I went for my first interview
for the volunteer job at Sutter Davis Hospital yesterday. I think the
last time I was on the hospital grounds was in 1999, when Paul died. I
have not been back in the ob/gyn office I managed since I left.
But this job isn't in the ob/gyn office or in the emergency room; it was
right inside the main door to the hospital proper.
I decided
to make a good impression and not wear my sweat pants, so I dressed
in a pair of slacks that I hadn't worn in a long time (maybe 10 years).
They were really about a size too small, but I could fit into them and they
were so tight that there was no way I could slouch.
I arrived
in the parking lot early, for which I was glad because I'd forgotten how
horrible parking can be there. But I found a place to park and walked
in and saw two ladies sitting at the information desk. One was in
"uniform" (a blue vest) and one was there, obviously visiting.
I said I was looking for Christine and the visitor asked if I meant
Christina in administration. I said that no, I was supposed to meet
Christine for a volunteer interview. She smacked her head and said
that she was Christine and laughed that she hadn't figured out I was
looking for her.
We went into the hospital cafeteria, which I
recognized from years ago when I set up a concert for Steve there, in the
years when he was traveling around giving his "living with AIDS"
presentations (I kinda miss those days).
Anyway, Christine
and I had a nice chat and everything seems ok once I pass a background check
and get my medical records in order. Since I'm old, I don't need to
show proof of the measles, rubella or chicken pox vaccines because they
hadn't been discovered when I was a kid so I had all 3 diseases. But I
did have to get the 2-tier TB tests (back to back tests; you have to pass
both...I learned this because my mother needed that to enter Atria), so
Christine walked me down to the nurse's office and left me there to finish
up.
On our walk, we chatted about stuff, including my
volunteering at the SPCA and how she loves dogs and has 2 cocker spaniels.
The TB test went fine and I will have it read tomorrow (though there is
nothing to see) and then find out when I'm supposed to get the second one,
and when return for "uniform fitting" and to start orientation (assuming
they find nothing sordid in my past!)
On my way home, the
phone rang in the car and the screen showed that it was my mother calling.
It's been so long since I've had a blue tooth call that I don't remember how
to answer it, so I just got off at the next street and called her back.
The time elapsed was about 2-3 minutes. When she answered, I
apologized for not answering her call, that I was driving, and what did she
want? She has no memory of calling me, or even touching the phone.
But since her phone has no speed dial on it, the only way it could have rung
in the car was for her to call me. But it must not have been anything
important.
I stopped by the apartment later to bring her her clean
clothes and visited just for a short time. Neither of us had a single thing
to say and it seemed silly to sit there staring at each other and talk about
how blue the sky was.
This evening I had e-mails from
Christine thanking me for coming in, and giving me the web address of the
place where I can fill out the background check form.
But
then there was a second, more interesting email from her:
Hi Bev,A red flag should have gone up for me yesterday when you were telling me about your SPCA involvement. It was somewhat delayed! Anyway, you may be interested in a new pet therapy program that the hospital is hoping to bring up in the next several months. If you are, let me know so you can be included in the planning and implementation. I think you’d be an excellent addition. This would be in addition to your Information Desk activities.
Woo hoo! Now THAT sounds like fun, getting a pet
therapy program started. I think I'm going to like this new volunteer
job!
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