Damn, it seems like almost once a week I have a breakdown late at night. The lack of sleep is partly due, I'm sure, but the fact is I am stressed out. School and my mom's health, let alone the regular annoyances of everyday life, and moreso now than ever I just break down. I think it's worse now than when I was in high school, and believe me, high school was stressful!

I often hear that grad school is like a marathon you just have to keep working through until you emerge on the other side. I hate that imagery. In a "who you know over what you know" world, I feel like I've been running in circles for far too long. Maybe I shoulda quit after year one. Maybe I shoulda quit after getting my Master's degree. Maybe I should quit right now and go be an adult somewhere. I know my mom thinks that me getting my PhD is somehow gonna fix all of our problems, and I have no idea how to break it to her that it won't. I have no idea how to break a lot of things to her, so I break down instead.