Glucocorticoids
I keep having visions of a cozy snow day off from work just like the ones we got last February. I long for the kind of day when I can sleep in, stay in my pajamas, have a pot of soup or curry or stew simmering on the stove, do a little bit of work from home, and then indulge in a good book or movie, or both. And a knitting or crochet project. And tea or hot cocoa.
My new year's enthusiasm and ambitions are still here, as I look ahead. But I've realized that this time of the year often finds me quiet, keeping a low profile as I try to figure out how to put my ideas and hopes into action. 2011 will, by necessity, be a year of change, as my post-doc position wraps up this summer. So once again, there's a vast stretch of unknown this year, as I chart out my path on the employment front* (most immediately), and tackle important considerations and decisions embedded in that process.
And now here are a few other things:
1) I think Amy Chua is so full of crap. Unless you've completely unplugged yourself from the blogosphere, tv, radio, newspaper, Facebook, etc., then you most certainly have heard of the controversy she sparked with Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I'll tell you what I think another time, though.
2) I don't have a pituitary tumor. That is good news, of course, but I didn't think I did in the first place. (Keep reading below).
3) I'm still frustrated and left hanging after some other tests my endocrinologist ran, that show that my adrenal hormones are indeed out of whack. Those lab results prove that no, I'm not crazy or imagining things, and there in fact, IS, indeed, an organic, quantifiable, objective, non-lifestyle-related reason for my "unexplained" bone loss and noticeable weight gain, etc. But what is k1lling me right now is that no one seems to be able to tell me why they are out of whack, or what can be done to correct my adrenal function, thereby leaving me hanging, or about to resort to complementary/alternative care by asking my acupuncturist, "do you have any herbs that can set things right?"
4)*I'm debating whether to apply to a job in Portland, Oregon, among others, and need to decide soon whether to proceed. I've only been to Stump Town once, I don't know anyone there (at least I don't think so). I know very little about that city aside from what my dad said about it from when he used to go there in his college days. D (ArchitectBoy) used to tell me positive things about POrtland from an urban planning perspective--that it is a model city for bike-friendliness and public transportation. He told me that Ch@rlottesville actually bought some of Portland's old street cars and refurbished them into city buses. I also heard good things from friends who have visited there, and another post-doc friend who moved here from Corvallis. The question remains: do I apply or not? I may not get the job, so it may be a non-issue. If they are interested, but I don't see a fit I can also always say no.
And now I shall sleep on it.
