New Year, New Job (Again)

On Wednesday, we were informed at a morning meeting that one of the nurses was being transferred to a different program. Now she's not a popular person - frankly she bugs the heck out of everyone. So no one was that sorry to see her go. That was at 8:00 AM.

At 10:00 AM, I was informed that I would be taking her place. Mind you, I'm not a nurse. I do not have any medical training at all. And I still get queasy at the sight of needles. So where am I going? To the clinic that treats opiate addiction (heroin, oxycotin, hydrocodone, and all those sorts of drugs). In other words, to the one place where I really DID NOT want to go.

Still, I can understand my boss's reasoning for putting me there. She's looking out for me, saying that it will take 6 months to a year to back fill that position. So there's some job security there. Plus she stated that I'm probably the best suited for dealing with difficult people of all the people with whom I work. That's a dubious distinction, but a nice compliment. Anyway, it will keep me employed while the economy continues to do its tailspin thing.

Funny thing is, my training for my new position has been one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had. There is no job description, so I've had to go from person to person asking just what I can do in this job that does not require a medical license of one kind or another. After two days of training, I've ended up playing therapist for both the person I am replacing and one other colleague. Unfortunately, I couldn't charge them, otherwise I'd have enough for the new guitar I hope to purchase sometime in the next couple of weeks.

What guitar, you ask (well, if you didn't, tough luck. I'm going to be talking about guitars now!)? It's come down to two:

The first is the Epiphone Les Paul Studio. It's the same model as the one that I borrowed from Drink Man, and thus far I'm enjoying its playability. This one is done up in a satin black finish, and it's called the "Goth" model:

The second is the Ibanez Art100. According to the reviews I've read, it's actually supposed to be better than the Epiphone, but right now I'm loving the styling of the Epi. They're both the same price, so we'll see. The finish I'd like to get is the silver:

And then finally there's this beauty, from SX guitars out of Spain. I couldn't post something without tying it into pirates, so here's the PEG-3. Sadly, there's only one or two companies that carry SX guitars here in the states, and none carry the PEG-3s. I found one on eBay, but it would cost $120 to ship it to my house from Australia! Obviously, that's not going to happen. But perhaps one day I'll pick one up should they land in the states. Here's what it looks like:

Okay, that's enough silliness for now. I've got to pack up my office and get ready for my move. Plus I have a group session to lead in about 20 minutes. The good news is that after everything is said and done at work, I have my first guitar lesson tonight. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Peace.