In the meantime

I have been walking around thinking of my life in blog posts or Facebook statuses...I think I have a problem. Of course, the bigger problem is that they are rarely positive posts or statuses (can I say statii??). I am so incredibly frustrated at school right now. I no longer care if people see me playing games on my computer during the work day. I am trying to plan things to do, but when I am invited to do something find it so easy to talk myself out of because I am tired of trying to make myself happy. They say money cannot buy happiness, but I sure feel like an extra $2-5,000 would make me a hell of a lot happier right now. I have given the rundown of my situation before, so feel free to stop reading...here we go.

I finished a draft of my dissertation the second to last week of August. On the "revisions" (and I use the term LOOSELY), my advisor wrote the date and time of when I sent her the original, but only the date that she gave it back to me. When I copied my responses for her, I added the time she notified me that it was in my box or outside her door because it was frequently long after she knew I had gone home for the day. Anyway. The second round of revisions I drew out as long as I could because she did not need to see it again before I give it to my committee. Seriously, about a month on revisions that could have been done in days.

I had to give a practice defense talk in lab meeting October 5th. Again, I drew out revisions doing half of them last week and half this week. Could have been done in an afternoon though.

I went through my reference file and made sure all species names were italicized in article titles and that all journals were appropriately abbreviated. (This actually was a productive form of procrastinating!)

I have cleaned out my office as much as possible, as the last stuff in here I might need again.

I have one publication, one paper revised and resubmitted, and a third I should get back any day.

I have a funded post-doc position in a good lab at a good university working for a woman who I have a good feeling about (and who my sister heard from a third party is "wonderful").

I received an email from the graduate school essentially saying, "I assume your dissertation is not complete, as I have not heard from you..." This has instilled a sense of hopelessness too. My dissertation was first completely drafted almost two months ago?! Do people think the reason I am not finishing is because I have not done enough work in a timely manner? That is not true!!!! Worst of all is if my committee and post-doc advisor thinks this!!! :-(

I have looked into housing where I will be moving, but feel uncomfortable contacting realtors/landlords if I do not know when I can commit to a lease.

I have been eating a lot, which is bad. But I suppose it is good in that I am not to the stressed-out point where I loose my appetite (although admittedly I am also eating despite not being hungry).

My cat had $350 of dental work done.

My car has about $1000 of work to do.

Moving is going to cost about $1200. I am planning to go with those PODS that they drop off and pick up for you. Less stressful than driving a truck 12+ hours, even with my Dad's help.

My family all leaves tomorrow for Disney World, and I am not going. Ever since they started planning it, I said I was not sure if I would be able to go. I had always thought it would be because I had started a new job though, not because I was still stuck in this miserable place wasting my time.

I have that feeling and taste in the back of my throat that I am getting sick. Let me tell you, a college campus is a big old germ farm.

I STILL DO NOT HAVE A DEFENSE DATE.

So in an ongoing effort to be happy and think about good things...
I actually made it to the gym three mornings this week! For some reason I was getting all down on myself about the two mornings that I kept hitting snooze until I realized this.

One of my best friends just got engaged last weekend to a wonderful man!!!

I get free lunch at school today with the visiting speaker from whom I took Animal Behavior TEN years ago in college.

Tomorrow I get to see my old roommate and her husband and daughter. They are having a joint birthday & brewing party.

Sunday I am having friends over for the Patriots game and making chili. YUM. One of those friends is one of my friends who is pregnant. I love pregnant ladies. :-)

I have started collecting boxes to pack and will start that this weekend too.

I donated a bunch of clothes and shoes. I have some old linens to bring to the animal shelter.

I think that is about it. I am going to go make another cup of tea. This time it will be Kava Stress Relief Tea. It says right on it, "For a stronger effect, use 2 tea bags."

I think it is going to be that kind of day.