From the "other" blog

August 22, 2006 - Well. That sucked. Today in class I had 4 rocks. I wonder if they were as bored as I was? {sigh} I shouldn't complain... at least none of them whipped out a newspaper like another student in another class did today. (She was asked to cease and desist.) My students weren't all bad.. they did answer the questions I asked. But definitely not as lively as Monday's class. Maybe tomorrow will be better. I had a different instructor help me today.... we got on much better than the one that was with me Monday. Totally different personalities. Oh, well. I had a nice chat with my manager this morning about my progress. He was happy that I am in the classroom already. And he approves of my plans for the next 2-3 weeks of my orientation. I am truly self-directed here. He has pointed me in a couple of directions, but mostly asks me what I am doing, what do I feel is important that I do/attend and then lets me go. I think I will do well here. :-)
My new cubie.... one of 4 in the cube farm..... you will never see that desk again, so get a good look now.... this was last week before I officially 'moved in'. Now.... it's loaded with Happy Bunny magnets and pictures and STUPH!!!! hee hee hee... and pictures of my beloved Best Boyfriend.....


August 21, 2006 - I taught my first class today!!!! YIPPEE!!!!! It went well... overcrowded with a last minute scramble to get a couple extra computers, but a lively bunch and lots of laughs when one of the students forgot to put a decimal point in the temperature and wound up documenting a temp of 975 degrees Fahrenheit. The entire room got a good laugh out of it... we put in our note that the nurse was notified and the fire department called. I had my outline (which I never looked at) and my cohort was there to inject tidbits I forgot (although it would have been nice if she would have let me stop talking first). The evaluations were good. I am happy. On to teaching day 2.
August 20, 2006 -Hmmm... am beginning to second guess the moving thing.... how well do houses sell in the fall? Do I want to see if I like the job before I commit to moving? Do I want to commute 325 miles a week in the snow, sleet, rain, fog and other roadway goobers? (5 trips on expressway/tollway; 5 trips on local roads) choices, choices..... but... the minimum amount of time I would spend at the new job is a year. Period. Unless something happened that directly threatened my health or well-being that could be corrected by resigning.... doubt that would happen. Hasn't yet in all these years of changing jobs every 2 years. The house is a total mess. Bookcases in the dining room, boxes everywhere. Cats are wandering aimlessly thru the crumpled on the floor... and sitting on it and laying on it and kneading it.... they are having fun. Still.... should I move now, or in the spring?

August 19, 2006 - Simple Times ? -
Some days I wish for simpler times.... when the days were long and the livin' was easy...... er... easier.....
When a cup of coffee could be had by saying "Coffee, please," instead of feeling obligated to order a half-fat, half-decaf grande mochachino made with organic beans from a labor-friendly farm.
When portable radios were big enough to have buttons you could actually operate.When no one questioned your morals if you bought a car with a V-8 engine, rather, they admired your prowess behind the wheel.
When Toastmaster automatic drop toasters were made at in the plant down the road in Elgin and the instructions came in English... not bad English translated from Chinese.
When a size 12 dress wasn't actually a size 16 renamed so my ego wouldn't take a hit.
Before it took a degree in electrical engineering to understand the instructions (in Chinglish) for the VCR.
Back when television sets had channel changing dials.
Back before I lost the TV remote.

August 12, 2006 - End of Week One - Well.... I survived!!! It's been quite a week. I don't work at the hospital proper, rather, an an off-site location (duh, if you are not ON site you MUST be off-site) a mile or so away. It's the office space in an old Caterpillar plant. It sits right behind a Culver's. Oops.... I figure by the end of the first year I will weigh 400 pounds if I go there for lunch every day!! No, I haven't been there yet, but the time is coming....
I work with 4 other people - The Manager(TM); two instructors, i1 and i2; and my nurse cohort, ON(other nurse). ON is a very very talented woman..... she plays 5 instruments, writes music, sings, is a black belt in karate(?-I think), and is a world champion dart thrower.
I feel a little intimidated. A lot. WOW. And she's got that look that says "(insert favorite tough-guy cliche)" Don't even think about it."
On the other end of the spectrum in looks is the manager, TM. He's TINY! That's not very nice, is it? But compared to ON?? Of small stature, shall we say? TM is a hunter (water birds, has a dog and a TRUCK) and fisherman. He used to be a PROFESSIONAL fisherman. Of WALLEYE!!! My mostest favorite fish in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!!! (Yes, even better than shrimp) He retired from a university teaching post to go fishing (for walleye)(CPR fishing, Catch-Photograph-Release) and left that to come work here. BB is questioning TM's mental health.... fishing(for walleye)/sit behind a desk, fishing(have I mentioned that he fished for walleye??)/sit behind a desk.... hmmm..... oh, well....
I don't know much about i1 and i2. i1 has been with the IT department for quite a while (I think). She has BEAUTIFUL long black hair and a permanently-tanned-skin-tone that I (the original white girl) would kill for. i2 lives a few blocks away from BB and is engaged. I met the lucky man yesterday. Nice guy.
I spent all of Friday sitting in on computer classes. It gave me a little taste of the program and I am RARIN' TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a good thing I don't have access to the work computer from home or I would be practicing documentation all weekend.... oops! ON gave me a tutorial to work on so will spend all my free time at work plowing thru it. I felt really good by the end of the class yesterday... found a couple of functions ON wasn't aware of and helped one of the students during our exercise time. I am SOOOOOO excited!! I just want to bury myself in the computer and LEARN LEARN LEARN!!!
But now, I have to pack up the house. The drive (after 2.5 WHOLE days of driving between my house and work) is killing me. 40 minutes to get there in the morning (not bad for a 40 mile trek) and an hour 15 minutes coming home (at 15 mph for 20 miles or so-AAACCCHHH!) Back and forth between BBs place and work is about 35-40 minutes either way.
So... off to my boxes and sealing tape. It's time to go!!!

August 9, 2006 - Day 3 Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my new job?? Had a half day of class and spent the rest of the day in my department learning this and that. Have to wrestle with voice mail one of these days. Maybe tomorrow or Friday they will get me set up with e-mail.... but... as my sister pointed out.... I didn't send her any text messages today so it must have been good. ;-)