Training is almost over, and I'm almost out of pretzels

I don't know how much of this blog post is going to make sense (Heck, I don't even know what I'm going to write yet!) so if you like well-thought-out discussions of issues that plague/terrify/enlighten/amuse, you have come to the wrong place.

I have been a working woman in a dental office for a nearly two weeks now. I have subsisted on food-in-a-box (frozen dinners), cereal, bagged cut veggies, and pretzels. And chocolate. I just finished off the pretzels and all the rest of my food (including the chocolate) is at the office. Hopefully I'll survive until tomorrow morning. Although really, I could, if I were less tired, run over to Hy-vee, Target, or Walmart to get something (chocolate) to eat. But I'm too tired.

Dr. Hawley (employer and chivalrous carrier of my heavy suitcase) has asked me a couple of times while I was sitting at the front desk after business hours, typing away at some forms, if I was enjoying it ("it" meaning "working in this new scenario"). I have to say I do like it. I'll like it even better when I am confident in what I am doing. Right now, the processes and functions are not yet hard-wired into my neural net so it takes a lot of trial and error, guessing, and clicking icons to do what it is I am supposed to do.

But I do like sitting at a desk doing "office things."

Today we actually had a patient. We are still in the middle of software training so it kind of felt like a dress rehearsal for a play. There was a lot of whispering behind the scenes (hopefully out of earshot of the audience, aka Mr. Patient) about what do we do next and are we doing it right?

I watched a little bit of the procedure being done, and then I thought of all the times when Dr. Hawley used to bug me when he was a little kid. Equating this DOCTOR--who was just today using machinery costing thousands and thousands of dollars on someone's actual tooth--with the whiny twerp named Mike--who was constantly making strange noises and contorting his body into unnatural postures all the time--was difficult. And yet, Mike is still in there, making jokes and eagerly awaiting a good time to light off his newly purchased fireworks (one of which was called Alien Invaders, and I want to see it set off).

I'll kind of miss the office when I'm installed in my home office.

I'm too tired to write any more.

Comments

Dennis said…
I too have images in my mind about a young Mike vs. the Dr. Mike person and I don't yet know how to reconcile the two except to say he is an exceptional person(as are all of my children).

Mike and explosives. I remember Jake once said that if the house ever caught on fire you would know when it got to Mikes room.
Jenni said…
I am glad you have had an enjoyable couple weeks. It must be kindof exciting getting going and all that. I'm glad Mike is concerned for your welfare and level of enjoyment. I know you must be exhausted. Working in unknown circumstances are tiring, to say the least. So, carry on and all that!
Jen said…
Yay, you made it through the 2 weeks of training. I know you are nervous about all that is required to know on that software, but I know you'll do great. Just think of some of the other people in dental offices you've met over the years, you are much more brilliant than all of them put together:) Hopefully, there won't be any glitches with your computer at home and it'll be up and running by the time you officially start working next week. Wow, I can't believe it's really happening already.