Good Morning Dear ...
*Sigh* How goes your morning so far? For general concern - this is a reprint of a letter I'd sent out earlier today that had too much information I didn't want to repeat ... The majority of it was written about midnight when we were up and sleepless. It's 5:30 am now and I'm going to giving undivided attention to you for the next half hour. WOOHOOO!!! I've been so neglectful ... we're facing terrible stuff at work. Nothing more important in putting work in perspective than by giving you MORE work. That helps me appreciate I am busier than before hehehe. We had a big staff shortage so I was given one of the groups. It's actually kind of a fun switch-up, but it leaves everything on your desk a muck.The Sister who has been filling in is going back to her other convent and Brandy one of the Direct Support People (DSP) who's been gone a month on "injury" faxed a note saying that she was quitting after 5 years. I guess she decided she had enough. She stated "dramas" as the cause. She was my best work buddy as to chattering between us. I know what had frustrated her, but it doesn't seem to make it better at this point. Sister had switched up groups, which she didn't like and she's been having problem with the Q no one wants. Brandi is a bit wishy-washy , so I won't want to be unfair to her by calling right away knowing I can push her. If she wants not to work, then that's got to be her decision. In the meantime two other staff are on vacation and one broke her arm on Monday in three places. Plus, the one who has been suspended. Really puts a hole in the system all together. 6 people missing - that's 50% of our staff.
I'm coverin for the Q gone, but got the other Q yesterday through Sr. Theresa to co-do the meeting with me today. Both DSPs who could give me information on her are gone, and the Q that left botched up by not doing her case file notes before she left and then Holly was the one who had her before, but who hadn't done her original work proper. This client is new to me, but Holly the other Q had her for 10 years before this. She agreed to do the most talking, and then I agreed to do the paperwork making goals, filing a report, and summarizing the meeting. I'm like Sister's efficiency expert. It's a good deal all considering ... Really took a lot of pressure off of me not to be thinking of how to verbally fill-up the meeting. Sister is saying that Holly and I are going to need splitting the work of groups 1 and Leadership for the missing DSPs. ARRGHH!
Oh Lordy, we're just babbling now. I ended up working for the second day in the first group - they are counting beads (stringing them). Then after I stayed to help a bit with some that had gotten messed up the day before. And then, on Monday I had the Leadership group. Usually, the Q's don't run the groups. But, I teach the staff how to do it so we certainly now how ... just stuff on our desk didn't get done. Do I keep mentioning that? Sr. had to realize yesterday that the annual report isn't done yet and in the process of yesterday's desk work, we went through the missing Q's work and discovered that 40% of her paperwork is missing from the files. Literally, 60 documents out of 150 are not there where they are supposed to be. Oh Blah! Sr. shook her head stating she knew she shouldn't trust the woman who was saying she had all her work done and then she does what she normally does. She looks at me and says "Just fix it." I nod my head, not whimpering out loud thinking Lordy ... did I have a vacancy of time??
Oh man I gotta quit complaining. Rich was out doing a ball game last night so I guess I didn't unwind normally ... my buddy Rich is going on vacation on Friday for a week in Canada. You knew that though right? We're repeating? Ok, now we're whimpering. DRAT!
Ok, slowing work down...
I hadn't thought through the position on being or not being part of our son's adventures, but I think Betsy was right. I felt much more apart of Thom's first duty, then the one now. I don't feel I have my heart invested even in the Boards though I try. I am caught up in my reading of them, but I'm not as likely to respond right away as I had before nor have I been going to the chat's. 8-10 pm seems like very late in the evening. I have done something toward all that that I'm looking forward to. I'd been over at the message board for Marine Parents and there was some conversation on one of the topics about Reading lists. I had gotten Thom about 7-8 books for graduation, which went well, but it hadn't occurred to me until seeing this topic that parents were getting books for themselves as well.
Tracy Del Vecchio the founder of Marineparents.com has a list of books that she's saying are good, and then she has more of a list on-line under Amazon.com. So we looked at the favored ones on the first page and ordered them. I'm embarrassed to say there were 9 books. I use their used books marketplace though so the books weren't costing nearly as much as they should. I got one book for a penny, but they still get you for delivery charges - that's $4. I'm going to try filling in some of my free time I have now in the evenings and weekends to become a bit of an expert in Marines - through the reading. I'm probably like you in thinking being a parent at this time is a little lonely. I figure this will get me back in the game. I'm really motivated by Thom going into "secrets" work. I'm so afraid of missing out on knowing ANYthing ... and that be a very hard thing to tolerate over the next 5 years. In his line he had to agree on doing the extra year.
I'm glad Thom would or should be going to Florida - Pensacola. I think it's going to be a good place to visit. Hmm, made me go look up Pensacola on a map. Hadn't done that before. I hadn't realized that it was so close to Alabama. I had figured though it be on the Golf. Oh no ... now we're thinking hurricanes! But, he'd be out of there before that season, right? Hmm, end of 4 1/2 months leads right INTO hurricane season. Oh Lordy! Damn ... this not cool. But, like the Marines would have safety plans, right? Oh you say they ARE the safety plan. Hmm, going to have to refigure this. Double Damn.
...
Ok, better get going ... someone needs to be taking a shower, right? Best to get this day under our belt. Besides I figure I about done blabbered your ear right off so it dropped off your head, ran away and is now hiding under the couch!
Hmm, well back again. We got about 15 minutes now that we're after the shower, taking medicine, getting lunch ready etc. I think writing sections of letters is probably pretty impersonal, but we took out the one on one stuff and figure that the rest is generic news. We should probably not do that, but it seems that when we write ... a big part of it is just getting off my chest whatever is happening that gives it pressure. We're definitely in a work - worrisome mood. But, we're getting better.
I'm going to have a tight schedule though when I get into work. We're going to need doing a small report and starting the final report for the meeting that will be held today. We've also got to formalize goals and I think that we should be doing some laminating for one of the goals too. We made some cards 1/4 paper size that have a generic cat picture on one side and Dr. Seuss quotes on the other. There are 2 sets of 8 cards. It's going to be for a goal of helping one of our individuals read - we're setting up a match game so she can teach it to the pre-school kids she works with. I think it's going to be a great goal. She'll also have a goal to go through all the processes getting to an Internet site. She wants to do the Internet and we see know reason not to give her a chance at it. In her group, the Leadership group, they have access to the Internet. WooHOO!!!
Maybe after that we should try finishing up the Annual report for the center. We've been putting that off. And, then maybe tomorrow we should get to getting out requests for all those missing documents. Pshwoo. It's a bundle! I'm not sure where we left off with all the other tasks that take up about 40 "to-do" notes on the Outlook schedule. Everything is going to be late from the original dates I assigned to get things done. But, at least at this point ... do to the diversion of tasks - being in the groups ... Sr. knows why we're behind. So, in that respect ... we're covered.
I think beside the generic complaining of work load, I'm actually having a pretty good time at work. I'm feeling like I've got a lot of important things to do and when tasks get accomplished I feel as if I've really done something that mattered.
Hmm ... speaking of ... should probably be getting dressed ... we're down to 14 minutes to departure. Just like a rocket ship we are! Ok, then see you soon!
posted by Ann Marie @ 6/25/2008 06:29:00 AM
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