Making it harder than it has to be...

Isn't that what it's sometimes all about on a Monday? I got to work today & realized it was going to be a slow day. Not a lot going on & the long day factor is really high b/c this is a 2 job work day. About mid morning my boss asked me if I wanted to draw up sources for tomorrow. This is not really a fun job, but it has to be done every day & since I had already read blogs, checked my e-mail, etc. I was glad for something to do. A 'source' is a small amount of radioactivity that some of our customers need every day to calibrate their cameras. It doesn't matter which drug you use as long as the amount of activity is right. The amount of activity is the tricky part. They need just a smidgie. One customer orders 20 microcuries (the average dose for a patient is anywhere from 5-40 millicuries). So there is quite a difference in the volume that you draw up for a dose & the volume you draw up for a source. Anyway, I get my stuff all laid out - prescription labels, 1 mL syringes, etc. I select my drug. Like I mentioned before, it doesn't matter what drug you use as long as the activity is correct. For the really tiny sources you want to use a drug that has a weaker concentration - like 15 millicuries per mL. And this is where I had my major disconnect today. While I was suffering from an apparent brain bubble, I selected a drug that is 60 millicuries per mL. Huge difference! I drew up the first dose, read the activity & did a big double take - I had WAY too much! So I checked my equipment to be sure it was reading activity for the correct isotope - yes, all good there. I decided that I just must not have been paying close enough attention to the amount of drug that drew up into the syringe. Thus began about 30 minutes of frustration. Way too much activity, not enough activity...back & forth & back & forth. *Sigh* If I were a cussing individual I would have let it rip! I could not figure out what the problem was. I even asked my boss if he had done anything different when he compounded the kit. I had struggled all the way through 3 doses before I realized that I had selected the wrong drug. I asked my boss if I could possibly be excused from the responsibility of drawing up sources. Forever. Never to do it again.
His response - laughter. Guess that means that sources will be my job again tomorrow. Yay!

Closet Fear #2

I work in a nuclear pharmacy. We get to wear lab coats & the whole deal. When I first started working here I thought the lab coats were so cool - I mean, who do you know that gets to wear a lab coat at work? The novelty wore off fairly quickly. Especially since every time I enter & leave the restricted area, I have to take the lab coat off & on. And this leads me to the confession of my fear. The lab coats have 5 snap closures. That makes them quick to get off - and there lies the root of my fear. I have several blouses that also have snap closures. I just know that one of these days when I'm wearing one of those shirts, I'm going to reach a little too far in my haste to get out of my lab coat & I'm going to have an embarrassing situation on my hands!
*Just in case you were wondering, I still haven't had my Closet Fear #1 happen. Thank goodness!

Decisions, Decisions

I've been trying to decide for quite a while now whether I would like to once again rent an apartment, find a condo, or buy a house. I have prayed & waited & saved. The housing market here is definitely in favor of the buyer right now but I had fairly certainly decided that I did not want the sole responsibility of maintenance for a house & yard. I have to work 2 jobs in order to afford my own place & when you work 51 hours a week you don't really want to spend your leisure time mowing, you know? So I went to a local apartment complex last week & filled out an application for a one bedroom apartment. Then yesterday my uncle's mom called to let me know that their family was going to be selling her brother's house. He has cancer & is in a nursing home & he is unable to keep his home. She knew that I was planning a move sometime soon so she wanted to show me the house. I picked her up & we went for a look. This house is only 2 blocks from my parents in a nice neighborhood. It's small - only one bedroom - but it is older (which I love) with hardwood floors throughout & wide wood trim around the baseboards, windows, & doors. It also has a very clean, very dry basement. Her brother has lived there alone for many years & I was tremendously impressed with how clean the house was. So now I'm waiting for them to work up a price & get back to me. I'm a little confused now about what I want to do. If the price is right, I can hardly pass up the opportunity. Renting an apartment is not the cheapest option but it is the easiest. A house is a definite investment & houses like this little one don't become available very often. I guess I've been blessed with another opportunity to pray & wait on the Lord's guidance.

Wimpin' Out!

On my last post about training for the Indy Mini, Karis asked me if I would be training outside because it is SO cold! Well, this past Saturday I was supposed to meet the group at 8:00 in the morning at a local park. I decided Friday night before I went to bed that if the temperature was less than 20 degrees that I was NOT going to go. So I got up around 7:15 & the temperature was 4 degrees! I like to think that I'm a pretty dedicated to my training program, but I am not crazy. So I went to the Y to use a treadmill. Guess who I saw there? About 2o other people from my training group. I'm not the only weakling. :-) So I ended up putting my two miles in on an elliptical 'cause there was no way I was going to wait in the treadmill line. All in all it was a satisfying workout. With this arctic blast hovering over us it may be a couple of weeks before I do anything outside other than run from the door to my car.

On Your Mark...Get Set...Train!

It's official - training for the Indianpolis MiniMarathon has begun! I started yesterday with a one mile walk. That doesn't sound like much (& truthfully it didn't feel like much) but the program I'm participating in works on the principle of progressive overload. So I'd better hang on; it will definitely get more intense. As of right now I am training as a walker. My doc told me I could try running again starting March 1st. I'm going to try to take good care of my feet along the way so that I will be ready to run again. It feels good to have a goal to work for instead of just reminding myself that being active is good for my health. This will be my 3rd Indy Mini & I'm hoping my best time ever.

Thank you, Roxi!

My wonderful good friend Roxanna recently told me about an Internet radio station that plays Christian music. It's www.abidingradio.com & I love it! Usually when I'm in my office at work I listen to the dull hum that is the radio coming from the lab. I get really tired of rock really fast (angry music!) & all the other stuff gets stuck in my head so bad & I don't need that. So I've been listening to abiding radio at my desk every day. It's relaxing to my soul & an encouragement to my spirit to have edifying music flowing through my head all day. Thank you, Roxi! You're a friend of the super-est kind!

Closet Fears

Ever feel afraid of something but think, oh man is that ever stupid, so you don't tell anyone about it? I call those closet fears. Things that I'm just a little worried about but I don't really want anyone to know 'cause it's kind of silly. Well, I've got one that I just feel compelled to confess. I wonder how many of you out there will have to admit that it worries you, too?
Here's what scares me...now that the weather is colder our city has had a repeat of an annual problem. The temperatures drop & scads of crows move into town. I'm not talking about starlings or anything like that. These crows are the size of bowling balls. They are noisy & they are messy. But I'm not afraid they're going to attack me. I'm afraid of something else altogether. Recently I've been needed to make local deliveries for work. The first run goes out at 6:30 in the morning. That's when all the crows are stirring around. Seriously, it's like a black cloud overhead. And here's my fear...it's just a matter of time before I get nailed by you-know-what. And when it happens, I'll bet I get hit multiple times. Yuck just doesn't begin to cover it. That's my closet fear.
Anybody out there ever get 'hit'?