The only down side is I'm missing my friends at work. I'm missing the giggle we have, and the chats, and just having them there to watch your back. I'm also missing out on the day to day stuff that you just talk about when you're in an office together. Stuff you forget to talk about when you meet up for a gossip. It just means we have to make more of an effort to spend time together, and actually strangely I appreciate the time we do spend together that much more.
After complaining for the first few weeks in my new job that I didn't have enough to do the honeymoon is well and truly over. I have a huge 'to do' list and a pile of paperwork on my desk to plough through, invoices to pay etc. I spent a cool half a million in one press of a button a couple of weeks ago. I also have some local procedures to write and a database to set up, but the day job keeps getting in the way. I've had 1:1's with most of the team, and have picked up a few services that I will be managing. All in all I have to say that I think I'm going to love it. I doubted at first that I had done the right thing, but now I'm sure I have.
It is such a varied job, one minute I'm dealing with stop smoking services, the next I'm having a conversation about sexual health, then I'm looking at child health checks. It takes some getting your head around I can tell you! It has also changed the way I look at the world, I know how cheesy that sounds but it has! I notice things I'd never have noticed before. I've been doing my homework and reading around the subject too, and its been a real eye opener. Turns out its a subject you really can get your teeth into and get passionate about. I find myself having the 'Make every contact count' type conversations with people.
I've also spent lots of time with friends over the last few weeks. There have been several nights out, a few lunch dates and lots of chats over a cuppa! The nights out involved lots of vodka and a considerable amount of misbehaving! I was heard to say on one night out "Well I don't work with them any more, I don't have to do the walk of shame on Monday, so I can misbehave as much as I like!" And I did!!! I have a new party trick that started as a way to maximise what I could carry from the bar, involved a bottle of Bud and moved on to a novel way to drink from the bottle. One of my ex colleagues is scarred for life!
I have danced far too much, resulting in me not being able to walk for 3 or 4 days each time, and after one night out my entire body shut down for 3 days, I even had to use two hands to lift a cup of tea. But it was worth every ache and pain! This weekend it was a Champagne Breakfast with the A Team, the ladies I used to work with about 4 years ago. It was so lovely to see them all, and the food was fab, as were the bubbles.
I have even fitted in ticking the first thing off my bucket list! I did an observer shift with the ambulance service a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved it, in fact I was buzzing when I got home. This will be the subject of another blog very soon, so I won't say too much else, except for the fact that I really HAVE to do it again. I'm currently in negotiation with the paramedic to get another date to go out later in the year. It even appeals to the new hat I'm wearing for work, I looked at everything we did with new eyes. The lads looked after me really well too, they were fab. I loved the Tech, he was such a giggle, and we shared a certain slightly twisted sense of humour. What can I say, 12 hours with two men in uniform, and lots of opportunities to see others too, what more could a girl ask for? hehehe
