Theres alot to be said for...

Teamwork, organisational skills and co-ordination.

Our sister department has recently ordered in more rats than they know what to do with. They literally do not have the required number of boxes to house these animals. They have known about this for about three months. And they order the boxes to come in THE DAY BEFORE the animals arrive.

Tuesday comes around. No boxes. Uh-oh. They need to be washed before they can be used, and then autoclaved FOR 16 HOURS before use. And there is WAAAY more than one autoclave load of boxes ordered.

Wednesday arrives. So do the rats. But still no boxes. Frantic calls to the sister departmental manager. The useless one doesnt want to know. An hour passes while we frantically try to find many years previously discarded boxes for housing the little fuzzy ones. (One of the joys of working in an institution... nothing ever gets thrown out.) Then we get a call. The boxes have arrived... at the dock a kilometer away, and they want our department to arrange transport to get them to us. We call the useless one. The boxes arrive late that afternoon.

Here is a list of the things that are wring with the boxes

1) They were not what was highly recommended to buy, and not what the order codes were supplied for, from our own staff.

2) They are not autoclavable. And, by looking at them, I'd think that if the rats ever got a tooth-hold in them, they'd be chewed through in a few days.

3) They had no lids. If you've ever known a pet rat you'll know they are extremely smart, inquisitvie animals, who are rather adept at escaping. NO LIDS DAMMIT!!!

4) The water bottles that arrived with the boxes are tooo small.

5) The water bottle sippers are no longer used in our department because removing them causes people to get RSI. And they also ordered the same metal sippers that we normally use! (WTFness?!?)

6) The water bottle racks are too small to fit the water bottles.

I had to laugh when I heard all of this. There were others who were extremely pissed (not that I blame them, but out of laughing and being pissed, everybody is safer with me being insane). This could have been easily avoided, excet the useless one does not listen to the most senior member of her staff. He supplied the info from the last order, of the boxes that have been used for the past couple of years, that work quite well. And she went off and found all new info, and ordered, without checking to see, from the grass-roots level staff, if they would be applicable to our facility.

Turning over a new leaf

I feel like I've moved up in the world.

Joined the elite of the elite.

I bought shoes

Expensive shoes

I used to balk at paying $40 for Kmart shoes (*visualises Steph shuddering at this*)

But I just handed over $120 for a single pair of shoes

And didn't bat an eyelid

God they're gorgeous.

This is some good advice

Simply because I'm an animal person...

If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout..! run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently .


And simply because I did this on the weekend - If there is any stress that lying on the grass with a few good dogs, with the wind in your hair and the sun on your back, and grass between your toes cannot cure... go kill yourself. Life is not worth living.

Don't you just love life

I had the shittest day today. I had arranged with three friends to go out tonight. Last night two of them piked, I was a little disappointed but at least they let me know.

Wake up with a headache and debate going to work. Decide that I can't really take the day off, what with us being two staff members down, and me having to clean and disinfect a room to myself.

Get to work this morning and the other one piked. We'd been talking about this for four days, and I'd seen her every day during that time, but she decides to tell me at 7:30 this morning. Thats before coffee peoples! No reason given. She just wasn't going.

Start messaging a friend. She stayed at my house Friday night. We were supposed to go together but after the show I wasn't up for it. I lent her my favourite necklace for her to wear for the night, and which she wore to work the next day. I find out this morning that she can return it tomorrow, but I'm not going to be home. Being in the foul mood I was in by that stage I knew I'd ruined her day but I didn't really give a shit.

Snappy and snarling at EVERYONE within auditory distance. Whether they deserved it or not. But most of the day I'm in that room working by myself, and so the only person I have to take my anger out on is me. I'm thinking about the same things circuitously. Mostly its the $$$ that I'm owed by this ex housemate, and that ex housemate, and how/when I'm going to get it back, and am I going to have to fork out court costs or sherriffs fees etc? And WHEN am I going to get a housemate in to help with the rent etc. And then its the bills, and then ex housemates again, and so on... I don't even have any music to distract me from this.

Being anti-social in the tea room, nose buried in book, occasionally surfacing to add a fact to a conversation. The person sitting beside me has a loud voice. And she never NEVER shuts up. It does me credit that I didn't tell her to shut the fuck up. But that was only because it was her birthday.

Lunchtime - someone brings up what we're doing for easter. Big mistake. Snapped 'Sweet Fuck All' and went back to book. Not quite sure what she expected me to say but it wasn't that. Seriously. I'm in this big house, by myself, and the nearest family is a 2 hour drive away. And I'm working. I suspect it will involve copious amounts of alcohol.

Message the stress relief. No response. Thats the third time in a week. 4 o'clock comes around. Delete his number. He's supposed to be helping relieve stress. Not add to it.

About 2.30 I get a phone call from another friend, who the four of us were supposed to be meeting out tonight. I'm absolutely flat by this stage. So when she shows the minutest bit of compassion it was all I could do not to sit in the hallway and bawl.

I decide that this headache (which has hung around determinedly today, despite all my best drugs efforts), is getting worse. And go home at 3pm on sick leave.

I have slept since I got home. Not much, but I feel a little better. This headache is still hanging around, and I'm hoping that not acknowledging its a migraine will make it go away by tomorrow. But I have at least left an opening to take tomorrow as a sickie.