I am writing a screenplay. I am also moving back to New England to do it. Very exciting. I have a great dog with whom I am going to see Acadia National Park in Maine. What a beautiful place that is! Oh, I am also knitting him a new sweater to wear there. I am back on social media after a 3 week hiatus. I guess that's it for now.
I’m doing a whole lotta nothing now. They decided they couldn’t afford me any more to inventory and order suture for the O.R. and even though I said I would step down to be a supply tech at a lower salary, it didn’t make any difference. The girl who they assigned to do it barely had any training by me (she is a scrub tech who works full time and was usually scrubbed in when I came in to train her and do the order) I have worked there since August 1987 and have been ordering the suture since 1989. Well, their loss! Que sera, sera.
Nancy R wrote:
I’m doing a whole lotta nothing now. They decided they couldn’t afford me any more to inventory and order suture for the O.R. and even though I said I would step down to be a supply tech at a lower salary, it didn’t make any difference. The girl who they assigned to do it barely had any training by me (she is a scrub tech who works full time and was usually scrubbed in when I came in to train her and do the order) I have worked there since August 1987 and have been ordering the suture since 1989. Well, their loss! Que sera, sera.
Did you at least get a retirement party? 
Best of luck... in all that you do.
oobu24 wrote:
Nancy R wrote:I’m doing a whole lotta nothing now. They decided they couldn’t afford me any more to inventory and order suture for the O.R. and even though I said I would step down to be a supply tech at a lower salary, it didn’t make any difference. The girl who they assigned to do it barely had any training by me (she is a scrub tech who works full time and was usually scrubbed in when I came in to train her and do the order) I have worked there since August 1987 and have been ordering the suture since 1989. Well, their loss! Que sera, sera.
Did you at least get a retirement party?
Nope. I did get recognition for my 30 years of service at a dinner in Dec. 2017, plus a $100 gift card that can be used at a bunch of places.
Nancy R wrote:
oobu24 wrote:Nancy R wrote:I’m doing a whole lotta nothing now. They decided they couldn’t afford me any more to inventory and order suture for the O.R. and even though I said I would step down to be a supply tech at a lower salary, it didn’t make any difference. The girl who they assigned to do it barely had any training by me (she is a scrub tech who works full time and was usually scrubbed in when I came in to train her and do the order) I have worked there since August 1987 and have been ordering the suture since 1989. Well, their loss! Que sera, sera.
Did you at least get a retirement party?
Nope. I did get recognition for my 30 years of service at a dinner in Dec. 2017, plus a $100 gift card that can be used at a bunch of places.
Well...that's better than nothing. Our largest client for over 30 years got bought out & the new people just dropped us. End of the line.
Today I went in and cleaned out my locker. Went to the break room to check my mailbox and remove my name. Bunch of people in there having a birthday party for someone and were shocked when I told them I had been let go. Said my goodbyes to a few I’d known for the entire 30+ years. One woman and I had first worked together 1982-1985 at Piedmont Hospital, and I followed her out to Gwinnett Medical Center in 1987. (My twins were born in 1987!)
Sorry to hear that longtime client dropped you! Are you still in the sign business?
I’m going to be fine - financially okay and can get pensions from the 2 hospitals in 2 years and then Social Security in a little over 3 years. Have a 401b I haven’t touched since I began contributing to it 30 years ago.
Plan to enjoy my retirement! Next adventure is AROTR with my Nashville friend Jennifer. We are also contemplating a return trip to England in 2020 during BeatleWeek of course! (We went in 2016)
No, I closed the business last year. Lots of memories...just like your situation. It's nice that you were able to see a few of your co-workers when you went back to work. I bet they were shocked to hear. If it had been a planned retirement I think they would have had a party for you. But it is what it is. Ob -la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on.
oobu24 wrote:
No, I closed the business last year. Lots of memories...just like your situation. It's nice that you were able to see a few of your co-workers when you went back to work. I bet they were shocked to hear. If it had been a planned retirement I think they would have had a party for you. But it is what it is. Ob -la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on.
I remember now you told me you had closed it. Yes, they all were very shocked. A party would have been nice, but I probably would have gotten all emotional and started crying! There are a few people I will still keep in touch with.
Nancy R wrote:
I’m doing a whole lotta nothing now. They decided they couldn’t afford me any more to inventory and order suture for the O.R. and even though I said I would step down to be a supply tech at a lower salary, it didn’t make any difference. The girl who they assigned to do it barely had any training by me (she is a scrub tech who works full time and was usually scrubbed in when I came in to train her and do the order) I have worked there since August 1987 and have been ordering the suture since 1989. Well, their loss! Que sera, sera.
Corporate CEOs are always asking why there is no company loyalty anymore. After 30 years, they should have named a wing after you.
You can probably remember what it was like when patients could afford to leave the hospital without taking out a second mortgage on their house.
oobu24 wrote:
No, I closed the business last year. Lots of memories...just like your situation. It's nice that you were able to see a few of your co-workers when you went back to work. I bet they were shocked to hear. If it had been a planned retirement I think they would have had a party for you. But it is what it is. Ob -la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on.
What kind of business was it?
HaileyMcComet wrote:
oobu24 wrote:No, I closed the business last year. Lots of memories...just like your situation. It's nice that you were able to see a few of your co-workers when you went back to work. I bet they were shocked to hear. If it had been a planned retirement I think they would have had a party for you. But it is what it is. Ob -la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on.
What kind of business was it?
It was a commercial sign business we had for over 30 years. We made the mistake of letting one client be 97% of our business ... we had to because he kept us so busy but when he got bought out they brought in their own people & that shut us down.
oobu24 wrote:
HaileyMcComet wrote:oobu24 wrote:No, I closed the business last year. Lots of memories...just like your situation. It's nice that you were able to see a few of your co-workers when you went back to work. I bet they were shocked to hear. If it had been a planned retirement I think they would have had a party for you. But it is what it is. Ob -la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on.
What kind of business was it?
It was a commercial sign business we had for over 30 years. We made the mistake of letting one client be 97% of our business ... we had to because he kept us so busy but when he got bought out they brought in their own people & that shut us down.
My gut reaction is that letting one client be 97% of your business is a bad idea, but what do I know? I've never run a business in my life. I've never even had an office job. Tom Hagen only had one client and he did ok.
HaileyMcComet wrote:
Nancy R wrote:I’m doing a whole lotta nothing now. They decided they couldn’t afford me any more to inventory and order suture for the O.R. and even though I said I would step down to be a supply tech at a lower salary, it didn’t make any difference. The girl who they assigned to do it barely had any training by me (she is a scrub tech who works full time and was usually scrubbed in when I came in to train her and do the order) I have worked there since August 1987 and have been ordering the suture since 1989. Well, their loss! Que sera, sera.
Corporate CEOs are always asking why there is no company loyalty anymore. After 30 years, they should have named a wing after you.
You can probably remember what it was like when patients could afford to leave the hospital without taking out a second mortgage on their house.
😂 Believe it or not, there are a few people who have been there longer than me! At the service recognition dinner last December, there was one guy who had been there 45 years!
My hospital is a non-profit hospital, and if you can’t pay, they will treat you anyway. One guy I remember racked up over $1,000,000 in charges and ended up dying anyway. Lost track of how many times he came to the O.R.
I'm sorry to hear about what happened, Nancy R, but glad you landed on your feet, will be okay money-wise, and have some great plans.
Sorry about your news too, oobu. You're due for some good things to happen after what all you've been through. Remember that Paul song #GoodTimesComing or a snippet of one from that 80's album some say they didn't like, but when I finally got it, I ended up playing it a lot so it must not be all that "bad."
SusyLuvsPaul wrote:
I'm sorry to hear about what happened, Nancy R, but glad you landed on your feet, will be okay money-wise, and have some great plans.
Sorry about your news too, oobu. You're due for some good things to happen after what all you've been through. Remember that Paul song #GoodTimesComing or a snippet of one from that 80's album some say they didn't like, but when I finally got it, I ended up playing it a lot so it must not be all that "bad."
Thank you. That's another reason I shut down the business...because of an unexpected death. :-(
HaileyMcComet wrote:
oobu24 wrote:HaileyMcComet wrote:oobu24 wrote:No, I closed the business last year. Lots of memories...just like your situation. It's nice that you were able to see a few of your co-workers when you went back to work. I bet they were shocked to hear. If it had been a planned retirement I think they would have had a party for you. But it is what it is. Ob -la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on.
What kind of business was it?
It was a commercial sign business we had for over 30 years. We made the mistake of letting one client be 97% of our business ... we had to because he kept us so busy but when he got bought out they brought in their own people & that shut us down.
My gut reaction is that letting one client be 97% of your business is a bad idea, but what do I know? I've never run a business in my life. I've never even had an office job. Tom Hagen only had one client and he did ok.
No, it isn't good to do that. But we had no choice. He was so big & kept us so busy that we just used other clients in our spare time. He gave us so much work & he also gave us a free hand so we could do pretty much what we wanted... creatively. It was nice while it lasted.
Nancy R wrote:
😂 Believe it or not, there are a few people who have been there longer than me! At the service recognition dinner last December, there was one guy who had been there 45 years!
My hospital is a non-profit hospital, and if you can’t pay, they will treat you anyway. One guy I remember racked up over $1,000,000 in charges and ended up dying anyway. Lost track of how many times he came to the O.R.
I can't really wrap my head around 45 years at the same company. I had my last job for 6 years and it felt like an eternity. I don't know how many people I saw come and go in 6 years - 45 would be staggering.
I also don't get how any hospital can charge a human being a million dollars to survive. It's great that he didn't have to pay, especially considering the result, but someone somewhere put a price on life.
oobu24 wrote:
No, it isn't good to do that. But we had no choice. He was so big & kept us so busy that we just used other clients in our spare time. He gave us so much work & he also gave us a free hand so we could do pretty much what we wanted... creatively. It was nice while it lasted.
That must have been what is was like for artists back when they had patrons.
HaileyMcComet wrote:
Nancy R wrote:
😂 Believe it or not, there are a few people who have been there longer than me! At the service recognition dinner last December, there was one guy who had been there 45 years!
My hospital is a non-profit hospital, and if you can’t pay, they will treat you anyway. One guy I remember racked up over $1,000,000 in charges and ended up dying anyway. Lost track of how many times he came to the O.R.
I can't really wrap my head around 45 years at the same company. I had my last job for 6 years and it felt like an eternity. I don't know how many people I saw come and go in 6 years - 45 would be staggering.
I also don't get how any hospital can charge a human being a million dollars to survive. It's great that he didn't have to pay, especially considering the result, but someone somewhere put a price on life.
He was in ICU the entire time which is very expensive. He didn’t have insurance so of course the hospital had to eat the charges. Ultimately of course the rest of us paid for it with increases in cost of care and increases in health insurance premiums.
My twins were born 12 weeks premature and spent 2 months in the hospital and the charges totaled about $1,000,000, but we had Blue Cross Blue Shield and they paid the entire bill!
I loved my job in the O.R. and lived only 5 miles away, so it was easy to stay there over 30 years.