I don’t know what people down here call these things, but they look like little burrs or balls of thorns. I also don’t know where they come from, except they’re found in the grass. What I do know is that they get stuck on everything.
Mostly they get stuck on the bottom of my shoes. Then I drag them inside where they get stuck on the carpet. Later, I come through barefoot and step on them. Ouch! I stepped on three in my bedroom just this morning. And I have quite a collection of them in my car – probably a hundred.
Yet another strike against Texas…
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Well, the week started off with an explosion. Okay, not exactly. Work was more like a three- ring circus in which I was attempting to swing on the trapeze, walk a tightrope and do a clown act – simultaneously. As I am sitting here typing this now, you will know that I somehow managed to survive.
I started tennis lessons this week. I have them on Mondays and Wednesday evenings. I am in a class of about six people. It’s a lot of fun. I really enjoy it after a day in the office. And I can keep up as well as learn a lot.
Tuesday evening my grandfather called me on the way home from work. He asked if I would need to use the microwave to make dinner that evening. I said I didn’t think so, and he said that was good because it broke on him that afternoon. And so began the 36-hour crisis of not having a microwave. For the next morning I was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and answering e-mails when I hear Grandpa from the cabinet cry out, “Oh, no!” I glanced over and saw him standing before the toaster. I thought, “Oh, great, now the toaster has broken too – what is Grandpa going to do?” Well, thankfully, it wasn’t the toaster. Grandpa was just trying to figure out how he was going to warm his spam and his coffee that morning without a microwave. Not to worry, though. He went and bought a microwave that afternoon. I picked it up on my way to tennis and installed it that night.
I visited a very nice church on Sunday. A little distant, but I liked it. It’s hard to explain how difficult it is to visit a church all by yourself. Or have such a decision weighing on your mind alone. It’s enough to make me not really care as long as I can slip in and slip out without being noticed – which goes against everything I believe about the Church of God. But why is it that a church can have everything but one detail? And is that detail important or not? (In this case, the version of the Bible used – not that they use the book of Mormon or anything. They use ESV while I’ve always been used to using KJV.) And so do I visit another church? Finding a church in Texas is overwhelming. You should try googling “Churches in Denton, TX”. You get over a hundred hits…
Why is it so often promotions seem like demotions? It seems I’m a quick learner – and I work fast. I already knew the latter, and I guess I knew the former but I don’t think much about it. After all, I can do office work in my sleep. Some people might think that a gift – I think it will become monotonous within six months or less. (Except the constant wrestling with insurance companies which isn’t monotonous, just plain frustrating!!!!) But as of Friday, I am officially the office manager and my training period is more-or-less over. Which means if billing is successful this coming week, I also get a raise. Not bad for two weeks of work.
And with all this, writing has taken a back seat for a while. At least, writing in the sense of actually putting words on paper. In my mind, I am always writing some something. But I may have a lead on a writer’s group or two. I intend to complete the notes on the new book I want to write today with the goal of writing one chapter a week. And I bought post-it notes. You may wonder what kind of accomplishment that is but if you visit me anytime during the next four or five months and glance into my bedroom, you’ll understand.
I started tennis lessons this week. I have them on Mondays and Wednesday evenings. I am in a class of about six people. It’s a lot of fun. I really enjoy it after a day in the office. And I can keep up as well as learn a lot.
Tuesday evening my grandfather called me on the way home from work. He asked if I would need to use the microwave to make dinner that evening. I said I didn’t think so, and he said that was good because it broke on him that afternoon. And so began the 36-hour crisis of not having a microwave. For the next morning I was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and answering e-mails when I hear Grandpa from the cabinet cry out, “Oh, no!” I glanced over and saw him standing before the toaster. I thought, “Oh, great, now the toaster has broken too – what is Grandpa going to do?” Well, thankfully, it wasn’t the toaster. Grandpa was just trying to figure out how he was going to warm his spam and his coffee that morning without a microwave. Not to worry, though. He went and bought a microwave that afternoon. I picked it up on my way to tennis and installed it that night.
I visited a very nice church on Sunday. A little distant, but I liked it. It’s hard to explain how difficult it is to visit a church all by yourself. Or have such a decision weighing on your mind alone. It’s enough to make me not really care as long as I can slip in and slip out without being noticed – which goes against everything I believe about the Church of God. But why is it that a church can have everything but one detail? And is that detail important or not? (In this case, the version of the Bible used – not that they use the book of Mormon or anything. They use ESV while I’ve always been used to using KJV.) And so do I visit another church? Finding a church in Texas is overwhelming. You should try googling “Churches in Denton, TX”. You get over a hundred hits…
Why is it so often promotions seem like demotions? It seems I’m a quick learner – and I work fast. I already knew the latter, and I guess I knew the former but I don’t think much about it. After all, I can do office work in my sleep. Some people might think that a gift – I think it will become monotonous within six months or less. (Except the constant wrestling with insurance companies which isn’t monotonous, just plain frustrating!!!!) But as of Friday, I am officially the office manager and my training period is more-or-less over. Which means if billing is successful this coming week, I also get a raise. Not bad for two weeks of work.
And with all this, writing has taken a back seat for a while. At least, writing in the sense of actually putting words on paper. In my mind, I am always writing some something. But I may have a lead on a writer’s group or two. I intend to complete the notes on the new book I want to write today with the goal of writing one chapter a week. And I bought post-it notes. You may wonder what kind of accomplishment that is but if you visit me anytime during the next four or five months and glance into my bedroom, you’ll understand.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Well, I have survived. My first full week of work is at an end and I am wiling away the hours of my Saturday with chores, little projects, and writing stuff I haven’t figured out how to get done during the week yet. All in all, it’s been a good week.
My training sessions were on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thankfully they are not over yet for there a lot of things I don’t yet know how to do (like the all important Medicare billing). But I am getting pretty comfortable with inserting new patients into the data base, checking the status of the patients in the Medicare system, compiling the first Medicare form and – of course – organizing. I can see the bottom of my desk, I know where things are I might need frequently, and the administrator for the home health aid and I have finished sorting half of the old patient charts so they can actually be found.
I think I have met all the nurses and the aids. And I have learned more about getting old and dying than I care to know. I never wanted to live to be a hundred, but now I really hope I die young.
Texas has not changed. We did get a surprise rain shower early Friday morning. That’s very odd here, but the state always needs rain. I walked out the door Friday morning to clouds, a wet driveway, and a gloriously cool breeze. Of course, that lasted all of an hour. When I went jogging that evening, I came back hot and sweaty as always.
My grandfather and I are adjusting to living together. And now I know I never want to be a working mother. How do those women work all day long and then come home to take care of a family? I don’t care how “wonder woman” you are: something has got to be falling in the cracks.
But all in all, it hasn’t been a bad week. Some parts of it have been profitable. Other parts I feel are lacking and I need to adjust. I can’t say I’ve been homesick exactly – I haven’t had time. In fact, I’ve hardly had time to think about more than all the stuff I’ve crammed into my head this week. Which may be why this post is a little disjointed. But we’re working on that. In a few more weeks, I’m sure everything will fall into its proper place: work, writing, times with friends, church.
At least, I hope so…
My training sessions were on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thankfully they are not over yet for there a lot of things I don’t yet know how to do (like the all important Medicare billing). But I am getting pretty comfortable with inserting new patients into the data base, checking the status of the patients in the Medicare system, compiling the first Medicare form and – of course – organizing. I can see the bottom of my desk, I know where things are I might need frequently, and the administrator for the home health aid and I have finished sorting half of the old patient charts so they can actually be found.
I think I have met all the nurses and the aids. And I have learned more about getting old and dying than I care to know. I never wanted to live to be a hundred, but now I really hope I die young.
Texas has not changed. We did get a surprise rain shower early Friday morning. That’s very odd here, but the state always needs rain. I walked out the door Friday morning to clouds, a wet driveway, and a gloriously cool breeze. Of course, that lasted all of an hour. When I went jogging that evening, I came back hot and sweaty as always.
My grandfather and I are adjusting to living together. And now I know I never want to be a working mother. How do those women work all day long and then come home to take care of a family? I don’t care how “wonder woman” you are: something has got to be falling in the cracks.
But all in all, it hasn’t been a bad week. Some parts of it have been profitable. Other parts I feel are lacking and I need to adjust. I can’t say I’ve been homesick exactly – I haven’t had time. In fact, I’ve hardly had time to think about more than all the stuff I’ve crammed into my head this week. Which may be why this post is a little disjointed. But we’re working on that. In a few more weeks, I’m sure everything will fall into its proper place: work, writing, times with friends, church.
At least, I hope so…
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