Recovery time…

Ok, surgery was done this past Tuesday. They took a bit over three hours apparently, instead of the one hour they told me it would last. I was also supposed to go to Physical Therapy Wednesday morning, but the doctor gave VERY firm, multiple times, instructions that I was not to take my locked brace (locked straight) off until the 26th when I go see him again.

He then added an “important” second appointment on the 19th for some reason!?

Wonder what happened in those 3ish hours that took so long and why changed as to the PT I was supposed to start?

I was brought home by a good friend Tuesday evening, arriving about 8PM, and was out cold shortly after that. Don’t remember much of the ride home either… Slept most of Wednesday, and Thursday felt like it should have been Wednesday and that I had just gotten home the evening before. I slept a good bit Thursday as well.

Not as sleepy today, and have taken no naps (yet…) today. Knee still hurts a good bit, especially when I go to raise it up when I sit, or when I go to put it back on the ground to get up to eat or to go to the restroom. Dull throb between… Unless I’m standing, then its a steady pain…

Can’t wait to get the brace off though!

Not the best way to get off of working, but I’m kinda glad I’m not at work right now..

Sleep Patterns…

For many, many years, I slept on average two to three hours a day. I would go to bed between 2 and 3AM and get up at 5AM, pretty much 7 days a week. During that time I was up and not at work I studied, read, or coded on various software/web projects I had in queue. This was pretty much from 17 years of age until about 7 years ago. During this time I seldom felt tired, always had tons of energy, and got a LOT done!

About 7 years ago I started going to bed about 1AM and getting up at 5AM… About four years ago I started going to bed about 11AM and getting up at 5AM. Two years ago this November I started working evening shift, going to work at 3:30PM until 12 Midnight, so I would go to bed at about 1AM and get up about 9AM. When I shifted to the 7AM to 3:30PM shift at work, I started going to bed about 9AM and got up at about 4AM (to be able to get a shower before everyone else needed the bathroom). Now I work the 9:30AM to the 6PM shift, and I STILL go to bed about 9PM to 10PM and get up at 5AM. (I get up at 5AM to exercise and then go to Mass every day before I go to work.)

And I’m tired ALL the time… Part of it is probably because I do not like my work and am bored while at work, busy while at work, and not doing as much brain challenging stuff. Need to work on that I guess, the brain challenging stuff that is. Work I’m working on. Trying to get into the IT department at the VA Hospital I work at, and then work won’t be as boring…

I’m sure some of the need for sleep is I’m getting older, but it sure seemed to happen “over night” when I started needing more and more sleep. I now sleep 8ish hours a night, and wake up tired still and wishing I had more sleep, although when I “get up”, I’m awake and feel like I should have been up hours ago…

Is this what getting older is all about?

The Continuing Saga of the Knee…

Ok, a bit over a month out from the knee surgery, back to work and all is well. Well, not really well, but moving along. Able to go up and down one flight of stairs (not at the same time) with pain, but doable. I am not able to knee at Church though. MEGA pain then…

The knee is stiff all the time, and I can feel fluid moving around as I walk sit, stand, lay down, etc. When I walk the knee is REAL wobbly and the last two days I have had episodes where the knee just kinda gives out. I almost fall, once actually did, but am able to catch myself before I hit the dirt. The knee “clicks” ALL the time now when I bend it more than about 35 degrees from straight, and when I straighten it out. Clicks more now than before the surgery. Hurts more now too.

Everyone at work, and mind you I work at a hospital, keeps asking me “Are you sure you don’t have an ACL, you can’t walk without an ACL?” Yes, I have no ACL in my left knee, and I have a picture to prove it! And I am able to walk. The knee hurts when I walk (ok, almost ALL the time, but especially when I walk), and it “wobbles around”. I can actually feel the “bones” moving about in there. VERY weird feeling!

Hope it heals up fast on the pain side… Need to wait a year so I can save up leave to have the next round of surgery they say I need…

Pout…

Well, this is the last day of my “vacation” (of sorts)… Tomorrow morning I go back to work… Pout/Cry/Scream…

I hope by the end of the week though I hear that I have a new job in the IRM department, or IT department as most companies call it, at the same place I currently work at. I had a “preferred” interview there last week, a week from today, and I pray that I am selected. Not sure what a preferred interview is, but I’ve been kinda told that means that if I’m qualified (and I am, I’ve been doing the work for over 20 years now!) I am supposed to get the job. But this is the US Government, specifically the Veteran’s Administration, and I’m a Vet, so the chances of that being the case isn’t 100%. We shall see!

As it is, tomorrow I go back to a job that I do not like, the first job I have truly NOT liked in my working history, for a shift I’m not overly impressed with, 0930 hours to 1800 hours. Only good thing is I don’t work as hard as I did when I was on the 0700 to 1530 hours shift. I work WAY less, but I liked the other shift hours and job much better.

And to make it worse, my knee still hurts, and is all wobbly… And has a LOT of fluid on it…

Sigh… Pout…

More of “I don’t get it…”…

I don’t get government management folks at all. I was in a job in which a person was doing such a pour job at work, they tried to get him fired in his first five months of work three times that I know of. This person even bragged about it to anyone that would listen. Now mind you, in the first year you work with this agency, you are on a one year probation in which they can terminate you for any or no reason. You sign a paper stating you understand that when they hire you! Somehow the Union got him out of trouble each time.

Now, this team had inspections frequently, and at least monthly, but normally more often than that. This guy flunked each and every inspection in a big way. You would often find him hiding in a room surfing the internet on someone’s computer (which he wasn’t supposed to be on) or on his cell phone or the company phone instead of doing his work. When he was asked why his work wasn’t done almost every day, he would say he was given too much work to be completed by one person.

At the same time there was a guy that was one of two people, out of about 20 people, that had passed his inspections 100% every time, never receiving a “gig” on his area of work. He tended to take more sick time off than most (to be with his son at HS sporting events, and after having asked for personal time off, and not getting it, because he didn’t schedule it in the December before (not that he was there for leave selection) that year) people on the team though.

A job opening in another department came up, and both applied for it. The guy that did crappy work, and who they attempted to fire got an OUTSTANDING review was a great employee, and highly recommended for the position. The guy that did OUTSTANDING work, although called off sick 8 times in six months was given a VERY BAD review and was recommended against the job.

Of course the “bad employee turned good in the review” got the job.

On the new job, this person who couldn’t do the first job continues to not work, always on the phone or in front of a computer surfing the internet. He would take 1 hour plus lunches instead of the 30 minute lunches he was supposed to, and instead of two fifteen minute breaks he would take thirty to fifty minute breaks as often as he wanted to, not just the two. Leaves the job at least 10 minutes early most days, and was coming 5 to 10 minutes late each day.

MANY people complained to management, but nothing appears to have been done about it. There was a two week stretch were “middle management” came into the area for “watching and shadowing” us, but all they did during that time was go to meetings or sit in front of their computer answering emails. There was no shadowing and no observing what was going on.

There have been even more complaints from this guys teams mates, and while there may have been one meeting (again with the Union involved) about his long lunches and breaks, nothing appears to have changed. There was a short two or three days where he took 30 minute lunches and his 15 minute breaks, but things are “back to normal” again. Long lunches and long and frequent breaks…

Then there is a person on this team that does their work daily, plus some, is on time, seldom takes his breaks at all (except lunch) and is continually getting “written up” for small things, often out of his control, and in some instances that of his non-working teammates job, not his!

What is up with management these days?

I know when I was management, ran companies or departments, if I had an employee that wasn’t doing their work, they would be talked to, the meeting and their responses document, their job performance documented, they would get three chances to fix their issues, and if they didn’t they were terminated and replaced. QUICKLY! So as to get the job done. I would NOT give the person a OUTSTANDING recommendation just to get them out of my department. That continues to negatively impact the company and it’s purpose in life!

Supposedly the Government follows that same process, but I’m not seeing it in this organization!

I don’t get it!!

The US government…

Two hundred plus years ago, the US was formed and we voted in our government. The initial intent was to have a government of the people for the people, by the people. We set term limits on our President, but I think we forgot to set term limits on Congress. I don’t think back then they figured people would WANT to do it long term, because they were all farmers or other business people that had jobs outside of their civil service of serving the people, and they had to get back to their jobs. This is why they had long breaks throughout the year, to bring in crops, to plant crops, or to insure their businesses were running right.

We still have those breaks, why? This is their only job. They should be working year around. Yes, they should spend some of their time in their home States, but it should be working time, and they should be taking care of business five days a week, year around, except for legal holidays and leave time (vacation).

I think it is time to take back our government. It is time to put term limits on our Congress. Two terms max, just like the President, in their life time.

While we are at it, while they are serving the public, they must continue to pay into Social Security, instead of the Congressional programs, and those funds are currently in the Congressional Retirement program, need to go into the current Social Security program, closing that option for Congress (kinda like what Congress did to the “Old Military” folks a few years ago in shutting down their medical and retirement benefits) to have, no matter how long they work in congress, to retire for life with great benefits, better than those they serve, US!

While these folks are in office, they must follow the same laws that everyone else must follow, no bouncing checks, not sex crimes, etc., with the ability to get off on them. (And when they are out of office, they still need to follow the laws…) When they freeze federal employee benefits, their benefits should be frozen as well, such as pay increases, medical benefits, etc.

We need to get our government back to a government for, by and of the people…

Unions/Education/Medical System..

Several years ago when the unions started to form in the US, there was a great need for change and improvements in the work environment. The initial concept that founded the unions forming was correct, but the people and processes that were allowed to make the unions and keep them going were NOT the way to go.

In many cases the unions were ran by crooks, and the majority of the money acquired by taking “dues” from the members went into the crooks pockets and not back to the people the way it should have. Unions have also raised the cost of living for all people in the US and abroad by artificially raising the cost of creating consumables and such through inflated expenses within the company to cover high priced retirement plans (that are left un-funded by the Unions), high priced medical benefits, and many other things the unions push on employers.

One of the biggest things that unions push on employers is the inability to fire an employee based on performance, or advance someone based on performance over seniority, or to hire someone outside of the union. This leads to such issues as we are currently having in education and many other avenues, especially education. And yet, in education, they have done nothing to get the salary to a level that would retain the good, caring educators in schools. (However, the teachers pay a hefty “dues” to their unions for the privilege to work as a teacher for low pay…)

So, what do we do if we get rid of unions? We go back to the process of paying a person based on their skill level and what they do for the company. If a person isn’t able to do the work required, move them into a job they can do, or send them on their way (after giving them the right training needed for the job, and giving them the chance). Pay should be based on the job, ability and performance, not an a union contrived pay scale. Yes, there should be equity, but equity for all parties, not just one side or another. Yes, the employers will need to pay a bit better, and do a bit more for their employees to keep the good ones there. But it should be performance and skill based.

We need to revamp our education so that it is current, provides actual work based and life based training that meets our needs as a Nation and as a Super Nation. This education needs to be based on gaining knowledge about science, math, the spoken word, and real history, not re-written history. Our teachers need to teach, and not just babysit kids. If a kid isn’t learning, start teaching to their level and get them up to speed. Let us stop the drugs, alternative schooling, etc., and actually teach them what they need to know. If the students are causing problems, sit them down and make them learn by keeping them engaged in the learning. Not by yelling at them, having them arrested, or sending them to someone else to teach. I can understand the need today to lock down schools, because of the rapid growth of kids carrying weapons, but let us make them less like prisons, and take the school back to being a school.

Our next step is to take a VERY strong look at our medical insurance system and the associated cost. I work in the medical system, and see first hand the cost we pass on to our patients and how out of whack it is. The cost of medical supplies is way out of whack, deeply due to the unions mentioned above, especially as we as humans should be looking out for each other, not taking them to the cleaners over health issues. I understand that the cost of research for new equipment, drugs and process can be high, but in many cases it is offset by grants from the government, or through donations from many sources. The cost of medical support to humans should not be as high as it is now, taking over 43% of the income for many people. And so high than even more are unable to have medical care. I am not into socialized medicine, but our current process isn’t working either. We need to look at this very closely, and the current process, put into place by Obama, is NOT going to work in lowering cost, but will (and has) raise it significantly.

While we are on medical cost, let us talk about medical care in general. Our doctors need to get back to taking care of patients and not worrying about the money. Actually talk with and LOOK AT the patient! Listen to what they are saying and look into their problems. Don’t just go about it half way. Find their problem and fix it, don’t mask it through drugs and such to ease their pain/issue, but resolve the issue. This will also help in reducing the cost of medical care if we actually take care of the patient and not the symptoms.

A busy time!

Like most of you (not that there are that many readers I’m sure!) I have a lot of projects I’m working on:

First and foremost is my home based business Watkins. This is a “self employment” process that I have been working for roughly 10 years now, and when I am active, it does good, and I’m active again, or at the beginnings of being active anyway! If you are interested in working for yourself, go here. An income stream that I control per say.

TDBell Enterprises, Inc., the second part of my self employment in which I do two things: Help Start Up business find money, and fix computers (software mainly, but hardware too). Again, a revenue generating practice to increase my income flows via multiple streams of income.

While it is on hiatus at the moment, Circular Wind Ryu, which is my martial arts school. Another self employed job. Here teaching martial arts. I plan on re-opening this aspect of work in the very near future.

ExsposeYourBlog.com. I am the owner and one of the admins of this blog exchange where you sign up (free and paid options), surf five blogs (read five blogs) and then post your blog or blogs on the site for others to read. Each day (hopefully ) you surf a few blogs, leave comments on those you like and earn credits so others can come see your blog when they surf. With this project I also have up a forum I work on, and both aspects take time in coding, fixing, monitoring and surfing. (GREAT blogs there worth reading on a daily or at least weekly basis!)

During they day, Monday through Friday I work as a OR Supply Technician until I can get into the IRM (Information Resources Management) department. This, for now, is my main income source. Not what I want to be doing, but hope to change that soon. (See top three jobs listed here. )

I am a Sir Knight (4th Degree Knight) with the Knights of Columbus, which takes up several hours a month in various functions and events, and I’m the web master of our site (http://www.kofc1487.org).

And I am studying theology on the side via reading and researching. I plan on taking this up formally once my income stabilizes and I have enough left over each month to take the next step.

What does your week look like?