what the heck...

So, alright. I know that I'm here to work, not make friends. but come on, seriously?

Besides last weeks sexual assalt email...it's been months since my coworkers (who sit right next to me) have invited me to go with them when they go out. They go out regularly (2 times a week, about), and seem to forget about inviting me. They used to remember. Not anymore.

So today, the second day this week that they've gone out without me, I'm blogging about it. Sometimes they say they're going one place, and so I go out on my own, to the deli or something, and see them there. Yeah, whatever.

Today we had some big-wigs come around and meet us. We've met them before, but they probably don't remember that. So they came back here (where I sit with Judy), and Judy decided she wouldn't shut her mouth, and went on and on about how they (her, Sarah and Amber) worked together to help with the zero out process, etc etc. And I just sit here and look on like I did nothing. Then they go out to wherever it is they go.

So yeah...looking at other jobs is looking better and better. I feel...weird. I feel like I have no friends, no-one to just talk to, like I can't talk about anything but work. It's really sad for me. I'm not happy.

Robins

This is a funny story about a Robin.

So at work, we have tons of wildlife, including lots of robins. There’s one who sits on the trees outside the giant wall of windows we have. He sees his reflection in the window and thinks it’s another bird…and tries to dive bomb it. He usually realizes that he’s going to hit the glass, and comes back…but it’s humorous.

(Not humorous is how many birds see the reflection of the trees and don’t realize there is glass there, and fly right into it…every year we get about 5-10 birds that do this and end up dead on the side of the building).

So anyway, a manager in another department, Cindy, is a firm woman. She doesn’t pull her punches, tells it like it is. Some people are uncomfortable with her, b/c she can be harsh and abrasive. I enjoy her, as you always know where you stand with her. She sees no reason to hide her annoyance or whatever in diplomatic cover-up. Also, she’s not my boss, and since I’ve been nothing but straight with her (even to the point of saying I have no idea what I’m talking about, when I don’t), she’s been nothing but cool with me.

So yeah, Cindy was going to get a new car…she had just cleaned her old car up for trade in. It being warm, she had the windows down a smidgeon while it sat in the parking lot. At lunch time she went out go to the dealer and exchange. She had a little surprise.

Remember the robin who dive bombs his reflection? Well, it’s not just him that does it…there are some that sit on the top of the cars and dive bomb their reflection in the windows of cars… now what if one of these cars had the window open a bit too much? Enough to let a robin slip in? And what if, once in, the robin couldn’t figure out how to get out? What do birds do when they’re trapped in a car and panicked? They poop. All over. Everything.

The bird did manage to get out, before Cindy came out to her car…so all she had was a car she had just super scrubbed the night before…the interior covered in bird droppings…and an appointment at the dealership in 30 minutes to exchange the car.

She had some very interesting curses as she stormed back into the building for paper towels and water. I wonder if the dealer noticed a difference… ;)

Divorce

*sigh* So I’m at work, and a co-worker is talking to another co-worker about her marriage. She’s not happy in it. Her husband doesn’t want to do anything, like go out to clubs and stuff. Her friends give her a hard time for his attitude, and are encouraging her to get a divorce. And she’s considering it. Tonight she’s going to tell her husband to pack up and get out.

Now, I haven’t been married, so I can’t begin to pretend that I understand what it’s like…but it just seems so sad. They have a little baby (less then 2 years old). The woman is talking about it so casually. I wonder if she’s tried to talk to her husband seriously (without placing blame or whatever) about her concerns.

Perhaps she has, and perhaps her friends are right…. It saddens me that divorce is the first option on peoples minds when things are rough. Did the marriage vows mean nothing? Was “death do us part” replaced with “I’ll give it a shot”?

Sad day.

Am I a first, second or third cild?...

So I’m house-sitting at the Blades…and their water did this weird thing…it turned brown. Once you ran it long enough, it went back to clear, but it’s peculiar to see the sink and bathtub fill with brown water, and the toilet bowl to be stained…

It reminds me of the plagues of Moses…which is something I thought of last year when I house-sat (the plague of locusts/grasshoppers along the nearby road). Peculiar…

I officially suck...

So I’ve killed my first animal. A little chipmunk. I was coming up over a hill, and it was darting across the street. The car behind me was so close to my rear end I couldn’t hit the breaks…I checked my rearview mirror, and I hit it.

I sobbed the entire rest of the way to work.

My co-worker said maybe I just stunned it…but I’m not putting too much hope in that. I think I killed it. I feel so bad. :(

RIP

We're so lazy

The other day on NPR I was listening to a report about Toyota, a car company that hasn’t needed a bailout. They were talking to one of the assembly line workers. Toyota assembly line workers are known for being able to put a car together in 60 seconds.
Well, the worker said one of the best lines ever…

“I hear the Europeans get breaks.” “A chance to wipe the sweat from their brow”

Sadness, but it does kinda sum it all up, huh?

Stressed Out!

So I’m a bit stressed at the moment.

--> I have overtime at work, bringing me to 50 hours a week.
--> I have more then 1 calling that need my attention on a regular basis.

--> I have one friend who just had surgery (and is needy)
--> I have one friend who is contemplating suicide (she puts herself in these positions, allows herself to fall into this way of life)
--> I have three ladies I visit teach that need special attention: 1 with marital issues that is a friend, and thus I worry about anyway, 1 that is inactive and Cindy is always bugging me about getting her to come back, and the elders are sure to bug me every stinkin’ time they see me about the other one of them.
--> I had my credit cards paid off, then had dumb medical bills come in and rack them right back up to where they were.
--> I feel myself slipping, spiritually and just want the world to stop for a few days so I can catch my stupid breath!

Grrr. *deep breath* Sorry about that. I just want people to stop needing me at the moment. I know, that’s a ridiculous request, that my whole purpose on this earth is to serve others. I get that, I understand. But for one minute, can I have a break? Just one?

Drives like a...

So I heard a commercial on the radio this morning, promoting the Mini Cooper. How do they decide to promote it?

"With go-kart like handling..."

Really? Go-kart like? They've obviously never seen me drive a go-kart...that's not going to entice me to get this car. Sorry.

Driving along in my automobile...

So I went to yahoo.com to see who of my friends may be online to chat with (which you can do through yahoo mail, without needing the chat application on your computer). My mother lives in Canada, so chat is the way we communicate.

Anyway, on the front of Yahoo is the little teaser’s of things they think are interesting, to get you to spend more time on their site. One of them was “Test reveals the worst drivers in America”. When I saw this I thought I’d see who it was…the whole time going ‘please don’t be me, please don’t be me…’

It wasn’t me. The worst were people in New York (which we know of, just by them driving around our state…). The next top 4 contenders were New Jersey, Georgia, Hawaii and California. Idaho and Wisconsin were the best. In those areas, you sit at a 4-way stop for half an hour while everyone gives the ‘after you’ gesture. In New York, you get a different type of gesture. O.o

I need protection, but don't want to pay full price...

Some of you may know, others not, what I do for a living. I work processing Medicaid for the state. That’s the short version of what I do. The longer version is that I make sure the procedure, diagnosis, revenue, modifier codes are on file correctly, restricted correctly, and make sure that we have limitations in place for these codes (like only one dental cleaning per 6 months). I make sure claims suspend for this correctly, and write up the instructions for other employee’s to follow when manually reviewing claims. I also deal with the state on a regular basis.

So part of what I do is look at claims that have suspended for a few reasons. One is procedure code/modifier combo not on file. A procedure code is what was done (physical) or an item (wheelchair) that was given. A modifier tells something additional about the procedure code (like if it was a procedure on the left arm, someone would bill with LT modifier, that indicates left). So these combinations (the procedure code and the modifier) need to be put in our system, if they’re valid, and I do that. I also deny claims billed with invalid combo’s.

Back to the story. I’m working these claims. Pretty easy stuff. I come to a claim were the provider has billed a T procedure code (t4534 or something). It’s for “adult sized disposable incontinence products”. Now I work with these claims and see all kinds of things here, so it doesn’t phase me at all. However, it’s the modifier the provider bills with this code. NU. Do you know what this modifier means? New. It means ‘New’ product. As opposed to UE (used) and RR (rental).

Does the provider think we’re stilling here wondering if he’s giving out new diapers or not? Does he really think we’re questioning “I wonder if these are rental diapers or not…they don’t say…”?
I know what you’re thinking… “Tiffany, maybe they’re cloth diapers and briefs and pads.” Well, if that is the case, they would not be listed as ‘disposable’. These codes are pretty specific. And even still, I don’t know that I would accept a rental or a used cloth diaper. Sorry. :P

Day 6

Yes, it’s been a while. My disclaimer at the beginning said I wasn’t good at blogs, so deal. ;)

This is Day 6 of the gaping holes in my mouth that used to house my wisdom teeth. It’s not at all what I expected it to be. I figured ‘hey, I’ve lost baby teeth before, it’ll be easy!’ It’s nothing like that at all! These sockets never close up. Ever. I’m going to have four more holes in my head for the rest of my life. And I still have pain. It depends on what I’ve done (laughed, talked, slept) as to how much it hurts, but it’s still there.

Also, I’m paranoid about dry socket. I haven’t gotten it, but feel the need to check that the blood clot is still there every few hours or so. I know, I’m ridiculous. Yesterday during FHE I was giving announcements, and felt something soft in the corner of my mouth, and was thought ‘oh no, this is it, this is the blood clot coming out’. Nope, it was a piece of egg from supper. Thank goodness.;)

Yes, I’m a dweeb, I’m aware of this.

During the procedure of having my teeth removed from my skull, I was knocked out on anesthesia. I did, however, reach twilight about 4 times. That’s a vague awareness of what’s going on, but without really being .. uh.. aware of it.

Two of those times, I heard myself snoring. Lovely.
One time I felt something metal in my mouth, between tongue and jaw. The nurse said that was the tongue rake used to hold my tongue out of the way.
The last time I was aware of what felt like a chisel and hammer on my bottom left tooth. The nurse said it was used to elevate the tooth so it could be removed. And that it did kinda resemble a chisel and hammer.

Kinda glad I wasn’t awake for that. ;) tee hee…although the nitrous oxide they gave me (so they could find a vein to put the iv in, since they had to poke me a million times) was kind of delightful, I wont lie…

I’ll spare you a picture of my actual teeth…for now… bwahahaha! I did keep my teeth, and found out (after I decided to keep them), that they can be used to retrieve stem cells. See, being kind of creepy has it’s advantages…if I ever need some stem cells, I can just hand over my teeth and see what they can to with it. Awesome! That’s provident/resourceful living right there. :D

I’ve gotta go throw up…

So a coworker who sits in a cube next to mine was telling a story to his friend…about his friends drinking escapades last night (being Monday night). The entire story consisted of his friends drinking various amounts of liquor and beer, and then having to excuse themselves to go throw up, b/c they are so full (from supper), that it’s too much for their stomach to handle.
Two things:
1, Monday night, what the heck? Who does a drinking showdown on Monday night? I think it’s called alcoholism…
2, how do you talk about throwing up so casually? Excusing yourself from your friends to go throw up, and announcing it, like it’s a badge of honor, just seems so weird to me. And then going back to hang with your friends AFTER having thrown up. After I throw up I just want to curl in a ball on my bed and not move, not go party. And they were out, so it’s not like any of them had toothbrushes or anything.

I just don’t get it.