are my glasses?" Tear car apart on the inside in the vain hope that somehow I put the case back in the car and didn't see them. Get down in parking lot on hands and knees looking frantically under all cars. Leave word at the concession stand and the park ranger's office to see if they've been turned in. Drive the route to gas station and back 3 times - slowly, in hopes of seeing the shiny aluminum case they were in. Pulled the bag out of the nearby trashcan to see if they had been thrown away. No luck anywhere.

No way I can function with only sunglasses. Went to a local glasses shop who TG run sales every holiday. Had an eye exam (3 years since my last one - ooops!) to find out that my left eye focuses at about 5 inches from my face while my right eye focuses at approx 13 inches. Yup - it's confirmed that I'm blind as a bat...

Then he does a few more exams and drops the ball on me. I have entered the bifocal realm. Since I do so much computer/reading work, instead of bifocals he recommends two pair of glasses. One for reading and one for everything else.
I'm not even 40 yet - and now I'm the proud owner of THREE pair of glasses??? Reading, distance, and sunglasses? $#^%#*%$*$% And I don't even want to talk about the expense other than to say thank God they were having a sale.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Yes, it's official! Dad can now take early retirement if he wants to. The thought amazes me - parents are not supposed to age, darn it.

So anyway - here's a virtual birthday toast to the best Dad I know...

Vignettes from this week

ok, you asked for it (well you didn't, but too bad!) - here's a few vignettes of my last few days.

Wednesday night - after a long and lengthy play/loving session with the dogs (get yer minds out of the gutter you perverts!) I told them, ok - time for bed. They both hopped up onto the bed and started to get comfortable. I, meanwhile got a sudden urge to hit the toilet one last time. 15 minutes later, I come out to the sight of the two of them curled up, snoozing on the bed like two little angels...except one of the jokers went and got my shoe and placed it exactly in MY spot on the bed!

The next evening, when I came home from work, I found my bed exactly as I'd left it, except for the addition of a heart shaped stuffed dog toy sitting upright on my pillow. ROFL

My giggle for yesterday? An absolutely adorable elderly 'hill country' woman who, when asked if she had family waiting for her in her room, said "my little daughter is waiting in my room, but hers not so little anymore...." in the sweetest most sincere voice... I love her for the laugh she gave me that day!

and then there was the consent form we heard about (corrected immediately) that was written for a coronary intubation, instead of intervention. You medical types will enjoy that one...

Our cheap gas jumped to $3.05 - $3.19 today. Some stations are running low, and the broken gas line is causing major concerns as to whether supply will be able to be met. We've managed, through terribly short-sighted management and lack of respect for the powers of nature, to hurt ourselves far worse than any terrorist ever could.

I'll take a laugh anywhere I can get it.

Oh yeah, the guts are starting to behave again -the antibiotics seem to be helping.