I’m good at lots of stuff. I take decent photographs. I can cook a decent meal, sometimes I write. There are things I’m good at, see. And then there’s the stuff I’m not so good at. Like passing drug screens, for example.
I blew it once before. It was by accident, of course. Wait. That was a bad choice of words. Allow me to clarify. I didn’t have an accident or anything. I failed the screen because, having been brought up right, I flushed the toilet. And then was close to failing a second time because the sample was a little, er, on the low side.
A few days ago, I had the chance to redeem myself. As part of the pre-employment process of a job I am up for, I had to go and do another drug screen. I promised myself this time would be different. There would be no flush. No flush. Not from me. And there would be no question of volume. I would turn that volume UP! I knew I could do it! I would pass this screen the first go-round. Sometimes you just need to believe in yourself, you know?
So I went. To the clinic, I mean. Well, I went, too. Because that’s part of the process. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I showed up at the clinic and registered after drinking enough water and coffee to provide a large enough sample for an elephant. The lobby reeked of cigarette smoke. I looked around to see if they were screening Noah. They weren’t. The closest they had to a Flood of Biblical proportions was a large fish tank with a constantly trickling filter. In the lobby of a place where people go because they’re supposed to pee. Rather dangerous placement if you ask me.
When they called my name, I knew my moment had come. I followed the nice lady back to the Cubicles of Disappointment and got signed in. She gave me the instructions, but she needn’t have bothered. They are burned into my heart. “Pee in the cup, don’t flush.” Like I could ever forget them.
I did what I had to do, and I did it well. After all that water, my cup overfl- oh, nevermind..You get the idea. I walked away from my nemesis feeling a little grossed out without flushing. I had done it! I think I heard an angel sing.
The thrill of success doesn’t last forever – just long enough to remember the poppy-seed bread I had eaten a couple of days before. Poppy seeds. You know the ones. Little black seeds that show up in a drug screen as heroin. Awesome. Even though my liver problem means I can’t drink OR shoot up heroin, but try explaining that one to Human Resources.
I’m waiting to hear the results. They say no news is good news. It might also be said that no news means they think you’re strung out on something stronger than dandelions. So now I’m scouring the classifieds for a position with an employer seeking hard-working individuals with a taste for poppy seed baked goods. I’ll let you know what I find.
You shall submit! Your link, that is!
I had no idea about the poppy seeds in bread showing up I would have thought that would have broken down and passed through your system rather than into your blood stream but it’s true you learn something new every day 😀
Yeah, most of the time an employer will call someone in to do the test a second time. And everything I read said it should leave the system within 24 hours.
Loved this!!!!! Very talented…
Thank you!
Still can’t get over the fact that you have to have a test.
And I studied so hard! 😀
I knew you were bad news. Mom warned me about friends like you, with your poppy-seed addictions!
(I want to kiss that little puppy-nose! SO CUTE!)
I knew you were bad news. Mom warned me about friends like you, with your poppy-seed addictions!
(I want to kiss that little puppy-nose. SO CUTE!)
Merciful heavens!
I know! Can I just come and work on the farmy? I’ll share Sheila’s pen.
sheila will have it ready for you..
Seinfeld taught us many wise lessons.
Elaine Benice was the first thing I thought of. I will not stoop to buying urine from an old man, though.
Mom warned me about friends like you. I knew you were trouble, you with your poppy-seed addiction!
(I want to smooch that puppy-nose. SO CUTE!)
Your mom is a wise woman. So wise.
Love this! I always have anxiety when taking a drug test for the same reasons. I’m pretty sure though, that you would have to have an extraordinary amount of poppy seed in your system for that to come up positive. 🙂 Good Luck!
Two poppy seed muffins can trip a screen. There HAS to be a better way! There HAS to be!
I always feel like a criminal when I slink in to pee in a cup.
Me too!!! And I get stage fright. It’s really ridiculous. Lol.
wow. three for three! you might as well be on drugs. kidding. 🙂
I KNOW! I got the call today that I passed, so I called my mom. She never thought she’d be praising God that THIS kid passed a drug screen. Next time I’m hunting for a job, I’m swearing off all food.
congratulations. you’re not on drugs! haha
I’m so proud of me!
I am in tears because most people I know who have failed drug tests have failed for obvious reasons. You, my friend, do it with flair.
If I’m gonna flunk it, I’m at least gonna get a blog post out of it. That’s how I live my life.
Poppy seeds, huh? That’s your excuse and you’re sticking to it! Funny story – probably none of those were funny at the time, but look how they came together for a humor post. I did know about the poppy seed drug thing, and I hope it doesn’t throw a snafu for you. I love poppy seed lemon anything if anyone is baking.
It all turned out okay, thank goodness!
“Cubicles of Disappointment” – hahahaha!
But let the record show – I passed. After all that, I passed.
You had me at Cubicles of Disappointment. Hilarious! Loved the whole pee. I mean piece.
HAHAHA! Best comment of the day!
Man, strict work conditions! The only test I ever had to take for a job was a math test. The chiropractor had hired three secretaries in the past who couldn’t do basic math, apparently, so she looked at me suspiciously when I handed the test back in in under five minutes. 😛 I got the job… though, I wish I -hadn’t-!
HAHAHAHA! That’s the best story!
Well, at least you had the poppy seed muffin to remember. I love them. I hope you get the job you want and then you can eat all the poppy seed muffins to your heart’s content.
It all turned out okay!
I failed via flushing once, too, it was so damn dissapointing when I had to work up the nerve to pee with the door askew for days
Isn’t it the most embarrassing?! They wouldn’t let me leave until I produced another sample, either. To do so would have counted as refusal to test. No pressure or anything.
I had no idea about poppy seeds! This was a great post. 🙂
Yeah, those little seeds’ll get ya if you’re not careful!
LOL – Too funny. I used to help out in HR, and we lost quite a few perspective employees due to the infamous drug screening. Your post put a smile on my face – and hey! Lay off those poppy seed bagels!
Blessings,
Cheryl
I don’t think I could eat another poppy seed if my life depended on it!
Love this 🙂
Thanks! And I just got good news. I passed!
Next time, have asparagus for supper, the night before! 😉
Okay, so maybe I laughed so hard just now that I fogged my glasses.
Don’t worry. Like the old saying goes, “I would never want to work any place that would employ ME.” Or something like that.
That’s the spirit!
Good luck, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Thanks! The luck held. I got the job!
Awesome!
I snorted my coffee! Don’t worry, they have fine tuned the tests over the years.
I passed my test. Good thing, too, because I studied really hard for it.
You’re going to end up the world expert on taking drug tests.
I am going to wish you good luck even though it makes me feel like the rednecks who yell “Good,luck, dude!” out their windows when someone is taking a roadside sobriety test.
HAHAHAHAHA! I passed! I passed! (I had to check my spelling on that word, although my typo would technically have been correct,too)
It is a strange world we are living in when we have to abstain from poppy seeds to get a job! At least no one had to stand there and watch you do “it”!
I didn’t know poppy seeds in a loaf of bread could give that kind of result.
They sure can. There has to be a better way! Fortunately, it didn’t affect me. Thank goodness!
I HATE drug tests – or pee tests of any kind. My problem is that I just can’t pee straight. I don’t know if I’m built different than the average girl or what – but without fail, I end up peeing all over my hand and the outside of the cup. Luckily, I’m usually able to get a sufficient quantity IN the cup for the required purpose. But, even though I clean off the collection cup, I always feel horrible that someone else needs to touch it. I imagine that they wear gloves – but….ewwwwwwww!
I read a bit about poppyseeds after going home sick from work after eating a poppyseed muffin. (Apparently there’s such thing as a sensitivity to poppyseeds? It’s getting ridiculous). It’s actually morphine that shows up in your system, and you’d have to have eaten a metric ton of them to make a huge difference. Although it sounds like you had nothing to worry about 😉
I know a couple of people who failed the first go-round due to poppy seeds. There has to be a better way! Usually they just require a second test a few days later. But I MADE IT!
Ah the devil poppy seeds….
I know. They’re hidden innocently in so many foods! But i got the all-clear, so I’m good to go!
I think they have changed how they evaluate that part of the drug screening. I am not sure it turns up as a fail like it used to. 🙂
Yeah, yeah “poppy seeds”…how about testing for an overindulgence of Moon Pies…? 🙂