Employed Interlude

I lucked into a contract gig in Quincy this week. It's supposed to last about 3 weeks. The pay is miniscule (barely better than unemployment). The way I got this job is thanks to a job interview for another position in the company so when this project came up, they thought of me!

It is an Excel nerds dream job. I basically need to clean up a database that was screwed up by an outside company. It's tens of thousands of lines and I need to research addresses and coding. So, I am using filters and color coding a lot. I also have to pack visine and my iPod. The people I work with are really nice and my commute is under ten minutes so I am a pretty happy camper.

Titration Sucks Donkey Gonads

The past couple of days I have been out of commission. Why? Because I entered week 2 of taking Lamotrigine. Week 2 is when I had to double my dosage by taking two pills a day (50 mg). I tried one in the morning and one before bed. I felt really gross so I did one in the morning and one after dinner. Day 3 I stayed in bed wracked with nausea, crying jags, dizziness, and utter exhaustion. Hands down it was the worst side effects I've ever had on any medication. Basically, every warning in the pill pamphlet came true. I finally got up and nibbled on something at 7:00 PM. Thank goodness I have an appointment with my medication doc this week! 50 mg ain't my speed. Unfortunately, I don't think 25 mg is considered therapeutic so I'm worried if my meds will be changed. Thank goodness that I'm unemployed so these experiments in brain chemistry have minimal impact!

You Should Buy These ASAP!

Remember how I fell three times last winter and completely wrecked my knees winding up in PT for months? Since I had no plans on moving to Florida, I did some research on what gives the best traction in the winter. So I bought these babies back in August.

My goodness, YaxTrax are simple amazing! I used them all the time for my Stowe weekend. I walked up to a ski lodge on packed snow with just my sneakers and my Trax. I also walked to a bar over melting ice in dress shoes and my Trax. You can walk like a normal person without any shuffling or teetering. Also, what would you rather pack? Boots or YaxTrax that lie completely flat. Just stuff a plastic bag in your purse and whip them off once you get inside. Warning, walking on tile or marble does feel like skating.

Ringing in the Year

I know, I know it has been a month. So, apologies all around. It wasn't like I didn't have the time to blog, I didn't get around to it.

The Good

• The Medical Security Program is now covering 80% of my monthly premium. No more loans from my retired fixed income father - woohoo! Also, I had help figuring out the paperwork and submission process from my local career center. So I highly recommend sucking up pride and using them as a resource!
  
• My chorus concert went amazingly well. Standing ovations and an additional arts grant! My parents were blown away. They have schlepped to all my performances over the decades. This is the first one that had them gushing praise with awe in their eyes.
  
• My Xmas weekend was really nice. I got to see a bunch of family, had good laughs, and my mother and brother outdid themselves with our family holiday dinner. I also got great gifts!
  
• I had an amazing New Years weekend. I attended this event. Fell in love with Stowe, VT and met a bunch of great people. Otter Creek IPA is a stout that tastes like a lager. Also Switchback is a great non-hoppy brew. By the way, Vermont's unemployment rate is 5.3%...
• Two job possibilities in the fire.

The Middling

• Over the holidays, my brother introduced me to a video game called Skyrim. If you liked Game of Thrones, you'd like this. The graphics looks like those mini-movies in video games but now you can play in the movie! It's even fun watching someone else play. My brother's main avatar is a cat person. So on one fun booze fueled play demonstration, he went on a killing spree fus ro dahing everything. So we made up a song called "Murder Cat". Ugh, I am soo tempted to buy a PS3 but I am poor...
• I'm taking a new medication in addition to Citalopram. The goal is that this medication will dial down impulsivity and even me out. I'm not thrilled to add to my morning pills but so far Lamotrigine seems to have calmed me down by making me tired so it takes longer for me to make decisions. Buying mental time. But I really have to be careful drinking with this drug combo. I have no tolerance and hangovers are wicked.
  

The Bad

• I was sick for three weeks with a head cold that settled into my chest. I finally made a doctor's appointment and was put on a new (for me) anti-biotic, Doxycycline. I recovered in time for Xmas but it took a while to get rid of the wheezing and night sweats.
• I had a horrible job interview where I completely crashed and burned. It wasn't set up in the way I was told. It was two hours and group behavioral interviews. I was fine in the first group. I used solid examples and got to the point. But then I had to wait 45 minutes for the next group sitting in a lobby with the other potential candidates. And I stupidly decided to try to use new examples so I wouldn't be repeating myself. One lady in this group very obviously did not like me so I got rattled and wound up babbling a lot. Surprise, I didn't get the job.
• I broke my right kidney. Holiday excess put a huge strain on my kidney so this week I'm cutting sugar, upping water and cranberry juice. I thought I had just strained my back but after talking to my mom, she suggested it could be my kidney. Lo and behold a change in diet diminished my pain!