The Continuing Adventures of Just a Waiter - no more spit guy

 One of my duties at work is soon coming to an end.  Actually, it's already over haha!  It ended this week.  And I will miss that part of my job, oddly enough.  It was not necessarily a pleasant job and honestly, no one else wanted to do it, so I stepped up and said I would and I'm glad that I did.  What was this part of my job, you may ask?  It was being the pooled testing coordinator.  That is actually the name I gave myself because it really sounds more official that the Heritage Greens spit guy.  LOL

So, back in the summer during the pandemic, we began pooled testing our residents and our associates.  What that process consisted of was each individual would spit into a vial.  Just enough to cover the bottom, which was about the size of a dime, so not really too much.  But it was harder than you might think.  Spitting under pressure is not always easy.  And for people who are on medications that dry their mouths out, it can be particularly difficult.  Still, we managed to get everyone to do it.  

Anyway, once the tests are done, the vials, which do have lids on them, are placed into a refrigerator until it's time to ship.  For our purposes, they were divided into groups.  Usually separated by floors and buildings.  So, my job was to tally all of the tests, keeping them within their groups.  I would place each group into its own ziploc bag and place them on ice in a cooler.  The cooler would then be labeled and taped secure and sent to the lab.  There the lab would combine the contents of all of the vials of a specific group together and test it in one big sample.  If that sample came back positive, we would individually test each person who contributed to that sample. If it was negative, then life went on as normally as possible.  

We were doing 2 rounds of testing each week, so twice a week this was part of my job.  Now, since I don't have an office of my own and many of our non office spaces had been repurposed at this point, I had to do this behind the partition wall at the front desk.  I would sit on the floor surrounded by all of the things I needed.  The refrigerator on my right, my cooler and paperwork on my left.  Using multiple pairs of gloves for safety, I would line up the vials in front of me and count.  And when my back began to hurt, I would change positions.  Eventually, all would be accounted for and ready for shipment.  Fun fun!  LOL I didn't mind at all though.  

The beautiful thing about doing these tests was how much we were able to open up within our community during a time when no one was allowed in and only medical appointments allowed people out.  In person activities began to start up again as well as in person dining, all of them carefully socially distanced.  But even then, the impact it had not only on the residents but on all of us was amazing.  And for me, that far outweighed the fact that I was counting spit.  The benefits were amazing.  Residents who were mentally failing because of their isolation were bouncing back incredibly.  People were doing things again and feeling better about the things we have been doing to keep them safe. 

I am so proud to have contributed to that part of our pandemic protocol.  It gave me a sense of purpose when I needed one.  The beginnings of the pandemic were confusing and frustrating for all of us at work and being able to help out and change things made a difference to me.  And I know that made a difference to other people.  This week, I found out that we will be discontinuing with the pooled testing.  The company is going to be doing a different kind of testing that will involve someone else coming in and dealing with all of it.  And as much as I will miss my weekly routine of counting spit, I am glad that someone else can take over the testing.  No doubt that I will find another project to fill that void!  Still, I'm happy that I got to help.  Our motto at Kisco is "Making a Difference Every Day." and I know in my heart that I have done that.

That is all

Thought For The Day - Sometimes, you just leave the dirty dishes

 One thing that I normally hate to do in my daily domestic life is go to bed with a dirty kitchen.  I just hate to get up in the morning, go into the kitchen to start my coffee....which is such a vital part of my day...and see my kitchen counters full of crap.  It usually drives me insane.  Partly because it is early in the morning and I am in no mood to clean my kitchen.  And I usually do not do it right then.  I will have at least 2 cups of coffee and sit in front of my computer for an hour before I even think about doing anything remotely productive...much less clean my kitchen.

There is just something satisfying when I get up and I can make my coffee in clean surroundings.  It makes me feel like I've planned ahead.  I've kept up with housework and got something accomplished the night before.  It may seem silly to think so, but it works for me and I won't question it.  Starting my day in a space that is clean and ready to go can be very motivational.  It gives me a clean slate to work with for my day.

Last night, though, after dinner, I just was not in the mood.  Work had been fine.  It wasn't a longer day than normal, but 8 hours of work is still 8 hours of work.  I came home and got Squirt out, got the trash out to the curb, did some banking on the computer and then commenced to cooking dinner....beef with broccoli, by the way.  It was good :)  Still, by the time dinner was over I just was not in the mood to clean up.  And Michael also had a long day and needed to chill.  He's under deadline on a few projects right now, so I wasn't about to ask him to clean up after dinner.  I did ask him, though, if it'd be alright not to clean up tonight, if I could just pile the dishes in the sink and wait until morning.  After all, it's his kitchen too.  He said that was fine and that was a relief.  If it had been a problem, of course I would have done it but it wasn't and I just wanted to relax and watch a movie....which I did, a Miss Marple mystery!

So I get up this morning and am greeted by my dirty dishes.  I immediately bypass them for the coffee maker.  Not a care in the world about it because I'm not really awake yet.  I feed the fish and put food out for the cats outside while the coffee is brewing.  I have my coffee and check my email and catch up on a few things.  Ah, the morning does go by quickly when you're just sitting around.  But now that my coffee is done, I suppose it's time to get up and clean the kitchen.  I don't feel guilty about it all and it was totally worth looking at that pyramid of leftover dinner dishes in the sink this morning!  

That is all!

Escapades in Adulting - being in the kitchen

My Mom was an extraordinary person.  And I don't think that I am the only one that believes that.  Of course, I am biased.  She was my mother and my best friend and biggest supporter.  Who wouldn't think that extraordinary in their lives?  I don't always live up to the standards that both she set for me and I set for myself.  Such is life.  But there are definitely times that I know that I am my mother's child.  There is no mistaking that.

One of those times is in the kitchen at the end of a long work day.  Sometimes I just don't know how Mom did it most years.  Once Bill and I reached a certain age, Mom went back to work and eventually that became a full time position working Monday through Friday.  But each day, she would come home and by 6 or 6:30 would have dinner on the table.  And this is before the time of the "instant family dinners" like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.  In retrospect, that was pretty damn amazing.

The kitchen is where I get my 2nd wind every day.  Coming home after a draining day from work...which has been a lot over the past year...being in the kitchen and making dinner gives me great energy.  One reason is that, as you know, I love cooking.  It's my creative outlet, which is great since I can't draw and you don't want to hear me sing!  And I also love cooking for Michael. It makes me feel like I'm helping to provide for my family. I say family because Squirt usually gets something off of my plate during dinner LOL  I feel like I'm contributing an important part to our daily lives....and I am.  But these times are when I feel closest to Mom.  The kitchen was her domain and now it is becoming mine. 

One thing I didn't learn from Mom was meal planning.  It's one of the things I'm working on this year, trying to plan meals ahead of time.  That will, hopefully, save a little from my wallet!  But I think I can conquer that one if I just put the effort into it.  The kitchen we have now is great.  It's pretty open and has everything we need.  Lots of cabinet space and good counter space, even though more counter space is always welcome.  It's not my dream kitchen, however.  I'm not exactly sure what my dream kitchen is.  That will come later in life.  Still, being in my kitchen and cooking dinner every night brings me peace and many wonderful memories of Mom's kitchen.  Oh, what I wouldn't give to be in there with her again!  Take care.

Thought For The Day - sleeping in

 Ah, here it is that Monday has come round again.  How the weekend simply flies by!  It was a lovely weekend, both relaxing and productive, but like everyone else I could have used one more day!  That's ok, though, I'm happy and thankful for the two days I did have off.  I decided that I was going to treat myself today since I have to go back to work.  And that treat was sleeping in!  Something I don't usually do, even on my days off.

Granted, I did not decide to sleep in until about a half hour before my alarm was supposed to go off.  LOL  I woke up around 5 and just made the decision that today I wanted an extra hour in bed. No reason for it, I just wanted it.  So I got out of bed and set my alarm back for 6:30 a.m..  It was a glorious feeling, I must admit.  I crawled back into bed and snuggled up with Squirt.  Michael wasn't so lucky and he ended up getting up at regular time.  Oops LOL  I know that I did not go back into a deep sleep, but it was still very relaxing and I felt great when time came to get out of bed.

And when I did get up, Michael had already made the coffee, which was wonderful!  I am trying to switch things up a little in my daily routine so I did manage to actually do a few things before sitting down at the computer, which is normally my first morning stop.  And all of this while it was still dark out.  I feel somewhat accomplished for a Monday morning!  Now, I won't sleep in every day and tomorrow I will be back to my 5:30 wakeup alarm and that's totally ok.  But, today, on a Monday after a nice weekend, it just fit the bill!  Have an awesome day, everyone!

Thought for the day

 The other day I got really upset reading a magazine article, which is unlike me.  With everything going on in the world today, I do my best to avoid the drama of the outside world.  Now, to some, that might make me an ostrich with my head in the sand....and that's ok.  For me it is about self care.  I choose not to focus on the negativity.  Yes, I read the headlines but I rarely read the articles because it's just too much for me to handle.  It can definitely create a kind of sensory overload that I just simply do not wish to deal with.  It works for me and that is what is important.  And it is not because I do not care about the issues.  I do.  I am very particular about where and how I get my information, how I process it and how I choose to act upon it.

Having said that, I was reading a magazine that is geared towards highlighting the people and places of North Carolina.  They will sometimes have articles about major or minor historical events in the state's history, as did this particular issue.  It had a wonderfully written article about Wilmington and the racial tensions there in the late 60's through the 70's.  I honestly had no idea about this period of Wilmington's history, especially about the "Wilmington 10" who were wrongly convicted by a corrupt and racially biased judicial system.  I went to Wilmington many times in my childhood and to me, it was a beautiful seaside town.  I had not a clue as to its dark past.  I'm not really surprised by it, as most places have these kinds of pasts.  I simply was unaware of it.

I got angry reading this article for several reasons.  One was growing up in NC, the state history was a regular part of my public school curriculum.  So, how come I'd never heard about this before?  And, how many other facets of my home state were whitewashed for my learning experience.  These kinds of things were major events and should have been a part of my learning.  And then I became angry at myself because I have not taken the time in my adult life to learn about the history of things.  I really have not been learning much of anything.  Not out of a lack of desire but a lack of motivation.  I have always enjoyed learning, so why did I stop?  I need to work on that because I feel it will make me a more well rounded, educated resident.  I realized that I cannot truly contribute opinions on today's climate if I don't know the history we are repeating.  People haven't really changed and the hatred towards anyone who is different hasn't really changed.  Only the fact that there's so much exposure through social media has changed.  

And, lastly, I got angry at the magazine.  Here's a wonderfully written article about an important piece of our state's history that is so incredibly relevant today and where is it?  At the very back of the issue among all the travel ads.  One could easily just overlook it because you'd think you were through the magazine already.  So, if they are going to publish articles of this importance they should be put in a place of importance.  I'm sure in today's shaky financial times, they do not want to offend any of their subscribers, but come on.  Why bother putting it in there if you are not going to give it some better prominent placing?  And if you don't want to incite discussion about this, then don't put it on your magazine to begin with.  You can't have it both ways.  

Oh, well.  Still, I am glad to have read the article and I'm glad I know more about an issue that still runs so deep in our state.  At least I'm starting to learn again.  That is all.

Recipe of the day - Portabella Salad

 I've only made this salad a few times, but I do like it.  It's a very warm weather recipe, to me, and last week's spring like temperatures made me want to make some of my warm weather recipes and I just happen to have the ingredients I needed for this one!  Hope you enjoy!

Portabella Salad

1 lb baby portabella mushrooms

1 cup water

1 tsp salt

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 green pepper, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 tsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp oregano

1 4oz jar stuffed olives, cut in half

1/2 cup vinegar

3/4 cup oil

Combine oil and vinegar.  Mix all other ingredients together then pour the oil & vinegar over mixture.  Store in fridge for several hours.  Drain before serving.  Enjoy!

*if you don't have a pepper, you can use a mild, sweet onion.

Thought for the day

 Well, the long weekend went by quickly....too quickly for my taste, but one cannot stop time from marching on and here we are at Monday again.  It's always an adjustment after daylight savings for it to still be so dark in the morning.  I have to get use that, the same as getting use to still being light outside after dinner.  Ah, well.  I had a really nice weekend and managed to balance both productivity and relaxation, which was one of my goals.  I definitely do not feel like I wasted my time.  Sure, I probably could have done more, but I did enough and that works for me!

I felt very much in control of things this weekend.  I was not on anyone's deadline but my own.  I was able to get things done at my own pace and I found that in doing so, my energy maintained a good level.  I was not completely exhausted all of the time.  Yes, I did take a few naps but still felt very refreshed most of the day.  I need to figure out how to bring that kind of feeling to the weekday workday.  While I recognize that work is going to be stressful on occasion, it does not have to be that way all of the time.  I look back over the past few weeks at the incidents at work that stressed me out and now all I can really do is laugh over it.  Why I let things get to me sometimes I have no clue.  It's human nature, though, and cannot always be escaped.  Still, I want to be more in control of how I feel at work.  I know that I can do that, I just have to pay more attention to myself and my surroundings.

I feel like I'm much more productive at work when I am in a better mood.  Of course, we are all that way.  I would just like to be that way more often.  I love what I do and the people I work for and with.  If I can feel like I'm making a difference, which is our motto by the way, it will make for a better working experience and that will flood over into all aspects of life.  Let's see how it goes.  Wish me luck!

Thought For The Day - a day off

 The anticipation of having a day off, resulting in a long weekend....which is a precious commodity these days for me, is both exciting and worrisome.  Unlike many people right now, I have not had to stay home during the pandemic.  My work has kept be going and I know how lucky I have been to be getting out of the house every day.  So, some people might roll their eyes at me for the thought of looking forward to being home for 3 whole days in a row, but ah, well.  I'm still looking forward to it!

I am excited because I am looking forward to relaxing.  I think it's good to be able to walk away from the workplace for awhile and just rejuvenate.  Somehow, I think the pandemic has made it easier for people to burn out easier and I don't want to do that.  Somedays, that's a very fine line to stay on one side of!  Anyway, I am looking forward to a work responsible free day!  

On the other hand, though, I don't want to waste my day by sitting around like a slug.  I know that some people will say that's what a day off is for.  And it's one of those things that I may enjoy in the moment, but I will feel really guilty about when I look back on it.  I need to try and accomplish something during that time.  And make it something that I wouldn't normally get done on a regular day off.  A project.  I guess I need a project.  Or something like that LOL

Either way, I will figure something out.  I may treat myself to a shopping trip to the Dollar Tree, which I actually do enjoy going to.  They have some great things if you know what you're looking for.  I'd also thought about going out to the antiques mall early when it won't be crowded.  After all, this month marks one year without a cigarette and I should treat myself to something.  We shall see.  Still, I am happy for a day off and having a long weekend for a change.  Let's just hope I don't waste it completely.  Wish me luck!