Why is this guy from college, who I was friendly with but never really hung out with, sending me shirtless model-esque pictures of himself? He often likes to tell me about his work out sessions and yadda yadda. He says he trusts my opinions, but what does he want my opinion of? We speak way more on-line, post-college, than we did in person during college.
I called him out on trying to hit on me. It was funny, but I wasn't kidding. Hopefully he doesn't get too drunk next time I go up to school ;-) Kidddddddding. (not really.)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Murse?
I'm having a career direction crisis.
Getting into PA school is looking less likely every second. The is due to a number of things. One being that I didn't get many A's in my college science classes. Evidently A's are a must, whereas I was just happy to finish the class in the B range. Another reason is that I took Vertebrate Physiology and Comparative Anatomy, as opposed to taking Anatomy and Physiology 1+2. The schools just don't care that I took the harder classes. I also got terrible grades in Organic 1+2, both C+'s. And although these classes aren't necessarily required for PA school, they hurt me nonetheless. You know for being someone obsessed with scheduling and such I really dropped the fucking ball.
Many of my patients have been telling me to go into nursing. I don't really know why. I tell them that I'm apply to PA school, and they all say "Oh, you should be a male nurse! (as opposed to a female nurse?) There is such a demand for them!!!" I'm not going to lie, when I was a stupid undergrad I totally underestimated the role of nurses and would scoff at the idea of being a nurse. I have since come to have much more respect for them.
I looked into it. I would be eligible for accelerated nursing programs, which would allow me to get a BSN in 15 months. From there I would surely find a job with ease with a salary that's pretty decent for starting, but without much upward mobility.
Something that nursing offers is international traveling. Evidently, nursing is one of the few professions that is in high demand basically everywhere. I've heard that nurses can get permanent resident visas in Australia, and can even get jobs in England which are generally impossible to get since I'm not from the EU. Since I'm a very enthusiastic traveller this would offer nice opportunities.
The other things to consider in nursing are the master's programs to become a practitioner. As an NP I would basically be the same thing as a PA, but I probably wouldn't be able to get a surgical job. I don't know how I feel about that. I think I would want to be a surgical PA, but would I really? After working in an office setting I see that I could be totally happy doing that. I've also worked with hospitalist-NPs and I think I could really enjoy doing that also. I don't think I could handle doing primary care because you just see so much routine BS. Plus the pay would suck.
So yeah, I'm in quite the conundrum. But as part of my new post-college philosophy I've decided to stop planning far into the future, because the only thing you ensure by planning for the future is that you will eventually change your plan. Assuming I don't get into a PA program I think I'm going to take Human Anatomy and Physiology this spring/summer, as well as take some psychology courses like abnormal psych and developmental, because deep down I know that since starting and finishing college I still don't know whether I like psych or bio better. Wouldn't it be funny if I became a Psychiatric NP and could prescribe meds, whereas my mom is justing finishing getting her PhD in clinical psych and she wouldn't be able to?
Getting into PA school is looking less likely every second. The is due to a number of things. One being that I didn't get many A's in my college science classes. Evidently A's are a must, whereas I was just happy to finish the class in the B range. Another reason is that I took Vertebrate Physiology and Comparative Anatomy, as opposed to taking Anatomy and Physiology 1+2. The schools just don't care that I took the harder classes. I also got terrible grades in Organic 1+2, both C+'s. And although these classes aren't necessarily required for PA school, they hurt me nonetheless. You know for being someone obsessed with scheduling and such I really dropped the fucking ball.
Many of my patients have been telling me to go into nursing. I don't really know why. I tell them that I'm apply to PA school, and they all say "Oh, you should be a male nurse! (as opposed to a female nurse?) There is such a demand for them!!!" I'm not going to lie, when I was a stupid undergrad I totally underestimated the role of nurses and would scoff at the idea of being a nurse. I have since come to have much more respect for them.
I looked into it. I would be eligible for accelerated nursing programs, which would allow me to get a BSN in 15 months. From there I would surely find a job with ease with a salary that's pretty decent for starting, but without much upward mobility.
Something that nursing offers is international traveling. Evidently, nursing is one of the few professions that is in high demand basically everywhere. I've heard that nurses can get permanent resident visas in Australia, and can even get jobs in England which are generally impossible to get since I'm not from the EU. Since I'm a very enthusiastic traveller this would offer nice opportunities.
The other things to consider in nursing are the master's programs to become a practitioner. As an NP I would basically be the same thing as a PA, but I probably wouldn't be able to get a surgical job. I don't know how I feel about that. I think I would want to be a surgical PA, but would I really? After working in an office setting I see that I could be totally happy doing that. I've also worked with hospitalist-NPs and I think I could really enjoy doing that also. I don't think I could handle doing primary care because you just see so much routine BS. Plus the pay would suck.
So yeah, I'm in quite the conundrum. But as part of my new post-college philosophy I've decided to stop planning far into the future, because the only thing you ensure by planning for the future is that you will eventually change your plan. Assuming I don't get into a PA program I think I'm going to take Human Anatomy and Physiology this spring/summer, as well as take some psychology courses like abnormal psych and developmental, because deep down I know that since starting and finishing college I still don't know whether I like psych or bio better. Wouldn't it be funny if I became a Psychiatric NP and could prescribe meds, whereas my mom is justing finishing getting her PhD in clinical psych and she wouldn't be able to?
Friday, October 10, 2008
One or the Other
The General Election is coming up. I'm supporting McCain, but I'm not in love with him. I'm less in love with Obama. I know that my vote will matter even less because of the state I live in. There is another vote that I'm more interested in that I don't even have a say in and results will not even directly affect me. That would be Proposition 8. Do I even need to explain it?
Oh wait, some of you are from out of country. Long story short - Proposition 8 is a vote coming up in California that would ban same sex marriage. Obviously, I support its downfall. The question I pose to some people is which would you rather: Proposition 8 fail, or your choice of President succeed?
Personally I would rather Prop8 fail. Why? How could I possibly care more about that than my President? Maybe I'm selfish. But I honestly think this country is going to go through some very hard, very unavoidable times regardless of who's President. I also think it's much more important who is in control of Congress. But I also don't know who I want to be in control of Congress. I'm conservative when it comes to economics, government influence, social programs, but I'm liberal when it comes to civil rights, and believing in evolution. Even when it comes to abortion I'm totally split. I'm not pro-life or pro-choice. I honestly don't think it has (or should) anything to do with women's rights. I think when "personhood" begins is much more relevant to the discussion. (Which I believe starts with brain activity. So bascially you've got 2 months to undo your mistake.)
I hate politics. This is mainly because of parties. No one can actually support their own views. They need to compromise in order to get the support of one of the parties. Are you going to tell me there isn't one person that thinks taxes stunt economies, big business should be regulated, Steve and Drew should be able to get married, and Global Warming is total bullshit?
Oh wait, some of you are from out of country. Long story short - Proposition 8 is a vote coming up in California that would ban same sex marriage. Obviously, I support its downfall. The question I pose to some people is which would you rather: Proposition 8 fail, or your choice of President succeed?
Personally I would rather Prop8 fail. Why? How could I possibly care more about that than my President? Maybe I'm selfish. But I honestly think this country is going to go through some very hard, very unavoidable times regardless of who's President. I also think it's much more important who is in control of Congress. But I also don't know who I want to be in control of Congress. I'm conservative when it comes to economics, government influence, social programs, but I'm liberal when it comes to civil rights, and believing in evolution. Even when it comes to abortion I'm totally split. I'm not pro-life or pro-choice. I honestly don't think it has (or should) anything to do with women's rights. I think when "personhood" begins is much more relevant to the discussion. (Which I believe starts with brain activity. So bascially you've got 2 months to undo your mistake.)
I hate politics. This is mainly because of parties. No one can actually support their own views. They need to compromise in order to get the support of one of the parties. Are you going to tell me there isn't one person that thinks taxes stunt economies, big business should be regulated, Steve and Drew should be able to get married, and Global Warming is total bullshit?
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
The Characters
Work is going well. The doctor I work for is kind of harsh, but I honestly don't care. He'll say things to me like "If you can't shake the cortisone vial before filling the syringe then what am I paying you for?" And in my head I say, "If you wanted someone skilled in preparing injections then you probably should have hired a pre-trained person. And PS - you really call that meager wage 'payment?'" That's how I get through the day, and it works. I like my job a lot and I don't let anything like that get me down.
People tell me that he's been "yelling" at my a lot. But most of the time I think of it as him just telling me the right way to do something. It's really all about how you interpret his tone of voice, and I just choose to interpret differently.
One thing that kind of sucks about my job is there is like no sense of camaraderie. People seem to be very worried about just themselves and their job, which makes it very hard to get trained. New PA, as I'll call her, is super helpful and patient with me. She's the only one who really takes the time to teach me and show me how to do things. I feel bad for her cause she's really learning too, since she hasn't even worked in Derm for a year, so I feel like a burden.
Senior PA kind of gives me an attitude when I ask questions, or that she's above that since she's a PA and not a Medical Assistant. For instance, I can't ask her how to fill out a Lab Requisition because she doesn't do that. She also doesn't seem to ask me to do that much when I'm seeing a patient with her, or expect me to write much, which is bad and good. Bad because I don't get use to writing things down or getting use to preparing procedures, good because it's less work for me. I generally like her. I just have to beware her bad side cause I know it's a beast.
Nurse, is the only actual nurse in the office. She was somewhat helpful teaching me for like the first couple days. But she's one of those people who likes to do everything and must always be doing a million things at once since the office can't go on without her. She's not that patient and basically doesn't like to be slowed down by training me. In her defense though, she does do everything and really does keep the office running smoothly.
I have become much better though recently. I think Doctor might be starting to like me. Today, Nurse was complaining about all this work she was going to have to do tomorrow and Doctor said, "Hey why don't you have Guy help you?" The task he said was obviously something that was a little advanced for me and Nurse said, "No, no, Guy has enough to get use to." Doctor then said, "Well Guy is pretty useful." It was probably one of the nicer things he's said, assuming it was sincere. He's very hard to read. He can be very sarcastic, which I generally can read well. But no one in the office can actually tell when he's serious. I often assume he's being sarcastic and will play it off that way, but people claim that little things he says here and there are actually great praise from him. Who knows. Like I said, I don't care all that much what he thinks about me.
People tell me that he's been "yelling" at my a lot. But most of the time I think of it as him just telling me the right way to do something. It's really all about how you interpret his tone of voice, and I just choose to interpret differently.
One thing that kind of sucks about my job is there is like no sense of camaraderie. People seem to be very worried about just themselves and their job, which makes it very hard to get trained. New PA, as I'll call her, is super helpful and patient with me. She's the only one who really takes the time to teach me and show me how to do things. I feel bad for her cause she's really learning too, since she hasn't even worked in Derm for a year, so I feel like a burden.
Senior PA kind of gives me an attitude when I ask questions, or that she's above that since she's a PA and not a Medical Assistant. For instance, I can't ask her how to fill out a Lab Requisition because she doesn't do that. She also doesn't seem to ask me to do that much when I'm seeing a patient with her, or expect me to write much, which is bad and good. Bad because I don't get use to writing things down or getting use to preparing procedures, good because it's less work for me. I generally like her. I just have to beware her bad side cause I know it's a beast.
Nurse, is the only actual nurse in the office. She was somewhat helpful teaching me for like the first couple days. But she's one of those people who likes to do everything and must always be doing a million things at once since the office can't go on without her. She's not that patient and basically doesn't like to be slowed down by training me. In her defense though, she does do everything and really does keep the office running smoothly.
I have become much better though recently. I think Doctor might be starting to like me. Today, Nurse was complaining about all this work she was going to have to do tomorrow and Doctor said, "Hey why don't you have Guy help you?" The task he said was obviously something that was a little advanced for me and Nurse said, "No, no, Guy has enough to get use to." Doctor then said, "Well Guy is pretty useful." It was probably one of the nicer things he's said, assuming it was sincere. He's very hard to read. He can be very sarcastic, which I generally can read well. But no one in the office can actually tell when he's serious. I often assume he's being sarcastic and will play it off that way, but people claim that little things he says here and there are actually great praise from him. Who knows. Like I said, I don't care all that much what he thinks about me.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Learning Curve
California was a great time in general. I could have done without going to LA, because basically it sucks a lot. San Diego was a pretty fun time, although I'm not convinced that anyone actually lives there. San Francisco is a pretty chill place, chilly too. It's a place I could consider living but I still think I like Boston better. I would definitely like to revisit though.
The job is... okay. It's rough goings since I really don't know how to do anything. Today was Day 7 and I feel like I've become more useless than I was Day 1. Is that even possible? I don't even know why I'm not catching on faster. I almost feel like I'm over thinking the whole job.
Here's a rundown of what I'm suppose to be doing.
- Bring patient into room
- Pull up chart
- Start the chart with the reason for the visit and preliminary questions about the issue.
And here's the first problem. Abbreviations. I have to go through the person's chart from the following visit to see what they did the last time they were here. But if I read some abbreviation that I don't know for a diagnosis, then how am I suppose to ask followup questions.
Unfortunately it's not as easy as just asking the patient "What are you here for?" or "What did you do last time you were here?" because often there are a million different things that the patient was here. Cause in dermatology you must find as many little, insignificant problems that you can bill for.
On top of the abbreviations, there's the handwriting. If the office is going to have computers in every room, than why can't we just type all the notes in? I feel like that makes a lot more sense than printing out a new follow-up sheet every time, and then having to scan it into the system. The only draw back I see to doing this is that you wouldn't be able to draw on the nice little figure of people. But hell I've only seen those diagrams used once as is. But really, the doctor especially makes zero attempt at having legible handwriting. Not fair.
So after the preliminary stuff is written on the chart I then have to transcribe whatever it is the PA or physician says/does to the patient. This is where I'm finding the hardest time. I don't know if it's that I'm thinking about other things, or if I'm just retarded, but I never seem to pick up on what I'm suppose to write down. Or even when they specifically tell me what to write down a fall behind because I have to think to long about how to spell and medication of something, and I need them to then repeat it. Very frustrating.
The last major part of this job is getting treatments ready for the physician or PA. Am I like a moron or something for not knowing how to prepare an injection? Is this some kind of skill that I missed out on learning? I feel like everyone assumes I know how to change the needle on a syringe, or know what the name is for every tool. The answer is no I don't. And the only time I ever get any practice at it is when we're seeing patients and time is not to be wasted. So I end up looking like an idiot when I'm fumbling around to just get a freaking cortisone injection ready. UGH! God help me if they ever have me start doing injections.
This is not a difficult job. I really feel like I should be able to catch on to this faster. ROAR! And it's not like my co-workers aren't trying to teach me. They are, but I feel like it's my fault that I don't know how to do what they're telling me. They try to be supportive, but I don't accept praise well. I'm very self-deprecating.
At my interview I asked how long it generally takes for someone to get the hang of working in the office. I think they told me it generally takes 3 months to begin to get situated. I totally underestimated this learning curve. I really want to be useful and it's annoying me how freshmanic I am.
The job is... okay. It's rough goings since I really don't know how to do anything. Today was Day 7 and I feel like I've become more useless than I was Day 1. Is that even possible? I don't even know why I'm not catching on faster. I almost feel like I'm over thinking the whole job.
Here's a rundown of what I'm suppose to be doing.
- Bring patient into room
- Pull up chart
- Start the chart with the reason for the visit and preliminary questions about the issue.
And here's the first problem. Abbreviations. I have to go through the person's chart from the following visit to see what they did the last time they were here. But if I read some abbreviation that I don't know for a diagnosis, then how am I suppose to ask followup questions.
Unfortunately it's not as easy as just asking the patient "What are you here for?" or "What did you do last time you were here?" because often there are a million different things that the patient was here. Cause in dermatology you must find as many little, insignificant problems that you can bill for.
On top of the abbreviations, there's the handwriting. If the office is going to have computers in every room, than why can't we just type all the notes in? I feel like that makes a lot more sense than printing out a new follow-up sheet every time, and then having to scan it into the system. The only draw back I see to doing this is that you wouldn't be able to draw on the nice little figure of people. But hell I've only seen those diagrams used once as is. But really, the doctor especially makes zero attempt at having legible handwriting. Not fair.
So after the preliminary stuff is written on the chart I then have to transcribe whatever it is the PA or physician says/does to the patient. This is where I'm finding the hardest time. I don't know if it's that I'm thinking about other things, or if I'm just retarded, but I never seem to pick up on what I'm suppose to write down. Or even when they specifically tell me what to write down a fall behind because I have to think to long about how to spell and medication of something, and I need them to then repeat it. Very frustrating.
The last major part of this job is getting treatments ready for the physician or PA. Am I like a moron or something for not knowing how to prepare an injection? Is this some kind of skill that I missed out on learning? I feel like everyone assumes I know how to change the needle on a syringe, or know what the name is for every tool. The answer is no I don't. And the only time I ever get any practice at it is when we're seeing patients and time is not to be wasted. So I end up looking like an idiot when I'm fumbling around to just get a freaking cortisone injection ready. UGH! God help me if they ever have me start doing injections.
This is not a difficult job. I really feel like I should be able to catch on to this faster. ROAR! And it's not like my co-workers aren't trying to teach me. They are, but I feel like it's my fault that I don't know how to do what they're telling me. They try to be supportive, but I don't accept praise well. I'm very self-deprecating.
At my interview I asked how long it generally takes for someone to get the hang of working in the office. I think they told me it generally takes 3 months to begin to get situated. I totally underestimated this learning curve. I really want to be useful and it's annoying me how freshmanic I am.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Employment
I accepted a job offer today. That's fairly exciting. It's a Medical Assistant position at a Dermatology practice, where they're very focused on teaching the assistants. w00t! It was pretty quick too. I applied through Craig's List some time last week. Got an interview scheduled on Tuesday, interviewed today, got an offer 2 hours later. Pretty sweet. An hour after that I found out that I didn't get a job at the local hospital. It's cool though cause I was going to withdraw my application from there today anyway. Sitting in a room with one other person all night watching a computer monitor probably wouldn't offer the same teaching experience. Granted, it did offer twice the pay...
This all went totally according to plan. I wanted to have a job lined up at the end of the summer, and start right after my trip to California, and that's exactly how it worked out. My new philosophy of throwing everything against the wall until something sticks is proving quite effective.
Two of my friends are really pissed with me because my job search lasted all of 17 days, and I applied to a total of 6 jobs. They've applied to many more than that. I've got nothing in terms of comforting them.
This all went totally according to plan. I wanted to have a job lined up at the end of the summer, and start right after my trip to California, and that's exactly how it worked out. My new philosophy of throwing everything against the wall until something sticks is proving quite effective.
Two of my friends are really pissed with me because my job search lasted all of 17 days, and I applied to a total of 6 jobs. They've applied to many more than that. I've got nothing in terms of comforting them.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Update: Cablevision/Verizon
Today my grandma started making phone calls cause now she wants to switch our phone to Verizon. This would then complete the circle of bringing us back to EXACTLY from where we started.
I took charge this time and said, "No, I'm going to solve this problem without us switching again." So today I will be registering her pre-paid international call account. I WILL NOT SCHEDULE ANOTHER INSTALLATION FOR THIS HOUSE!!! ROOOOOOARRRRR
ps - Match.com and I made up.
I took charge this time and said, "No, I'm going to solve this problem without us switching again." So today I will be registering her pre-paid international call account. I WILL NOT SCHEDULE ANOTHER INSTALLATION FOR THIS HOUSE!!! ROOOOOOARRRRR
ps - Match.com and I made up.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Fuck You Match.com
Okay, so this really isn't Match.com's fault, but it pissed me off nonetheless. I'm not a paying member yet, but I was highly considering it when I saw this one guy and decided I would accumulate a list of people I would try to contact and then decide if it was enough people to warrant paying $40 for a month. Wouldn't you know it that the one guy who I really had my eye on, and looked like an active user ended up taking down his account no more than ONE DAY after I made note of him. I see the same freaking profiles on that website for MONTHS, and it's this one that decides to take it down.
This is why I don't want to join Match.com, because I'm terrified that none of these people with profiles are actually paying members, so it'll all be for nothing.
Whatever. I'm sure there will be more people that join in the future that I may have interest in. I'm going to put the whole thing on hold until after my trip to California (one week!), since I don't see a point in paying for a month when I'm going to be away for 25% of that time.
This is why I don't want to join Match.com, because I'm terrified that none of these people with profiles are actually paying members, so it'll all be for nothing.
Whatever. I'm sure there will be more people that join in the future that I may have interest in. I'm going to put the whole thing on hold until after my trip to California (one week!), since I don't see a point in paying for a month when I'm going to be away for 25% of that time.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Leviticus 20:13
"If a man lies with a man as with a women they shall both be put to death"
You've heard this all too common quote from the Bible proving that homosexuality is wrong.
Well, if I lie with men one way, and never lie with women that way, then I'm never lying with a man the way I do with a woman.
QED
Score one for the homos.
You've heard this all too common quote from the Bible proving that homosexuality is wrong.
Well, if I lie with men one way, and never lie with women that way, then I'm never lying with a man the way I do with a woman.
QED
Score one for the homos.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Why You Don't Get Involved
I meant to write about this a while ago, but I think I started writing about something else instead.
I may have mentioned that after graduation I moved in with my grandparents, who live in the same town as my family. I did this mainly because they have a very nice, finished basement that they never use and plenty of extra bedrooms. Basically, their house has space for me which my family's does not. The strange thing that happens when you go to college - your bed room disappears, but a storage rooms comes out of thin air.
One thing that my grandfather has always complained about what how long it takes for the TV to change the channel. This might seem like a nit picky complaint, but in all honesty it is kind of absurd. It has nothing to do with getting a new cable box, it's just that Cablevision (tv provider) sucks.
Recently, Verizon began offering TV/Internet/Phone service in our neighborhood and claimed that things that use to bother you like channel changing speed were not a problem with them. They also made claims that their picture was better, and internet faster. Since my grandparents already had Verizon for their phone service I suggested to them that we switch everything to Verizon. My grandfather totally supported this idea, since it meant that changing channels would speed up. My grandmother seemed somewhat indifferent to the change, especially because she rarely watches TV with a cable box. The cable box is the reason that there is a delay. But I told her that overall it was cheaper to have TV/Internet/Phone with one company, so she bit.
Verizon comes and completes their 6 hours installation. I have no idea what they were doing for 6 hours, all I know is I got a significant portion of Freakonomics done. My grandparents were away in Florida at the time so I had plenty of time to adjust to the new service, so that I could address any problems that they would undoubtedly come across.
The first day came of my grandparents and Verizon TV's coexisiting. As expected, there was an issue. My grandmother had called me into the kitchen and goes, "Oh Guy, do you know where MSNBC is on the channels? I can't seem to find it on this TV listing you gave me." I must admit that my heart dropped, because my grandmother isn't blind or stupid, and if she said the channel wasn't on that list, it probably wasn't. I went over the list and sure enough it wasn't there. I even went online in a vain attempt to try to figure out how this channel could be missing. Evidently, the NY-metro area doesn't offer MSNBC on Verizon because of an exclusive contract they have with Cablevision. Who else you may ask has this exclusive contract? No one. MSNBC is the only channel. I to this day do not understand why this contract would ever have come about. It's especially odd since the rest of the NBC/Universal channels are offered.
I digress.
I tell her that it's not being offered, and that I don't think it's likely to be added anytime soon. She seems rather upset by this, which I find somewhat odd cause I didn't think she ever watched anything other than Fox News or CNN. I then say I will switch it back as soon as she asks me to and that it won't be any problem. She tells me to talk it over with my grandfather before making in decision, since he of course is the Master of the World.
Later that night I go up to his bedroom and explain the little issue we've come across. His response: "I don't give a shit if I ever see that channel again." He clearly won a bet with Chris Matthews, which Matthews didn't own up to.
Grandma enters stage left.
Grandma: Oh Grandpa, we're not going to get MSNBC.
Grandpa: Yeah, so. You didn't like anything on it.
Grandma: They would have some good programs on once and a while. I would be a nice change.
Grandpa: But you hated all of the people on it.
Guy exits stage left, fearing the possible divorce of his grandparents.
The ruling came in the next day. Verizon was staying. I felt kind of bad for my grandmother, but everyone in the family told me not to stress about it and that she would adjust.
Adjust my asshole. I heard about how much she missed MSNBC every day. Any time anything was ever mentioned about the TV, MSNBC would surely be interjected.
Hey Guy, could you show me how to use the remote. Boy isn't is strange how we don't get MSNBC.
Oh Guy, the channels seemed to have changed. MAYBE MSNBC WAS ADD!!
Oh Guy, while you're on the phone with Verizon ask about MSNBC.
Shoot me in the face.
But no, the issues weren't isolated to just that. There was an even more annoying, universal problem. Bare with me as a try to explain this. The remote can control both the Cable Box and the TV separately. If the remote was in the CABLE function, then pressing POWER would turn on/off the TV and CABLE BOX. If the remote was in the TV function, then the POWER button would only turn on/off the TV. But sometimes when POWER was pressed in the CABLE function, it would only turn the BOX on, and if you hit it again, then the TV would turn on and BOX turn off. To change the functioning of the remote you simply either press TV or CABLE. Someone who understand the fundamentals of how the remote works can easily fix this problem. Someone who doesn't is lost forever having the TV turn on and the BOX turn off. My grandparents being of the Greatest Generation That Ever Lived, fell into the latter of the two.
Multiple times a day I would have to turn the TV on for them. 2AM sometimes. Explaining that there was a difference between the TV control and the BOX control was nothing but an exercise in futility, which I practiced regularly. But in all fairness, the remotes really didn't work the way they were suppose to. Even when I came up with the ingenious plan to always leave the BOX on and only turn on/off the TV the remotes still fucked things up. Le sigh.
7AM. Only one thing gets me up that early nowadays - clinical rotations. I'm suppose to be at the hospital at 9AM, but not before my daily dose of TV woes. I enter the kitchen to the all to familiar, "Oh Guy, the TV doesn't seem to be working." *drops head and sighs* "But I think it's just cause of the storm last night." I wasn't even aware there was a storm the night before, especially one strong enough to mess up the TV. Generally, I would accept this excuse created for me, but I knew something was up.
I go to Fox News at channel 81, but the TV automatically goes to 82. Odd. But 82 isn't even what it's suppose to be. I go into the den and everything is working fine. Odder still. I check the internet to see if there was a change in channels, (Which still doesn't explain why the channels are different on the TVs) but it doesn't say anything. I call Verizon and explain the issue and they tell me that they did in fact change the channels that day. So why is the den still going by the old numbers? No answer. Ugh Verizon, ugh. Whatever, I get it reset.
I get back from class later that day and I'm called into the den by my grandfather. He basically tells me we're going to switch back to Cablevision because they just don't have their act together. I explain that means back to channeling changing delays and such. Doesn't matter we're switching, but with a twist. We're getting Cablevision phone service also.
The end.
No, not the end of the story. Just this part.
I may have mentioned that after graduation I moved in with my grandparents, who live in the same town as my family. I did this mainly because they have a very nice, finished basement that they never use and plenty of extra bedrooms. Basically, their house has space for me which my family's does not. The strange thing that happens when you go to college - your bed room disappears, but a storage rooms comes out of thin air.
One thing that my grandfather has always complained about what how long it takes for the TV to change the channel. This might seem like a nit picky complaint, but in all honesty it is kind of absurd. It has nothing to do with getting a new cable box, it's just that Cablevision (tv provider) sucks.
Recently, Verizon began offering TV/Internet/Phone service in our neighborhood and claimed that things that use to bother you like channel changing speed were not a problem with them. They also made claims that their picture was better, and internet faster. Since my grandparents already had Verizon for their phone service I suggested to them that we switch everything to Verizon. My grandfather totally supported this idea, since it meant that changing channels would speed up. My grandmother seemed somewhat indifferent to the change, especially because she rarely watches TV with a cable box. The cable box is the reason that there is a delay. But I told her that overall it was cheaper to have TV/Internet/Phone with one company, so she bit.
Verizon comes and completes their 6 hours installation. I have no idea what they were doing for 6 hours, all I know is I got a significant portion of Freakonomics done. My grandparents were away in Florida at the time so I had plenty of time to adjust to the new service, so that I could address any problems that they would undoubtedly come across.
The first day came of my grandparents and Verizon TV's coexisiting. As expected, there was an issue. My grandmother had called me into the kitchen and goes, "Oh Guy, do you know where MSNBC is on the channels? I can't seem to find it on this TV listing you gave me." I must admit that my heart dropped, because my grandmother isn't blind or stupid, and if she said the channel wasn't on that list, it probably wasn't. I went over the list and sure enough it wasn't there. I even went online in a vain attempt to try to figure out how this channel could be missing. Evidently, the NY-metro area doesn't offer MSNBC on Verizon because of an exclusive contract they have with Cablevision. Who else you may ask has this exclusive contract? No one. MSNBC is the only channel. I to this day do not understand why this contract would ever have come about. It's especially odd since the rest of the NBC/Universal channels are offered.
I digress.
I tell her that it's not being offered, and that I don't think it's likely to be added anytime soon. She seems rather upset by this, which I find somewhat odd cause I didn't think she ever watched anything other than Fox News or CNN. I then say I will switch it back as soon as she asks me to and that it won't be any problem. She tells me to talk it over with my grandfather before making in decision, since he of course is the Master of the World.
Later that night I go up to his bedroom and explain the little issue we've come across. His response: "I don't give a shit if I ever see that channel again." He clearly won a bet with Chris Matthews, which Matthews didn't own up to.
Grandma enters stage left.
Grandma: Oh Grandpa, we're not going to get MSNBC.
Grandpa: Yeah, so. You didn't like anything on it.
Grandma: They would have some good programs on once and a while. I would be a nice change.
Grandpa: But you hated all of the people on it.
Guy exits stage left, fearing the possible divorce of his grandparents.
The ruling came in the next day. Verizon was staying. I felt kind of bad for my grandmother, but everyone in the family told me not to stress about it and that she would adjust.
Adjust my asshole. I heard about how much she missed MSNBC every day. Any time anything was ever mentioned about the TV, MSNBC would surely be interjected.
Hey Guy, could you show me how to use the remote. Boy isn't is strange how we don't get MSNBC.
Oh Guy, the channels seemed to have changed. MAYBE MSNBC WAS ADD!!
Oh Guy, while you're on the phone with Verizon ask about MSNBC.
Shoot me in the face.
But no, the issues weren't isolated to just that. There was an even more annoying, universal problem. Bare with me as a try to explain this. The remote can control both the Cable Box and the TV separately. If the remote was in the CABLE function, then pressing POWER would turn on/off the TV and CABLE BOX. If the remote was in the TV function, then the POWER button would only turn on/off the TV. But sometimes when POWER was pressed in the CABLE function, it would only turn the BOX on, and if you hit it again, then the TV would turn on and BOX turn off. To change the functioning of the remote you simply either press TV or CABLE. Someone who understand the fundamentals of how the remote works can easily fix this problem. Someone who doesn't is lost forever having the TV turn on and the BOX turn off. My grandparents being of the Greatest Generation That Ever Lived, fell into the latter of the two.
Multiple times a day I would have to turn the TV on for them. 2AM sometimes. Explaining that there was a difference between the TV control and the BOX control was nothing but an exercise in futility, which I practiced regularly. But in all fairness, the remotes really didn't work the way they were suppose to. Even when I came up with the ingenious plan to always leave the BOX on and only turn on/off the TV the remotes still fucked things up. Le sigh.
7AM. Only one thing gets me up that early nowadays - clinical rotations. I'm suppose to be at the hospital at 9AM, but not before my daily dose of TV woes. I enter the kitchen to the all to familiar, "Oh Guy, the TV doesn't seem to be working." *drops head and sighs* "But I think it's just cause of the storm last night." I wasn't even aware there was a storm the night before, especially one strong enough to mess up the TV. Generally, I would accept this excuse created for me, but I knew something was up.
I go to Fox News at channel 81, but the TV automatically goes to 82. Odd. But 82 isn't even what it's suppose to be. I go into the den and everything is working fine. Odder still. I check the internet to see if there was a change in channels, (Which still doesn't explain why the channels are different on the TVs) but it doesn't say anything. I call Verizon and explain the issue and they tell me that they did in fact change the channels that day. So why is the den still going by the old numbers? No answer. Ugh Verizon, ugh. Whatever, I get it reset.
I get back from class later that day and I'm called into the den by my grandfather. He basically tells me we're going to switch back to Cablevision because they just don't have their act together. I explain that means back to channeling changing delays and such. Doesn't matter we're switching, but with a twist. We're getting Cablevision phone service also.
The end.
No, not the end of the story. Just this part.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
You Can't Have It Both Ways
On the O'Reilly Factor I had the displeasure of learning of the existence of a woman named Laura Ingrham. The topic of discussion was on the Bejing Olympics, but she had to make her views on gays kissing on TV known, which was the topic of the segment before her. She was saying how disgusted she is with this song "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry. (awesome song) Specifically, she was outraged of some peck on the lips Whoopi Goldberg gave Katy Perry, during with award show. It was literally less intimate than how I kiss my grandmother. So fine, she's outraged about the gays taking over the air waves.
They move on to the main topic of Bejing, and more particularly how China is going to restrict internet access. The Chinese government is evidently not going allow guests to access certain websites, mainly pertaining to Tibet. Oh, how outraged she was that China would dare block access to these sites. You can't pretend that these people don't exist in Tibet. THEY MUST BE HEARD!
Ahem... Excuse me, but you were just saying before that there should be no homosexual acts allowed to be aired on TV, regardless of whether they're in jest or not. So I guess we should only censor the TV and internet as long as you're cool with it. Hey Laura, I guess you didn't catch this week's episode of Weeds. You know, where Silas is preforming full on cunnilingus on a significantly older woman. Granted it's Showtime, so they can get away with that more. But in this day and age Showtime is accessible to many a 12 year old.
I guess she's okay with minors hooking up with older women. Trust me honey, it's never happening for you. My gaydar tells me Silas (Hunter Parrish) is on my team. Sucks to be you. Stick to Army Wives. They probably get as much action as you do, minus when their husbands come home.
They move on to the main topic of Bejing, and more particularly how China is going to restrict internet access. The Chinese government is evidently not going allow guests to access certain websites, mainly pertaining to Tibet. Oh, how outraged she was that China would dare block access to these sites. You can't pretend that these people don't exist in Tibet. THEY MUST BE HEARD!
Ahem... Excuse me, but you were just saying before that there should be no homosexual acts allowed to be aired on TV, regardless of whether they're in jest or not. So I guess we should only censor the TV and internet as long as you're cool with it. Hey Laura, I guess you didn't catch this week's episode of Weeds. You know, where Silas is preforming full on cunnilingus on a significantly older woman. Granted it's Showtime, so they can get away with that more. But in this day and age Showtime is accessible to many a 12 year old.
I guess she's okay with minors hooking up with older women. Trust me honey, it's never happening for you. My gaydar tells me Silas (Hunter Parrish) is on my team. Sucks to be you. Stick to Army Wives. They probably get as much action as you do, minus when their husbands come home.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The Pilgrimage
My #1 Fag Hag and I are currently planning a trip to California. I was really hoping to save my money for a trip to Buenos Aires, but I doubt I will be able to afford it, or find someone to go with, so Cali will have to do.
Tentative Schedule:
Friday, Sept 5: Night flight to L.A.
Saturday: Sightsee - I personally have very little interest in L.A. but my hag insists
Sunday: Maybe check out a school for the hag
Drive to San Diego
Monday: San Diego Zoo and Sea World - sealllsssss!!!!!!
Tuesday: Beach Day, possible surfing lesson cause we're that cliché
Wednesday: Maybe check out another school
Drive to L.A.
Afternoon flight to San Francisco
Thursday: Sightsee in San Fran - I've been very resistant to SF because of feeling like a huge stereotype, but my dad says it's the best city of the three. I'm secretly petrified that I'm going to love it too much.
Friday: Alcatraz
Saturday: Red eye flight - allows for maximum hanging out in San Fran
I'm hoping that we're not going to be moving around too much. We wanted to see all three cities, and couldn't afford to spend too much time in any one place. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. But I warned my Hag that if I fall too desperately in love with any of those cities I would kill her because there is zero P.A. job market out there, and my current Goal City has an amazing P.A. job market.
Tentative Schedule:
Friday, Sept 5: Night flight to L.A.
Saturday: Sightsee - I personally have very little interest in L.A. but my hag insists
Sunday: Maybe check out a school for the hag
Drive to San Diego
Monday: San Diego Zoo and Sea World - sealllsssss!!!!!!
Tuesday: Beach Day, possible surfing lesson cause we're that cliché
Wednesday: Maybe check out another school
Drive to L.A.
Afternoon flight to San Francisco
Thursday: Sightsee in San Fran - I've been very resistant to SF because of feeling like a huge stereotype, but my dad says it's the best city of the three. I'm secretly petrified that I'm going to love it too much.
Friday: Alcatraz
Saturday: Red eye flight - allows for maximum hanging out in San Fran
I'm hoping that we're not going to be moving around too much. We wanted to see all three cities, and couldn't afford to spend too much time in any one place. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. But I warned my Hag that if I fall too desperately in love with any of those cities I would kill her because there is zero P.A. job market out there, and my current Goal City has an amazing P.A. job market.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Medical Post
I know you've been dying for a medical post. Well here it is.
For the EMT course we're required to learn how to take vitals, thus we need to own a blood pressure cuff. Also known as, sphygmomanometer. But that's an obnoxious word.
BP Cuff #1: Calibration is off. Readings are all too high. Needle doesn't zero.
BP #2: Needle gets stuck once it goes past 140.
BP #3: Replacement gauge for #2 isn't calibrated correctly. This time the needle goes past zero and starts at 300. All reads are too low.
Note to self: don't buy BP Cuffs from Wallgreens or Ebay ever again. I'll keep you updated as to whether I ever get a working BP cuff.
For the EMT course we're required to learn how to take vitals, thus we need to own a blood pressure cuff. Also known as, sphygmomanometer. But that's an obnoxious word.
BP Cuff #1: Calibration is off. Readings are all too high. Needle doesn't zero.
BP #2: Needle gets stuck once it goes past 140.
BP #3: Replacement gauge for #2 isn't calibrated correctly. This time the needle goes past zero and starts at 300. All reads are too low.
Note to self: don't buy BP Cuffs from Wallgreens or Ebay ever again. I'll keep you updated as to whether I ever get a working BP cuff.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Gay Moment
I feel like I have to apologize about the lack of medical-ness of this blog lately. But my medical life is somewhat static right now. I'm in my EMT class, but it's not really worth talking about. My applications for PA school are done, so until I get a job after the summer I guess medical talk is at a stand still.
Which brings me to my disclaimer: I apologize for going GAY two posts in a row.
If you live in California, please make sure you're registered to vote, and also please consider voting AGAINST the BAN on Gay Marriage. It's legal now, but not if this ban gets passed in the upcoming elections.
I don't even think anyone who reads the blog is from Cali. I do, however, have a friend who is, and I asked him to make sure he's registered and to vote. He said that he probably wasn't going to because "it doesn't really matter to me much." Wow, thanks a lot jackass. I let it slide at the moment, but I'm going to call him out on it soon.
Which brings me to my disclaimer: I apologize for going GAY two posts in a row.
If you live in California, please make sure you're registered to vote, and also please consider voting AGAINST the BAN on Gay Marriage. It's legal now, but not if this ban gets passed in the upcoming elections.
I don't even think anyone who reads the blog is from Cali. I do, however, have a friend who is, and I asked him to make sure he's registered and to vote. He said that he probably wasn't going to because "it doesn't really matter to me much." Wow, thanks a lot jackass. I let it slide at the moment, but I'm going to call him out on it soon.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
So This is the Single's Life
One of my top priorities this summer/"year off" was to make some kind of attempt to have a dating life. Although I'm doing slightly better than anticipated, that's still not saying much. I didn't really think I was going to make it to my first gay bar, or start online conversation with strangers. But sometimes I surprise myself.
Going to bars is kind of rough when you don't have anyone to go to bars with, or going with straight girls - that actually draws some strange glares. I've scoured the online dating/gay community thing and I'm not seeing a ton of winners. You wouldn't believe the absolute man whores that are out there. Seriously, do you think being shirtless and looking like an coke addict is suppose to be a turn on? I know it's common for the gays to go through a slutty stage, but I've always been advance for my age, and I'm choosing to skip that grade.
My biggest problem seems to be my location. Living in the suburbs isn't exactly prime real estate for single, college graduate, gay guys. I have a very, very major city nearby, (hint: scroll down a couple of posts) but who the hell wants a 40 minute commute for casual dating? All this tempts me to move to the city, but that's too impractical for me. I'm most likely going to be able to find a job around here after I get my EMT. I'm living rent free. And since I'm planning on going to school next year (and year after) it's probably smarter to save my money, than spend it on rent and other expenses.
I get really excited when I do searches for guys in Dream City. I see lots of desirable guys. But, alas, they are 4 hours away. It also makes me really nervous that this is my only chance to meet these guys. This is irrational though. There is no reason to believe that there won't be an equal variety of desirable men in 1-3 year to come.
So the future looks bright, but where does that leave me in the present? I hate the single's world already. Am I really just going to be sitting in relationship limbo for the next year?
Going to bars is kind of rough when you don't have anyone to go to bars with, or going with straight girls - that actually draws some strange glares. I've scoured the online dating/gay community thing and I'm not seeing a ton of winners. You wouldn't believe the absolute man whores that are out there. Seriously, do you think being shirtless and looking like an coke addict is suppose to be a turn on? I know it's common for the gays to go through a slutty stage, but I've always been advance for my age, and I'm choosing to skip that grade.
My biggest problem seems to be my location. Living in the suburbs isn't exactly prime real estate for single, college graduate, gay guys. I have a very, very major city nearby, (hint: scroll down a couple of posts) but who the hell wants a 40 minute commute for casual dating? All this tempts me to move to the city, but that's too impractical for me. I'm most likely going to be able to find a job around here after I get my EMT. I'm living rent free. And since I'm planning on going to school next year (and year after) it's probably smarter to save my money, than spend it on rent and other expenses.
I get really excited when I do searches for guys in Dream City. I see lots of desirable guys. But, alas, they are 4 hours away. It also makes me really nervous that this is my only chance to meet these guys. This is irrational though. There is no reason to believe that there won't be an equal variety of desirable men in 1-3 year to come.
So the future looks bright, but where does that leave me in the present? I hate the single's world already. Am I really just going to be sitting in relationship limbo for the next year?
Friday, July 11, 2008
Throwing It Out There
Can I just say how sick and tired I am of hearing all of this celebrity "news?" And more specifically I'm sick about hearing how this girls boobs are weird looking, this girl has too many freckles, this one has cellulite and this one is in rehab again. Can you blame any of them for having substance abuse problems when you have these kinds of jackasses talking nothing but shit about them? I seriously am fucking sick of it.
This one DJ, JJ on z100 (New York), does nothing but trash on all these girls. I fucking hate him. Well, I also hate him cause I think he's an awkward ass DJ, but that's besides the point. As far as I'm concerned his just a fatter, hairy, uglier version of Perez Hilton. And Perez is by no means a looker. Oh and he's always wearing these stupid ass do-rags. You know why? Cause he's totally bald. JJ, you're a white slob. You're not fooling anyone.
I'm now going to refuse to listen to Z100 while he's on the air.
This one DJ, JJ on z100 (New York), does nothing but trash on all these girls. I fucking hate him. Well, I also hate him cause I think he's an awkward ass DJ, but that's besides the point. As far as I'm concerned his just a fatter, hairy, uglier version of Perez Hilton. And Perez is by no means a looker. Oh and he's always wearing these stupid ass do-rags. You know why? Cause he's totally bald. JJ, you're a white slob. You're not fooling anyone.
I'm now going to refuse to listen to Z100 while he's on the air.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Post-College Depression
I feel as if a lot of my friends who just graduated college are becoming really depressed. I wish I knew how to help them out but I don't. It all makes me feel like I should be depressed, but I'm not. Sure I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I realize that it all takes time and that life changes. You can't have super specific goal that if not achieved will ruin your life. If you keep general goals that you are constantly moving towards then it gives you a feeling of accomplishment. The hard part is figuring out that goal you want to move towards. I think a sense of productivity helps a great deal when combatting depression. And once a goal is met you shouldn't become static. Keep things fresh and have new things you want to accomplish. I'm accepting the fact that I probably will not want to work in medicine forever. I'm too scattered to stay in one profession. I accept this, and don't plan on freaking out if after 10 years in medicine I want to do something new. I need to find projects for my friends.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Disturbia
Which is more distubring?
#1 - Last night I have a bunch of people over. I go into the bathroom and see the tooth paste tube out and squeezed from the middle. I never squeeze from the middle. Also it should have been in the drawer. On top of this I feel my tooth brush and it's wet, and I hadn't used it since that morning. Someone used my tooth brush. Who does that?
#2 - I go to the dermatologist today for my yearly body scan. I'm very, very Irish, and very, very pale with many moles even though my skin never sees the sun. (That made me sound gross) So my PA whom I've gone to for over 5 years and love asks me why I never followed up on my positive biopsy from last year. I earnestly tell her that I never knew it came back positive. She told me that they sent something home and called. I tell her that I had definitely been aware to look for something in the mail, but they send something home regardless of the results. I also told her that she had told me they would call me with positive results and I definitely never got a call. She then goes, "Oh, yeah. There's no note here that they called." She then shows me my chart at the spot it would be written in.
Thank God she told me that they were just abnormal cells that needed to be removed, but not serious. Leaves me to assume they're basal carcinomas. I really should have asked, but she said not to worry, so I guess I left my guard down. I looked up what basal cells look like on the back, and it's basically exactly what was on my back - a blotchy, light brown, ill-defined bordered lesion. It was not super dark, as typical melanoma.
My mom is pissssssssed. I'm kind of indifferent, which is probably a bad thing. I'm chalking it up to a lesson learned - always call to hear the results of your tests, don't assume they'll call you.
Thoughts?
#1 - Last night I have a bunch of people over. I go into the bathroom and see the tooth paste tube out and squeezed from the middle. I never squeeze from the middle. Also it should have been in the drawer. On top of this I feel my tooth brush and it's wet, and I hadn't used it since that morning. Someone used my tooth brush. Who does that?
#2 - I go to the dermatologist today for my yearly body scan. I'm very, very Irish, and very, very pale with many moles even though my skin never sees the sun. (That made me sound gross) So my PA whom I've gone to for over 5 years and love asks me why I never followed up on my positive biopsy from last year. I earnestly tell her that I never knew it came back positive. She told me that they sent something home and called. I tell her that I had definitely been aware to look for something in the mail, but they send something home regardless of the results. I also told her that she had told me they would call me with positive results and I definitely never got a call. She then goes, "Oh, yeah. There's no note here that they called." She then shows me my chart at the spot it would be written in.
Thank God she told me that they were just abnormal cells that needed to be removed, but not serious. Leaves me to assume they're basal carcinomas. I really should have asked, but she said not to worry, so I guess I left my guard down. I looked up what basal cells look like on the back, and it's basically exactly what was on my back - a blotchy, light brown, ill-defined bordered lesion. It was not super dark, as typical melanoma.
My mom is pissssssssed. I'm kind of indifferent, which is probably a bad thing. I'm chalking it up to a lesson learned - always call to hear the results of your tests, don't assume they'll call you.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Alive
I'm alive. I successfully graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science. I'm currently taking an EMT course in hopes of working in an ER at the end of the summer as an ER tech. The class makes me kind cry because of how much I already know. Why cry? Cause I'm bored shitless and they dumb everything down so much that it hurts. The entire human anatomy in 2 hours? Sweeet...
I know. I'm a cocky jackass.
I know. I'm a cocky jackass.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Job Results
So I didn't get that job I interviewed for. They told me today that they found someone else to fill the position. Today I checked Craig's List for more jobs and I'm fairly sure they reposted the job opening because it specifically had two very different locations and job responsibilities for criteria. So basically even when I'm compared against no one I'm not wanted as a worker. Fucking swell.
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