UC Davis Medical System

So I am an unhappy member of the UC Davis Medical System. I got to experience the wonder that is yesterday....

So some idiot in Stockton decided it was a good idea to run from the cops and create a huge car chase. This happened in the dead of night Monday/Tuesday morning. Around 2:00 am the car chase ended in a cop being pinned between two cars and open gun fire ringing through the night air on the off ramp of Laguna Blvd. I-5 south in Elk Grove.

Jump forward to my doctor appointment Tuesday midmorning (11:30) where I need to travel down I-5 south to Laguna Blvd. and get to my appointment...but oh wait I can't because the exit is closed for investigations. Alright...so now I have to drive all the way down Florin Blvd. to hit highway 99 and then cut south on 99 to Laguna Blvd. and drive from that direction. Therefore, I am late. When I walk into the doctor office it is 11:40. I go to check in. She makes a phone call to the back and says I cannot check in until they call her back and I need to have a seat. I sit. She recieves the call back and the verdict "You are going to have to reschedule." You have got to be kidding me! I cannot reschedule! I have already taken the whole afternoon off work for this! "I am sorry let me get somebody that you can talk to."

Other lady emerges from the back room. "I am sorry ma'am but you are going to have to reschedule because we have a policy that if you are 15 minutes late we move on to the next appointment and therefore the doctor is already with the next patient." I wasn't fifteen minutes late. I was only ten minutes late because somebody decided to shoot at the cops and they closed your freeway exit. How was I supposed to get here any quicker? "leave earlier" Are you kidding me this is ridiculous. I cannot reschedule. I have to be seen. "Let me go talk to the doctor and see what I can do"

"The doctor has another appointment at 1:00 pm in Folsom and if he doesn't leave then he will be late." Then let me see a different doctor I have never met this guy anyways. "I am sorry but the other GI doctor is out until October." Of course he is.

I reschedule..."August 31 is the soonest we can get you in at 1:45" No, I am a teacher and cannot get days off whenever I feel like it. I have to be seen sooner than that. "There are no appointments sooner than that." What about Saturday. I can come in on a Saturday. "We are closed Saturdays." Well then you better open huh. "I am sorry we cannot do that. How about a 3:30 on August 31st? Is that better?" Actually no but I guess I don't really have a choice do I? So the fact that I was ten minutes late means you are refusing to see me but the fact that you have been dragging this out for a year doesn't seem to bother you? Or that you change my appointments constantly becuase you feel like whether it is convient for me or not? Or perhaps that it takes over four months to get a procedure done...none of this matters but me being ten minutes late seems to mean that I am ruining your whole system?!?!

This is assinine!!!

I will be seen on August 31st at 3:30...and this doctor WILL get a piece of my mind!

Beginnning another year.

It is the start of yet another year. I was actually excited to come back to work seeing as home I had such an awful beyond awful summer. Yesterday was the first day with students. I am only part time (60%= 3 classes) and I am teaching drama all day long. I had my dr. appt. yesterday so I didn't even teach my full 3 classes. By the looks of the students coming in during 6th period...it is going to be a long year...I have to start teaching again soon. I will post more later.

ps. I am moving into my new place tomorrow!

The Mystery Within

So a little over a week ago on the 15th of July, I was at work. I excused myself from my student and went to the bathroom and proceeded to get very very sick. After my first student left I tried to eat something to see if that would help. I finally got somebody to cover the rest of my shift and went home. Over the course of the following week I could not keep anything down, food, liquids or otherwise. After 3 straight days of vomiting I decided to go to the ER. Jt drove me to the ER at 9:30pm. We were finally called back at 12:45am and proceeded to stay there until 5:30am. After nine hours in the ER, having been stabbed 5 times to try and get an IV, and a plethora of medications for nausea and pain they had determined nothing.

Two more days of vomiting enduced a trip to my regular doctor. He gave me another shot of nausea medication, another bag of fluids and insisted that I get in to get the upper endoscopy that I was supposed to get months ago asap. I called to schedule the test the following day. Thankfully they had a cancellation for yesterday at 2:30pm. Jt was able to rearrange his work schedule so he could drive me to Elk Grove to get this test. After getting another IV (2 more stabbings) they knocked me out. I was given a mouth block thing so that I would not chomp down on the camera and they then navigated a camera down my throat into my stomach. I was semi-conscienous for the whole thing which was really uncomfortable. After it was over and Jt was back in the room (I would not have remembered the conversations had they just told me) they pronounced that I had a HUGE mystery lump in my stomach. While they were in there they grabbed out samples to biopsy but they also wanted to send me for a CT scan. The Dr. is not sure whether this lump is growing inside my stomach or outside and pushing the stomach wall in. For a doctors office that took 3 months to schedule my initial tests (and then cancel them) they were able to get me in to a CT scan very quickly. I have a scan set up for Monday afternoon. Apparently if they feel you have a life threatening sickness they speed up the tests a lot and make appointments out of nowhere.

Next week is going to be busy. Not only do I find out about my scans and the mystery lump but I also find out if I get the new job with Natomas Charter school. We will see. Keep me in your good thoughts please.

Time Continuing to Move

Life right now is very strange. I have made a million plans to prevent my current state. I have educated myself and put in the training necessary in order to procur a stable job. I actually thought "there will always be dumb people that need educating therefore being a teacher is a smart idea!" Boy was I wrong. I never imagined a budget crisis that would put hundreds of teachers out of work. I have sent out over 40 resumes to various schools and other jobs and yet I am still without employment. This is seriously frustrating. I have been offered the possibility of working as a ranch hand on a friend's ranch in Redding. This sounds like it would be hard work but ultimately very stress free and relaxing. I might actually take this into consideration.

I have no place to live still. August 16th marks my last day of housing and the first day of homelessness. I could find a new apartment but without a job I doubt that I will be much of an asset in any apartment complex. I also don't want to get an apartment somewhere and find that it is a couple hours away from the job I am eventually given. This is a highly stressful sensation, knowing that things will ultimately work out but not knowing how, when or where.

I just hope that it works out soon and I am not left in a state of uncretainty for much longer.

I have a second interview with Natomas Charter School...hopefully it goes well.

The 4th of July...a Day to Remember

Yesterday was amazing beyond amazing!

In the morning I decided to clean the kitchen and in so doing i found 3 bananas that had been forgotten about...hating throwing food away (especially when I am poor)...I decided to make banana bread. I have never made banana bread so it was a new adventure and seriously the easiest thing I have ever made. The bread turned out great! I think that this will actually be something i continue to do in the future.

After bread I went to play golf with Jt. We were able to get a full round in because absolutely nobody was on the golf course and we never had to wait once or hurry up because people were behind us...it was awesome! While we were golfing I was able fix my swing with a little help from the Jt and then I had the best round ever! I even birdied 4! It was fabulous.

Once we were done golfing the sun was almost completely down and so we went to the driving range to hit some balls and wait for the fireworks. While we were there we played with the fireworks we had bought in Woodland because I have never played with fireworks. I know it is miraculous but true. We were never allowed to get any when I was a kid. They are the coolest things I have ever experienced. I really love fire! :)

Our night ended with a lot of bangs and laughter. By the time we got home it was almost midnight. I slept so well. I did not get up until noon! It was fabulous!

Interview Process

So I seriously despise the interview process. I mean seriously who thought this up? You have to get prepared days ahead of time through research and getting everything compiled in order to have your resources: resume, references, letters of rec, transcripts, credentials, list of productions, lesson portfolio, production portfolio...blah blah blah. Seriously the list just goes on and on. Once all this is in place you must obviously get up (usually earlier than you want to), make yourself overly dressed and presentable and then you have to try and make yourself sound freaking perfect without lying about your flaws. Ugh. I feel like a circus monkey.

"Hello program coordinator Tammy...I am Brittney the circus monkey. I would like to work here"

Back

So I am back from Europe and I have been home for almost a week. I like being home because I tend to miss my fuzzies, my bed, and my best friend.

Since I have been back a lot has happened: I am still unemployed and have recieved the official letter now (and it is not even pink!), I have been trying to increase my hours at job 2 to try and figure something out while applying at a million real jobs and hearing nothing, my computer is currently broken so I have to go elsewhere to do anything, I have been given the opportunity to golf a few times already, my debit card information got stolen and then maxed out, I washed and vaccumed my car, my best friend/ex is going on a date with a member of the skank squad (I am just hoping he doesn't get sucked in and become one of their spawns), OH YEAH and I am now homeless....fantastic day.