It’s Been A Whirlwind Week

Hello, dear readers! It’s been a hot minute. Life has been a whirlwind this past week. And I anticipate the same for the month to come.

My partner went to Memphis for a graduate school interview. Everything went well, the interviewers were impressed, the current students seemed happy, and it seems like a great fit. Apparently, driving there is a nightmare due to narrow lanes, aimlessly winding roads, and terrible drivers. We’re spoiled with Phoenix’s grid system. There are a few cons, though. The program starts on January 2nd, which is just around the corner. It’s an aggressive 22-month program, whereas the standard is 36 months. We’ll know early next week whether he’s been accepted or wait-listed. Fingers crossed!

It’s busy season at work. My role is in quality assurance and we have an external recertification audit fast-approaching. My days have been filled with internal audits, departmental risk reviews, process prioritization reviews, and presentations to the executive team. I love these fast-paced, generative periods, but it’s exhausting. And I still have three more weeks to go. Whew!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a playful piece about my parents’ new kittens. Unfortunately, one of them succumbed to a bacterial rod infection in his chest. After several weeks of antibiotics, dozens of x-rays, biweekly fluid drainage from his lungs, and lots of expenses, little Percy passed away in his sleep. His sister is distraught. My mother is brokenhearted. And it’s just a really sad situation overall. He was such a sweetheart.

I’m almost done reading the book for my book club. I have two days to read about 40 more pages, which is hopefully doable. The Next Ship Home is about two young women–a German-American working at Ellis Island and an Italian immigrant–who meet in 1902 and forge a special relationship. I tend to prefer classic literature, but this story is really touching and I’m looking forward to finish it and then discussing it.

Finally, I saw my primary care physician for the first time in two years. He was amazed and truly pleased to hear that I had largely recovered from chronic fatigue syndrome. I’ve had doctors gaslight and dismiss me so many times over the last many years, so I’m grateful to have a physician that not only believed me when I said that I was sick but also who eagerly celebrated my recovery.