office – It's Been Real!

My Busy Just Got Busier

I find myself apologizing again to my readers for not writing. First, I accidentally posted something on Sunday when I meant to schedule it for Monday. Oops, my bad! Then, Monday was school and then I went in early to the office. We were busy from the moment I got there to the moment we closed. The same thing basically happened on Tuesday as well. It was a little bit crazier though. We saw a patient from hygiene, and that put us behind by a little, then two patients later was about 25 minutes late and we still saw him (which pissed me off), and then we were behind the rest of the night.

This morning, class was off the walls as people talked about random sh*t, my teacher disappearing when being summoned by my other teacher, and an awards ceremony (that always annoys me and is a waste of time). Needless to say, not a lot of stuff got done, and now I have a mere two hours to do stuff before I have to go to work at the restaurant this evening. Ugh! Too much! It’s too much! [Please come back later ——– Mental breakdown imminent ——– Holding ——–]

And on that note, it’s been real!

Rise & Sh-! Shut Up!

I’m sure I’m not the only person who is feeling tired this time of year. Every day when my alarm goes off at 6:00, I yawn, stretch, and try to wake myself up as much as possible. Once I get out of my bed, it’s easier.

My younger sister jokes that I’m an old lady now because of my self-imposed curfew. I’m showered and all ready for bed and even climbing into bed a little after 9:00. But, I stay up till a little after 10:00 playing Temple Run 2 on my Kindle, then reading whatever book catches my fancy from my shelf. Then, the Melatonin kicks in, the yawns increase, and the sleep mask comes down.

The only days I don’t have to set an alarm (unless I’ve got someplace to be) are Saturdays and Sundays. I sleep like a dead person and rise whenever I feel like it (but always before 11:00). However, on the days I do have get up early, I wish instead to be like the puppy above, all cuddly and snug in my bed. Maybe next week, since it’s a holiday week…

And on that note, it’s been real!

Swivel, Girl! Swivel!

My chair rolls and swivels. It’s literally the best. I can sitting in the operatory, waiting for my doctor, and if the patient doesn’t want to talk, or I don’t want to talk, I swivel and roll. At the front (when I have the displeasure of working up there), my high-backed chair can spin around so fast, I can make myself dizzy. At school, I have a little roller stool that I can use when I’m bored/done with everything and am waiting for others to finish. That and reading on my phone (not going to lie).

Chairs can say something. The chair that sits in front of this laptop, has been with me for almost ten years. I remember scraping together quarters, dimes, and nickels in order to pay for it. It is breaking and peeling and the arms are almost ragged now. Every piece of knitwear that I have catches on it and pulls.

The chair tells a story. It has been with me for three novels, a set of short mystery stories, two term papers, a screenwriting class, and now, a new novel. This chair his swiveled and rolled with me through a lot. And I will be very sad when the time finally comes to give it up.

And on that note, it’s been real!

I’m Not a Loner; I’m Just Allergic to Stupidity

Most people saw me sitting by myself when I went to my vo-tech in high school. I was home schooled during the morning, then went to my tech school in the early afternoon. Of course, I was the only home schooled girl in my class, and all the public school girls brought their drama. They talked about things that were too much to say in such company. Needless to say, I was not interested in listening to their unsavory discussions, so I asked my teacher if I could sit off on my own and listen to music on my phone. I didn’t make a lot of friends with girls in my class. I was actually friendly with several kids who weren’t in my class, but were in my Skills USA group. They talked about similar topics with me, and were smarter than my fellow classmates and more polite.

I’ve never been patient with stupid/uncultured people. My father’s tendencies (which he passed onto me) do not allow for that. With a few exceptions, I don’t really work with stupid people. All my siblings are like me; some to lesser extents, but they still have it. We practice on each other to sharpen our repartee and our sardonic wit. At my restaurant, I have to deal with stupid customers, not stupid coworkers. However, when I go to the dentist, I pray that the front desk won’t f*ck up my doctor’s schedule. If they do, that’s when I pray to God to give me the strength not to kill them, and to protect my IQ level.

The meme that’s above? I found it while just looking for funny quotes to make me laugh. I showed it to my younger sister, who is just as ruthless as I am, and she burst out cackling. Sometimes that’s all it takes to lift my spirit if I’m feeling down. Laughter is a medicine in and of itself. Sarcasm is just a specific type of antibiotic for life.

And on that note, it’s been real!

Single, With Jobs (and Parents)

Unlike some people out in the world, I don’t have a lot of time to waste or potter about. And everybody thinks I do. I hate it when I’m sitting at home, and it’s my one day off (Sunday), and I hear my dad say, “M/N isn’t doing anything. Have her do it.” Um… no. Emphatically and really and truly no. Whenever this happens, my mom will come to get me, but she always gets a slightly sarcastic reply.

She’ll tell me my dad wants me to make a salad, and I’ll say, “Oh? I guess men are physically incapable of making a salad.” I don’t mean all men when I say this; just my brothers. They drink beer, smoke cigars, and talk, but are unable to make a salad. It’s actually quite funny.

Another funny thing that happened to me, but this was several years ago. We were (all eight of us) sitting and eating dinner, and my dad leaned in between me and one of elder brothers to reach something. In order to make room for him, I had to tilt my chair to one side. My brother just stayed where he was. As my dad was reaching (more over me than him), he said, “Sorry, [my brother’s name]. I’ll get out your way in a second.” I just started laughing and everyone looked at me like I was crazy. I apologized, while laughing maniacally, and I explained after my dad left why I had started laughing. Both my sisters agreed that it was funny. Nothing against my brothers (really), but the situation was humorous.

As for the jobs, they’re going pretty good. I finished my second module at school with good grades and my teacher told me I was doing very well. As for my unofficial internship at my old office, I know that one of my doctors is kind of in need of an assistant. I offered and she said she would most certainly keep me in mind. I like helping her and my regular doctor. Actually, last week, my mentor stepped out of the room and let me help the dentist on my own. We did a space maintainer, filling, and extraction on a child (who was so good for us), and a silver and white filling on an adult. I am glad he did that; for it shows the faith he has in me. However, Friday, I couldn’t go in because I had conjunctivitis, or in lay man’s terms: pink eye. Yay! Took my drops and tried to make myself appear as normal as possible.

Then, at the restaurant, my manager called me over and said, “So, you know you have to dress up next Friday?” I nodded because it’s the Friday before Halloween. He immediately added, “You have to be Goku.” If I didn’t have wonderful self-control (sometimes), I would have lost my sh*t.

“Nope, not doing Goku.”

“Why not? You’ve got a week.”

“Because I’ve only got a week, and I hate Dragon Ball Z.” Arrow through his heart, anime style. I’ll just resurrect an old Tekko costume. It’s cheaper and I already have it; why not in hell use it?! Anywhoo, that’s my single life with jobs (and parents). Oh, Al Bundy! You’re an inspiration to all of us!

And on that note, it’s been real!

Life & Lemons

Everyone has heard the saying, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.” A lot of people live by that philosophy. I’m not one of them. Life has given me some lemons over the years, and actually, quite a few this year alone. But, I tend to go with the philosophy of Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes. His saying is as follows, “If life gives you lemons, you sling ’em back and add a few of your own.”

Even though I know when the New Year comes around, I’ll be thinking about all the bad stuff that happened all through out the year over again, I’m thinking about it right now. Personal issues between my sister and father, and him trying to get us to ostracize her; getting screwed on my vacation/other appointments because of a twit; the IRS scam call that scared me to death; drama at the office and etc. etc.

But, I guess I also have to focus on the good things. Spending a few days with my older sister and being free; going to Cedar Point with my sibs and friends; my anime conventions; my mentor at the dentist, etc. etc. I guess in a way, I have slung my lemons back at life and told it to go f*ck itself.

And on that note, it’s been real!

The World is F*cked Up

So last week, I mentioned that some things were going on at the office that I work at that was some cause for concern. As it turns out, I was right. I went into work on Friday morning, hoping for a normal day. I assisted my doctor with his first patient basically by myself, because my friend was stuck in traffic. After that, I heard that the hygienist was having a meeting with one of the doctors, our manager, and another woman (who thinks she’s some big shot, but isn’t).

A little later, I heard that she had been told she probably needed to transfer to another office because she and my doctor’s assistant are going to be getting married next February. Needless to say, that was a load of crock. Everyone in the office knew that she and he had been dating, and they had all found out when he had proposed and she accepted. Now all of a sudden, it was a problem? It was just convenient for management, that’s what it was. The hygienist was devastated that after seventeen years of loyal service and bringing in money for this office, she was just going to be written off like that. And all because some sensitive people don’t know how to handle problems like adults.

I have known this hygienist for three years and she works hard. Yes, she’s fallen behind sometimes, and it has annoyed me, but we’ve never gotten so angry with each other that we have even really argued about anything. She is being pushed aside in favor of people who haven’t been there as long as she has, and who don’t work as hard as she does. It makes me sick how the bureaucracy works.

She called me yesterday to talk and get some advice. I told her to contact HR, because I know my manager didn’t do that. If she had, somebody would have reached out to the hygienist by now, but nobody has. She said she would. This needs to be given to people outside the office, who are not biased because they know people there. I hope that it will be handled accordingly, but… I have my doubts. Very rarely does anything in the real world work in favor for the victim.

And on that note, it’s been real!

DRAMA: Damn Repulsive Attitude Maintenance Adjustment

Apparently the shit has metaphorically hit the fan at work this past week. I went into work on Monday night, but suffered from a stomach cramp on Tuesday, so I didn’t go in. On Wednesday night, I went out for a drink with the receptionist I trained. We met at a local restaurant and she told me something that happened on Tuesday when I was out.

The assistant who is training me and one of the hygienists have not been getting along with the two front desk ladies, and had been talking about them behind their backs, and smiling whenever they dealt with them. I don’t like talking shit behind somebody’s back. I’m more likely to just ignore them entirely. Anyway, the dipshit one confronted her in her room when she didn’t have a patient and asked her what the problem was. The hygienist played dumb, and I wouldn’t have done that if I were her. I would have been honest and told her what the problem was. The receptionist mentioned the name calling and the general bad mouthing; but then she also mentioned the Facebook pictures she stupidly posted of her ‘vacation’. She said that we, the hygienist and I, tried to get her fired. The hygienist apparently started screaming, regardless of patients in the office. A dentist heard, and then there was a meeting downstairs.

I am grateful my girl told me advance, otherwise I would have been surprised going in last night. If anything was said to me directly or if I was dragged into a meeting, I’ll be sure to post something about it on Monday. If the moron receptionist tries to talk to me about the pictures and getting her fired (I think I know who blabbed about it too), I’ll be sure to give her a piece of my mind. And I hope she chokes on it.

And on that note, it’s been real!

Let My Fist Meet Your Face

Alright, so Friday from 8:00-3:00, I was at my dentist office, training and working and getting knowledge. My doctor came in at 9:00, so I worked sterilization, set up his room, and made sure all the materials were present for a crown prep. His schedule was full all morning, but he only had one person in the afternoon after our lunch. Myself and the other assistant were kind of hoping to leave a little early (I did have an errand to run before my second job, and he had to finish packing for moving). We were in the middle of doing the patient after lunch, when one of the receptionists put a patient’s chart into our bin. She had added somebody to our schedule. It was a crown insert, but neither me, or the other assistant knew where the crown was. He immediately went up from and asked them where it was. I was just as annoyed as him by it. Never call a patient, tell them their appliance is in the office, without to checking to see if it’s actually there! We were getting ready to have them call the patient back and reschedule, when the lab case was finally produced. I was still very annoyed.

The second blunder was a walk-in that was slapped into the schedule. Now, I know I’ve said in a previous post that walk-ins are the dumbest people around for not using their phones and making official appointments like normal folks. This grandma came in and was complaining about a cold sore on her lip, and the receptionist put her in my doctor’s schedule. I almost had a coronary. I never allowed walk-ins (with stupid requests) to slide into the schedule. Why? Because I wasn’t about the waste the doctor’s time when the person could just go to a pharmacy and get cold sore cream! My doctor saw her, and she did spend most of the appointment, talking to him about every day sh*t.

Then, the manager grabbed me and the other assistant, saying the front desk was getting a negative aura from us. Myself and the other assistant were confused. We asked her to clarify and she said, “They feel like you’re angry at them for doing their jobs.” No, I’m not mad at them for doing their jobs; I’m mad at them for doing their jobs wrong!

I don’t know which one spoke up about the ‘negative ambiance’, but I intend to find out and set some records straight. That conversation ticked me off on Friday, and I believe that me and the other assistant got our wrists slapped for no reason. Take the blame, don’t shift the blame.

And on that note, it’s been real!

Let My Pens Go!

If there is one thing that always ticks me off, it’s when somebody steals my pen(s). I’m a bit of a pen snob and can’t have just any pens. I always have to get the Uniball Gel Pens. They write so smooth and they are like my babies. However, when I was working more often at the dentist office, people would always take my pens and never return them. It got to the point where I would reach for my pen holder, and I wouldn’t have anymore pens. That made me a little ornery. I started getting more pens and then putting my name on them. That, or sarcastic ‘don’t take, or else’ phrases on sticky labels on the pens. This way, even if they did take my pens, I can easily identify them.

But, the pen thieves still strike and take my pens and I have to go hunting for them. I legitimately have a pen-phobia, but that’s preferred to some other phobias out there. People sometimes think I’m weird when I walk up to them and say, “Can I please have my pen back?” or “I know you have my pen,” or “You done with that?” I can go on and on and on. But, I won’t do that to you. You guys haven’t stolen my pens… yet.

And on that note, it’s been real!