Cleanliness and the doctor's office

Ok - Don't you think that the one office you would think would be clean - would be a doctor's office? With all the anitbacterial crap and disinfectant around - I just think the office I work in would be clean. AH - not so much at the OB/GYN office I work at. Oh sure - the patient rooms and bathrooms are clean - but if you take a step into the back office and kitchen and bathroom area - you would be disgusted.
Let me paint you a picture of our kitchen area. Last Thursday, we had a pot luck for two of the doctors here. Today is Tuesday - the pot luck was 5 days ago. There are still crock pots and dishes on the counter (they are cleaned out - that is a plus). There are plastic cups left on the table and a piece of cake left in a cake box that I am just sure has to do be harder and more lethal than a damn brick by now. Yesterday - we had our usual Monday Morning Goodie delivery - fry bread and this brownie/cake thing with peanut butter swirled on top. We also had a drup rep come in yesterday with lunch - Subway sammies, chips and another cake. AARRGGGHHH - we have had a lot of food lately - lol!!!
Anyway - here is what the lunch room looks like today. Picture the above mentioned remains of the potluck, combined with chip bags on the table, an empty cake box (from the drug rep's cake) and that damn brownie thing (which evidentally crumbles easily) scattered EVERY FRIGGIN WHERE. It's on the floor, on the table and I am pretty sure it is now ground into the carpet in the hall. And don't GET me started on the microwave - that almost the nastiest thing I have ever seen - I'm sure it could qualify for some scientific experiment.

OK - let me take you on a trip into the bathroom. It is used by everyone in the office, including the doctors. It could be a nice bathroom - a huge tiled room where the sink is and there is a small coffee table. Then off to the left is the potty and a shower. Sounds nice - right? Let me change your mind:
That coffee table - COVERED IN JUNK. There is a small pile of towels (we will address this in a minute - see the potty section below). There is a make-up bag with toothpaste (some caked on the side of the tube), some femine products, a comb and hair pick that have something crusty on them, there are two bottles of hairspray, a bottle of mouthwash and the occasional soda can left behind.
The sink is the only thing I can say is pretty good. The soap dispenser, which should dispense this nasty antibacterial, sperm looking substance is broken and there is a bottle of soap on the sink from a drug rep.
NOW - we get to the potty/shower area. The potty is fine. On the hand rail sits a bottle of air sanitizer and the occasional femine product. As you sit on the potty - you can peer into the shower. There are five or six bottles of different shampoos in there and I am pretty sure there is no soap. In beween the potty and the shower - there is this washbasket. It is that washbasket that started this whole venting about the cleanliness of this office. This washbasket is FULL, actually overflowing with towels and I think a lab coat or two. I am really kinda scared to look.
Now I started in this office at the beginning of October 2005. It is now, for all purposes, the beginning of February. That is 4 FREAKIN MONTHS. That washbasket has never been cleaned out since I started. It is the same nasty, funky pile of smelly towels. Why am I the only one who cares about this. I constantly spray the damn basket with the air sanitizer because it is so funky! I have actually taken to using the bathroom in the hall outside our office.

Oh well - what can a person do? I keep on job hunting for something different - that's all I can do!

On Hold AGAIN!

As my bestest friend said the other day:
An hour and 4+ minutes on hold with the VA
12 minutes to talk with a human to get what I needed
Time to BLOG = Priceless~
(of course I didn't blog that day - I had a headache - so I cleaned out my email and surfed Reba's website!)

It isn't that bad yet - only 5 minutes in (for now) but I thought I could get on here and blog - but now - writers block - lol!!! Oh well! They answered - so I guess it is on with work!

OK - it is hours later and I am still playing the "on hold" game! What I don't get is why, when you call an insurance company to speak with someone about a claims status - the lovely on hold person tells you that "for your convenience - you can go to our website to research your claim" - and then when you go on the website - and IF you are lucky enough to find the claim - it FREAKIN tells you that your claim needs "special attention" and to please contact a representative at the number listed below!!!!!!!!! What the hell is that about? I mean really! Then I get a hold of someone at the insurance company and she is a complete BITCH! I'm not impressed today!

Just call me "Snores-a-lot"

And that is Mrs. Snores-a-lot = thank you very much!

Let me just say - last nite - my husband got on my bad side - and he didn't just do it once. Here are some snipets of some of our conversations last nite. And all of these took place with my son standing right there and laughing his little 9 year old ass off! My husband was in a particularly funky mood!

First one:

Husband: OMG - it smells in here

Me: what?

Husband: Yeah - I think mommy opened her mouth (husband acts surprised then laughs his ass off)

Me: (GLARE)

Second one:

Husband: You should hear your mom at nite - she snores so loud!

Me: And you don't???

Husband: Not like that = son = your mom snores soooo loud - she could wake the dead -- keeps me awake all nite! Then you whisper "honey" and she answers you! What is that?

Me: shut up!

Husband: (walks over to son and bends to whisper something in his ear) This is what it sounds like: ZZZZZZZZZZZ. And you can't get away from it! She is like a friggin heat seaking missle - then she attaches herself to you and snores right in your ear!!!

ME: not at all funny. (glaring to make it perfectly clear I was pissed)

Husband: I'm just joking! Don't take it bad!

Ok - help me out here -- am I wrong to be a little irritated? Maybe it was just that I was tired or the way both my husband and my son were getting a HUGE kick out of making fun of me! But you know what? I barely slept last nite thinking I was keeping my husband awake! AARRGGHH!!!

The Great Temperature Debate

OMG I think I am gonna melt!!!! OKIE DOKIE - let me first start by saying - I'm not amuzed = not in the least! I think I need to put on a bathing suit (which, trust me, would not be a pretty picture) in order to deal with the rising temperatures in my office.

I will try to describe to you my office surroundings. Picture this:
I share my office with another lady - who is not in the office on Wednedays - so I can listen to the radio or whatever music I care to without worry. The lobby is off to the right of my office and the front desk is directly in front of my office. Now if you remember - I work in an OB/GYN office - therefore - there is inevitably children in the lobby that are usually not at all happy to be here. OK - to the left of my office is an identical office in which two other ladies reside. And our two offices share a thermostat.
It seems that these two ladies in the adjacent office think we live in the Friggin North Pole.

Here is what happens on a daily basis - we play thermostat tag. And today it must be bad cuz evidentally when I close the door to my office - cuz it is damn noisy out there (plus I can listen to my music) - it makes the thermo turn off and therefore freezes the other ladies - of course - I don't think their office is all that cold -- but what the hell do I know? The one lady who came in here to turn up the thermo was really drama queened out - had her jacket on and a scarf around her neck. It was the best drama queen moment I have seen in a long ass time! I swear if she could have pulled it off - there would have been icicles hanging off her nose!!

**SIGH** Oh well = I guess - even if it is the middle of the freakin winter - I will be wearing t-shirts and tank tops at work. Here is where layering is put to the ultimate test!!!

My son - got in trouble at school and I am so proud!

My son is a fiesty nine year old who is addicted to Star Wars and is an up and coming NASCAR fan! He gets in trouble quite a bit at school. He carries around a notebook at school and has to have his teachers inital each activity with how he was.
Last week he came home with this notebook - most of the week was awesome! Then on Wednesday, he comes home saying he was almost in a fight!!! My little son wanted to beat someone up! I couldn't imagine what made him so mad - usually he is not one to hurt someone else. But when I found out why he wanted to do this - I have to say - I was so proud!
Turns out there was another little kid (who I just used to think was a sweet kiddo) who got in my son's face and called my husband a pig and called me a fatso! My son was going to kick this boy's ass to defend his parents! Of course he got the "it's not right to hurt other people" talk - but we didn't punish him!
Truth be known - my husband and I had a "high five" moment over it!

Conversation later that nite about the possibility of taking my son and my husband to movie nite at the school!

Hubby: "I was hoping that I could talk Fatso into taking the pig and your son to a movie"

Me: "Fatso thinks maybe we could work that out piggy"!

Snowy Sunday

Well = it is Sunday - laundry and chore day. But - it is snowing FINALLY and very pretty! I'm sitting at the computer when I should be doing a whole list of other things - not the least of which are laundry and getting on that lovely torture machine sitting next to me (my treadmill). And trust me - I really should be getting on that machine! But I am being somewhat lazy - playing internet games, listening to the NFL playoff game that will determine who my beloved Denver Bronco's will play next week. Did you see the game last nite - OMG - we kicked the Patriot's butts! No 11 in a row for them!

Like I said - it is snowing outside for the first time this season. And you should see wonder dog in it! It is his first official snow and he is not at all sure what the hell to think of it! We took him outside and after much consideration on his part - he finally got out it in then preceeded to try to catch every single flake that was coming down! He gave up very fast tho - I mean hell - it is pretty darn cold out there! He has decided that it sure is interesting to watch from the living room window! What a life he has - he is chewing on a pig ear, sitting on the couch next to dad and watching the snow! *sigh* The life of a dog - well minus the pig ear of course!

It seems that the only excersize I am going to get today is getting up off the chair at the computer for two reasons =
1. the dryer is calling my name
2. my husband is yelling something at the game and I gotta see what the hell is going on!
That's ok with me - it is "that special time of the month" - I'm bitchy and crampy and really not at all in the mood! Does it count if you think about it?

Friday the 13th!

I love Friday the 13th - it has always been a fun, and sometimes lucky day for me! So many people think it is a bad thing. Do we know where that came from? I found an article that talks about the fact that the number 13 - corresponding with the 6th day of the week are just foreboding and date back to ancient times. Whatever it is - alot of people do not like Friday the 13th!
Here - check this out!
http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th.htm

Here at work - I have to admit - we are having a few weird issues. The copier is down with an error no one has seen before, the printer at the front desk was making horrid noises for the past week - the printer guy came to fix it and just sort of pushed the supply tray in and laughed - then as soon as he left the stupid printer ate a piece of paper and we couldn't find it - lmao - had to call the printer guy back again! Then to top it all off - it is a full moon!

Gotta love it!

Life in somewhat Rural Colorado

I would like to first go on record stating that I grew up in Arizona - where the only wildlife we came in contact with was quail - and we used to gun for them in our cars. I now live in a somewhat rural city in Colorado near the Utah border. Hell - in the spring time we have bears come down from the mountain to check out what our town has to offer!

The funniest thing happened this afternoon! The radio announcer came on the air, around 3pm, and said that if you were going to travel downtown this afternoon - you might want to reconsider because the police were chasing a couple of rowdy suspects through the downtown area. Traffic was standing still - and it was a crazy place right now. Come to find out - two cows are touring the main street area!!! To me - this is just about the funniest thing today - not because of two cows downtown - hell = more power to 'em - I hope they enjoy themselves == but because of the ensuing conversation I had with my bestest friend ever - you all know her as Crazy Lady in Vegas -- I have known her for, well, lets just say many MANY years!

Now - picture, if you will, what we did - two cows on the loose in Las Vegas -- right there on the strip baby! Traffic would scream to a dead stop, people would be fleeing like those armageddon movies, of course the oriental tourists would be clicking thousands of pictures, the news people would flock to it and either animal control or the police would be called to handle the situation! And here - we wouldn't hardly think twice about it - hell - half the time on my way home I get stuck behind Farmer John and his big 'ol Tracker going 5mph - what difference would a cow make?

UPDATE at 4pm == those cows are going quietly! They are puttin' up a fight! They have taken out the hood of a police car and ran from animal control - they are not going home without a fight! As Crazy Lady put it -- "Cops in E LA get shot in gang wars, cops in Co, get trampled by cows".

Thanks Crazy Lady for the best laugh I have had in a while! You rock!

Bandit - the wonder puppy!!!

Let me introduce you to my puppy! He is a pure-breed Jack Russell Terrier. He is mostly white, with two brown spots - one mid-back and one at the start of his little tail. He has a mask on his face and therefore the name Bandit was given to him! Of course, the obvious NASCAR names were considered -- my particular favorites were catch-can and lug-nut --- but we stuck with Bandit!

He is a fun dog - and never in my life has someone been so incredibly happy to see me when I come home - hell - I only have to be gone for a couple minutes and he is glad when I get back! He is so incredibly hyper! I have never seen a dog have more energy (well - except the other JRT we ran into at PetSmart!) They really are like miniature Tigger's! boing boing!!!

I just love him to pieces! That being said - he is also not the sharpest tool in the shed. They are supposed to be so incredibly smart and I can really see that in some things! Maybe he is too smart. He is like my 9 year old - knows what he can get away with. But when you are playing with something and you chase it right into a HUGE tree - something is a little off! He is also what we at home affectionately call "a sissy la la puppy". I live in Colorado - he was born and bred here in Colorado and I swear, if he could talk, he would tell you he is a California dog all the way! We have only had one snow but oh my - it was like you told him to jump into traffic to try to get him to go whiz! We regularly get down into the teens at night and that poor dog sleeps with us (right next to us) or under the covers. The other night - he was cuddled to my husband's backside (not the safest place) and we were just settling in - kinda in that pre-sleep stage -- when my husband lets one rip - now we had chili that night and it was not the smallest rip - it must have scared the dog because he jumped and barked - lol - it was so funny! I couldn't stop laughing!
In the mornings - after he has run outside, done his business and come in - he parks it on the heater vent in the kitchen! Once - I had a heating pad out (well - cuz that is what females do sometimes - if you get my drift) -- and he took it over! Got pissed when I wanted it back! Then the cat got involved and took over the heating pad and that was all she wrote folks!

And let's not get me started on the cat - Miss Priss herself! She is half siamese but no one told her she is only "half" - she is such a bitch! She totally dominates that dog! He is so scared of her that he will sit in the master bathroom, while I am across the bedroom in the hall, and he will whine because she is under the bed and he doesn't want to cross her path! Then he finally grows the nuts to do it and he runs his little butt off to get out of the room in record time! It is so friggin hilarious! Those two have a great love/hate thing going! She loves to torment him! He will try to play with her and she hisses and spits up a storm, chases him out of the room - he does a lap around the house and comes right back for more! It's great entertainment!

My life as an office worker in an OB/GYN office!

I try to be an understanding person - I really do! I try to be patient too - but today I would really like to stangle someone!
I work for an OB/GYN office. It is a busy office - with three doctors and two midwives, two nurses, four medical assistants and an office staff of eight - there are a bunch of us to say the least! I was hired in October to assist on the phones a couple days a week and doing billing the other days. For the first month I was employed - I did nothing but answer phones and search out charts. Then I was thrown a bone in November and shown their billing system - I was excited! That only lasted about two weeks. I was then pulled from that and shown how to check people in - seems that the person they hired for that position was not dependable enough (she was hired about a month after me and has missed more days than I can count on two hands - yeah - not dependable). I was doing that until 1/2/06 (yes I did say 1/2 - seems no one around this place blocked off that date in the computer so patients were put in and lucky us - we had to be here).
I finally have a desk I call my own and have been doing nothing but billing this week! I am pretty damn excited about that!
Yesterday - I had nothing but computer issues. Seems the 5+ year old computer I was lucky enough to acquire was not in the mood anymore to play doctor's office! It went down 4 times yesterday and in between that - there were printing issues! AAARRRGGGHHH!!! So - they did what all people should do - they called their IT man.
Now - let me give you an insight to this "IT" man. He has to be in his 60's. He is pretty old school when it comes to computers (great). He is the creapiest man I have come in contact with in a long time. One of the ladies I work with described him best when she said "doesn't he just seem like the type of person you would find in the file room beating himself off?".
Ok - back to the day - he played around with the dumb computer for an hour - taking it apart - doing something to it -- putting it back together again -- then repeated that cycle a few more times. When he finally gave me back the computer - I sat down to start working and the damn thing froze! I couldn't help myself - I looked right at him and asked (in a not so pleasant way) - "AH - did ya know it was frozen?". At that point - he called the stupid thing terminal. That was yesterday - and I still do not have it today. I am at someone elses computer for now - until she needs it -- then I may have to take up residency in one of the doctors' offices (he is on vacation until Monday) - but that scares me because that doctor is so moody that I would be worried about something coming up wrong and it automatically being my fault!

Anyway - I am currently sitting on hold (30 minutes and counting) to talk with an insurance company and this is the third one so far this morning - it is a bit frustrating to go through the brew ha ha of the automated computer crap, then put on hold only to give the next person on the phone the same exact info only to be put on hold again and transferred to another department and to give up the info one more time! And when I finally get who I need - the conversation is less than 3 minutes! LOL --- Oh well - it gives me time to blog right!!!

Happy New Year - Hello 2006!

Can I first say that I am pretty damn excited for 2006 to be here? I have my health, I have my husband and my son -- but 2005 sucked BIG TIME! I lost my aunt, my grandma had a stroke, I almost lost my husband over my own stupidity and I lost my job. I know it could have been much, much worse and don't get me wrong - I am so very thankful for everything that I do have. I am just looking forward to a new year and new start! I don't know that I have ever wanted a new year so badly!

Now - that being said - I wasn't so sure I would be too excited. Saturday was not the best day in my book and my husband and I ended up ringing in 2006 like many other new years before now - by fighting. Saturday, my husband woke up in a horrid mood - very grumpy. So many things set him off. So when my 9 year old decided to pull the same "I'm not gonna help out around the house" bullshit that all 9 year olds pull and then my 8 month old puppy decided to take off while we were outside and bit my husband when he did locate her - to say the least - the shit hit the fan. I left him alone and went to take a bath, my son in his room and the dog in puppy jail and my husband on the couch. I was in the bath for a good hour - just me and the warm water and a magazine - um um good!
I got out to find my son and husband playing and the dog out of jail (on a pass I suppose) - so we went on with the evening not mentioning the nice afternoon we had just had! Things were going great until a couple glasses of wine in me and a tolerance level that had been surpassed. My husband said something under his breathe to me and when I asked him to repeat it - he said no. (not I forgot - he said NO). Ok - that was it and we were off! I was not happy with that answer and we spent the rest of the evening fighting! In looking back on it - I guess it was fitting to send out 2005 that way. Hell - we didn't even make it to midnite. Oh well - we made up Sunday and had a great day and an awesome prime rib dinner. I am at work today (due to what I can only explain as someone had their head up and locked) and my husband and son are at home, doing man projects - their major goal was to fix the bathtub in the bathroom my son uses!

I sure hope everyone had a great holiday season and that the new year is the best yet! Here's to 2006!