MY LIFE - OCTOBER

Tuesday, October 10, 2000

I just may have taken for granted just how much I know about the pharmacy and everything that goes on, or so it seems since I started training yesterday. The easiests tasks for me are hard on our new girl, Angela, and it's only because she just doesn't have the experience. It can be frustrating to try and stay patient with her as she goes along slowly, especially in the two areas that I thought would be most difficult.

Generic medications and directions. They aren't easy to decipher since directions on a prescription are written in a code called a sig code. Basically, many directions are shortened into two or three letter abreviations that just take a lot of time to get used to. For example, QD is take 1 tablet every day while BID is take 1 tablet twice a day. The more directions, the more complicated it can get. Seeing something like 1t q46 prn pain can be tough. That translates into take 1 tablet every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain, which you put into our computer as 1T;Q46;PPA. It just isn't easy and is confusing as hell to anyone who's never seen it.

For me though, it's second nature because I've been doing it so long. I've seen so many of the directions and know so many of the codes that it's silly. I know more codes than our pharmacist, Tom, knows.

It's the same on generic medications. Our pharmacy is divided into nine sections: liquids, birth-control, tablets (capsules), reconstitutes (items that need to be mixed), derms (creams and lotions), injectibles, inhalers and nasal sprays, eye, and ear. Each section is in alphabetical order by brand name. Generics are located next to their brand, which is why it can be so damn tough to find them at times. Lorazepam, for example, is the generic for Ativan while ranitidine is generic for Zantac.

Until you get a feel for what has a generic and what doesn't, it can be a nightmare. Even then it can be tough since some medications will have the same generic. Once again, two years in the pharmacy has given me a chance to learn what's generic for what, but there are still many that I don't know or that I can easily forget at times. It's just not easy, especially when doing a refill and you have the generic name on the label and no clue what the brand name might be.

Still, she's made good progress in two days of working just slightly in the pharmacy. The only problem has been trying to get Sean and Nick to realize that they still have to cover the register since she's going to be a pharmacy tech. They probably felt that they'd finally get a break. Well, it isn't so now is it? I had to remind Sean of that the other night when he continually looked up in the pharmacy to see what was going on.

But anyway, I hope this goes well. I've proposed to Lenny that I start splitting time between my store and Berea starting with the week after next. I don't know how well that will sit with Tom, but I can't be concerned with what he might think. It's been too long already, so I would like to just finish this up right now. Who knows, maybe the week after that might be my last week.

I'm getting there slowly. I just hope Angela's a fast learner and that Tom can be patient with her, unlike he is with me at times.

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I'm still trying to figure out what happened with my situation with Dell Financial Acceptance. Just last month it seemed like I was three months behind before I sent a payment in for one month. When I got my bill earlier this month, I was kind of shocked to see no past due charges showing on the invoice. So all of a sudden, I'm caught up even though I'm not supposed to be.

I just don't know what the hell happened though. For a while, it seemed like they had lost another payment. Then I find out that they got the payment, and seemingly credited me for one month for whatever reason. I even looked on the bill and saw only one payment was received for just one month's payment. So either they realized that they messed something up, or they just now messed something up.

Either way, I know that they were the ones calling me when I was at work because my caller id is only showing like two calls a day while I'm gone. Before they got my payment, I was getting like 10 calls a day. But I can't really be sure since it comes up "unavailable" and no one leaves a message. That's something that pisses me off too. The whole purpose of an answering machine is for those who call you to leave a message at the sound of the tone. Well, no one leaves me any kind of message at all.

I have to assume it's not important, right? After all, for six weeks it's the same pattern, 10 calls while I'm gone without any kind of message, no calls when I'm home. You'd think if it were important that they might leave a message and explain to me what's going on. It only makes sense to something like, right? How am I supposed to call back if you don't give me a number or place to call? You must not want to talk to me in that case.

I do thank those who do leave a message though. It makes it so much easier when you do so. I know who's called and I can get a chance to call back, granted I find the time.

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In my on-going search through the old entries, I came across one entry sitting on my floppy that I hadn't uploaded for reasons that I couldn't immediately see. It was from October 8, 1999 and it was one of those entries where I apologize for not writing as much as I should have blah...blah...blah.

Anyway, I was reading it, getting intrigued by what I was reading before it suddenly just ended, which gave me my answer as to why it wasn't uploaded. I never finished it. I had started it and just stopped. Why I stopped was pretty clear in what I had written prior to just stopping.

In the entry, I wrote about just not being interested in the internet like I had been when I first went online. I was kind of disgruntled with e-mail (I think I was having trouble getting people to write me back) and I just didn't find it interesting anymore in all regards. The sites I used to go to all the time didn't do anything for me and I just didn't enjoy talking to people at the time, even though I think I hid it when I did talk to someone.

I was working and going to school at the time, so it was right around when I started talking to this one girl who I no longer talk to. She had invariably gotten my attention and we might of had something going before she showed her true colors and stopped giving a shit about me. But before that, I was talking to her all the time, which meant I wasn't going online since we only had one phone line in the house.

Reading that entry tonight like I was, I breathed a sigh of relief that I just didn't stop going online. People I talk to online might feel the same way as well, but I can't speak for them. I remember that time very well, but not too fondly. I almost gave up something that has been enjoyable for me for the most part.

Needless to say, I am online more than I had been previously and I enjoy it again. Some of that's due to people talking to me and letting me know what they think of my site and what they think of me. Everyone knows what I look like once they talk to me since I have a picture up, so that must make some people feel more comfortable with me. They know who they're talking to.

At least that's what I think. In any case, get used to me being around. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. You're all stuck with me making my presence known.

At least until something pisses me off again.

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One more side note, I've started putting more into the title that appears at the top of your browser when you go into these entries. Starting with today's entry, I intend to put little messages in there to give you an idea of what the main topic of my entry might be.

Or it will be something that's just stupid. Depends on how I feel. None of you will probably ever notice it.