Useless Conversation

[Miasma]

My office has free stuff as long as I buy it.   

My dentist has free coffee, that pod stuff.  I have no idea why they would encourage people to drink a bunch of smelly coffee and cream right before they have to look into their gaping maws from three inches away.

At my office we get free pop/juice and have one of those starbucks coffee machines, it's a little thing that is quite nice.

[Rasix]

My neck of soulless corporate America is in full penny pinching mode.  Ever since the economic meltdown, we keep tightening out belts and are often told how lucky we are to have jobs.  Free coffee.  Vending/cafeteria subsidies.  Gone. Travel dollars and morale money severely slashed.  They even cut our peer recognition program.  

Hell, a facilities guy upstairs screwed up next year's budget and they nearly closed our downstairs bathroom to save a piddly sum. It took some very vocal resistance to to relent on a dollar amount that was about the same as a decent bonus.

[Abagadro]

Try working in government these days.

[Merusk]

My office has free stuff as long as I buy it.   

My dentist has free coffee, that pod stuff.  I have no idea why they would encourage people to drink a bunch of smelly coffee and cream right before they have to look into their gaping maws from three inches away.

At my office we get free pop/juice and have one of those starbucks coffee machines, it's a little thing that is quite nice.

Given the oral hygene standards of some folks I've known the coffee smell would probably be an improvement.

I'm sure ghost can attest to this on the condition the guilty remain anonymous.

[ghost]

My office has free stuff as long as I buy it.   

My dentist has free coffee, that pod stuff.  I have no idea why they would encourage people to drink a bunch of smelly coffee and cream right before they have to look into their gaping maws from three inches away.

At my office we get free pop/juice and have one of those starbucks coffee machines, it's a little thing that is quite nice.

Given the oral hygene standards of some folks I've known the coffee smell would probably be an improvement.

I'm sure ghost can attest to this on the condition the guilty remain anonymous.

We wear masks, so it is rarely a problem.  Most dentists drink assloads of coffee anyway, so it really isn't an issue.  The other thing is that the coffee makes the office smell inviting and homey, which usually will put people more at ease.

As an aside story, I had a 9 year old kid come in today with "severe ADD", according to his mother.  He's on ritalin and really can't sit still for 2 seconds.  The kid was literally bouncing off the walls.  And then when I look out in the waiting room the little dude is making a cup of coffee while his mother waits on him.  No wonder he's got "ADD".  People are amazing sometimes.

[Viin]

are often told how lucky we are to have jobs

You need a new job, they suck. Healthcare IT is doing well. 

[Cyrrex]

The company I work for (big ass mulit-national) is now in perpetual penny-pinching mode.  I don't think we will ever come out of it, really.  It's quite fun when on the one hand they slash budgets, slash bonuses, slash inlfation increases, outsource people and reduce headcounts across the board...and then in the next breath go on an on about how marvelous the business is performing in every single geography.  Kick ass top line and bottom line results. 

What a bunch of cockgobblers.  Big corporations are a blight on this existence. 

[NowhereMan]

My office has free stuff as long as I buy it.   

My dentist has free coffee, that pod stuff.  I have no idea why they would encourage people to drink a bunch of smelly coffee and cream right before they have to look into their gaping maws from three inches away.

At my office we get free pop/juice and have one of those starbucks coffee machines, it's a little thing that is quite nice.

Given the oral hygene standards of some folks I've known the coffee smell would probably be an improvement.

I'm sure ghost can attest to this on the condition the guilty remain anonymous.

We wear masks, so it is rarely a problem.  Most dentists drink assloads of coffee anyway, so it really isn't an issue.  The other thing is that the coffee makes the office smell inviting and homey, which usually will put people more at ease.

As an aside story, I had a 9 year old kid come in today with "severe ADD", according to his mother.  He's on ritalin and really can't sit still for 2 seconds.  The kid was literally bouncing off the walls.  And then when I look out in the waiting room the little dude is making a cup of coffee while his mother waits on him.  No wonder he's got "ADD".  People are amazing sometimes.

A point Morat has made multiple times is that kids that have ADD actually calm down when given Ritalin or ingesting lots of caffeine (basically any stimulants). If this kid was taking stimulants and crawling the walls then there is a good chance he doesn't have ADD and is, at this stage, just a speed freak.

[Ironwood]

Backify and Livedrive in fighting shocker.

[IainC]

Update on Sparrowhawk, it survived the night and is apparently much recovered. It's attacking things and generally acting like it should. The vet wants to keep it under observation for one more day as it still a little disoriented but other than that it seems fine.

[ghost]

My office has free stuff as long as I buy it.   

My dentist has free coffee, that pod stuff.  I have no idea why they would encourage people to drink a bunch of smelly coffee and cream right before they have to look into their gaping maws from three inches away.

At my office we get free pop/juice and have one of those starbucks coffee machines, it's a little thing that is quite nice.

Given the oral hygene standards of some folks I've known the coffee smell would probably be an improvement.

I'm sure ghost can attest to this on the condition the guilty remain anonymous.

We wear masks, so it is rarely a problem.  Most dentists drink assloads of coffee anyway, so it really isn't an issue.  The other thing is that the coffee makes the office smell inviting and homey, which usually will put people more at ease.

As an aside story, I had a 9 year old kid come in today with "severe ADD", according to his mother.  He's on ritalin and really can't sit still for 2 seconds.  The kid was literally bouncing off the walls.  And then when I look out in the waiting room the little dude is making a cup of coffee while his mother waits on him.  No wonder he's got "ADD".  People are amazing sometimes.

A point Morat has made multiple times is that kids that have ADD actually calm down when given Ritalin or ingesting lots of caffeine (basically any stimulants). If this kid was taking stimulants and crawling the walls then there is a good chance he doesn't have ADD and is, at this stage, just a speed freak.

IF they truly have ADD.  If they don't have ADD it will simply add to their symptoms that appear to be ADD and make things worse.  Also, if they are appropriately medicated, they don't need more medication and could potentially override what they have achieved.  Plus giving coffee to a 9 year old is just not a good idea.

[Merusk]

My office has free stuff as long as I buy it.   

My dentist has free coffee, that pod stuff.  I have no idea why they would encourage people to drink a bunch of smelly coffee and cream right before they have to look into their gaping maws from three inches away.

At my office we get free pop/juice and have one of those starbucks coffee machines, it's a little thing that is quite nice.

Given the oral hygene standards of some folks I've known the coffee smell would probably be an improvement.

I'm sure ghost can attest to this on the condition the guilty remain anonymous.

We wear masks, so it is rarely a problem.  Most dentists drink assloads of coffee anyway, so it really isn't an issue.  The other thing is that the coffee makes the office smell inviting and homey, which usually will put people more at ease.

So.. I'm trying to figure out if you didn't understand or if the masks cover other folk's bad breath that much.  I didn't mean that coffee breath was bad, but that I've met some *really* foul-breathed people whose breath stank from 2' to 3' away.  Once or twice I literally thought they'd eaten shit. Then again that condition probably came from NOT going to see anyone so you probably wouldn't encounter it regularly.

[Cyrrex]

I bet Ghost has all kinds of horror stories, but I'm not too sure I want to hear them.

[ghost]

Yeah, I have seen some things that would make your skin crawl.  Thankfully, Merusk, in my line of work (orthodontics) I don't see that too much.  In my prior life as an oral surgeon I used to see more nasty shit.  Hence the job change.

[Ironwood]

Could you please NOT tell us those stories ?  If it makes a normal persons skin crawl, I really, really ain't gonna like it much.

I still get shudders when I think of all the dental sessions my brother had unmedicated.

[ghost]

Don't worry.  I'm not going to.  I know nobody wants to hear it and I frankly don't like thinking about it all that much.

[Ironwood]

We have 'hygienists' who seem to have the cushiest job of all.  Once all the actual work is done, they polish.  And then you pay them a lot of money.

It's odd.

[ghost]

You might think that, but doing hygiene can be very stressful.  Most people are very afraid of the dentist and dealing with that all day long can be psychologically draining. 

[Ironwood]

I meant compared to the jobs the surgeon and 'normal' dentist do.

[Sky]

We also have a beer vending machine that gives bottles of the local brew for €1.

I hate you.

x2

I'm kicking myself because back when I first started here in 2000, 75¢ soda was steep for a can. The vendor also sucks about stocking it and the cash box blows. I was going to buy a machine and put it in (same prices CAPITALIZE!), it would've been paid off a few times over by now and be a nice little pocket change creator. Ah, well.

[ghost]

I meant compared to the jobs the surgeon and 'normal' dentist do.

Ah, I see.  At least the surgeons get to knock people the fuck out.  Propofol is a nice drug.

[Nebu]

Propofol is a nice drug.

Just ask Michael Jackson! 

[Paelos]

Update on Sparrowhawk, it survived the night and is apparently much recovered. It's attacking things and generally acting like it should. The vet wants to keep it under observation for one more day as it still a little disoriented but other than that it seems fine.

Thanks for the update! What did it attack? The Vet?

I'm going to assume the Vet because the idea of a vet running around the office chased by an angry sparrowhawk makes me giggle.

[ghost]

Propofol is a nice drug.

Just ask Michael Jackson! 

Haha, yeah.  I'm not sure it's designed to be used at home, on your couch.

[IainC]

Very likely was the vet. When he examined the bird yesterday, she made her displeasure known by ripping chunks out of the thick leather gloves he had on. For having a relatively small beak for the size of the bird, she did some serious damage.

[ghost]

Birds of prey are not to be fucked with. 

[Minvaren]

Definitely, seeing as they can cloak and all.   

[Minvaren]

Double-posting to vent : fuck Capital One.

[Ironwood]

Who are what ?

[ghost]

Bank.

[Ironwood]

Well, I'm not coming down on the other side of  'Fuck Banks'.

I was talking to a student today who was setting out her woes on Student Loans and Overdraft fees.  Fucking banks really putting the screws to 'em these days.

[Soln]

I loved banks back in the day when they could take 10-15% of my GROSS piddly starting salary for student loans.  Yeah, I remember.  /punch

[Johny Cee]

We have 'hygienists' who seem to have the cushiest job of all.  Once all the actual work is done, they polish.  And then you pay them a lot of money.

It's odd.

Umm.  My mother was a dental hygienist.  At least here, they X-rayed, cleaned (which involves dental picks and scraping awful stuff off of people's teeth), and filled out their paperwork noting discolorations or potential problems.  The dentist would wander in to check out any potential issues, than the polishing.

That also meant that if a patient was a "problem", then the dentist could go ahead and recommend a specialist or sedation dentist. 

Her last 10 years working, my mother worked for a Medicaid dental clinic and had more  stories than you can believe....  I had to stop her when she was telling me about the retarded flipper kid family that she tried to do a cleaning on because it was too sad.


Locally, there's actually such a shortage of hygienists compared to dentists that some dentists have been forced to do regular cleanings since they can't find enough good, or even bad, hygienists.

[ghost]

Part of this is that there is a supercrazy glut of dentists, too.

[Ingmar]

I have noticed the last few times I've been to my dentist the office has been uncharacteristically quiet, and he did do the cleaning himself once even.