May? It's been since MAY?!?!?
Well hello Livejournal. Long time no chat. I've peeked in on others' entries a few times, but haven't posted anything here in a really long time. Not a whole lot has changed for me since then, but let's give a rundown:
I'm almost done with winter quarter, and after an internship and a speech course next quarter I'll get my first medical coding degree. I've got a few certificates to add to my education pedigree as well. Sadly, I suspect none of this will make me any more interesting to headhunters at this point. I'm trying to decide if I can stand to take the CPT medical coding course next term, since the instructor and I are decidedly NOT getting along. If I do take that one, I might go out and get a few letters added to my name by taking an AHIMA certification test for $150. Finishing THAT accreditation is what will actually make me look good to employers, so I'm thinking it will be a yes.
When Alton's December schedule was posted, we discovered to our delight and surprise that he has no work from 12/23 to 12/28. Six glorious days in a row, which also coincide with Mirella and I having time off from school. I don't think that has happened since we all went to California (Disneyland!) just after the wedding in 2000. Sadly, there's no way our budget can handle another trip to Disneyland at this point, even though my brain keeps furiously trying to work out a way to make that happen. (Train? Drive? Stay at family along the way? Still too much money for us...) It's such a bitter realization that just as our money situation becomes the most dire it has been since Mirella was tiny, we have this amazing opportunity that we can't take advantage of. Sad, sad, sad. I'm sure we'll come up with some fun things to do around here. Harry Potter exhibit, and the Enchanted Village are top of the list right now. Speak up if you'd like to join us.
Mirella's taking all her AP courses in her sophomore year of high school. Any day now she'll start making the decisions about whether to stay at the high school and continue with AP courses, or to go into Running Start and begin college coursework. She's leaning toward Running Start (mostly because she really doesn't get along well with teenagers) and I'm leaning towards AP coursework (mostly because I'm hearing that it actually looks better on college entrance applications). I'd love some feedback from any of you who might have some experience/knowledge/advice on that.
Alton's been doing the dialysis work for two years now. He has to physically work harder than he ever has before, and that's been really hard on him. He's gotten stabbed by needles, had a fall that sent him to the ER, and has pulled muscles and had sprains. I can't see him doing this for much longer, because it's mentally draining to him to constantly have his patients die. It's hard to know that almost all of them will never get better. I'm hoping that he can find a way to leverage the skills he's learned into another position in the medical field that will be less stressful for him. His friend John (who he worked with at Klahanie, and who got him this job) has moved onto being an anesthesia tech. Maybe he'll follow along?
Well, there's my wrapup. For those of you who I don't interact with elsewhere: How have you been? What has happened in your life over the last 7 or 8 months?
I'm almost done with winter quarter, and after an internship and a speech course next quarter I'll get my first medical coding degree. I've got a few certificates to add to my education pedigree as well. Sadly, I suspect none of this will make me any more interesting to headhunters at this point. I'm trying to decide if I can stand to take the CPT medical coding course next term, since the instructor and I are decidedly NOT getting along. If I do take that one, I might go out and get a few letters added to my name by taking an AHIMA certification test for $150. Finishing THAT accreditation is what will actually make me look good to employers, so I'm thinking it will be a yes.
When Alton's December schedule was posted, we discovered to our delight and surprise that he has no work from 12/23 to 12/28. Six glorious days in a row, which also coincide with Mirella and I having time off from school. I don't think that has happened since we all went to California (Disneyland!) just after the wedding in 2000. Sadly, there's no way our budget can handle another trip to Disneyland at this point, even though my brain keeps furiously trying to work out a way to make that happen. (Train? Drive? Stay at family along the way? Still too much money for us...) It's such a bitter realization that just as our money situation becomes the most dire it has been since Mirella was tiny, we have this amazing opportunity that we can't take advantage of. Sad, sad, sad. I'm sure we'll come up with some fun things to do around here. Harry Potter exhibit, and the Enchanted Village are top of the list right now. Speak up if you'd like to join us.
Mirella's taking all her AP courses in her sophomore year of high school. Any day now she'll start making the decisions about whether to stay at the high school and continue with AP courses, or to go into Running Start and begin college coursework. She's leaning toward Running Start (mostly because she really doesn't get along well with teenagers) and I'm leaning towards AP coursework (mostly because I'm hearing that it actually looks better on college entrance applications). I'd love some feedback from any of you who might have some experience/knowledge/advice on that.
Alton's been doing the dialysis work for two years now. He has to physically work harder than he ever has before, and that's been really hard on him. He's gotten stabbed by needles, had a fall that sent him to the ER, and has pulled muscles and had sprains. I can't see him doing this for much longer, because it's mentally draining to him to constantly have his patients die. It's hard to know that almost all of them will never get better. I'm hoping that he can find a way to leverage the skills he's learned into another position in the medical field that will be less stressful for him. His friend John (who he worked with at Klahanie, and who got him this job) has moved onto being an anesthesia tech. Maybe he'll follow along?
Well, there's my wrapup. For those of you who I don't interact with elsewhere: How have you been? What has happened in your life over the last 7 or 8 months?