I quit my job yesterday.
My psychiatrist advised me against working this week. Since I already put in my two-week notice, this would have been my last week at the firm anyway.
And you know what? Quitting was the best thing to happen to me since I started working at the firm.
In one of my previous posts, I said I had mixed feelings about leaving.
But I wrote that before I left.
I was gloriously wrong.
Experience is the greatest teacher.
I have already forgotten the names of half of my coworkers. I reckon the other half will disappear from my mind by the end of the week.
See you. Wouldn’t wanna be you.
My psychosis has started to settle down, so I’ve been able to start preparing for my move to Madison.
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that a current PhD student had reached out to me and offered to live with me in his on-campus apartment. Somewhat hilariously, later that day I was contacted by the PhD student’s current roommate, who stated in no uncertain terms that he was not planning on moving out of his room this Fall.
How do you not know that your roommate isn’t moving out of his room?
How do you not check in with your roommate before offering his room to an incoming student?
I haven’t even began the semester yet and I’m already being asked to answer some big questions.
But don’t worry.
I had been emailing landlords like a madman for the past several weeks. I didn’t know when I was supposed to have started looking for housing, but I got the sense that I was running more than a little behind.
And yesterday, I was contacted by a property management company that promised to send me a lease to a 1-bed, 1-bath apartment that’s a 15 minute bike ride away from the campus. It’s relatively affordable, and it’s right next to a lake. I’ll be doing a video tour of the apartment at 4 p.m. tomorrow, but I’m ready to sign the lease now. I’ll be able to move in on August 10th.
When all is said and done, having no roommates is vastly superior to having roommates. Just like how having no job is vastly superior to having a job.
I am so glad to have secured housing. I was pretty stressed about it.
Oh, cigarettes?
Don’t know them. Haven’t heard of them. Cigarettes and I are done. Just like how my job and I are done.
Did I mention that quitting was the best thing to happen to me since I started working?
Since I’m still stabilizing, I’m planning on visiting Madison next weekend. I’ve never been, even though it’s only a two hour drive away. All the photos online include the Capitol Building, which is shaped like an X (presumably in honor of Elon Musk). From what I can tell, there is much greenery and lots of bodies of water.
I can start registering for classes on June 23rd. I was sent a list of courses that Post-BA PhD students in Counseling Psychology usually take during their first semester: Theories of Counseling, Helping Relationships, Research Methods, and the Biological Basis of Behavior. I’m going to take all four, why the hell not. No need to get creative during my first semester there.
But I was also informed that I was missing a core requirement for the program: I haven’t taken an Introduction to Psychology course. I need to take it during Summer 2026. Which is funny. PhD admissions are weird. How I was accepted without any academic background in psychology is anyone’s guess.
Also, I don’t know if I mentioned this, but I was rejected by UW Madison’s Master’s program in Counseling Psychology. Probably because I hadn’t taken Intro Psych.
The Department has also sent me a digital copy of their handbook. As the cover attests to, the handbook was created (?) published (?) in 2014. Clearly, change doesn’t happen quickly in academia. It’s 85 pages long, and it’s boring as shit. I gave up half-way through the preface.
I was told they “highly recommend” that incoming PhD students look through the handbook.
Which means it’s not mandatory.
A win is a win.
What else have I been up to?
I’ve been playing a lot of bass, for one. I want to join a band when I get to Madison, and I figure I won’t have too much time to practice once the semester gets going.
I’ve also been learning how to code in R, a programming language specifically designed for data science. I’ve sunk a lot of time into it, so I’m hoping it’ll be of some use for future research.
I’m also reading a novel called The Sellout. It’s a wild ride. I may write a review once I’m finished, but the novel is so crazy I’m not sure I can.
I’m going to see my psychiatrist in his office in downtown Chicago again this Thursday. It’s going to be my second time seeing him in person. I’m planning on continuing to see him once I go to Madison. But since he is only licensed in Illinois, I will have to take a bus or something to cross the border so I can talk to him. We haven’t hammered out the logistics yet.
Yes, it’ll be a pain in the ass.
But so are most things, no?
You know what is no longer a pain in the ass? My motherfucking job, that’s what.
I should’ve quit a year ago. I swear to God.
I don’t know what happened. I was feeling somewhat melancholic about leaving yesterday, but I suppose that’s what they call false consciousness.
Folks, don’t work if you don’t have to. And if you do, don’t work for a small law firm in downtown Chicago.
Nothing against small law firms or the people that work there.
It’s just that not having to go into the office is vastly superior to going into the office. That’s all.