36 weeks...

36 weeks until my sister's wedding, in which I will be maid of honor. I will have to wear a dress and stand in front of her fit, fabulous, funky friends. Right now, I am really not happy with how I look. I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS, for short), which causes hair loss, rampant midsection weight gain, and facial hair. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Well, I've been dealing with it since I was 13 years old. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. I'm finally gathering my resources and seeing an endocrinologist. Most people wait until they're trying to get pregnant to see an endocrinologist, but I'd prefer not to wait that long--I'd like to feel better sooner, rather than later. I know that one thing that helps me most of all is reducing my carb intake, but when you're on the road 50% of your day, that can be really challenging. I followed the Metabolism Miracle religiously for a while, and know that I really just need to power through the first four days of no sugar and I'll be ok. But now that I know what to expect--the headaches, the anger, the OH MY GOSH, JUST GIVE ME A CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE ALREADY--it makes it harder to "sign up" for it.

But I hate the way I feel right now, and I weigh more than I ever have in my life. So it's time to get on the ball, and start doing things differently.

Well, hello, 2012

It's been a while since I've written. I started my first REAL job, working as a family therapist with kids on the autism spectrum and their families. In the interest of confidentiality, I won't go into any of that here, but I will say that on most days, I love my job and am frustrated by it all at the same time. The frustrating part, of course, comes more from the bureaucracy and the "stuff" that people neglect to think about when they sign up for a full-time job. Eg: 40 hours a week is actually 45, once you've done your notes, and 45 is actually 60 once you factor in the travel time required of a community-based therapist (which means I go into peoples' homes, kids' schools, etc.).

I've gotten certified in TFCBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), which is interesting since I don't work with abused kids any more. TFCBT has come in handy, though, since I have operationalized sex ed for a couple of concrete thinkers. I'm also working as an alternate instructor with a program that uses PREP, and I'm really excited about that, and hoping that I actually WILL get to be an instructor.

The biggest thing is that I'm trying to write more, and I have one beta reader already. I'm trying to write 5 pages a week, minimum, hoping that if I start there, everything else is a bonus. So my first novel is ready (why do I feel pretentious/ridiculous saying that?). It's a romance/suspense, and it was my NaNo project for 2011. If you want to beta read for me, send me a comment!