more about the soonger |
september 2001 |
Tuesday, September 5.As for the week past, it has been definitely busy. Had to meet up with my preceptor to finalize the paperwork towards licensure. Did all the needed activities, less one -- the 1/2 hr seminar! It's not as if I'm scared to do a presentation, but it's that there has been no scheduled time for me to do the 'talk' I have on low-molecular weight heparins (anticoagulants), their on- label and off-label indications... it's now booked for Sept 9. What else did I do? On Saturday, I went to a Nickey Ferenc's (her last name is now Bentley -- you should keep that in mind when you wed ... ie take the husband's last name) wedding out at Colasanti's. Considering they were paying for everything, it ended up being very informal yet quaint. Nice to see all the fellas all at the same place. Rashna was my date... (she finally made it to Windsor!) Saturday, I went over to Detroit to do some outlet mall shopping with Rashna. Only came out with a DKNY clubbing shirt. Not too offensive (ie not too tight). Also got gas at a favourable rate. At night, I FINALLY went to see 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' at the theatres. Let me tell you my predicament -- it was more of a 'Phantom Menace' phenomenon -- there was no way the movie was going to meet my expectations. (I am a big fan of the writer / director Kevin Smith) Somewhat disappointed that the Jay & Silent Bob characters will no longer be in future scripts but still there's a lot of laughs in the movie. Definite rental / DVD material. On Labour Day, I went out with Jonesey & GF and Mike for lunch. We went to this place called Moxy's -- it's in the new portion of the mall where the cinemas are. In the evening, I helped out Mike to detail the BMW that we took up to Toronto a month or so ago. (Ed: Remember reading about my BMW comparison drive back in the July journal entries?) It's a very nice car to drive and now it's nice to look at! |
As for the rest of the week: I work evenings, 1-9, except Thursday (7-3). That last shift is going to be BRUTAL. Then it's drive up to Toronto that night and crash at my aunt's house. It's a shame that I won't be here this w/e -- a friend of mine from Kingston is coming back to town to see her folks. Whatta shame -- she could had a ride in my new car ... Yesterday, I didn't sleep in as I had hoped -- I had to help find out when my mom's friends were coming back from China (reconfirm flight arrival time). Finding the info from the Internet wasn't that tough -- it was tough to find out what their FLIGHT # and AIRLINE was the difficult part. They gave us info that was incorrect, namely the airline and flight # !!! I knew they were flying out of Beijing. They told us before they left, they were taking Air China, flight 981. That airline and flight does not go to Detroit! So I could do a search from departing city and I saw that there is a Northwest flight from Beijing landing at the expected time as this mystery 'Air China' flight. So I'm asking my parents to go to the airport to follow THAT Northwest flight instead. Guess my parent's friends accidentally misread the info from the ticket... After my 'net search, I ran a couple of errands. I picked up my Australia tickets from the travel agency and returned an item for my brother at SDM. Washed my car before going out for lunch. Had lunch with my bro (McD's, where else?) then worked 1-9. It was a long and draining day. |
Monday, September 9.This past weekend, I was up in Toronto for a cardiovascular patient counselling conference. It was sponsored by the Ontario Pharmacists' Ass'n and I have to say I had a very positive experience from this conference. I drove up on Thursday night (after work) to Toronto and stayed with my aunt. I had to be at the Vaughn Estates @ Sunnybrook Hospital relatively early, so I couldn't really go out, especially after the long drive. First day's material dealt with basic science as well as some more foundation material. Had supper with my aunt and then pretty much retired for the evening. Saturday, the conference was good -- it was the St Mike's pharmacists doing the talking. Very informative and it was a great refresher about arrhythmias and CHF. Lunch was a beauty -- they know how to serve stuff at Vaughn Estates! Went shopping with Jane at Yorkdale mall -- it was packed in there! Had supper at Jane's place and went back to my aunt's at 9. Before bed, I decided to stay up to see Sex in the City. Not a bad episode, but I've seen better! (It was the Lucy Liu episode and the leather purse!) Sunday was anticlimactic. The Carmine Stumpo talk on anticoagulation was pretty good. The last speaker really had NOTHING to do with cardiovascular treatment. It was a marketing approach to how to 'sell' our services. Not very fitting on the whole but probably had some utility to those 'older' pharmacists. (I took the marketing course along with research course -- I left for 10 minutes at one point...) |
Went for a late lunch with my aunt. Food was good. Then I packed the car home -- my aunt gave me a TON of stuff to bring back. Left there at 3:30-ish. Traffic on the 401 while in TO was awful! On the way home, I stopped off @ G's. He wanted to see my car, right? So I had to oblige. Went over to his friend's place -- he's big into cars. Was there for an hour before taking back off onto the 401. The ride from Chatham - home was kinda scary. There was a HUGE thunderstorm rolling through Chatham. It was one lane (due to construction) so it was slow going. Lucky my bright front lights / fog lights provided me with great coverage. Plus, I was wearing my glasses so I could see CLEARLY. I reached home at 9. My aunt called at around 7:30 to see if I made it back safely. My folks were really nervous for a while there. I was delayed by the storm and I got gas. Next time, I'll call at G's place if I stop over. That's my weekend. Today, I have to check my vacation tickets to see if we have EVERYTHING covered. Then I have to work on my presentation on Wednesday. Thank goodness I have today and tomorrow off! Woo-hoo! |
Wednesday, September 11.As for me today, it was tough waking up SO EARLY. Made it on time but was almost late. The road I normally take -- it's the one leading to the bridge. There were a ton of trucks lined up trying to get across. The tunnel (by the hospital) was also backed up. Alternate routes aren't a problem so as long as you know where to go! I did my presentation today (for internship). It went fairly well. My talk about heparin was very short and to the point. I think they wanted a source for which LMWH to use for what indication. They wanted to use my work as a 'reference' -- don't know how useful what I made will be! After work, I went over to the east end to get my car's oil changed. It has reached the 6000km mark! Beforehand, I went over to my SPEP site to see how everyone is doing. Both Dorothy and Nancy (my preceptor) were not there. Dorothy just went home; Nancy was at a conference in TO. Also, I stopped over at the Mercedes dealership to pick up more info about the C32 car that I was telling my brother about. Should be an interesting car ... arrival date (mid- Oct). |
Oil change wasn't a problem -- took about 20 minutes to do. I bought 10 oil changes card for $170 (normal price $30 per oil change) so it'll be a while for me to made the most of the discount! Tonight, I went out for supper -- man, am I eating out A LOT. Food was good -- then I was home vegetating in front of the TV. All this talk about the terrorist activity is making me sick! Watched Speedvision for a while before making onto the computer (Pat was hogging it much of the night!) That's about it. Walked Rex-inator and now I can shower before bed. Have to be in for work this week 7-3. |
Saturday, September 15.Last night, I washed my car to get rid of the rain droplets from the day before. Then I went over to Mike's house to chat a bit then we went out to shoot some pool. It was an early night -- got home before 11. The main road to the bridge has really cleared up -- I think all the truckers have now slowed down due to the border problems and the slowing economy. I hope things will cool off soon -- I would like to go over to the 'States to do some shopping and not get harrassed at the border!!! |
Today, I got up at 10. My aunt from Singapore called to see if Pat and I are coming. My dad talked to her for about 20 minutes -- we're a 'NO GO'. I played some computer games (the Sims -- it's realy addictive!) Went for dim sum for lunch -- that was tasty. Came home and applied another coat of wax on the car. (Zaino #5 has been applied -- so long small scratches! Actually, I can see the a lot of mini-scratches so I wonder what was 'hidden' ...) Before supper (BBQ), I cut the front lawn (all the rain made the grass long!) Now I'm on this computer doing some e-mailing and fixing this webpage. Don't think I'll stay online for too long ... have some CD burning to do! |
Saturday, September 22.The disappointment of not being able to go on vacation has come and gone. Perhaps it is a sign from higher forces that kept my brother and I from going abroad this September. For me, I plan on going on this Australian vacation either November or January. We'll see how things hold up, considering the current economic situation. (This may be an opportunity for me to enter the market ...) Since I am at home doing nothing, I called up my boss to see if she needed extra staff to come in and help out and work. Looks like it was a good thing I came in -- we had minimum staff to do the things we need to do on a daily basis working. Let me tell you how crazy it has been this past week! Tuesday (my first day on the job this week) was extra busy -- I was on the computer entering as many orders as I could -- so many things to do and there's only so much one person can do so me being an extra person to help enter all the data was greatly needed. On Friday, the computer system had to be shut down -- we were victims to the now-infamous Nimda virus. We were offline for 2 hours while I.S. fixed the situation. The technicians had to do dispense medicine by hand (our backup plan when the computers fail). I had to stay around to help enter all the orders for the afternoon back into the computer. It's a good thing I've slowed down to minimize the errors I used make! Before I forget, there was one good thing that came out of this week: I learned from the College of Pharmacy that I am now officially licensed -- I can do all the things any pharmacist can do. That means the pay will get bumped up to full pay. That'll help out, that's for sure! I already spoke to one retail pharmacist to set up one weekend a month to work. I'll have to contact a couple other pharmacies to see if they need assistance as well ... There's a somewhat high balance I owe towards my car ... Today, I had an early rise (before 9) to get up and go to the good men's store in town. It was a Dockers pant sale there -- Dockers for $40 / pair. Found 2 nice pairs of pants. Did a little strolling into their 'Custom Shop' (high end stuff). Bought myself a Hugo Boss rain jacket for $225 (50% off!). Total for the day: over $300. |
On the way back home, I went to McGaffey's to say hi to my preceptor, Nancy. Finally caught her at work (3rd time trying since I've been back in town) She had a great time in Alaska (her vacation). Also ran into Dorothy Glavas -- she's doing well. Have to find time to go out with Nancy for lunch -- thank her for being such a good teacher and celebrate the fact I am now a fully-fledged pharmacist. Then I went over to Shoppers to pick up my dad's glucometer -- asked for a AccuSoft meter. Will show him how to do the finger poking, etc. I don't think he realizes how serious his condition is. He is at high risk for developing a serious coronary event in the next 10 years... Before lunch, Farah gave me a call. She was responding to my phone message from last night. She went out with her Ma for supper (her father was working last evening.) Our talk was brief-- I was almost out the door to go out for lunch -- dim sum. We ate less than normal -- instead of a lot of greasy things, we got fewer items but ordered wonton noodles (mainly soup) and a white rice dish. Have to eat 'smarter' now. This afternoon -- I went over to Mike's house. Helped him wash his car and then we went over to the mall (in my car 'cause it looked like rain) to buy lotto tickets, an agenda book (for me), and ASA 325 for my dad. All successful on those purchases. Then dropped over to Canadian Tire to get some tire cleaner for Mike's car. I have to say that Eagle One brand has a good product -- kinda pricey but pretty good. Lastly, we just had supper at home. Quite tasty -- tofu, veggies, pork, fried rice, wonton soup (different from lunch). Too much for a diet-conscious family now. My mom has to learn to reduce the amount we cook as well as the type of food we eat. Don't have any real plans for this evening except relax. Went out last night with Mike and Nickey to shoot some pool. Kinda pooped and will probably stay in and do some readings or watch a movie ... |
Sunday, September 30.What a week it has been! So much work done yet it feels as if I haven't really 'grown' professionally. I did the clinical rounds between Mon - Wed but was stuck doing order-entry Thursday & Friday. I don't like doing one thing for too long (my attention span can't tolerate entering data into a comuter all day) but when the other pharmacists have other activities to do, someone's gotta stay home and tend to the rudimentary functions of the pharmacy. I am starting to have a few qualms with the work place (not the staff but how things are 'done') already, but being one of the low ones on the totem pole, I don't think my input on this will be heard at this time. As for the weekend, it's already Sunday and I haven't done anything of importance. OK -- what have I done since Friday night ... Got up really early Saturday (7am) 'cause I am so used to getting up early now so I didn't fight it and went on the internet. Then we all went out for Vietnamese food for lunch. Went out afterwards -- did some test driving!!! I went over to the east end I went to see what the new 2002 Camry was all about. Their sport edition was sold out but the guy offered me to test drive their top-of-the-line model. Actually, I went to Toyota to see if they could order in a Lexus for my brother. To no avail ... looks like Pat may have to go to London to negotiate after all. Then I went over to Nissan to see what the new Maxima is all about. Their sport model drives very nicely. In fact, it's a little softer than my car (on bumpy roads like the one by my house -- you can tell I have a sport suspension!) The Maxima Sport actually is quite soft yet handles the road quite nicely. I think their car is a good value but the name does not justify a pricetag C$3000 less than mine. (Nissan VS Acura in name ... no comparison. I would spend $3000 for that easily!) I took a leisurely drive home back along the waterfront. Weather was good (21 C, sunny and a light breeze) so I drove down Riverside Drive and had the windows and moonroof open. |
Got home and relaxed before getting ready for the farewell party (my director moved to a new job -- he's teaching at St Clair College). Since the dinner was to start at 7 ... I figured we'd eat at around 7:30. I knew I wasn't going to make it so I had supper at home before getting ready. I car pooled with a fellow coworker. Dinner was pizza -- lot of people showed up. Cost us $6 each if you included to pay for the honoree's dinner. One of the pharmacists put together a PowerPoint presentation, which was nice. Then some of the younger people went downtown to this place called Fidel's. Small place -- had live music and were showing the boxing match (Trinidad VS Hopkins) so I was entertained. (I could not believe Hopkins manhandled Trinidad so easily!!! Hopkins is for real.) By midnight, the place was PACKED. I got a free beer (the lady forgot to charge me for my drink -- she was serving 3 tables simultaneously). Got back home around 1 -- took a shower downstairs and then went to bed around 1:30. This morning, my eyes got up at 4, then 6 but I finally got up at 9:30. Rex was waiting for me outside my door. Now I'm on the computer downloading MP3s before lunch. Where else would you go on Sunday for lunch besides dim sum? There are many less Americans coming over now that there is so much hassle at the border crossing. Windsor's economy has already felt the impact of Sept 11. There is one correction -- I have done something constructive this weekend. I just came back from a swim and have officially gone exercising. I will take Rex for a walk tonight -- weather's so good this weekend. Lastly, I did wash my car and cut the lawn on Friday before going over to my friend, Mike's house -- does that count for the weekend? That would really mean that I did go stuff... Oh well ... back to work. |