Thursday, March 24, 2016

A "Shift" in my Time/Space Continuum

Wow! My last post was Feb 3.16, 7 weeks ago. But a lot of changes have happened.

  • New students?  Yup, I knew that would happen. But this time is definitely a little challenging; the young girl from China debates almost everything even the simplest of requests like putting her wet, rainy coat in the downstairs closet as opposed to in her room. Scheesch! But I make the best of it, soldier on and hope it will get better as more time passes and we get to know each other more. (And I AM the boss!)
  • New car? Yup! It was inevitable given the age of my poor "Bruce". I now have a lovely little, brand new 2016 KIA Rio. It's a joy to drive plus it comes with wonderful extras that my 2005 Ford Focus didn't possess in it's last years of life --- things like a radio that gets more than 1 station and heat that actually blows where you want it.

  • Lay off from work? Never saw that coming! And it was handled in such an awful way. Very sad to feel so under-valued and taken advantage of by people who had seemed so nice. Oh well! Better out of there than in!
I went through a few weeks of turmoil and worry, but EI is now in place, and I've found a new job, even if it is only casual at present.  I've been training for Switchboard & Admitting at my local hospital -- just an 8 min walk from home. I've tried a number of times to get hired there;this time, Lady Luck was in my corner.  It's shift work; and there's ohhhhhh, so much to learn, so the shifts are exhausting. But I like it and the pay is great.


I did my first ever night shift last night - midnight to 7 am. At 11:45 pm after putting a good "breakfast" in my body, I walked to work in the dark; I love walking at night. 

 
Although my eyes were crossing towards early morning, I got through the night with no problem. (Let me just take a moment to say "Thank you, Coffee".) It was beautiful walking home at 7 am:  the sun was coming up and it was fairly quiet except for bird song. I didn't realize they were singing yet, so what a wonderful surprise it was! See that sky though? "Red sky in morning, sailors take warning!" We're in for it on Good Friday; ice pellets changing to rain later.

This is likely what I'll be doing tomorrow. 
Yup! This is an extremely accurate picture!

Well, except for the kitty at the feet. 
And I'm a little older than she is.
..... And chubbier.
.... And my legs are hairier.
.... And I will have a line of drool from my lips to my 61 yr old, scrunched-up decolletage.
.... And there will definitely be loud snores coming from my mouth.

But other than that, this is an exact picture of me tomorrow!








5 comments:

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

Sometimes difficult times lead us to a detour that brings us down interesting roads that we never would have traveled. Change, although seldom wanted, can lead us to a great adventure and where we were meant to be. I wish you luck on this next phase.

Jack Tyler said...

Welcome to the club! I was a shift worker for 25 years, and loved every day (or should I say night) of it. In similar fashion to how you were treated, they took me off of them in February, said I can't work them anymore, because my job is suddenly unimportant. I said, "Sorry you feel that way, and here's my retirement application." I have 38 days left, and am looking forward to it like I don't know what!

But nights were great. No suits, no formality, very little stress. I'm sure you're going to love it! The other stuff sounds fun, too. New car, new kids, there's nothing like a change of scenery to perk up lagging spirits. Have a great spring!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

It's amazing how quickly things can change and you are proof in the pudding. So glad you got a new job so quickly and one so close to home that you can even walk it. Shift work does take a bit of adapting to. Enjoy that sleep in when you get it !

TARYTERRE said...

Glad everything worked out in the end. The new job, the car. Have a HAPPY EASTER.

Doreen@foxdenrd said...

Hello Sandy,

I saw a (gutsy) comment you made on another blog and just had to come over and say hello.

So, 'hello'. :)

I see we are about the same age (I'm 62 but don't go getting cocky about that), and live in Massachusetts. Nova Scotia is on my bucket list.

It must have been difficult getting laid off. Sorry for the cliche, but I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I see you found another job, one that you've wanted for a while, so congrats on that. I'm not sure I'd like the early morning rise either, but it will get better.

Hope we can become blog buds! I think we have tons in common.

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