Sunday, December 03, 2006

Counting the hours

What's the time now?

Used to find it hilarious that average 9-5 salarymen actually stand by the punch clock to watch, waiting for that precious moment when they'll be free from their job constraints. Although clocks abound in the hospital ( if they actually do function normally ), it's rare indeed that any of us actually has the luxury of going home at the appointed time - hence the frequent missed appointments and dates ( and the neverending barrage of furious heated messages from frustrated spouses / partners that come through during ward rounds that drag past the end of working hours ).

Coming home later from work is certainly part and parcel of the trade.

But like any other job, counting the hours till the end of the working day seems to be the norm. Especially since I'm actually doing it right now. Not only have I been doing frantic oncalls every other day for the past week, I haven't been sleeping all that well in between - making me unfortunately even crabbier if possible :P

And since I've fielded a thousand prodding questionaires from concerned relatives, replied hundreds of nagging questions from the nurses, glibly ordered dozens of investigations for various ill folks and successfully dodged the self-esteem crushing bullets from my stern superiors, I am actually... dead on my feet. Feel like my head's gonna leak out of my skull at any moment. :)

Which is why I'm counting the hours.

YAH!
Wouldn't you run home to this guy!

Really, let's update that familiar adage about schoolgoing kids. Salarymen walk to work but they run home. Well, at least the borderline sane ones do. :)

Fortunately music does soothe the beast. I have an MP3 player courtesy of a forgetful Strapping Shane who left it behind to use and abuse ( in lieu of leaving himself behind to use and abuse, I guess ) - though it plays the most peculiar collection of songs. Young folks are certainly listening to the oddest music these days ( maybe it's the broadcasting gene ). SR71? Cut Copy? The Fray? Tsukiko Amano anyone?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, I have a very embarassing playlist. =P

But you have to admit that some of em ARE pretty good. =)

Hope the MP3 player helped you survive through the whole shift. =D

thompsonboy said...

sei lor? what kind of artiste are those? I am so out of tune in more ways than one....

well, doc at least you know you are not alone when it comes to irregular time, I know these days it's common. But I never do envy those 9-5iver. Work is not that dreadful until one has to do a countdown

Anonymous said...

Seems to me that 9 to 5 is a thing of the past if you want to make any bucks at all these days. Even folks on the assembly lines are trying to get more hours to increase their bottom line. Sad times these days.

Anonymous said...

Hmm i imagined that doctor life would be full of err..... hustle??
Just like in ER or Gray Anatomy, or atleast like House... hehe
I guess too much drama???

Anonymous said...

tick tock tick tock

When no one is watching time's slowly creeping

so many dilly dalies and human follies

Time is a strange entity that we find it too little when we needed it and too much when we dreaded it

Having said that, i've always welcome some extra time at work for my daily jollies like reading blogs, discovering new music & having a good chat with my colleagues :) cheers & have a nice day

Anonymous said...

What songs are those? Must poke Shane for them later.

Anonymous said...

Baby...Try the life of a photographer on for size...LMAO!!! at least a portion of the people you have to deal with are medicated!

A portion of the "people" (used loosely) I deal with SHOULD be medicated...and the others...are definetly on something...

Le Sigh...I feel your pain!

-Jake

Las montaƱas said...

Are we spending too much of our waking hours in the work place?

ponder

ENVY said...

Well don't sit near a clock..or look at yours...specially when you're tired, bored or anxious about anything or anyone...In the end it can get really frustrating U WILL START counting the seconds....

nv

Emma said...

What are those songs?.... I'm so uncool, LOL! If it's written after 1995, I don't know it!

Poor Paul, all overworked and stuff. I guess saving the world one -itis at a time just doesn't stick to the hours between 9 and 5. :p

Anonymous said...

Counting the hours, that's what we engineers do too.... fuck the employment system here! I want an Western system with strong labour laws and union groups!

savante said...

It is an eccentric playlist, shane :)

Even I have no idea, thompson boy. It's like he picked names out of the air.

I gotta go work at the assembly line, sue.

Lots of hustle and it gets tiring, josh!

Thanks, jl.

Go ask him, lance. Wouldn't mind poking Shane myself ;P

Will send the meds over to ya, jake :P

No need to ponder, las montanas. We are.

There's a clock everywhere to torture us, envy.

Don't know either, rox :) I'm uncool too.

You should fight for that, lex!

Paul

savante said...

It is an eccentric playlist, shane :)

Even I have no idea, thompson boy. It's like he picked names out of the air.

I gotta go work at the assembly line, sue.

Lots of hustle and it gets tiring, josh!

Thanks, jl.

Go ask him, lance. Wouldn't mind poking Shane myself ;P

Will send the meds over to ya, jake :P

No need to ponder, las montanas. We are.

There's a clock everywhere to torture us, envy.

Don't know either, rox :) I'm uncool too.

You should fight for that, lex!

Paul