Sorry for the hiatus.
I will just summarise and say that Maryland and all its funtimes and lovely lovely people are distracting from the internet. That is GREAT for my mental health and I am so glad I failed NaBloPoMo because I got to see everyone, support the US economy, hug my grandma and it was all amazing.
Now for my Friday Five.
1. Christmas Music. Especially John Denver & The Muppets. 'Nough Said.
2. I am introducing C to the film A Christmas Story tonight. I hope he loves it. I do.
3. I have been making delicious salads. I think I have perfected salad (for me). Yum.
4. Changes to our flat are upcoming, which will make my quality of life SO MUCH BETTER. Very exciting.
5. Plans for better, cheaper socializing to hit our flat in the New Year. Also going to improve my quality of life.
Showing posts with label nablopomo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nablopomo. Show all posts
Friday, 4 December 2009
Saturday, 21 November 2009
Everybody's working for the weekend.
Today was the longest day ever. Also my brain is barely fuctioning, I am so excited about my trip to Maryland.
So this is for NaBloPoMo. It is not much substance. But I am here, my voice in my little corner of the interwebs.
In no particular order, things that happened today:
* I cut my finger whilst chopping potatoes
* Up early to shop at the ski outlet store.
* Chicken and vegetable pasty for lunch. NOM.
* Thought about leaving work early today, it was SO boring.
* Told everyone at work who would listen about my trip.
* Made lots of photocopies, planning for future activities and completed some word searches.
* Visited some friends for a few laughs and tea.
So this is for NaBloPoMo. It is not much substance. But I am here, my voice in my little corner of the interwebs.
In no particular order, things that happened today:
* I cut my finger whilst chopping potatoes
* Up early to shop at the ski outlet store.
* Chicken and vegetable pasty for lunch. NOM.
* Thought about leaving work early today, it was SO boring.
* Told everyone at work who would listen about my trip.
* Made lots of photocopies, planning for future activities and completed some word searches.
* Visited some friends for a few laughs and tea.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
IALAC.
I really hope that next week is the week I need to sort my head out. I am losing steam with everything lately. Well, just about everything. The gym and planning sessions are still going nicely and I'm still excited about them.
I am totally off my game this week. First, I realised I was slacking with the menu because I have very little inspiration to cook outside my comfort zone, yet want more new and interesting food. Then, it was 'lose your head if it's not attached to your body' because I was all over the place yesterday.
Today was ok. I accomplished some small tasks and made some plans for tomorrow. But I have had enough of this week and NaBloPoMo feels like it is kicking my butt. I am starting to find it hard to gather up the motivation and courage to post every day. Only 11 days to go though.
I will follow through with this post a day business. 11 days. Things will get better.
Next week is for me. I will come back to England, to C, to work, to menu planning and all the other nuances that make up my life with the ability to be better, do better and accomplish more. In the words of my high school health teacher, Mrs Susan Euker, 'I am loveable and capable'. Life will go on, I will strive to be better at holding onto it with both hands, instead of letting it drag me along.
Remember: I am loveable and capable.
I am totally off my game this week. First, I realised I was slacking with the menu because I have very little inspiration to cook outside my comfort zone, yet want more new and interesting food. Then, it was 'lose your head if it's not attached to your body' because I was all over the place yesterday.
Today was ok. I accomplished some small tasks and made some plans for tomorrow. But I have had enough of this week and NaBloPoMo feels like it is kicking my butt. I am starting to find it hard to gather up the motivation and courage to post every day. Only 11 days to go though.
I will follow through with this post a day business. 11 days. Things will get better.
Next week is for me. I will come back to England, to C, to work, to menu planning and all the other nuances that make up my life with the ability to be better, do better and accomplish more. In the words of my high school health teacher, Mrs Susan Euker, 'I am loveable and capable'. Life will go on, I will strive to be better at holding onto it with both hands, instead of letting it drag me along.
Remember: I am loveable and capable.
Monday, 2 November 2009
second verse same as the first.
I have said it before, I love my job. The hours are great, the people mostly wonderful. The only thing that could be better is the pay. But honestly? I still love it.
My job requires me to plan and execute activities for elderly people suffering from Parkinson's, dementia and stroke. I work in a local nursing home; it is always challenging and mostly fun.
I was ill at the weekend, finally well today, I was excited to go to work since I missed my Saturday shift. Maybe I am still recovering from the weekend, or maybe I woke up without all my patience, but at several points today I wished I had stayed home in bed.
Here is my rant about work:
01.It is harder to reason with octogenarians with most of their mental faculties than it is to reason with a two year old.
02.I hate being asked the same question by the same resident everyday. S/he knows the answer, because they start the conversation "I know you said X about Y, but I just wanted to know if I could do Y?" Ummmm, no. The answer is the same as it was the last time you asked.
03.People that ask if we can do G activity because it 'sounds interesting and fun' or 'that was nice the last time we did it' and then DO NOT TURN UP to the aforementioned activity. The next day/week some of these people will say, why didn't we get to do G activity?
The things I love about work:
01.I get to be fairly creative on a daily basis.
02.I speak to a variety of people each day, all with varying needs, wants, interests, abilities and limitations.
03.All of the things I dislike as well as the variety of people I am with on a daily basis keep me constantly engaged and challenged at work. Even if there is not a feasible solution.
04.Things at work make me laugh a lot. The people are funny, sometimes the situations are funny.
05.My supervisor is great. People think she is hard to get along with, but really, just DBAD and you will be fine.
My shifts on Mondays are 10:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M. and 7 P.M.-9 P.M. I stay at work between shifts, and have dinner, prepare activities for the evening and assist with supper for residents (if necessary).
By 8:30 P.M. tonight, I was losing my patience in a big way with one of the residents (Resident S). And obviously, you must endeavour to be kind and patient all the time with all the residents, so I was walking out of the room to get away from Resident S and s/he follows me!* So I retreat back to the room I just came from, and one of the other residents says, "You can't get any peace around here, can you?"
"I am just running out of energy to deal with Resident S right now."
"Then you won't ever get peace...not for love nor money!" (Laughs).
I start laughing. Resident S is now back in the room and thinks I am laughing at him/her.
I realise that I am fighting a losing battle trying to communicate and reason with Resident S. So I prepare Resident D to go back to his/her room and say good-bye to Resident S.
I have never felt so relieved.
This post brought to you by: the people at work who drive me up a wall.
*Resident S, due to their limitations has difficulty holding a 'normal' conversation. S/he will repeat and repeat and repeat a story, statement or request until s/he gets a response. Offering alternatives or solutions is a lost cause. S/he will respond "Oh no, I could never do that because X. But don't tell anyone." What?! Why is anyone going to care about that? Basically, everything in Resident S' life is a crisis, that s/he has no control over and no one can help with, though we are supposed to pander to each crisis. But by being sympathetic, s/he says 'Oh you have no idea how hard Z is or what I have to do for Y." It is a constant uphill battle with Resident S and after being at work for ten hours, it is extremely wearing.
My job requires me to plan and execute activities for elderly people suffering from Parkinson's, dementia and stroke. I work in a local nursing home; it is always challenging and mostly fun.
I was ill at the weekend, finally well today, I was excited to go to work since I missed my Saturday shift. Maybe I am still recovering from the weekend, or maybe I woke up without all my patience, but at several points today I wished I had stayed home in bed.
Here is my rant about work:
01.It is harder to reason with octogenarians with most of their mental faculties than it is to reason with a two year old.
02.I hate being asked the same question by the same resident everyday. S/he knows the answer, because they start the conversation "I know you said X about Y, but I just wanted to know if I could do Y?" Ummmm, no. The answer is the same as it was the last time you asked.
03.People that ask if we can do G activity because it 'sounds interesting and fun' or 'that was nice the last time we did it' and then DO NOT TURN UP to the aforementioned activity. The next day/week some of these people will say, why didn't we get to do G activity?
The things I love about work:
01.I get to be fairly creative on a daily basis.
02.I speak to a variety of people each day, all with varying needs, wants, interests, abilities and limitations.
03.All of the things I dislike as well as the variety of people I am with on a daily basis keep me constantly engaged and challenged at work. Even if there is not a feasible solution.
04.Things at work make me laugh a lot. The people are funny, sometimes the situations are funny.
05.My supervisor is great. People think she is hard to get along with, but really, just DBAD and you will be fine.
My shifts on Mondays are 10:30 A.M.-5:30 P.M. and 7 P.M.-9 P.M. I stay at work between shifts, and have dinner, prepare activities for the evening and assist with supper for residents (if necessary).
By 8:30 P.M. tonight, I was losing my patience in a big way with one of the residents (Resident S). And obviously, you must endeavour to be kind and patient all the time with all the residents, so I was walking out of the room to get away from Resident S and s/he follows me!* So I retreat back to the room I just came from, and one of the other residents says, "You can't get any peace around here, can you?"
"I am just running out of energy to deal with Resident S right now."
"Then you won't ever get peace...not for love nor money!" (Laughs).
I start laughing. Resident S is now back in the room and thinks I am laughing at him/her.
I realise that I am fighting a losing battle trying to communicate and reason with Resident S. So I prepare Resident D to go back to his/her room and say good-bye to Resident S.
I have never felt so relieved.
This post brought to you by: the people at work who drive me up a wall.
*Resident S, due to their limitations has difficulty holding a 'normal' conversation. S/he will repeat and repeat and repeat a story, statement or request until s/he gets a response. Offering alternatives or solutions is a lost cause. S/he will respond "Oh no, I could never do that because X. But don't tell anyone." What?! Why is anyone going to care about that? Basically, everything in Resident S' life is a crisis, that s/he has no control over and no one can help with, though we are supposed to pander to each crisis. But by being sympathetic, s/he says 'Oh you have no idea how hard Z is or what I have to do for Y." It is a constant uphill battle with Resident S and after being at work for ten hours, it is extremely wearing.
Sunday, 1 November 2009
NaBloPoMo
And so, it is November 2009. Time flies.
This November, I have committed to NaBloPoMo. My aspirations are to become one of those 'bloggers'; writers who put their craft into cyberspace each day. A lofty goal, I know. A joke, perhaps?
I have always been a writer, preferring paper and pen to typing on a computer. Somehow, the words seem to flow, like extensions of my own mind, my own body, through ink. The computer has always seemed more forced. I tried using a typewriter for several years, it was fun and challenging, but never the same as pen and paper.
As a child, I wrote short stories with illustrations and told my grandmother I'd be famous for writing one day, as she hole-punched my creations and bound them with a shoelace.
So here is my own challenge, along with all the other daily things that need to be accomplished. I will be posting each day this month. An anecdote here, my weekly recap on Fridays, my adventure at the end of the month back to the United States for a visit with my family...follow on the journey, as I figure out how to write each day with a computer instead of my trusty pen.
This November, I have committed to NaBloPoMo. My aspirations are to become one of those 'bloggers'; writers who put their craft into cyberspace each day. A lofty goal, I know. A joke, perhaps?
I have always been a writer, preferring paper and pen to typing on a computer. Somehow, the words seem to flow, like extensions of my own mind, my own body, through ink. The computer has always seemed more forced. I tried using a typewriter for several years, it was fun and challenging, but never the same as pen and paper.
As a child, I wrote short stories with illustrations and told my grandmother I'd be famous for writing one day, as she hole-punched my creations and bound them with a shoelace.
So here is my own challenge, along with all the other daily things that need to be accomplished. I will be posting each day this month. An anecdote here, my weekly recap on Fridays, my adventure at the end of the month back to the United States for a visit with my family...follow on the journey, as I figure out how to write each day with a computer instead of my trusty pen.
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