Well, we're officially only about 54 days away from Drew's graduation and only a few short weeks away from him finishing his externship at U Dub (June 6th is his last day). This last weekend was the first anniversary of the trip we made to visit the area before we moved. And I still can't believe that we're about to close this chapter of our lives and start a new one. This last year has been challenging but at the same time exciting and a learning experience for both of us, separately and as a couple.
I really wish that I would have kept up on the blog like I wanted to but honestly nothing too interesting happened. We just continued our lives as we had, Drew still in school and me working, just in a new place. I have a feeling (and I hope) that once Drew is graduated we'll have more opportunity to be a little more adventurous that will fill this blog with interesting and humorous reads.
For now, we're going to be in a precarious waiting game over the next month and a half. We still don't have any idea where Drew will be working after graduation. There are a couple of spots in the area for vascular techs, but most are either part time, temp or on call positions. We've been looking at online job postings and the majority of jobs are in the south or east coast. We're interested also in the Portland and Reno areas and have heard about a possible opening in central California (a couple of our friends in the field are letting us know about openings which we appreciate) but ultimately we very much want to stay in Seattle. No news of a spot opening for him at U Dub but his co-workers have been extremely generous in helping Drew prepare his resume and writing him reference letters.
What really sucks (for lack of a better word) is that I'm finally starting to feel a little more settled. I'm starting to like work again and am remembering why I got into my field in the first place. There have been challenging days, as always in the field of ER and speciality practice, but I haven't gone home crying or screaming yet so that's an improvement. The environment at my last place of employment has only gotten worse so I am feeling better and better about no longer being employed there. And I'm feeling more like myself at work, but still not quite opening myself up as much as I used to, and I probably never will again. And not only that but I feel I have a lot of opportunity in Seattle to pursue something else (which I am still debating) if I want to.
So the prospect of moving again is not appealing. I'm getting exhausted just thinking about it. But ultimately if Drew gets a job out of the area then off we go. I know he really wants to stay here too, and particularly at U Dub, so its not just me. We've become accustom to the gray and the rain (I actually am in love with the weather) and we soak up the sun as often as it shows up regardless if its warm or not. So keep all fingers and toes crossed for us that this next chapter will also begin in Seattle.
Regardless of what happens, I will always be grateful to Seattle and what brought us here. Whether or not we'll be official Washingtonians we'll have to wait and see.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Words Speak Louder than Actions
Well, apparently I made a social networking faux pas last week that cost me my job. Let me explain further....
I've been working at a local emergency and specialty veterinary hospital since we moved here in June. I have had a very hard time at this place for numerous reasons. I haven't agreed with the way the hospital is ran. They have no administration or "management" on site which made it difficult to have anything resolved. Everything was communicated through e-mails which is not effective. Hardly any staff meeting to collaborate as a functional team (wait, what functional team?). There are many staff members that are hostile. Some of the doctors didn't treat support staff with respect. The place is over ran with unexperienced technicians that do not have proper or adequate training or supervision. And regardless of the hospital creed, patients and clients were not always treated with respect. All in all, it was a toxic and stressful place to work. I had tried in the past to go to administration and management with my concerns, but after the first couple of times with no real fix, I gave up. And due to this I myself became toxic and turned into a person I didn't like.
However, I did meet some great people whom I hope to continue to have relationships with. And that is the only thing that kept me going for as long as I did.
Last week I was disrespected by one of the receptionist. I had problems with her over the last few weeks I had worked with her and had about had it with the hospital, staff, everything. I updated my Facebook status out of frustration and management took it as a physical threat towards another staff member. I never said which staff member the status update was about and anyone who knows me, actually knows me, knows that I would never hurt or seriously threaten anyone unless I was in danger. I guess you could say I was in danger of losing myself and my mind.
Ultimately I think they just needed an excuse to terminate my employment. They didn't talk to me about the incident first or question me about the situation, they just took it upon themselves to assume something negative about me and use it to their advantage. That I feel was disrespectful. I was the best ER/Triage technician assistant they had and instead of managing their staff and hospital appropriately, I lost my job.
Now, some of you may be asking: Krysten, did you learn something from this? Absolutely. I learned to limit your work related comments on Facebook (I won't do that anymore, trust me). I also learned to trust people less unless they prove to you they are trustworthy. I took away valuable lessons from the work place as well.
I still have mixed feelings about it.... frustration, betrayal, happiness and a sense of freedom from that place. It never feels good to be fired, regardless of the circumstance, so I'm upset about that. I'm also upset that this could come back to haunt me. And I know my reputation will be tarnished, but I have to let that go. But the only thing I know is that I'm a good and honest person and I did my job well.
In this technological driven age, it is now becoming apparent that words are speaking louder than actions. Online bullying, employers using social networking, etc. etc. So my only advice is to be a little more cautious of what comes flying off your keyboard, whether you mean it or not. Whether you're justified or not. Whether you feel your voice isn't being heard and the only way you can be heard is by shouting though your computer screen.
I've been working at a local emergency and specialty veterinary hospital since we moved here in June. I have had a very hard time at this place for numerous reasons. I haven't agreed with the way the hospital is ran. They have no administration or "management" on site which made it difficult to have anything resolved. Everything was communicated through e-mails which is not effective. Hardly any staff meeting to collaborate as a functional team (wait, what functional team?). There are many staff members that are hostile. Some of the doctors didn't treat support staff with respect. The place is over ran with unexperienced technicians that do not have proper or adequate training or supervision. And regardless of the hospital creed, patients and clients were not always treated with respect. All in all, it was a toxic and stressful place to work. I had tried in the past to go to administration and management with my concerns, but after the first couple of times with no real fix, I gave up. And due to this I myself became toxic and turned into a person I didn't like.
However, I did meet some great people whom I hope to continue to have relationships with. And that is the only thing that kept me going for as long as I did.
Last week I was disrespected by one of the receptionist. I had problems with her over the last few weeks I had worked with her and had about had it with the hospital, staff, everything. I updated my Facebook status out of frustration and management took it as a physical threat towards another staff member. I never said which staff member the status update was about and anyone who knows me, actually knows me, knows that I would never hurt or seriously threaten anyone unless I was in danger. I guess you could say I was in danger of losing myself and my mind.
Ultimately I think they just needed an excuse to terminate my employment. They didn't talk to me about the incident first or question me about the situation, they just took it upon themselves to assume something negative about me and use it to their advantage. That I feel was disrespectful. I was the best ER/Triage technician assistant they had and instead of managing their staff and hospital appropriately, I lost my job.
Now, some of you may be asking: Krysten, did you learn something from this? Absolutely. I learned to limit your work related comments on Facebook (I won't do that anymore, trust me). I also learned to trust people less unless they prove to you they are trustworthy. I took away valuable lessons from the work place as well.
I still have mixed feelings about it.... frustration, betrayal, happiness and a sense of freedom from that place. It never feels good to be fired, regardless of the circumstance, so I'm upset about that. I'm also upset that this could come back to haunt me. And I know my reputation will be tarnished, but I have to let that go. But the only thing I know is that I'm a good and honest person and I did my job well.
In this technological driven age, it is now becoming apparent that words are speaking louder than actions. Online bullying, employers using social networking, etc. etc. So my only advice is to be a little more cautious of what comes flying off your keyboard, whether you mean it or not. Whether you're justified or not. Whether you feel your voice isn't being heard and the only way you can be heard is by shouting though your computer screen.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
6 Month Blog Hiatus
Hello to all our previous blog followers!
My deepest apologies for not keeping this updated as I initially intended, or said I was going to. What a whirlwind 6 months it has been since I last wrote. I still can't believe that we've been in Seattle for 5 months. It has gone by quickly, but slowly at the same time. Does that make sense?
Well, for those of you who have been kind of keeping up with us on what had been going on since the move (via Facebook, phone calls, e-mails, word of mouth, short visits, etc.) this will be a little more in-depth but not too much cause I don't want to completely bore you.
So, the actual move Memorial Day weekend was pretty uneventful. Drew's mom Karen came with us and helped us with the drive and the unloading in our new apartment. No break downs on the highway or issues with the moving truck (except taking the truck to budget while a soccer game was getting out downtown. That was an adventure). Our only issue (major at the time but minor in hindsight) was with the apartment. As you saw in a previous blog about our trip here in April, we secured an apartment but didn't have much time getting to know our manager (though she was extremely helpful) or the property management. So long story short the apartment hadn't been cleaned (annoying but minor). The real problem we had was we heard from another tenant that there was a problem with the property management not paying the utilities that were included in the price of rent and that the city was going to evict all tenants because we can't live somewhere that doesn't have running water. Eventually after about a week of calling the property management, e-mailing our now previous manager (she moved to another complex and had no info of who to contact), etc. etc. I finally called the city to figure out what was going on. They told me that the apartment account was up to date and there were no problems. So why the property management couldn't just tell me that I still have no idea. So no other problems thus far and we currently have a great manger that has been very proactive and has done a lot with the grounds of the complex and is easy to get ahold of.
For the first 3 1/2 weeks I was here by myself. Drew still had a couple more weeks of school including finals so he was in Klamath and then went to Chico for a little over a week to take some things we couldn't bring with was (his truck, his tools and a few other larger items) to store at his dad's. And also to hang out. Yup, while I was here dealing with the apartment and unpacking and starting a new job he got to mess around. Fair right? I don't think so either. Lucky for him he got here a day before my birthday. ;o)
One of the great things about us moving here was that I have family friends in the area who took some time to help me paint, unpack, and show me around which I was extremely thankful for. I was in a new city all alone and having familiar faces around was wonderful. I still can't thank Jo, Kandi and the Hannah family enough. And my mom recently moved to the area so that's been nice having her close, though we don't get to spend a lot of time together due to work schedules and life.
Work for me has been somewhat of a challenge. I started working at AMCS right as they were in the beginning of a transition period (and it still is) which has been stressful. The atmosphere and structure is a lot different than what I'm used to and what I was expecting (I knew it wasn't going to be the same but I wasn't expecting to have this much issue getting adjusted). Things have slowly been getting better and having Adam there every so often (as well as other SOVSC faces here and there) has been a comfort.
Drew is doing great at U Dub Med Center. Which is good since this is the whole reason why we are up here. He and his extern director Kari get along great (as he does with the other techs he works with) and he's doing well with all the exams he does. He's still learning but the quality of his work I'm told is excellent. We're still crossing our fingers that he'll be hired after graduation which would be amazing. The prospect of having to move again next year is daunting but we'll go wherever he gets a job.
Which brings me to Seattle itself. We love it here! We love the city (except traffic. I HATE the traffic. And Seattle/Washington drivers are terrible, worst ever!) and all the surrounding areas. There is so much to do and explore and taste. Neither of us has ever lived in a big city before but one of the great things about Seattle is that it doesn't have a big city feel. For those of you who haven't spent much time in the area, Seattle is separated into neighborhoods and each of these neighborhoods has their own community center, atmosphere, and unique qualities. We currently live on the edge of Queen Anne (for those Grey's anatomy fans the area that Meredith lives. We live less than 2 miles from the house they use for screen shots. I have yet to go there but it is on my list of things to do) and Ballard. A lot of people call this area Interbay though you won't necessarily see it called that on a map. We live fairly close to Pike's Market and the rest of the downtown area and we can see the marina of the famous Fisherman's Terminal (for those Deadliest Catch fans where the Northwestern and Wizard dock) from our balcony. There was an adjustment period coming from Klamath to here but we're adjusting quite well. I guess the biggest thing I miss most about Oregon is the snow this time of year and of course all my great friends I left behind.
So, that's 6 months in a nutshell.
Drew and I have a few things planned over the next month so hopefully this will help me keep up with the blog. Now that we're more settled and that my schedule is becoming slightly more structured I'll have more time to write.
Thank you again to all our family and friends that have kept us in your thoughts and prayers during this little adventure of ours. We appreciate it more than you know.
My deepest apologies for not keeping this updated as I initially intended, or said I was going to. What a whirlwind 6 months it has been since I last wrote. I still can't believe that we've been in Seattle for 5 months. It has gone by quickly, but slowly at the same time. Does that make sense?
Well, for those of you who have been kind of keeping up with us on what had been going on since the move (via Facebook, phone calls, e-mails, word of mouth, short visits, etc.) this will be a little more in-depth but not too much cause I don't want to completely bore you.
So, the actual move Memorial Day weekend was pretty uneventful. Drew's mom Karen came with us and helped us with the drive and the unloading in our new apartment. No break downs on the highway or issues with the moving truck (except taking the truck to budget while a soccer game was getting out downtown. That was an adventure). Our only issue (major at the time but minor in hindsight) was with the apartment. As you saw in a previous blog about our trip here in April, we secured an apartment but didn't have much time getting to know our manager (though she was extremely helpful) or the property management. So long story short the apartment hadn't been cleaned (annoying but minor). The real problem we had was we heard from another tenant that there was a problem with the property management not paying the utilities that were included in the price of rent and that the city was going to evict all tenants because we can't live somewhere that doesn't have running water. Eventually after about a week of calling the property management, e-mailing our now previous manager (she moved to another complex and had no info of who to contact), etc. etc. I finally called the city to figure out what was going on. They told me that the apartment account was up to date and there were no problems. So why the property management couldn't just tell me that I still have no idea. So no other problems thus far and we currently have a great manger that has been very proactive and has done a lot with the grounds of the complex and is easy to get ahold of.
For the first 3 1/2 weeks I was here by myself. Drew still had a couple more weeks of school including finals so he was in Klamath and then went to Chico for a little over a week to take some things we couldn't bring with was (his truck, his tools and a few other larger items) to store at his dad's. And also to hang out. Yup, while I was here dealing with the apartment and unpacking and starting a new job he got to mess around. Fair right? I don't think so either. Lucky for him he got here a day before my birthday. ;o)
One of the great things about us moving here was that I have family friends in the area who took some time to help me paint, unpack, and show me around which I was extremely thankful for. I was in a new city all alone and having familiar faces around was wonderful. I still can't thank Jo, Kandi and the Hannah family enough. And my mom recently moved to the area so that's been nice having her close, though we don't get to spend a lot of time together due to work schedules and life.
Work for me has been somewhat of a challenge. I started working at AMCS right as they were in the beginning of a transition period (and it still is) which has been stressful. The atmosphere and structure is a lot different than what I'm used to and what I was expecting (I knew it wasn't going to be the same but I wasn't expecting to have this much issue getting adjusted). Things have slowly been getting better and having Adam there every so often (as well as other SOVSC faces here and there) has been a comfort.
Drew is doing great at U Dub Med Center. Which is good since this is the whole reason why we are up here. He and his extern director Kari get along great (as he does with the other techs he works with) and he's doing well with all the exams he does. He's still learning but the quality of his work I'm told is excellent. We're still crossing our fingers that he'll be hired after graduation which would be amazing. The prospect of having to move again next year is daunting but we'll go wherever he gets a job.
Which brings me to Seattle itself. We love it here! We love the city (except traffic. I HATE the traffic. And Seattle/Washington drivers are terrible, worst ever!) and all the surrounding areas. There is so much to do and explore and taste. Neither of us has ever lived in a big city before but one of the great things about Seattle is that it doesn't have a big city feel. For those of you who haven't spent much time in the area, Seattle is separated into neighborhoods and each of these neighborhoods has their own community center, atmosphere, and unique qualities. We currently live on the edge of Queen Anne (for those Grey's anatomy fans the area that Meredith lives. We live less than 2 miles from the house they use for screen shots. I have yet to go there but it is on my list of things to do) and Ballard. A lot of people call this area Interbay though you won't necessarily see it called that on a map. We live fairly close to Pike's Market and the rest of the downtown area and we can see the marina of the famous Fisherman's Terminal (for those Deadliest Catch fans where the Northwestern and Wizard dock) from our balcony. There was an adjustment period coming from Klamath to here but we're adjusting quite well. I guess the biggest thing I miss most about Oregon is the snow this time of year and of course all my great friends I left behind.
So, that's 6 months in a nutshell.
Drew and I have a few things planned over the next month so hopefully this will help me keep up with the blog. Now that we're more settled and that my schedule is becoming slightly more structured I'll have more time to write.
Thank you again to all our family and friends that have kept us in your thoughts and prayers during this little adventure of ours. We appreciate it more than you know.
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