I'm set to go back to my program and start teaching in January, which is a little exciting but mostly terrifying. To be honest, I know that I'm capable, but I'm not sure if I'm completely ready. I'm not totally not ready, though, so I feel like I should push ahead. There are, however, a … Continue reading Back to Real Life: Hard Decisions
Tag: anxiety
Thinking about Epilepsy: Featured Questionnaire #4 (The “You Never Know What Other People Are Going Through, so Always Be Nice to Them/Flattery Totally Works—I’m Blushing and Feel So Good about Myself” Edition)
Featured Questionnaire #4 comes from a fellow PhDer and one of the most genuinely nice people I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering. Although we’re enough years apart in our program that I haven’t spent a lot of time with her (I’ve also been pitifully absent from my department since my epilepsy diagnosis … I … Continue reading Thinking about Epilepsy: Featured Questionnaire #4 (The “You Never Know What Other People Are Going Through, so Always Be Nice to Them/Flattery Totally Works—I’m Blushing and Feel So Good about Myself” Edition)
OCD and the iPhone
Continuing the series debuted with "OCD and the Fitbit," I'd like to further embarrass myself by providing you with another window into my dysfunctional relationship with portable electronics. I got an iPhone 6 on Saturday. It's truly a thing of beauty. Aesthetically, anyway: I can't tell you much about its functionality beyond what I read … Continue reading OCD and the iPhone
Voluntarily Jabbed with Needles
I went for my first acupuncture appointment last Monday armed with a healthy degree of skepticism. A well-meaning but ill-informed acquaintance once suggested that acupuncture could "cure" my seizures. Medical science isn't on her side (Google it). However, I have bad nausea from the medications I take and almost-daily headaches due to my messed-up brain. … Continue reading Voluntarily Jabbed with Needles
Doing (Almost) Nothing
I came to an interesting realization this morning: I’m becoming exceptionally and uncharacteristically good at "wasting" time. Indeed, it’s Friday, and I have almost nothing to show for the week. Sure, I’ve had several appointments, seen friends, knit a hat, and kept myself alive, but I’ve accomplished very little else. Six months ago, I’d have … Continue reading Doing (Almost) Nothing
Topamax: Five and a Half Months Later
I'm sure all y'all have been eagerly awaiting an update on what's been happening with Topamax, the antiepileptic medication that caused me to function at the level of a second-grader drugged on sleeping pills when I started taking it in May. Well, you'll be pleased to know that tremendous progress has been made: I now … Continue reading Topamax: Five and a Half Months Later
Giving Thanks
My husband and I got back to Ontario a few hours ago after spending the long weekend at my parents' house in BC. We woke up before 5 a.m. We're both incredibly tired and grumpy. Happy Thanksgiving! Every time I leave Victoria (or NC), I'm reminded how hard it is to be so far from … Continue reading Giving Thanks
Sense of Impending Doom
One night last week, I had just finished brushing my teeth and was heading to bed when I stopped dead in my tracks, paralyzed by fear. “What’s wrong?” my husband asked. “I feel a SENSE OF IMPENDING DOOM,” I replied, in exactly those words. As per my recent explanation/tirade, the period after a tonic-clonic seizure can … Continue reading Sense of Impending Doom
(Not Going) Back to School
For the first time in as long as I can remember, I haven't been looking forward to Labour Day. Seeing as I seamlessly transitioned from taking to instructing courses, I’ve never lost that fall “going back to school” excitement/anticipation despite being in a year-round doctoral program. I love the rhythms and structure of the academic … Continue reading (Not Going) Back to School
Shakes on a Plane
I apologize if you find the title at all insensitive. I tried to resist—I really did—but alas: I'm a sucker for a pun. If it's any comfort, all shaking to which I refer in this post is expressly my own. We’re flying to North Carolina on Saturday for a week in the Outer Banks with … Continue reading Shakes on a Plane
