I am a Neutered Psychological Stud

I'm not a boy -- let's get that out of the way before people get confused by the title... and on with the sponsored message of the day; brought to you by TONS of Diet Pepsi and a whopping truckload of frustration.

This quarter of college can best be described by one word and one word only: UGGGGH.

Trying to remember what I'm doing in 10 seconds has taken a backseat to providing edible meals for my offspring and fielding attitude-inflected comments from the elder one. So has paying rent (and of course electricity -- who needs lights going out in the middle of a study-session already on the brink of ending as soon as it begins?) I have even overlooked calling my landlord to inform him that the cooler has gone on strike, a second blow to having my neighbors constantly slowing down to see what I'm doing in the kitchen because he's neglected to provide window coverings for that window after the umpteenth request (okay, maybe only three, but c'mon! Gimme a break! I finally took dark curtains and made a stand-in that will work for now, even if I can't see my hand in front of my face during broad daylight hours.)

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm Brain Dead -- officially. After much internal debate over what I must be missing in my diet or lifestyle by clearing my head of the obsession that the answer was on the internet, I came up with three posts from different blogs and websites that indicate that I'm either already checking off the mental checklist of remedies as we speak, or some version thereof. Here goes the list, given by Google and read with rolling eyes and a sneer by me:

Diet Changes/Focus: "Brain Food Helps students Power through College Finals" http://www.askstudent.com/health/brain-food-to-help-students-power-through-college-finals/

Stress Reduction: "Finals stressing you out? Try meditation"
http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/using_meditation_to_rid_yourself_of_anxiety_05062009942136/

Things I misled you all and I actually have NOT done in any way, shape, or form (i.e. sleeping enough, not worrying, etc.): "Tips for Taking College Finals"
http://hubpages.com/hub/Tips_for_Taking_College_Finals

Okay, so I lied about doing all three and actually stretched the truth a bit on the second -- who has time to meditate when you have children and 14 units? But I did try deep breathing (just to clear my conscience). It's not that I expect anyone to read this, but if you are, I'd appreciate some feedback...

Fatigue and Endometriosis

(click on the title above to access the article I'm referencing in this blog post)


I have always found it difficult to deal with juggling parenting, full-time university student, volunteer committee Vice Chair, and other various responsibilities. However, I have faithfully practiced the art of denial in most cases where I felt like I was lacking when I failed to have enough energy to complete the tasks of the day.

Through researching vague leg pain (quite sharp and distinct in feeling, vague in cause) I found a link to reality and non-reality: a close family member has endometriosis and chronic fatigue. I have experienced the intense "urge to nap" more often than not in my life and wanted to call it "chronic fatigue syndrome" but it didn't seem to match the symptoms I was finding online. Enter the vague leg pain: it has gotten worse over the preceding months but around the same time every month (I'll leave it at that) I get a sharp shooting pain in one or both legs starting at the lower back or hip area.

Since I was in pain this evening, I thought I'd research it online and at http://www.endo-resolved.com/fatigue-article.html you'll find an article on self-care--a concept quite foreign to me until lately. It also has links on endometriosis. Check it out.

And, oh yeah, I'm no longer dwelling in the Desert of Denial. My fatigue is real. I choose to take care of myself today and thank God for the internet! :-)

Watch out for the evil octopus... ;-)

I was bored out of my skull in Genetics this evening and would rather tell you about the octopus than the fact that I finally took allergy meds and am happy to state that I am no longer trying to scratch my eyelids off or pull out all my eyelashes... enjoy! thanks to eureka! science news.com (either click on the title above or copy and paste the code below into your browser...
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/04/15/tentacles.venom.new.study.reveals.all.octopuses.are.venomous