Decision Angst Part 2, Pumping Iron, and Books

Well shit, life is happening. Just got another piece of the puzzle that has made my PhD decision infinitely harder, and I'm right back here again. The stakes are higher this time, given that it's 4-5 years instead of just 2 like my masters, and that once I'm done I'll be, you know, a grown up and have to actually go on the job market.

So, obsessing about that has taken up the past 24 hours, but I had good conversations with Dr. P, advisor J, and Mama Bear the Wise that all helped. Will try to refrain from filling this blog with decision angst for the next two weeks.

In other news: I've gotten back into strength training lately. I had a minor minor pain scare a couple weeks ago and gave myself a firm talking-to about the running cannot get out of control again, and how wouldn't it be exciting to see if I could actually get strong? Not running-for-miles-on-no-food-look-how-stoic-I-am strong, but actually literally feel-my-biceps strong? So I've been swallowing my pride and pumping away on the baby dumbbells at the gym, doing my best to ignore the meatheads who try to intimidate me with their swagger. RAWR

And this is random but I have started reading novels again. I went probably a year at least without reading fiction; I would only read current events, history, pop-science/psych, or cultural commentary-type stuff. Given my grad program and the topic of my research, fiction just started to seem kind of trivial and stupid. (Yes, this is coming from a former English literature major....). Anyway, I recently got back into reading novels and OHMYGOD what was I thinking?!??! I love fiction. I've read three books in the past week and a half or so (it averages to something like a hundred pages a day). Highly recommend both of these:

- Americanah by Chimamandah Ngozi Adichie (took me three tries to spell that right...) - Smart, funny, timely, awesome. I know it's fiction but I want to be friends with this girl! So cool.

- Remember Me Like This by Bret Anthony Johnston - This one made me cry. Books never make me cry! Except The Fault in Our Stars but that one cheated because cancer.

Otherwise I'm working my tail off in school, work, and research. Still keepin' on keepin' on. Much love to you all.