Party Like It's 1999

I was updating my classmates.com info the other day, and started a little blurb about my weight loss. I was about to comment on how I'm almost back down to my high school weight, when I began to wonder if I fit back into my prom dress. How cool would that be to be able to say? So, I tentatively went to my closet and pulled out my beautiful old dress. I slipped it on, making sure not to wear anything that would suck me in and give me a false positive. And...IT FIT! Like a glove. In all the right places. Rock on!
Feels good to be officially back to my high school weight. Especially since my senior year was when I was the most physically fit I'd been in my life (up until recently). I was taking step aerobics and Tae Kwon Do that semester.
The thought that occurred to me that feels both weird and really cool as that from now on, all the weight I lose, will literally be the smallest I've been in my adult life. I mean, awesome right? A little weird to think about, though. Because once I got used to losing weight, it didn't bother me, or scare me too much, because I'd already been that size. I knew what I'd look like, knew how it'd feel. Now, with a little over 15 pounds to lose until I hit my goal weight, it's a little different. I'm not going for anything unrealistic; although my friends keep telling me I don't have 15 lbs to lose (aren't they sweet? :^) ). Just feels really different. I guess because I've already acheived one goal - getting back down to my high school weight. But the thing is, I wasn't happy with my weight then, so I'm trying not to become too complacent now. Back then, I always felt fat. 180, now that was when I was fat. That was my starting weight. Whether people actually believe it and are just being nice when they act surprised or not, I was in such a state of denial. "I carry it well" "I don't look as fat as my patients who are 180. They look like houses!" Maybe I didn't, but I was just as unhealthy. I'm proud that I woke up and found the motivation to do something about it. I'm much happier now than I was a year ago.

So, I say I'm partying like it's 1999 'cause that was when my prom was.

New Job!

I had an interview for a job with the Cleveland Clinic a few weeks ago, and I'm proud to report that I'll be working for them with their cancer research department! No, I won't actually be performing research, but I'll be helping with the writing portion of things. The travel for my old job was really getting to me. I'm getting a $4,000 a year pay increase, and a job that will be very supportive of my academic endeavors (read: school for physician assisting). Plus, no travel outside the Cleveland area. So Matt and I will actually get to experience what living together is really like for the first time since I moved in over a month ago.
I'm practicing a bit of deception at the moment, though. I've told my current employer that I'm unhappy with the travel, and that my last day with them will be June 1. What they don't know is that I have another job I'm starting June 11. And I intend to keep it that way. I was told when I took this position that if for whatever reason I decided I no longer wished to travel that my severance package would be once again an option. Although the agreement says nothing about being contingent on my not being employed, I feel it behooves me to keep the new job quiet. I don't want them trying to change my decision into a quit rather than a layoff. If we hadn't lost the contract in Cleveland, I would still be with the company, happy as a clam to continue while attending school.
If all goes according to plan, I'll receive 3 months of salary, plus a few grand in a paid time off payout. Which will go toward bills, and other necessities. Like new clothes for my ever-shrinking, slinky new figure.
I don't exactly know yet what it is that I'll be doing for the Clinic, other than writing protocols for cancer research. Which, from what I've gathered, means that I'll be making sure that the research we're doing follows federal laws and insititutional guidelines. It's a desk job, but a very grown-up desk job. :^) I'm looking forward to taking my walking shoes and getting in a few laps on my lunch hour, since I'm not used to being at a desk all day long. Parts of it will be boring, I'm sure. But I think that overall it'll be a really good experience, and it'll help me to get accepted into the PA program when the time comes.