Linus



We got him on Thursday from the Tonawanda SPCA. He's about 7 months, and a big, friendly, inquisitive boy. :o)

What i forgot to tell you in my last post is how amazing the food experiences were in Detroit and how lame i am for not taking more food pictures. In one of those "here's what we have to offer!!!" magazines about Detroit, i saw a food ad and we loved the place so much we ate there 3 times. Sweet Loraine's a place we never would have gone to had i not seen the menu -- Vegetarian Meatloaf?!? Amazing. And, i have to say - the best veggie burger. Ever.



Went to the Botanical Gardens. How could i not take a few pictures?







This one represents my extreme fear of bees... and how i needed to try to take some pictures of a big fat one.





I called 911 last night when the crakling of a fire woke me up after i had just gone to sleep... at about 2:15am. Kinda scary. The house behind us and over one had a fire in it's garage/carriage house.

It's been close to a month since we got back. And just now, i got round to getting a coupla snaps up...




Isn't this what comes to mind when we think of Detroit?




This is what an empty urban neighborhood looks like. This one was once called Poletown.




View of downtown from Belle Island, with the landmark "Ren Cen" in all its glory...




Ceiling of the Belle Island Conservatory.




A cherry in the Belle Island Conservatory.




More plantlife in the Belle Island Conservatory.




Excellent mexican food in the Mexicantown neighborhood, not too far from downtown and the massive construction around the Ambassador Bridge. Old train station in the background...




Aren't cows cute? How can humans eat them? This one was a loud heifer in the working farm section of the Henry Ford Greenfield Village.




Wee baby lamby, just a few days old...




View from a bubble in a pane of glass in a historical house in the Henry Ford Greenfield Village.




Dark shot of an old plane in the Henry Ford Museum...




Bus that made Rosa Parks, well, a hero to many. I have to admit, i am a sap. Sitting there in that bus made me cry.




Young male elephant at the Toledo Zoo... mom is in the background.




A meerkat in the Toledo Zoo.

Looking at them all now, i realize i don't take what one could call traditional holiday snaps....

Look away, work again.

Refresher SCIP-R class tonight. Scheduled to be done with my boss and a long time staffer. While there, boss' iphone tells her that an individual is making accusations against me. I was expecting it because i used planned ignoring for Monday's attention seeking behaviors. Still stings a bit, though.

Friday, i "drop my t" and go from being a DAT (developmental aide trainee) to a DA (developmental aide). It's a big deal. And, apparently, the biggest single raise in pay i will probably ever get. I made it a whole year.

But has it been worth it all?

We got back late last night. Had a lovely time in Detroit. Yes, i said lovely. Hard to believe one could have a lovely time there, huh?

I will probably post a few pictures once i get all the upacking and laundry done, squeezed in before i go back to work... But, in the meantime, a few observations.

Detroit, bad reputation that it has, is surpisingly free of litter. Driving around, good neighborhoods and bad, there was hardly a scrap of litter.

Detroiters take pedestrians having the right of way seriously. Cars always stopped, no matter the neighborhood.

Detroit's child population has the same good manners their parents have. Please, excuse me and thank you were used.

Lots of streets that a driver is unable to make a left turn onto. Instead, there were these weird turnaround u-turn thingies. One would, for example, be driving down 9 mile and want to make a left onto Woodward. Instead, one would have to make a right, quickly zip over to the 3 lanes to the left one and wait inbetween the medians at a uturn thingie... that had a light. Very odd.

.. and all other (e:peeps) who like to take some pretty snaps now and then. And yeah, that totally includes you, (e:Libertad)!

Botanical Gardens has a photo contest. You both should enter some pics...!!

I smell a rat

When i left work on Saturday evening at 11pm, it was with the realization that i would not have to step foot into that unit for 10 whole days. Felt so liberating!

I think, however, i am going to call my union and my e.a.p. A co-worker was verbally abusive and nearly physically abusive to me in front of the individuals we serve. I feel slightly guilty because i may have been a bitch to him. My immediate supervisor and the on duty nurse both say i did nothing wrong, except not walk away from the situation sooner, since i was trying to reason with the guy.

Its difficult to rat someone out, though. Even if it is the right thing to do. And i hate to have to do it... but what if it goes further next time and he does hurt someone physically? How guilty would i feel then?

• sigh*

'oliday

(e:Uncutsaniflush) and i are going to go away for a few days. He has some time off too. Been too long since we have been anywhere. Waaaaaaaaaayyy too long. I miss travelling....

My first thought was to fly to San Francisco, since i have always wanted to go, but we want something low key and perhaps driveable. Then, we thought of going to my old stomping grounds, Halifax, Nova Scotia, but the ferry from Portland Maine to Yarmouth, NS doesn't start up until the end of May and without it, it's too long a drive for a 6 day holiday. Instead, we are going to head out to his old stomping grounds, Detroit. Probably drive thought Canada on the way there 'cause the long weekend (Victoria Day aka May Two-Four Weekend) won't have kicked in yet... then stay in the USA for the journey back 'cause it has.


Get Out of My House!

Every year, mice invade our house for the winter. I have been very nice, insisting we don't kill them, merely chase them away or trap them and let them go. But, we have a couple of sneaky bastards that do not realize it is spring and they need to vacate NOW. I am getting to the point when i am ok killing them!!! GO AWAY MICE!!

She started off with the name "uh-oh" (e:LeeTee,43805)

Then, we named her and her "sister" Tux and Tofu (e:LeeTee,43858)

Tux, sadly, did not live very long with us (e:LeeTee,44386)

Then, yesterday, we made the decision that Tofu had experienced enough discomfort and perhaps pain.

She had developed a rather large growth, most likely a breast tumour and it was steadily growing larger.

At first, she found alternative ways to make it around her cage just fine. The growth was under her right armpit, so she she couldn't just walk from place to place. She had to jump, then arch her back, then, she had to scale the walls up, then scoot across, then scoot back down.

Then, we had to get rid of some of the higher platforms, because she was stumbling. A couple of nasty falls were enough.

Just the other day, we moved her water right beside her cubyhole house and dump some food right at the door, too. She couldn't getup the wee ramp to get to her food and water.

Yesterday morning, she didn't want any leftover cold pasta. Gasp! She LOVED pasta. And lettuce. She did not want either. It was time.

RIP old girl. Our tenacious T.

Lately, all i do is write about work.

So here is a brief break...

Still have train or carousel ride tickets for the Buffalo Zoo if anyone wants some. I sent half of them to (e:Lauren)....

Now, back to our regularly schedule kvetch.

We have another new resident. Another person with 1:1 supervsion -- 5 of the 7 we have.

Staff meeting said that one of them is leaving soon, to go back to People, Inc., who came in for 1:1 training. Thank goodness, the paperwork on that resident was enormous!

The newest 1:1 is wearing a cast. Suffice it to say, casts hurt when someone swings a bit ole roundhouse punch at the side of your face.

Tonight, the outing is the Bisons Game. I told the Recreation Liason on our unit that i would like to go if i don't have to drive and park that giant state van in busy downtown traffic. Since she likes to drive, she said she would do it, so i volunteered. I reckon i should bring a sweater and an umbrella, eh?

Last night, one of our staff members was acting very odd. I recognized her behaviour from my own as a teenager. She said she was just tired and was having a bad allergy attack. I didn't know the oh so classic nod had anything to do with lack of sleep or generic claritin....

I go on vacation soon, thank goodness. Being second fron the bottom in senority, i had my choice of the week beginning May 14th or the week beginning May 21st.

"What?", you say, "those are not the beginnings of weeks!" Ah, but they are in state worker lingo. Our weeks begin on Thursdays and end on Wednesdays.

Speaking of Wednesdays... tell me if this ain't my job trying to screw me out of a few bucks.

I am a part time employee hired to work 20 hours a week. Any work i do between 20 and 40 hours i get paid my regular hourly rate. However, if i work anything over that, i get paid at an overtime rate. Make sense so far, right?

Well, our moronic computerized system for keeping track of our schedule and hours does not mesh well at all with our shifts. First shift is 11pm to 7am; second shift is 7am to 3pm; third shift is 3pm to 11pm. I work third shift. However, the times system will not allow me to record any extra or overtime not already on my default schedule after the "10pm day divide" and must be recorded on the next days hours. I work a lot of extra time, and a decent amount of overtime.

BUT. Because Wednesday is the last day of our week, if i work any OVERTIME that day, that single hour goes on to Thursday's hours. But, Thursday is a new week, so do not get overtime pay, i will get extra time pay. I only get screwed for a few bucks, but they should be my bucks. Perhaps i will call my union....

Kvetching over. Have a nice day.

I know we have an (e:strip) Buffalo Zoo connection here now in (e:MrMike), but (e:uncutsaniflush) and i renewed our membership and got 20 coupons for Free Train or Carousel rides -- 10 that expire in 2010 and 10 that expire in 2011. Anyone interested or know anyone that is interested? I will mail them to whomever wishes. Just email or post-it me and i will dash them into the smail mail.

Update: 10 are gone, about to be snail mailed to (e:Lauren). Does anyone want the last 10?