Work

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I’m An Ergonomic Disaster

Published September 11, 2013 by Malia

Sooooooo…..I’m kind of short.  I’m not full-on munchkin, but I am just barely 5’0″.  (I claim I’m this, but in reality, I’m more like 4’11”.)  Being short typically doesn’t bother me.  It’s just one of those things.  I’ve learned how to deal with it.  Over the years I’ve become an expert at hopping onto counters and climbing all over them so I can access things that are well out of reach.  I’ve come to accept that my feet are just not going to touch the floor when sitting in a normal-sized person chair.

At work, they’re finally training me in my new position.  I get a permanent work area, my own drawer (you have no idea how much having my own drawer means to me), and I’m allowed to be as obsessively accurate as I want (not full/true OCD, but somewhere near the border of it).  It’s great.  I love it.  Well, I love almost all of it.  See, part of my new position involves putting things to be sent out to other labs into bins that are about two feet above my head.  I can barely reach them and successfully complete this task when I stand on my tippy-toes.  However, if these bins aren’t pulled all the way to the very edge of the shelf they sit on, I can’t reach them at all.  Last week, one of my trainers noticed that I have this small problem, and told me she would talk with my supervisors about it to see if they could come up with a solution.

So far, I’ve made two suggestions (because they haven’t come up with any).  A. Move the bins to a lower shelf, and B. Just let me use a step-stool.  Well, suggestion A would work, except they’re not sure what shelf to move them to.  This left suggestion B.  To me the step-stool is logical, and it seems smarter than having me play the tippy-toe dance several times every single day.  However, the step-stool isn’t going to become a reality.  Why?  Oh, this is good…

I can’t use a step stool, because it wouldn’t be ergonomic.

Yup, just let that sink in.

Personally, I find it hard to believe that a step-stool is less ergonomic than me stretching my body out to uncomfortable lengths every single time I need to access these bins.  True the stretching is great for my calf muscles, but it still hurts.  All I can do is hope that the stretching will encourage my body to add a few inches in length.

Revised Emergency Plan

Published January 31, 2013 by Malia

Tonight if aliens invade, or orcas attack, or I find myself suddenly at the mercy of a group of chipmunks who have somehow figured out how to invade my home and climb my loft bed, I have one plan and strategy alone.  I’m just going to lay here in bed and not move.  At all. I am that tired.  I seriously thought earlier that if aliens did invade I’d be super excited because either they would A. be wise and kind and have medical advancement that would be able to deal with my exhaustion and I’d feel fresh and renewed, or B. they shoot and kill me and the disintegration would be quick and I’d be in Heaven, and there would be no more exhaustion.  So, really, win/win.  I’m so tired, I don’t even care that my grammar is lousy tonight.

I still absolutely adore my job, even though it was a bit frustrating tonight.  I had three different people give me completely different sets of instructions about the same exact thing.  I was more than a little confused.  Plus, I felt my inner Sheldon trying so hard to scream, “You’re in my spot!”  Even though spots aren’t assigned at work, we all kind of have certain areas that are more or less our space.  My happens to have all sorts of helpful post-its hanging up with good reminders.  When I came back from supper, one of my coworkers had completely taken over my space.  Inside all I could think was, “You’re in my spot.  You. Are. In. My. Spot.”  Yeah, I’m thinking the counseling center might’ve been on to something by telling me that I have an adjustment disorder.  Anyway, I resisted the urge to actually vocalize my feelings, but I was a bit disappointed when my co-worker left, and didn’t put anything back.  That’s just not polite.  So, not only did I get to clean up the area I was working in, but I also had to put my normal area back in order.    Okay, yeah, I’m whiny and crabby.  I’m thinking I may need sleep.

I’m also thinking that I need to get my chimichanga and white queso on my way to work tomorrow.  I like having something special for lunch on Fridays.

This is rare…

Published January 21, 2013 by Malia

That’s right, it’s a morning post!  The sun is actually out (or at least I’m assuming it is out somewhere behind the piles of dark grey clouds outside) as I write this.

There’s not very much that’s new in my life.  I’m quite busy at work.  I really love that it lets me make use of my minimal OCD-ness.  I’m really only OCD at work, although my parents are really hoping that maybe my need for everything to be in a certain place and done a certain way will translate into my room getting put in order and my boxes unpacked.  I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for me to unpack.  Maybe it’s because I have moved so many times, I just am leaving stuff packed because subconsciously I’m expecting to move again, and what would be the point of unpacking in that case?  (Wow, that’s a terribly constructed sentence, and yet I refuse to fix it.  I’m just that kind of rebel.)  Anyway, work is pretty fun and on occasion slightly gross.  I like that while there’s the structure of routine, I’m getting different specimens to sort every day, so I never get very bored.  This is a good thing, because I get bored quite easily.

I’ve been working out almost daily (usually M-F with breaks on the weekend).  I can tell my clothes are fitting much better.  I haven’t had a chance to weigh myself in a while, so I have no idea what my weight actually is currently.  Therefore, I’m labeling my weight as “Less-Fat.”  I’m still fat, just not as fat as I was.  I’ve been using the Leslie Sansone walking videos to work out.  I do anywhere from 1-3 miles a day.  It all depends on how awake I am and whether I get to go to work at regular time, or if I have to leave and hour earlier for work (car fun, which has led to sharing of vehicles, which means I usually end up at work 1.5 hours early.  This is okay, though, because I’m getting lots of reading done!)

I got a new betta this weekend.  My last betta, Elvira, passed away while I was at school last fall.  She was living here at home because I wasn’t sure she’d survive the 8 hour drive to Grand Forks.  Anyway, the new betta is a really beautiful blue color, and kind of looks like the eye of a peacock feather.  I had a terrible time not bringing home all the bettas at the store.  I know they’re a little fish, but it seems kind of inhumane to keep them in those itty-bitty little cups.  It makes me quite sad.  Enough with the sadness.  My new betta is named Perseus Jackson or PJ (for short).  I figured that naming a beautiful fish after the son of Poseidon could only help it survive!  Now, I’m just wishing I could figure out how to take a good picture of him.

One of those days…

Published January 16, 2013 by Malia

First off, let me just say that I really, truly love my job, and I’m incredibly thankful for it.  It’s incredibly interesting, and even kind of fun.  I like the people I work with, and usually the atmosphere is pretty calm.  Today, however, was a different story.

My supervisor ended up getting upset (rightly so, although I wish she’d not taken it out on them in the room) at a couple of my co-workers because they were having a gab fest and the work was piling up.  It was just a little tense in the room after that, for the remainder of the day.  Even though I’ve grown a spine, I still desire my surroundings to be peaceful.  Of course, it didn’t help that I forgot to take my meds today, so my brain was in a fog anyway.  (It’s weird what happens when I’m off my meds, I don’t notice them making a difference so much when I’m on them, but when I forget a dose, I end up feeling like I’m lost and sleepy).

I’ve made it through the first four Percy Jackson books, and I’m having a terrible time convincing myself to wait for my break time tomorrow to start the next one.

Lab Coats Are Cool

Published January 10, 2013 by Malia

I’ve come to the conclusion that wearing a lab coat automatically makes anything you’re doing 10% cooler.  It even makes doing gross chores cool (at least, that’s what I tell myself so that I keep a smile on my face and my attitude cheerful).

I can’t believe that I’ve almost made it through the entire week.  I’m completely exhausted, but it’s a good kind of exhausted.  I feel a bit like I did when I was growing up and starting at a new school every few years.  I am the new kid, and I’m just kind of trying to figure out how to fit in to the group.  Most of the people I work with seem to know each other really well, and I’m just working hard and observing.  I’m trying to read the people I’m around.  Trying to get a feel for how they think, what makes them laugh, what to avoid talking about.  I’m really hoping the new kid feeling wears off quickly.

 

Old People Smell

Published January 9, 2013 by Malia

This may sound weird, but I’ve discovered that I can tell if a specimen is from an old folks home even before I check the paperwork.  If it’s from an old folks home, as soon as I open the bag, I’m assaulted by nursing home smell.  If you’ve never smelled a nursing home, then you’re fortunate.  That smell alone is enough to keep me from ever wanting to end up in one of those places.

While on my breaks and lunches I’ve been working my way through the Percy Jackson series.  So far I’ve finished the first two books, and tonight I started on book 3.  I read the first book a few years ago, after seeing the movie, but never got around to the others.  I’m sorry I didn’t read them before.  I think they’re a fantastic take on Greek mythology, and a really excellent introduction to it if you know minimal about it.  I’m super excited for the second film to be released (which is supposed to happen later this year).

I’m pretty pumped that I’ve survived my first half a week of work.  I’m struggling to wrap my head around the fact that I really am employed, and not just on an internship.  I’m not sure it’s going to sink in until I’ve been there a few months.  I find it really entertaining that whenever I meet another employee and they realize I’m new, the first thing they say is, “You’re going to love it here!”  I’m not kidding, I’ve gotten this from everyone I’ve met (lab people, billing people, custodial people, you get the idea).  So far, I really do.  I love that it’s a busy job, but people are pleasant to each other and don’t seem to let the stress be building up to an explosive point.

Hipaa

Published January 8, 2013 by Malia

So, it occurred to me tonight that while I get to see and handle a lot of cool and gross stuff at work, I can’t really talk about it for two reasons.  Reason #1: Most people don’t seem to enjoy thinking about blood and other things that come out of the body.  Reason #2: Hipaa.

If you’re not familiar with Hipaa, here’s a quick take on it.  Basically, Hipaa is something the government put into practice that’s supposed to protect patient’s and keep their information confidential.  This means that I can’t write and/or talk about specifics of the medical records I see, list people’s names/personal information, or disclose things I may have heard others saying.  Now, here’s where it’s a good thing my memory is so rotten.  I handle hundreds of samples a day, and look at the information for all of 10-30 seconds.  I couldn’t tell you, even if I wanted to, the names and other personal details.

I don’t think it’s breaking Hipaa to mention that I was super proud of myself for pouring urine out of a jug into a little container without spilling or splashing any.  I really didn’t think I could manage it, but I was successful!  (This is one of those gross things that I forget most people don’t really want to think about.)

Anyway, day two of my new job went pretty well.  I’m definitely learning, and will be quite glad when I can do things without having to ask for help.  Also, I’m super glad that my clinical pathology teacher in tech school got so in-depth in class.  What I learned in that class is starting to come back pretty clearly, and helping me to feel less lost.

Final positive part of my day: one of the gals at work asked me how old I was and she was really surprised that I was 28.  She was sure I was younger!  I love when people think I look younger than I am.  I certainly feel younger than I am.

Books and Such

Published September 13, 2012 by Malia

The days are starting to get cooler.  It’s inevitable, of course.  North Dakota is land of much cold.  Apparently, we were spared from having a super cold last winter; there was really only one day I remember it being completely unbearable.  Much as I dread the cold, after such a hot summer I’m treasuring the chill the in the air.

I’ve mentioned before that I really love my job, and today was no exception.  Things were a little slow this afternoon, but that was okay because I got to do shelf reading.  Basically, I have a row of books that I get to go through book by book and make sure they’re all in order.  I realize that this probably doesn’t sound terribly fun, but I find it to be a soothing activity.  (Yes, I’m just that weird!)  Working in the library, I frequently find myself feeling very small (and not just because I’m so short I have to have a stool to reach some of the books).  It’s a marvel to me to be surrounded by the words written by so many people.  Thousands and thousands of people who all wrote something that will outlast them.  Today I encountered something written hundreds of years ago.  The author is long gone, but they wrote is still needed by someone now.  How amazingly epic is that?

Speaking of books, here’s something delightful I found on Pinterest:

Dancing in the Library

Published August 30, 2012 by Malia

I finally uploaded the Pandora app to my iPod, and I’m so glad I did.  My work shift just flew by this afternoon.  I really love my job, so having good tunes was an added bonus.

To some I’m sure that my job would be pretty boring.  I work in the inter-library loan of the library.  My job consists of finding books in our library to send to other libraries, emailing, copying, and mailing articles people need.  It’s pretty quiet work that doesn’t require much interaction with others.  Perfect for an introvert.

Anyway, it was just one of those perfect days, and when I went to go pull books from the shelves I would put on Pandora.  The station I had picked was “Showtunes,” and while it played some Broadway, mostly I got Disney songs.  This led to mouthing along to the words, which led to some scary attempts at dance steps as I looked up and down the aisles for the books.

Long story short, I’m really thankful for my job!