A Silver Lining, My Very Own African Child, and One Awesome Night

TOMORROW, ladies and gentlemen, marks my 90 days at my newfangled job.  I have gone through some serious job hating and job hope, but tonight I have more hope than hate.  I talked to one of the Powers-That-Be and he laid out their proposed long term plan for me. Unless I misunderstood part of it, here is what it looks like:

1) The receptionist on the research side is being trained to become a research assistant and eventually a study coordinator.  She will be an assistant part time and thus will need to have the research desk covered part time.
2) I shall take over the research desk part time and learn the ropes.
3) Eventually, the pregnant lady will be "leaving" and no longer working the front desk on the clinic side, and will take my job as personal assistant.
4) I shall then work full time on the research side, eventually being trained to be a research assistant and then a study coordinator.

EXCITING, no? :) From last I heard, Preggerz will be "leaving" in December, which means my days might be numbered, in a fun kind of way.

Also, the main dude of the clinical side wants me to become a Professional Organizer, and they will, apparently, be paying for me to take classes to do such. I have NO IDEA how this will go and it kind of concerns me because I think they are kind of going to throw me into this and I'll have to flop around like a dead fish until I manage to flop myself into the fish tank and get used to the water. Maybe I'll pick up some tricks for my apartment.



In other non-work related news, however, I am now the proud sponsor of a beautiful little espresso child named Henok.  He lives in Ethiopia and is 6 years old.  Last week I volunteered at the Chonda Pierce show here and she was on tour with Warren Barfield (you know him from Fireproof, he sang "Love is not a fight") Well, we the volunteers manned a table about Food for the Hungry, an organization like World Vision, but a lot smaller, so more money actually goes to the children they support and whatnot.  93 cents on the dollar.  I can't adequately explain it like Warren did, but I knew I had to sponsor a child and when I saw cute little Henok, I knew he was the one for me.  So now he is part of Jason's and my little pseudo family.  :)


Jason and I celebrated his month and a half ago birthday this weekend by attending a SKILLET concert. It was his very first concert within memory and my third time seeing skillet alone.  Let me tell you, it was the best concert I have ever attended and it was definitely the most awesome skillet concert I've ever been to. I guess it makes a difference when it's actually a part of their tour and not just them giving a concert at Rock the Universe or Youth in Action.  Our faces were literally rocked off. Our eardrums might have exploded. My vocal cords might not ever be the same.  And we were in the balcony! We had a great view though, and we were not lacking any kind of auditory experience.  It was absolutely phenomenal. We can't stop talking about it. Pan heads for life?  Looks like it's turning out that way...

So what's happened since then anyway?

So allow me to recount last week for you:

1) I told my supervisor I was unhappy and wanted to quit. He supported me.

2) He brought it up with the powers that be.

3) One of the powers that be (the son of the psychiatrist) ambushed me with no warning and asked to have a meeting where he asked me why I wanted to leave and what was so terrible about his father that made everyone want to leave. He wanted me to stay because they liked me.

4) Later that day, I was ambushed a second time and forced to tell the psychiatrist that I wanted to leave and why. I do not do well with ambush situations, especially twice in one day. I got a little choked up because I was so angry.  To them, it did not look like anger, but bitter desperation to leave.

5) The next day I was called into a meeting with the Other power that be who is a thousand times more reasonable and a very calming presence. He told me that they would be changing my job a little because it wasn't a very clear job description anyway.  I left feeling I was tricked back into my job.

6) The next day I was called back into a meeting with the Other power that be, and we walked through what my job would be and what my day would look like.  Minimizing my time chasing after the psychiatrist and maximizing being actually productive, without being overloaded with absurd projects.  My day will be segmented so my time can be the most productive. 

7) This week is the first week it was put into action, and it went alright so far.  I have been told that the Other power that be is collaborating with a few of the therapists to find some special projects I can work on and someone mentioned something about getting me certified to be an add coach or a life coach. 

We will see how it all turns up.

Now for something SWEET!

The other night, I decided to try my hand at a new baking craze - cake balls.  They are the cutest things in the world and (as far as I know) made famous by Bakerella.  She's incredibly talented and creative. I'd suggest checking out her website, www.bakerella.com.

So I made up my mind to have a fun night of baking (cause I totally bake..... or know what I'm doing) so as a result, this story is a comedy of errors.

I began with Funfetti cake batter and as I started mixing all of my ingredients together, I realized that I somehow did not have ANY eggs at all.... which meant I had to leave my half-mixed batter hangin around while I madly ran to the store in my pajamas to get a carton of eggs.  When I got back, I gleefully finished mixing my batter and poured it out into my cupcake pans. It seemed however, that I had a little too much batter...

I discovered it wasn't that I had too much batter.... I just put DOUBLE the amount in each cupcake! Super tall cupcakes! However, they were still cooked all the way through and pretty delicious. (warm cake is anyway)

Now, if you know anything about cake balls you may ask why on earth I made cupcakes instead of just a sheet cake. Well..... I didn't have a cake pan.

So the next step in making cake balls is to crumble up the cake until it's fine and mix in icing or a cream cheese mixture.  This time I chose cream cheese icing. Seemed like the best combination to me. :)
Next I had Jason help me roll up the mixture onto a tray so we could freeze them before dunking them.  They were sticky sticky sticky!!

They remind me of sausage cheese balls.... mmmmm.... maybe I'll save my baking prowess for those.

After they froze for what seemed like an appropriate amount of time, I dunked them in white vanilla candy melts or dark cocoa candy melts (an incredibly messy process which was not captured in pictures). They looked great!!!!

I made a hellacious mess all over my kitchen slinging that melted candy.  Finally, it was time for a taste test of my little beauties! The verdict? HORRIBLE. They were insanely sweet. Way Way too sweet.  The funfetti with the cream cheese icing with the vanilla candy melts? ugh. I threw them all out. But, it was a fun process and I look forward to learning from my mistakes and making ones that are actually delicious. :)

Searching for a way out

Well it has been very nearly forever since I updated everyone on my Gainesville life happenings.  A lot has happened. Here's a teaser - I'm looking to quit my job. 


Allow me to explain, ever since I started the job I was warned that there were a few people who were less than friendly.  I did not realize, however, that they would be downright rude and incredibly condescending to me.  One in particular is the nastiest of the bunch.  She held the position a number of people before me, but seems to hold a particular grudge against me for just having my job.  She is disdainful and rarely even looks at me, much less addresses me unless she absolutely has to.  Today I was instructed by HER superior to help out because they were short-staffed, but when I went over she asked if I needed the confirmations. I explained that someone else was going to do those today and I was told to be there to help. She said "Well, there's nothing for you to do here, so you can do the confirmations over there" (over there means in the other building, at my desk) I obviously was undesired, and thats how I feel over there all the time.

Not to mention my ACTUAL job.  Here's the thing. I've been a barista for forever.  I am a blank slate for training. That is... if anyone actually decided to train me to do anything. I'm more just expected to know what I'm doing at all times.  I get fussed at for doing the dumbest, smallest things incorrectly.  Like hand addressing envelopes because I was told we didn't make labels. (we do.) Or accidentally saying tuesday instead of monday when reading the calendar and then CORRECTING myself.  I'm made to feel completely dumb and inadequate all the time.  And every week someone comes and asks me "so how are you doing? figuring things out?" same question every time. "figuring things out?" My question is this - What exactly am I supposed to be "figuring out"? My job? Who's who in the zoo? Yeah, I'm figuring things out, but it'd be nicer if someone showed me.

 Essentially, I hate my job to the core of my being.  I am madly looking for a new place to go so I can hurry up and turn in my two weeks. I won't leave without having somewhere to go, but I'm hoping I find something very soon. 

In more pleasant news, however, Jason has officially moved back down to Gainesville after spending summer at home, and we are still getting used to the idea that we will be in the same town all year and neither of us are visiting. I am making a list of things I'd like to experience while I'm here so I hope we can do some of those things.  Maybe in a later post, Ill put my list up here. 

So this Sunday Jason and I are going to visit the local Baptist church just to test the waters and see if we like them any better. :) Wish us luck as we search for the perfect church for us!

Keep us (and my job specifically!) in your prayers!

First Week: Conquered

I survived my first week!!! All in all it went fairly well. Yesterday and today probably went the best because I had stuff to do.  I got to help with confirmation calls, which was new, and I just basically reminded everyone on the list that they had an appointment on Monday.  Interestingly, one of the ladies I called happened to be on a treadmill at the time.  That is what I call dedication.  I also got to cut paper today. A whole giant stack of "really really expensive paper" that they print their prescriptions on.  Basically they were being charged double per sheet of paper for the paper company to cut it in half for them, so now they do it themselves.... now i do it myself? I don't know if that will be a permanent type of activity.  I learned how to do vitals today so I can help out with them on Monday.  But apparently I will help Monday and Monday only because the gentleman who is supposed to be training me but is on vacation will be back Tuesday and all will be well with the world at last.  I've been told again and again "I'm sorry this week is so slow and boring. It will get a LOT busier next week" to which I say "bring it on!!!" For once, I would like enough to do that I can stay until the end of the day and actually earn my paycheck.  I just get things done too quickly, I guess?

So one of the interesting things that a couple people keep asking me is "Have you figured things out yet? Have you figured out who's nice yet?" And I know exactly who they are talking about.  There is an interesting dynamic between the different offices.  Where I work is not in the same place my boss works, so I am Switzerland, a drifter, autonomous.  But the two sets of office people get quite.... territorial.   And my buddy in the third building likes to give me handy tips regarding the war. Such as "don't take sides."  There happen to be days that food is catered in for us.  Most of the time these free meals are for everyone in all three buildings.  However, it seems to be that when the food is delivered... no one spreads the word. So it takes a spy on a recon mission to let the other buildings know there's food.  Then the whole other building comes traipsing in to eat and triumphantly smirks to themselves.  (Apparently, one way to tell I'm new is that I don't fall on the food like a starving hyena) But my war strategy is to remain Switzerland and listen patiently when told how obnoxious the other building is.  My opinions will remain my own.

The First Day

I woke up bright and early for my very first day as a psychiatrist's assistant.  I budgeted my time perfectly and arrived at 8:30 on the dot! However the gentleman who was supposed to be training me.... was not. So I waited in the lobby until he frantically arrived and showed me to my desk. (I have a desk! With a computer! and a phone with my own extension!) I was then whisked away to have a meeting with the Doctor himself, where he told me aaaaalllllllllll of the tiny details ill have to remember to do each and every time I plan out one of his speaking engagements.  Afterwards, I returned to my desk and proceeded to do very little the whole rest of the day.  I familiarized myself with their appointments program, I ate my lunch in my car while parking in front of McAllisters, I stood around in the way, and I sat at my desk doing absolutely nothing and wondering if there was some pressing matter I should be attending to.  The Doctor was seeing patients all day long and around 520 I asked when I was supposed to leave and they said I could after I checked in with the Doctor after his last patient.... about 30 minutes later I got a call saying he had already left... So I left too. And that was my very first day.

The Back Story

Once upon a time (being last year) I was at UCF in my Senior year, beginning to look into jobs and housing over in Gainesville.  Craigslist was my best bet, so I searched and searched and weeded out the creepy "female dancers needed" and "want to make money FAST????" from the reliable looking "servers needed" but the problem I discovered at every turn was summed up in three simple words: "previous experience required." I always applied anyway. I sent dozens upon dozens of resumes to various businesses and never once did I receive a response. As the months flew by, I was feeling more and more concerned and desperate.

Meanwhile, I was also searching for an apartment. I knew that I had a specific window of time in which to find the best deals, but time kept slipping away from me.  An apartment would either be way too expensive and perfect, affordable but in a scary part of town and without a washer and dryer, or require that I have a roommate to afford it.  So I put ads on Craigslist for a female roommate. I answered other people's ads, but everyone already seemed to be set and wonderful.  And as the months flew by, I was feeling more and more concerned and desperate.

I brought it up all the time at the Bible study we had in our apartment - please pray that I can find a job and a place to live.  please please please make it work out somehow.  I asked other girls in my Christian sorority to pray about it.  One day, my sweet friend Kati relayed the message that her mom suggested I contact a certain psychiatrist in Gainesville because they had known him for many years.  I thought it couldn't hurt, so I emailed and asked if they had any open positions or could refer me to anyone who needed someone.  They wrote back and offered me a job!  When I went later for an interview, it was more to discuss WHICH position I wanted to take instead of if they wanted to hire me.  I had asked God to lead me to the place he wanted me in Gainesville and he shut down all of my efforts to find something for myself and pretty much handed it to me on a silver platter.  I was so excited to have a job!! The only problem was a place to live....

Mom kept telling me to contact the churches nearby and see if anyone needed a roommate but whined and complained and didn't want to do it. So, being a good mom, she did it for me and was right as usual.  The college minister contacted her back saying everyone in the college group had roommates and were all set.... except for one girl with a 2/2 townhouse who needed a roommate.  Hallelujah!!! So I contacted her and she was super sweet! I had a job and a place to live!!

Anxiety Building

So I graduated from college about two months ago and have a big girl job loooooming in front of me - not to mention a move to a new city.  In a mere two weeks I will have moved to the Swamplands and will have just started my brand new, non-coffee-related, scary office job of Personal Assistant to Dr. Psychiatrist.  To conclusively end my childhood in one fortnight, I will also have watched the very last cinematic installment of the Harry Potter series.  Goodbye childish dreams, Hello big scary world.