Needles and The Career

It's been one of those weeks.  My old laptop died, went to that big blue screen in the sky.  Which meant I spent all day Sunday setting up my shiny new laptop.  Yes, it's marvelous and speedy and doesn't shudder and shake when it's been running for more than 30 minutes like my old laptop did, but it's also Very Busy and loaded with Too Much Stuff.  And it's got the Windows Vista operating system, which reminds me of the Bush administration -- it's all about security, and most of the features that are supposed to make me secure just annoy the hell out of me.

Yesterday I made an appointment with an acupuncturist whose specialty is fertility enhancement.  I'm a big fan of eastern medicine -- conceptually, at least -- I've not had much chance to use it.  I find western medicine overly invasive and focused on treating symptoms, rather than dealing with the systemic imbalances that cause the symptoms.  IVF is awfully invasive, so adding acupuncture is one way to balance things out, particularly in combination with a little yoga, some meditation exercises, raspberry leaf tea and the handful of vitamins I dutifully take every morning.  (What, no Chinese herbs, you ask? I know, I know ... haven't had a chance to find them)  Besides, once you're at the point of doing 3-4 injections a day, a few more needles can't possibly hurt.  Hurt, needles, point, ha.  And if the acupuncture doesn't help the IVF, it might at least bring my stress level down a few notches.

You see, I'm a lawyer.  There, I said it.  I swear I'm one of the good ones -- no courtroom drama scenes for me.  I work for a very nice company that puts positive energy out into the world.  But we're very busy and I'm the only lawyer on staff, which is stressful at times.  And of course my obsessive personality doesn't help.  And because I obsess, I can't help obsessing over whether the stress has contributed to our infertility issues.  Thinking about that makes me stressed.  So you see how it goes.

And because I'm a glutton for punishment, I'm going to take the bar exam in February.  I passed the bar in New York years ago and I've been practicing in the PNW under a special rule for house counsel.  But if I ever change jobs, I'll have to re-apply for permission to keep practicing under that rule, which would be incredibly annoying because it's a lot of paperwork.  And of course my New State will waive in lawyers who have practiced in Idaho or Montana, but not lawyers who actually went to good schools in the Big City, which makes no kind of logical sense at all.  Dont' get me started.  What it all boils down to is that every night for 6 weeks I will spend 3 hours in a hotel meeting room taking the bar review course, plus 3 full days of practice exams on alternate Saturdays, all building up to a 2-day exam at the end of February.  Doesn't that sound fun?  I'm trying to convince myself that it will be an opportunity to relax -- no demands, just sit there and absorb the nice boring law lectures, no Puppy chasing the Cats through the apartment, no dishes to wash, no email to answer ... are you convinced yet?

Oh, and I might be cycling in January if my period doesn't start on time this month.  The RE's office closes over the holidays, so we would need to do the transfer before Christmas.  (Meditation mantra: Every month is precious, every month is precious ...)  The nurse in charge of IVF scheduling told me that if I can start my cycle by the 16th, we'll do IVF#2 in December, but otherwise I'll be studying for the bar exam while doing belly shots.  Who could ask for anything more?

Comments

[Kelly]

I'm glad to read you're not taking on too much! In fact, I think you should start writing a novel, take up neurosurgery, and run for public office!! :)

Okay I'm just twitting you...I'm very interested in how the acupuncture goes...tell all!