Browse Category: work

Thank you, Mr. Turkey.

Thanksgiving Menu

It’s Thanksgiving, my 2nd most favorite holiday of the year!!!

Things I’m thankful for:

  • my health – no H1N1 yet!!
  • my job – hooray for regular paychecks in a down economy!
  • my family’s health – parents are thriving, husband is exercising again, and brother/joy are super happy and in love
  • plenty of friends around me at home and at work – they keep me sane
  • my dog – keeps me entertained and gets me out the door at least twice per day

The turkey is in the oven and all the ingredients for the sides are waiting their turn for a trip to the stove.  We’re making dinner for the Masayas and Yuans this year and the menu is complete with all the regular fixings.

Just in case you can’t read the chef’s writing, the menu is as follows:

Roasted Turkey

Shiitake Mushroom Gravy

Haricot Verts

Mashed Potatoes

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Spinach Salad

Cranberry Compote

Baked Ham

Creamed Corn

Crescent Rolls

Stuffing

**************************

Happy Thanksgiving!

Candy Cane Sighting

lights

On Friday night, Teresa and Steph joined me in the city for dinner and holiday festivities.  Two years ago when I first moved to SF, I went to Chevy’s for happy hour with the girls from work and we watched the lighting of the Embarcadero Center and the Hyatt Regency Atrium.  Since then, I’ve made a point to see the lighting each year.  Unfortunately, Ranee isn’t here this year but we went anyway to continue the tradition.

tree

Dinner was at Market Bar and we had a window seat that was perfect for seeing the lights on the buildings and the fireworks above.  Steph’s husband and Teresa’s guy joined us a little later and we were having such a good time that we opted out of the hotel lighting.

Fortunately for us, I took a video of the first lighting I attended so I can still experience it.  On our way to the BART station, we stopped at the hotel and managed to take a photo with the tree.

candy cane

On my way home, I spotted a candy cane on the floor and it was like a sign that the holidays were really here.  Hopefully Jes will return from New York in time to help me with Thanksgiving dinner.  He’s flying back on Wednesday, which is the busiest travel day of the year so I’ll have to cross my fingers.  Let the holidays begin!!!  I love this time of year!!!

Craft/Bake Sale Success

tissue covers

mango sticky rice

On Thursday we had our Annual PediRehab Craft & Bake Sale.  I made tissue pack covers and cute little mango sticky rice shooters.  I sold 9/12 tissue covers and 45/50 sticky rice shooters for a total of $90!  Woo!!  Our sale was a success and we made a net profit of a little over $2800 towards our activity fund.  Sweet!

happy hour

After work, a small group of us went out to Marc 49 for a little celebratory happy hour.  It was such as relief to have the sale behind us and we had a very therapeutic evening of laughing and sipping wine.

I’m sewing!

sewing project

We have a fundraiser at work every year for our Pediatric Rehab Activity Fund and it usually involves a basic craft/bake sale and raffle.  I usually bake coconut macaroons and call it a day but this year I’ve decided to sew something!  I found a pattern in a book that I’ve had for the past year and finally decided to try it out.  Last week I bought some pretty fabric at the store next to Modern Mouse and borrowed Susie’s fancy sewing machine.  Thanks, Susie!

Teresa

I made a couple samples last night after figuring out the machine and this evening Teresa came over to help me cut fabric.  Thanks, Tiger!

dog

It turned out to be a pretty simple project and I managed to make 10 tonight in about an hour.  We sipped wine, ate some pizza, and Koa hung out under the table and nearly made me mess up by taking a nap on the sewing pedal!

half-way done

Here’s what it looks like while I’m half-way done.

All done!

Ta Da!!!  Here are all 10 stacked up together.  They look so legit!  I can’t believe I made these!

tissues

By the way, they’re travel tissue covers to keep in your bag.  I like to carry travel packs in my bag but the sticky tab gets all dusty and the whole pack falls apart.  With this cover, I’m able to keep everything together in a pretty little package!  Yippee!

It’s a zoo in here!!

Team Tiger

Attack!

We’ve always said that working in the hospital sometimes feels like being in a zoo.  So…for the Friday before Halloween, we dressed up as zoo animals.  Teresa and I have always called ourselves Team Tiger so obviously we were bright orange Cheetos with black duct tape stripes.  It was fun working in a sweatsuit but boy was I sweatin’!

The rest of the gang included two zebras, two monkeys, a big cuddly panda, and even a zoo keeper!  We also made ears and a tail for one of our grumpier nurses and he actually strutted around as an honorary tiger all day long.  We got a lot of looks and compliments for the tiger costume and there was certainly no subtly to our outfits.  It was fun but I’m glad we only have to do it once a year.  From ordering and waiting for the sweats to arrive in the mail to cutting a grip of stripes out of duct tape to sewing felt onto headbands, it’s a lot of work.  Maybe I can just wear this costume every year for the next 10 years.

Happy Hour

Afterward, we went out for Happy Hour with Dr. Mai, who was visiting from LA.  We went to Ben and Nick’s and had a great time catching up and being silly just like old times.  Come back soon, Mai!!

Here are the photos!!

Oink Oink!

masks

I went to work this morning with a happy hop in my step.  I had just found my keys last night and it was Friday.  I got to work and our first patient of the morning was doing great.  I stopped by another patient’s room to say “hello” and was stopped at the door.  Apparently he had a fever and vomited all night.  There was a sign on the door and the nurse said that he tested positive for Influenza A.  Blerg.  That’s likely to be H1N1!! Oh great.  I paged Teresa (my PT partner) and the managers were informed.  Since Teresa and I (and my intern) work in such close contact with this guy, we were told to wear a yellow mask for the rest of the day and had to call Employee Health.  *sigh*  I suppose this was a good year for my first flu shot.  My manager was very happy to hear that I actually got it last month.  According to the screening, we’re healthy enough to not be at risk of having complications but the nurse recommended that we take Tamiflu as a prophylactic measure.  If we didn’t take the meds, we’d have to wear a mask at work until next Friday.  Just the thought of that made me nauseous.  With 10 days of pill poppin’, we would be able to return to work on Monday without a mask.

pills

So, I got my free prescription from the pharmacist and I took pill #1.  I read some of the side effects and there’s a small chance for me to have the runs, puke my brains out, and pass out.  Yes!  In solidarity, Teresa and I agreed to give daily updates to each other this weekend.  We were initially hesitant to agree to the pills but it’s done.  I’ll be sure to provide updates here as well.  I feel just fine so far and I’m hoping to have dodged the swine bullet.  It’s going to be a rough winter/flu season and I hope that this is the worst of it for Team Tiger.