How Western Kansas Celebrates Halloween

I love Halloween. It’s always been one of my favorite holidays. I think the time of year definitely has something to do with it. It’s no secret that I love fall. Like, X’s and O’s, doodling “I heart fall” on my notebook, day-dreaming about pumpkins and gourds kind of love. And so, I thought that this decoration that I spotted while in Kinsley, Kansas deserved a post on the ol’ bloggity-blog. It really put me in the spirit of all things Halloweeny.

First of all, yes. This?

This is real.

Second of all, I made my training partner drive by this house no less than three times because I could.not.stop.laughing. And I proceeded to giggle every time I looked at the pic on my phone for the entire 40 minute drive home…each of the three days we drove back to Dodge City. (My trainer friend was not as amused as me. Boys.)

I would just like to point out that

A.) this has to be reconstructed roadkill from several different animals (those legs! They look way too big for whatever bird that was. Also, the buzzard-y beak thing kept making me think of a pterodactyl.)

B.) these people added feather-boa wings to said reconstructed roadkill (if they had added a bowtie, I would have knocked on their door and asked to shake their hand, because that is just too much. Toooo much.)

and

C.) they took the time to climb up on their roof to proudly display what I can only hope is décor for the Halloween season (and not a permanent fixture on their roof), right in front of their redneck weathervane-slash-cable antenna.

Ohh, Kinsley. Thanks for putting me in the Halloween spirit and adding a little laughter to our trip. (PS—the training went well! I felt much more confident and one of the pharmacy techs told me she couldn’t believe that this was only my second training. She said she would have thought I had done it for years. Next up—Sweet Home, Oregon. Wish me luck!)

It’s Official—I’m Employed (Feel Free To Throw Me A Party!)



An official business card...



+ an official nametag...

= a very, very happy girl

So, it’s been a hot minute since I posted my last blog update. Life has been moving FAST! I feel very fortunate to have been offered a fantastic job at a great company. And, since my business cards and super-duper official nametag have finally come in (note the cheesy visuals above), I guess that makes it officially official. (You know what else makes it official? My paycheck that came last week. Heck yeah! And wow…I now know just how much the government was stealing from my teacher’s salary…I get to keep almost all of my money now! Hooray!!)

 

So here’s what I’m doing, in a nutshell. Basically, I go to pharmacies and hospitals that have purchased robotic prescription dispensing systems, workflow software or pharmacy management systems from my company. I get to spend a few days with the pharmacy, training the pharmacists and techs on how to use the systems. Sounds do-able, right? I mean, I’m thinking, I was a teacher for seven years! I’ve made up lessons on the fly! I’ve taught Shakespeare and books I really actually hated! I’ve dealt with irate kids and parents! I am good at teaching and training!

 

Well. Let me tell you—this job so far has been tough. Like, super stressful and I may have cried during my first week.  To my manager. At the office. (Cringe.) But, before you start thinking I am some poor lil lady who can’t handle a “grown up job”, let me lay it out for you—this is what my first week looked like:

 

Day One: Orientation, where I walked around the huge campus and tried to remember where the twelve buildings were and what they were named (Outlook Building 1? What does that mean?). Okay. Not too tough. And I got a work laptop and an iPhone, so score!

 

Day Two: My manager gave me the training on the robot. This training is two and a half hours long. No breaks. Then, she tells me, “here are the annotated notes over what I just gave.” These notes are 15 pages long.

 

Day Three: I gave the training back to her. The training I just received the day before and had less than 24 hours to look over material. YEEEEAH.

 

Let me interject and say that everyone is so nice and helpful. I love my manager. She is kind and understanding and let me know from the beginning that I wasn’t expected to give everything perfectly. She expects me to make mistakes and to have a rough time during my first presentation.

 

Okay, fine, but do I comprehend this? Do I feel okay that I know I will do poorly? And do I make the executive decision that I am going to be super woman and do amaze-balls on my presentation? (If you know me AT ALL, you know the answers to these questions.)

 

So, day three goes okay. I make it through. I get a lot of feedback. I know what I need to work on for the next presentation. (I do NOT do amaze-balls, by the way.)

 

Day Four: I attempt to give the training presentation again. It goes worse than my first try. This is when I have my super embarrassing mini-breakdown and sob, “I was a teacher! I should be able to da-da-da-dooooo this.” (That’s the sobbing. It was bad.) And my wonderful manager says everything I need to hear, that she knows I can do it, that it will get easier, that this is just how the company does it, etc. However, I’m still freaking out because…

 

Day Five: I went over Site Prep. For my FIRST TRAINING TRIP. AT A REAL LIVE PHARMACY. Yeah. They sent me out on the road, six days in. Granted, I went with an experienced trainer who was very helpful, but I still had to give my two and a half hour spiel to a pharmacy in Andrews, TX. And I’ll admit, it was not great. I stumbled, I read from my notes, I felt like I pretty much looked like an idiot. (The trainer I went with said I didn’t. I think he was just being nice.) It was rough. But, I made it through (even though I wanted to cry afterwards). (Also, side note—unless you’re really into oil wells, or like to check out pick-up trucks that are all blinged out, don’t go to Andrews, Texas. You’ll be super bored.)

 

Fast forward a week and a half, and here I am, prepping for my second trip. I’ll admit, my first training was a doozy. But, I’ve been preparing this week and already feel much more confident about Kinsley, Kansas. I mean, I have color-coded. I have streamlined my notes. I have practiced to Rascal about six billion times. Get ready, Kinsley. You’re gonna learn about the CRS and let me tell you, you’re about to have your socks blown clean off.

 

Oh, and if anyone has two and a half hours and is interested in hearing about robotic prescription dispensing systems that hold the pharmacy’s fastest moving tablets and capsules, and that fill and label vials using information sent from the pharmacy’s host system, let me know…I'm sure Rascal could use the break.