Friday! Friday! Friday!

2 weeks ago was pay day and that included a holiday on 4th of July.
when I had gotten paid for it.. I saw it was marked "holiday" and was 2 hours of work-time.. but was only regular straight time, not holiday pay. I had worked pm, and I spoke with the girl who worked am. she had not noticed but her paycheck was the same -- straight time, not holiday pay. she advised the doc that it wasn't paid out correctly. the following day, doctor told me that it was because she had processed payroll over the phone as their web site was down -- but it would be adjusted on the next pay check.. jump ahead today -- i received a second 'holiday' pay for those 2 hours again.. awesome..
((working holidays is frustrating -- we are only required to be there 2 hours.. and it is considered double the time.. but we have to notify her that it was a holiday -- she can't keep track of that herself? christmas, new year, independence day -- those dates are pretty much set in stone. oh well.. such is life))

okay, now go back to 2 weeks ago, when i was out sick for a day.. if you don't recall, i had slept all night long, until 10:20 am, completely missing my workday arrival at 8:30.. 2 coworkers had texted to ask where i was, how i was. i had tried to reply, but had no text reception. i also had lowsy internet service to use our landline phone. i messaged 2 coworkers that i had just woken up, had no phone line to call, but would be taking the day off -- i then went back to bed and missed one coworker's reply until late that afternoon -- the doc had requested my reason for not coming to work, and wanted me to come to work the following day, Saturday. when I woke late in the afternoon, i replied that i would try to be there (figured i'd probably still feel lowsy, which i did).. the internet was gone by then, so i tried texting again.. took several hours for my reply to go through.. but it eventually did, late in the evening, close to midnight. i did go to work that Saturday, and I did feel horribly lowsy. but the doc had made me fill out an online request for calling out that Friday due to being sick.

now jump ahead to today, the current payroll -- i noticed that my request had been 'approved', but also adjusted as well with a comment "Heidi did not call in or notify anyone (Dr. Cosko specifically) that she was not coming into work as required by the employee handbook - nor did she respond to texts regarding coming in, replacing her shift, etc. Heidi ended up coming in the following day for her last shift that same week. (:"
so I suppose that I have to stay awake on my day sick, and then not be home in order to have text capability and/or phone reception. I wasn't flaking! I was legitimately sick/overworked/exhausted..

so happy to be home the next couple days.. was planning to go to Santa Clarita tomorrow (and to see Linus/Beau Bear) but it will be hot, and I don't feel like driving the Castaic grade with my meager a/c system in my car.. it will not be fun. Sunday is Crystal Palace in Bakersfield -- another hot place :(

still have to take an online training webinar on harassment.. and continue my application for a controlled substance permit -- which i had started a year ago.. but the application was never completed and has to be redone..
argh..

nothing much to speak of..

reaching a point that I really need a vacation.. could even be a stay-cation (though I would prefer to leave, to get away, to escape)..

Saturday I didn't get to sleep in much. our internet had been out all week, so the repair man came to fix it.. had to get up and out of bed and look presentable. once you're up, you're up..

Sunday a friend called.. so still couldn't sleep in either.. Ron and his friend planned a Tuesday night camp trip to Pismo.. a vacation? that "festered" with me all day.

Monday back to the daily grind.. yippee hooray..
not much there.. I tried to hide in "my office" and do paperwork, avoid appointments as much as possible. there was the occasional blood draw I had to help with. saw from Tuesday's appointment schedule that Tuesday was a wide open day.. which could be a good thing, or a bad thing.. when we have open spaces like that, that is when emergencies seem to happen -- in triplicate!

thankfully Tuesday was not so bad. 2 appointments scheduled, and 1 cancelled by mid-morning Monday. but 1 surgery turned into 2.. which actually, by Tuesday, turned to 3!
a new patient who goes to Vet Cancer Center in Culver City.. he has had issues with eating and pooping.. came for i.v. fluids and xrays Monday, then continued fluids Tuesday. Tuesday's xrays also showed a blockage - so he went under anesthesia to drain his abdomen. lots of fluid. we weighed him again and he had lost considerable weight from fluid drained.. by the time he left, he had started gaining it back.
another patient has had issues with sneezing and snorting, feared to be another foxtail. a very fearful patient so we had to take our time and patience with him. by the time surgery day came, owners revealed their other dog may be preggo so we better neuter as soon as possible. so his surgery was moved from Thursday to Tuesday. oh, and, no foxtail. doctor found the plastic eyeball of a stuffed toy!
our first surgery for the day was a spay on a 5 month chocolate labrador.. she was the easiest and the sweetest patient (..surgery patient) of the day.
the day started super early for some. 8:10 a client arrived with an injured 5# chihuahua. she has 2 5# chihuahuas and was out on their morning walk 7am. at one house, the owner let their dog out the front door, leash-less, and the dog charged right for her little "Bee". picked her up.. dropped her.. picked her up.. dropped her.. picked her up, and ran for momma.. our client brought little "Bee" in right away. she had some slight punctures and bruising, but no obvious signs of distress. even upon xrays, no major damage done (lucky!!) --- jump ahead several hours later, and find out it was the pm kennel/vet tech.. such an honest mistake.. very unfortunate accident. she brought a new harness for little "Bee" (as hers was broken in the event) and she paid the client's vet bill with her CareCredit account..

Ron and his friend did not do an overnight camp trip in Pismo.. his bike was not ready, so they just made a day of hanging out ((still awesome fun when you live 71 miles apart)). they still plan to go in another 2-4 weeks..

the doctor is working on the next schedule for September/October.. I will be working am kennels (7:30am) on Mondays and Fridays.. that gets me home around 8:30 on those days.. then Tuesdays and Thursdays will still be 8:30am, getting me home around 9:30.. so much for taking a vacation anytime soon..

haha.. yet again, LOWSY at blogging

Wednesday was a blur..  I slept almost half a day! and sat around.. no chores,  no cleaning..  just sitting, on facebook.. lazy, and "recovering" from life.

Thursday was an "off" day.. I couldn't concentrate, menial jobs consumed by brain and I had to honestly think about what I was doing! nothing was second nature. not anything I've done the past 9 months, or the past 2-1/2 years.. not even sure why that was.. still had to really focus before mistakes were made.

Friday was better, but was a busy hectic day. 1 pet under sedation for 2 procedures..  then 2 dogs under anesthesia for similar procedures.  this time of year gets busy. if not for rattlesnake bites, we're dealing with burrowed foxtails. and all 3 dogs on Friday had foxtail issues. 
the first dog had foxtails removed and we were making sure she recovered well. she is not an easy patient, so requires sedation for basic vet care.
the 2nd dog had a foxtail removed, twice, under local anesthesia and wound was not healing well. the doctor went in under general anesthesia to find NO fox tail.. so a biopsy was required to see what else we are dealing with.
the 3rd dog is more difficult than the 1st, but is also 1/3 the size, with an even larger foxtail.
by the time I finally got to sit down, I didn't want to get up again.. ever.

sleep, the most basic necessity, was a major requirement.
thank goodness for weekends!

I'm really not good at this blogging thing..

... still trying to think of things after-the-fact.

but last week.. a 12-hour day.. a 12-hour day..
ya see.. the doc had a talk with each of us the week prior, that we aren't supposed to be working more than 12 hours.. really? so we're slaving ourselves on our own?? i think not..
but we have to watch our time, and be sure to leave by 11hr59min OR take a meal break (30 minutes) and continue on again..
so last week Monday was 12.. Tuesday was 12.. then Thursday -- that was almost 14! took the meal break before my 12 hours, then came back to continue working ((all the while wanting to stick to that "i'm clocked out.. i'm going home..")) so then it came to 13hr48min -- got home at 11:30 knowing full well i'd have to be up again and back to work by 8:30 -- and knowing full well i would not be able to do it..
and boy was i right. Friday morning i woke up at 10:37 -- had already received a text from a coworker.. was i okay? was i coming in?
it had been 5 weeks since i last called out sick.. this time, i could barely open my eyes. my eyes felt so raw and i just wanted to keep sleeping. picked up the phone (landline) and NO dial tone! instant-messaged 2 coworkers from my cell that our house phone was not working.. but i had just woken up and would need to be calling out, again. went pee (that was the whole reason i ended up actually waking up) and went back to bed. 5 hours later, saw that coworker had responded that the boss wanted to know the reason i would not be coming in -- and that she wanted me to come in the following day (Saturday)
slept most of the whole day.. only waking to pee and drink more fluids.. dreading having to work the next day.

then saturday, i crawled out of bed to be at work by 8:50.. so not the thing i wanted to do..
i was a zombie all day.. catching myself in many mini-mistakes..
did my 10-hour day (all that i am truly scheduled for..) and went back home to sleep..

sunday, i tried to re-catch-up on sleep and rest.. by 8:40 i remembered i had no clean clothes for work the next day.. oops..

monday was back to 12 hour days.. i did 11hrs23min.. and the boss found more mini-mistakes i had not realized on saturday.. another oops..

today the relief vet was there, and i was able to stick more to my scheduled 10 hours..
however, today was the relief vet's last day -- so no more "10 hours".. awesome..