Time sure does seem to be passing quickly. It seems like I just barely finish the data process for one month when its time to start the process all over again.

I took a couple days off this week to attempt to get some home projects done. I did actually manage to accomplish a few things - changed out my winter clothes for spring/summer clothes, and used a Rug Doctor on our upstairs carpets. I also strongly hinted to my DH about wanting to have someone come and tile our bathroom - get rid of the carpet!! (No, he doesn't want us to DIY - he thinks it would be too easy to do a bad job.)

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So ... I had a Zoom with my supervisor yesterday. I found out that they are not replacing the second receptionist at our office due to budget cuts (she retired in January I think.) Guess what? I get to be the main receptionists permanent break giver now - and back up if she's gone on vacation or sick. Woo hoo! (can you read the sarcasm? if not, add a lot and you'll get close) It doesn't start until we are all back to "normal" working in office.

I just have to repeat to myself - at least I still have a job. We did actually technically fire someone - although the term was = we chose to not renew her contract (after 19 years!)

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I was looking at paydays - it looks like we're going to have a 6 paycheck month in July! I told DH if he wanted to take 2 or 3 days off, July would be the easy month to do it without affecting our budget. I doubt he'll actually do it though, it would cut into his spending money too much. (which, I will say, he's been putting a lot of it into the stocks/etf's and has done pretty well)

But, he can't say he didn't have the opportunity!

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I have something like 16 vacation days left (and still accruing) since I didn't use 9 days for Ireland. I need to look into it more, but I think we can sell back vacation days in August - though with the budget cuts, maybe not?? I really need to get a better handle on that - I usually use all my vacation time each year, so don't worry too much about it. (My supervisor was telling me that the receptionist is wanting to take the week after Christmas off and wanted to know if it would conflict with my vacation plans - I told her nope, the only day I plan to take off is the weekend of my birthday (15th.) But then we looked at the date, and it is a Tuesday, so we were both saying - may as well take Monday and Tuesday! Do up my 45th birthday big! -- likely not actually do anything ... but will be nice to have a really long weekend.)

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So ... by September 22 I need to have lost about 20 pounds or I will be saying say'o'nara (sp?) to nearly $1k (HealthyWage.) Yeah, I don't like that idea. (About $300 of it would be my actual money, the rest would be winnings.)

I've been fighting the same five - ten pounds most of the past five months. (Mainly because I keep jumping off the cliff into junkfood'ville and have trouble climbing out.)

At any rate, I am committing to absolutely NO:
Dairy
Processed foods (that means Amy's, Laura!!)
flour of any kind
sugar (this includes my beloved date sugar ..)

My focus is going to be on eating as much as possible foods without labels - legumes, whole grains (not processed into flour), vegetables, greens, and fruit (not dried, but whole.)

This is for the month of June. I will reevaluate at the end of June to see if it is actually working, and if I want to keep going with it.

I do hope to eliminate processed food and dairy completely from my diet, but one way or the other, whole grains flour will come back into my diet, and possibly the "healthier" sweetners like date sugar.

My DH is doing keto - one meal a day. He eats around 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. So ... we aren't eating together at all anymore. This makes it so I can change my eating timing to around ten a.m. to six p.m. - which is healthier than going as late as 8 p.m. and pushing up against bedtime.

(DH has lost 25lbs in two weeks. He is ecstatic. I'm happy for him, but also worried about what some of the weight he's losing is actually comprised of. Not to mention the copious amounts of meat he's eating ... and fat - but - silver lining -- he's eating spinach!!)

This will definitely save us money in our date night category! (i.e. no eating out, even if I was willing to go to a restaurant right now)

So on Thursday I had my 6-month evaluation meeting. I got a high enough score for a raise. It should be about $.60/hr.

I'm glad I have the supervisor I have and don't have a particular co-worker for a supervisor.

It looks like we'll still be WFH till at least the beginning of June. I wouldn't mind longer ...

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DH asked me to convert his index funds in his ROTH into an ETF a few months ago. So ... I looked at our accounts a few days ago and saw that my index funds had lost around 7% this year, while DHs ETF had gained 11%. HMPF! (We're down about $30k from our high.)

I didn't want to sell any of my index funds at a loss, but I did want to play a little with his ETF. So .. I used $1k of my fun money (thanks to no Ireland trip) to buy 4 shares. I'm going to possibly buy 1-2 a year. I don't want to tie a lot of money up in it - but a little bit won't hurt.

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DH has decided to do time limited keto - eating within a 4 hour window to start. So that eliminates our meals together, and probably eating out too. ( He was talking about we still could do Chinese buffets ... um a buffet?? I don't know when I'll be ok going to a buffet again.) Plus I don't think he was thinking about timing.

I really hope he focuses on getting the full 30% of low-carb veggies/greens ("allowed") and doesn't just eat meat. Sigh.

He probably has a kidney stone again. He had to have a laser procedure in Feb? to get rid of one. Helpfully completed his out of pocket for the year. Yay? It was not pleasant and he doesn't want to do it again. He may have no choice.

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Mom just HAD to get a haircut on Monday.

She and her hairdresser started with masks ...

Yesterday she got a call saying that the person who had an appointment directly before her had tested positive for Covid.

Her hairdresser is in quarantine, and of course has had to cancel all her appointments.

Mom didn't understand why she needed to self-quarantine.

Oy vey.

May 14 will mark six months in my new job. I had a Soom call with my supervisor yesterday (we do this bi-weekly) and she brought up that it was time for my 6-month eval so I can get my raise. I'm glad she brought it up so I didn't have to!

Overall, I am SO much happier in this job than the bus company. There is a co-worker whom I'm probably going to have to have a strong conversation with once we're back to in-office operations. I'm so not looking forward to that.

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Our May budget looks really good. We had enough to cover all the basic amounts fully, with $100 leftover, plus the $2400 stimulus money. That money is being doled out to car repairs, pets, medical, income bridge fund, and a little bit to vacation.

If my raise hits in May, then our June budget will look pretty nice too. (It'll be about a $.60/hr raise.)

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I've been doing well with my eating reset. 8 days I haven't bought chocolate, soda, junkfood or fastfood/takeout.

When I was at Aldi yesterday I ran into a church member with whom I worked with when I was at the bus company (he worked in the mayor's office doing communications.) It was nice to chat and catch up a bit. He's on our church board - it sounds like they are talking about having church services at a locally owned campground (where we can effectively social distance.)

It'll be weird to go back to church after all this time ... it'll be harder still to go back to working in the office. But from what I'm hearing, that won't happen till at least the end of May. Cases have been multiplying here lately, and our peak is predicted to happen around May 11. (Although our governor is capitulating to the minority asking to reopen. Our Mayor is kicking back on that ... I'm actually pretty impressed with her - a first year mayor. I'd vote for her again. Nearly 70% of Americans polled would rather stay closed down and kick this thing NOW, rather than reopen too soon.)

I watched a youtube video about the 1918 Spanish Flu. OMW! I only pray that Covid-19 doesn't follow the same pattern. Horrific. I'd heard/read about it before, but not to this level of detail. I'm actually curious why there aren't any fictional / real life books about it (other than scientific non-fiction) - at least that I've come across. There's books revolving around the Chicago fire, around the 1906? San Francisco earthquake, etc., but not the 1918 flu. I'm going to have to do some searching on that, because that just doesn't seem right - that big of a thing being ignored by fiction writers?? I mean the reality of what happened with it makes the movie Outbreak seem mild in comparison.

Youtube video - 1918 Spanish Flu historical documentary | Swine Flu