24 Hours of MSPA

For those of you who don't know. I work at a boarding school for "troubled" youth. For a long time, I would work swing shift during the weekdays and continue to go to school. Here and there I'd pick up a weekend shift, rarely would I work a morning or grave, but it would happen. Recently, there has been a lot of changes, where team leaders have left, or gotten promoted, or staff have moved on and gotten better jobs. Things have changed and I've stepped in on the weekends. I usually will work a double on Saturday followed by a double on Sunday 8 AM to 12 AM. Since I got back from Chicago, my schedule hasn't been the same, as much as I wanted it to be. I am now scheduled morning shift on Sunday, and that is about it.

The grave staff asked me to pick up a couple of shifts, one 12 AM to 8 AM on 8/1/10 and the other 12 AM to 8 AM on 8/2/10. Because I was already working from 8 AM to 4 PM on the first, I declined the first shift, but took the other one. I was planning on Sunday to go home sleep from 4 to 10 and go back to work at midnight. Then I got a phone call asking me if I could stick around, because they were short staffed. I laughed, then realized, I really needed the hours. So I said yes. So, I worked morning shift. From 8 to 4, immediately followed by swing from 4 to midnight then grave from midnight to 8!

Go me.

The hardest part is after the kids go to bed. Now, I need to stay awake and check on the kids frequently. But I have plenty of time to do random little things throughout the night.

Here's what I did from 11 PM to 1 AM:

I watched Alice in Wonderland.

I painted my toe nails.

I started drinking some green tea.

I also did my job, you know doing the bed checks and everything.

From 1 AM to 1:35 AM

I watched Ghost Busters UNTIL

A girl got back from her home visit, then I went through her luggage to make sure there there is no contraband in her luggage.

We talked about how she missed her shuttle and got back late. Then I sent her to bed.

I then continued to watch ghostbusters.

At 2 AM

I played with carrots. And grapes. I made faces with the grapes and carrots.

Talked to a co worker, exchanged bed check times.

Checked on the girls and tripped over a purse.

Listened to a girl mumble in her sleep "He put his hand on her face."

And that's where I am now.

2:18. AM. I knew that 2-3 would be really rough for me.

I'm drinking Green Tea. With Raspberry. It's not as good as I had hoped.

I wish I was drinking tension tamer tea, on my couch at home listening to this american life as I relax for the day.