<<< Yesterday's My Daily Banana.
For those wondering if I'm perhaps a little strange, I'm doing Junkfree January, which involves a month-long avoidance of wheat, industrial oils and sugar (including fructose). In an email, the founder suggested no more than one piece of fruit a day.
As I have a lifelong love of the glorious banana - a stint on Atkins only reinforced my devotion - there was nil mental argument about how I'd roll with that rule.
It's also proving a handy way to tally the days. As I started late, I'm just going for 31 My Daily Banana experiences.
Day One:
Using Razzy as a photo prop. I was warming up to my concept. Blurry, yes. Sorry.
Day Two:
Day Three:
Days 4 & 5
Day 6
Which makes today Day 7
I had another banana smoothie (forgot to take a pic, it looked exactly like this one)
The Day 6 MDB is mashed banana and almond butter in a buckwheat crepe. This was very good, but I neglected to measure anything. Later this week I will make another one and record the means and the method for you.
As well as figuring out what to eat (a friend today officially put me in her 'hard to feed' basket - and this is from a family with celiacs and a diabetic.. and maybe a dairy intolerant?), it's been a busy week, in business and in life.
1. The Room
We are building a fairly large stock room, attached to the back of my office. I tried to take a pic but it's all scary and dark out there right now. It doesn't sound exciting but, it is. Oh yes. This means I will have an NZFSA compliant store-room ten steps from my desk and can leap to my feet and pick orders as they come in. I've wanted this for years. It's even going to have a thermometer gauge in the office wall so that I can monitor stock temperature (be awed..). When it's finished I'll throw a party then sleep there for a night just to bond with it. Wait.. are sleeping humans a biohazard?
2. The Nutritionist
That's me.. in 1.5 years. I've made a decision about Postgrad study. I've been torturing myself day and night over the options: psychologist? social scientist? disaster expert? goddamn creative novelist? It's been hard. The idea of pursuing nutrition has harrassed my mind frequently but several things held me back. Firstly, I sometimes feel that the last thing the world needs is another nutritionist. Secondly, I believe that the mind is the more important aspect when it comes to eating behaviour (the 'how', not the 'what'). Thirdly, I was influenced to believe that a Nutritionist is someone that couldn't quite make it as a Dietician. I can't do Dietetics in Christchurch and am uninclined to move.
I spent time last week calling the universities, determined to Make A Decision. Becoming a Psych. is a very long process (at least another three years full-time), and, say I ended up working with eating behaviour, I'd have to consult with a nutritionist anyway. I discovered that nutrition is a 'separate but related' field from dietetics and probably more in tune with my vibe, in terms of research and experimentation. The field is gaining recognition and the registration process has been refined so that people can separate a university trained Nutritionist from someone that took a four day course online from India.
So, what happens now is: I complete my Graduate Certificate in Nutritional Science next semester (as my major was Psychology, this is a bridging course), then enter the Postgraduate Diploma of Science (Human Nutrition). That takes a year and I'm a bit nervous because the graduate papers have been bloody intense so far - one memorable assignment being 120 pages. On completion I can hang out a 'The Nutritionist is in' sign, and after two years, apply for registration. If my marks are stellar, I can turn the Postgrad. Dip. into a Masters by thesis. Or, get back into Psych. on a part-time basis.
Ideally, I'd like to be qual'd up in both Nutrition and Psychology - I don't think they can be separated. It does annoy me a bit that there is no way to study them in interaction but I'll do my best. Watch this space.. for the next five years or longer... :D
Of course, I'm not actually enrolled yet, so .... (maybe I'll wake in the night with a serious change of heart... please, no..).
My question for you today?
How did you decide on your career? Was it a hard decision or did you 'just know'?
Tomorrow I'll be blogging some Junkfree January compliant meals. Not a banana in sight. I promise.
Some of us just fall into a profession by default. My "temporary" job turned into a 20-year career. There was no knowing involved at all. It was a good twenty years though. And when it stopped being good, I left and did something else.
ReplyDeleteSee? Easy. :p
I see my kids making career choices now and wonder if today's choice is where they'll actually end up. Hmm.
Awesome post Sara! Love your thoughts and revelations here.......the areas of nutrition, sports nutrition, dietetics, psychology interest me as well......and kudos to you for deciding and studying toward your dream.
ReplyDeleteMy 'career'........ummm, a bit of a sad subject. Am a full time worker in a cafe/bakery/catering outlet place and have been in that company 5.5 years. In all honesty now.....there is nowhere for me to head forward, or to strive toward a better salary in the shop I'm in that a franchisee bought. I've looked at other hospitality alternatives......all require me driving in scary places, weird unsettled hours and want workers to start off as casuals, can't afford a non regular uncertain income by choosing to be in Perth, - now single so I need to get more of a network of people I know, (no family here). I don't mind hospitality in general at all.........but lead a busy life and can't afford to stop earning or the time needed for study. At school years ago.......I did pass just........be for me it was a bloody effort, I don't breeze through stuff!!
Anyway........I've just ordered a couple of your products which is exciting.......and I look forward to trying!
I think it's rare to go like a bullet to the goal, or even to have a goal, so your boys may be one up there. What I do see is a lot of young people with goals like 'be a millionaire' or 'be a rockstar'.... I've been a graphic artist, many types of manager, and then fell into the supplement industry and liked it. It's kind of full circle though. My first, failed attempt at uni was in Phys Ed school, so I'm almost 20 again?
ReplyDeleteHey Pip, I saw your order, THANKS for that! I had a fun job once in a video store, got to assistant manager and there was nowhere to go after that (the manager was the owner's girlfriend), so I know the feeling. I enjoyed it, but ...
ReplyDeleteI realise I'm very lucky. The only reason I could study now is because Jase was willing to support me and I've got Sana (which consumed all my savings to set up, but was worth it). I think that's what most people do - start working on the dream part time while keeping the bills paid doing something else. Anyway you've had a lot to adjust to lately, so give it some time and one day you'll wake up with an 'ah ha' moment. Just off to the warehouse to pack orders now, including yours!