Career

Friday:

I had a little peek at my weight this morning, I'm down about a kilogram after four days which is great. I want to be under 80 again! And this is with no exercise (because I'm still sick), and sugar in my tea and not counting calories - but I am following a careful plan which allows a certain number of "servings" of various foods each day. Plenty of protein, fruit, dairy and vegetables. I have noticed the drop in carbs, I have to plan my meals to take that into account.

Of course the thing I have noticed the most is the lack of junk food! I get two indulgences a week, like 20g of chocolate or a glass of wine. So I had a square of chocolate and little piece of fudge on Tuesday, but otherwise no biscuits or cake or chocolates or chips or KFC etc. I miss chocolate the most, I am accustomed to having some every day. Not a lot; but a piece here & there, whenever I want it. A nibble of sweetness after meals or in the evening. And it all adds up. Which is why I got over 80 kg again.

I will limit the grumbling to saying I had a very restless night with my sore throat and still feel blah today, worse than yesterday. Runny nose and headache and cough etc. Better and worse, worse and better. It will pass eventually. But I'm not exercising at all and not writing much either with my stuffed-up head. I feel like all these days are just passing, wasted, while I slump around and watch TV. But at least I'm not letting it stop me stick to my diet plan.

I was thinking about my career this morning. I had to leave my full-time desk job eleven years ago due to RSI, I stayed home and had my kids and did some study. For the past few years I've been a freelance editor, working only a few hours a day. Recently I went back to an office part-time, but after about a month the RSI started coming back and after six weeks I was glad to leave. It seems I can't even do five hours a day part-time, even after all these years. This rather smashes my dreams of looking for work with a fiction publisher, which I had always planned to do after I got some experience and after we moved to Sydney.

I need to re-think the next 20 years or so. With the kids at school all day, I am not a full-time mother any more. I mean, I am, but I have time during the day to earn some money. I was getting as much freelance editing business as I was able to do, but with my very limited hours and low pay rate I wasn't really making enough money for it to be worth-while. I'm writing a novel now (again, with very limited hours of typing) but even if my book/s is/are eventually published I can't rely on a living wage from that.

I am a desk jockey. That is what I have aptitude for. I am a thinker and a writer and sitter. But I need to start planning for something else.