Tuesday Randoms

[ssmjlm]

glw, see what kind of games they're into? eb777888 is right, legos and minecraft. Maybe some roblox?


This is timely because some big roblox player has "merch" my kid wants for Christmas and a sweatshirt is $50!

[sometimesrunner]

wanderlustmom, congrats on the wins! I picked up tennis during Covid, too and am also obsessed. Tennis obsession check: did you complete a USTA training video to see your new rating 4 days early?

[expectantsteelerfan]

So I have had a cold for the past week. Standard sore throat, congestion, progressed to cough. I have asthma, and usually at least once a year I get a cold that turns into bronchitis, which coughing/wheezing that are just exhausting, and I go to the Dr. who gives me a steroid to help it clear faster. I would guess that is what is going on now, but I'm wheezing even more than usual. Like normally, I'll wheeze and be all phlegmy, then cough and clear it, and get some relief for at least a few minutes, but now when I cough up some junk, I'm even more wheezy than before.
I know pneumonia is going around like crazy, but I got vaccinated for that about a month ago. But I hit the point today where I'm tired of not being able to breath easily and called my Dr. They have a new policy where if you choose 'schedule an appt' after you call the office, it punts you to central scheduling for the whole health system. Ok cool. I wait on hold forever, and talk to a scheduler, who takes down my symptoms and tells me they have to speak to a NP before scheduling. Ok, wait on hold again, NP comes on the call, and runs through a list of questions. When I answered yes to 'feeling short of breath' she had to go to a more in-depth questions. When I answered yes to 'moderate struggle to breath, worse than usual' she was like, OK, I have to stop you there. My protocol is to tell you to proceed directly to the ER.
I was like, ma'am, I have a cold that has likely turned into bronchitis. I understand that I should probably be checked for pneumonia with my symptoms, but I'm not going to the ER for this. She was like, I'm sorry, under the new protocols, once I hit the recommendation for you to go to the ER, there's nothing else I can do.
I was like, is there any way for me to speak directly to my pcp's office? And she was like, you have to call and select 'speak to the nurse' instead of schedule an appt.
So I did that. The nurse was able to see that they are completely booked up for today and tomorrow, and was like, your best bet is to go to urgent care. They can do a chest x-ray there if you warrant one. Which is annoying, but understandable. Urgent care seems more reasonable to me than the ER. But I am NOT a fan of the new protocols or whatever they just implemented!
I made an online appt. with urgent care for 1 PM, so I guess we'll see.

[maudefindlay]

sproctopus, that is a huge change. I hope you can talk to your DH more about how hard this is going to be and look more into the living together situation. That would be my nightmare, but sounds like a dream for you all.

[emilyinchile]

I am SO tired. I slept on the couch for 4 nights due to H having a bad cough that we thought was finally better, and last night at 11 on the dot I was so grateful to be back in my bed and ready for a solid 7 hours. Well.

Cookie wouldn't settle and kept barking, requiring THREE visits from me to keep her company and try to convince her to go TF to sleep over the course of almost an hour. H coughed a TON, and even though he went to the couch he didn't close the bedroom door. L woke up in the middle of the night asking someone (me, since H was no longer in our bedroom with the monitor) to pull his covers up. The power went out, which made the monitor beep, and then came back on, which made other stuff beep. Maybe tonight I'll finally get some rest?

[bbdoll]

I got the job I really wanted!!!! They want me to start 11/12, so I can't give my current job two weeks, but oh well. I think I'm going to tell them my last day will be next Wednesday, so I can have a few days off before starting over. I'm so happy!!!

[egishere]

I'm all alone in the office today. Boss and CFO are gone at conferences, other co worker is sick and our other one comes and goes as she pleases so I have no idea if she will come in today. I'm definitely leaving at 4:30!

[shauni27]

Oct 29, 2024 8:56:56 GMT -5 sproctopus said:

I cannot explain how much I love them and how much having them near us means to me. 😢


My anxiety over this won't let me sleep and I was up at 5am making pan suisse au chocolat.

oh dear, that is heartbreaking. Is there any way to negotiate with your husband for something different? 

Oct 29, 2024 9:00:32 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Speaking of medical care being difficult, it sounds like my sister (who has had a lot of health issues in the last 2 years) is finally seeing some improvement. 

this is great news! I was worried about her.

[wildrice]

bbdoll, congratulations!!!

glw, my nephew is about a year older, but a year ago he was into video games and just starting to get into football/sports. He was also super excited that year when I dropped the ball for sending something in time for his birthday and just sent an Amazon giftcard.

[wildrice]

My pets are cracking me up lately. You may recall I hesitated to get a dog for literally years because I didn't want to upset the cat. 9 months later, the cat has decided that he is in charge and the dog better watch out. For the most part, the dog is very chill about it and they get along fine - but sometimes he does not want to walk past the cat because the cat might jump out and bop him.

Just a few minutes ago, we came back from a short walk and I went upstairs. Our dog usually follows me around, but he did not come upstairs. I didn't think much of it, but a few minutes later my dog came barreling upstairs and ran to me with the cat hot on his heels. I am guessing that the cat blocked him from coming up, then when the dog finally got up the courage to walk past him, the cat chased him up the stairs. The dog is now in my lap, lol. I think the cat is more being playful/sassy than mean, and he doesn't use claws, thankfully.

My H also seems to love the dog now, so I think we're all happy with a dog here in the wildrice household.

[pinkdutchtulips]

We had a rough start to today but we made it ... 5 minutes late but the important part is that she's there!

We just have to build off of everyday. 

[glitzy07]

I don't have a uterus, cervix, or fallopian tubes anymore but damn if I don't always know when I would be due for a period if I did. This morning I found myself at my desk crying over videos and stories about our NHL hockey goalie (Marc-Andre Fleury) playing his last career game in his original team's town. 

[cricketwife]

Our cat died last night - suddenly and unexpectedly, from an apparent stroke. We are heartbroken. I barely sleep last night - I mostly cried and just felt sad. Now I'm sitting at work being sad.

I don't want to hijack the randoms with a bunch of people replying to this post, so if you "like" this post, I will view that as you expressing your condolences.  

[wanderlustmom]

Oct 29, 2024 10:42:41 GMT -5 sometimesrunner said:

wanderlustmom , congrats on the wins! I picked up tennis during Covid, too and am also obsessed. Tennis obsession check: did you complete a USTA training video to see your new rating 4 days early?

Glad to find someone else as nuts as me.  I thought about it but didn't do it--maybe I will now if it's not too late.  Did you? 

[missmissy234]

Oct 29, 2024 11:33:50 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

I don't have a uterus, cervix, or fallopian tubes anymore but damn if I don't always know when I would be due for a period if I did. This morning I found myself at my desk crying over videos and stories about our NHL hockey goalie (Marc-Andre Fleury) playing his last career game in his original team's town. 

I'm a huge Penguins fan and I can not wait until the game tonight.  While I want the Pens to win, of course, it hurts to see them play against The Flower.  Tonight is going to be so special.  

Did you see the video where he showed up in goal at one the lower level team practices in Pittsburgh the other day?  

[ssmjlm]

I'm still watching my Turkish soap and OMG the evil grandmother storyline is happening and I am overly invested. DH just laughs at me.

Plus there are like 100 episodes of this thing. I need there to be a HEA!

[calamity]

congratulations bbdoll!!! I knew you were going to get it

[glw]

Oct 29, 2024 11:26:16 GMT -5 wildrice said:

 He was also super excited that year when I dropped the ball for sending something in time for his birthday and just sent an Amazon giftcard.

I am so looking forward to the time when "gift card" is the perfect gift for all three! 

[glitzy07]

Oct 29, 2024 11:47:41 GMT -5 missmissy234 said:

Oct 29, 2024 11:33:50 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

I don't have a uterus, cervix, or fallopian tubes anymore but damn if I don't always know when I would be due for a period if I did. This morning I found myself at my desk crying over videos and stories about our NHL hockey goalie (Marc-Andre Fleury) playing his last career game in his original team's town. 

I'm a huge Penguins fan and I can not wait until the game tonight.  While I want the Pens to win, of course, it hurts to see them play against The Flower.  Tonight is going to be so special.  

Did you see the video where he showed up in goal at one the lower level team practices in Pittsburgh the other day?  

I did! Fleury is the best. We went to his 1000th game here in Minnesota last season and I bawled my eyes out multiple times with the videos and how loud everyone got for him. We're lucky to have him in his final seasons and I'm excited to watch tonight's game and all the tributes!

[ohgillian]

I don’t know if I’m being unreasonable, but I’m sure this board will have an opinion. This question is about trauma generally fyi.

I work for what’s primarily a lobbying membership organization, but we recently added a social workery type division to train our members on “trauma informed“ services.

At yesterday’s staff meeting, the trainer came in to train our HQ staff. Staff were not informed in advance. It was a two hour training and at the beginning the trainer said that we were going to talk about all the different ways that trauma impacts people, affects the brain, etc. There were various ground rules shared that made it seem that convos might get personal. Staff were told to “take care of themselves” including that you could leave if you wanted to.

Just the thought of having to hear about trauma for two hours with my coworkers has my heart beating so fast. I left the training – – which was offsite – – and sat in my car doing work until this portion of the day ended. Would I be wrong to recommend to HR that these types of initiative should be opt-in instead of opt out? I’m especially annoyed that opting out meant having to walk out of a room full of colleagues.

[wildrice]

Oct 29, 2024 11:54:45 GMT -5 glw said:

Oct 29, 2024 11:26:16 GMT -5 wildrice said:

 He was also super excited that year when I dropped the ball for sending something in time for his birthday and just sent an Amazon giftcard.

I am so looking forward to the time when "gift card" is the perfect gift for all three! 

They were also sooo excited one year when their other grandma sent them cash! I don't remember the exact ages but they are currently 7 and 10 so younger than that. I think being able to buy something themselves is such a novelty that it doesn't feel as boring as it sounds.

[jane6672]

@@@

I’m finally NOT pregnant!

After laboring through the night every night since Friday but it falling apart at daylight 🙃 my water broke yesterday and then things moved hella fast.

The second best thing (first best being baby outside) is that my reflux seems to be gone. I had some apple juice and didnt want to die! I laid flat for the first time in like 5 months!

Next on the agenda is PIZZA.

[ssmjlm]

ohgillian, training topics, esp sensitive ones, should be known ahead of time. Then if people need accommodations, it can be done before the training.

[penguingrrl]

Oct 29, 2024 11:30:56 GMT -5 pinkdutchtulips said:

We had a rough start to today but we made it ... 5 minutes late but the important part is that she's there!

We just have to build off of everyday. 

OMG, that’s amazing! And I’d kill for mine to be that close to in time! We’re generally 20-60 minutes late and the school is fine with it!

[gretchenindisguise]

jane6672 - congratulations!! On the baby and the pizza!

[gretchenindisguise]

My FIL passed away over almost a year ago and we are still dealing with the estate. Just this morning we learned of a new 16k euro debt that may prevent the sale of one of their properties. It's insanity how poorly H's parents had planned for things and now we and BIL are picking up the slack.

Do estate planning everyone!

[pinkdutchtulips]

Oct 29, 2024 12:18:27 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

Oct 29, 2024 11:30:56 GMT -5 pinkdutchtulips said:

We had a rough start to today but we made it ... 5 minutes late but the important part is that she's there!

We just have to build off of everyday. 

OMG, that’s amazing! And I’d kill for mine to be that close to in time! We’re generally 20-60 minutes late and the school is fine with it!

I feel like 5-10 mins late is still 'on time' for now .. hell her going at.all right now is a win. 

[penguingrrl]

Oct 29, 2024 12:25:32 GMT -5 pinkdutchtulips said:

Oct 29, 2024 12:18:27 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

OMG, that’s amazing! And I’d kill for mine to be that close to in time! We’re generally 20-60 minutes late and the school is fine with it!

I feel like 5-10 mins late is still 'on time' for now .. hell her going at.all right now is a win. 

Definitely! Also, nobody warned me so I’ll warn you. You may be in a honeymoon period and then have some regression. They were prepared there to work with that but didn’t tell me. We’ve had a few regressions since going back in March, but each time it was shorter and more easily addressed. I was panicked, though. We had a blip a few weeks ago, but haven’t missed a day in over two weeks since, thanks to two truly amazing social workers.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Oct 29, 2024 10:26:16 GMT -5 glw said:

What do 9-year old boys like?
I struggle with presents for my three nephews-- one is turning 9 next month. We see them once a year at most so we don't really "know" them. It has to be something I can mail to an APO mailbox (sending directly from Amazon is easiest).

My nine year old is all in on VR and Fortnite. Seems like his classmates are I to sports as well but not my guy.

[wildrice]

ohgillian , this one is right up my alley as a HR training manager at an organization that uses trauma informed care.

I agree that training topics should be shared in advance. Are you sure this wasn't? If you are, I think that's good feedback for HR to know so they can better communicate next time.

As far as opting in vs opting out - I think that really depends on the purpose of your organization and your job; in other words, is this topic important to the work being done? Where I work, it's a central approach to client care that nearly every role at our organization truly does need to be familiar with in order to perform their job in accordance with our philosophy on care. Without exception, all of our clients have experienced or are currently experiencing trauma. When a training is optional, you will generally get very few people attending - like 10% or less of those you invite. So if they want people to know this, they are going to need to make it mandatory and/or easy for folks to attend as part of a retreat/training day/etc.

Generally speaking, a good trainer isn't going to require anyone to share their own personal trauma, but you never know what people will choose to share when discussing a topic. You'd be surprised all the stuff I've heard people share over the years, and I don't even train on trauma myself! Some people love to overshare. You also don't know what is going to be a trigger, which is why they said people could leave. In my organization, we would generally require people to get this information somehow - if they really didn't think they could handle a group session we would have let them opt out, but they would have had to watch a recording, review the slides, or have a 1:1 session with someone to get caught up on the information anyway.

So personally, I would not suggest that they make it opt in, but if someone contacted me and expressed your concerns about attending a training like this, I'd be willing to listen and help them figure out a different way to learn what you needed to.