HOLY BAT SHIT CATWOMAN! THEY’RE EVERYHWERE! So the title of this blog came from some website that actually made a list of Batman POW things that flash on the screen sans a few "O"s and "K"s to make sure it fit on the title line a little better. I find that amusing, because I Googled Batman POW and that list came up third or forth in the search. It figures that there is some sad little geek out there that actually took the time to log that shit onto a web page. Anyhoo…Back to the POW portion of the title.
Holy Snikies! I think I just need to pitch a fit whenever experienced staff want to leave me alone with these kids. I feel like saying these little fuckers, but that would almost be mean. Two of my little darlings decided to jump on each other and get into a fist fight in the gym today. Not even five minutes went by when my partner went out for a smoky treat break. DAMNITALL! I don’t dig this leaving me alone shit. Building supervisor says to work with me more closely, yet I am alone trying to run groups all week since they’re on spring break.
That’s another thing; this is a sad fact that I have to come to terms with. They look normal, but they’re mentally retarded and developmentally disabled in several aspects as well. They’re lucky if they have a third grade reading level and these are the “high functioning” kids. They lack some serious impulse control, they’re attention seeking, manipulative, aggressive, show poor judgment and problem solving skills and that ladies and gentlemen isn’t even the crux of the problems they have! *sniffle*
I know it’s gonna get better. They will stop getting all nucking futs as often as they have been with me lately. I’m told FOUR MONTHS is the magic number when they will start to listen and take you a little more seriously. That’s after they’ve tried to drive you off on a daily basis. It’s sh’loads of fun for all! Sh’loads= SHIT LOADS. Yeah, I’m a little out of sorts today. It was a one smoky treat day, which I’d like to kick myself for yet again. That and the pound of junk food I’ve consumed since I’ve gotten home. All that eating right while at work is out the window! *ugh*
Tammolly~ Frustrated still.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Flying Monkeys And Harpies
I described them as Velociraptors once. It seemed to be a fitting description! It occurs to me that I could come with other descriptors too. Flying Monkeys is one of the few I have come up with. Perhaps it’s the pack mentality the girls seem to have, swooping in on poor Dorothy just like the Wicked Witch’s Flying Monkeys!!!!!! Harpies is another good one. The literal meaning of the word seems to be "whirlwinds" since I have been looking up information on Harpies today. I didn’t know they were Greek myths! Learn something new everyday I guess.
I know I am probably being mean about these kids, but you can’t help but wonder if they sit up in their beds at night thinking of ways to fuck with staff the next day. My boss says I’ll be going through their bad ass attitudes for at least 3 months when they figure I am really not going anywhere. Then it’s possible I won’t be getting as much shit from them as I am getting now. I may only have to repeat myself three times rather than a dozen before another staff member actually comes in to wrangle the situation.
Oh well, hey, I have a day off, so I’m gonna go hit the treadmill, because I need to start doing that. Then I’m gonna go to Julie’s for lunch, haven’t seen her in a while and I could use a good piece of pie today! Plus, my honey is leaving for four days and that really sucks ass, but that just means I can jump him when he gets back. That’s always fun!
Tammolly~ Making plans.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
I know I am probably being mean about these kids, but you can’t help but wonder if they sit up in their beds at night thinking of ways to fuck with staff the next day. My boss says I’ll be going through their bad ass attitudes for at least 3 months when they figure I am really not going anywhere. Then it’s possible I won’t be getting as much shit from them as I am getting now. I may only have to repeat myself three times rather than a dozen before another staff member actually comes in to wrangle the situation.
Oh well, hey, I have a day off, so I’m gonna go hit the treadmill, because I need to start doing that. Then I’m gonna go to Julie’s for lunch, haven’t seen her in a while and I could use a good piece of pie today! Plus, my honey is leaving for four days and that really sucks ass, but that just means I can jump him when he gets back. That’s always fun!
Tammolly~ Making plans.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Girls
It’s messed up that every single day that I am on the job I get a new eye opening, oh my fucking lord, experience. I mean I’ve always had an inkling of how messed up this world can be at times, but it has never compared to the reality that the kids I work with have faced in the past. On average, the kids placed in the facility I work for have had a minimum of 12 different placements in foster care and the like. I’ve found a few of them have had over 30 placements! Eh?! The scarier thought is the fact that for every child we have, there has got to be a 100 or more out there lost in the shuffle. *sniffle* I’m disturbed by this revelation to say the least.
Thought of the day! It was better than yesterday when I was driven to smoke a cigarette like my life depended on it or I was going to crack! I had to restrain a kid on my own, no other staff, in a locked gym with other residents. I had to have one of them get into my pocket and call out for more staff assistance. It really sucked. When staff is called to a PRT (Primary Restraint Technique) they’re usually a monitor. Monitors make sure you’re doing your PRT correctly, relieve you if necessary, and help diffuse the situation that occurred. So my very first PRT was one my own, my adrenaline is running 90 friggen miles an hour. I couldn’t really breathe except like a dramatic sniffling heave in short bursts. It’s hard to explain, but when you’re sitting there in a PRT you’re only praying your training has kicked in correctly. By the time the monitor got there and he relieved me seeing that I’m quite worked up. I was shaking pretty bad. Scary bad, it was a feeling unlike anything I’ve experienced. I must have been shaking for hours; it probably was hours, because I didn’t get first break until after lunch. CIGARETTE!
I can normally convince myself that a cigarette will taste like total shit if I have one in order to talk myself out of buying a pack. Yesterday, I wanted to focus on something else besides the trembling, anything else but that. CIGARETTE! Unfortunately, the whole self talking of it will taste like total shit didn’t work, because it tasted good, it felt good, and I had another right after that and felt better damn it all.
So today was a good day. No PRTs. I didn’t have 4 pink sheets to fill out for QR time (quiet room) and I didn’t feel the compulsion to buy a carton of cigarettes or even smoke today. I suppose I have to come up with a better coping skill than to bum a cigarette off a fellow staff member. It sucks that I went through that whole thing yesterday and I will continue to work on the not smoking thing. I’m not planning on giving up on the girls or my job. Yes, it’s a job, but it comes with some heavy heart ache, great joys, and glimmers of hope. I feel blessed for not having been through the things they’ve been through and I pray that I can give them the skills to live out in the real world.
Tammolly ~ Feeling lucky today.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Thought of the day! It was better than yesterday when I was driven to smoke a cigarette like my life depended on it or I was going to crack! I had to restrain a kid on my own, no other staff, in a locked gym with other residents. I had to have one of them get into my pocket and call out for more staff assistance. It really sucked. When staff is called to a PRT (Primary Restraint Technique) they’re usually a monitor. Monitors make sure you’re doing your PRT correctly, relieve you if necessary, and help diffuse the situation that occurred. So my very first PRT was one my own, my adrenaline is running 90 friggen miles an hour. I couldn’t really breathe except like a dramatic sniffling heave in short bursts. It’s hard to explain, but when you’re sitting there in a PRT you’re only praying your training has kicked in correctly. By the time the monitor got there and he relieved me seeing that I’m quite worked up. I was shaking pretty bad. Scary bad, it was a feeling unlike anything I’ve experienced. I must have been shaking for hours; it probably was hours, because I didn’t get first break until after lunch. CIGARETTE!
I can normally convince myself that a cigarette will taste like total shit if I have one in order to talk myself out of buying a pack. Yesterday, I wanted to focus on something else besides the trembling, anything else but that. CIGARETTE! Unfortunately, the whole self talking of it will taste like total shit didn’t work, because it tasted good, it felt good, and I had another right after that and felt better damn it all.
So today was a good day. No PRTs. I didn’t have 4 pink sheets to fill out for QR time (quiet room) and I didn’t feel the compulsion to buy a carton of cigarettes or even smoke today. I suppose I have to come up with a better coping skill than to bum a cigarette off a fellow staff member. It sucks that I went through that whole thing yesterday and I will continue to work on the not smoking thing. I’m not planning on giving up on the girls or my job. Yes, it’s a job, but it comes with some heavy heart ache, great joys, and glimmers of hope. I feel blessed for not having been through the things they’ve been through and I pray that I can give them the skills to live out in the real world.
Tammolly ~ Feeling lucky today.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Saturday, March 17, 2007
A Saturday Off
It’s finally a Saturday off, nowhere to be in particular except the mattress store to pick up the rest of the KING SIZE BED PARTS! WOO HOO! King size bed! Crap…Gotta buy sheets. Bought four sets to go along with the king size mattress that is über soft and fluffy and comfy and and and…It’s all good. :) Now guests can sleep on the uber soft queen size pillow top complete with über comfy sheets and memory foam. *bliss* We just didn’t have enough room for us to sleep sprawled out. I like sprawled out, I can stretch and not kick Adam when he’s trying to sleep! =)~
Work is still going well, especially if you count the near 27 hours of OT coming up on the next pay check. Went through the initial PRT training (Primary Restraint Technique) which is what the kiddos get when they physically threaten themselves or others. My body feels like it’s been used as a piñata for this three day physical training. I feel confident that I will handle most of the stuff these kiddos can throw at me. I can take down a 6’3 man that is triple my weight! Granted, I’m not gonna look for trouble, but I will be somewhat prepared.
So my weekend consists of off today, getting mattress and stuff. Then I will be working for Nick tomorrow, a co-worker. After work, I have fencing, and more recovery from TOTAL muscle tenderness from PRT training. I am thinking I should have just not worked for Nick, but he swore if I need a favor he’ll work for me, three days even, that is if he doesn’t walk off the job. I’ve heard of this happening there, including a supervisor. That would suck ass. :(
I am wholly optimistic about this new job. Everyone seems to get along really well and that’s a good thing. Chris and Nick are jokingly called Shake ‘N’ Bake. Apparently that’s based on the movie Talladega Nights. I wanted my two hours back after that movie. Ironically it made fun of rednecks and NASCAR, so I’m all for making fun of them, but I just couldn’t appreciate the HILARITY of the whole concept until Chris and Nick started talking about it. I’m now scarred.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’ve got a few things to do and then I’m probably going to profusely enjoy the new bed once we get it home and set up! WOO HOO!
Tammolly~Bouncey!
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Work is still going well, especially if you count the near 27 hours of OT coming up on the next pay check. Went through the initial PRT training (Primary Restraint Technique) which is what the kiddos get when they physically threaten themselves or others. My body feels like it’s been used as a piñata for this three day physical training. I feel confident that I will handle most of the stuff these kiddos can throw at me. I can take down a 6’3 man that is triple my weight! Granted, I’m not gonna look for trouble, but I will be somewhat prepared.
So my weekend consists of off today, getting mattress and stuff. Then I will be working for Nick tomorrow, a co-worker. After work, I have fencing, and more recovery from TOTAL muscle tenderness from PRT training. I am thinking I should have just not worked for Nick, but he swore if I need a favor he’ll work for me, three days even, that is if he doesn’t walk off the job. I’ve heard of this happening there, including a supervisor. That would suck ass. :(
I am wholly optimistic about this new job. Everyone seems to get along really well and that’s a good thing. Chris and Nick are jokingly called Shake ‘N’ Bake. Apparently that’s based on the movie Talladega Nights. I wanted my two hours back after that movie. Ironically it made fun of rednecks and NASCAR, so I’m all for making fun of them, but I just couldn’t appreciate the HILARITY of the whole concept until Chris and Nick started talking about it. I’m now scarred.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’ve got a few things to do and then I’m probably going to profusely enjoy the new bed once we get it home and set up! WOO HOO!
Tammolly~Bouncey!
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Survival Of The Fittest
Looks like the new job is going to be quite the trying time. I suppose that having learning disabled children with emotional disturbances restrained in the middle of the classroom because they just threw a tray of cups and water pitcher at their class mates is fairly normal. It’s normal to have these kids take swings at you, punch, kick, bite, stab, cut, and otherwise clock you one just for redirecting them. Velociraptors seem kinder than what some of these kids are capable of, especially in groups. I observed something of a clever if not manipulative thing to do to a staff member. One kid talks to the staff member while a few others sneak up behind the staff member and then jump them. Wow!
I have learned long ago to be situationally aware when working with clients. Positioning yourself close to exits and in area where leaving is accessible if thing get funky is always ideal. Think secret agent man in a clandestine rendezvous in some pub. You bet your bippy Mr. Secret Agent Man is gonna be covering his arse in more ways than one. I have never liked having my back to groups, so this shouldn’t be a problem in avoiding sneak attacks. It could happen.
So this week is shadowing other employees. Next week is some intense training for work. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. I’m not too worried about it. I think I can handle the job for the most part. I think I will survive! :)
Tammolly~ Feeling like a fish out of water for the moment.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
I have learned long ago to be situationally aware when working with clients. Positioning yourself close to exits and in area where leaving is accessible if thing get funky is always ideal. Think secret agent man in a clandestine rendezvous in some pub. You bet your bippy Mr. Secret Agent Man is gonna be covering his arse in more ways than one. I have never liked having my back to groups, so this shouldn’t be a problem in avoiding sneak attacks. It could happen.
So this week is shadowing other employees. Next week is some intense training for work. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. I’m not too worried about it. I think I can handle the job for the most part. I think I will survive! :)
Tammolly~ Feeling like a fish out of water for the moment.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Monday, March 05, 2007
BOOYAH!
So, it's me last day here in ol' Purdue country. I can't say that I will miss this place much. Yesterday was the magical finger printing day and that was something special. Their lobby furniture looked like it came right out of That 70's Show. Ugly ass plaid chairs! They were sad chairs. A family of 7 showed up to be fingerprinted right after me, so I'm glad I got there when I did. Fun-fun, still picking ink out of my finger nails. :(
New job seemed a bit confused when I came in with the fingerprint card before their paperwork had been filled out. I was told I could go do that before coming into the new place for that particular paperwork. Blah-blah-blah. It's all good after the initial confusion. I mean I'm starting on MONDAY! YAY! Buzzzzzzzzzz. Time out. I've got to reference sheets that need to be filled out by reliable professional types. Wulf was an easy choice to make, he filled it out and I was on my merry way. The second one was a bit of a quandary, especially since I just wanted to get them done before Monday and they wanted those sheets turned in as early as possible etc etc. So I went on over to WVH ACT office. *gulp*
I hadn't been back there since the day I left last January. It was tough and I wondered if I could even count on my old supervisor to fill it out with even remotely decent things to say about me. The other therapist that I worked with was unavailable to look it over. The whole time, the secretary wasn't in the reception area, so I was waiting around for a bit hoping to get someone to fill this darn thing out. The office psychologist meanders through. I talk him up for a bit; he fills it out, albeit with brief and concise doctor remarks in doctor’s scribe. VOILA! I'm done. I don't have to look back at WVH and worry about poor references or other stupid crap, because I have a job starting Monday. MONDAY! :)
Being that it took over 14 months to find a new job in social work, I don't intend to screw this one up and I do intend to have something lined up before leaving and some money saved up and and and, be prepared for contingencies as best as I can. :) It's all I can do at this point. Meanwhile, break time is over and I have some stuff to do yet. I lose the computer at noon and then El Tubbo is here. Fun-fun-fun.
Tammolly~ All giddy and stuff.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
New job seemed a bit confused when I came in with the fingerprint card before their paperwork had been filled out. I was told I could go do that before coming into the new place for that particular paperwork. Blah-blah-blah. It's all good after the initial confusion. I mean I'm starting on MONDAY! YAY! Buzzzzzzzzzz. Time out. I've got to reference sheets that need to be filled out by reliable professional types. Wulf was an easy choice to make, he filled it out and I was on my merry way. The second one was a bit of a quandary, especially since I just wanted to get them done before Monday and they wanted those sheets turned in as early as possible etc etc. So I went on over to WVH ACT office. *gulp*
I hadn't been back there since the day I left last January. It was tough and I wondered if I could even count on my old supervisor to fill it out with even remotely decent things to say about me. The other therapist that I worked with was unavailable to look it over. The whole time, the secretary wasn't in the reception area, so I was waiting around for a bit hoping to get someone to fill this darn thing out. The office psychologist meanders through. I talk him up for a bit; he fills it out, albeit with brief and concise doctor remarks in doctor’s scribe. VOILA! I'm done. I don't have to look back at WVH and worry about poor references or other stupid crap, because I have a job starting Monday. MONDAY! :)
Being that it took over 14 months to find a new job in social work, I don't intend to screw this one up and I do intend to have something lined up before leaving and some money saved up and and and, be prepared for contingencies as best as I can. :) It's all I can do at this point. Meanwhile, break time is over and I have some stuff to do yet. I lose the computer at noon and then El Tubbo is here. Fun-fun-fun.
Tammolly~ All giddy and stuff.
...So if I die today I'll be the happy phantom
And I'll go wearin' my naughties like a jewel
I'm still an angel to a girl who hates to sin…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
