Matt in Calgary

Moving to Internal Medicine - Hematology

Well things up here in the artic keep changing on dime of a hat...

One day I went into the mall and it was nice and sunny out... and when I came out there was 8 inches of snow .. Calgary truly has some crazy weather...
and on the work front... These keep changing.. I wont be teaching in the classroom a lot anymore... They are moving me to provide unit support for the Internal Medicine units... More specifically for Hematology... Which is an interesting move since I don't know a whole lot about diseases of the blood but I am sure I will learn heaps and heaps..

its been a bit confusing at work lately... Cause in the matter of a few hours people's expectations about what my job entails changes frequently... But I keep on smiling and rolling with the punches... When someone tells me what they want me to do... I just say.. Sure sure its all "Written in Jello"... cause I know if I give them a few minutes it will all change..
There has been a lot of tension at work lately,,, we have had several units on shut down due to a Norwalk outbreak, staff shortages, and tons of Medication errors...and lots of finger pointing...

but I cant complain as I was the one who trotted off to this frozen land to peruse a new career....I have learned how with my shaved head and how I carry myself and walk into a room with strength and purpose .. It can really earn me a bit more respect than being the "nice, smiling guy".....I had a meeting with this one truly nasty PCM (Patient Care Manager)... she had short cropped hair like me and looked like a bulldog...well the meeting went on for a good hour.. and she was arguing with me over different things.. and after 45 minutes of ripping into me about new EMAR protocols... she looked me str8 in the eyes.. and said..


I truly miss Circles and the amazing group of people there... we had some amazing potlucks..

I think my Sunday dinner parties are turning into a bust...we have two new roommates... and the one east indian dude thinks that I am suppose to buy the food, prepare it, cleanup and do the dishes for him while he sits there and makes "ed bundy-ish comments"...and well you know what sort of things I would have to say to someone like that... I totally understand its part of his culture..but its annoying,.... Especially when he finished off the Banana Cream Pie I made from scratch and no one else gets to have a piece.,,

but I am loving to cook and bake and I do it every day now.... its the one thing I do that helps centre and relaxes me...Im even thinking of investing in a Kitchenaide Mixer...crazy I know but I think its better than doing Crack or starting to drink...

It has been a Winter Wonderland here... and it is very pretty... with all the trees, houses and people covered in snow...Calgary can be very postcard pretty... but the one thing that is hard to adjust to.. is that they dont plow or salt the roads, walkways or parking lots here...only on the mainroads do they throw down gravel rocks.. which totally destroy ones' windshield..
I bought myself some really good winter tires figuring they would useful up here in Calgary... and although they are great on the ice... (note: we dont get patches of black ice so much as entire roads of black ice) the new tires dont do a whole lot since the snow is never removed... and when the snow freezes at night.. it becomes rock solid and driving in the city becomes more like off-roading up in the mountains... my house is the only place I have seen anywhere in the city that has its driveway and sidewalk sholved and salted... with being run over by cars and slipping on the ice... im bound to have a broken hip soon enough

On the dating front.. I have not yet thrown in the towel.. as I am meeting tons of really cool people... and one guy in particular has got my eye... we have done a lot of baking together... he is a total sweetie,... drives a pick up truck, loves his hockey.. your typical small town corn fed Albertan...I just fear we are turning into good friends than rather boyfriends... which is cool too... as I think I really do need to start making good friends here as I wont be able to drive home till Calgary thaws out again in the Spring.. but I will be home for Christmas for sure.. for two weeks..
still trying to figure out what days I can get off and for how long...

also I have been debating.. should I just write off this whole "dating" thing.. maybe just get a dog... I know they are tons of work... but one of the nurses I work with.. is in her 60s and still practicing.. and she has been married 3 times.. and she keeps saying,,, "

posted by matt @ 9:45 PM