"The Nutritionist"

Name's Monica. (offers hand) Friends call me "Mon." Coworkers, however, refer to me as "The Nutritionist."

"You can go have a seat over there in the waiting room until "The Nutritionist" is ready to see you," they would say.

Even when I would run into old classmates I would refer to myself as "The Nutritionist"...while doing the quote, end quote gesture...and before the person I'm talking to unknowingly makes a confused look on their face. I'm fully aware of the fact that the quote, end quote gesture isn't necessary, but I find it quite entertaining, so I do it anyway.

So if you haven't picked it up yet, I'm a nutritionist. But here's the thing...technically, anyone can call themselves a "nutritionist." Yes, that's right, ANYONE. You can go to your local grocery store, make some smart comment about the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates and call yourself a nutritionist (without the quote, end quote...if you will). No one will ever know. The difference between me and you, however, is that for one, I would never do that unless somebody actually asks me...and two, I recently graduated from Northern Illinois University with a B.S. Nutrition & Dietetics. And by "recently" I mean almost a year ago, but I refuse to believe it's been that long since I've graduated so I'm just not going to go there.

I'm not going to lie. I did absolutely nothing two months after I graduated. I went to sleep at 5am, woke up after noon, ate, laid around, and on some days maybe catch a ball game or go to the local arcade. That was my life. Before I knew it, July came around, and I was ready to change the world. But I won't get to that just yet. After all, it's our first date. So I'll stick to the basics.

My name is Monica. I'm 23 years old and I'm currently working as a nutritionist for a non-profit health care corporation in Chicago...more formerly known as a Certified Health Professional ("Ooooo. Ahhhhh."). I am a fan of music I haven't heard, places I've never been, and stories left untold. Ladies and gentlemen, until next time...