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A rather hefty life update!
12 years ago
General
Just a general update on life! Breaking it into a few sections, so you can skip to the numeral if you want to read any region in specific:
The good-
I) Being married! :D
II) I’ve advanced! (Grad school stuff)
III) Writing
IV) Blood of Tyrants (no spoilers)
V) Monster’s U (SPOILERS)
The less good-
VI) I gotta get some surgery in my face
VII) Psychology
I) Being married! :D – Needless to say, this is the best thing ever. Sal and I have been married for six weeks omg :D It’s really kinda surreal in a way. More so, it’s funny because nothing has really changed, at all. X3 we’re just living our lives together like always. Workin’ away and trying to do our best for the fandom. :3
II) I’ve advanced! (Grad school stuff) – For anyone who doesn't know, I’m a graduate student. I’m at a big university that has all kinds of focuses, but is sorta known for their biology. I’m in a cancer biology lab. About ½ - 2/3 through the program you have your advancement. This involves a ~15 page (mine was 18) proposal on a thesis project, and a 2 hour powerpoint presentation on the proposal. During this presentation, a committee of 5 professors ask you questions and judge your ability to be a scientist and whether they think your thesis project will be fruitful and provide you enough to publish and get a PhD. I passed mine :D It’s basically kind of tenure for me. They can’t fire me now- they've agreed to give me a doctorate, I just have to get the work done to get there.
III) Writing – I’m finally trying to get back into this. With my work schedule it has been very hard, but I’ve been doing my best to do so. I’ve been really out of it lately as far as writing goes, or creativity at all, but I’m working on that (more about this later).
IV) Blood of Tyrants (no spoilers) – I’m 1/3rd through the book. I really enjoy reading Novik’s writing again, and this book is better than the previous by a good deal, at least in writing and plot. There is one major thing I am taking issue with, but I won’t really discuss that. It’s mostly a peeve of knowledge, and won’t affect most I think. X3 Either way, there’s already been a scene I rather enjoy (not really spoilers? But I guess if you’re really overly sensitive about those, skip ahead)- Laurence meets a dragon, and assumes it male. The dragon lounges, and he notes, specifically, that he is mistaken. First it’s kinda hot because he’s noting a sexy feral dragon’s anatomy; second, it’s interesting, in suggesting that dragons of Novik’s universe have external bits, or at least, some external presentation of their gender. Curious to know more!
V) Monster’s U (SPOILERS) – I loved this movie. Absolutely ADORED it. It was great. See it if you haven’t had a chance, and it’s still showing around you. If not, DVD out in 2 months. NAB THAT SHIT UP. It’s awesome <3 Probably one of the better movie’s I have seen. WAY better than the first movie! But one of the reasons I really loved it (spoilers start here) is how Mike’s history plays out. As bad as he wants to be a scarer monster, and as hard as he tries, he just can’t do it. He isn’t meant to, he doesn’t have the ability. As a graduate student, and going through as an undergraduate… people can’t always do what they want. I’ve seen so many that are driven to do what they think they love, science in this case, but they just don’t have the ability. I’m very much of the belief that “I think I can” doesn’t cut it- no matter how hard a person might try, 99.9% of them can’t be an Olympic runner, no matter what. That really seems to be something our generation has been against, but I think it’s good to see it in action. And, most importantly… Mike uses his abilities to something he IS suited to, and has a great career and loves it. I like the lesson of “Find what your abilities are suited to, and have an amazing time doing that”.
VI) I gotta get some surgery in my face – So I’ve been having a lot of headaches recently. I finally saw a doctor about them, once they got bad enough to be paired with severe vertigo, which would happen during work often. I got worried that it might occur while driving, and… anyway, saw doctor. Turns out they are sinus headaches, since I have a very severely deviated septum. That middle part of my nose bows out to the left so severely that it limits my left nostril to 10-20% capacity and the turbulence from it messes with my sinuses and Eustachian tube. Since it is likely to grow more, and just bend further, making it worse, I need to get surgery. On Oct 3rd I’ll get surgery to trim it down, properly set it, widen my nostril, and properly clear out/open my sinuses on that side. Should be 1-2 weeks recovery. Woo~ X3 But life should be better afterward.
VII) Psychology – Finally, I’ve been having a few more medical problems- headaches, stomach issues, constantly being sleepy. While physical issues could explain a lot of this, my doctor was curious about my mental state, as that can greatly influence perceived pain and result in physical illness. With a rather saturated history of mental illness (Depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc) on my mother’s side, and paired with the fact that I’ve been super stressed- as a side note, getting a PhD in my degree has been compared to the distress experienced by losing your husband/wife- my doctor felt I should be evaluated by a psychologist. I saw one today; a PhD psychologist who specializes in stress/anxiety, family issues, gay/lesbian issues, and a few other things. Needless to say, the first three are perfectly applicable to me and I talked to her.
She rapidly determined that I suffer from depression (I’ve kinda … assumed this for ages, I suppose? But it’s good to know I have an actual disorder- I really dislike self-diagnosis, and I didn't want to, nor do I want to, use it as an excuse). I’m going to continue meeting with her to discuss techniques to help me deal with my stress and depression so I can start being a better friend and better to those I love. Some may notice I can be rather unresponsive at times, and others have mood swings/be rather grumpy and snappish. So, I’m going to do my best to be better about those things, and hopefully my psychologist can help me with these.
In addition, due to the depression, grumpiness, sometimes severe mood swings, and a history of bipolar disorder in my family, I’ll be getting evaluated by a psychotherapist soon to determine whether I suffer from bipolar disorder and whether medications are appropriate. For the most part, I am a fully functional adult- but I am often very depressed, no matter how happy I know I should be. And I’m getting kind of tired about it, and about being shitty to people I love. So… hopefully this helps. A part of depression is a loss of hobbies. I really hope this helps me get back into writing and knitting and art... I'd be much happier accomplishing those, for sure. <3
So there’s a big life update, so you all know I’m still alive! Thanks for reading :3 Ya’ll are the best.
The good-
I) Being married! :D
II) I’ve advanced! (Grad school stuff)
III) Writing
IV) Blood of Tyrants (no spoilers)
V) Monster’s U (SPOILERS)
The less good-
VI) I gotta get some surgery in my face
VII) Psychology
I) Being married! :D – Needless to say, this is the best thing ever. Sal and I have been married for six weeks omg :D It’s really kinda surreal in a way. More so, it’s funny because nothing has really changed, at all. X3 we’re just living our lives together like always. Workin’ away and trying to do our best for the fandom. :3
II) I’ve advanced! (Grad school stuff) – For anyone who doesn't know, I’m a graduate student. I’m at a big university that has all kinds of focuses, but is sorta known for their biology. I’m in a cancer biology lab. About ½ - 2/3 through the program you have your advancement. This involves a ~15 page (mine was 18) proposal on a thesis project, and a 2 hour powerpoint presentation on the proposal. During this presentation, a committee of 5 professors ask you questions and judge your ability to be a scientist and whether they think your thesis project will be fruitful and provide you enough to publish and get a PhD. I passed mine :D It’s basically kind of tenure for me. They can’t fire me now- they've agreed to give me a doctorate, I just have to get the work done to get there.
III) Writing – I’m finally trying to get back into this. With my work schedule it has been very hard, but I’ve been doing my best to do so. I’ve been really out of it lately as far as writing goes, or creativity at all, but I’m working on that (more about this later).
IV) Blood of Tyrants (no spoilers) – I’m 1/3rd through the book. I really enjoy reading Novik’s writing again, and this book is better than the previous by a good deal, at least in writing and plot. There is one major thing I am taking issue with, but I won’t really discuss that. It’s mostly a peeve of knowledge, and won’t affect most I think. X3 Either way, there’s already been a scene I rather enjoy (not really spoilers? But I guess if you’re really overly sensitive about those, skip ahead)- Laurence meets a dragon, and assumes it male. The dragon lounges, and he notes, specifically, that he is mistaken. First it’s kinda hot because he’s noting a sexy feral dragon’s anatomy; second, it’s interesting, in suggesting that dragons of Novik’s universe have external bits, or at least, some external presentation of their gender. Curious to know more!
V) Monster’s U (SPOILERS) – I loved this movie. Absolutely ADORED it. It was great. See it if you haven’t had a chance, and it’s still showing around you. If not, DVD out in 2 months. NAB THAT SHIT UP. It’s awesome <3 Probably one of the better movie’s I have seen. WAY better than the first movie! But one of the reasons I really loved it (spoilers start here) is how Mike’s history plays out. As bad as he wants to be a scarer monster, and as hard as he tries, he just can’t do it. He isn’t meant to, he doesn’t have the ability. As a graduate student, and going through as an undergraduate… people can’t always do what they want. I’ve seen so many that are driven to do what they think they love, science in this case, but they just don’t have the ability. I’m very much of the belief that “I think I can” doesn’t cut it- no matter how hard a person might try, 99.9% of them can’t be an Olympic runner, no matter what. That really seems to be something our generation has been against, but I think it’s good to see it in action. And, most importantly… Mike uses his abilities to something he IS suited to, and has a great career and loves it. I like the lesson of “Find what your abilities are suited to, and have an amazing time doing that”.
VI) I gotta get some surgery in my face – So I’ve been having a lot of headaches recently. I finally saw a doctor about them, once they got bad enough to be paired with severe vertigo, which would happen during work often. I got worried that it might occur while driving, and… anyway, saw doctor. Turns out they are sinus headaches, since I have a very severely deviated septum. That middle part of my nose bows out to the left so severely that it limits my left nostril to 10-20% capacity and the turbulence from it messes with my sinuses and Eustachian tube. Since it is likely to grow more, and just bend further, making it worse, I need to get surgery. On Oct 3rd I’ll get surgery to trim it down, properly set it, widen my nostril, and properly clear out/open my sinuses on that side. Should be 1-2 weeks recovery. Woo~ X3 But life should be better afterward.
VII) Psychology – Finally, I’ve been having a few more medical problems- headaches, stomach issues, constantly being sleepy. While physical issues could explain a lot of this, my doctor was curious about my mental state, as that can greatly influence perceived pain and result in physical illness. With a rather saturated history of mental illness (Depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc) on my mother’s side, and paired with the fact that I’ve been super stressed- as a side note, getting a PhD in my degree has been compared to the distress experienced by losing your husband/wife- my doctor felt I should be evaluated by a psychologist. I saw one today; a PhD psychologist who specializes in stress/anxiety, family issues, gay/lesbian issues, and a few other things. Needless to say, the first three are perfectly applicable to me and I talked to her.
She rapidly determined that I suffer from depression (I’ve kinda … assumed this for ages, I suppose? But it’s good to know I have an actual disorder- I really dislike self-diagnosis, and I didn't want to, nor do I want to, use it as an excuse). I’m going to continue meeting with her to discuss techniques to help me deal with my stress and depression so I can start being a better friend and better to those I love. Some may notice I can be rather unresponsive at times, and others have mood swings/be rather grumpy and snappish. So, I’m going to do my best to be better about those things, and hopefully my psychologist can help me with these.
In addition, due to the depression, grumpiness, sometimes severe mood swings, and a history of bipolar disorder in my family, I’ll be getting evaluated by a psychotherapist soon to determine whether I suffer from bipolar disorder and whether medications are appropriate. For the most part, I am a fully functional adult- but I am often very depressed, no matter how happy I know I should be. And I’m getting kind of tired about it, and about being shitty to people I love. So… hopefully this helps. A part of depression is a loss of hobbies. I really hope this helps me get back into writing and knitting and art... I'd be much happier accomplishing those, for sure. <3
So there’s a big life update, so you all know I’m still alive! Thanks for reading :3 Ya’ll are the best.
Also, love the Temeraire series I need to finish some of the later books, but it was very inspiring for me to read! And I hope you get the best care for both your sinus issue and your mental health!
As for being diagnosed, it's refreshing to see such a positive attitude towards it. I hope you can find the techniques that work for you. ^__^
Im sure everything is gonna go well, I hope its gonna be worth it and you are gonna feel better afterwards!
Sucks on the deviated septum D: and especially the mental bits D: D: D: You seemed to hide it okay when I saw you, if that's any comfort.
No, but seriously, good luck on that surgery and the whole depression thing. It should be easy know that you have a hubby to help you out XD
ALSO OH MY GOD WHY AM I IN THE USA TODAY oh hey I should make some stuff for DH.
many congrats on all your accomplishments!:)
I feel sorry for you having to suffer from depression, but I know you are strong enough to pull through it; my mate was the key for me to overcome it:)
Hope the other parts will pick up soon and your life will become better.
Much love, mate.
Good stress is awesome, though! I'm so glad to hear that your marriage with Sal is going so well. I can't tell you how thrilled I am for both of you. ^^ Grad school projects and writing projects are a lot of work, and can be a source of many headaches and sleepless nights, but at they same time, completing them is infinitely rewarding! I think you'll do just fine with both of them though. You've already come so far and done so much! :D
The bad stress is an extra hurdle you don't need, but it doesn't sound like it'll be insurmountable. Having to get surgery always sucks, but it should leave you feeling better in the end. There are no easy solutions for depression and bipolar disorder, though. I've found that my own depression is just something to be managed, rather than something to be cured. But treating them is definitely the right way to go. You have my best wishes that you find something that works well for you. Don't be afraid to try different treatments, as they all work differently on different people. :)
Overall, though it sounds like things just keep getting better! Keep up the great work! ^^
lol jk. Congrats for the marriage.