Changing expectations

There comes a point when you have to realize what can be, and what will never be.

This is quite obviously, not a San Diego update. That will come this evening, because I’m currently writing a whole bunch of computers to just try and get my head back to where it needs to be.

My last day at my full time job is tomorrow.

Tomorrow. (Kinda makes you want to sing “Annie” doesn’t it?)

However, the woman who is replacing me, has now had 2 weeks in which to semi grasp what the job description is. Ask questions. Ask how she needs to be doing things.

She hasn’t.

The questions she has asked, though? How do you open a document when you’re already in Word?

How do you turn on and off the computer?

How do I type a list if there is already something written here?

Training her on customer service skills and how to answer a phone in a professional environment, instead of just answering with a “Hello.”

I don’t mean for this blog post to be offensive. I don’t mean for it to be bitchy. I don’t mean for it to be a rant.

But it is a way for me to be able to express myself, and my frustrations. And I am frustrated to the point of exasperation and high blood pressure. I almost don't know how to answer these questions. Because honestly, I have never had to teach someone that when you are in a professional environment, you don't answer a phone "hello."

((You also never bring religious books in either, especially ones about "Finding your better God" because it makes many people uncomfortable. Including the physician you share an office with. Who works with children who sometimes die of their cancer, and it's awful. But that's a story for a different time I think...))

My father has taught me to do things right the first time. “Touch it once, Whitney, and let it be done the proper way. You’ll never have to go back and do it again.”

My office is covered in post it notes that say the same thing. Because the same questions are being asked, over and over and over again. There is zero ability to multi-task. There is literally no ability to retain information that has been given more than once. In fact, there isn’t even any recognition that the information has already been given to her.

I worked hard to make the program run in a way that was successful over the past 2+ years. I worked hard to make it organized, and to be sure I was receiving comments from students that were “this is the most organized a clerkship has been all year.”

And now, for all of that work, to feel like it’s slipping away and was for nothing? I’m sad to leave; I’m certainly not going to miss everyone I work with. But I am going to miss making sure that there are students who were being taken care of in a way that was aiming to make them as successful as they wanted to be.

And now I’m nervous for these new students. I am nervous for this woman. Because students who pay over $60,000 a year to go to school? They want things done right the first time.

And it’s not going to happen.

Just to point out... the April version

There is a blog that I read that every once in a while does a post on "And another thing" it's kind of a compilation of things that people just totally forget about in real life.

So, just to point out:
When you go to a bar (or restaurant), tipping a quarter is completely rude and totally unacceptable. If you can't tip 20% seriously, don't go out. Tipping is part of the deal, and the days of 15% being ok are gone. Please see here for more details.

Wedding invite lists should either be all, or none. Especially in the work place. It creates drama. And if you are a person who likes to create that type of drama, have a good explanation for why.

Mindless busy work projects for school is a total waste of time. If you want me to do something that is going to further my education, don't make it a stupid project with few guidelines and zero examples. It's annoying. And you're wasting my time.

The weather needs to be sunny a lot more often. This whole "today it's sunny and beautiful and tomorrow it's rainy and gray and gross and depressing" really isn't good for anyone's psyche.

And just because it's over 60 degrees doesn't mean that I should be able to see your totally winter bod out in public quite yet. If you didn't go to the gym over the winter season, please don't turn into a supermodel and think you're totally hot. I don't (because I haven't been to the gym) and neither should the people (especially women) who weigh a solid 50-100 lbs more than me. Not. Attractive. Figure it out.

Just because I am a Red Sox fan doesn't make me a terrorist, a sleeper cell, nor does it mean that I support Al Quaeda and 9/11. Thank you to any Yankee fan that proves just how ignorant a group of people can be.

Being 23 years old doesn't give you the right to speak to me as if I am uneducated, and undeserving of an adult conversation. If you speak in a demeaning way to me, I will do the same to you, and I will make you feel like an idiot for it. Especially in emails.

16 weeks is a really, really long time to wait to be done with a job that doesn't challenge you, where you're staying for health insurance reasons.

School advisors that are supposed to be helping me figure out my class schedule/internship should really have a faster than 15 day turn around for an email response.

People shouldn't maintain employment if they really suck at their jobs. There's enough unemployed people who are great at working, who deserve to have a job but can't get one because there's people that are dinosaur age who just can't get fired.

Butler really should have won the NCAA championship game. Duke, for all their fabulous name recognition, didn't play like a championship deserving team. Just sayin.

Not eating chicken and beef is turning out to be a lot easier than I thought it was going to.

I will have a puppy at the end of July, even if JM says he doesn't think I'll go through with it. I know deep down he's kind of excited.

I have had green extensions in my hair for over 2 weeks. Just noticing them now seems slightly awkward.

"Please" and "Thank you" are not expressions that should just be dropped in the 21st century. Make sure that the people in your life are appreciated, you never know when they may not be around anymore.

I think that covers most of it for now, but who knows... maybe we'll have a monthly "Just to point out" post. Any other thoughts my lovely 13 followers?

*>Ooohhh an update! I have 14 followers! Thank YOU my faithful 14!<*

Grammar.

I have a problem. It's called incorrect grammar. It really, really, really makes me angry. Really. You might say that it's part of the type A personality coming out.

You would be correct.

Your and you're
Their and they're and there
To and too
It's and its

There's another one that starts with an "a" versus one with an "e" but the antibiotics are kicking in and my brain is fuzzy. Leave it be. Or, remind me of it in the comments.


It makes me mad when people use them incorrectly in emails. In letters. In texts. Ugh. Pet peeve 1000, improper grammar.

That's on top of pet peeve #1: don't tell me you're going to do something and not do it.

Or annoyance #32: going to Employee Health and having them do a rapid strep test, have it come back negative and having the stupid PA tell me that I still need to go home. Ha. Fooled you. I'm still at work. So. There. With a mask, antibiotics and hot water and lemons. But still. I win.

Any pet peeves or annoyances out there these days? I bet people who are getting tons of snow right now have a lot of them... like, lack of plows. Or, moving further south to avoid the snow and getting more than upstate NY has gotten all year. In a week. Ha. Suckers :)