I know how grad school can get, especially towards the end. Sleep is low & stress is high. A bad combo. If you can, maybe call it a night and get some rest.

{{{Hil}}}

{{Hil}}

I went to the beach a few days ago and felt really relaxed for a while after that. I guess the effect wore off.

Oh, Hil, I'm sorry. Such a huge achievement once it's done, but it seems like such a grinding misery getting there. I'm in such awe of anyone who even attempts it.

{{{meara}}} You've already gotten lots of great AD and talky meat advice, so I'm going to just point up at what everyone else said and nod. Plus, yeah, depression itself is brutal on your sex drive, and in the short term (if you even get that side effect at all, which you may not) it's much better to be feeling nonsexual but otherwise generally good than nonsexual and crushed by misery everywhere else too.

But, mostly, just {{{meara}}}. It's been a shitstorm of a year for you, and you don't deserve it and it can ease up any damn time now.

Lastly, it turns out that Matilda is still a total boo and Emmett has gotten seriously handsome.

I'm about to start my sixth year of grad school. This is after four years of college, twelve years of school, one year of kindergarten, and three years of preschool. I have been in school for 25 years now. I think that's just way too much.

Vacations are kinda like booze, that way.

(Particularly the ones that have evolved to drink tears.)

That is pretty cool, isn't it? Don't worry about the vampire moths, I'm sure your spiders will get them before they can approach you.

Just remember people - spiders are our friends; they eat scorpions.

When did Matilda get to be such a little girl? She was just a baby yesterday, I swear. Emmett, now him I get - in my mind he's half kid and half seasoned pro baseball player, and that photo of the two of them together captures a lot of what that means.

Timelies, night shift. (Ah, that takes me back. Are Angus and Moonlit ever seen around these parts? Also, memories of Gus.)

Boo, meara, so sorry about the job thing. About A/Ds, Wellbutrin is a dopamine-enhancer rather than SSRI, and apparently doesn't have some of the SSRI-type side effects (food/sex problems) as a result.

Thanks java! I knew there were a few different ones out there. Will consider when talking to doc.

I feel like if life were not so ridic, would not be feeling like this. Why can't I hand meds or talky meat to the outside forces controlling my life?!? Because really. Oy. This is only about a year and two weeks after the first of the two previous layoffs. Seriously. I think that was like, July 19th of last year?

As I was saying to Kat tonight (who was v. nice and soothing), it's not even about having a regular income, if I get reassigned within the company (though obviously, that would be a nice and reassuring part of it!!!), it's the whole having to learn a new job, too! And that's gonna happen no matter what, it seems. Ay.

Vampire MOTHS? That sounds icky. At least vampire butterflies would sound pretty or something?

And Hil, I so hear you on the stress. And so want some nice beach time. oooh.