Aug 2008
Only 30 more hours until a day off
08/29/08 05:21 Filed in: Medical
Daycare pickup
08/26/08 05:07 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Trying to make it to the weekend
08/25/08 04:32 Filed in: Medical
| Family &
Friends
I logged 79 work hours last week (from Sunday through
Saturday) and I can't remember if I logged all my
hours doing dictations at home. I haven't had a day
off since I started this rotation last Monday and
won't get one until Sunday. I generally get to work
by 6am and leave somewhere between 6 and 6:30 at
night. And call is from 6am until about noon the
following day (which is what I did this weekend).
Logistically, this means I leave before anyone get up up in the morning (while it is still pitch black outside), and get home in time to (hopefully) have dinner with the family, play with the kids for a bit and then help put them to bed. Fortunately, they have been going to bed a little bit later during the summer (closer to 9pm) which leaves me a little bit more time with them in the evenings. Of course, this makes it harder on my husband who has to get them up for school in the morning so that he can make it to work on time (It'd be great to have a nanny and daycare, wouldn't it?). So this means after 9pm, we've got dinnertime clean up, and then whatever dictations I need to do, and then try to get to bed at a reasonable hour so i can be up early in the morning to do it all again. What usually happens though is that I am so exhausted at 9pm, that I fall asleep in the kids room (sometimes I lay on a mat in there when they go to bed) and get up at 2 or 3am, freak out about all the work I have to finish and then stay up until it's time to go back to work.
It's weird how there is this "rule" of working a maximum of 80 hours a week, and then seeing how everyone really has to try hard to stay under these limits (I've definitely gone over before). Overworking is certainly not limited to the field of medicine but I have to say it is much too common for my taste. The other thing I think people don't always recognize is that when I am at work, I am pretty much working the whole time I am there. There really aren't many breaks or periods of downtime unless I consciously remember and force myself to a) eat something or b) sit down and take a break. And that is assuming there is enough lull in the workload to dare try it. My pager always seems to go off the second I walk into a restroom.
Logistically, this means I leave before anyone get up up in the morning (while it is still pitch black outside), and get home in time to (hopefully) have dinner with the family, play with the kids for a bit and then help put them to bed. Fortunately, they have been going to bed a little bit later during the summer (closer to 9pm) which leaves me a little bit more time with them in the evenings. Of course, this makes it harder on my husband who has to get them up for school in the morning so that he can make it to work on time (It'd be great to have a nanny and daycare, wouldn't it?). So this means after 9pm, we've got dinnertime clean up, and then whatever dictations I need to do, and then try to get to bed at a reasonable hour so i can be up early in the morning to do it all again. What usually happens though is that I am so exhausted at 9pm, that I fall asleep in the kids room (sometimes I lay on a mat in there when they go to bed) and get up at 2 or 3am, freak out about all the work I have to finish and then stay up until it's time to go back to work.
It's weird how there is this "rule" of working a maximum of 80 hours a week, and then seeing how everyone really has to try hard to stay under these limits (I've definitely gone over before). Overworking is certainly not limited to the field of medicine but I have to say it is much too common for my taste. The other thing I think people don't always recognize is that when I am at work, I am pretty much working the whole time I am there. There really aren't many breaks or periods of downtime unless I consciously remember and force myself to a) eat something or b) sit down and take a break. And that is assuming there is enough lull in the workload to dare try it. My pager always seems to go off the second I walk into a restroom.
Need a day off
08/22/08 04:36 Filed in: Medical
The kitchen
08/15/08 05:22 Filed in: Family &
Friends
The view from our kitchen
08/14/08 10:04 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Currently, this view is blocked by a bunch of
unopened boxes and other various things. Hopefully,
we can put our little table and chair set out on the
patio once we've settled in more. You'd think that by
now, we'd be unpacked (nope). I think I'd need at
least 3 weeks completely free to get everything in
order. And seeing as how we've both continued working
throughout, it's just been a very slow process.
Home at last
08/12/08 08:45 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Our place is still in disarray and the computer isn't
quite set up yet, so we haven't gotten a chance to
download all the photos off the camera (there are
quite a few). Here is a shot I quickly snapped when I
went for the initial walk-through (post-call, I
remember). It's of our new front door and stairs to
the main bedrooms from the perspective of someone
standing in the living room. If I haven't said it
enough, moving stinks. But I love our new home and
can't wait until we are finally settled (seeing as
how I start one of the toughest ward months of my
intern year on Monday, that could be quite a while).
If you don't already have it, you have to try it
08/12/08 06:13 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains
When I first signed up almost two years ago, there was a three-month trial available. We loved the convenience of being able to order whatever we needed without worrying about shipping minimums. Everything arrived in two days, and many items even arrived in one day. We lucked out and were able to sign for another year at a very low price (some kind of Christmas special if I remember correctly). This year is the first year we are paying the full $79 annual fee, and we still feel that it is worth the convenience. Not only do we order stuff for home, but we often order gifts for others as well, since it's so easy to do (they also have a tremendous selection of products for gift-giving). If you do a reasonable amount of shopping online, it's not hard to see how you can spend $79 in shipping costs rather quickly. It comes out to under $7 per month, which is certainly worth it for us, especially considering gas prices these days. Considering how bulky diapers are and how heavy Aquaphor can be, we figure we're saving money on shipping. And their prices are among the best around (especially if you participate in the Subscribe & Save option). And of course, think of all the time saved. I can place an order in just a few minutes if I needed to, and it'll show up at our door in two days or less. You can opt to pay $3.99 if you need next-day shipping, which is pretty inexpensive considering how much it'd cost to send anything overnight. Would you pay someone $4 to shop for you and deliver it to your door the next day? We probably would. We hardly ever use the express option though, and just order the standard two-day shipping and have been very happy with it.
Free trials were kind of hard to come by if I remember correctly, so give it a try if you think you're at all interested. You can always cancel if you decide it's not worth it, and it won't cost you anything if you do it within the month.
Not yet (sigh)
08/08/08 12:08 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Still not online
08/05/08 02:10 Filed in: Family &
Friends
So, not only do we not have phone or internet at our
new place, but for some reason it temporarily stopped
at our old place as well (yes, we are still renting
the old place since the lease isn't up for a few more
weeks). I cannot wait to be rid of the whole
renting thing again - this last experience was a
memorable one, and not necessarily in the best way
either. I realize that renting a home is a business
transaction, but I often wish that the seedy landlord
stereotype was much less common than it is.
In any case, good old Comcast hasn't yet gotten their act together to get us online, so we're thinking about switching to another provider. We used to have them as our phone, cable, and internet provider but now we are thinking about switching to AT&T for phone and internet, and not having cable (at least for a little while). Part of this is to pare down our budget a little bit (did I mention that finances were going to be tight for a while), but in reality, we really don't watch very much television at all. Maybe a total of 10 hours a month between the four of us, if that. It will be kind of a bummer for those rare times that we do want to watch something, but in the long run, I don't think we'll be affected much at all.
In any case, I still have to head back to our old place to log onto the internet and do work, which is what I am (supposed to be) doing right now. I hate to think that we are so dependent on the internet that we can't get by for two weeks without it, but considering that all of our major correspondence with work is via email, it is rather difficult. All of my readings for my current rotation are posted online not to mention all the directions to the various sites I have to go to. In any case, we'll hopefully be up and running at the new place soon.
Here's a recent photo of the kids watching some model trains.
In any case, good old Comcast hasn't yet gotten their act together to get us online, so we're thinking about switching to another provider. We used to have them as our phone, cable, and internet provider but now we are thinking about switching to AT&T for phone and internet, and not having cable (at least for a little while). Part of this is to pare down our budget a little bit (did I mention that finances were going to be tight for a while), but in reality, we really don't watch very much television at all. Maybe a total of 10 hours a month between the four of us, if that. It will be kind of a bummer for those rare times that we do want to watch something, but in the long run, I don't think we'll be affected much at all.
In any case, I still have to head back to our old place to log onto the internet and do work, which is what I am (supposed to be) doing right now. I hate to think that we are so dependent on the internet that we can't get by for two weeks without it, but considering that all of our major correspondence with work is via email, it is rather difficult. All of my readings for my current rotation are posted online not to mention all the directions to the various sites I have to go to. In any case, we'll hopefully be up and running at the new place soon.
Here's a recent photo of the kids watching some model trains.