Subheadings

Career

As I stealth-edited last week, I got a job! I'm doing basically the same thing I was doing in the last gig, but with liver research instead of cardiovascular. It's a very interesting patient base and my new coworkers seem to be really friendly and SUPER productive. My PI has more than twenty years doing this kind of work, so there's a very clear system in place for how operations are to be conducted, and the amount of perfectly reasonable structure they have for every process is reassuring.

This is definitely a step up professionally because in addition to my duties in regular research operations, I'm going to be developed for a management position, basically riding herd on a small group of researchers and lab staff. To quote my PI 'I only hire people who can be invested in the work, and I invest in them in return.'

I've signed on for a two year contract with option to extend, and it got me thinking about time. In two years I'll be 27 with four years of clinical research experience under my belt. My Robust Pleasure Source will have finished her degree by then, and will be significantly more employable. Then comes the question of 'what do we do now?' and at the moment I have no idea. I guess one of my biggest goals of the next year or so is to figure out things that we actually want in the positive and how to make those things reality.

Exercise

Took a few days off yoga because of a hectic weekend. Only did 15 minutes yesterday but it felt like an hour, and my muscles protested a surprising amount. Been slacking off with the stationary biking too. Maybe I should pursue some alternative methods for getting my cardio in. Jazzercise anyone?

Related, I'm on a diuretic because my body wants to hold onto fluid. I've found that if I make a point to go to the sauna regularly, I don't need my diuretic as much. Heart failure patients are typically told to avoid saunas/steam baths but I'll be damned if I give up my heritage. Plus, if I can get rid of water by sweating instead of diuresis that means I'm less likely to develop a tolerance to those meds. I'd like to stay off spironolactone for as long as possible, as it tends to give men breasts.

Food

keifermiller I'm getting a small deep fryer from my girlfriends mom. I am going to do my best to use this power for good and not evil. I have issued a household moratorium on anything that could be deep fried that isn't falafel. Hopefully it holds up for at least a few weeks.