Monday Evening

I am supposed to be finishing the last of the chainette fringe on this scarf. I will get back to it shortly. I didn't make it out to finish my shopping today. I was simply too fatigued.

It is now about four hours later. I have been working on the scarf. I had a nice chat with Genny. Our conversations are always fun. We talk about so many different things. Tonight was mainly about her work, her clients - current and former, and some of the obstacles they face with referrals to and help (or lack of help) from other agencies and problems with public transportation. I was appalled by some of the problems and issues with the public transportation system.

We talked for a bit about the guy. How I feel that I'm just "something you have." Much in the same way that you have a house or you have a car. I think much of it is cultural. Arranged marriages are still very normal in Sierra Leone. A wife is something that you have.

He appreciates me for my intellect and my sense of humor. He does genuinely care for me. However, everything else and everyone else comes before me because I'm just "something you have."

That hurts.

Break time is over. Back to work on this scarf. I think this is going to be the last thing I do gratis. I will make things for gifts, certainly, but these side projects simply take too much time away from what I need to be doing. I'll be back when I finish this scarf. It will be finished tonight.

It is nearly 1am. The scarf is done!

Next project, finish seaming and stitch on the collar for my teal chenille (There, I said it again.) Christmas sweater.

Brian phoned me earlier tonight. When I told him that I was shopping on line, he asked if I was buying yarn. LOL Not buying, but getting my order ready for the yarn to make my sweaters for myself for next year. I made three this year. I hope to get in five for 2008. Two tank tops, a t-shirt, a fancy little pullover, and a bulky cardigan. The first three listed will work up quickly. The cardigan should as well. It's that little pullover that will take the time. I picked yellow for it, but I'm not so sure about it now. Maybe a coral or a peach. All the rest are to be worked from multicolor yarns.

After we had finished speaking of my yarn addiction and the fact that I still have not finished and delivered his pillows and window treatments, we did talk about work. Well, one aspect of work.

I was bad and played the "I will call the state" card. And, I will, too.

Nurses are required to distribute cigarettes to some of the residents. It creates more problems than you can imagine. The rationale for this is that the staff cannot be trusted to do it. The staff in another apartment manage to distribute cigarettes to their two ladies without difficulty. Brian agrees with us (several of the other nurses and myself) that it is not the function of the nurse to give out cigarettes. Our Health Care Coordinator argues that the staff cannot be trusted to do it.

This is the same staff that they will have passing medications to the residents once we go over to the I/O Waiver program. The staff can be trusted to give medications but are not competent enough to distribute cigarettes?

Brian said he would talk to Barb tomorrow and reiterated several times not to call the state. I told him that all I know is that I had better not have to be handing out cigarettes at 6am Saturday morning. We will be done with this shit once and for all, and we will be done with it tomorrow.

The reason that my BS threshold was surpassed on this issue was because Sunday evening, I had to stop in the middle of my 5pm medication pass (The second heaviest pass of the day. Only morning is heavier, and it is split between two shifts.) and deal with why someone was out of cigarettes. As I told the supervisor, there is someone here 5 days a week, 8 hours a day whose responsibility it is to make sure that this resident's cigarettes are purchased, and I am NOT that person. The final straw was when the supervisor (who is the supervisor of this individual who is supposed to be purchasing the cigarettes) said he would revise the sign out form so that nursing would have to notify the person whose job it is to be on top of this when we distributed the last pack. NO MORE!!

I was over to my office and on the phone to Brian so quick it would have made your head spin. Every time he has talked with me since, I have been in an absolute livid tizzy about it. Enough is fucking enough!!

If they refuse to fix it, I am certain the state will find a way to remedy the situation. A call to the state means a re-survey. An unannounced re-survey. Much easier to fix the cigarette distribution problem than to go through another week with the survey team in the house.

Here is a bit of insight into the staff that will soon be passing medications to people who, for the most part, have no idea what it is they are taking.

On Sunday, the nurse was called to one of the apartments. On arrival, the question was asked, could the nurse please check out this resident as they were worried about his kidneys. In explaining their concerns to the nurse, they stated that his pants were so tight that it had taken three of them to get his pants on him and zipped up. They were worried that if his pants were too tight, it might bruise his kidneys.

When I got to work Sunday morning and was told this story by the two nurses who had already lived it and were still laughing about it, all I could do was sit there for a minute. Finally, I said, "OK, I have to say this. Can you please remind me again who the retarded people are?" Fits of hysterical laughter ensued from them.

This is who my company intends upon having give medications to the clients.

That is way beyond scary. I don't think that is even in the same time zone as scary.

Oh, it would be so nice to hit the lottery right about now! LMAO Of course, I would actually have to remember to buy a ticket for the lottery for that to happen.

It's 2am, and there are short people who need to see me bright and early.

Ciao