So... just got back to my desk after a trip to see my GP. Unfortunately, he's my GP by default because after years of searching and finally finding a GP I didn't despise on an instinctive level, he went an took a year's sabbatical and never came back. Don't get me started on that one.
Anyway... went to see my GP. Why? Because in an effort to bilk OHIP for as much money as possible, he refuses to give me refils on any of my prescriptions. His thinking is that he's giving me a 3 month supply and I should be happy with that. My thinking is that (for example, today's visit) I've been on this asthma controller for 2+ years, it works well, if it stopped working I'd seek an alternative, it's a pain in my ass and a very obvious money grab by him to force me to come back to his office every 3 months for a refil. I have another medication that I've been on for 2+ years... I will be on it for the rest of my life... however, since it's something that may occasionally need to be adjusted, I can see having me come in for that... but it'll only get checked ever 6 months, so why bring me back every 3????
But that's beside the point... not actually the reason for my rant, other than having been the impetus that brought me to the doctor's office.
My appointmet was set for 11:15... I left work at about 10:45 to allow lots of time to navigate and get lost in the P.A.T.H. (if you're not from TOronto... google "P.A.T.H. Toronto" to find out about the huge, labyrinthine underground mall). I arrived at the doc's office at 10:50 (aproximately). I reported to the receptionist, presented my health card, she pulled up the appointment grid on the computer and sent me to sit down. And that's where I stayed from 10:50 until noon while my doctor saw 2 patients, went for coffee, and wandered aimlessly around the clinic. Why? Because the stupid-ass receptionist checked me in, but didn't pull my damn chart. And apparently the doctor doesn't get a list of when he's got appointments booked for the day.
Anyway... got called in at 12:00, and 12:05 I was handing my prescription to the pharmacist across the hall, and at 12:15 was on my way back to work. Now if only that sort of efficiency hadn't been kocked so firmly off the rails by one stupid bint forgetting the most important step in her job. *grumble* (ok... I'm willing to admit, I don't know that much about her job, but C'mon... patient shows up... patient checks in... PULL PATIENT CHART and place in doctor's call box... it's a pretty freakin' important step in the process!!!!!!)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Spring? Are you out there?
So... over the weekend we got pummelled with yet another large deposit of cold white stuff. I shouldn't complain, we got less than the folks in Ottawa... but the snow banks at home hide our cars completely from even right next door... and they'd be even worse if we didn't take advantage of the house next door being vacant to put half our snow on their front yard (I know... we're horrible people.. but since the 'new' owners razed the entire front yard before turning the place into a grow-op, I don't feel all that bad).
So... imagine 5 - 6 ' piles of snow everywhere in suburbia. Imagine these piles of snow takeing up the space roughly 3' out from the curb. Imagine these piles of snow covering every single storm drain.
Got that picture?
Good... now imagine the temperatures for the next 3 days being +3, +5, +7... and imagine rain. Should be fun, no?
Got THAT picture? Excellent...
Now imagine the high for the day after that being -2.
I see the need to dig out the ice skates in my near future.....
I know Spring is out there somewhere. I can 'smell' it... the trees are starting to sprout (resulting in my mother calling them idiots... seriously! ;) ). Next week is the Spring Equinox. One would hope that we'll be able to send the winter coats to the cleaners soon.... but I fully expect at least one more significant snowfall. On the plus side (if it's a plus side)... we're only about 15 cm shy of setting a new snowfall record for T.O.... breaking the one from 1929 or something like that.
In comparison, and proving that I REALLY don't have anything to complain about... Ottawa has currently recorded over 400 cm of the fluffy stuff and is not that far from breaking their own record of 444.1 cm. Yes... that's right... they've already had over 4m of snow this winter... that's a bit more than the average building storey, I think.
So... the groundhog said "early spring"... mostly because we had a storm rolling in on Feb. 2nd (you have to wonder about that logic... if it's a sunny day, we get a long winter... if it's snowing, it's a short one?)... but I think our little albino friend in Wiarton needs to think about looking for a new job ;)
So... imagine 5 - 6 ' piles of snow everywhere in suburbia. Imagine these piles of snow takeing up the space roughly 3' out from the curb. Imagine these piles of snow covering every single storm drain.
Got that picture?
Good... now imagine the temperatures for the next 3 days being +3, +5, +7... and imagine rain. Should be fun, no?
Got THAT picture? Excellent...
Now imagine the high for the day after that being -2.
I see the need to dig out the ice skates in my near future.....
I know Spring is out there somewhere. I can 'smell' it... the trees are starting to sprout (resulting in my mother calling them idiots... seriously! ;) ). Next week is the Spring Equinox. One would hope that we'll be able to send the winter coats to the cleaners soon.... but I fully expect at least one more significant snowfall. On the plus side (if it's a plus side)... we're only about 15 cm shy of setting a new snowfall record for T.O.... breaking the one from 1929 or something like that.
In comparison, and proving that I REALLY don't have anything to complain about... Ottawa has currently recorded over 400 cm of the fluffy stuff and is not that far from breaking their own record of 444.1 cm. Yes... that's right... they've already had over 4m of snow this winter... that's a bit more than the average building storey, I think.
So... the groundhog said "early spring"... mostly because we had a storm rolling in on Feb. 2nd (you have to wonder about that logic... if it's a sunny day, we get a long winter... if it's snowing, it's a short one?)... but I think our little albino friend in Wiarton needs to think about looking for a new job ;)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Confusion, irritation, and humour
So on my way home yesterday I did something. I didn't think much about it before I did it. I didn't think much about it while I was doing it. It was an impulse. A simple action. But through it I confused, and possibly irritated a driver... and confused and definitely amused a police officer.
What did I do? I took something off a windshield.
Ok... so there's more to it than that, I suppose.
On my daily trek from work to Union Station I pass the exit from the Convention Centre's parking garage. This exit is directly opposite another street and is controlled by traffic lights. Inevitably, traffic at this intersection is a mess from about 3:30 onwards, so there's usually a cop on duty to assist in traffic control. This is especially the case if there's an event happening downtown (as yesterday... I think there was a hockey game? That's what the scalpers seemed to be implying, anyway ;) ).
Anyway... As I was waiting for the signal to cross the exit from the parking garage, I saw the driver of the car that was stopped there was trying to get a flyer of some sort off his windshield. Flipped the wipers. Tried to grab. Couldn't reach. So when the light turned in my favour, I took 3 steps out of my way to grab it off his windshield for him and asked "did you want this?" He took it, and I moved on.
The cop started to laugh and as I passed he said "He thanks you... really".
Now, when I said "Did you want this" I actually meant it... if he didn't want it, I would have taken it and put it in the garbage somewhere in my travels. But the cop's comment made me think... if I hadn't handed it to him, would he have just let it blow off and fall to the street? Probably. I find that annoying. So I'm ok if I annoyed him a little bit.
I KNOW I confused him *laugh*
Maybe I should think more before I do things? ;)
What did I do? I took something off a windshield.
Ok... so there's more to it than that, I suppose.
On my daily trek from work to Union Station I pass the exit from the Convention Centre's parking garage. This exit is directly opposite another street and is controlled by traffic lights. Inevitably, traffic at this intersection is a mess from about 3:30 onwards, so there's usually a cop on duty to assist in traffic control. This is especially the case if there's an event happening downtown (as yesterday... I think there was a hockey game? That's what the scalpers seemed to be implying, anyway ;) ).
Anyway... As I was waiting for the signal to cross the exit from the parking garage, I saw the driver of the car that was stopped there was trying to get a flyer of some sort off his windshield. Flipped the wipers. Tried to grab. Couldn't reach. So when the light turned in my favour, I took 3 steps out of my way to grab it off his windshield for him and asked "did you want this?" He took it, and I moved on.
The cop started to laugh and as I passed he said "He thanks you... really".
Now, when I said "Did you want this" I actually meant it... if he didn't want it, I would have taken it and put it in the garbage somewhere in my travels. But the cop's comment made me think... if I hadn't handed it to him, would he have just let it blow off and fall to the street? Probably. I find that annoying. So I'm ok if I annoyed him a little bit.
I KNOW I confused him *laugh*
Maybe I should think more before I do things? ;)
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Public Washroom Etiquette (aka... uncommon courtesy)
OK, those of you who know me, know that public (or shared work environment) washroom behaviours are a source of some frustration and disgust for me. Today’s rant shouldn’t surprise you in the least.
What the hell is wrong with some people????????
I don’t care what the hell you do at home in terms of personal hygiene or “water conservation” or just sharing the joy, but PLEASE grant me my illusions at work?
Example: I just made a trip to answer the call of nature… when I walked in, there was a woman at the sink brushing her teeth. Good sign, I figure… good oral hygiene is always good. So I park myself in a stall and she goes into the one beside me. Problem #1… 5 stalls available and she uses the one beside me? But I can overlook that if I try hard enough. Problem #2… the stall she’s chosen in the handicapped one. Ok, so there’s nobody on the floor generally who NEEDS it, but c’mon… she’s perfectly able-bodied, petite… there’s no need for it. Leave the damn thing free in case there’s actually someone on the floor for a meeting who DOES need it!
She does her thing… walks out of the stall, grabs her toothbrush & toothpaste, and leaves. Problem #3… she didn’t flush. That’s just gross… who wants to walk into a stall and be confronted with that? *spew* Problem #4… she didn’t wash her hands. This is a biggie for me… skeeves me every time *shudder* Problem #5… she used the handicapped button (power assist) to open the door to leave… exposing the people who have to work outside the washroom to the joy of whatever sounds or odours may be eminating from it at any point (not in this particular instance, but still… a little courtesy) AND exposing those in the washroom to the knowledge that people can hear whatever they may be doing (and some people are shy and would rather not admit they ever have to eliminate waste products of any kind) for however long it takes for both doors to close. Plus, it’s a waste of power. Plus it’s wear and tear on the opener making it that much more likely that it won’t work when someone NEEDS it to (bad enough that the doors from the elevator lobby into our work area are automatic doors… you swipe your pass and the door opens… why this is the case on our floor but not other floors in the building with any consistency, I will never understand)
5 of my top public washroom peeves and they were all done by the same person on one trip!!!! Gah!
What the hell is wrong with some people????????
I don’t care what the hell you do at home in terms of personal hygiene or “water conservation” or just sharing the joy, but PLEASE grant me my illusions at work?
Example: I just made a trip to answer the call of nature… when I walked in, there was a woman at the sink brushing her teeth. Good sign, I figure… good oral hygiene is always good. So I park myself in a stall and she goes into the one beside me. Problem #1… 5 stalls available and she uses the one beside me? But I can overlook that if I try hard enough. Problem #2… the stall she’s chosen in the handicapped one. Ok, so there’s nobody on the floor generally who NEEDS it, but c’mon… she’s perfectly able-bodied, petite… there’s no need for it. Leave the damn thing free in case there’s actually someone on the floor for a meeting who DOES need it!
She does her thing… walks out of the stall, grabs her toothbrush & toothpaste, and leaves. Problem #3… she didn’t flush. That’s just gross… who wants to walk into a stall and be confronted with that? *spew* Problem #4… she didn’t wash her hands. This is a biggie for me… skeeves me every time *shudder* Problem #5… she used the handicapped button (power assist) to open the door to leave… exposing the people who have to work outside the washroom to the joy of whatever sounds or odours may be eminating from it at any point (not in this particular instance, but still… a little courtesy) AND exposing those in the washroom to the knowledge that people can hear whatever they may be doing (and some people are shy and would rather not admit they ever have to eliminate waste products of any kind) for however long it takes for both doors to close. Plus, it’s a waste of power. Plus it’s wear and tear on the opener making it that much more likely that it won’t work when someone NEEDS it to (bad enough that the doors from the elevator lobby into our work area are automatic doors… you swipe your pass and the door opens… why this is the case on our floor but not other floors in the building with any consistency, I will never understand)
5 of my top public washroom peeves and they were all done by the same person on one trip!!!! Gah!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
What????! Two posts in two days??!
Yes, I am feeling alright, but thanks for asking ;)
As I was sitting in someone's office this morning, I saw something posted on the wall that grabbed my attention and refused to let go. Since I tend towards the shorter end of the attention span ratings, that's pretty impressive *laugh* And now for startling revelation time... I had never before today read Desiderata. I had heard of it, but I had never read it. Funny, though, since I try to live it, it seems. For all that I tend to come across as cynical and jaded... for all that I rant and rave (to vent frustrations so they don't fester)... for the most part, this prose poem (if such a term exists) speaks of my philosophy of life.
If you've never read it before either, you can find it here
And on a completely different subject (I did mention the short attention span, right?)... anyone out there a psych grad/major? Back in first year psych I took part in a hypnosis experiment (an extra credit thing)... I ended up in their "control group" because they determined that I'm "not a candidate for hypnosis". And ever since I've wondered why. What part of my personality or physiology makes me a bad candidate for hypnosis? Is it the short attention span? How easily distracted I am? That I tend to be reluctant to completely surrender control? Trust issues? *laugh* Very little has driven me quite to crazy as wondering why I can't be dragged up on stage and humiliated *laugh* Or the other applications of hypnosis other than stage mesmerism, either ;)
That's it for today folks.... play safe!
As I was sitting in someone's office this morning, I saw something posted on the wall that grabbed my attention and refused to let go. Since I tend towards the shorter end of the attention span ratings, that's pretty impressive *laugh* And now for startling revelation time... I had never before today read Desiderata. I had heard of it, but I had never read it. Funny, though, since I try to live it, it seems. For all that I tend to come across as cynical and jaded... for all that I rant and rave (to vent frustrations so they don't fester)... for the most part, this prose poem (if such a term exists) speaks of my philosophy of life.
If you've never read it before either, you can find it here
And on a completely different subject (I did mention the short attention span, right?)... anyone out there a psych grad/major? Back in first year psych I took part in a hypnosis experiment (an extra credit thing)... I ended up in their "control group" because they determined that I'm "not a candidate for hypnosis". And ever since I've wondered why. What part of my personality or physiology makes me a bad candidate for hypnosis? Is it the short attention span? How easily distracted I am? That I tend to be reluctant to completely surrender control? Trust issues? *laugh* Very little has driven me quite to crazy as wondering why I can't be dragged up on stage and humiliated *laugh* Or the other applications of hypnosis other than stage mesmerism, either ;)
That's it for today folks.... play safe!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Wow I suck at this!
So.. an online conversation today made me realize that I haven't written anything here in 2 months. Which has reminded me, yet again, that I really suck at blogging... and journalling. I have a journal at home that I started for a particular journey in my life that's been going on for the last few months (ok... I started it in September), and I haven't written in the darn thing since November, I think... although the journey continues.
Why is it that some people are able to blog about anything and everything on a regular basis, and others of us find it so challenging?
It's certainly not that I have nothing to say... those who know me know that there's little that could be further from the truth ;) Maybe it's a time thing... there's always something that seems more important. Maybe it's just that I haven't had nearly enough in the past two months to rant about (no, wait... that's not right either....). Maybe it's just that I suck *laugh*
Or could it be that I have a niggling fear that the people who haunt me taking great joy in my misfortunes or lack of photogenicness (I married an English major... I have the right by marriage to make up words ;) ) will stumble across this tiny little corner of the blogosphere and report back every little thing they can think of poking fun at. Considering how hard I try to be a good person and keep things diplomatic in places where my particular sense of humour doesn't carry well, it's amazing to me how many people really don't like me *laugh* Of course, some of that I find highly amusing (like the people who cling to things for years and won't let go... how sad is your life that you can't move on from some imagined sleight 2, 4, 8, 10 years ago? Some things are more important. Really.)
So... let's see the highlights....
D and I are going on an Alaskan cruise in a few months. It's been on our list of things we really want to do since before we were married, and since this will be our 5th anniversary year (yup, we're going to stretch it out for the full year 2008, even if the anniversary isn't 'til November!) we figured what better excuse to treat ourselves! I'm really looking forward to it!
I've recently reached one year in my current desk at work. I say it that way because I'm now on my 3rd team name, and second job description in that year. Not by choice. Stupid re-orgs. I'm now doing nothing remotely like what I left IT to do, but life goes on.
I'll mark 10 years with the company in April... right now that's my goal to shoot for *laugh* Once I pass 10 years all bets are off and if I get too peeved I might just up stakes and move on. Who am I kidding? I'll be here 'til I die... or 'til we win the lottery. I'm thinking the odds are better of the first *laugh*
Yup.. pretty dull year so far... you haven't missed much by me not writing ;) But I'll try to write more often in case there's anyone actually reading this thing.
Why is it that some people are able to blog about anything and everything on a regular basis, and others of us find it so challenging?
It's certainly not that I have nothing to say... those who know me know that there's little that could be further from the truth ;) Maybe it's a time thing... there's always something that seems more important. Maybe it's just that I haven't had nearly enough in the past two months to rant about (no, wait... that's not right either....). Maybe it's just that I suck *laugh*
Or could it be that I have a niggling fear that the people who haunt me taking great joy in my misfortunes or lack of photogenicness (I married an English major... I have the right by marriage to make up words ;) ) will stumble across this tiny little corner of the blogosphere and report back every little thing they can think of poking fun at. Considering how hard I try to be a good person and keep things diplomatic in places where my particular sense of humour doesn't carry well, it's amazing to me how many people really don't like me *laugh* Of course, some of that I find highly amusing (like the people who cling to things for years and won't let go... how sad is your life that you can't move on from some imagined sleight 2, 4, 8, 10 years ago? Some things are more important. Really.)
So... let's see the highlights....
D and I are going on an Alaskan cruise in a few months. It's been on our list of things we really want to do since before we were married, and since this will be our 5th anniversary year (yup, we're going to stretch it out for the full year 2008, even if the anniversary isn't 'til November!) we figured what better excuse to treat ourselves! I'm really looking forward to it!
I've recently reached one year in my current desk at work. I say it that way because I'm now on my 3rd team name, and second job description in that year. Not by choice. Stupid re-orgs. I'm now doing nothing remotely like what I left IT to do, but life goes on.
I'll mark 10 years with the company in April... right now that's my goal to shoot for *laugh* Once I pass 10 years all bets are off and if I get too peeved I might just up stakes and move on. Who am I kidding? I'll be here 'til I die... or 'til we win the lottery. I'm thinking the odds are better of the first *laugh*
Yup.. pretty dull year so far... you haven't missed much by me not writing ;) But I'll try to write more often in case there's anyone actually reading this thing.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to anyone who might be reading this blog.
Here's hoping 2008 is better than 2007 was.
Here's hoping 2008 is better than 2007 was.
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