Bend it like...........er, a bicycle riding, coffee drinking hippy

Tia frequently mentions that I talk too much about negative stuff on my blog (mostly work related unfortunately, which is still somewhat negative consider the lack of hours and general unease that floating causes), so I promised I would write something more uplifting. Well, that might be shooting high........how about at least not depressing. Seems much more attainable.

So, one good bit of work news, I got a raise evidently. Who knew? I got a review a few weeks back, but because of the state of finance in the hospital I didn't think it meant anything. Evidently it did. A nominal increase. So, though my hours are fractional, my pay is up by nearly 5% during those hours.

We just returned from Bend.......or frequent haunt. When we want to escape Portland, that is usually where we end up (though we have kind of mutually decided that this was the last trip for us there for awhile. It was getting a bit stale do to repetition). This time we eschewed our normal B&B for a new one at my behest. I can't say I was disappointed as the place was nice enough, the caretakers were lovely, and the amenities were fairly impressive, but it definitely was somewhat less than Cricketwood. The difference isn't that of Wendy's to a steakhouse, but rather two nice steakhouses, one of which throws in free dessert and alcohol........for the same price. The rooms are a little older, but the location is a bit more peaceful. Breakfast is on your time and whatever you want instead of a set menu at a set time. And the free wine and beer dont hurt. Still, it was nice to see something new and different.

I, unfortunately, ate something disagreeable on night 1 and the next day wasn't as eventful as we had planned it to be (which was a bummer more so because the next day, the weather was disagreeable while my stomach was quite amenable), but we did take in a comedy show that was being taped for a special (potentially on Showtime or Comedy Central). It was really interesting seeing all the cameras flying around and the show was quite good (and cheap at $10/ea). We also got to sit in a hot tub (though without the time travel capabilities that the movies would leave you to believe they are capable of) and generally unwind. Always sad to see it end, but the getaway plus a few days on the front end made for a nice 4 day vacation from work. I think we both needed that.

We are officially giving up on the Memory Foam mattress. Sadly, the one we have at least, isn't very comfy. It is ridiculously firm and kind of warm. Thankfully Costco rules and we are returning it and getting a different mattress from them.........and saving a few hundred bones to boot. Of course, this is weeks out (their return policy is good, just not especially expedient), but hopefully bed #2 will be the answer.

One more day on and then 2 off. As always, tomorrow will be a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Hopefully it isn't crazy busy because only one thing is certain at this point, we will be understaffed.

Floating

Floating. It sounds so ethereal. Pleasant. Benign. Unfortunately, it feels nothing at all like that.

Floating is just another rut in an already too rutted road. Another job related downer in a job market where just having a job, any job, is supposed to be a celebration of sorts. The proverbial, thats whats for dinner, if you don't like it then you get nothing.

Since I work at a hospital with 5 distinct sites, it is conceivable that you might land at any one of them rather than your own. Great if you love travel I suppose, but none affords much a change in scenery. Same shit, different place really. I spend most of my floating hanging out at the big bad in NoPo which, not mincing words, I abhor. I always feel lost there. Like I often did in school. Armed with too little information and not enough skill to do what was expected. Compared to my little park, the big bad is exactly that: higher acuity, higher diversity, and higher complexity. I never feel so much like I accomplish much there......but more so tick it off of my list for the day, thank my lucky stars that I won't be back for another week or two, and count myself fortunate to have survived the experience without screwing anything up too badly.

So, perhaps I should count myself fortunate to be floating on the next schedule to the land far-far away........that I will refer to as Nearly Troutdale (or NT). NT is a like sized hospital to the one I most frequently occupy, but on the complete other side of town. Better than an hour drive each way amongst traffic that I have no favorable words for and an even poorer disposition towards.

The whole thing just makes me sad. I took a job where I truly enjoy being........around people I genuinely like.........in a hospital that fits me. And yet, the economy looms large and I am left with a job that finds me feeling often lost around people I don't know in hospitals that I would never opt to work at. But, in the end, what can you do? You can complain and bitch and moan, but you cannot change the facts. You can look around, but the field is barren. I guess I just miss it. I miss having the job that I really enjoyed being at. I wonder if it will ever come back. Part of me doesn't believe it ever will.

One thing I do know however is that, until it does come back, I guess I will just be floating.

Spending money and yada yada

I realize that there is no tacit skill involved in spending money. Anyone can do it, from individuals in deep wells of debt from impulsive purchases, to people in the same holes because jobs have failed them and necessities still need to be purchased. Hell, our government is the worst offender. If only we could all afford to spend without income and do so with regular impunity (or, uh, pass it on to our kids and grandkids............poor suckers :) like the Fed does. Dare to xdream.

I am more mentioning this idea because my wife and I are in the midst of a bit of a 'spree'. I say that with some reserve of course, because we don't tend to spend more than we can pay off and, if we do, it involves careful shopping and some kind of 0% if you pay it off in time deal. Plus, I am a bit of an obsessive researcher. So, what ends up happening is a little give and take until a middle is generally reached. For example, we just bought a new memory foam bed. We started with the concept of buying a new bed period...........a coil mattress like we already have. Then, the reading started. Then the trying out of mattresses. At the end of the week, we went from spending a few hundred theoretical dollars on a coil, to nearly a grand on a 100% latex from Ikea (we balked when their return policy only gave back store credit........that is a LOT of money to spend at Ikea), to nearly $2600 on a Tempurpedic (sp). Ultimately, we landed just somewhere about half the pedic and went with an online bed from Costco. So far, based on Tia's continuing back ailments, I would say it is a mixed bag. I like it though...........thankfully costco has a very liberal return policy. More on that if we need to use it.

We also had to have a new bed frame for our bed...........ended up with a cheap one from Overstock (at this rate I won't need to EVER buy anything at terrestrial stores again). Was under $275 with slats and looks pretty modern and sleek (plus it is metal, so no more particle board!). The first one arrived dinged though.............thankfully Overstock's CS is also stellar and they shipped us out a new (and thankfully undamaged) one ASAP.

We also splurged on an anniversary trip to Las Vegas. I kind of dig Vegas........though I am never exactly sure why. Maybe it is the sheer over-the-topness of it, the spectacle of seeing the Eiffel tower near dancing fountains and pirate ships. Who knows. Whatever the reason, I enjoy my visits there. However, because I am horrendously cheap, I tend to never stay anywhere that would be classified as nice. Or at least not presently nice. We usually land somewhere in old Vegas..........where the rooms are cheap and so is the gambling. This time, for reasons unknown to me since I would not consider myself a high-roller (or a roller period really since I gamble very little), we were offered an incredible deal from the Wynn. I have heard that it is, bar none, the nicest place to stay in Vegas. Not only did they throw us the room for less than $100 a night, they also gave us 2 free tickets to their cirque show, Le Rev (which would have run us about $250 for 2 tickets). At least there are some upshots to our crap economy.......especially in Vegas.

Our last, though yet not consummated, purchase is to be a cruise sometime in the late summer/early fall. A real vacation. Only, it is really not easy to pick which line you want to go on. Each ship is unique in certain ways and so, by giving up one thing you are gaining another. Do we want a small ship that is more personal or a large ship with more to beguile us? Do we want something brand spanking new or would an older ship suffice (granted even older ships are only about a decade at sea)? Is the food most important or the pools? Even picking a room is a bit flummoxing. People rave about balconies, but they add about a grand to the total cost of the trip........money that could go to excursions. You even pay about $300-$400 more for a window that is partially, if not completely, obstructed. WTF is that about? Not that I am complaining about the plenitude of options...........it is a vacation after all. Something to look forward to.......and right now I need it.

While I am grateful that Vegas has been hit by the economy to the point that I seem like a desirable customer, unfortunately it is not going well at LE at present. The Park (where I work) is still above board and doing well, but we are not a stand alone for better or worse and the rest of the system is not turning a profit. So, the result is that we are cutting back just about everywhere............which means a lot of cut hours. They are trying to be equitable and, presently, it is about one shift every 2 weeks they are flexing us. Not god-awful, but it does mean about a 12-15% a paycheck reduction. Not cool when the bills stay exactly the same.

Plus, as an added bonus in my dept, we are being floated around to other sites as the need arises to fill gaps to accrue what hours remain. So, instead of my happy home hospital, I am left to spend too many days at EH (the big bad) where I feel somewhere between incompetent and bemused. It is like perpetually being on your first day at work. I never know where anything is, they are constantly changing the ways they do things and I am never given enough information. Just yesterday I was there and didnt know that my phone was forwarded from the night shift (no one told me), so I spent most of the first few hours wandering around aimlessly for lack of anything to do thinking that I wasnt needed anywhere. Turns out I was and they finally found me on one of the units and passed me a to-do list that had been accumulating. Lovely. To top it off, they start an hour earlier than we do and it is about an extra 20 minutes of driving. Feels a LOT like being in nursing school. No bueno!

The other major event (well, relatively) that has transpired since my last post was my 33rd bday. Christ I am getting old. As if the grey hairs and the accumulating aches arent symbols enough, the damn calender keeps turning. It was a fun celebration broken up in two parts though........one with family, the other with friends. Spent the family portion eating hibachi food, opening presents (still fun no matter how old you get :), and eating yummy carrot cake (which I am assured counts as a vegetable). Big fun. Spent the friends portion at a fondue happy hour, hitting up Ground Kontrol (where I totally rock at Galaga and Pac-Man and suck at pretty much everything else) and then ended up the evening at Pix for some over-the-top confections. What cons there are in this town (predominately the weather), it cannot be said that there isn't an array of things to do, eat, or drink. We nearly (the timing just wasnt working) went glow-in-the-dark, indoor, 3D, pirate mini-golfing as well (yes it is real). My kind of fun.........the utterly ridiculous kind.

I think I have covered most of what is going on. The allergies seem to be leveling out meaning that either: whatever it was is done blooming, the naturopathic treatments are working, or the steroids are working. Hard to know. Will be interesting to try to wean off some of the steroids and seeing if I remain upright (at least I am only on the inhaled ones now.......the oral ones kicked my ass). Gotta stay healthy enough to accrue vacation time.

Hope everyone is healthy and well. Will try to post again within the week. Promise.