The Unnoticed Part of the Holidays

This time of year is normally fraught with joy, happiness and charity. There exists a side that doesn't receive as much notice and few are actually aware of.

As I have stated many times over, if you work in pharmacy you will invariably become attached to certain patients and, in even more special cases, you will become part of their life. They can be as close to family as a stranger can be as odd as that may sound.

Today I was reminded of what a difficult time the holidays are for some people. Several months ago I wrote about a couple who had become intertwined with the day life of our pharmacy. The sudden death of his wife sparked an understandable change in his demeanor.

It's only been in the last month or so where he will walk in the store and you can get him to crack a smile on his face. You can see life in his eyes for the first time since that day and it was a very welcome sight. As he came into the store tonight though, you could tell something was different.

He was preparing for his first Christmas without his wife.

I cannot begin to imagine what something like that is like. Yet as I became aware of this facet of the holidays I began to notice others with a look of sadness beyond their eyes. Some fronted false smiles, but you can still tell that inside they're hurting.

It's the part of this time of year we're all aware of, but never speak of. The pain of others who are unable to share the joys of the season with their significant other or loved one.

What are we supposed to do though? We're just lowly pharmacy folk, we have no stake in this right?

Wrong. Anyone who has worked retail long enough knows that we can have an impact on someone's life outside of our job description. Whether it's chatting with the little old lady on the phone for an extra minute or attempting to get a laugh out of the otherwise fickle patient. I know at times we can become completely overwhelmed with phone calls, faxes and berating customers, but there's always time to make one patient smile in the day.

If anything, I'm reminded of New Year's last year in that you never know what may happen once they set foot outside that door.

I propose from now until the end of the day, all of us at least once a day take time out of our hectic days and brighten the day of one of your patients. After all, that's what this season is all about is it not?

Pessimism Works

For much of my life I wasn't what you would call an overly optimistic person. In hindsight, I'm not really sure why, but someone I dated during my college years finally drug me out of the pessimistic pit I had been residing in.

The thing is, I like being somewhat pessimistic. I hate the feeling of thinking something is a sure thing, via optimism, and then have it not come to fruition. It's almost like a kick in the nuts. I prefer to remain overly cautious that something will actually occur and enjoy the surprise when it does.

Is that so strange? Overly optimistic people bug the bejesus outta me. Equally so, pessimistic people piss me off. Why? Because these people become obtuse to the true nature of life.

I learned a while back that if you go one way or the other you become too complacent with life. When you become complacent with life, you invariably drive yourself to various problems that you think are ultimately out of your control. It is not always a terrible thing to fail, just as it is not a terrible thing to succeed.

As my best friend and I always say, if you knock me down, I'm just gonna get back up and fight even harder.

People generally give me dirty looks when I say I'm a bit of a pessimist. I understand it is most likely due to the negative connotations of the world, but I am quite happy with my views. Again, I would rather be surprised by something good than crushed by something bad. Call me a realist if you will, but it has worked quite well for me the last few years.

I like to be prepared for things in life, if some of you have not gathered that from my posts over the years. Preparation, in my eyes, is the key to success. My slightly pessimistic tendencies help to ensure that I am as prepared as I can be, or at least I believe so.

Thus I ask, is being pessimistic so wrong?

Old School

This is just too damned cool. Snapped it up from the SDN forums the other day, figured I'd continue passing it around.... yikes sounds like it could be syphilis when I word it that way

http://www.archive.org/details/Pharmaci1946

How I Miss The Fun

One of the items people neglect to mention to you when you choose to go into a medical profession is the fact that you have no life. I realize if I do get into pharmacy school that it will only become worse, but at least you have a hundred others in a similar situation.

Friday night I went out with friends for bowling and drinks. I made my first venture to one of the most popular bars in the city even though I have been of age for more than three years now. That show's how often I go out.

And it was a damned good time. Probably the most fun I've had in months. The somewhat depressing part is the realization that that will most likely not happen again for quite some time.

I have become used to seeing my friends be able to do such things on a weekly basis. I have been lucky to enjoy this type of thing once a month. One of the perks of being pre-pharm with a full time job. And the fact I haven't had longer than a 3 week break from school in 2 1/2 years. And those breaks were filled with either PCAT or wedding stuff.

I think I'm gonna celebrate the hell out of my summer break this next year... just because I can.

Smile, You're On Camera!

Recently one of our stores received a shiny new camera system. The kicker is the 'new and improved' color digital cameras produce a massively shittier image than the old black and white ones.

Whatever.

With this new system, we received an extra four cameras. Our initial thoughts were, "Cool! We can finally see that deep dark corner of the store where the trolls live and people steal shit." Ok, not really, but you see what I'm getting at.

So we stroll into the pharmacy the other day, preparing for the hell that is the first of the month and we see they installed the new cameras... all in the pharmacy.

Now you're thinking, "But Phathead, that is to prevent internal theft of narcotics and things of that nature."

Again, this would be the logical assumption... if it were true.

You see all the cameras are placed so they can view us as we work. There are no cameras on the C-II cabinet nor where we keep our cases, yes I said cases, of various hydrocodone strengths. Instead they are placed to watch us work each and every day.

And the feed goes straight to the owner's office AND his home. Isn't technology wonderful?

Now that we are effectively a part of a voyeur program, whatever shall we do?

The answer? Well it involves choreography. You see we figured if we're gonna be watched like this, we're gonna fuck with them. We're planning a bit of a dance routine and I am in the market for a gorilla suit.

Can you imagine what the hell's gonna be going through his head when he looks up and sees us dancing Chorus Line style? It'll be brilliant!

A Little Italian Rock

Too many serious posts with too many argumentative comments means only one thing... we need a music post.

Figured I'd post something a little out of the ordinary, an accoustic version of an Italian rock song. It's a combo that you don't hear terribly often and it does help that it is from my favorite band.

Thus, I figure, what the hell!