End of Training Week 1, Mid Training Week 2, Round 4

Hello everyone,

I have recovered from my illness and I have received my new laptop.

In years past, during the Summer Program, I would update once weekly and title my posts based on a combination of what the weekly designated title was  (Training, Day Program, Prep, Overnight) and how many years I had served (Year 1, 2, 3...) So we'd have "Training Week 1-2, Year 1", "Day Program Week 1-5, Year 2", "Prep Week Overnight 1-2, Year 3" etc.

Those are overall categories, but I would update once per week.

Unfortunately, this year, I developed an ear, eye, and sinus infection soon before I started working for the Summer Program. Also, my computer broke. But now I have clear sinuses and a new computer, so let's go over then things I missed.

The laundromat in our complex was broken again by people who wanted to collect the change inside. I had to resort to loading up a bundle buggy and walking about 20 minutes to the nearest public laundromat. It was my first time visiting a public laundry since I was a child, and the experience was as pleasant as I remembered. There were more than enough washers and drivers for everyone, there were platforms to fold your laundry, and there was even a little café, where you could order drinks and beverages if you had nowhere else to go.

I wonder how I'm going to do my laundry during the Summer Program. I work every day of the week, and the laundromat is only open 8-8. Considering travel time and the length of time it actually takes to do the laundry, that doesn't give me much flexibility. This Sunday I should be alright,

I tried using my food processor to make coleslaw and hummus recently. To be honest, those are the two things I really wanted recipes for.

I tried anchovies on pizza for the first time. As someone who once watched many Saturday Morning Cartoons, I was imagining full-bodied dead fish with X's for eyes. Instead I saw a number of salmon steaks, which to me seemed innocent enough. The texture was not too much, and the flavour was pretty inoffensive, if a little salty.

I got a Carbon Monoxide detector. One of my former roommates apparently slashed the wires in my downstairs smoke alarm/CO detector when I burned some falafel. The rationale being "Smoke detectors have only ever annoyed me, they've never saved me from harm".

But while smoke is visible and has a scent, carbon monoxide is odorless and invisible. Also, smoke rises and my upstairs alarm works. Carbon monoxide sits at the bottom, where the upstairs alarm might not catch it. You can't sense it and it will kill you when you sleep. My roommate and sometimes his young son sleep on the bottom level. When I realized my alarm was broken, I needed to get a new one even though I'm pretty broke at the moment.

I also fixed my toilet. You know how your toilet handle is attached to a plastic stick inside the back of the toilet, which is attached to a chain? Well, my plastic stick snapped in two. You could still flush it by reaching into the back and yanking the chain, but that's pretty awkward to explain to guests. I was worried it would be hard to find a replacement piece because it's such a specific part, but I just walked down the plumbing aisle of a Canadian Tire, found a toilet handle, and the plastic stick piece came with it. Assembling it was super easy.

So that's what I've been up to outside of Summer Program. Now let's look at work this year.

Everyone on the team except for the On Site Director and me are new. That's pretty unusual, but I've been in a year where only me and one other were new as well, and we got through. That year, the returning staff only had one year of experience, whereas this year, I've got three years and the other guy has two, so we should be fine.

We did our Personality Dimensions test. I got True Green this year (maxed out intellectual) with Blue (empathy) as my secondary. In years past, I've always been a combination of Green and Blue, and twice I've had them in perfect balance. Generally, I've been more Green in the past and more Blue recently, but for some reason this year I came out hard Green. I had a splitting headache when I did the test, which I think may have reduced my compassion and empathy.

I've done this test in high school Careers class, Ways2Work, and Katimavik, so I think this was my seventh time taking the test, unless I'm forgetting something.

Our group had three Blues (typical in the Social Work field), two Golds (Organized personality) and one Orange (Adventurous) so it was a pretty good spread.

We did our conflict mediation styles test. I got Compromising again, but this year I was only one off from Collaborating. I don't know if I remember everyone's types, but we did have at least one in every category (Competing, Collaborating, Compromising, Avoiding, and Accomodating). One member was tied between Competing and Accommodating which is interesting because they are opposites (More assertive and less cooperative vs. less assertive and more cooperative) so we'll see how that turns out. Again, pretty good spread. Last time I did it, everyone on the team got Compromising except for one Avoider.

I get to facilitate part of the training this year, as Safe Management is part of the required training, and I am a Safe Management instructor. This means I got to teach my peers, which is an interesting dynamic. I've already done the first section, and I'm doing the second section today.

We've finished with our programming. This year we're trying to add an element of choice, which means that two activities will be available at all times. That means twice as much programming, and twice as much facilitation. It's going to be challenging.

We got to do a practice run of facilitation at WALES. That was pretty fun for me, because I got to act in the capacity of a Summer Program Leader for the first time in two years, and it was a fun reunion with the WALES crew. I don't get much opportunity to shout at the top of my lungs outside of Summer Program.

Ear Infection

Hi! Sorry that it's been so long!

Earlier in the month I developed a really bad summer cold. My roommate got it too. He had to take two days off and wasn't feeling at top shape for four days.

For me, it started in my throat and continued to my sinuses. I hate head colds. A body infection hurts, but doesn't trigger the same fears as something that exists in your head. Having symptoms that include "Hurting when you breathe" creates a feeling of claustrophobia within your own body.

I'm pretty sure I had a fever, but my thermometer had stopped working, even though I had used it only twice before.

My ears started to feel like there were balloons behind them, and I was afraid they would pop. I also noticed that my left eye had turned bright red and wouldn't open fully.

So I went to a walk in clinic. The doctor said that I had a sinus, ear, and eye infection and they were all connected. He prescribed me some pills and eye drops.

The eye drops cleared out their infection in a few days, but I'm still taking them because I didn't get instructions to stop until I run out of my bottle. The sinus infection has cleared out, but I still have the ear infection. I can hear out of my right ear again, and my left ear doesn't feel like it has a "balloon" behind it, but it still feels like there is a "bubble" and isn't performing up to standard.

I just finished my first week of Summer Program. People told me I was still too sick to work, but I showed them. The doctor said, after looking in my ears, that I have ruptured my ear drums before. If that ever happened, I don't recall. I wonder if it ever came to that.

Right when I was feeling better, my laptop broke. Just the monitor. The screen's hardware isn't damaged, but there is a hugely prominent discolouration when it is on diplay, which follows the pattern of something that has been shattered.

I bought this laptop right after I got my grouphome job. Now, I may have to purchase a new laptop after having been accepted for a new position. I feel like "fate" is intervening in a way that requires me to buy a new laptop whenever I gain a new position.

This is my weakest time of year financially. My summer job has started but I haven't received my first paycheck, and my OSAP loans have run out.

I really want to keep updating this blog, but I can't unless I stop being sick. I'm hoping to finish things off soon. All the best!