Hello and wow! It’s been a while! I was… really busy.
Being busy has paid off by the way, and soon it will literally pay off. I managed to complete all of the CE’s required to sit for my certification exam, schedule that exam a month out so I could study for it, and then took the test. And passed it.
I am now a “BSN, RN, PMH-BC” girlie and will be able to get an extra badge to show off at work, and a 10% raise to help me afford moving in a few months. Getting my psychiatric nurse certification has been on the to-do list for a couple of years now and it’s a big box to tick off. In fact I think I thought I was nauseated the whole day of the test, before and after. Unlike the NCLEX, however, I was able to find out if I passed immediately after the test. When I feel relief that strong it’s like my stomach and my lungs switch spots.
Again, this was all on top of two graduate courses that each have their own series of projects and presentations and requirements of participation. Although I am an eager participant in classes and have been for years (it makes the time go by easier), preparing for each class via readings and videos is not always easy. I believe I did mention the drywall-eating textbook in my last newsletter.
Mind you, my storytelling class is as fun as I predicted it to be, and I love the professor like I was told I would. It’s an easy class to be in! And, I’ve made a friend in my foundation class with whom I’ve built a sturdy connection quickly. Sometimes “game recognizes game” is very true, especially when autism is involved. (I do think “has neurodivergent friends” should be included on autism/ADHD assessment tests).
It’s been wild to realize that I’ve maintained any amount of social activity over the last couple of months. Of course I’ve hung out with Maddie (who got promoted recently) and I also saw Sophie! We enjoyed a day at the Oddities and Curiosities Convention in February where I picked up a new friend, a plush jackalope that I’ve named Jack. He guards my desk now.
I’m such a sucker for a convention, even though they’re very crowded and sometimes other convention-goers can be intimidating. I love creative and enthusiastic communities and it’s fun to see other people excited to engage with their specific interests.
Admittedly, my writing has fallen a few notches in priority. I knew this would happen once I started school on top of all of my work stuff and have tried to journal and brainstorm ideas as often as possible. My creative energy gets taken up in other places that don’t bring me the same level of happiness, though it is fulfilling in other ways.
That being said, however, I have more good news! My micro fiction, “Tornado Dreams” will be in Divinations Magazine’s Sleep issue! Divinations is a literary magazine “for horror authors of the future” and that includes me. The Sleep issue will be out on May 1st, so please be sure to read it! My piece is very short, I promise.
I hope everyone is doing well.
If you have anything going on in your life that you’d also like to get off your chest, the comments are open :)
Thanks for reading! ‘Til next time,
~Rose
