grant is submitted

Earlier in this busy semester, my application for a grantwriting seminar was accepted. I was very disappointed about this, because I really didn’t want to do the grantwriting seminar in my first semester as a new faculty member. I knew that writing the grant on top of everything else would just be too much. But, I couldn’t back out because I’d signed a contract stating I’d submit the stupid thing by 25 November or somebody would have to pick up the tab, so to speak.

I’m proud to say that this very afternoon, I submitted a mostly-complete first draft of the grant (all except the budget & narrative). It’s not the greatest thing I’ve ever written, but I held up my end of the bargain. I can stop thinking about the application, and can get back to focusing on making it through my first semester!

Just 1 week & finals week left to go….

annual flu shot

Being the good little academic I am, I hate to get sick. Not only is it awful to feel bad, but I hate laying in bed feeling like I’m being lazy because sick time isn’t productive time. So, today I was 5th in the line to get flu shots at my university’s flu shot clinic for faculty, staff, & their families.

I was 10 people in line ahead of my program’s administrator (mid-50s something woman from local area) and one of our long-term teaching faculty (early-50s something woman). They saw me in line and started teasing me about getting my flu shot, e.g., “Do you want to sit on my lap?” and “Do you need me to hold your hand?”

When I’d finished with my shot, the admin offered me a lollypop for being a good girl, and an hour later, she actually brought one to my office. It’s always nice to have a piece of candy, but I doubt this exchange would have occurred if I’d been a male faculty member, young or not.

I know more about ADD/ADHD than my psychiatrist

It’s annoyingly official… I know more about treating ADD/ADHD than my new psychiatrist (1st year psychiatry resident). I asked her today about medications & pregnancy and she said that she’d have to get back to me about it… and amazingly, this is a specialty ADD/ADHD clinic in my local university hospital.

In the same conversation, she also tried to order me to take my SSRI for PMDD continuously instead of in two week cycles. Actually, she’d never heard about people taking SSRIs in two-week cycles for the treatment of PMDD.

I’ll call her in a week to talk about ADD meds & pregnancy. I had to promise to not get pregnant in the  next week until she’s had a chance to do her research.

I respect that there’s a learning curve and that new doctors need to be given allowances to learn how to practice medicine… but I don’t have time for this, and think I need to find a new doctor.