Progress

 Prescriptions are refilled, and I’m back on *all* my meds like I should be.
Paper is 3/4 drafted. About 1/2 drafted by my usual standards, but I need to let some things go to get through this class. 
First blog post for Famous Nonprofit written and sent off. J likes it….I’m still not convinced they’re actually going to publish my work, but I might just have a bad case of imposter syndrome right now. 

Classes are starting…I’m not impressed. I guess because I’m in the 21st grade now, as a friend put it. I have taken an insane number of classes over the years, and I’m ridiculously educated (BS in Biology, with a minor in Spanish, MPH in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, graduate certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies, and now in my third year of doctoral work). I feel like I’ve reached the end of what I can learn in a classroom, and that to master anything else I actually need to *do* it, for weeks/months/years. I guess that’s the end goal of doctoral education, and why it culminates in a dissertation.

I’ve taken things easy this morning….slept in late (8:30am is late), grabbed breakfast at a little cafe downtown that specializes in crepes and croissants (brought home a crepe with bananas, honey and whipped cream for breakfast, and a chocolate croissant for later), snuggled Sagecat, and now it’s probably time to get back down to work. 

I need to do some garden cleanup today…clear the dead plants (cucumbers, mostly) out of their pots, plant the fall greens (kale, lettuce, arugula). Also on the agenda is making salsa- I’ve got a pile of tomatoes in the fridge from the store, and homegrown hotpeppers. 

I went to the grocery store last night, and stocked up on food- mostly fruits and vegetables for this week. I spent some time scouring the pile of books I have that talk about  cooking & eating with Crohn’s . This week’s menu is Peach Strawberry Salad (Recipe says mango, but peaches were what was at the store), Lentil Apricot Soup, Honey Mustard Salmon, and Rice Noodles in a Butter&Basil sauce. I *know* I’m pulling recipes from three books by three different authors with three very different perspectives on Crohn’s treatment and the role of diet in it, but I’m being lazy and these are all recipes that fit my thoughts on what works for me food-wise (lots of fruits and vegetables, small amount of high omega-3 fish, it’s worth cutting back/avoiding soy/dairy/gluten to see if that makes a difference, but so far I’m not convinced), and all take 30 minutes or less to prepare.  Cooking and eating as a household of one is different, and I’m slowly getting used to it again. Leftovers last longer, which is good, since there’s no one to split food prep and cleaning duties with.  And I feel like society in general doesn’t know what to do with households of one. When I moved out on my own after college, one of my friends’ mothers was shocked to find that I cooked for myself rather than just relying on prepackaged and frozen food. "That’s so much work, and so expensive for one person." Maybe it is…. Except that I enjoy good food, and feel better when I take care of myself.  And I think single people and people in long-distance relationships should take care of themselves too. And that people sitting alone in church aren’t just taking up space. 

Anyway. J’s new job is going well. I should get to head out for a visit in another couple weeks.