Life Update Two Years Later!

Is blogging every two years considered a thing? I think I can turn it into one.

So it's been a really long time. A really really long time. I'm sorry to anyone who might actually read this. At work the other day, my co-workers suggested that I write a blog on behalf of our organization and I was trying to explain that I used to blog. When asked what about, I was a little stumped trying to remember. Grad school? Unemployment? Cats? Ice cream? Turns out, it was all of the above. At any rate, I've always found writing cathartic on some level, so shout out to the universe with this long overdue life update. Warning, humble brags ahead...

I am no longer a PhD candidate. I'm a mother effing full-fledged doctor of philosophy. I finished after a total of eight long painstaking years of graduate school. Plus four years of undergrad and whatever else led me up to that point. It was a long haul for sure! After my dissertation defense, when my advisor congratulated me on passing, I literally burst into tears of joy. So much for not crying in front of her during all of that time. Graduation was amazing and I had the BEST party of all time to celebrate, followed by a sweet trip to Italy with some amazing girlfriends.

I also no longer work at that terrible soul sucking job with a psychotic boss. I have a job that I like on most days with co-workers that I love. We have a lot of fun and eat a lot of snacks. Very important things to look for in a prospective job.

I also moved into a sweet new adult apartment. That sounds dirty. But what I meant was a much nicer apartment complex that only working adults can afford, as opposed to broke grad students.

Being done with school means time for fun hobbies, traveling, a steady income, and more time with family, friends, and my kitty cat. Yes, she's still around. Also, a certain gentleman in my life who is proving to be the most fun person to hang out and have adventures with. This adulting thing isn't as terrible as I thought it would be.

See you in another two years?

Life Update!

Don't worry, I'm still here. I miss blogging. I'm sure you miss reading my blog. I've been having lots of fun adventures and keep making notes to myself to come back and write about it. So what have I been doing with my time?

Here is what my Tuesday/Thursday schedule is like:

8:30-9:00ish - arrive at work

work all day, typically staring an excel spreadsheets, entering data, and sometimes doing some calculations if I am lucky. I only get up to use the bathroom or to get my lunch that I eat at my desk. This is a typical day. I've been doing a better job of getting out for lunch, but it is pricey in terms of both money, calories, and time. 

3:45-4:00ish - leave work and drive directly to school, sometimes eating a granola bar in my car

4:00-5:00 - sit in the computer lab at school frantically reviewing my notes trying to remember how to teach statistics.

5:00-7:30ish - blather on about statistics to incredibly bored undergraduates in the hottest classroom you can imagine. Only stop for water breaks.

7:30-8:00ish - drive home, become depressed at the idea of having to cook dinner and stop at some kind of drive-thru. Likely one that has rootbeer floats.

8:00ish - "unwind", eat my sad dinner while playing candy crush saga

8:30ish - write a disseratation and consume a rootbeer float

1:00am ish - go to bed

3:00am ish - fall asleep

Doesn't this sound awful? It's pretty intense. Luckily, it is making me productive as shit. Teaching is going well, and my writing is perhaps at its peak. My advisor has taken to writing compliments on my drafts. That never happens. Ever.

Monday and Wednesday are meant to be my easy days. Instead of teaching, I go home and grade either quizzes or homework assignments and enter grades. Then, I write my dissertation. 

I had every intention of taking Fridays off as mental health days, and unfortunately, I've been going in to work to get caught up on projects. And the weekends? Honestly, it's a blur. Usually laundry, cleaning my apartment, and letting my family know that I'm still alive.

I've been doing a variation of this schedule for about three weeks now, and I'm worried my mental and physical health are going to crumble. The good news is that I only have two more weeks of teaching and then things will calm down. 

I hate for this to sound overly negative and complainy, so I will end with the positives. 

I'm feeling incredibly lucky to be where I am compared to six months ago. It's amazing what you can do when you let go of negativity. Sure, getting laid off sucked, my new job isn't great. My boss is possibly a clinical psychopath. But you know what? I'm making good money, I have flexibility in my scheduling, and for whatever reason, the psychopath seems to like me on some days. I'm finally making real progress towards graduating, after a year of working on my dissertation and not really getting anything done (what was I doing?!). I'm planning on graduating in December and throwing the most epic party of all time. 

I've managed to maintain my unemployment weight. I've been cooking and finding time to exercise and feeling great. The best part is, I'm having more fun that I have had in a really long time. I've reconnected with old friends and have made some terrific new ones. I've spent a lot more time with my family and realized they are seriously the coolest people I know. I'm planning an epic vacation for my 30th birthday that I'm crazy excited about. I just need to find time to blog about all this awesomeness.

I'll leave you with my new life motto:

"Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” -Marilyn Monroe.