Really long "catch-up" blog!....
Wow, time does get away from you, doesn't it? I've had a really busy couple-three weeks.
Had a wonderful visit with my dad and sister on my dad's birthday. We ended up leaving home around 8 or 9 on August 14th and driving till we got to Roanoke at 3am. We got a room at the Hampton Inn near my dad's house and of course, it took me forever to fall asleep! Not the fault of the bed, though. OMG, they have the most WONDERFUL beds at Hampton Inn! Yeah, they are more expensive than Super8 or Motel 6 (about $85 a night) but day-um, I wanted to bring the bed and linens home! It was worth the extra $.
Anyway, we got up and ate breakfast at the motel's free breakfast thingy and then got to my dad's around 10am. He'd taken my sister out to Shoney's for the breakfast bar and so they weren't there when we got there. Luckily, he's given my sister and I a key to the house, so Rick and I were able to get in. With the help of text-messaging my sister let us know where they were and when they'd be back. We had parked in my dad's garage and kept watch out the front window for them. When they got there, we ran out to welcome them. You should have seen my dads face! He was BEAMING! He was so surprised and happy!
Later, he took us to a place called Explore Park, in Roanoke, but, unfortunately, they were closed, except for the tavern and the welcome station. If you click on the photos, you'll get a better view...
We ate lunch there and looked around the welcome station and then went on back to my dads. Rick did some more work on my dads computer and we stayed at his house that night, instead of going back to the motel. Paying for one night was enough!
The next day he took us all out to eat for lunch and we had to leave in the afternoon. It was REALLY good to see him and see him enjoy himself so much. There's only one bad thing....
My dad is lonely.
When he found out my sister is thinking of leaving Charlotte and moving up to Chesapeake with us, he asked her to move in with him, instead. She really doesn't want to do that. She doesn't want to live in Roanoke because she doesn't feel she'd be comfortable there. She's also concerned about her privacy if she lived with him. There is part of me that wonders if he's also worried that if she lives up here, with us or in town with us, that she'll end up in a bad financial position because of us. I am afraid that I can't blame him, if that's the case. I'd hope that Rick and I would be a LOT more careful so we don't put her in bad positions, but I have to be realistic, as well. We've done it in the past (not meaning to, of course) and we've still not gotten a handle on our money-handling. But we WOULD do everything in our power to not involve her in our troubles with that.
But, my dad DID make a couple of comments while we were there that indicated that he had more privacy and "alone-time" than he cares for. And he's just not one to go out and find "things to do" with other people. He bowls, when it's bowling season, but he doesn't socialize, otherwise, with the people. That's just not him. I REALLY wish he would think, more seriously, about selling the house and moving out here near us. Rick and I have considered moving to Roanoke, too, but it's really not feasible for us. It's a much smaller town and only 2 hospital systems and only 3 hospitals. And they don't pay as well as they do here. Also, with all the moving we've done in the last few years, I seriously think, for his resume's sake, he needs to stay where he is for a decent amount of time. I hope that eventually, my dad will re-think it all and move here. I think what he's doing now is wanting to wait till he CAN'T, physically, stay in that house before he sells it and moves into an assisted living or until he passes. He hates change, he loves his independence (can't blame him) and wants to keep all his stuff that he's used to around him. He's just not ready to give all that up.
In other news.... I started my new job at the hospital! YAY! The first day was hospital orientation, and if anyone out there has worked at a hospital or at a clinic that's affiliated with a hospital, you KNOW how boring that is! They heard all new-hires into a room to show them videos about rules and regulations, fire safety, hazardous waste, blah-blah-blah.... ugh... 8 hours of misery. And at the end, you stand in line to get a shot (TB test) and get your photo taken for the name badge. OMG I had my photo!!! I've changed my hair since I had that pic done, so it's totally different! I don't have a current photo though, but when I do, I'll put one up. But now it doesn't look at all like the photo below with my dad and sister. I'm in the pink.
I've been working for the past week and a half. It's fun and interesting, but I wish I had some better trainers. That's life, though. I'll catch on. It's a lot of work and constantly running. I work at the front desk of the hospital main lab and put doctor's lab orders in the computer, answer phones, fax lab results to dr's offices, deliver records to the Medical Records department downstairs, place results in the doc's boxes each day, sometimes run to the nursery to pick up stat blood draws for babies to be run by the lab... fax results to doctors offices, register blood and other specimens into the computer and sometimes have to go into the phlebotomy room to help them get stuff ready to be tested and even put stuff on the centrifuge. WOW! It's busy! But mostly, I feel like I fax, fax, fax, fax, fax, fax!!!!! And I get to wear cool scrubs!!! LOL I really like being able to wear scrubs to work instead of having to have nice street clothing. It's just so much easier and there are so many really, really cute scrubs now!
My boss is still thinking about training me to help in transcription. She likes the idea a lot, but has to get the approval of the other lab manager, as well. That woman, Cheryl, wants to wait a couple of months to see how I work out, first. Which is fine, because I'm getting good hours right now, while I train. Plus, one of the women in my department is retiring at the end of December and I MIGHT be able to take over that position when she does. That's a full time position 8:30 am to 5pm Monday through Friday. During her last few months there, she has lots of vacation to take, too, so whenever she's off, I'll be filling in for her. At this point, I'm not too worried about getting decent hours.
The hardest thing is making sure I'm in bed at a good time for the early hours I'm doing right now. Sometimes I have to be at work as early as 6:30 am, sometimes at 7:30am and sometimes at 8am. I really need to be in bed between 9 and 10pm and that's very difficult for me. I'll get in bed, but then lay there for what seems like forever! Most of the time, if I take a hot bath before bed, it helps me to relax and go to sleep, but not always. It just takes time to change the habits, though, so I'm sure it will get easier.
Okay, below is a thing to show my "Celebrity Look-Alike". I find it amazing that half of my celebrity look-alikes are men! And the one that I look most like is DON ADAMS??? Get Smart???? I most look like an old, dead man!!! OMG, too funny! I think they put Sharon Stone and Goldy Hawn in there just to make me feel better! LOL I put the second version down there because I was amazed at the Emilio Estevez one. Not that I really look like him, but look at the shape of our mouths and eyes! Very much alike. Very weird.
Okay, enough of that. It's 10:03 in the morning of my day off and I'm fighting laying down for a nap! Damn. What's the world coming to when a night owl has to stay awake in the daytime??? That's just wrong.
Had a wonderful visit with my dad and sister on my dad's birthday. We ended up leaving home around 8 or 9 on August 14th and driving till we got to Roanoke at 3am. We got a room at the Hampton Inn near my dad's house and of course, it took me forever to fall asleep! Not the fault of the bed, though. OMG, they have the most WONDERFUL beds at Hampton Inn! Yeah, they are more expensive than Super8 or Motel 6 (about $85 a night) but day-um, I wanted to bring the bed and linens home! It was worth the extra $.
Anyway, we got up and ate breakfast at the motel's free breakfast thingy and then got to my dad's around 10am. He'd taken my sister out to Shoney's for the breakfast bar and so they weren't there when we got there. Luckily, he's given my sister and I a key to the house, so Rick and I were able to get in. With the help of text-messaging my sister let us know where they were and when they'd be back. We had parked in my dad's garage and kept watch out the front window for them. When they got there, we ran out to welcome them. You should have seen my dads face! He was BEAMING! He was so surprised and happy!
Later, he took us to a place called Explore Park, in Roanoke, but, unfortunately, they were closed, except for the tavern and the welcome station. If you click on the photos, you'll get a better view...
We ate lunch there and looked around the welcome station and then went on back to my dads. Rick did some more work on my dads computer and we stayed at his house that night, instead of going back to the motel. Paying for one night was enough!
The next day he took us all out to eat for lunch and we had to leave in the afternoon. It was REALLY good to see him and see him enjoy himself so much. There's only one bad thing....
My dad is lonely.
When he found out my sister is thinking of leaving Charlotte and moving up to Chesapeake with us, he asked her to move in with him, instead. She really doesn't want to do that. She doesn't want to live in Roanoke because she doesn't feel she'd be comfortable there. She's also concerned about her privacy if she lived with him. There is part of me that wonders if he's also worried that if she lives up here, with us or in town with us, that she'll end up in a bad financial position because of us. I am afraid that I can't blame him, if that's the case. I'd hope that Rick and I would be a LOT more careful so we don't put her in bad positions, but I have to be realistic, as well. We've done it in the past (not meaning to, of course) and we've still not gotten a handle on our money-handling. But we WOULD do everything in our power to not involve her in our troubles with that.
But, my dad DID make a couple of comments while we were there that indicated that he had more privacy and "alone-time" than he cares for. And he's just not one to go out and find "things to do" with other people. He bowls, when it's bowling season, but he doesn't socialize, otherwise, with the people. That's just not him. I REALLY wish he would think, more seriously, about selling the house and moving out here near us. Rick and I have considered moving to Roanoke, too, but it's really not feasible for us. It's a much smaller town and only 2 hospital systems and only 3 hospitals. And they don't pay as well as they do here. Also, with all the moving we've done in the last few years, I seriously think, for his resume's sake, he needs to stay where he is for a decent amount of time. I hope that eventually, my dad will re-think it all and move here. I think what he's doing now is wanting to wait till he CAN'T, physically, stay in that house before he sells it and moves into an assisted living or until he passes. He hates change, he loves his independence (can't blame him) and wants to keep all his stuff that he's used to around him. He's just not ready to give all that up.
In other news.... I started my new job at the hospital! YAY! The first day was hospital orientation, and if anyone out there has worked at a hospital or at a clinic that's affiliated with a hospital, you KNOW how boring that is! They heard all new-hires into a room to show them videos about rules and regulations, fire safety, hazardous waste, blah-blah-blah.... ugh... 8 hours of misery. And at the end, you stand in line to get a shot (TB test) and get your photo taken for the name badge. OMG I had my photo!!! I've changed my hair since I had that pic done, so it's totally different! I don't have a current photo though, but when I do, I'll put one up. But now it doesn't look at all like the photo below with my dad and sister. I'm in the pink.
I've been working for the past week and a half. It's fun and interesting, but I wish I had some better trainers. That's life, though. I'll catch on. It's a lot of work and constantly running. I work at the front desk of the hospital main lab and put doctor's lab orders in the computer, answer phones, fax lab results to dr's offices, deliver records to the Medical Records department downstairs, place results in the doc's boxes each day, sometimes run to the nursery to pick up stat blood draws for babies to be run by the lab... fax results to doctors offices, register blood and other specimens into the computer and sometimes have to go into the phlebotomy room to help them get stuff ready to be tested and even put stuff on the centrifuge. WOW! It's busy! But mostly, I feel like I fax, fax, fax, fax, fax, fax!!!!! And I get to wear cool scrubs!!! LOL I really like being able to wear scrubs to work instead of having to have nice street clothing. It's just so much easier and there are so many really, really cute scrubs now!
My boss is still thinking about training me to help in transcription. She likes the idea a lot, but has to get the approval of the other lab manager, as well. That woman, Cheryl, wants to wait a couple of months to see how I work out, first. Which is fine, because I'm getting good hours right now, while I train. Plus, one of the women in my department is retiring at the end of December and I MIGHT be able to take over that position when she does. That's a full time position 8:30 am to 5pm Monday through Friday. During her last few months there, she has lots of vacation to take, too, so whenever she's off, I'll be filling in for her. At this point, I'm not too worried about getting decent hours.
The hardest thing is making sure I'm in bed at a good time for the early hours I'm doing right now. Sometimes I have to be at work as early as 6:30 am, sometimes at 7:30am and sometimes at 8am. I really need to be in bed between 9 and 10pm and that's very difficult for me. I'll get in bed, but then lay there for what seems like forever! Most of the time, if I take a hot bath before bed, it helps me to relax and go to sleep, but not always. It just takes time to change the habits, though, so I'm sure it will get easier.
Okay, below is a thing to show my "Celebrity Look-Alike". I find it amazing that half of my celebrity look-alikes are men! And the one that I look most like is DON ADAMS??? Get Smart???? I most look like an old, dead man!!! OMG, too funny! I think they put Sharon Stone and Goldy Hawn in there just to make me feel better! LOL I put the second version down there because I was amazed at the Emilio Estevez one. Not that I really look like him, but look at the shape of our mouths and eyes! Very much alike. Very weird.
Okay, enough of that. It's 10:03 in the morning of my day off and I'm fighting laying down for a nap! Damn. What's the world coming to when a night owl has to stay awake in the daytime??? That's just wrong.