Hamsters Fighting Over the Wheel: V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

Wow! It's finally here!

Pretty sure I looked like this multiple times throughout the day ...

This chica is finally on vacation. Do you know how long it's been since I've been on a true vacation? I don't ... I know it was before I started school in 2007, but I'm unable to pin down a time frame.

I began partying at 0545 at work this morning. Just the thought of being able to LEAVE at 1800 and NOT WORK AGAIN until July 21st made me do jigs allllllll day. Well, that's when I was not answering the phone and getting yelled at (more about that in a bit). I'm thinking a good chunk of physician office staff in our area know I'm going to vacation (they wouldn't know me if I saw them on the street, but still). Every time I placed a call or received a return page, I used my trademark phrase of "Happy [day of the week]!" Then we'd get into a banter and it would turn into, "It's actually MY FRIDAY [that's when you know someone works in healthcare] and I'm on vacation in T-minus [however long]!" I do really enjoy making people laugh and I definitely made these other office staff chuckle.

About getting yelled at ... it's NOT appreciated. I do not particularly enjoy when people call me [well, my workplace] and expect me to fix their issues. Especially when it had nothing to do with my department or even my facility in the first place. Some people need to vent, I understand, but my phone has pretty much unlimited lines (digital network phone) and I've seen up to about 8 "lines" ringing the department all at once ... with no one around to help me answer since they're doing their primary jobs. I ride home in silence most days, which says a lot since I spent over an hour loading music onto the hard drive in my car since I refuse to go anywhere without access to tunes. After days like today ... Silence is golden, brought to you by silver.

Some days, I wish I kept a roll of this in my desk.

Duct tape would also come in handy for psych patients whom are a danger to themselves or others, but think they can outrun security. Too bad that would be illegal. Oh, did I mention it's full moon? That would be why we have been overrun with psych patients lately. If you think I'm FOS [full of shit], work in healthcare ... I dare you.

Today ended on a chaotic note, but a successful one. I finally got transfer transport for two psych patients. It's the day before a holiday, the rigs are all skeleton crews [pretty much 911 only] ... it took almost 3 hours to get one transport, and I happen to stumble upon another available one in the process. THANK GOODNESS!! They handed me the 2nd acceptance paper after it took hours for the first one and I looked at the Counselor and asked her if she was nuts. I've never come so close to coming up empty with transport. That bummed me out for a while during the scavenger hunt. I love a challenge, but not on my Friday.

Any time I would start to get bummed out related to the transports ... I would remember what my most favorite geek told me this morning: a person that I cannot stand, who continues to be a major PITA, insult me no matter my professionalism, and be THE laziest co-worker I've ever had .... their contract is up for renewal and is being ..... [drumroll] DENIED!!!!!!! They'll be gone soon!! I'm not the only person who has had issues, which is apparent, and it's unfortunate for someone to lose their job ... but this person brings down the morale of the whole team. Their track record with a lot of other things sucks, too. They'll find another job with their field, that's a guarantee ... I just hope their sense of duty improves so they can keep the new one and not torture other people like they have done to us.