My week off

Last week I had seven days off in a row. It was impromptu since I had no official vacation time requested this year. Since I missed the deadline for my vacation request form last November all of my vacation time will be that way this year. Luckily for me we have a plethora of floating pharmacists this year; something that is unheard of in my profession since their is still a shortage going on. I've been told that this could work out for me since there are almost a dozen new grads that have signed on that should be licensed this summer and will need places to go to make up their hours this summer. We may even be able to take the Squee child to Disney World if all goes well. Although, we haven't told her yet because I don't want her to get her hopes up if it falls through.

So, now about my week off. It was nice to not have to get up at the crack of dawn to be at work until almost bedtime, for an entire 7 days. It relaxed me more than I had hoped and rejuvenated me enough to be able to make it through the weekend of work that was absolutely crazy-busy. I was actually very surprised at how relaxed I had become on vacation due to the fact that it really didn't seem so relaxing at the time. My heart was heavy as lead since the first day it started. The week off started normally with a visit from my mother to get her hair done and then a breakfast date afterward to catch up and converse about life the world and everything. Pretty much it is our morning coffee routine only in person. That went well, as it always does and after that she went home and I got online to cruise the rest of the world. About an hour after I got home (that puts us at about 1pm) the phone rang, it was a friend of mine from PA. A friend that should be at work at this time of day, but I'd been trying to get a hold of her for a week or so and kept missing her. So, I figured she took Friday off and was calling me to catch up. Well, yes and no. She was at work, but she had news that I really didn't want to hear...but it had to be told. I mutual friend of ours had passed away and they were making the arrangements for the funeral and she asked if I and the big bear could get a hold of the people here in NY who knew him and relay the information in case they wanted to come to the wake and funeral. Not the best way to start a vacation but at least I was on vacation which left me the time to help take on this task. It ended up a series of phone calls between me and my friend and giving the information to my husband who in turn called "the guys" with updates on what was going on when. I had only met Skip a few times, but he was the sort of person that doesn't take too long to get to know. He was an upfront and personal kinda guy. He also had one of the warmest souls that I have ever met. My husband and his friends have known Skip much longer than me. My husbands group used to do security for Star Trek conventions and Skips group (and I'm sketchy on these facts because it's been so long) at least used to go to the conventions as group called the Keldans (not sure if that is spelled right). Now they may have done security too but I'm not solid on that fact. The important thing is that's how they all met and became friends. Several of my husbands friends (and himself included) joined this other group. Mainly on the fringes due to the distance involved. It is through this intermigling of groups that I met my friend in PA. That meeting is another long story for another day, although it does also explain my first meeting with Skips wife which was a series of phone calls back and forth about a very stressful situation happening up here. Seems my role in life is anchorman, absorbing and delivering information to people as it comes in. Out of the friendships formed through all of this we have stayed the most in touch. Since we talk quite frequently, or more to the point when we do talk it's for hours, each groups members have been able to keep up on what is going on with each other. So, no one had missed out on much of what has been going on all these years. Which brings us back to the news of Skips death. It was kind of like a cloud hanging over our home last week. There were things that needed to be done, but the only real things that got done were funeral related. As it turned out my husband was the only one from up here that showed up to it. There were 2 others that tried but they were out of state working and couldn't get away in time to make it. I think employers need to change a little bit about how berevement time is allocated and I realize that if they made it so that any funeral was allowed time off the problem that would cause with slacker people claiming every funeral listed in the paper as due time off. But, something needs to be done. The only way we could swing it was because I stayed home with the Squee child (she had school) since I was off that week. Even for us, had I been working it might have not happened being that the day of the funeral would have been my only day off that week.

I guess that you can tell by this post that my mind is still a little scatterbrained and moving in tangents that tell a lot but explain nothing. That's kind of how I feel right now.