Recently...
Feb. 15th, 2007 05:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
senoritafishLet's see what's been happening lately....
At work, we've been trying to hire scientific aides, since both DP and KP got permanent jobs. DP, thankfully is still with our project, but KP is doing something else now. VT is also leaving us, since she was offered the steelhead job we both interviewed for a while ago. And while I'm happy for her, and don't begrudge her getting the job at all (I'm reluctant to leave Marine Region), I will miss her sitting right across from me. I'll have to go to the other side of the building now. ;p DP is moving into her office, and she'll still be helping us for another four months or so, so it's not like there's a hole there. But still...
We've interviewed six people so far, however, the only one we've hired has a degree in business (!); he has the necessary number of units in biology, is a diver and volunteers at AOP, so he's familiar enough with the material. A mortgage company was not his cup of tea and he is looking for something that might be a better fit. We've also ha, one person who had no clue what we meant by a time management question, and one who was so quiet on a phone interview I could not hear half of what he said, despite asking him to speak up about 4 times. And I'm clueless as to how people can be nearly finished with a degree in biology (or have a Master's, in one case a few years ago) and not know why random sampling is important. The business guy did pretty well on that one. So I spent all last week out at the docks every day getting him started with training - we're not usually out there every day but that's just how the (random) schedule turned out. Another guy we interviewed Friday is a possibility after we check his references.
Put in for two more Associate positions - one for invertebrates and one for Highly Migratory Species (tunas, sharks and the like) - the latter one is on my project, but I would be doing more contentious Council stuff and working more closely with someone who intimidates me - I'm not sure about it. Haven't heard back about interviews yet.
On the home front, Angus's birthday is coming up, and we are actually going to have a party with invited friends, etc. Probably just cake and ice cream and a few games at the park, but before this, their birthdays have just been family things, so this is new for all of us. They've been to so many parties where the parents invited every kid in their class (20-30 kids and at least one parent each usually) to Chuck E. Cheese or a martial arts dojo, or Prehistoric Pets. I think I remember one of my birthday parties we went rollerskating, but there were few enough of us we all fit in one car. I want to wonder how those other parents can afford it, but I know perfectly well that we're in the lower income bracket at that school. I just don't want them to feel slighted that they only get a get-together at the park rather than some fancy shindig at a pricey venue.
We went to the party store last week to pick up some supplies, and after wavering a bit, Angus finally picked Harry Potter over Star Wars. I bought a few things at that store, but thinking of some other things we needed, I decided to check out a bigger store a little farther away this weekend. Darned if they didn't have all the Harry Potter stuff on clearance, at about 70% off. I was kicking myself for not going there first, but at least it means we could get a few more things for favors and such. I was also thinking about going to one of those bakeries that put pictures on cakes and having them put Angus's picture from Halloween on his cake, since he made a very good Harry Potter.
Dad gave us a scare on Saturday. First he made John mad by barging into our bedroom to see if the phone was off the hook while John was still asleep and woke him up (he wanted to make a phone call and the phones were dead). It turned out when he had gotten up from watching television, he got a very sudden and painful urge to urinate - he didn't quite make it to the bathroom. When he was done he noticed blood on his hands. This happened twice in the space of an hour, but then he went to bed and it didn't recurr in the morning. When he phoned his doctor, he was told to go to the emergency room to be checked out. John thought it sounded like a kidney stone. I went with him and the place was jammed. There has been a really bad strain of flu going around, which I think quite a few people had. We waited about 2 1/2 hours before he could get in, and then he was in there for another 2 hours or so before I finally asked what was going on with my father. They told me I could go in and see him. They'd done an ultrasound and determined he had a kidney infection, and gave him a course of IV antibiotics, and a prescription.
The doctor must have been concerned that Dad's mind was wandering, because he turned to me and asked if I'd make sure he was taking his medication properly. He even phoned the next day to make sure he'd filled the prescription - I've never had an emergency room doctor do that before. The thing is, that's how Dad is most of the time; constantly talking at you about stuff that's of interest to him, and occasionally difficult to keep on the topic at hand. It's not that he's not lucid - he'd just rather talk about World War II planes and armament or some story he read in a magazine, than keep on the subject at hand any longer than necessary.
Some small sadnesses - they switched all the bus drivers around on the route down Lampson in front of my office, and I miss my nice drivers who stopped without my ringing the bell. Frank, the guy in the afternoon, liked to chat, and they change every couple of days now so it seems like I don't know anyone.
Brandy, the little girl across the street, and her brother Bobby, moved when their father and stepmother bought a new house, and Gareth misses her. She's still at school until the end of the year, but will be going to a new school next year. But it seems pretty quiet not hearing them running around in the front yard. We are inviting both of them to Angus's party, but don't know if they'll be able to come yet.
There are a few things missing since the Big Cleanup; well, more than a few, but a couple of the important things - Gareth stuffed orca hasn't been seen for quite a while, and when he thinks about it, he cries. A small quilt handmade by a co-worker for Angus when he was a baby was in the pantry/laundry room because I was trying to get a stain out of it, and a couple of rips I meant to repair. It was a bit faded from its original bright colors, but I loved the fish pattern of it, and while it was too small for him, Angus still liked to have it on his bed. Makes me depressed to think that might gone; TL spent so much time on it.
At work, we've been trying to hire scientific aides, since both DP and KP got permanent jobs. DP, thankfully is still with our project, but KP is doing something else now. VT is also leaving us, since she was offered the steelhead job we both interviewed for a while ago. And while I'm happy for her, and don't begrudge her getting the job at all (I'm reluctant to leave Marine Region), I will miss her sitting right across from me. I'll have to go to the other side of the building now. ;p DP is moving into her office, and she'll still be helping us for another four months or so, so it's not like there's a hole there. But still...
We've interviewed six people so far, however, the only one we've hired has a degree in business (!); he has the necessary number of units in biology, is a diver and volunteers at AOP, so he's familiar enough with the material. A mortgage company was not his cup of tea and he is looking for something that might be a better fit. We've also ha, one person who had no clue what we meant by a time management question, and one who was so quiet on a phone interview I could not hear half of what he said, despite asking him to speak up about 4 times. And I'm clueless as to how people can be nearly finished with a degree in biology (or have a Master's, in one case a few years ago) and not know why random sampling is important. The business guy did pretty well on that one. So I spent all last week out at the docks every day getting him started with training - we're not usually out there every day but that's just how the (random) schedule turned out. Another guy we interviewed Friday is a possibility after we check his references.
Put in for two more Associate positions - one for invertebrates and one for Highly Migratory Species (tunas, sharks and the like) - the latter one is on my project, but I would be doing more contentious Council stuff and working more closely with someone who intimidates me - I'm not sure about it. Haven't heard back about interviews yet.
On the home front, Angus's birthday is coming up, and we are actually going to have a party with invited friends, etc. Probably just cake and ice cream and a few games at the park, but before this, their birthdays have just been family things, so this is new for all of us. They've been to so many parties where the parents invited every kid in their class (20-30 kids and at least one parent each usually) to Chuck E. Cheese or a martial arts dojo, or Prehistoric Pets. I think I remember one of my birthday parties we went rollerskating, but there were few enough of us we all fit in one car. I want to wonder how those other parents can afford it, but I know perfectly well that we're in the lower income bracket at that school. I just don't want them to feel slighted that they only get a get-together at the park rather than some fancy shindig at a pricey venue.
We went to the party store last week to pick up some supplies, and after wavering a bit, Angus finally picked Harry Potter over Star Wars. I bought a few things at that store, but thinking of some other things we needed, I decided to check out a bigger store a little farther away this weekend. Darned if they didn't have all the Harry Potter stuff on clearance, at about 70% off. I was kicking myself for not going there first, but at least it means we could get a few more things for favors and such. I was also thinking about going to one of those bakeries that put pictures on cakes and having them put Angus's picture from Halloween on his cake, since he made a very good Harry Potter.
Dad gave us a scare on Saturday. First he made John mad by barging into our bedroom to see if the phone was off the hook while John was still asleep and woke him up (he wanted to make a phone call and the phones were dead). It turned out when he had gotten up from watching television, he got a very sudden and painful urge to urinate - he didn't quite make it to the bathroom. When he was done he noticed blood on his hands. This happened twice in the space of an hour, but then he went to bed and it didn't recurr in the morning. When he phoned his doctor, he was told to go to the emergency room to be checked out. John thought it sounded like a kidney stone. I went with him and the place was jammed. There has been a really bad strain of flu going around, which I think quite a few people had. We waited about 2 1/2 hours before he could get in, and then he was in there for another 2 hours or so before I finally asked what was going on with my father. They told me I could go in and see him. They'd done an ultrasound and determined he had a kidney infection, and gave him a course of IV antibiotics, and a prescription.
The doctor must have been concerned that Dad's mind was wandering, because he turned to me and asked if I'd make sure he was taking his medication properly. He even phoned the next day to make sure he'd filled the prescription - I've never had an emergency room doctor do that before. The thing is, that's how Dad is most of the time; constantly talking at you about stuff that's of interest to him, and occasionally difficult to keep on the topic at hand. It's not that he's not lucid - he'd just rather talk about World War II planes and armament or some story he read in a magazine, than keep on the subject at hand any longer than necessary.
Some small sadnesses - they switched all the bus drivers around on the route down Lampson in front of my office, and I miss my nice drivers who stopped without my ringing the bell. Frank, the guy in the afternoon, liked to chat, and they change every couple of days now so it seems like I don't know anyone.
Brandy, the little girl across the street, and her brother Bobby, moved when their father and stepmother bought a new house, and Gareth misses her. She's still at school until the end of the year, but will be going to a new school next year. But it seems pretty quiet not hearing them running around in the front yard. We are inviting both of them to Angus's party, but don't know if they'll be able to come yet.
There are a few things missing since the Big Cleanup; well, more than a few, but a couple of the important things - Gareth stuffed orca hasn't been seen for quite a while, and when he thinks about it, he cries. A small quilt handmade by a co-worker for Angus when he was a baby was in the pantry/laundry room because I was trying to get a stain out of it, and a couple of rips I meant to repair. It was a bit faded from its original bright colors, but I loved the fish pattern of it, and while it was too small for him, Angus still liked to have it on his bed. Makes me depressed to think that might gone; TL spent so much time on it.
