This is to prove that I was really there.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
the Concert was Awesome
So yesterday Melissa and I went to see Jason Mraz. I have a pretty good audio recording of the concert and a few pictures to prove I was there. Here are a few pics. And Joel . . . he sang "the Remedy" among a few other songs over the past decade.
This is to prove that I was really there.
This is to prove that I was really there.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Forced to Post
So, I have nothing new to report, no wonderful updates, nothing.
I'm so busy with therapy, Sex with Charlie (that is how we have affectionately named our Sex Therapy class [Charlie is the professor]), working and trying to cram some reading in.
Then of course there is the general idea of eating, sleeping and . . . I feel like I'm missing something. Showering? I think I do that, don't I? So yes I work all day, come home dead tired and attempt to . . . sleep.
Yup . . . that's the post. Glorious and full of sense making?
Goat.
I'm so busy with therapy, Sex with Charlie (that is how we have affectionately named our Sex Therapy class [Charlie is the professor]), working and trying to cram some reading in.
Then of course there is the general idea of eating, sleeping and . . . I feel like I'm missing something. Showering? I think I do that, don't I? So yes I work all day, come home dead tired and attempt to . . . sleep.
Yup . . . that's the post. Glorious and full of sense making?
Goat.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Home Sick Today
I woke up mid-afternoon to the smoke alarm going off. I knew my roommate was making toast, so I didn't budge and went back to sleep.
Work Rant
Warning: Rant
My boss is considered the DSS or the Designated Shift Supervisor. He is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly . . . you get the gist. Now today was a rough night at work. There were 6 fires to put out within seconds of each other. One person was put into seclusion, one into restraints, the third we had to go in and clean up a seclusion room where the person smeared their entire meal all over the 10x10 room. After that we had to put a lady who would not follow directions or listen to anybody into her own room. While we were trying to do that, another man who is very combatative and hostile toward everyone would not go into his room. After some empty threats and things calmed down I stepped off the unit. When I came back, another person tried to force himself out the door. We put him in seclusion too.
So, we have three seclusion rooms . . . and thus my boss had to compromise. He came up with a very acceptable solution and made it so. Now shift change was upon us and the nurse from the next shift (key word . . . NURSE not DSS) decided that she would overrule those things that my boss did since she was going to be on the shift that night. My boss calmly stated that everything on the unit was under control until the nurse started changing this. My boss (not needing to) explained his rationale for turning another room into a seclusion room and immediately after doing so, another woman (not DSS, not supervisor, just a lowly peon) stated, "We really need to discuss this."
Now my issue is, what is the problem with this? My boss is the supervisor. He gets paid to make these decisions and these power hungry people are overruling them and questioning him? They were not there, they have no idea what occurred. They have no right to question him at all.
Why do people need to feel so important that they have to change everything just so they feel like they're doing something? It is irritating.
Now back to your perky, hopefully snow-filled lives.
My boss is considered the DSS or the Designated Shift Supervisor. He is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly . . . you get the gist. Now today was a rough night at work. There were 6 fires to put out within seconds of each other. One person was put into seclusion, one into restraints, the third we had to go in and clean up a seclusion room where the person smeared their entire meal all over the 10x10 room. After that we had to put a lady who would not follow directions or listen to anybody into her own room. While we were trying to do that, another man who is very combatative and hostile toward everyone would not go into his room. After some empty threats and things calmed down I stepped off the unit. When I came back, another person tried to force himself out the door. We put him in seclusion too.
So, we have three seclusion rooms . . . and thus my boss had to compromise. He came up with a very acceptable solution and made it so. Now shift change was upon us and the nurse from the next shift (key word . . . NURSE not DSS) decided that she would overrule those things that my boss did since she was going to be on the shift that night. My boss calmly stated that everything on the unit was under control until the nurse started changing this. My boss (not needing to) explained his rationale for turning another room into a seclusion room and immediately after doing so, another woman (not DSS, not supervisor, just a lowly peon) stated, "We really need to discuss this."
Now my issue is, what is the problem with this? My boss is the supervisor. He gets paid to make these decisions and these power hungry people are overruling them and questioning him? They were not there, they have no idea what occurred. They have no right to question him at all.
Why do people need to feel so important that they have to change everything just so they feel like they're doing something? It is irritating.
Now back to your perky, hopefully snow-filled lives.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
A Different Type of Movie
I am subscribed to a feed that updates weekly showing all of the new movies coming to theaters/DVD. It shows reviews and pictures every Wednesday or Thursday. A few months ago, a different movie appeared on the list. This was my introduction to in:
Chris Marino is a young kid with a big problem. Too young to adequately deal with his mom's mental illness, he looks to his father for guidance. However, his dad ends up getting seriously injured at his construction job, so the authorities arrive to throw his mother into an institution. Then when his dad retreats from reality himself and commits himself to building a giant sailboat in the driveway, poor little Chris is forced to grow up by himself quick.
In and of itself it sounds like nothing special. Then I did some more research and learned that the 'mental illness' was schizophrenia. Considering I work with it on a weekly basis, the idea of the film intrigued me so I saved it to my Netflix queue and waited for it to show up. When it finally did, I was not in the mood to watch. Nonetheless, I decided to. I am extremely glad I did.
I appreciated this film from two different perspectives. The first was being able to see the pain and torture that a family experiences when dealing with schizophrenia. It was an accurate portrayal when schizophrenia was involved. It is not an easy illness and it is very challenging for everyone involved. Secondly, this movie unintentionally suggested a solution which rings true to the systemic view that I hold. It didn't hit you over the head with the solution, but it was also rather subtle. Without being familiar with this framework, it may unintentionally pass as just a 'happy ending.' In case you're wondering, the film was called Canvas.
It was most definitely a 5 star movie I would recommend to anyone who does not understand this illness and wants to. And if you don't want . . . I'll post something different a few weeks.
Chris Marino is a young kid with a big problem. Too young to adequately deal with his mom's mental illness, he looks to his father for guidance. However, his dad ends up getting seriously injured at his construction job, so the authorities arrive to throw his mother into an institution. Then when his dad retreats from reality himself and commits himself to building a giant sailboat in the driveway, poor little Chris is forced to grow up by himself quick.
In and of itself it sounds like nothing special. Then I did some more research and learned that the 'mental illness' was schizophrenia. Considering I work with it on a weekly basis, the idea of the film intrigued me so I saved it to my Netflix queue and waited for it to show up. When it finally did, I was not in the mood to watch. Nonetheless, I decided to. I am extremely glad I did.
I appreciated this film from two different perspectives. The first was being able to see the pain and torture that a family experiences when dealing with schizophrenia. It was an accurate portrayal when schizophrenia was involved. It is not an easy illness and it is very challenging for everyone involved. Secondly, this movie unintentionally suggested a solution which rings true to the systemic view that I hold. It didn't hit you over the head with the solution, but it was also rather subtle. Without being familiar with this framework, it may unintentionally pass as just a 'happy ending.' In case you're wondering, the film was called Canvas.
It was most definitely a 5 star movie I would recommend to anyone who does not understand this illness and wants to. And if you don't want . . . I'll post something different a few weeks.
Friday, February 01, 2008
A Perfect Day
Yesterday didn't start out so well, but it ended famously. To start out, one of my roommates was throwing a party or having way too much fun in the living room after midnight. Because of the noise, I couldn't sleep so I got up and started doing a few things on my computer. Finally things quieted down around 2:30AM, so I went back to bed. My alarm went off at 8:30AM and I had to get up so I could sit behind the mirror to watch a client at 10:00AM. I felt so tired that I decided to sleep in longer. You see, I've been getting sick for a day or two so I felt that this was more important.
I woke up a few hours later and checked my voice mail, a message was left by a colleague telling me not to come in at 10:00AM because the client canceled. I felt overjoyed and tried to figure out what to wear. I had to see two clients yesterday, but I was feeling ill. I had to go to school for supervision anyway but what I would wear was dependent upon seeing clients. I decided that I would not dress up, I would stay in regular clothing, go to supervision, and cancel my two clients so I could get some rest and recover. So I go to school and sit through the first hour of supervision. We take a break and I run to the office who tells me that one of my two clients for the day canceled. I go back to supervision for the last hour and when we finish I go back to the office to check my messages. So, my other client called and also canceled her appointment.
I was ecstatic. Things could not have been more perfect. So I called my two clients, left them messages asking them to inform me when they could come in the next week, did some more paperwork and then I went home. I spent the rest of the day lounging and eating cheese and broccoli soup. (That probably wasn't the healthiest, but it was certainly good.) In short, the day worked out perfectly, my clients canceled so I wouldn't have to cancel them, and I was able to lounge for the night.
All in all, it was a perfect day.
I woke up a few hours later and checked my voice mail, a message was left by a colleague telling me not to come in at 10:00AM because the client canceled. I felt overjoyed and tried to figure out what to wear. I had to see two clients yesterday, but I was feeling ill. I had to go to school for supervision anyway but what I would wear was dependent upon seeing clients. I decided that I would not dress up, I would stay in regular clothing, go to supervision, and cancel my two clients so I could get some rest and recover. So I go to school and sit through the first hour of supervision. We take a break and I run to the office who tells me that one of my two clients for the day canceled. I go back to supervision for the last hour and when we finish I go back to the office to check my messages. So, my other client called and also canceled her appointment.
I was ecstatic. Things could not have been more perfect. So I called my two clients, left them messages asking them to inform me when they could come in the next week, did some more paperwork and then I went home. I spent the rest of the day lounging and eating cheese and broccoli soup. (That probably wasn't the healthiest, but it was certainly good.) In short, the day worked out perfectly, my clients canceled so I wouldn't have to cancel them, and I was able to lounge for the night.
All in all, it was a perfect day.
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