Coworkers @ MindSay

I'm beat. Wore out. Done in. Burnt toast. Two 13 hour days in a row and another one tomorrow, what was I thinking? Oh yeah, money money money. And.....oh yeah, dedication to my job...?!? And...um...er....no one else on the crew would do it, the boss knew better than to even ask anyone but me. And you may not think so, but I've heard the rumors floating in the dank air of the Fed Bldg.

 

What a sucker!

 

He's a kiss ass.

 

JB, the supervisors little pet.

 

She might be 62, but I'll bet he's sleepin' with her.

 

But the best part of it all is I really don't care what they think or what they say, and I walk like it, talk like it, and do my job like it. And those who care to get to know the real me and put aside their fragile eggshell egos find I'm warm, caring, funny, hard-working, honest, and loyal.

 

Those who don't care?

 

Their loss.

 

BDS

So, my birthday went pretty well over all until the party was crashed by our house guest's early return from Nashville. Oh well, before she showed up it was glorious. Although Donna and Perry had to cancel coming because Donna was sick, and Wyatt forgot it was that day and, well, dabbled in the recreational hooha and wasn't in any state to leave the house. Not exactly surprising, but indeed a bit disappointing.
Anyway, Greg got me some rad stuff. A diamond-tip scribe for printmaking (the diamond tip is supposed to get fine lines and never dull), a 4 pack of various sketchbooks, and a bar of exfoliating oatmeal soap. Lovely. Paula got me "Paris, Je T'aime" (DVD - quite good, I might add), "Let It Die" by Feist (absolutely fabulous; absolutely addictive), a multi pack of glow-stick bracelets (quite fun), and a book on Van Gogh. Kyle got me a Barnes and Noble and a Best Buy gift card, and Laken got me two books - 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Tie & Rock Your Scarf, and 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim, and Tie Your T-Shirt into Something Special.
Also, Greg said that the dress I was wearing would, "make men like a biscuit in your hands." Hah, how he kills me. I love him.
If you want to see a few bday pics (alas, we failed to take one of me. Imagine that), let me know and I'll share the album link with you.

Tuesday Ariel came down and spent the night. We (she, myself, and Laken) stayed up late talking, looking at photos, books, etc. All very fun. The next day we went to JC and had japanese at Moto then over to campus where we ran into Donna and spent 4 HOURS talking. Wooow. Hopefully the 4 of us (Donna, Laken, Mama, and myself) can get together for lunch sometime next week.

Thursday we kicked Suzanna (house guest) out. The plan had been for her to live with us over the summer, free of rent and utility charges, in exchange for help around the house, contribution to food bills, and of course with the expectation that she would get a job in Gville for the summer. After one month we found ourselves with money even tighter than usual, our house guest spending her days sleeping 'til noon then lying around the house chowing down on our food while watching tv, and without a job at that. And so, because she failed to live up to her end of the bargain (and seemed to think we were her maids, cooks, providers-of-food, and taxi service--without an offer for gas money, at that!), we terminated ours. Ever since she's left we've all been able to breathe so much easier.

Today I went to the doctor after developing a dry cough and discolored mucus in addition to my preexisting allergies. Apparently what I suffer from is allergic rhinitis (Hay fever). In addition to this, I have developed a touch of bronchitis. So, a shot of steroid in the hip, a dose of 4-day prescription z-pack, and a dose of Clarinex (same as Claritin) later and my nose is still retarded but my eyes are no longer begging me to claw them out. So, there are some minor improvements. Anyway, Dr. whats-his-name informed me that the best approach to hay fever is Claritin once and day along with a daily snort of Nasonex (something he also gave me a sample of). I'm a bit apprehensive about the Nasonex...just because things of that sort have been found addictive. So, I may try to forgo it if I can stand to. But anyway, hopefully the Claritin will prove to be a better medication than Benedryl, which caused me to sleep more than I was awake.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, we've a new girl at work. Well, two new ones, actually...though one has been there slightly longer. The latter is Kayla, a bleach-blond highschooler with as much intelligence as a handful of dust. Her work ethic leaves something to desire as well. The only reason she still has a job after days of work-less work is because she's related to the manager. Gotta love Subway politics, eh? Anyway, the second (newer) girl is Ashley, a dark-framed glasses wearing, impressively intelligent-for-her-age highschooler who, after 2 days, proves to have a pleasing work ethic and a personality, to boot. Also, she bears a slight resemblance to Ingrid Michaelson, though her hair is not redish and her eyes are blue, not brown.

Anyway, I'll leave you for the night with some lyrics off of the Let It Die album (something you really ought to check out if [1] you've not yet done so, [2] you like good lyrics, and/or [3] songs with a 1970'esque beat are in any way appealing to your musical tastes):


P.S. There's something rather attractive about John Steed of the 1961 – 1969 show, The Avengers. Yes, I realize he (at the time) would have been more than twice my age and he's not what most would consider "hot," but he's got an excellent persona on the show...and that bowler hat and english accent come close to giving the "lesser" Wilson a run for his money.

I think I would DEFINITELY work at a school that would be willing to co-teach with Dan.  I mean, the plan for the last 3 years has been to teach with Mike (and that would be amaaaaazing), but Dan said it today as we were separating, and it absolutely would be a pretty glorious combination.  We play off each other REALLY well.

Maybe we could be the first set of people to triple-teach a classroom?  3 special ed majors??? What what?

A girl can only dream : )

Speaking of getting a job...I should work a little harder on that, and focus less on cleaning up my semi-neat room.  Just a thought.  If only I weren't exHAUSTED right now and looking at my bed with severe longing.... SNAP OUT OF IT, Em.  You're actually NOT on Spring Break (even if the rest of NYU is...).

**I can't stop thinking about how amazing it would be to teach in the same classroom as either of them.  I would go to work the happiest person in America.  These are 2 of the top people I met in my program; two people I would give my life for without hesitation.  'Lucky' does not even describe getting to be around them, learn from them, talk to them, or work with them.  I could do a LOT worse than being around either of them...like winning a million dollars or meeting a boy I could actually date (aka things that are actually pretty damn good).  Though today Dan offered to let me crash with him and Anna if I need to come to NY for a job hunt, and Mike pretty much ALWAYS has that offer for me, so... <33  Being around ANYONE I graduated with, really, would make being a first  year teacher next year so much better.  Having that support system is the difference between surviving the first year, and burning out.

Same bulls--t, different day...I am forever amazed that with as emotionally I'll say "diseased", as I am, how it is that I manage to be, in general, the healthiest person in the room the majority of the time.  I find that the hardest part of playing nice with others is coping with everyone else's crap...Especially at work. 

So many of my coworkers seem to have less insight than most farm animals, and as a result, I am left mucking around through all of their collective "issues", making my job immeasurably more difficult than if I could just do what it is that I am there to do, which is take care of the patients.  At least with the patients, their problems are named, diagnosed, and out in the open.  This makes it possible to navigate with some idea of an appropriate direction regarding how best to accomplish whatever it is that I need to do with them.  For example, if they are diagnosed with depression and PTSD, I know that I need to be gentle with them, encouraging, and provide them with a sense of safety so that they can more easily trust that I am working for their interests whenever doing any teaching or trying to convince them to do something difficult.  But there is no heads up warning that say, the LPN I have to work with has severe insecurities, father issues, and a faltering ego, thereby assuring an awful day to follow if she requires any constructive criticism or professional guidance from me.  I will undoubtedly get to play the bad guy in her little mental scenario, and this, along with any other factors causing her to perceive any slights against her that day, make for a very long shift. 

It is my absolute opinion that professionals should check their crap at the door.  All hang-ups, insecurities, mood disorders, and nasty attitudes or opinions of the world around them would be so beneficial to leave behind before employees walk through the door to their workplaces.  It gets so very old dealing with people.  Of course, I suppose I should never have become a nurse if this is my general attitude.  But as I said, the patients are the least of my problems.  I have absolutely no difficulty dealing with them.  The problem I have, as previously stated, is dealing with my coworkers.  That isn't to say that there aren't some whom I absolutely adore working with.  In fact, I enjoy the majority of people with whom I work.  But the problem is that it only takes a very few bad eggs to spoil the salad.  And they always do.

No one is perfect, and the last thing I would ever expect is perfection.  I simply want a tablespoon of insight, some overriding bit of knowledge within the gray matter of even one or two of the brains of my coworkers that might suggest to them a small amount of censoring when dealing with their overly emotional rantings and general reactions to those around them.  If they could just once say to themselves, "Gee, I AM at work, and as such, perhaps this isn't the most optimal place for me to rant loudly about another coworkers offhanded comment about their political viewpoint, or their religious affiliation, or even their muttered opinion about childrearing."  Because sometimes people just say stuff.  And if you aren't adult enough to be able to overhear a comment not even directed at you and just let it go quietly, then in my mind, you aren't adult enough to have a paying job, at least not one that allows you to have mortgage and car payment.  Perhaps if you are that fragile, wearing your opinions so openly, a paper-route or another similar job would be more your speed than say, a career? 

This doesn't even take into consideration the reactions of others to comments that are, in fact, directed at them.  When I have to mention to a coworker at a psychiatric facility that perhaps it isn't the best idea to curse out a patient, or to give out protected, medically sensitive information about a patient to some person who hasn't even identified themselves on the telephone,  I actually must first decide how bad of a day I wish to have.  Because people are so f--king fragile that I know if any of these insights are handed down, I will no doubt be dealing with the wrath of my comments, regardless of how gently they are made, for at least the remainder of the day, if not for the rest of the week!  When did people become so sensitive?   So  unable to self-censor?  To see their own actions through a filter not completely clogged up with the gunk of their daily lives up until the point at which I encounter them?  These aren't difficult insights.  People just seem unable to have any at all.  The baggage of others is bogging my daily life down to the point that it is often difficult to even navigate across the floor.  And I am getting very tired of tripping over everything.

Coworker 1: They got the snow melter going outside again.

 

Coworker 2: They should direct all that water into one spot and make an ice skating rink.

 

AllAroundPsycho: No thanks.  I don't like ice skating.

 

Coworker 2: Why?

 

AllAroundPsycho: It just ends with me on the ground crying like I was 4 years old again.

 

Coworker 1: I'd be interested in seeing that.

 

Coworker 2: I could push you down.

 

AllAroundPsycho: It's nice to know that you are so interested in helping me.

 

Coworker 2: That's what we do.  We bring childhood memories to life.