friends – Page 2 – beakatude

Alameda 5K

By beakatude
on Apr 29, 2018
in friends, go beak go

I ran a 5K this morning and it was so close to home that I was able to ride my bike over to the course.

Some of the Arete girls also ran and other came to cheer us on. The course was flat and scenic but got pretty warm at the end. I felt pretty good and managed to run a little faster than I expected since recovering from my foot pain.

Henry also ran the Kid’s Run and looked so happy on the course.

Here’s group shot. Jesse rode his bike with Peanut in the backseat while KK rode her bike too. It was fun to see them at the finish line.

The post-race festival served free beer and was so refreshing.

Teresa placed 3rd overall among the ladies and I also managed to place 3rd in my age group! Not too shabby for this old lady.

Two Weeks Off

By beakatude
on Sep 24, 2017
in friends, life, outings, work, yum

I’ve had the past two weeks off and it’s been nice to have some alone time to reflect and reset before starting a new job. On the first day, Holly called and said she was still in town so she brought the kids over for dinner and I actually had time to shop and cook for them!

On one of the days, Teresa got flexed off so we met up in Oakland to do some studying. Then I treated her to a sushi lunch to thank her for all that she’s done for me these past few months as I was deciding what to do with my life/career.

Much of my time, aside from doing laundry, has been dedicated to studying for my IBCLC exam. One day I couldn’t sit still at home so I made a pedicure appointment. It forced me to really sit down and read. It was very productive and relaxing at the same time.

One of the things I also wanted to do on my time off was volunteer in KK’s class at least once. I signed up for one of their Wednesday science hours and it was really cool to be a part of her class.

On one of my last days, I had lunch with Ranee. She was flexed off for the afternoon so it was perfect. We met up in Rockridge and had a fun Italian meal together.

I also had the chance to go out for a Mom’s Night Out with the neighborhood moms. Jes took the kids to Chipotle while I shared two pitchers of margaritas with these lovely ladies. It’s so nice to know that we live next to some really nice (and fun) people.

On both Fridays, I had lunch with Eleen and got to catch up with her. She’s always up for some boba so it’s great! Too bad I didn’t get any photos.

So, tomorrow is the first of two days of orientation. Wednesday will be my first official day at Kaiser and the schedule looks to be pretty easy – tours, getting to know people, getting to know the system, shadowing therapists in various roles. I’m also off on Thursday as my regular day off and it also happens to be my birthday. Perfect!!

Here’s what my typical work week will look like:
Mondays 7:30am-4:00pm (8 hrs)
Tuesdays 7:30am-4:00pm (8 hrs)
Wednesdays 7:30am-6:00pm (10 hrs)
Thursdays OFF
Friday 7:30am-1:30pm (6 hrs)

I’m a little excited but also a little anxious about this whole change. I know the schedule will be better for me and the family. I just hope it’s also a good step forward for my career as well. Wish me luck!

East Bay 510K

By beakatude
on Sep 17, 2017
in friends, go beak go, life, outings

I ran my first 10K in 4 years today. A few months ago, I joined a running group that Teresa leads. They run every Saturday morning in different locations around the East Bay and also do a track workout on Wednesday evenings.

Teresa also registered for this race but she has gotten a lot faster than me.

I finished strong and felt pretty good about my performance.

I actually placed within the first 25th percentile of my gender and age groups. Not too shabby.

Saying Goodbye

By beakatude
on Sep 08, 2017
in *sniff*, babies, friends, life, work

It’s my last day at CHO and I tried to be as present as I could in order to appreciate the place I called my second home for the past 10 years.

The week started on Tuesday after the Labor Day weekend and Teresa was there for her one day of work there. We got to do one final co-treat together in the morning and it was like old times.

I’ve been taking home one bag of stuff home each day for the past two weeks but somehow my desk still looked intact that day.

On Wednesday, I had my last All-Staff Meeting and got everyone together for a group photo. I’m missing some key people in the photo but loved having whoever I could all at once. My manager also took me out for lunch as part of my exit interview.

On Thursday, I had one last bowl of the trusty steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins from the cafeteria. We also went out for our usual Thursday lunch and Mai joined us with Cece.

We ate at the cheese shop and then went across the street for Pete’s as usual.

Ranee also worked that day and we had our last official work day together.

Waaaaah! I also said goodbyes to some key people who would not be working on Friday so it was the start of the end for me.

On Friday, I snapped a few photos of what I saw everyday. This is the red light that I would often have to wait at before going into the parking structure.

This is the stairwell that I climbed day in and day out. I had gotten pretty good at climbing up at least 2-3 flights at a time over and over again.

I arrived pretty early and got a photo of the entrance to our gym/office. It’s a pretty nice place to work.

This is what a typical morning also looks like. We were all crammed into his one long staff office working side by side. It was crazy at times but so nice to have everyone together in one place.

I was lucky enough to get assigned a corner desk with a view of the courtyard and 100-year-old magnolia tree outside. This is what my desk looked like 10 years ago back when we didn’t have our own computers and still wrote notes by hand. By Friday, my desk was cleared out and all I had left to take home was an orchid and a binder that I had left so I could finish some paperwork.

I brought in donuts one last time and made sure I brought enough for everyone. My caseload was pretty light that day and I had enough time to pack up some last minute things, deliver thank you cards.

I also went to say goodbye to the Clinical Nutrition department at lunch. I worked so closely with them on so many feeding cases and made some good friends along the way.

By the end of the week, I received and gave numerous hugs and words of encouragement.

The last person I said “see you later” to was Nicole. She is the last remaining friend that has been with me full-time for the past 10 years. I handed over our pet beaver for safe keeping and we got one last photo at work together.

I turned in my badge and keys at the end of the day and walked out with a huge weight lifted off of me. Here’s to a new adventure in the big big world of Kaiser!

Time for More Change

By beakatude
on Sep 02, 2017
in *sniff*, friends, life, work

I’ve been working at Children’s Hospital Oakland for the past 10 years and it has been a wonderful learning experience.

I also made some very good friends along the way and they have become family to me.

Over the last 5 years, my life has become more complicated with the addition of not only one but two little kids. I’ve been doing my best to continue working full time but sometimes I’ve felt like I’ve had to make compromises either as a therapist or as a mom. Regardless, I haven’t felt like I’ve done well in either lately.

To make matters more stressful, we went through some staffing changes that have impacted my work life.

The caseload /schedule that was given to me this past year has also become more of a grind. I was no longer given opportunities to learn or work toward my professional goals.
Close friends, Teresa and Stephanie, left this past year for different reasons and the office had become increasingly lonely.

Thankfully, Ranee consistently works on Mondays and Thursdays and she has been my source of sanity at work. We’ve also grown up together and are enjoying seeing our kids grow up together as well.

With KK starting Kindergarten this fall, I’ve had to think long and hard about what my priorities are and what changes we need to make this coming year. Last year, we started looking for a house outside of SF, which started my re-evaluation process. Once we moved to Alameda, I made the decision to start looking elsewhere. After a few months at Kaiser, Teresa gave me the scoop on how her life was now with her new work schedule. She was clearly happier and felt that the decision to leave CHO was worth it.

I had some conversations with the director at Kaiser and other people on her staff and learned that maybe there was a position that would be more agreeable to my family’s need. After a long period of consideration and negotiations, I decided to make the leap and resign in order to take a 32-hour position at Kaiser.

My last day at CHO will be on September 8th and my start day at Kaiser will be on September 25th. I took this photo with my OT team last week after my last staff meeting with them.

The new position will give me some flexibility with my schedule, one day off per week, a slight salary rate increase, and a promotion to Clinical Specialist. Although the decision is bittersweet, I know that this change will be an opportunity for our family and for me to have a reset. I also know that the friendships I’ve made were built to last. To make the deal just a little sweeter, Teresa was told the other day that she will be sharing her cubicle with me at Kaiser. It’ll be nice to have a familiar face at such as new place.

This coming week will be my last at CHO and it will be a busy and emotional one. I hope that it will go smoothly and I’ll be able to say goodbye graciously.

Day in Napa

By beakatude
on Aug 12, 2017
in friends, holidays, outings, yum

Today we celebrated Ranee’s 40th in Napa.

She made all the plans but her husband Jamie surprised her with a party bus to Napa with her friends. We all met at Pleasant Hill BART station and surprised her.