Hello again

Hi! It’s been awhile. I started grad school in 2020, and it’s been challenging. Not that grad school is ever easy, but then there was the pandemic on top of it. And the fact that I’m disabled and keep adding more health problems.

As I’m wrapping up the master’s part of my PhD program, I’ve realized I miss having this place to write about things. Grad school is isolating. The pandemic is isolating. Having a disability is isolating. But writing helps make connections. I’ve been so busy with grad school, I forgot about that.

So, what have I been up to for the past two years? Grad school, autoimmunity, speedrunning, and cats!

I moved to LA and started grad school!

I began my PhD program in sociology in fall 2020. Let me tell you, I don’t recommend remote grad school. I also don’t recommend attending at a state school that pays unsustainable teaching stipends. That’s a discussion for another time, though.

I’m finishing up my MA thesis, which looks at how people talk about disability in US Congress. Maybe I’ll have news about publishing it before long!

It was quite a long move from Chicago to LA (with a cat and guinea pigs). I really miss Chicago. But I’ve learned a lot and grown a lot, and this program is a really good place for my goals. If only they paid me enough to live (e.g., more than $25K/year in LA).

I think Goggles misses Chicago, too.

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A post shared by Goggles and Jolene (@gogglesthecat)

I was diagnosed with Behcet’s disease

I got a bonus arthritis! Behcet’s disease is a rare autoimmune disorder that causes mouth sores, genital sores, skin rashes, and, yes, arthritis. The stress of grad school might be what set it off. Either way, I’m glad my awesome doctors here were able to diagnose it faster than my AS was diagnosed.

It was really, really bad, though. If you’ve ever had a canker sore, imagine having dozens at the same time. All over your throat and mouth. For weeks. I even had them down my esophagus several times. I couldn’t eat or even swallow. Luckily, I’m on treatment now that seems to be working.

If I had financial means, I definitely would have taken a break from my program. Unfortunately, taking a medical leave of absence means I lose my health insurance and TA income. I love this system!

It worked out in the end. I’m a little burnt out now, but summer is right around the corner, and hopefully I can recharge. (Although the quarter system means we have another month still.)

I started streaming regularly!

I’ve always streamed video game speedruns on and off, but lately I’ve been really focusing on it (as a welcome break from grad school). I’ve learned more runs, submitted to more charity marathons, and gotten some world records! If you like retro games or glitchy speedruns, come hang out on Twitch!

That's WR 🎉

All Levels (Inbounds) on Dreamcast pic.twitter.com/tWFhO2UfKT

— Bri (passere) (@passereSR) April 22, 2022

We adopted another cat!

We’ve had Goggles since 2019, and in late 2020 we got him a friend. We thought he was depressed and lonely after we moved to LA. That may have been true, but he wasn’t prepared for Jolene! She’s as energetic as Goggles is sleepy. (It’s good for him, though. Keeps him on his toes.)

He’ll never admit that they’re friends now, but we catch them hanging out sometimes. You can check out their adventures on Instagram!

That’s all for now, but I’ll try not to disappear again! I have some posts planned, including some I’ve been saving up for almost two years. Keep an eye out!

-Bri <3

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