update 091908
Just trying to get ya up to speed …
Never a dull moment at work. The case management application that I’ve been working on since August goes live next week. We completed the build of the live system this week, and I must say, I’m quite proud at how much we got done in such a short time. This on top of all other requests from lab, respiratory, registration, and administration. And in October, case management gets another system that I’ll be assigned to as well. Surprisingly, I’m taking it all in stride and loving it. Not too many people in my department can say the same thing, and I guess I’m fortunate.
Sophia will be 16 weeks old on Monday (4 months old in October). We believe she has allergies. The recent cool weather has prompted us to have our windows open in the house at night (excluding Sophia’s room). However, she woke up again the other morning with congestion. So we’ve gone back to keeping the windows closed and using the A/C. She seems to be slimming down (her belly isn’t quite there anymore). While awake, she doesn’t like to lay back in your arms anymore; she’ll pull herself in the upright position (and she’ll let you know about it if you try to put her back down). She’s doing well in daycare; teachers say the noise doesn’t bother her as much as it used to when she first started. She’s sleeping all night too, and waking up about the same time each morning (just in time to get ready for school). We haven’t taken very many pictures since Sophia started daycare, but I plan to post what we have this weekend.
And yes, I’m trying a new theme for my blog. It still needs work, but I’ll get to it when I get to it. What I like is the pics page is working and looking better than ever. I still have to come up with new header images.
update 090208
So many things going on, it’s difficult to keep up. I spent most of my vacation time caring for Sophia. I enjoyed it tremendously, and I wish I could have another week at home with her. Well, like her mom, I’d rather be at home with her all the time. She started daycare today, her 3 month birthday. The teachers said she was very good considering she was with strangers. With the daycare center right across from my workplace, I can come and go as I please.
I only made it over there once today; a lot going on in the world of IT. Tomorrow, I begin a second round of training with a new case management application that goes live in 3 weeks. Once that’s up and running, I begin another 6 to 8 week implementation with another case management app. On top of that, I’m dealing with charges, lab cleanup, and other clinical system issues. Despite the busy-ness of it all, I’m comfortable and content.
It’s easy to forget things when you’re busy. So I want to take a moment to remember my uncle Teddy, who passed away 2 years ago on September 1. You are still missed, Tito Teddy. Much love to Tita Volet, Bong, and Jeff.
I also want to wish my niece Sarah a Happy Birthday 
She turned 19 today!
local birth webcast to Iraq
From metro-east to Mideast: Airman witnesses birth via Internet
Kudos to the network manager and network/security engineer of my IT department for putting this together and making it work for the family!
update 030708
I saw a sports med doc the other day about my knee problem, and his diagnosis? Gout. Doc ordered a uric acid level on me, and it was high. Apparently, there were urate crystals present in the fluid buildup in my knee. He’s got me on some meds, and I’m to exercise my knee to loosen the muscles and bring it back to normal. I’m also rethinking my diet. A high uric acid level can be caused by eating foods high in purines. Some examples of high-purine foods:
- anchovies
- fish eggs
- sardines
- game meats (goose, duck, and partridge)
- organ meats (brains, heart, kidney, liver)
- gravy
Aside from some gravy on my mashed potatoes (which is maybe once a week), I eat NONE of these foods. I do need to lay off the fried stuff and eat foods that are baked. And I need to drink more fluids (at least 10 to 12 cups a day) to flush out any extra uric acid. I just recently tried Glacéau’s VitaminWater, which doesn’t taste bad at all. But in reading more about it from Howstuffworks, I’ll need to exercise regularly to get any real benefit from this drink.
Work is … umm … eh. I’m pretty busy with troubleshooting daily issues and problems. We recently discovered that instead of resuming work on the new system project next year, it’s been pushed to 2010 with a go-live of January 2011. They continue to let the air out of our balloon. This project gave the staff something positive, something to look forward to, the ray of light we needed in what we consider a dark time for our organization (what with all the administrative changes and actions taking place due to the financial troubles). So me and the rest of the crew have been trying to move past this setback by keeping busy.
I'm infected
I found this posted in the lab where I work:
There is a dangerous virus being passed around electronically, orally, and by hand.
This virus is called Weary-Overload-Recreational-Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from any of your colleagues, your boss, or anyone else via any means DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life completely.
If you should come into contact with WORK, put your jacket on and take two good friends to the nearest grocery store. Purchase the antidote known as Work-Isolating-Neutralizer-Extract (WINE) or Bothersome-Employer-Elimination-Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.
You should forward this warning to 5 friends. If you do not have 5 friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.
update 021708
Just to get ya up to speed on what’s going on in my world. After having the doc tap my knee (no infection; just a severe case of bursitis), I was back to work. However, I probably rushed it, in turn prolonging the healing process. I still had slight swelling and stiffness. I spent most of the week limping around. The limp caused me to develop blisters on my toes. While standing, I would put most of my weight on my left leg. So … in a nutshell, I’ve worn myself out. Aside from a wedding and registering at Babies R Us, I’ve tried my best to stay off my feet this weekend. Work has been somewhat depressing. I’ve twittered (or tweeted) about recent changes at my job. To sum up the past week and a half – Corporate pulled the plug on our big project (new clinical system). Due to financial problems in our organization, we won’t be able to work on implementing the new system until a year from now. What does this mean for my department? We’re really not sure. There are other projects that we can work on. I’m not concerned about my position since I have experience with the current system. But the system is an old and crappy one, and it’s discouraging to know that it won’t be for nearly 2 more years until we get to use something bigger and better. Not to mention all the money, time, and effort that has somewhat gone to waste the past 6 weeks. Just a big disappointment.
quickie 020508
What’s going on? We had 8 inches of snow on Friday. It’s all gone thanks to 75 degree weather Monday. Work is hell. I flooded the master bathroom on Super Bowl Sunday (more on that later). I cheered on the Patriots only to see them lose in fantastic fashion to the Giants (kudos to Eli Manning and the Giants D). Work is hell. Aggravated my knee again while working in the bathroom. Collecting Pepsi bottle caps for free music. Work is hell. I don’t have any updated photos of the Tremont because of said plumbing problems; I hope to get them on Friday.
update 012308
Hello again Sorry for the lack of posts. I’ve just been too busy. My in-laws are moved in and settled. Progress on their house is moving along quite nicely. At work, I’m still in the midst of data collection; I was hoping to have it done this week, but I hit a lot of road blocks. I’m lucky to be part of 2 teams that get along well and are fun to work with, unlike my fellow analysts who seem to be on teams that are not responsive or cooperative, or just downright idiotic. And, of course, we’re getting ready for baby at home. CL decided on a theme for the nursery, and it’s very cute. I’m prepping myself by reading books for new dads; there’s a lot to this, and I want to be ready when we welcome Baby Jose to our world.
let the stressing "begin"
What a week! The system implementation at work got off to a fast and furious start; lots of work ahead of us, and consultants everywhere. I did everything I could to complete other projects (including working at home) so I could devote as much to the implementation. I’m thankful that the new business analyst is picking up things quickly, so I was able to be rid of that piece. The clinical analysts have yet to move out of our current office to a temporary workspace, but we cannot wait! Separation from the rest of the crew is probably what we need right now. We hope it takes place this week so we can finally have some privacy, peace and quiet.
making a monkey out of me
I pray that my role as a business analyst will end very soon now that the position has been filled (the new analyst starts next Tuesday). The last 2 weeks have been horrific to say the least, and even though this was a short work week, it’s one I’d rather soon forget. With conference calls, data collection, and dictionary building (all in preparation for the new clinical system) taking up my already busy schedule, I can no longer cover business functions. I’m cranky, tired, and I’m not getting anything done. Not to mention me and my fellow clinical analysts have to pack up and move next week since our side of the office is being demolished. My good friend summed it up for me by sending me this link (or click on the picture). I must say he did a pretty good job of capturing how I’ve been feeling lately.
temporary workspace
my office for the next couple of days while the jackhammer works near my current one
clinical vs. business
Work continues to weave its own crazy web. I am one of four clinical analysts in the IT department for a local hospital. We handle most things clinical; everyone has their own departments from within the hospital that they are responsible for. I am responsible for several departments, but my two big ones are lab and radiology. Now, I don’t know the first thing about clinical; I have no medical background, and the terminology rolls off me like water off a duck’s back. When I took this job over a year ago, I was absolutely terrified. But I’ve learned a lot over the last 12 months, and my mentor and fellow analysts have been great in assisting me. In fact, my counterpart (a nurse) and I made a deal – she would help me with all things clinical if I would help her with all things technical. (more…)
bad day, bad mood
I had a very bad day at work, and it ended terribly. Wireless devices in the lab failed to work towards the end of the day; I stayed late to try and resolve the issue but came up empty. I will have to go in for a few hours on Friday to fix this, which also happens to be my day off. These devices go into production on Monday, and I need to make sure they’re working properly. Then I have to deal with an attitude at home. The attitude is in response to parents trying to assist with homework. WTF?!?! No appreciation; just attitude as to why we suggest changes. It’s an English paper, and the grammar is incorrect. That’s why you should make the damn changes. I’m so pissed off right now. This is not how I wanted to start off my 4-day weekend.
update 102307
Sorry for the lack of updates. A lot has been going on, but there’s not much to talk about. Lately, time on the computer has been for maintenance, new tools, and multimedia; I learned a few new things this past weekend. Work is steady; I’m trying to enjoy the lapse before the major system implementation kicks off in Dec/Jan. A lot to do around the house. New furnace being put in this week. Fall is upon us, which means cooler weather and leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. I’ll probably update on a weekly basis until the motivation returns.
Oh, and a Happy Belated Birthday to my cousin Ren
love my 4 day work week
Working 10-hour days can be very trying at times. But I learned that I can get more done in the office in 10 hours, and I absolutely love having an extra day a week to do whatever I want. I don’t know that I can go back to working 5 days a week.
Telecommuting, cell phones and the Internet are just some of the other tools that can offer more flexibility to the outdated idea that we should all be at the office from 8 to 5 on Monday through Friday
short and sweet
Been yet another busy week at work, even though I was only there 3 days. I got slammed with new tickets, jacking up my total to 30. But I was able to stay productive. With only 1 meeting, I sat at my desk to hammer out these tickets. When I left Thursday night, I got it down to 13. Probably the best week ever.
a clear waste of time
We implemented a process/procedure back in May while I was in the middle of the lab project. This process/procedure never worked properly when it went live. I didn’t know any better for I’ve never been trained in the type of matrix coding that this process uses. I was tasked with fixing the problems that surrounded it, but due to the lab project, this piece had to wait. Of course, now that the lab project is in place, it’s my responsibility to focus on the process/procedure. (more…)
update 072907
The lab system’s go-live was, ummm … fairly successful. I got called in early the day of go-live. Tuesday was surprisingly a quiet one, but day 2 was not. We actually had issues each day right up until 1 PM on Friday. I could have left early, but I had other non-lab-related tasks that I wanted to finish. So I didn’t get out of there until after 4 PM. I really would’ve preferred my normal 4-day weekend, but it wasn’t gonna happen. The way I see it, they owe me a day and a half off for the past 2 weeks. (more…)
good fortune?
The other day, one of my buddies at work stopped at my desk asking if I wanted Chinese for lunch. I explained to him that I had no money, but he insisted and offered to pay. So I was game; I needed to get away anyway. We went to our usual place, a Chinese buffet with very good food at a very good price. After venting about work over crab rangoon and vegetable lo mein, he got the check along with our fortune cookies.
Mine said, “Your financial outlook is excellent.”
His said, “Be generous, and the favor will be returned within the week.”
I bought him lunch the next day.
week in review
With the lab project going live at 0001 on Tuesday, this past week has been a mad dash to the finish. I worked 6 days in a row, accumulating roughly 52 hours in the office. My mind is mush, and I’m tired. Like I said before, I lack the energy and motivation to do much when I’m home. Aside from eat, drink, and sleep, I’ve walked the dog, played golf (on my PlayStation), and watched the British Open, Big Brother, and The Sopranos on TV. Oh yeah, I did do the dishes today. I have a headache now, and I think it’s from anxiety and the anticipation of the go-live on Tuesday. At this point in time, I just want to make it to another Friday.
MIA?
Got an email from my dad yesterday. He noticed the lack of postings on this blog and was wondering how things were going. To be honest with you, it’s been hell. I’ve been so busy at work with the lab project that I’m just mentally and physically drained when I get home. Because of this, I don’t really have much energy to do anything. (more…)
having a bad day
Today was rough. My manager returned from vacation, I had 3 meetings (2 of which lasted nearly 3 hours), I’ve fallen behind, and I screwed up the wireless configuration on a test device I’ve been working with. The big boss was not happy to hear that we may not meet the go-live deadline for the lab project (something I knew all along since January). She didn’t place blame on me, but she made it clear to all of us in my department that if we got an extension (which is possible) there would be no excuse to be in the same boat. As much as I’d love an extension, I want this hell to be over.
update 062007
Hmm… what’s going on? Busy at work, tired at home. I still have 2 days’ worth of pictures to upload from our vacation. I’m gonna have to better organize my time so I can have this done by the end of this weekend. Daniel returns home next week when my in-laws come to visit. It’s getting hotter outside now that summer’s officially here. I’m feeling the pressure and stress at work as the lab project is almost live (5 weeks away). Maybe once that’s out of the way, I can rest at ease, relax, and get back to some kind of normal in my job. I am happy to say that, today, my new manager announced to me that I would be getting a raise effective next pay period! 
long week
The 4 days of work this week seemed longer than the 10 days I was off. I’m so glad the weekend is here. Saturday, I plan to take Salem on a walk (he’s been without one for nearly 3 weeks now), then I’ll cut the grass. After the yardwork, I’d like to start working on journaling our vacation. I’ll be creating a new blog to house my recaps and our pictures. I’m still trying to sift through all the images; I haven’t had much time this week, but I’ll start uploading some to Flickr.
