September 2010

1. A magical chocolate delivery. Holy cats, that was awesome!
2. Cough syrup, kleenex and Tylenol.
3. Sleeping like a rock.
4. Watching the fish swim around in the aquarium.
5. My husband being warm and comfy to snuggle up to in the mornings.

I have long admitted, to Coffee and anyone else who’s interested, that if I had a penis I would spend a lot of time attempting to make sweet, sweet love to everything around me. Pie? Sure. Melons? Yes! A mug of tapioca pudding? WHY NOT?

Perhaps the appeal stems from the fact that I’m a woman and my ability to have sex with ‘stuff’ is limited? I don’t know. I also don’t understand how Coffee can just shrug and say, “Not really interested, ” when I ask why he hasn’t shoved his wiener into some random place.

COME ON. THAT’S WHAT IT’S FOR! Put it in things!

At any rate, I was catching up on my Savage Love reading today (which you should totally read, too, because Dan Savage is totally on my “famous people I’d invite to dinner” list along with William Shatner and OMG, I want them both here at the same time because that’d be AWESOME!) and I scrolled down this particular day’s advice and found about “poopnoodle” and started laughing and.. now I want to fuck some frosting.

Time for another poll!

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This is what got me started on the genetically-modified thing. :)

If you are one of my pen pals, you already know that I’m about, oh, six or seven months behind on that. I have a gorgeous stack of letters sitting here awaiting my reply.. so, assuredly, you’ll hear from me sometime in the next decade (yeeesh.)

I have sent out a few items, here and there, but nothing big or important.

But.. for someone who loves getting stuff in the mail, it has been a very good period of time.

The first little giddy bit was getting all of my textbooks by courier – I ordered them online so as to happily avoid the lineups at the bookstore on campus. (Brilliant move, btw, and I definitely recommend it.) Lots of little packages to open up and paper products to move around and it was a good time.

And then…

Michelle sent me two books on sewing!

Three friends sent me games in the mail – including Scrabble Slam!

Another friend sent a care package filled with games and things for the entire family!

K sent me a Sharpie Pencil to try!

Andrew dropped off “chocolat noir aux pepites saveur violette” – chocolate with tiny bits of violet flavouring!

Nicole sent me a package of clothing!

Sylvain and Kelly sent me chocolates today!

Oh, it has been a good time around here when it comes to deliveries. GOOD TIME. I’m feeling a wild urge to bust out my envelopes and fancy papers and get some stuff out to everyone I know. Can I balance that with my school work?

I’d just like to note that I completely endorse the genetic-modification of what-the-fuck-ever as long as you label it before you toss it at me and expect me to eat it. Then we’ll see how the general public feels about your franken-fucking-food.

I’m in school to become a Social Service Worker (SSW) – when I’m finished my diploma, I will apply to be a “Registered Social Service Worker” which means I’ll be able to chuck the letters “RSSW” at the end of my name and look really smart and stuff.

People generally assume, when I say SSW, that I really meant to say Social Worker. One of the most frequently asked questions is “What’s the difference between a Social Worker and a Social Service Worker, Violet?”.

And I usually do this weird hand-waving thing and say, “Ehh, some stuff? Like.. umm…” because it’s kind of complicated.

Both are governed by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. In their own words:

The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) is a regulatory body whose primary duty is to serve and protect the public interest. The College’s mandate is to regulate the practice of social work and social service work and to govern its members.

The College was created when the province of Ontario fully proclaimed the Social Work and Social Service Work Act (1998) on August 15, 2000. College membership is required for any person in Ontario who wishes to use the title “social worker” or “social service worker” and/or “registered social worker” or “registered social service worker”. College membership is required if a person represents or holds out expressly or by implication that he or she is a social worker or a social service worker or a registered social worker or a registered social service worker.

Well, okay then.

If you skim through the definition of Social Worker that the college uses, and compare it to the definition of Social Service Worker that they use, you’ll find very few differences. The wording my be different, but the general concepts are very, very similar.

Both have to adhere to the same Code of Ethics.

Both are concerned with the well-being of individuals, families and communities.

Both design and implement programs.

Both work in a variety of institutions, agencies, roles.

Ultimately, things boil down a little to the usual discussion of “college vs university”. In order to be a Social Worker, you need to have a degree (your BSW, generally) or an advanced degree (like your MSW). In order to be a Social Service Worker, you need a college diploma (your SSW diploma, generally).

I’m not going to debate college vs university here, but the general concept is that college is very hands-on and university involves a lot more theory. In both cases, the programs are shifting – universities are offering more hands-on and colleges are offering more theory. This is good.

The agency where I work right now employs a mix of both – SSWs and SWs – in the same roles. Same pay. Same responsibilities. As a relief worker, still in school, I work alongside people who have already finished their degrees. When the time comes that I can apply for a full-time job there, if I decide to do so, I’ll be compared equally to the SWs. It’ll come down to things like experience, other training, personality (interviews).

In many agencies, however, only those with degrees (BSW or higher) get promoted to certain positions. The degreed people get paid more. And, certain agencies only hire those with degrees for certain positions in the first place. I’m aware of this. I’m also somewhat reluctant to consider those positions; I like hands-on and many (but not all) upper-level positions are about creating policies.

My advisor and I like to argue about this – he asserts that it’s great to impact people one-on-one but that there’s more power in creating those upper level policies that impact on a greater number of people. I agree, but have no enthusiasm for what I imagine to be involved in that work.

But I like the idea of a big fat paycheque.

I’ve been repeatedly encouraged to finish my degree (the one that I abandoned many years ago) and to shift it slightly to get my BSW in the process. It’ll get me further ahead.

I’ve been reminded that when I graduate from my program, I’m eligible to go into my 2nd year of the Social Development Studies program. That’d give me a BA in SDS. And man, I’d love to do that – I really would – but there is no way on earth to afford it at this point. I need to get a job, work, and save up first!

But I also know that, when I graduate in 7-ish months, I’ll be ready to work in my field. I’ll be qualified and I’ll have both work experience, field placement experience and education. I’m hopeful that I’ll return to school in the future – either by working and saving, getting a job that pays for education (ha!), or the appearance of a mysterious benefactor who wishes to pay my tuition (double ha!).

I’m stuck at home today, shuffling around in my jammas (yay, jammas!), thanks to the flu or the cold or the plague or .. whatever.

Last week, one of my classmates belatedly informed me that she had “a cold” after she sat down near me – it took a few days to get up to full speed in my body but, of course, I got it. Coughing and sneezing and snot and sinus pain. Complete loss of energy and difficulty catching my breath after even a little bit of exertion. The only thing missing was a fever.

Since my field placement involves, in part, working with/near/around people who have problems with their immune systems, there’s no way I could go in. I had checked with my supervisor (since, on occasion, I’ve worked with people who want you to come in even if you’re unwell – but they toss you in a back corner or a different room) and she confirmed that staying home was the best ideas.

So. Here I am.

Lucky you!

Ideally, I’d take this time to slouch on the sofa with my laptop and tell you all the things I’ve been saving up. The problem is that I’m .. tired. If you’re lucky, I might make it through a few of the things I’ve been storing, though, before I pass out.

I’ll try hard not to breathe on you.

Might wanna’ stock up on vitamins, tea and Cold FX.