Turning Over Some New Leaves

Well, a bajillion and one things have changed since I last visited this. I turned 23 (almost 24, by this point), for one. I got a new boyfriend. I moved away from home to Texas and am living with said boyfriend. Still with the same job, but maybe not for long. 

The biggest reason why I am revisiting this is that even more changes are coming up. The boyfriend was supposed to be promoted and at least on his way to owning his own business by now. This is still very far away on the horizon due to a few things which I will not go into. But basically, he is pretty fed up and is likely quitting... and going to law school. The prospect of more poverty and debt for many more years in the future is daunting, and definitely not what I was expecting when I packed up and moved to Tejas. Given that a large reason I came out here to continue this job, which was never my dream to begin with, was that I would only have to do it for a couple more months before we went somewhere else to run the boyfriend's office, it is definitely causing some tension and conflict in the house. Do I stay with the company or look for something else? Do I go back to school too? I've always wanted to, to get credentials and a master's degree at least, but is now the time, or do I wait until he is done? Are we going to stay in Texas or move back to California, or even go somewhere else? Lots of decisions to be made.

The boyfriend is heading to the Philippines for two weeks, starting on Tuesday, so I will be home alone with a lot of thinking to do. I figure, if nothing else, I can use this time to really get back to things I love -- reading and talking about what I am reading and analyzing literature is a passion I've carried since I was a little kid home alone all the time, and I am anxious to get back to it but I feel like I never have time, what with working 10+ hours a day, spending time with friends and loved ones, figuring my life out and trying to find room in there to get some sleep and eat healthy. So while he is away, I think maybe it will be good for me to get back into it. I haven't sat down and read much of anything for so long now, and one should really never go so long not doing the things that they truly love. So we will see where it goes, but for now, this is going to be my outlet for thoughts, books, and the things I learn from them. 

Updates, and Things I Have Learned

So I got a job. I'm in the middle of my second week now (literally the middle; our work week is Wednesday through Sunday). It's a marketing and promotions job, which is slightly different from sales; I don't work for any of the companies whose products I am promoting, but I do get a commission of sorts contingent on how much my team sells as a group during the day. People in my office are pulling in 1300 dollar paychecks every two weeks, so hopefully I can make a decent amount of money and start paying off my debts. It's keeping me very busy though, and very tired as well. I come home after 6, 8 hours of standing on my feet and yelling all day, and I'm just pooped and my whole body hurts. But it's work, it's new experiences, and my office treats this job as a manager training program. There's a lot of opportunity for upward mobility. I'm hoping to be a team leader by the end of July, and I'm going to work hard to make that happen. But for right now, I've got a job that's motivating and I'm learning a lot about, and I'm glad for that. Outside of work? I'm still poor, though I soon won't be AS poor once I get paid in a weekish. My boyfriend's moving out of his parents' house, which is exciting and stressful all at the same time. He's hearing back from a place today about whether or not his rental application was accepted, and we're both crossing our fingers for the space, because it's cheap, close by, and he really thinks it's nice. I haven't seen it yet so I can't make that judgement, but I trust him. We are both doing okay. Once he moves in somewhere and I get my first paycheck, I think both of us will upgrade to at least good.

I sort of wanted to do some reflection today. I feel like I've been so busy and tired I'm just not taking the time to connect with people or myself, and I have a little pocket of time right now before I have to jet off to the field that I thought I'd use for a little introspection on some things I have learned over the years.

Thing #1. Grasshopper cookies taste really good from the freezer. Everyone knows this about Thin Mints, but, while similar, Grasshoppers are a little bit different, so I wasn't sure. Experiment has been concluded as successful.

Thing #2. If I get up early and get going, I have enough energy to get me through the day. If I laze around and keep hitting the snooze button to get "extra sleep," I end up tired easier, it's harder to get out of bed, I feel kind of crappy. I'm not talking about "lazy Sunday" kind of days. I'm talking about days where I have to get up and get going and do shit. I need to remember this when I'm groggy at 5:45 am and hating life.

Thing #3. In a relationship, my boyfriend is my partner. We are not higher or lower than each other, we are partners. We own this business 50/50, and I need to act like it. I'm better at certain things, and he's better at certain things, and we can preside pretty heavily over those arenas, but in total, we are equal partners. This is essential for me to remember after being abused for five years.

Thing #4. Where I was at 17/18 didn't determine where I am now. I am older, wiser, stronger and better. I can only assume this will hold true for me at 22/23 and me at 30.

Thing #5. Time to myself is good. I need to use it better. Dating an introvert really helps remind me of this.

Thing #6. Driving on the I-5 north is really pretty, but I should leave at least an hour ahead of the time I need to be there. Maybe two. That way, when I hit the inevitable traffic nightmare, I can enjoy the scenery and not be as aggravated about time.

There are more things I have learned, but I think I need a nap before work. I'm experiencing caffeine crash. This afternoon I'm going to go into work and bring the house down with my awesome performance. It's going to be a good day.

Plan B

So this is kind of heavy for a second post, but I HAVE to get it out. Plan B emergency contraceptive -- you know, the one everyone is arguing about -- is NOT the abortion pill. I repeat, Plan B is NOT the abortion pill. Every single major medical organization agrees with this assertion, from the FDA to the CDC to Planned Parenthood. Let's talk a little bit about the birds and the bees, and how Plan B differs from RU-486, or the abortion pill.

In general, a woman ovulates once every 28 to 30 days. The so-called "fertility window" extends for six days -- five days before ovulation, and the day of ovulation, with the best days to get pregnant being 1-2 days before and the day of ovulation. Intercourse AFTER ovulation results in pregnancy so rarely that the fertility percentage is essentially zero.

Plan B is intended to be taken within 72 to 128 hours of unprotected intercourse, and is most effective when taken within the first 24 hours. Its effectiveness at preventing pregnancy is 89% over the three days post-sex. The way Plan B functions primarily is through delaying ovulation, giving the sperm a chance to die off before the egg is released, thereby preventing the egg from being fertilized once it is finally released. Plan B also thickens the cervical mucus which hinders the sperm's swimming abilities. In this way, Plan B functions EXACTLY like oral contraceptives do, it's merely a concentrated dose and not one taken daily. There's a ton of differing evidence on whether or not Plan B affects the uterine lining (that which states it DOES prevent implantation of a fertilized egg being mostly outdated), but what IS factual is that Plan B is remarkably similar to a drug given to pregnant women to prevent miscarriages, thus through complete non-scientific conjecture, it seems unlikely that it affects the uterine lining in a negative way at all. As of 2010, there was overwhelming evidence that Plan B did NOT affect the uterine lining, and as of 2013, there is only more.

Now, RU-486, the abortion pill, functions primarily by causing a forced miscarriage -- also known in the medical community as a spontaneous abortion -- thus destroying fertilized, already-implanted embryos. This is abortion, not contraceptive, as Plan B is. The name itself, contra (against) + ception (conception, or the joining of sperm and egg), is pretty clear on its function. And yet this argument rages on.

No matter what side you fall on the abortion debate, leave Plan B out of it. Plan B is contraception, and only constitutes "homicide" if you think an individual ovum and several individual sperms are "persons," in which case, we have a lot of other problems to deal with.

Strong female lead seeks employment, promising future

Hello there, promising young post-grad here with a recently-acquired Bachelor's of Arts and a whole great big future ahead of her. So, why am I home alone on a Friday night, watching a news story about "groin protectors," drinking a beer and posting on the internet? Good question! Let me tell you a little bit about myself, and maybe we'll come to the conclusion together.

I'm a 22 year old female, of sound mind and body (well, mostly), and as I said before, I just graduated from a large university in Southern California with a BA in English. I have a veritable bevy of pets whom I love very dearly. I have a boyfriend of nearly two years whom I also love very dearly. I live with my mom (woo-hoo!) and I am currently unemployed, the plague of many fellow So Cal college students and otherwise.

Things I love: BOOKS!, unsurprisingly. Grammar, also unsurprisingly, although I am often lax with it, and I won't bite your head off or judge you if you mess up. Seriously, that stereotype needs to stop. Animals, especially dogs, extra especially my dog. Warm, sunny weather. The beach. Alcohol, especially margaritas, but since I am poor, I drink a lot of Dos Equis and Corona instead of indulging in my beloved tequila masterpiece of a beverage. And by a lot, I mean one or two on the weekends occasionally. I am a fairly boring young person, at least in that regard. Talking about sex! I'm great fun at parties. Sports, especially football, most especially the San Diego Chargers. Don't bother making fun; I've heard it all. Oh, and the internet! Duh.

Things I hate: Intolerance! I mean, I tolerate it, because otherwise I would hate myself, right? But still. Shaving! Seriously hate it. Why do I even do it? Asparagus. Blue cheese.  Car accidents. Dumb commercials. Vacuuming (does anybody like vacuuming, though?). Unemployment. Applying for jobs. Oh, and puns. I HATE puns.

So that's a little bit about me. What can you expect to see here? Well, I'm not quite sure yet. I'll probably talk a lot about books. I'll definitely talk about sex. You might hear a lot about my dogs, who are currently barking WAY TOO LOUDLY IN MY EAR. Also my cats and such. I'm likely to complain about the job search and financial issues, because, duh, I'm a recent college graduate, of course I am in dire financial straits and need a job. What else? I don't know; how about you stick around and find out?