Happy Hallowe'en!

As a mental health worker, I've gotta love a day that encourages EVERYONE to bring out their weird and different side!  Plus, I've always had a soft spot for anything dark and scary.  Stay safe everyone, and keep it spooky!

Field Trip!

It's a very frosty morning out, but I'm still looking forward to going with a group of clients to the farm today.  Now if I can just get AM to stop making jokes about sending me to the "funny farm"!

Tony, We Never Knew You

I would like to take this opportunity to say ‘good-bye’ to Tony. I never knew him personally, but I’d kind of hoped I might run into him someday if I was in his neighbourhood. I’ve profiled his blog here before, Homeless Man Speaks.


Tony died on Tuesday. Pictures of memorials to him are on his blog, and there was an article in the Toronto Star today about him.

Tony added a great perspective to all the social issue and Toronto blogs out there. He sent humour and reflection straight from the street. I hope he’s rockin’ some new pants out there in the universe.

Email of the Day

Hi Everyone,

Sorry but I seem to be the barrier of bad new lately!


I think this homophonic mix-up by our IT person may have been a Freudian slip.  We have been plagued by network and system problems in the past two weeks, and this was from an email informing us of more problems.  She probably wishes she could throw up some kind of tech-force field to protect from any more problems.  I think "bad new lately" is just some kind of code for "everything sucks right now".  I should really give her a break since she's been working day and night to try to fix all this stuff.

;-)

Why Occupy?

So I’ve been considering heading down to check out the Occupy Toronto demonstration.  So far, it’s been non-violent which is encouraging.  And the police have been getting along with the protesters.  To be honest though, I’ve been skeptical as to the point of the protest – Canada has not had the same economic downturn as the United States, and our banks did not get bailed out by the government.  Are people showing up in solidarity with those struggling south of the border?  Are they just hippies who want to camp out and play djembe’s in the park (not that there’s anything wrong with that, I am part-hippie myself) or folks who simply enjoy causing a ruckus?  But just when I start to give in to my doubts and feel negative about the whole thing, signs like this are encouraging: 

Maybe there is value in reminding Canadians that the income gap has been widening in recent years. In reminding our government that they must continue to work for improvement in our social systems, not rest on their laurels. In reminding the 1% that their gains are someone else’s losses. In encouraging citizens to become engaged.


Maybe some positive forces will come together and organize out of this for real change.  Yeah, I think I’ll go for at least a little bit.

Nectarine's Day Off

It's friday before a long weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving).

All 3 of my supervisors are off today.

Our whole network at the office is down.

I am going to try reeeaally hard to maintain a "client focus" today, but I must admit it is extremely tempting to play hookey. :)

Vehicle of DOOM!!!

Just exactly what you DON'T want to see when you pull into the parking lot at a client's building.

Operator, what's wrong?*

The fax came through, but the page must have twisted or crumpled a bit, because the extension number was obscured.  Tried to guess at the number, but guessed wrong (sorry to have bothered you ma'am). 

Called the main line of the hospital and gave the new "automated voice system" a try, but the computer figured that "Andrea" was close enough to "Angela" and patched you through wrong again.

Called the main line, pressed 0 for the operator to ask a real person.  They gave you the extension for the department, which didn't even match the 4 out of 5 numbers you could read on the original document.  Spoke to a very nice lady who told you no, you need to call our downtown location.  Gave you that number, and you give it a whirl.

Another helpful sort answers the phone only to tell you:
1) the person you want to speak to is not in today
2) the whole department closed half an hour ago &
3) you'll need a new release of information before you speak to the person you've been trying to reach anyway.  The one you have is out of date.

Aaargh!

*I dial stupid number all day long! 6060-842