The Last Day Of The Year…
It’s 10 pm on New Year’s Eve and I am so, so excited to… go to sleep.
Yes, I enjoyed three whole days off midweek last week; Yes, the office is closed tomorrow, and I am not on call. But I am tired, tired, tired, as usual… Babygirl was up most of the night, fussy, vomited once, awoke complaining of ear pain… Morning clinic was distracted and complicated by taking worried calls from Hubby, securing a same-day Pedi appointment for Babygirl and organizing child care for Babyboy. But, it worked out, and Babygirl had her diagnosis of a double ear infection before I had seen my fourth patient of the morning.
Clinic has been heavy more due to many medication requests/ emails/ phone calls than with sick folks, though there have been some difficult cases. I did spend longer at work today than intended, though when I left in the late afternoon, most of my fellow clinicians were still there. Today I had an overbooked clinic (took a complicated walk-in), did a slew of year-end required HIPPA and hospital safety modules (“True or False: It’s perfectly acceptable to discuss a patient at a dinner party, as long as you lower your voice”) and then managed to see a patient on the floors before heading out into the cold.
I trotted briskly to my parking garage, which also houses a train station and a sports arena (Hello, TD Garden), then pushed past the gold and black-clad throngs gathering for the hockey game. Better a crowded than an abandoned parking garage after dark, I always say. There’s been times I’ve left work late and gotten off the elevators five floors underground, and my car is the only one in the middle of the creepy place, and I’ve got my finger on the panic button the whole time as I run. I should probably be more nervous about the drunk people getting psyched up for some violence on ice, but for some reason I don’t.
Anyhoo, despite being sleep-deprived, and then kind of long, exhausted, full workday and all that fun in the Garden, I was in a good mood leaving work. Work has been fulfilling as of late. With the excitement of the holidays, the general good office cheer and grateful patients, the midweek days off, and slightly lighter schedule, work has been more of a pleasure than a chore.
I walked into the kitchen to poor Hubby trying to make dinner (Roast chicken breasts over rosemary root vegetables! Go Hubby!) while Babygirl emptied a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast on the kitchen floor and Babyboy stood on a chair pushed up tot he kitchen counter, “cooking” grated cheese and ketchup in a pot using every utensil in the drawer… Hubby and I decided to let them make a mess and popped open a bottle of Prosecco that had been in the fridge for months and months. No idea where it came from. We drank the whole thing. Babygirl had crackers and butter for dinner and Babyboy, oatmeal. This raucous affair over Splat the Cat (really great Scholastic video with read-along options).
Tubbies somehow happened, PJs went on, books were read, stories were told, songs were sung and babies are sleeping. Hubby’s almost asleep as well. Cat’s on the comforter, lights are off, pager’s signed out.
Hello, Happy New Year! I’m going to bed.