Creeve, the Mob, and Ricotta

I know it's Christmas Eve, but I have one last work-related story to share with you. I woke up this peaceful, non-working Christmas Eve morning with a head full of to-do lists, curiosity about the deer hoof prints next to my big picture window (peeping deer?), ideas on how to align with healthcare reform policy, a general worry about the snow weather heading our way, and a subliminal guilt for not having worked out in about two weeks and eating everything in sight.

Oh, and a headache, because I had a shot of tequila last night. Ugh. I am so not 21 anymore. Not that I did tequila shots when I was 21...but it seemed to fit with our "Christmas Vacation" motif last night. This is our new tradition on "Creeve" (which is Christmas Eve Eve), a holiday that we learned about from friends. We were going to attend a party in Lafayette, Indiana and don our silver sauna suits, but the day just killed me (plus, we have to travel for Christmas) and a tequila shot and a movie was far more apropos.

ANYWAY, I've been fighting my way through work this week. My energy level has been nil lately and the natives have been restless at work. The orthopedic surgeons have been causing a ruckus with referral patterns and one surgeon insists on calling me with a 45 minute discourse each time he learns about a workers' comp case that escapes his grasp. We have five other surgeons to feed and it's just crazy. I wasn't the administrator on call, but the admin who was on call asked me to handle it. Just how does one tame a hungry orthopod?

Then, remember that employee who tried to file an EEOC charge against me when I suspended her from work last week? She's been...problematic. I won't talk about the specifics, but I spent probably four hours yesterday documenting the case, speaking with our attorney, and speaking with Risk Management. I discovered that I have grounds on which I need to terminate her employment. I spoke with Nurse Jackie (who offers her final stamp on such matters) and we actually discussed the employee's lineage and discerned whether she's "connected."

That is the absolute first time in my existence on this earth, that I had to trace someone's lineage to make sure they weren't connected to the mob.

While we laughed about it, fueled by sugar and full tummies from the department potluck, I know there is a seed of truth in every joke.

YIKES!

So that's what's going on here. And I'm just about ready for Christmas. If I can let a few more things go and ignore my to-do list, I might just have a peaceful Christmas after all! Every year for my entire life, I've gone to Christmas Eve mass with my family and then attended my dad's family's fancy Christmas party on the Eve. This year, it'll be Jack and me, relaxing during the day today and attending our brand-new parish's Midnight mass alone.

It will be quite strange to vary from our traditions...but now that set down some roots in Chicagoland, it's time to develop our own traditions. Different doesn't mean bad. For one, we're having fish (salmon) on Christmas Eve. We've been eating a lot of fresh, homemade Italian pasta (as a gift from my secretary who makes a side business out of it). And I found myself preferring rocotta cheese and biscotti as snacks. Ah, the discoveries of great food! OH, and please don't tell my 100% Polish family that we're starting to adopt Italian traditions!

It's still Christmas, and a joyful one at that! We're very blessed.

Merry Christmas!