Monday. Heh. Don't like 'em, never have, never will. Well, I take that back. Back when I worked nights, seven on seven off, Mondays were meaningless. What I hated was every other Wednesday. And I didn't really hate those Wednesdays, either... pretty generally, I enjoyed returning to work after a week off. I know what it is! Two-day weekends suck! That's what it is! I've mentioned before that I really love my work, and I really do. But this working short deal... no cut in the schedule when one person is off on vacation, and no additional help... is really making me reconsider things. For instance, much of our work is thinking. And I'm a pretty linear thinker, and I do best when I'm thinking about just one thing. I am only a fair-to-middlin' multitasker, I'll be the first to admit that. Well, when the situation calls for three people to do the work of four on a regular, ongoing basis, that means that each of those three people has to give an extra 33.3%. Yet another consideration: even when fully staffed, we have a lot more work than we have people. So we're already doing about 120%. And as long as we can keep doing it, they'll keep expecting it, and more. And I'm scared to death that I'll screw up and a patient will suffer. Or that one of my co-workers will. We've got a good bunch, everyone watches everyone else's back, and when the inevitable mistakes are made, there is no blame assigned and, in most cases, no harm done. And I'm not talking about making big, bad mistakes where the patient suffers or the quality of the exam is compromised... that doesn't happen. I'm talking mistakes that need to be corrected in the computer, in the RIS system or in the PACS systems, or everybody assuming that transportation has been called to take a drink of oral contrast up to a patient. I'm talking irritating little mistakes, the ones that let us know that we're not infallible. I did a venipuncture on a little elderly lady today, and she told me that I was the best sticker that she'd ever had. I told her that I appreciated that, ofttimes I'm too modest about my proficiency with a needle. My partner thought that was just hilarious, so I told him that no, one must try to put a modest face to the world, else some guys from the lab would be all challenging me to duels with 18 X 1.5" needles and shit like that and I just really couldn't take the stress. Karen and I went out to the Y tonight and took Brian, had a good workout. Nice thunderstorm while we were out there, but only a few drops of rain. Bah. Dammit... it's past 21:30, and I am soooo tard! Got up after a struggle today, weird dreams, up way too late, I really gotta stop this....