Browse Category: work

Freeways, Friends, and Family

I must be in Southern California because I drove over 100 miles today. I went to Irvine to visit the neighbors but no one was available. I also went to the birdhouse and our new tenants were in the middle of moving in. So, I introduced myself and even got to go inside the house to walk them through some stuff.

It was nice to be able to check on the house myself.  I sure do miss it.  It was good to see that my Japanese maple is still going strong and everything else was also thriving.  The new tenants are a married couple and two dogs.  They just moved from Florida and they seem like a good “family” that will take care of our house and fishies too.

The next stop was my old preschool. I got to catch up with some old co-workers and hang out with everyone in the clinic. It was fun to see how things have changed and yet so much has stayed the same after one full year. For lunch we went to Lee’s Sandwiches and it was nice to hang out with old friends again.

In the evening, I drove from Irvine to Cerritos, then to Santa Monica to pick up Brother, and then to Beverly Hills for an early birthday dinner at Lawry’s. It’s still as good as I remember and it was a tasty tasty meal.

Substitution!

This morning I got word that the lead instructor of my class had a death in the family and that she would be out for a week.  I called the Director of the OT program and she said that class was still being held but that they would have to figure out who was going to teach it.  I attended the class as expected and met the other two assistant instructors.  One assistant gave the first hour of lecture, then I co-taught the next two hours, and then they asked me to give the last hour of lecture!!  The students already had notes to go off of so all I had to do was talk and elaborate on the bullet points.  Luckily this is a clinical/practical class and the topic I talked about was about stuff that I can pretty much do in my sleep so it was pretty easy…and a lot of fun!  I wasn’t nervous and I said “um” only twice.  So, I have officially had my first lecture as a Graduate School Assistant Professor.  AWESOME.

Double Memory Lane

Yesterday I had to take the day off from work to go to Employee Health and HR for my teaching job.  It was the first time I was back on campus since graduation 7 years ago and it was pretty neat to wander around the halls again.  In between my two appointments, I stopped in on the first day of class.  I was asked to stand in front of about 40 grad students and introduce myself to everyone, which was a little weird.  I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not scheduled to give my two lectures until mid-November.  I should know everyone by then.

That same afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from Yoon!  It said that she was cleaning her apartment and found some old photos that she’s been holding onto for 7 years.  Along with the letter were several photos of the day that Jes proposed to me, which also happened to be on my graduation from OT school.  What a great way to accompany my walk down memory lane.  Thanks for the photos, Yoon!!

10 days

Ah…I’m officially on vacation and have solid 10 days off from work.  Seven of those days will be in Belize and I can’t wait!  This afternoon couldn’t go any slower at work as I counted down the number of patients I had and then the number of minutes I had left before hopping on the BART shuttle.

On my way home, I hung out at Embarcadero Station to meet up with my mom who was coming from SFO.  She was brave enough to take BART from SFO and did it like a pro.  We took Muni home together and she has settled in for a week in SF with Koa.  With just a few tips on how to turn on the TV, how to use Google Maps to get public transit directions, and where to find the Safeway, she is ready to go!

So, it’s about 1:00 am, our bags are all packed, and I’m in bed surfing the internet with the TV on.  We’re staying up all night to catch our 4:00 am cab to SFO.  Our flight is at 6:00 am and I’m planning to take a nap on the plane.  We’ll see if I manage to stay up or not.  In less than 12 hours, I will be in Belize, baby!!

still learning

This is the view from my workstation on a rainy day.

One year ago today, I started a new job.  Now I’m settled in and have made a few good friends.  I’ve rounded out my peds experience with lots of feeding and splinting and have lots more to learn.  I’m also a couple weeks away from my first real teaching job.  My my my…a lot has changed since my days in Irvine with the crazy parents and evil attorneys.  I haven’t had my annual review yet but I’m hoping that it goes well enough for me to earn a raise.  We’ll just have to see.

blah

I woke up with a crazy pain above my left eye.  It subsided long enough for me to get ready for work and walk the dog.  I left the house feeling blah and without an appetite (which is very strange).  I took my usual commute: 1) light rail, 2) train, and 3) shuttle.  I felt fine on #’s 1 and 2 but after #3, I had to hurry to the bathroom.  I yakked up my 2 sips of morning coffee and 1 bite of toast along with lots and lots of clear stuff.  Yum.  So, I was sent home for the day.  Once I got home, I took a morning nap.  Got up to have some soup and felt like crap.  I tried to take an afternoon nap but ended up lounging around in bed with a pain that had moved to behind my eyes and the back of my head.  Awesome.  Someone is playing a terrible trick on me.  So, it is now 4:50 pm and I have missed a day of work without any relief.  Boo…