Journal rdewald's Journal: Yes, I'm alive. 24

Now that I have heard from the third slashdot person in as many days with the same question, namely some version of "are you alive?" I thought I'd post a JE.

First, my recent fit of defriending has yielded a set of JE's to read which are much less busy, which was what I wanted. If I defriended you, don't take it personally...blah blah blah. Either you believe that or you don't, it's up to you. People use these journals for different reasons, those reasons change over time, as everything does, my reasons change, my journal has changed. Change is.

What's up with me is my new job. I have been in an extensive orientation for the last couple of weeks. I am also suffering from the curse of the competent, that is, work is being pushed on me before I am really ready for it, and these are the needs of dying people I'm responsible for, so it's not like I can say "What? Is waiting a few days going to kill you?" because the answer is usually yes.

So, I've been attending orientation and stepping out during breaks to call doctors, pharmacies and other staff to get the needs of my new patients attended to. It's right now, as I write this, Rosh Hashanah, or as it is known to the gentiles of New York City, "Rush-a-home-a," and many of my colleagues who would normally be supporting me in getting adjusted are listening to some guy blow the shofar (no, not a perk for professional drivers). Google it if you're curious.

Anyway, it's like Christmas, New Years, Easter, and all that for Jews right now, and a significant proportion of my colleagues are Jewish, including the nurse from whom I have received a number of my patients, and so I'm in between a rock and a hard place at the moment. My mentor has been on vacation for two weeks, the last part of the orientation is the technical piece, so the only thing I don't know how to do is how to actually get *anything* done, since my agency is paperless.

That's sort of the cool part. They give the clinical staff IBM X40 Thinkpads, which is basically a laptop without (removable media) drives. They're light (2 lbs) and small. My 12" iBook G4 looks (and feels) like a behemoth in comparison. We do everything electronically--charting, communication, reporting, ordering meds and supplies, etc. I work for a very forward-thinking and innovative company populated by smart and dedicated people.

I'm on Broadway, baby. The neon lights are bright indeed.

Yes, my office is on Broadway, a stone's throw uptown from David Letterman and a short walk from Times Square. This is huge for me. Columbus Circle is a block away, Central Park is my lunchtime hangout. Its a dream come true. I really feel like I work in New York City now. I can actually bop out to a Starbucks for some coffee and not be gone from my desk for more than five minutes. Famous people are escorted in and out of my building all day. I admit, it's glamourous to flash my badge at security every morning to get in, you never know who you'll run into on the elevator.

Basically, if you are dying in the 10025 zip code I'm there for you. Of course, we aren't the only hospice in town and I'm not the only hospice nurse in the area, but the upper west side is my beat. I respect my colleagues, the company is trying something really innovative in end of life care, something that may change the way that end of life care is delivered in the USA, and I am right in the thick of it.

So, that's why I've been on a slashdot activity ebb. It's a good thing, like I'm in love or something, I'm sure my activity here will pick back up, everything happens in cycles.