Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tooth fairy gem

Well I began this as I sat in the middle of a winter white out which would be the only chance I would have on a day shift to catch up the blog. There was a major run of sick folks this morning before the weather hit followed by a blizzard which only a very few hardy souls braved.

Good thing it was a slow day as I spent over an hour in the pursuit of a couple of my textbooks for the Emergency Nursing Program that I'm enrolled in. You will understand that the bureaucracy has reached its zenith when I explain how I have to order my books. I contacted the librarian at the school of nursing (originally hoping to borrow them) who orders textbooks and she assured me that a 40% discount would be the difference from the university bookstore. She sends along a form for me to complete which has sections for my manager's approval etc. so I email back that I'm not being funded and since I'm spending my own money can I give her my visa number? The reply is.....wait for it.....I must have my manager's approval to spend my own money and pay the business office the amount when they arrive. This results in me emailing both my manager and the business office clerk and then the manager again for her 'cost center number'. As I told the manager "this is a great way to pay off my visa because anytime I want to spend my own money on anything I'll just call you up and see if you will give me permission to do it!" Someone should write a book on this kind of organizing - no wonder our healthcare system is in a state.

Most of the non nursing staff left early this afternoon "like rats deserting the ship" my co-worker noted. The main concern of anyone working a 12 hour day shift is whether the night shift will be making it in to replace them and that mission was accomplished. Since I don't have to work until tomorrow night I was determined to make it home. 

The shore captain and the Executive Director from their fishing association have been in the city for a couple of days of meetings and this evening I elicited a promise of staying over if it wasn't doable. The animals will manage on their own I told him. I've also had the teacher daughter call him to advise them to stay put as she says it's "terrible" in metro.The highway webcams looked awful and apparently the driving conditions were worse so they bunked in at the Future Inn and will give it a try in the morning.

The cleaning lady was in this morning and so I'd asked the shore captain to put the Christmas tree (which I'd undecorated) outside before he left on Monday p.m. Can you believe that he managed to do that without putting on his shoes? Just opened the front door and gave it a shove - which made it a little tricky to get the groceries into the house yesterday of course.

Yes, yesterday was one of those errand running on the day off kind of days. Meaning I paid bills, had snow tires installed on the car, picked up my police check for volunteering with the Red Cross and applied for another one to do my clinical for the Emergency Nursing Program, grocery shopped and along the way had my massage and esthetic appointments. Fed the boy and I brushetta and chicken wings for supper (yes his face is healing nicely - more on that later) and he was off. I spent the evening applying for my next travel assignment which shall be a surprise until I am successful.

During this set of days off I did manage to watch the movie MILK, which I really enjoyed  and I'm now reading Adrienne Clarkson's autobiography so that took the place of any impulse to do housework.

The boy captain has finally completed the saga of the tooth which has been going on for some time. He's had pain in his molars which I've blamed on cavities (which he didn't have) but it seems that the wisdom tooth had grown underneath the molars and the tooth had cracked off. When there was a cancellation on Monday he got in and had the wisdom tooth extracted. Amazingly it came out in one piece considering it had very long crooked roots and no top. When he shows me the tooth (should be worth at least 10 bucks if there really is a tooth fairy) I almost fell over. So he takes his trophy with him to the plant and one of the fishermen says to him "no wonder you can't get any women boy lugging that thing around in your pocket!"

Anyhoo, time to hit the mattress as I am planning on snoozing until late tomorrow - no worries about if the plow has been through yet at 6 a.m.. Yeehaw!