I'm gonna be a complainy-pants
Tomorrow is Thankful Thursday. But I think before I can make a proper thankful list, I need to have a small complaining session.
(Consider yourself warned, and proceed at your own risk.)
Before we continue, I'll say I understand that, as current-problems-in-the-world go, the ones I'm about to fuss about are small and fairly unimportant. Still, it can be cathartic to have a little complainy-pants session, which is why I'm going to type it out and hope I feel better afterward.
So here's the thing: I am having a Very Bad Attitude™ about my current BSN course.
I hate this class. I loathe it. It is the very first class in my nursing school chapter that has made me want to cry.
The assignments are overwhelming, with a zillion details and steps, and the information you need is in a wide variety of places online and on Blackboard (which is the learning management system this school uses.)
As a result, I feel like I am being pulled in 82 different directions, which makes every assignment take forever.
Furthermore (!), there are a ridiculous number of assignments.
The first week of regular classwork had 17 assignments, many of which were multi-step, and unfortunately, this is not an anomalous week.
Plus, almost every module has an assignment that, in any other class, would be a big end-of-semester assignment (for instance, a presentation or a formal paper).
But nope, it's just a regular ol' weekly homework assignment.
ALSO: we have a multi-week group project. I dislike these immensely.
Add in the fact that the class topic doesn't interest me in the slightest*, and we have a recipe for an unhappy Kristen.
*It's informatics, which is basically data analysis/technology for nursing. DRYYYYYYYYYYY. Not my destiny. I want to be in patient rooms, not in an office doing data analysis.
Anatomy and Physiology was hard and a lot of work, but at least I loved the subject matter! It is much harder to do all this tedious work when I am positively bored by the subject.
To add insult to injury, I got my grade back on my first week's big assignment, and while the overall feedback was good, I got told I misinterpreted a chart I made.
I looked at this data, noticed the fall rates were higher during colder months, and posited that this could be both because of slippery winter surfaces and because of physical deconditioning that happens due to more indoor time (which means more inactivity).
I wrote a beautiful paper, dutifully citing multiple journal articles saying that this is, in fact, a thing that happens, for these specific reasons.
But somehow, I got marked down for "interpreting the data incorrectly"`. Color me confused. And annoyed.
I think if I argued my point well and included supporting evidence, I should get the full points.
BLEAHHHHHHH.
________________
I should note that there is a difference between:
- disliking something
- being incapable of something
I hated my chemistry class, but I got an A in it. I hate this class, and I probably will also get an A in it.
It's not that I can't do this work, it's that I don't enjoy it.
This is similar to the way I feel about math. After having taught math from kindergarten through high school to all of my children, I understand math (up through Algebra 2) quite well, and I am solidly competent. The thing is: there's no joy in it for me. It's just a slog, every time.
And in my opinion, that's ok. We can all enjoy different things! I happily do things at the hospital that some of you would hate, while at the same time, some of you are enchanted with things I hate, such as data analysis and chemistry. 😉
________________
Ok! I feel slightly better after getting all of this off my chest. Thank you for reading.
Do you need to be a complainy-pants today too? Feel free to let it out* in the comments. And then we'll all be fresh for thankful lists tomorrow. 😉
*non-politically, please, since this is a Complain About Relatively Inconsequential Things session.
P.S. Overall, my life is good. Great, even! I am grateful for the chance to be in BSN school. I love nursing! I just don't love informatics. Or online asynchronous classes.
Also: I am working out, putting myself to bed on time, feeding myself good food, and still, the bad attitude persists. I think I just flat-out DON'T LIKE THIS CLASS. And no amount of self-care is gonna change that, unfortunately.
I'm sorry. How many more weeks must your endure this classe?
I'm not happy about the cooler than normal weather we've been having nor the cloudy days. They remind me of winter, my least favorite season.
I'm also unhappy that I'm not sleeping well. I will return to totally eliminating chocolate from my life. I long ago eliminated coffee, tea, and sodas, including decaf. Hopefully it will help. I was looking forward to eating some Halloween candy but I may have to skip it this year.
These are definitely privileged first world issues.
@K D, I'm sorry about the chocolate! I gave up coffee because my body has been telling me no thanks. I'm happy to feel better but....also dang it, I love and miss it haha. Best wishes for peaceful sleep!
@Heather Mar, I had to give up red wine,,,all wines really and hot tea because of acid reflux. I was years mourning the loss of these. But I do feel much better. Such is the plight of growing older.
Happily, it looks like there are 7 modules. I'm done with module two this week, so only five more. I WILL SURVIVE.
Agreed on the clouds; I would like some sunny fall days. 🙂
@Kristen,
Do you have any full-spectrum daylight light bulbs in your home? This often helps with Seasonal Affective Disorder, and maybe will make you feel a bit better. (Sadly, they can't churn through all that classwork for you, but...)
@karen, lemon ginger tea helps my acid reflux a lot. i told my eye dr. about it and she said it helps her too. i use bigelow.
@Anita Isaac, thanks I will try this.
@Kristen, You got this, Girl!
@K D, hope you are able to get some rest soon! Not sleeping well is awful
Oh man, I had to do a really intense course in data analysis on my master's course and it was so frustrating. I hadn't studied any kind of mathematics or data since I was fifteen and that was a number of years ago. Thankfully, my friend teaches maths, and she very kindly gave me extra lessons over zoom! It was always my weak point in school (although I weirdly loved algebra).
I'm sorry about this module. It sounds totally miserable (I also loathe group work). My complaint is that everything seems to be going wrong lately. I fix one thing out and something new instantly gets messed up.
@Sophie in Denmark, and of course I make a typo! Stupid autocorrect!
@Sophie in Denmark, So sorry that you are going thru this difficult time. Always painful when life challenges us like that. The Bible teaches us that God is trying to teach us something that we need to learn to improve ourselves and/or our life. That it is painful in the process but in the end we are better for it and reap rewards like wisdom, peace, a new pespective. So may I gently prompt you to ask yourself, "What do these have in common?" Are they financial, or about boundaries, or about (a me topic) jumping into things before thinking them thru? Maybe ask, "What is the lesson I need to learn here?"
Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Hope this is a short season, but you are better for it.
Ugh, I'm sorry that it's been like that for you lately! Sometimes things just all go wrong at one time, and sometimes they are entirely out of our control.
Hang in there, and I hope things stop needing to be fixed at such a terrific rate.
@AZ Lynn, Thanks. I'm not religious but I do try and look for a common theme with issues or find something helpful to learn from.
@Kristen, It's as the saying goes; it never rains but it pours! I try and see life as a kind of cycle and I'm hoping that once this period of stress ends I will have an easier set of time.
@Sophie in Denmark, I send my commiserations on your "everything seems to be going wrong." You may enjoy what DH used to say when he had days like this: "Everything I touch turns to S**T!!!"
Hang tough, and I hope things start going better (for you, Kristen, and all of us) ASAP.
@A. Marie, A very apt expression! Thanks!
@Sophie in Denmark, Not exactly the same, but I get it! We built our current home, which meant all new appliances. 15 years later 3 of the appliances died at the same time! I called it the appliance apocalypse! Fortunately, Black Friday was just around the corner and we had a military discount at Lowe’s… and money in savings to cover it. When your refrigerator is on its last legs, you move fast! Somehow, framing it like that helped. But, as A Marie noted, “stuff” happens!
@Sophie in Denmark, I can so relate to this. Obstacles come in waves. The tide always turn.
@Bee, Thank you. It does!
@PNW Casey, That sounds so stressful!
Did you ask how the teacher thinks you misinterpreted the data? Like, it was from a tropical location so no great variation in temperatures or icy season to account for the fall numbers? Or the falls were rates per thousands rather than just raw counts? Was it the wrong data set?
Looking at your chart- and not the raw data,- your interpretation seems valid- I'm just spit-balling about what the teacher could be picky about.here ( as a math teacher who teaches about graphs and statistics, not a medical person at all.) Would it hurt to ask?
Everyone needs to vent sometimes- to clear the mind and move forward!
My little complaint- it was awkward with the exchange students I hosted. They were sweet and polite, but they hung out in their room a lot and didn't try to mix too much with my family. They wound up eating on a different schedule for part of the time, which also made some things easier as they were vegetarians so I supplied them with food and they could use the kitchen freely. I wish it would have felt less awkward at times.
@mbmom11,
It was kind of you to open up your home to an exchange student. I'm sorry things were awkward. I imagine that can be difficult for everyone.
@mbmom11, @Kristen, I’d urge you to push back for more detailed feedback, too!
Misinterpreting data is kind of a problem in research, including in nursing, so would be good to either clarify your own work, or get the teacher to recognize their mistake!
I tell my students that we don't need to like everyone, but we must be respectful. Sounds like you are doing just that. And isn't it nice to know that there are people in the world who love data and chemistry? In not having these subjects as your favorites, you are opening a space for them!!! ?
I am endlessly grateful that other people enjoy things I don't! I need someone else to do those tasks. Ha.
@Kristen, I wasn't great at science in school but Chemistry was my favourite! I liked setting out formulas (maybe like is the wrong word, but I enjoyed it more than doing experiments!).
Big sigh of empathy for you from over here! Not loving a subject is one thing, but as I read, the bigger bummer seems that this class is not well designed. I agree with you that your response about falls was valid and should have been eligible for full credit!
My current grumble: a field trip today. It's to an educational farm, which I was really motivated to bring my students the opportunity to have a different learning experience, some fun, be outside, and there's even cooking/eating involved! I've been planning for over a month. The number of steps and emails and confusions and pivots are truly unbelievable. Its going to be cold, possibly rainy. Most of the kids are not excited. This is the ONLY day we could go due to testing dates and farm availability. Transportation issues. Other field trips/athletic events conflicting. Parent volunteer with lots of steps. Pieces that I forgot because my brain struggles sometimes. Different answers from different people about field trip procedures. Etc, etc, you get it.
I think it's important to be thankful and also healthy to recognize that life is often complicated for everyone, that we are not alone, and that we can share/process our challenges with loved ones (or our loved online community) and it's ok as long as we don't expect that other people are going to magically solve them or that we have the right to always be negative and complainy.
@Heather Mar, PS - echoing @K D to wonder how long you have to go and hoping you are close to halfway done?
@Heather Mar, hope the field trip turns out great for you and the students!
@Heather Mar, I've coordinated big field trips before, and I know how stressful it is. But sometimes the best learning happens unplanned. On a big field trip to D. C., one of the 8th grade students picked up a used hypodermic needle and asked, "What's this?" That was an important opportunity for learning.
Ahahahahaha, that is stressful for the person in charge!
@Heather Mar, Sending my sympathy about the field trip. Sometimes the things we try to plan for fun educational activities just turn out to be unbelievably complex. Here's hoping the weather turns out better than expected and that your students have improved attitudes. Bless you for going above and beyond in reaching students.
@PD, Thank you! There were complications, of course, but we made it, survived, overall enjoyed, learned, and ate well!
@Jody S., ahhhhh! Yes, a true real-world experience for that young student that they will never forget!
@Lisa K, Thank you! Overall it was cold and rainy but was enjoyable and valuable. On one of the van trips back, I commented that I try to remember that some people live in these types of climates with no heat, so I can just suck it up for a short while! Thankful Thursday a little early 😉
Everything costs more than I think it will and a lot of must-fix issues are happening at once.
I wanted a company to board our loft space. They find asbestos, which was extremely expensive to remove and caused damage to decorations because of the safety measures (I literally had hazardous material do not enter signs on the house and hazmat protocols.) Then the boiler stopped working, thousands to replace. I need a plasterer to fix damage from moving the boiler and all the upper gutters need clearing.
I’m glad we had an emergency fund but there’s more going out than coming in.
And I am not enjoying perimenopause and we can’t find a good HRT balance and I have chronic conditions anyway, which altogether sucks.
But while telling myself it’s too early to think about Christmas, I am looking forward to decorating.
@Victoria, ugh, sorry about the asbestos. We have a subfloor in our laundry room which likely has asbestos tiles, and although the laundry room really needs to be redone we have not started as it feels way too daunting and expensive to deal with.
Sorry to hear about the frustrations with this class, Kristen! I'm a math lover, but I feel you about the graph interpretation thing. And group projects.
I've been taking a grad class per session recently. There have definitely been elements of frustration woven throughout. Probably the biggest one so far is the time commitment, as I had estimated 10-12 hrs in my weekly schedule per class (and this was a ballpark figure from the program), but it's been more like 18-20 hrs many weeks. Tons of work, like your class! Juggling this and regular work / life responsibilities is a challenge. I take a little comfort in that this year's courses are supposed to be some of the very challenging weed-out classes, so fingers crossed by next summer's class things will calm down a bit (?!?). Every single class also has a semester long group project worth about 50% of the total grade. The project description alone is almost 50 pages. Thankfully this semester's team has been super fantastic. Didn't have as great an experience with the summer class team project. Anyway, I try hard to carve out times of fun, exercise, and general margin in my weeks to keep sane 😉 [thanks again for being one of the motivators to try this program as an older student! I do feel like the team mom sometimes, lol]
Hang in there, and good luck with the remainder of this class!
@PD, oh man, 50 pages just to describe the project?!
Sending you empathy.
And Kristen, which I entirely forgot to do in my earlier comment!
Oh my gracious, that group project sounds wild!!
@PD, I, too, take one grad class per semester and this class is taking up so much more time than the others I have taken. I so related to your "I budgeted 10-12 and it's taking twice that amount." I have felt very frustrated, like it shouldn't be this hard and time consuming, but it is! I just have to accept it and as I said at the beginning "the most important thing is to keep going!"
I would ask for more detailed feedback, it could be something simple to fix like the fact that your chart doesn't show units or a data source. Are these single falls in an individual nursing home or falls per thousand people in a certain area? I have no idea because this chart doesn't say.
The pain from my herniated disk issues has kicked up again and I have to wait more than a week to get another steroid injection for it. Trying to be grateful that I already know what's wrong, have a treatment that gets me several months of relief, and have an appointment scheduled to get it.... But it hurts and I want it to not hurt now.
They're falls per month in a specific nursing home; there's more to the Excel sheet than what I showed here, and I got a perfect grade on the actual chart, so that's not the issue. Ha.
I did ask for feedback, got an email back, and I remain confused. I feel like my brain must have just taken this in a very different direction than she intended.
My goodness, everyone needs a good vent now and then!
Your grad school work sounds very similar (type of assignment due weekly) that I had as well. This is interesting [to me] because our degrees are quite different (Nursing v. Business). It'll be over soon enough. Hopefully, your next class is much more enjoyable.
I would love to know the correct interpretation of the data-lol!
Girl, me too. I'm so confused. I'm gonna ask one of my other classmates once hers is graded; maybe she can un-confuse me.
Since I tend to dwell enough on the negative naturally, I'm not even going to start with complaining. 🙂 I do want to commiserate with you on that class, though. It sounds very unfun. I should imagine that dealing with all of that on top of working a new job full-time is not helping. You can definitely do it, though, even if it's boring and stressful. Excelsior!
While I am an LPN now, I originally went to college to be an art teacher. I've even been remembering lately the different experiences I had learning and using different equipment. My most difficult class had nothing to do with the hands on stuff, but educational psychology. The instructor was
a friend from church, but I could not get into it. Even to learn enough for testing was impossible for me and the instructor was mystified.
My complainy pants issue is dealing with Halloween. As a Christian, I just don't celebrate it. Plus, I find many of the decorations we have in our facility a little insensitive for nursing home residents with dementia. I have taken on the responsibility by choice (using my artistic eye) to decorate the nurse's station counter. I had it nicely decorated for fall with a beautiful floral swag and fall picture on an easel, all on a fall runner. Someone put a gruesome hand in the middle of it. I removed it, only to come in the next time and find the floral arrangement incorporated with the hand, a full size dog skeleton and a skeleton face mask. So....I removed all of my things, leaving the dog skeleton with the hand in it's mouth. I'll try again AFTER Halloween.
@Chrissy, those do not sound suitable for a nursing home! It’s like reminding the residents how close to death they are.
One of my in-laws had to deliver a terminal liver disease diagnosis to an alcoholic and the only room available was one decorated as a bar to help dementia patients. She felt terrible but the patient was ok with it.
This is why I gave away the coffin earrings when I bought a multi-set of fall earrings last year to wear to work! I will stick with pumpkins, just to be safe.
@Chrissy, totally agree on the Halloween issue. The skeletons, zombies, spiders, and such just get bigger and grosser every year. It disgusts and repels me.
@Janie H, I think the Day of the Dead is healthier - it's acknowledging our loved ones who have died and the fact that we will pass.
I do enjoy the spooky side of Halloween but I don't like gore, and I can totally understand that there's a time and place for some of it!
@Chrissy, I'm with you and your other commenters on Halloween. As a lapsed Episcopalian gone agnostic, I don't have a religious problem with it--but I feel strongly that real life is frightening enough, especially at the moment.
And I agree 100% about the unsuitability of gruesome decor for a dementia ward. Thank goodness, the staff at DH's nursing home always kept fall decor lovely and simple, as you were trying to do.
@Chrissy, it will be interesting if anyone at work makes comment about your fall decorations being gone after the person added & changed.
@Chrissy,
I hear you on the bad part of Halloween. My neighbors have erected a huge dog skeleton statue. When I first saw it, it really made me sad because the dog's ears point upwards -- just as Miss Lucy Dog's ears did. My sweet Lucy died less than a year ago and while I love my Snuggles, I still mourn her. Seeing a dog skeleton like that really bothers me.
I correspond (email) with a college friend, and over the years, both of us have noticed that instead of cute little costumes (princesses, fairies, Snoopy, pirates, Spider Man, Winnie the Pooh, etc.), a lot of Halloween has gone over to the dark side. My friend noticed her fourth-grade girls were dressing in sexually provocative costumes -- fourth grade! -- and lots and lots of bloody, gory stuff and/or demonic themes abounded. Whatever happened to "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" ?
Years ago, our neighborhood was plagued by Trick-or-Treaters from the "wrong side of the tracks" who were very scary, as in gang-member/crime-scary. There would be cars that drove onto our block and stopped, opened the doors, and dozens upon dozens of kids came bailing out. (Usually at 9 p.m when the nearby mall's Trick or Treat event closed.) It was almost like the clown car in the circus, there were so many people in each vehicle; I always wondered how they all fit in there. They would DEMAND candy -- and LOTS of it -- and acted in a threatening manner. They'd come back around several times. Many were MUCH too old to be considered children by any stretch of the imagination.
Once some deep-voiced, unshaven six-footers shoved me back and stepped over the threshold of my door, shouting "That's not enough!" -- so I handed them the whole bucket. (Luckily, once I did, they left. I thought I was about to be assaulted.) After that, I quit handing out candy at home altogether. (I live alone in a house, not a duplex or apartment, so this was definitely too dangerous!)
These days, I block off my porch with a sign telling people to go to the church's Trunk or Treat event. I can hand out candy there, where there are other people around, so I feel safe.
My elderly neighbor figured out what to do: she'd hand out religious tracts instead of candy. She said after a few years of this, those folks avoided her door. They all thought she was a nut case.
@Fru-gal Lisa, that's hilarious! Love it.
@Fru-gal Lisa, so sorry about the dog skeleton. Halloween was always my father's birthday and we were out. plus i wasn't allowed to trick or treat because we are jewish. now i love giving out candy. it is so fun. the kids are so appreciative. am glad you got another dog. i live in an apt in nyc and my neighbors wait until they are ready to get a new dog when they lose one. but when they do it is great joy all around.
@Sophie in Denmark, Here we celebrate the Day of the Tread. On bicycles.
@Janie H, You're exactly right!!
@Sophie in Denmark, My daughter and family moved to Denmark in June and will be celebrating with the kids dressing up and later going to Tivoli which, I am told, will be decorated for Halloween. Here in New England I'll be honoring the Day of the Dead, which is also called All Souls Day. Btw, I visited them this summer and loved their adopted country. I can see why you stay!
@Alice C, We call it All Souls in England too! No one really does anything for it though. I went to Tivoli around Halloween time a few years ago and it was pretty impressive!
I am sorry. When you enjoy something, it is much easier to work hard.
When autumn arrives, the dark mornings make it so much harder to get up, and I am ready for bed much earlier. My body thinks that it is time to hibernate. Every year my productivity decreases proportionally with the number of daylight hours. Eventually, I adjust, but in the short run it's hard.
My biggest complaint is poor customer service. It is the norm now, and AI makes it worse. I absolutely despise those voice activated systems that won't allow you to speak with a representative until you tell them what's wrong " in just a few words." Generally, when I pick up the phone to contact customer service, I have a complex problem and I'm unable to find the information myself.
For example, last week I paid for a medical bill using my HSA card. Because of some glitch in the system, it authorized the same payment three times and a total of $1500 was charged. I called the provider, and I was told that only one authorized charge was completed on my account for just $500. I also was given the receipt when I left the providers officeshowing that only $500 was charged.
When I called the HSA company, I was met with this voice activated system. I tried various combination of words such as "inaccurate card authorization," "duplicate transactions," and "unauthorized charges." The AI system would then read out my last 10 transactions and hang up. Eventually, I got through this maze, and I was told it would be corrected in two days. It was not.
Fast-forward one week and the money has not been returned to my account. Yesterday, I tried again. After making it through the maze again, the customer service representative told me it should be returned "soon." I asked her exactly how long soon was. She was unable to tell me. I asked to speak to a supervisor. I held for nearly an hour when the CSR came online to tell me that a supervisor was not available. Follow-up is on my list again today.
I wish I could say this was the only incident of bad customer service that I experience this week,but it was not. Mistakes happen, but fixing them should not require hours of your time.
No wonder people are so cranky!
@Bee, As someone who worked jobs with built-in customer service components early on, I agree and sympathize with you COMPLETELY! I think it is doubly hard for us Boomers who were raised with certain expctations about common decency, fairness, justice,etc. who are working with a younger generation whose outlook and priorities are so different. WHY DO MOST AMERICAN COMPANIES FORCE US TO DEAL WITH A CALL CENTER IN ASIA!?!?!?!? (please insert any swear word of your choice for me)
@Bee, someone told me to just keep saying consumer service over and over again when you are in the automated voice system. I have tried it and it does seem to speed up getting a real person on the phone.
I always try just saying, "Representative" or "operator" right off the bat, and sometimes it works! I also hate those long menus.
@Kristen,
Shouting "real person" in exasperation also seems to help.
Hahahaha, yes.
@Bee, you are way more patient & polite than I would have been after being on hold for an hour only to be told supervisor not available & try again tomorrow. That's unacceptable! My Dad went straight to the top after a similar situation. I hope your problem is fixed today.
@Bee,
Is there a state agency regulating health care providers and HSA insurance people? If, so I would write a letter to them and enclose photocopies of all the overcharges. A lot of these big companies put you through lots of hassles, trying to get you to give up and go away. Don't do it! Turn them into the government and file a formal complaint.
If that doesn't work, remember that November is Ratings Sweeps time and your local TV stations want good juicy scandalous news stories to get people to tune in. (This helps their Nielson ratings so they can charge their advertisers more $$.) Maybe the investigative reporters would like to feature how Big Pharma or the insurance companies are ripping off patients.
@AZ Lynn,
I believe if you say "I want an ONSHORE customer service person," they are legally obligated to get you someone in the USA. They really hate it and will try to talk you out of it -- but usually they'll do it. I also say (in my heaviest Texas drawl), "I can barely make out a word you're saying, honey, so get me to an American whose accent I can understand." All calls are recorded and the higher-ups will hear this.
@Bee, This may or may not be of use to you, I do not know if Canadian call systems are different from yours? When the system says "press 1 for ..., press 2 for ....", what they do not say is "press 0 for an operator": I find that in some cases (not all), if I press "0" it will take me to a live agent.
@Elizabeth, I have also yelled real person. So funny.
@Linda in Canada,
The trend is to use a voice activated system or my absolute favorite (NOT) a text bot.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
I never give up. I had a health insurance company deny my claim once many years ago. I fought them for 4 years. I eventually received a check plus interest.
I don't believe that the problem is with the provider. It is with the HSA administrator. If needed, I can file a complaint through Florida's Department of Financial Services. Hopefully, it won't come to that.
@Regina, Your dad must have powers that most of us don't have. It is almost impossible to get a supervisor let alone a person at the top. They are completely isolated and protected, their names not listed where the general public can access them. When I start asking for a supervisor more often than not, they just hang up on me. They're in Asia, we can't hold them accountable.
@Fru-gal Lisa, Thank you! Sending big thank you hugs. I lived in Mayland for almost 20 years. I can still pull out a southern accent if I need to. Of course, not as big as Texas, but serviceable. lol
@AZ Lynn, multiple #$&+@$&. Lol ?
Oh boy I would love a complaint Wednesday as a regular thing...
We got a new puppy and she gets up at 5:38 am. With the time change it will be 4:38 and I am dreading that. But she is a really good puppy!
After years of not having hot flashes the evil beasts have returned. At least it is cold out so I can walk out on my deck to cool off. Ugh!
@Mar,
Two words about the hot flashes: soy milk.
Worked for me.
@Mar, good luck with you new puppy. she will grow up all too soon. buddy as a pup was difficult but we love him so much.
@Fru-gal Lisa, thanks I will try that!
@Fru-gal Lisa, I can attest to that. When i was still able to eat soy, it worked wonders! Now I sleep with a fan on next to me 😀
You know, people always say, “I can’t complain,” when you ask how they are doing. That makes me crazy. Sure you can! Go on ahead and complain! I’m here to listen.
This is also not the pain olympics, so you don’t have to have the worst problems ever before you get to share them.
This class sounds awful and I agree that informatics is incredibly dry. I can see how a general understanding of it would be useful for all nurses though, and really, for all people. It’s important to see how information can be manipulated and presented to fit someone’s agenda.
@Tarynkay, Well, gee, you are definitely one of a kind! I frequently say, "I can't complain because nobody cares anyway." Which in my experience is true since everyone has their own problems and the vast majority of people do not want to hear yours. Bless you for being that caring listener. I believe you may be a unicorn. 😉
Hahah, yes, I always COULD complain. 😉
@Kristen, I usually ask if someone wants to vent or if they want advice. Because it can be really frustrating if you just want to get something off your chest and the other person is in problem fixing mode. On the other hand, if you're feeling stuck, advice is what's needed!
I think I would have no patience for that class-- mostly because your interpretation makes sense to me. Did your instructor give any other feedback as to why your explanation was not okay? But also-- dry.
My complaints--I hate the college admissions process right now. Especially as a homeschooler who has a chip on her shoulder about folks who make you do more to prove that you ACTUALLY educate your children. I know why it's like that, but I resent it especially because there are students who graduate from public and private schools who don't have basic math and reading skills (even without being identified with special needs) and they don't have to prove anything about their school. And I will grit my teeth and do whatever is necessary because I want my child to be able to achieve his goals.
Also. We moved everything out of our kitchen for the renovation that was supposed to start a month ago. It has not started. I have not moved the entire kitchen back because it's a lot of stuff, and it could happen any day now.
And I miss my boys who are doing just fine half way across the country at college.
And I'm tired of doing my face exercises. I don't want to drive down to/near the big city for therapy today. And I don't want all of this to be part of my life. But it all helps, so I shall continue my mantra, "I GET to do face therapy," instead of "I HAVE to do face therapy."
I cannot do this regularly. But maybe it'll get it out of my system today? We'll see how the day plays out.
She did write me back, but I am still just as confused as before. Ha.
@Jody S., I am WITH YOU on the admissions situation when it comes to homeschoolers. My oldest was passed over for ROTC scholarships mostly because he did not participate in group sports. We always told our kids they could, if they wanted to, but none of them like the idea of group sports, and I don't blame them. He did Civil Air Patrol instead, but they said that wasn't the same, even though there was a lot of physical training and group teamwork...sigh.
I am very lucky in that I did not have to ever navigate this; my kids all went straight to the community college, and once you have a two year degree there, you are a transfer student, and at that point, a four year school really only cares about the college transcript, not the high school stuff.
This was the case for me too, actually! I got my two year degree at the community college, and now I'm transferred into a four year school. They asked me NOTHING about high school during the application process, thankfully.
@Karen A., my older child when was in elementary school was told in 3rd grade that it was required to participate in sports after school. We chose bowling, only after fighting it saying that's not legal with school but next year changed schools. Extra curricular activities are fine, but should not be defined as requirement in education/scholarships.
I work in Healthcare IT so completely understand the clinical folks that do not like the data part of healthcare. I love that you used complainy-pants, it's one of my favorite terms.
Yes, exactly. The way I feel about data analysis is the same way lots of other people feel about changing a wound dressing. 😉 Me, though? I'd WAY rather change a wound dressing than do data analysis!
@Kristen, I would rather do data analysis! I get very grossed out so medical stuff is a non-starter anyway, but in school I always preferred work which I could just do quietly by myself.
On venting irritation:
A few weeks ago I was fuming with anger when a contractor cleaning out the ditch in front of our house (a waterway not owned by/responsibility of the council, but the province) yanked out five yellow irises, despite the fact that they were on the bank and not in the water. I had had a discussion with the person doing the work, who told me his orders (everything in the water must be pulled out). So I went to sleep feeling I had saved the plants, as they were by the water and not in it. Only to find they were gone the next day. I know yellow irises are no longer protected in our area, even though they are still very few in number. But still, I felt bad all day.
Sounds truly awful Waaay too many assignments for ONE CLASS . I also abhorred GROUP projects..I had to write several GROUP EFFORT papers in my NP program and I will tell you,I was embarrassed at the quality of the paper we turned in.I would have written it very differently on my own.. but we got a good grade. Ugh.
Also, in my community college nursing program in Iowa, they must have run out of clinical places to put some of us one semester, and I ended up doing a 6 week rotation in the large PRISON in town.Whoaaa..I am Reaaaaaly not cut out to be a “prison nurse” and was very intimidate by my surroundings. Yes, that population certainly deserves to receive health care, BUT NOT BY ME!!
Sooo.. . hopefully this class of yours will be over soon!!!
Other stuff I really wanna complain about: I have at least 6 friends/acquaintances who are NOT going to be able to afford their health insurance and will be going without. And, on my local Buy Nothing group there are a handful of single Moms asking for food donation.
Will leave it at all that.
Doing what I can to help, in my community.
Oh wow, a prison rotation! That's an intense kind of clinical to have.
@Madeline,
I'm with you about the food thing. It is disgraceful -- no, sinful! -- that our country can pay its wealthy elected officials and pay to build a ballroom or do other blatantly unnecessary things, but won't pay for families, elderly and disabled people to get their SNAP (food stamp) benefits. I feel the same way about burning food intended for USAID overseas. Sorry if this is too political; I feel it is immoral.
@Fru-gal Lisa, I'm with you and @Madeline 100% about the food issue. I urge all of us here who can afford to do so to (1) donate to our local food banks, and (2) donate acceptable foods (shelf-stable, within sell-by dates, and things people will actually eat) to our local food pantries. I'm about to do both.
@Madeline, When I was still a fresh faced young girl I ended up working at a maximum security men's section of a prison because I needed a job that would work around my grad school schedule. Every three months I had to sign a paper saying that I understood that if I were taken as a hostage by the inmates in a riot, the state would not bargain for my release. I think it was so families could not sue if we were killed.
@Lindsey, wow.
@A. Marie, after several times doing “day of caring” activities (sorting /organizing) at food banks or for charities who feed those in need, I advocate that making CASH donations are a more effective way you can help than donating many box or canned goods.
With cash, those organizations can purchase items, often at cheaper prices, and focus on what is really needed or practical for the population they serve. They can get more healthy items and protein instead of the carb heavy items (cake mixes, puddings, sweet stuff) many people donate
@Madeline, I loved prison nursing. I retired from it after 25 years. I saw things others would never believe.
@Fru-gal Lisa, My way of helping is to just do what I can in my local town.Many food banks need volunteers and we send money monthly to St. Mary's Food Bank!
@Lindsey, OMG!! Yes, everyone is cut out for something.I ended up becoming a Labor and Delivery nurse: The HAPPY NURSING (mostly.) So you can imagine how ill suited I was for a prison clinic. I absolutely shook in my boots when they let us in at 5 AM and those big metal doors clanged shut behind me. You are a brave woman to have worked there!!
@TruDee, Oh Dee, thank goodness for folks like you! Those people need health care too! Just not from me! But if you have the fortitude,I am sure you were very appreciated!!!!!
While getting my BS in education I loved every class. I felt challenged and loved investigating the subject. Except for 2, the first was a Socialogy cass and I didn't like the Prof. It was dry and boring. I struggled and avoided going into his office for office hours. Everyone that sat near me had given up way before I did and went in to talk to him. Sometime after midterm I fianlly decided that I was NOT getting a D. I went in to talk to him and I started to like the subject and begrudingly started to like him. He was an interesting character. I got an A.
The second was just boring, boring boring. I always find things I am not interested in to be boring. Plus this one was an online class and I had no interaction with other students or the teacher. Yes there were mesage boards and we answered questions on them. We also did the roundtable where you have to say something unique. MY last name is in the last part of the alphabet and go close to last. The instructor seemed to be unnessesarily hard on me. It makes me sad just thinking about it. I got a B.
Now for what these classes taught me about me. I can do hard boring things. IT takes extra time, but it will not go on forever. I can survive anything for 16 weeks. I have used this phrase for years.
Just keep moving.
Yes, I'm trying to remind myself of that: if I just keep on plodding along the path, I will get it all done.
Kristen - I'm sorry to hear about the frustrations with this class. Hang in there.
I have worked at the same company for 22 years and for most of that time, I have loved, or at least liked, my job. Unlike Kristen, doing data analysis is my jam. But this last year, the projects I have worked on have not aligned with my skill set and I'm frustrated every single day. I'm finding it hard to come to work with a positive attitude.
Ugh, that's frustrating. Is this class over in December?
This is how I felt about my managerial and cost accounting class. I learned quickly that field is NOT my destiny. The whole thing was frustrating and the professor, while a nice person, wasn't that great at conveying accounting concepts (in my opinion). I was happy to finish that class!
Yes, I just have to hang in there until December!
Kristen, that sounds very frustrating that you have to spend so much energy and time seeking out the information you need in the first place for your assignments. My kids have had Blackboard too and a multitude of other learning/parent connect platforms, and I've never really gotten the hang of why they keep changing the systems.
My current complaining is related to work uncertainty. I have worked in my company for three years, and for two years there have been several rounds of layoffs, cuts and uncertainty. Much of it is due to factors beyond our control, but it's very frustrating and stressful to be facing yet another year of cuts and likely losing my job after my current project at the end of next year ;(
For anyone going thru higher education, you have my sympathies. I can't even get past 1 class, let alone the classes you are taking. My hats off to all of you who want to get those degrees. I was never pushed in school or by my parents, so I have no desire to learn something unless it's a crafty-type class. That brings me enjoyment.
And I will complain again, about the lack of joy in my work. I just sit here all day long and read the on line news, which is very depressing. My lead has no faith in me. My manager and the directors of the team won't let me move back to my old team. There is not enough work to support the amount of people on this team and plenty of work on the other team, yet I can't move so that I have plenty of work to do.
However, I'll change it to the positive as my lead just announced that she will be leave from Thanksgiving to Christmas!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!
@Maureen, crummy supervisors can make life a living hell. i hope your work life improves soon. instead of the watching the news do some puzzles, maybe. i nver watch the news. too depressing.
Oh, I know the feeling of not enjoying a class. I took chemistry last year, mostly to get it out of the way (it's one of the electives we can take for the program), but also, I think, to redeem my past horribleness in the subject. I took it in high school and college and got a C both times. I thought it was like math, and I thought I was bad at math, so I had a mental block.
This time I said to myself, "This is all understandable, if it wasn't, nobody would specialize in it," and just dug in. It helped that a lot of it was online so I could get DH, who loves chemistry, to help me out with the equations. And I got an A. Did I love it? No. But I like getting good grades. ;P
I am feeling particularly whiny and down on myself today, so this post is perfect. I really slacked on getting my youngest, who is using College Credit Plus, on board with the E-Learn platform. Because I slacked on that, we did not get into the section for Interpersonal Communication with the really well-rated professor, instead a middling professor. I am still haunting the registration website to see if another section gets a good professor (tangential whine: WHY do they not have the professors for ALL sections listed when registration opens? WHY?), but we will have to muddle through. I'm envious that two of my classmates got into the section with the highly rated professor, too. Whine. But I have only myself to blame! And I hope my kiddo doesn't suffer because of me. All I can do is help him in the class--we're taking the same subject, so hopefully that will help. I am not going to LIKE this class, but I can get through it.
This government shutdown is exhausting. DH watches the news avidly, to see if the Senate and House are ever going to agree on anything, and we don't know from week to week whether he'll go back to work or get paid (the two are not necessarily linked, due to the politics of it all, ARGH). He's getting worn out from the emotional strain of it, and I just have to put faith in God that we will be okay in the end.
My nurse aide training course starts next week and I'm scared, mostly because it's going to be very intense--just four weeks, eight full-day classes, with two clinical days at the end of it, and ALSO because during that timeframe I will have two A&P lecture exams and one lab exam. On one hand, if DH doesn't go back to work in November, that would be helpful from a homeschooling and logistics standpoint, BUT if he doesn't, there's the stress and money thing. ARGH.
And to top it all off, Clark decided to leave the thoughtful gift of a hairball on my comforter in the middle of the night. Either he just feels super comfy when he does it there, or it's a criticism from him.
AGREED on the chemistry. I got through it with an A too, but there was no joy involved.
I hoep your DH can go back to work soon. <3
@Kristen, The only good thing about Chem was that I took it before my A&P classes, so now we are studying acid and base balance in the body, which is all chemistry and so I have some familiarity with it.
Okay, so venting about the class really did help, I suddenly had a brainwave to call the department in charge of the class and politely ask when the other sections would have professors' names assigned. The SWEETEST administrative assistant EVER said, "Oh, we're still scheduling, is there a professor you're interested in?" And I told her the name, and she said, "Oh, yeah, she's great! I can email you as soon as I assign her to a section!" and I said YES and an hour later I got a nice email, and got my son and I both in the section with the professor his older brother has this semester. WOO HOO.
Lesson learned (and my new life motto): It never hurts to ask. The worst the assistant could have said was "No, I can't tell you that," and I'd be still haunting the registration site, but she did help me, and I'm very happy about that.
@Karen A., I kinda know the answer to "why aren't the professors listed" question. They don't have the professor's (or adjunct professors) schedule yet. They can have a class listed, but are still working out the logistics about who is going to teach the sections. But, the schedule must be posted for registration before that happens.
@Karen A., Usually, and since I don't know what state you are in, the nurse aide training is common sense and especially if you are a Mom. Thank you for choosing this direction as good nurse aides are priceless!
@Angel, Yep, I figured that--I can be logical when I'm not grumpy!-- so when I called I just asked when the professors would be listed, rather than be completely whiny 😉 and I got the nice response and help that was awesome.
@Chrissy, I have gotten conflicting stories about this class, one very sweet young lady told me it was easy and I'd do fine, another friend of mine says there's SO much reading (I'm already reading the textbook ahead of time) and that four weeks is REALLY short, so...I think one's mileage varies, so to speak. But yes, a lot of it is common sense, and my DS#2, who is taking it with me, says that a lot of the responses are "go get the nurse". LOL
You don’t automatically qualify for a CNA license at the end of first semester? In my state, at least, you do. So I took no CNA classes.
Kristen, in my program we are required to take the Nurse aide training course before starting the limited enrollment clinical nursing classes. So it's part of the curriculum.
Ohhh interesting!
Bitch away! It's rough when something is so antithetical to one's preferences but also necessary to one's goals.
I tend to bitch about the small things (newspaper charges me too much for my subscription for the umpteenth year in a row) and take the big ones in stride (major-sounding surgery). I think that sometimes I sound like a lunatic.
Right now that which is making me bitch isn't relatively inconsequential - insurance company is reimbursing me thousands less than it should this year, thanks to some possibly-illegal accounting - so I shan't bitch about it here.
Oh, I know! My black dog gets underfoot all the time, including at night when I want to walk around without turning on the lights. Pain in the butt he is.
Sometimes I think Chiquita is TRYING to get stepped on. lol
@Kristen, I know Clark does, because he's learned he gets a sympathy treat when he's accidentally stepped on!
@Kristen, My cat liked sleeping in the middle of the stairs! I nearly went flying once (and it's miracle that it was only once)!
@WilliamB, The black critters at night issue is real! Mine is the sweetest black cat. Don't turn on lights because trying to not wake all the way up so I can get back to sleep. Problem is I have osteoporosis and really cannot fall. Solution has been a small flashlight just bright enough that I don't step on or fall over Bella. She thinks it is her duty to escort me into wherever I am going.
Which leads me to another nonsensical whine. Why can't we take our bladders out at night like you can with dentures? lol
@AZ Lynn, re: bladders: If only we could!!
Oof, that class sounds torturous and also an unnecessary amount of work! Make-work projects are so bothersome.
My complaints: thank goodness it's my last week, but I am SO OVER my current rotation in residency. I'm exhausted--this is a rotation that attending physicians do for two weeks at a time, and they have residents do it for two months with basically no breaks. I'm also realizing that I don't want to work at this hospital. Some of the people are great, but there are a lot of culture issues here and it's not for me. It's hard to put into words, but it feels like an environment where people demand things from each other instead of having conversations. As the person who's expected to agree to every demand, I'm feeling pretty done.
@Meira (meirathebear.wordpress.com), Good for you. Glad you found out about the hospital culture before being commited.
I'm with mbmom11 - could you ask, or would it be better to let sleeping dogs lie? I have asked before, and ended up with more credit for the answer, because the teacher didn't realize I came at it from a different angle, or something similar. One time even other students got involved and pointed out that I should get credit (this was in person class, obviously).
I'm going to complain that my car made a funny noise, like flapping, after I braked going downhill, after topping that hill and seeing a really ugly, messy dead animal in the road. I just had my oil changed, and I'm wondering if something got left loose. I got out and checked my tires, looked under the hood, but didn't notice anything. The sound stopped when I braked going uphill about 15 miles further. I will probably have to go back to the shop, sigh.
I took math all the way through high school and for three of my four years of college, and hated it all the way because it rarely interested me. And this is true - except for the most basic algebra and standard arithmetic, I've never needed it again.
@JD, I quit taking math classes after I hit pre-calculus and was no longer able to rely on verbal memory alone to get me through. And I wasn't the only one in my high school "senior math" class floundering. I had the highest average in the class at 81, which would only have been a respectable C if Mr. Phillips (bless him) hadn't curved the grades.
Oof, I would not enjoy that class either.
My complainypants vent is that I have a very different working style than my boss's boss. And, he makes comments without specific input or guidance, just kind of... snark. How is that useful? If you have actual feedback, please provide it & I'm open to whatever. I also think he & I disagree pretty fundamentally on how to give junior team members feedback. He's more of a public scolding person & I 100% do not do that or appreciate that type of "leadership". Most of my peers are terrified of this guy & avoid him whenever possible. I've had a lot of leaders over my (not to date myself, but) LONG career. I'm not so much offended as just wanting to say, that's not how you lead a team. Trust me when I say that wouldn't be welcomed feedback in this instance. Okay, vent over.
I'm a voracious reader, and yet in 11th grade I picked Robinson Crusoe from a list for a book report, kind of without any thought, under the assumption that it would be just another thing to read — and it was pure misery. I can make myself do many things, but finishing that book was not one of them. It became a lesson to remember, for sure.
My whinges are: I hate perimenopause hormone effects on my brain; and I hate the increasing cold and darkness of this time of year.
@Karen., one thing that you will never hear me complain about is the word “whinges.” I love it to the depths of my soul
@Diane, awesome. It is a very perfectly descriptive word.
First, how frustrating about that class. I definitely would want clarification on how you misread the data or otherwise didn't do the assignment properly.
For my complainy-pants vent I'm so tired! My tired is even tired I'm so tired. Part of it is just the whole weather/lighting of this time of year. Part of it is the busyness that is the last three months of every year (lots of October, November, and December birthdays in my family plus Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus deer hunting which has gone from two weeks in November (firearm season) decades ago to October first (bow season opener) through now the middle of January (extended season for antlerless whitetail) if you have a bow and a gun and wish to hunt both bucks and does.
And the most directly tiring part is my husband's snoring that interrupts my sleep at least once every night, some nights waking me up so many times that I give up and just move to a different room to sleep. Which entails not just getting out of bed and carrying my pillow somewhere else in the house but then being awake until my body heat warms up the new sleeping surface (bed, couch, etc) enough that I can return to sleep. This snoring has been a recurring point of contention for years but in my husband's mind it's not an issue because he 'doesn't snore, at least not that bad' and he won't consider having a sleep study or look into a CPAP. ??
@Kris S,
We had the same, and when I went through menopause and slept lighter than usual, this became a real pain. I bought custom made ear plugs, and never regretted. * You can clean them well and use them for years. I now use them during travel and in hotels, and when there are fireworks.
*Thankfully my husband lost considerable weight since then and that considerably reduces the snoring.
Wishing you peaceful and restorative sleep!
@JNL, tell me about the custom made ear plugs! I've tried off the shelf ones and hated them, maybe I'd have better luck with some made just for my ears (ears that don't find ear buds comfy either/can't keep them from falling out)
Yes, if he'd lose 100 pounds --literally--that would help a lot.
@Kris S, my husband and I were keeping each other up for various reasons (snoring, moving, different sleep schedules, insomnia, hot flashes, you name it) and we realized that sleeping in separate bedrooms was the only answer. We both love it and should have done it sooner. Luckily we had an extra bedroom for this.
One of my parenting groups has Shouty Thursday where you can unload what is weighing you down to people who care. It’s very cathartic and helps you feel a little less alone. Having a safe space to say “I’m unhappy about (blank)” is much more healthy than just holding it all in.
I have three frustrations right now:
• Today is my son’s 15th birthday and he will be staying with his dad tonight because of our custody calendar. He SHOULD spend time with his dad and spending a birthday with his dad is very special. I’m just annoyed that I do 85% of the parenting (factual) but he gets this special day. Does my son know I’m annoyed? Absolutely not! But my husband and friends know and they have been understanding.
• My dogs have been sick with kennel cough for a month. I vaccinate them but our puppy who goes to daycare still got sick and shared with our older dog. The vet bills have been ridiculous. My husband is mad at the daycare and the vet and I have this need to defend them both even though I’m mad too. I know dogs can get sick even if they are vaccinated but seeing them sick is tearing my heart out.
• My own cough is frustrating me. No other cold-type symptoms, just a cough.
I don't think you will ever love this aspect of your studies, unfortunately, so all we can hope for is that it passes swiftly, never to be seen or heard from again, ever.
One thing. Have you gone back on the whole ''misunderstanding the graph'' thing? It seems that better and more sensible feedback would have been helpful and it may be that you can push for a better mark. One must of course take constructive criticism in life, but this doesn't feel constructive, like, how... did you get it wrong?
Anyway. It is what it is and IT WILL PASS.
I did email her to ask for clarification, but the response was sort of cryptic and I'm still confused! lol
Oh girl, I'm so sorry. I have been through a lot of school and it was never my thing. Just a means to an end. Sometimes it's just hoop jumping for no real reason. No other way to say it. Not all of it, but definitely some of it. Can you give yourself a reward for completing each assignment? This too shall end.
Ooh, that is a good idea. Maybe I need a little treat. 🙂
I loved so much of my RN nursing school; it felt like purposeful, useful learning. This is not feeling quite so useful, at least not for the nursing direction I want to go.
@Kelly, I second the reward idea! Having something wonderful to look forward to after each awful assignment would definitely help.
@Kristen, at this time you’re focused on developing your immediate skills to function independently so this class doesn’t have meaning yet. The course may not have been best offered to the first semester students especially new grads. Because you enjoy finding solutions to problems this class will help you when you have to find evidence based practices guidelines and need to be able to interpret which studies are most scientifically accurate.
This is not political as I say it. We’re poised not to be paid next month. Zero idea how we’ll function. 6 month emergency fund wiped out over past two years. Roof. Fridge. Broken windows. Oven died. (25 year old house). I was relieved to see a complaining post from you. Can you elevate it to Dean? If you cited references they use in public health decision making, it should count. Class ends before Thanksgiving?
Oh, I am so sorry for your troubles, and I hope so much that this situation gets resolved for you and everyone else.
My grade was not a huge markdown, so this is more of an annoyance than something I want to escalate. I have too many other projects to do this coming weeks!
Wondering if it is a person grading your work or AI. Sometimes with AI no matter how you answer, if you do not have the exact wording it wants, you will be marked down.
@Jennifer G, What? AI grades class work? I guess living outside of those areas that doesn't make sense to me. Glad teen college instructor still grades self by hand/with feedback.
@Regina, this happened to my grandson who is in High School in a small town. His mother contacted the teacher who informed her he didn't have time to grade everything. Guessing AI grading is going to get more common.
This is one of the many reasons why I will not be leaving EMS for nursing. And also, (having observed many friends go through nursing school) this specific way of teaching this topic is why so many RNs fall for misinformation. This information is actually VITAL to be a good RN, but it's presented in such a way that students HATE it and don't absorb it well, so they go on to be duped by "studies" that haven't been properly done.
My complaint of the day is that I'm trapped in a room with a coworker who is watching the TV very loudly. The current show is fine, but I know a certain 24 hour "news" station is inevitable. I will not be picking up shifts with him anymore. (Also, God bless earbuds and white noise apps)
I sometimes experience this in patient rooms, but luckily I don't have to stay in one room for 24 hours!
@Sarah, How is he allowed to watch news at work? At the very least, HE should be the one wearing headphones or earbuds to listen to his news if he absolutely needs to.
There are three things that help me when faced with something like this. Note that I find that getting it out and dumping it is a great jumping off point as well.
1. I look for the gift in the challenge. There is always a gift if I take the time to look for it.
2. This too shall pass. Nothing lasts forever.
3. If it is the next right thing to do, I don't have to like it. I just have to do it.
The class I hated while I was going to school after working all day: Monday nights, 6-10 pm, Managerial Accounting. Bored me to death. The longest semester of my life.
I have something else to complain about! I live alone and am also single, so when things go to hell (which it has personally and globally, it seems) I don't have anyone to vent to when I go home or anyone to help. I'm the one who has to fix the rent problem, I'm the one who has to navigate the work problem, I'm the one who has to call the phone company and still do all the housework and cook dinner!
I like living alone and I know this would be 500x more stressful if I also had to look after kids, but I hate that I can't go home and just vent and have someone else cook dinner for me!
You know what is relatedly awful? Being not-single but also still being the person that has to do everything!
(Ask me how I know.)
@Sophie in Denmark, I often feel this way as well. I'm ashamed to think back on how much dealing with real life DH did for me, back when he was alive and fully functional. Now, as you say, it's all on me. (This is one of about 287 ways I miss him, but it's not insignificant.)
@Kristen, That sucks!
@A. Marie, I'm sorry about your DH. The dates I've gone on lately are a whole other complaint!
@Kristen, Agreed Completely.
@Sophie in Denmark,
I am single, too and hear you. I am reminded that years ago, my then best married friend asked me to help her wash windows. I politely said no, but in the back of my mind I was thinking (she had no children at the time) You have a husband. You do not work outside of the home. I am a single person, work full time, do my own household chores, etc.,etc.. AND You want me to help wash windows in my "spare" time?
@Chrissy, I think Lorelai Gilore says it best when she says 'I'm happy, you know? I like my life, I like my friends, I like my... stuff. My time, my space, my TV. But every now and then, just for a moment I wish I had a partner, someone to pick up the slack, someone to wait for the cable guy, make ME coffee in the morning.'
@Sophie in Denmark, *Gilmore!
I have a BS on mathematics (which I used to teach K-12 math in public schools) and I HATED my statistics class. I did not get an A in that class as I would do almost anything to avoid the work.
Today I am crabby that it is taking what I think is a ridiculous amount of time to fully recover from rotator cuff surgery.
On the other hand, we are having a lovely, cool, sunny day in Iowa. Maybe I will just spend the day outside on the deck with my dogs.
On line classes are a little different . The group projects are generally not very fun. The formats are a little much at times. Once you finish a hard or weird class successfully your
confidence increases. My degree process was Heath and Hospital Administration. It is ok complain away! You, kind of have to get it off your chest.
Oh my. When I went back to college for an IT degree after doing LPN nursing for 10 years, I used that medical knowledge and new IT knowledge for a new career. I LOVED the infomatics and data analysis. Still love it. Retired now from work but still read medical research papers on any topic that crops up. Bedside nursing was ok, but exhausting to me. Give me the data and computers please! To each his own I guess.
I am SO GLAD there are people like you who prefer data! I would rather change a stage three pressure ulcer dressing. Ha.
I don't know if this will help or not, Kristen, but when I went through Alternative Teacher Certification classes in person (at the community college), it was fairly straightforward. But then I met some people taking the same courses online (different programs, not the college's) and they all told me there was lots and lots of busy work involved in their classes. I think it may be because you're not there in person and the instructors aren't sure if you're really working or not. So they give you tons of stuff you have to finish, whereas in-person instructors can see us working. We had lots of in-class assignments that we presented in person, and it wasn't so tedious. (With the advent of AI, the online instructors probably really have to double down to ensure people aren't cheating by using those programs.)
How to solve this? I haven't a clue. (Sorry.) But I feel for you. It must be esp. frustrating since you are working a challenging full-time job in addition to your coursework. Will be praying for you!
Yes, I think that's probably some of it; the all-online format. I prefer in-person!
@Kristen, teen prefers in person also, but unfortunately more than half classes online only. I think that some online classes just don't make sense because of lack of ability to correspond & additional information/explanations are necessary. Your class sounds like it needs that.
Ugh to boring irrelevant classes full of busy work. Although I love to learn things, I despised school for that boring busy work, so much wasted time trying to pass classes, knowing full well I’d forget all the information immediately after the test.
Three good things about now:
1. You aren’t in the middle of a divorce.
2. You aren’t dirt-poor anymore.
3. The class will end!
Did you request to speak to your instructor or argue your reasoning for higher/better grade? Our is this class instructor not allow? That's a lot of assignments in short time & detailed also. Hoping that there will be NO final/class project/test with all the work doing in class already. Your instructor does realize that the students/nurses all work on the job also?? God help any of your classmates with young kids still at home also.
The good thing is that at least you are getting this class done right away & then it will be done.
I had my oil changed this morning (it's computerized so I can't do myself) & I'm grateful they worked me in (had a cancellation) but they spilled oil on my manifold so now it smells like something burning. 🙁 They wiped it, which you can see but I have/had a really clean/taken care of engine. It annoys me that they didn't tell me & when I got in my vehicle I could immediately smell something burning (which was not that way before).
Now I get to stress every time I drive my vehicle about is it the spilled oil burning or something else? And until that burn smell goes away I would not be able to figure out where if something else was wrong. 🙁
And I took the mechanic fresh banana bread I made last night (teen wanted some) as a Thank you.
@Regina, teen college said We have to pay out of district fees & pay $30 processing fee if pay before due date, $75 if make payments. Almost $300 for suposedly free tuition. College said would be the same for each semester.
I'm sharing Free State College 2 year degree gaurantee actual details with any Senior families so they are not blindsided with fees they will be billed for unless go to college in same county (which is less than 5% in state). It would not be bad if there was complete TRANSPARENCY in exact step by step details. Luckily We had money to pay where other families are in for an unexpected surprise.
I have a friend who loves informatics, it's her jam. I wish your hospital had a research dept. I too, groaned to the dry qualities of analytical assessments. Just keep in mind that in a few more years that subject will be null. My research nurse Friend who works along side 2 infectious diseases research docs is warning A.I. is shining bright on the horizon. She is enrolled in classes to keep relevant. I think you need to reach out to the class administrator.
Group projects are the reason people day drink. Just saying.
I totally understand your point. When I was finishing up my AA in Early Childhood Education, we were required to take a class called Child Care Administration, which is class that teaches how to be a director or administrator of a childcare center. Not at all what I want to do and it baffled me why we would be required to take this class. One of the assignments was to essentially craft a business plan, to launch to imaginary people, on a childcare facility you would want to open, and have actual factual numbers based on community centers. I had to look at county demographics as well as county requirements for building new construction, among other things. To make matters worse, there wasn’t guidance on how to find this information. It was so dumb lol. I cried numerous times during that class. I hated it with a passion.
My main complaint is that I’m having a struggle finding a job. It’s a long story but I’ve been applying to be an instructional assistant within my county and haven’t had any luck getting hired, despite being qualified (and my main impetus in achieving my AA in the first place). I’m trying to focus on the good side which is I’m able to sell random things around my house (like books!) and just generally do a purge that has been procrastinated on.
I hope your class gets better. Worst case, just think that you’ll never have to take it again!!
I'm gripey about microwaves right now. Ours broke and we want to eventually replace all our appliances with a specific brand so I was ready with the model and attempted to order it. Backordered until end of December. Booo...but I tell the lady to go ahead and place the order. She updates me the next day to say that it's now February (but actually they don't have a firm date). So I start looking for other brands. Brands I'm interested in aren't available in the size I need. Brands that are available seem to have bad reviews. Meanwhile, my mom gave me some boy scout microwave popcorn that my kid is dying to eat. Le sigh. 3rd world problems.
@CrunchyCake, It came up at work that I don't currently own a microwave and this woman I was talking to can't get her head around it! She kept saying 'How? How?!' She had a similar reaction when I told her I don't have an air fryer!
@Sophie in Denmark, Honestly, for the most part I think I'd be fine without it...I just have to make a few adjustments to what we do. Really, the microwave popcorn is the only thing that made us change plans and even then, we usually pop popcorn on the stove so my daughter asked if we could just open the bag and pour it into a pot and make it that way.
OMG. "Click here for the complaining" had me laughing so hard. We all have these times. For me it is vacuuming. I HATE EVERY MOMENT OF IT. I love the way the house looks afterwards, but I hate it the whole time I am doing it. Yes I am blessed with a vacuum cleaner and a house but I can still hate the task. I am thankful that vacuuming is way easier than your BSN class.
@joyce, I feel that way about dusting. Basically moving dust particles from one place to another.
That class does sound genuinely frustrating, it's not just you!
My complaint is that I still cannot find my winter coat, which is really the only coat I've ever owned that kept me warm, dry and cozy. I bought it at "the bins," so it was extra satisfying that I paid maybe two bucks for it. I fully emptied out my closet yesterday to no avail.
It's cold here in Oregon.
@Katy @ The Non-Consumer Advocate, have you had any luck searching for it/ a replacement on eBay? Maybe you will get lucky and find it - but it won’t be $2 unfortunately.
Is it too late to drop out of the this program? It’s the first course so it’s ok to say this school isn’t working out. My RN to BSN was tedious but not unmanageable. I’m now doing my MSN-education at WGU and same. But this seems like a lot for a BSN. A friend of mine quit her first bsn program immediately because she realized it wasn’t a good fit and pivoted to another school.
I think I once asked the difference between an RN and a BSN. I still don't know the difference. But it sounds like one of the points of the BSN is to get you used to pain and suffering, lol. (Although, I do like data, so that would be right up my alley. Physiology and anatomy, not so much.)
Also, I 100% would have interpreted the cold weather fall data the same way that you did, so I'd be interested to know what the "right" interpretation is...
My kiddo is on their fifth uti this year and I don't even know what to do next.
Hi Kristen--
I don't have a specific complaint personally right now, but just wanted to leave a quick comment. I'm so happy that you vented--you're always very positive about everything--but I think it's good for all of us to get things off our chest and occasionally complain. 😉
But I do hope things improve and I'm sure they will. Take care! 🙂
Pam
Oh yeah, you can't get a degree without having a couple of stinker classes! I sympathize. Hang in there ..this too shall pass but while it lasts it stinks.
The good news is that this class will be done soon and you can move on to more interesting things. But maybe not…. Not sure what your curriculum is. You had all the interesting clinical stuff in your and program.
I did my bsn as my primary nursing school.
so sorry you are going through a rough patch. but it's nothing compared to what you have accomplished. i know things will improve soon, at least i hope so. chiquita looks like she in enjoying the spotlight. could we have a shelley spotlight soon? has she been catnapped? sending you virtual hugs!!!!
The only thing I would be able to positively say about this class is "Well it's only for XX weeks."
I have a lot of things to complain about but honestly, it'd just be screaming into the void at this point. It's not like I can change the things that are bothering me.
I started the day in a very whiny complaining angry mood about a whole bunch of stuff I could not control. Or, more accurately, thought I could not control. Then I fixed the stuff I could fix. And then I went out with the dog to play frisbee. And then I went out with a big cardboard box and collected a ginormous amount of wild blue aster seeds (the asters really took over every bare patch of earth this year) that I will sow in the spring. Harrumph! Showed you, Woeful Wednesday. Take that!
I think you are doing a phenomenal job and you will handle this with the perfect ablom that you usually do. It's just another way to get from point A to B with really bad scenery. You'll make it the scenery will change.
I apologize if people consider this political but the one really grump I've been having lately is listening to why our beef prices were up and what the cattlemen say about not having enough feed for the cattle and yet the soybean people are complaining they can't ship their soybeans to China. My personal opinion is if Americans would get along and work together as a team, then the soybean producers could sell the feed to the cattle producers who could raise more cattle and prices would go down. I don't classify that as political cause I'm not actually griping against the government but, I apologize to those of you who think it. It just seems if they would work together it would solve their own problems and, maybe, some of the problems for those of us who could use it. It's another one of those of if Musk needs a trillion dollar paycheck, he should use it to improve everyday life in America. Let his little trillion dollar robots build homes and subdivisions for the people of America. That's not political, just wishful thinking.
Kristen, I can't for the life of me understand why your prof said you "misinterpreted" that graph? I would definitely be asking for more clarification. Falls happen year-round, but that graph shows increases during winter months, unless my eyes are failing me.
My small complaint: a well known pharmacy chain that offers "refills by scan" (you use their app to scan the prescription med bar code), which, while convenient, ALWAYS says it will be filled at least two days from the day you scanned it. I'm going out of town today, and my prescription renewal is ready - today. (Frowny face). Fortunately, DH can pick it up for me.
And a continuous BIG complaint: my horrendous boss. She sent out next year's holiday coverage schedule, amd managed to mess up Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years for me. Little does she know I'm retiring December of 2026. Trying to think of a "nice" way to say
"You've chased off 5 excellent dietitians over the years, some of whom needed therapy once they left - count me as #6". :-p
Kristen, as I've reread the comments, I'm reminded that, with the exception of nursing school, which you were eager to learn and was at a fast pace, the difference in this class is like comparing public schooling to home schooling. In this day and age, the efficiency of home schooling is no comparison to public school. Just a thought.
I am sorry. I hope the time passes quickly for the class.
I would complain about that too! Ugh.
My complaint for today is that the food poisoning I was nursing my daughter through was in fact NOT fp. So I have it today, though milder. And I had a steriotactic biopsy yesterday that is sore and I'm afraid to take the tylenol I'm allowed LOL - that said - I'll survive, I hate going to my job and have voluminous sick time so I'm grateful for all that as well.
I look forward to your class being done!
Despite not liking the subject, I commend you for your dedication and get it done attitude. This type of class would make me procrastinate and not participate as much and I would not put as much effort towards it, so good for you for acknowledging your dislike and still pushing through. Your positive attitude (in this and all of your posts) helps me push through the tough times and chores in my life. Good luck, hopefully things get better or at least a little more bearable for you with this class.
That sounds terrible, Kristen!
A not-complete list of my complaints:
1) I waited 30 minutes in line at the post office yesterday. And 2 people ahead of me left because of the long wait! I had time to reflect, and why isn’t the post office more automated?
2) I spent 50 minutes on the phone with my health insurance company as well, trying to straighten out a billing problem. Nothing I did wrong, but something UHC messed up. CVS MinuteClinic is billing me though. It wasn’t resolved after that long call.
I am bummed to be losing my best teammate at work. He is, professionally speaking, the yin to my yang; what I cannot do, he is gifted at; where he struggles, I excel. We make a great team and after careers (his and mine) spent being the “lonely only” at our respective companies, it’s been a joy (for both of us) to have a true partner on the job. And he’s leaving for the nicest possible reason - he’s been offered a once-in-a-lifetime package with a really cool company. It would be genuinely stupid for him to turn this down and I’m happy to see him recognised for his talents, even if that’s by a competitor. But also I’m going to miss him and what we could have achieved together.
I could do a complainy pants….my poor hubby has been hit with…anything that can go wrong to his ‘good’ eye does! He had surgery in the 29th to remove white funky blood cells that wouldn’t drain out normal, plus they had to lazer a couple of tears and put a gas bubble in to hold the retina in place. Well, the tears developed scar tissue under them and cause the retina to detach so thus another survey last Thursday. This one to remove the scar tissue, lazer the retina to the eye and put in oil and medicine for the macular degeneration. Tomorrow we go for a one week checkup. This past Tuesday he had to go to have some basal cell removed from his left cheek. So he has a big white patch on his left cheek plus his eye has a red spot. Ugh! We r both tired of all the trips to the doctor and the waiting rooms!
So it goes!
@Joy in NW Iowa, I don't blame you for being tired of it - that sounds awful! Hope the follow-up checkup today shows everything healing superbly
@Joy in NW Iowa, Best wishes for better days ahead
Based on the number of comments, a Woeful Wednesday (thanks to JDinNM for that term) post may have to make another appearance sometime. Sharing our woes makes me feel even more connected to the community here.
@MB in MN, I second that! Love Woeful Wednesday!
Online asynchronous learning can feel very different: activities replace both time you would have been in a class face to face with others AND homework. It therefore seems like a lot more...
Are all of your classes completely online asynch in this program/school? Or is there a way to have some face to face or hybrid? It might feel more enjoyable if you could shift mode at least for part of it (but you seem to be a problem solver so I'm sure I'm not telling you anything).
And group activities in online asynch? Those are hard in face to face/hybrid situations. I can't imagine it. How are you all supposed to work together when you are probably working at different times? Sympathy.
When I have an "unpleasant" emotion welling up inside me, I usually assign a certain amount of time to wallow in it. Maybe 15 minutes, maybe 1/2 a day, depending. That way I kinda move thru the emotion with a limit. So, I totally get why you needed to vent! Well done!
First, I also detest group projects. Someone usually does nothing, and someone else often carries the load. That said, the thing I want to complain about is this: I live in an area of South Carolina where people from all areas of the country have chosen to call home. That isn't the problem. What I DO NOT LIKE is that the same people move here but complain because things here are done differently than where they previously lived 🙁 Why move here? Also, they complain about the local drivers. Duh, the drivers here are now from everywhere else!!
Sorry, all I can think is lol.. You are so nice calling it complainy-pants.
Welcome to life in the working world/classes for the working world. I call a lot of it justification of the jobs of others. I had one co-worker say he was retiring - BS, he found a different job but didn't have the cajones to say so. He just could not deal with policy and procedure. Remember, it is a small world in a lot of professions - I can't believe he thought we wouldn't find out.
Sure, my job requires me to deal with what I call make work and administrivia. My response is to figure out how to play by the rules and not cause me more work.
Yeah, some classes are just plain boring "you need to take a picture of five people, Ann and Jane refuse to stand by each other, Susie and Mary have to stand by each other, how many different ways can you take their picture?" - who cares. But it was homework that had to be done.
You'll get through it - I think at least half of their objective is to see who can suck it up and do the work.
Go ahead and complain! We had one module in our first year which focused on structure of health services in SA. It was both dull and difficult at the same time. To this day, graduates from my time at the school refer to that module by the lecturers first name (spoken with dread). Ironically, the same lecturer was a clinical facilitator for other modules, and we all loved her then. Not her fault it was a crummy subject...
Oof - there have been many times in my career that I thought "well I hate doing this" and yet did a stellar job at it. (air colons, skeletal surveys) So maybe this class is designed to also give you a very strong backbone for the things you know you will encounter in the working world. Every job will not be interesting or even fulfilling all the time. I just got through leaving you a comment on Thankful Thursday that is a mix of good/bad. I would have complained here about my finger and shoulder pain, my daughter who is distancing herself from me, and loneliness in my beautiful clean house. I do a lot of complaining in the midst of this beautiful life. I get it.
OMG YES!!! Online classes have way more work than in-person classes! I had an online Business Ethics class through my community college, and the work was impossible. My husband, who has his law degree and is a practicing lawyer, did the assignment for me after I had failed it (twice). And he couldn't even do the assignment! Plus, the amount of reading that's assigned is outrageous.
EXACTLY this.
Kristen, I *completely* understand your frustration (and pain). When I first transferred from my cc to uni, I took an online class during the summer, so, of course, it was a condensed, accelerated course. It was similar to your informatics course in that it was dry and dull, and I felt it had absolutely little (or nothing, in my eyes) to do with my degree.
Whew. It's been SEVEN years and I *still* remember how much I loathed that class, lol! The entire eight weeks were a struggle (as I slogged through it), and I was GLAD when it was over and done with. Although at the time I certainly didn't appreciate it, I do think I unintentionally picked up some useful information and knowledge that added to my skill set, so in the end it was, begrudgingly, worth taking. But yeah...I had a very bad, no-good, horrible attitude toward that class for about 80% of that summer.
Hi Kristen. Data Analyst at a hospital here (after a long hiatus of homeschooling my kids, btw). Is there anything you can use Chatgpt for? I use Microsoft Copilot in my job for non-patient data problem solving. Even within Excel there is AI that will help you generate quick charts.
Good luck and try to focus on what you love about your job. I certainly love being deep in a spreadsheet, rather than nursing a patient! Lol
I would prefer toenail fungus. Hehe.
I do use some approved automated tools, such as a citation generation tool. But I'm trying to be very careful to not go beyond anything specifically approved for use. I didn't even know there was AI inside of Excel!
My complaint for sometime has been my Electricity bill! It's hard to keep up with it.
I'm charged more for the 'delivery' of it than the actual electricity use. My bill this month consists of $149. of actual electricity supply used, and a whopping $188. of 'Delivery' charges. The Delivery Supply charge is broken down: Customer charge-$10, Distribution Charge- $91, Transmission Charge- $43, Net Meter Recovery Surcharge -$15, Distributed Solar Charge- $4, Renewable Energy Charge $.47, Energy Efficiency Charge-$24, Electric Vehicle Program- $2.
We're frugal- use rechargeable motion sensor lights, hang our laundry outside, had an energy audit, etc. We use the Town's 'CEA' supplier which is supposed to give a better rate than if we used our own provider. It seems that in the last 2 years, our bill has more than doubled due to the over bloated supply charges. We don't have solar or an electric vehicle, but we're charged for other people to have them, I suppose. I'm in Massachusetts, and am curious if other readers in different locations are feeling the pain and frustration with their electric or other utility bills too.
I called my BSN bull shit work. The entire 2 years was just busy work! How useless most of the classes were. I feel for you! But I am glad I went right on. Best decision I have ever made.
1/2 of my college B.S. classes were of the “poking needles in my eyeballs kind” with organic chemistry 1 and 2, calculus 1 and 2, physics 1 and 2, etc. the biology and required classes were fine, but some of these others I really wanted to poke my eyes out for many of them. I totally get where you are coming from
Did they say what the correct way to interpret that chart is?
Oh I love this post (not the pain that caused it though).
This reminds me of years ago when the stastistics class killed me and everyone else in my class as communication majors (we like people/writing/events, not math!). This too will end!
As for the free complain pass: I'm tired of some frustrating things in my life (unspoken). Also I'm weary of cooking from scratch to be budget friendly/health friendly. And all the dishes that follow this process. And the meal planning that goes into it. Kay, good to get that off my mind:)
On a more thankful note: Grateful to have healthy things to feed my family and that we are not currently in need of SNAP as we have been in other seasons. Grateful that my kids enjoy baking along with me, and are becoming more adventurous eaters.
I have worked at my new job for 5 weeks. I close the kitchen once a week, usually with the same cook. There’s always an unexpected amount of work and in a small window of time and I’m always exhausted after the 10 hour shift. We also usually run 20-45 mins over end time. I don’t like those days.
This week I close 3 of my 4 days with him 🙁 yesterday I left without finishing all the work because I was keeping to the schedule. Today we will see what happens. I’m too type A to do that 2x in a row. I let my boss know the situation and I am learning to have boundaries. It is frustrating that it could be avoided (the other 2 cooks this isn’t an issue).
This proves my personal beliefs about all of this 'info'.by the time we see it, it is outdated AND only true to the person creating it.
Hope all is well with you