Time of the Month

Mocktober

10.31.22

Possibilities are few
Be anyone but you
Pretend the worst is over
Enjoy this Mocktober

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

I spent the day as Daphne from Scooby Doo  , if she were living in a pandemic and working late coding in a research lab. Very specific costume. Strangely, no one guessed it.

I must have missed the memo, because I was the only one I saw dressed up. The entire day. Downtown, the building I work in, stopping for dinner. No trick-or-treaters. Does Halloween not count anymore if it's on a week day?

Can't believe October is already over. It's all a blur. I'm quite envious of all the NaNo talk going on around here. I am more of a short-form writer, as you may have gathered from my portfolio which is exclusively poetry and prose ranging from micro to short stories. Planning a whole novel is an entirely different skill set. But I've always wanted to attempt it. This isn't the year. It's never the year, because November is an annual week-long Neuroscience conference that takes the entire month to prepare, attend and recover from. That's not an exaggeration. And this year, in particular, is a turning point in my career path.

Which direction will it turn? That's what I need to find out before I go on the job market next year.

Fortunately for you all, that means I should have some adventures to tell next month from sunny San Diego.
Can't wait to get back to the west best coast. It's been almost 4 years.

I got my flu shot and the fancy new bivalent booster in preparation, but chances are still good that I'll come back with more than just knowledge and new networking contacts. Flying across the country to attend an indoor conference for 12 hours a day with 30 thousand of my closest friends? In the middle of peak cold and flu season and a pandemic? Yikes.

By the way, don't try to work the day after getting boosted. Just, don't. Pretty sure I had a fever on and off all day, although I didn't realize it until I took my temp after getting home from lab. I don't recommend. (But I do recommend getting the new booster, and the flu shot, before the holiday season.)

And for those who have been waiting with bated breath, an update on my furball:
Turns out she has feline asthma. Yes, apparently that's a thing. Her bronchial airways were inflamed on the X-ray, but otherwise the vet said she's healthy. The vet prescribed a course of steroids, which can sometimes take care of it. But if not, she may need long term treatment like an inhaler. It's not great news, but I'm glad it's not something more serious.

If you've never had to give a cat 2 pills a day, it's a lot like hand feeding a rabid squirrel with it's mouth glued shut. But I just discovered "pill pocket" treats, and they are life changing. #NotAnAd

Would you like to join me for a cup of positivitea ?

”Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you're donating blood.”
- Bill Murray