Seriously?

Its 5:30 in the morning and my alarm is making that horrifying sound. Must...get...up...for...work. Ugh. I hit the snooze. At 5:45, it starts again. I finally roll off the couch, where I slept last night, and start my morning routine. I feel like I'm in moving in slow-motion, and I'd much rather be back on the couch or in bed. I'm exhausted, but duty calls. I finally leave at 6:30 and make it to work by 6:38 only to find that my schedule has been changed. My boss must have figured out that I would have hit overtime...so now, it's 6:46 and I have the day off. Why couldn't someone have called or notified me sooner?

I'm not sure at this point whether to be mad or happy to go back to my retreat and snooze for the rest of the day. Hmmm....I leave work and head back to my apartment. On the way home, I pick up the local newspaper and the USA Today...for the 3 crossword puzzles inside. Of course, this means that I will not be going back to sleep immediately. My obsession with these puzzles is nearly ridiculous. I relax on my porch with all the essentials: Dr. Pepper, pack of cigarettes, newspapers and a pen.

Four hours later, I go inside and sit on the couch. But now I'm not tired...I have a few errands to run, so maybe I'll take a nap when I get back. I begin my trek by going to the local drug store to drop off my prescriptions at the drive-thru window. But then have to go inside because I have a disposable camera to drop off as well. I'm told both will be ready in about 30 minutes but decide not to wait. I drive to the dealership to pick up my new license plate. Half way there, my cell phone rings and I don't recognize the number. I answer it anyway. It's the photo guy at the drugstore telling me it may be a "while" for my pictures because the machine is broken. Photo guy tells me that someone will call me and let me know when my photos are ready for pick-up. I thank him and hangup the phone. I continue my journey to the dealership, pick up my new tag from the evil switchboard operator, and I am on my way back home. Unfortunately, I get behind a Chevy "alibu" whose driver, I swear, never took any kind of driving test, if she even has a license. I seriously doubt it. And although I keep thinking..."Hmmm, I could seriously just run her over in my truck and the cop in the other lane would probably not even notice...", I don't. I take a few cleansing breaths, and remind myself that I can't do a thing about it, roll up my windows and sing to the songs blaring on the radio all the way home.

I finally take a nap.

And I am awoken a few hours later by text messages and phone calls...

So I get up and to to the local drugstore to pick up my prescriptions and check on my photos. At the pharmacy, only one of my prescriptions is filled. [Mind you, this is nearly 7 hours later] I ask why and the pharmacist tells me that she does not have the generic for my other medication because its brand new, and she won't have it until Monday. Um, Hello, Its Friday...She can sense I'm irritated and confused as to why it took 7 hours to tell me this. She now decides to call other locations of this chain drugstore to see if they have the generic that I'm looking for. Smart move on her part as at this point, I could have easily ripped out her throat and handed it to her. So now, I'm waiting in the store and decide to go check the progress at the photo booth. Surprise, surprise, my pictures are ready. I'm happy they are, but wonder why no one called me, especially since on the label, Photo guy clearly wrote "CALL WHEN FINISHED". I look through them and decide to keep them all, even though I don't want a few of them. I pay for them and go back to the pharmacy counter. I purchase the prescription that was filled, and wait for an update on the other. The pharmacist tells me that the store closest to this one has the medication...but it will be a few hours before they fill it. I go back home all the while thinking about how I have to get out one more time today to fill a prescription that I had dropped off at noon. I should have just waited in the first place. Ugh. I watch TV for a few hours despite the lack of entertaining shows. No call yet about the status of the last prescription. It's 8:50 p.m. and I decide to drive to the other location, knowing if I didn't make it there before 9:00, they would close the pharmacy and this would be turned into a 2-day trek. I wait patiently at the pharmacy counter, even though I could have done something obnoxious to notify the technician of my presence. Low and behold, someone beat me to it. "Scuse you. Uh, you needs to gets over hur. I been waitin." This lady had just walked up to the counter. YOU were waiting?, my a**. So of course, the technician helps her first...and I can't blame her. I would have wanted to get rid of this uneducated fool at the first chance I could. So I wait. And wait. And wait. Then its my turn and the technician tells me that I will have to come back tomorrow for my prescription because the pharmacy is now closed. WHAT?! I don't think so! And it takes everything in me to not literally rip her face off, but I calmly explain the situation to her and she checks the bin. She grabs the bag, scans it. I pay and thank her. As I turn to walk away, I can hear her say under her breath, "What's so specific about that? That could have waited till tomorrow."

She obviously didn't think I could hear her so when I do, I stop dead in my tracks, turn around and walk back up to the counter. Once again, I remind myself that I should not resort to physical violence...oh but I will if this b**ch says something stupid.

"Excuse me, I know you think I can wait until tomorrow to pick up this prescription, but the problem is...I dropped this off at noon. Nearly 10 hours ago. And don't you guys do a 'one hour' fill time. Not only that, when my prescription could not be filled, I was not notified of any problems. If I wanted to pick up my prescription tomorrow, I would have said so when I dropped it off. But I was reassured not once, but twice, that it would be ready at 12:30. But if you want to get into specifics, I can. You obviously had to run my insurance card, which is 'specific' to the hospital that I work for. Not only that, in the computer, it 'specifically' states that I am a nurse. If you knew anything about being a nurse at this 'specific' hospital, you would know that I work 12-hour shifts. And the last thing I want to do after a 'specific' 12-hour shift is come here and deal with a 'specific' pharmacy technician telling me I can yet again wait another day because they didn't have the decency to tell me they also didn't have the 'specific' medication I needed. I did my part, dropping off my prescriptions. But its really sad that it takes 10 hours to have 2 prepackaged bottles dispensed. Seriously? They're PREPACKAGED! How much easier could it get? And you have the gall to make a comment 'under your breath'. Are you kidding me?"

She looks stunned and says nothing. I have nothing more to say, so I turn and begin walking to my truck. A sense of pride overcomes me, as most times, I would have said nothing. I finally make my way home for the last time tonight. I recant the events of the day and find the positives.

At the end of the day, these are the important things:
1. I am still living and breathing, and I did not kill anyone else for their stupidity.
2. I have my medications in time for my 3 day stretch of work, so my patients will not suffer my wrath.
3. I have the pictures I have been meaning to get developed, and they are hilarious.
4. I have my license plate for my new truck(by the way...not an "ilverado") before the temporary tag expired.
5. I had time to do things I really love...Crossword puzzles and naps!
6. I can count on one hand how many jerks and idiots I've come into contact with today.

And oddly enough, all of the events today could have been prevented or improved by the people I came across. The one common thread is respect and courtesy. I truly wonder if any of these people were patients of mine, how would they act if I did just the bear minimum.

Here's a few scenarios for you...just for some perspective:

"Oh, I'm sorry you're in pain and the pain medicine I gave you isn't working. I'll chart it instead of call the doctor for something stronger."

"Nope, you're just going to have to lay in your own feces because I don't have time to change you right now. But I'll see how long it will be before the tech can get to you."

"Sure I have time to do something extra for you that takes nearly no effort. However, that would interfere with my time to ignore your needs."

*Case in point: Never do just the bare minimum. Treat others how you would like to be treated and you will never go wrong. Additionally, you never know who your nurse may be.

-Gray