Monday, November 20, 2006

Sketchy

When I got hired at my job, they told me that I needed to have a physical. I put off doing it because I really didn't want to shell out the money for it. Some other people I work with told me that they paid $200+ for their physicals. I figured I'd wait until someone at work bothered me about it. Well, we had a meeting one morning last week and the program managers announced the names of people who were missing paperwork. My name was called as missing a physical. So, I asked around to get some idea of where to go and get my physical done. My coworker Leroy told me and Pete (another of my coworkers who also needed to get a physical) about a place in NW DC called B & W Stat Clinic, where he got a physical and TB test for $50. The place is walk-in only and their weekend hours are only on Saturday morning. Well, I figured that I only wanted to have my physical form signed, so I'd try to get the cheapest deal possible. Pete offered to pick me up and drive me there on Saturday morning, so I figured that that was the easiest way to go...

After my number was called and I went in, my physical was completed within 15 minutes and my form was signed. The doctor asked me to read one line on the eye chart with both eyes (he never had me read anything with the left or right eye separately), quickly pumped up a blood pressure cuff on my arm, asked me if I was "smart" (there was a blank on the form he had to fill out about mental condition and intelligence), and had me go into the restroom and pee into a little dixie cup. I paid $35. When I looked at the form the doctor filled out, I realized that it was filled with blatent misinformation. He recorded both of my eyes as having 20/20 vision and I know my left eye is bad. My blood pressure was written as 100/60 and every time I've had my blood pressure checked in the past three years, it has been around 140/90. I've been told to watch it...I even had to go in for three blood pressure monitoring visits before UHS would represcribe my birth control pills my senior year at Madison. The doctor simply wrote "well" near most of the other items on the physical checklist...and he wrote "smart" on the line next to "Mental Condition and Intelligence" (well, at least that's not a lie...haha). I suppose it all worked out okay for me because I really didn't care what he filled out as long as the form got signed by someone with "M.D." next to their name. Really, I'm glad that I got it done for $35 instead of $200. Once I put in 90 days at work, I'll get health insurance and hopefully get a real physical then. But I can't help but wonder if other people go there hoping to actually get some sort of medical information or care and the doctor does the same sort of quick and dirty job...

The clinic is located near Howard University, and the neighborhood is very much a "black" neighborhood. I was the only white person in there. I'm sure I stood out. After my physical was done, Pete got called in. I sat in the waiting area reading a magazine. A few minutes later, a nurse who knew I'd already been in for my physical came out by me, looked at me suspiciously and said, "What you waiting on?" I replied, "Um, my coworker is still in there..." She nodded and walked away.

So, yeah...that was an interesting experience. One for the memory banks.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

I finally got to go on a bike ride


Here I am in front of the house Jake wants to live in in the future. ;) Just kiddin'.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Note to Self: Never Play Paintball Again

How does one become an entertaining and engaging person?

I wish that I was a more compelling storyteller. I just don't think I'm very good at spinning the events that happen in my life to make them sound interesting.

I also wish that I were better at telling jokes. Friends of mine... please make me try to tell you jokes next time we are hanging out. I'm working on being better at it.

I'm pretty sure that this needs to be added to the list of things to accomplish in my life if it wasn't there already...

Now that I think of it, telling good jokes was on my list. People, make me work on this!

Monday, November 13, 2006

I want to ride my bicycle



I was hoping to go on a nice bike ride yesterday, but it rained and was gross outside. I haven't taken any good pictures of my bike yet. Here's me in my new bike helmet, though. Hopefully I'll get to go on a good ride sometime soon.

Anxiety

I think I always want life to move along faster than it actually does.

Does everyone else also think in steps ahead?

What good does worrying do me?

I'm always preoccupied with future events. I wish that I could learn to live in the moment. Worrying prevents me from living in the moment.

I really want to feel that I'm accomplishing something. Usually, I'm not accomplishing anything. Or maybe I'm accomplishing things at a rate so slow that I don't feel that I'm really doing anything. This is probably why I worry so much. If I accomplished one great thing, I wonder if I'd be satisfied. I doubt that I would.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Recap of the weekend

Jake and I held a poker tournament at our apartment on Saturday. It was an interesting tournament because we had more girls than guys. I think we had six girls (counting me) and three guys (counting Jake) attend. It wasn't the usual poker crowd. I invited some people from work, but none of them showed up. I lost all my money...

Jake got his fiscal year bonus last weekend, so we went shopping. He got a new digital camera and I bought a new Trek bike. I'll have to take some pictures of my bike and post them later. My bike is red. It's hot. I was looking at some bikes that were more girly at first. There was one that was yellow and had a floral pattern on it. Jake laughed at that one when he saw it. The salesman at the bike shop let me test ride a couple bikes when I was there and I decided to pick a different bike that rides differently. The way I sit on my bike lets me ride a bit faster. My favorite part of the bike-buying experience was when the salesman asked me how tall I am. I said, "5'3"" and he said, "Really? You seem taller." Ha. I don't know why that really amused me...

Rock the Vote

I just got done voting this morning. Today I have a training day at work, so I get to come in an hour later than usual. This gave me plenty of time to vote in the morning. Yay!

The voting machines here are interesting because you need to spin a wheel and then press an "Enter" button to select your candidate. Then after you select all your choices, you have to press a big red button that says "Cast Ballot". I don't know if there is even an option to abstain from voting for certain sections of the ballot. Luckily, I knew everything on the ballot and how I was going to vote before going in today...