Gym went well. Had a new member sign up.

Made it to the meet the possible tutoring student on time.

Maybe it's because I'm feeling so stressed out in general, but I don't think it went that great. The kid was great, but I didn't know what the eck I was doing. I took the kid home, and got royally lost on the way back.

So I get home. The dogs greet me. Excited to be taken on a walk.

I go get a doggie bag. I go to get Nikki's sweater. No sweater to be found. I debate about asking landlady where it is ... but then a little intuition comes in, and I check the leashes. Gone.

What kind of person does this?!

I so felt like going into the living room and throwing things at her and yelling and telling her just where she can shove her asinine behavior. It's bad enough when her behavior is hostile to me, but so much worse when it affects the dogs - completely innocent in the matter. They don't understand why I'm not taking them out. They saw me get the bag - a clear sign to them. Then we don't go anywhere.

I've called my mom. We're moving up our expectations discussion to Wednesday evening. Hopefully I can be moving the most important items (computer, clothes, frozen food) to my mom's after that. And not have to spend another night in this hostile environment.

I'm going to take pictures of anything I leave behind at that point so that if once she realizes what's going on, she decides to retaliate by messing with my stuff, I can prove it. Probably need to get a current newspaper to photograph with it all.

Tomorrow I'm going to start working out the details of a condensed schedule for me with the other gym workers. That way I won't have to drive in so far 4 days a week.

My mom thinks I should write out a letter saying why I'm leaving. Thinks that my room still being so cold is a breach of contract - I'm not sure about that, because she did "try" to make it warmer by "insulating" with cardboard and plywood and provided me with extra blankets. My mom thinks I shouldn't pay her anything for Feb rent. I'm thinking that would come back to bite me later - she might be able to come after me legally somehow. (small claims court?) Plus, it wouldn't really feel honorable. Even if she's not being very honorable, two wrongs don't make a right.

The sooner I get out of here the better. I just will really really miss the animals.

I didn't have a talk with my landlady this weekend. She came home Friday night slamming doors and loudly complaining about how if she has to turn up the heat (presumably for me) then she (meaning me) should pay for it. It was pretty obvious she wanted me to hear it. Pretty silly really, because no matter how much she turns up the heat, it's not going to help how cold it is in my room.

So, anyway, after that, I realized that she isn't in any kind of mood to have a rational discussion.

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Yesterday at church I made my need known for a new living situation as soon as possible. One possibility arose, but I think it's pretty slim.

An older lady (maybe late 70's) had been renting out a room to someone up till Christmas. The person had been there for a year and a half, and apparently was driving her crazy, so she finally told the person to go.

From her one question of me (do you have a car?) I surmised that the problem had been the tenant was asking for rides a lot.

She didn't sound too enthused about taking on another tenant, but promised that she'd think about it.

I know nothing about what the space is like, nor how much it would cost ... but I figure if it works out that the lady is open to my coming there, it may just work out in the other details. (Gotta have a little faith, right?)

My other option that I'm looking at again (which I chose to not go with before) is living with my mom and stepdad. I stayed with them this weekend, and my mom offered it again to me. I told her that I wanted her to sit down with D and work out what their expectations of me would be (i.e. what would it take for them to both be comfortable having me in the house all the time) and then I'd take a look at it and see if I could live with those expectations. I also told her that if we did it, I'd want to have a weekly conference where we'd feel free to constructively share what's working and what's not working, so if anything's bugging anyone, it won't take more than a week to get it out and figure out a solution.

I would have to rent a storage unit for the majority of my stuff, and my commute to the gym would nearly double. But .. if I can find enough tutoring students, I could quit the gym, or cut way back -- and be much closer to where most of the tutoring students would be located.

I'm thinking of offering $150/month, plus whatever household chores they'd like me to do. Then $30/month more for utilities. That would give me $110 month towards the extra gas and rental of storage unit.

We both would just have to keep in mind that this is short term. Who knows, maybe this summer I'll manage to find a school in desperate need of a librarian, and can get my emergency certification and then move to wherever that school is. (Dream, dream ...dream..)

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One way or another, my personal deadline for getting out of here is two weeks from today. I wish I could do it this coming Sunday, but I don't think that's possible.

It is not healthy for me to live in this environment.

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Saturday I made it over to the animal shelter. I ended up only being there a bit over an hour. There were a lot of new dogs. Penny and Lenny were both gone - hopefully adopted (and not in the back sick or something). There were also a lot of people there - part of why I didn't stay very long.

I went to a free music concert at our sister church. It was pretty good - not enough to buy the lady's cd, but I did leave $1 offering for her.

After the concert I went over to my mom's. We watched the Cowboys stomp the Eagles. Then today we played with the Wii for a while. I showed mom and stepdad how to do the boxing, and we played skee ball and darts on another game. They're thinking about getting the Wii Fit.

Mom made a cottage cheese roast for me. There were enough leftovers for me to have lunch the whole week! I'd been thinking about making enough quiona and cornbread, and opening up a can of baked beans for lunches. But this way I don't have to *use* my landlady's cooking stuff. Heaven forbid!

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Today I cleaned out my car. There was a bunch of stuff I threw away.

I'll say 20 points worth (for the challenge)

I also cleared out a good bit of stuff from my pantry that I don't think I'll ever get around to actually using. I'm going to see if I can find a place to donate it.

I'll give myself another 20 points for that.

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I've decided to not replace my printer just yet. Once I move, I will either replace it, or maybe work out a deal with my mom on using theirs. (maybe buy every other ink cartridge? or pay 1/3rd of cost?)

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I wish I had a temperature gauge to find out what the temp is in my room right now. My feet are freezing, my hands are slightly cold, but the rest of me is okay.

It sure was nice sleeping in a *warm* room last night!

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Oh, I forgot to mention this before. When I got back last Sunday, there was a sign on the washing machine saying that it was broken. However, on both Wednesday and on Saturday when I got home from church ... guess what I heard? The washing machine.

So this lady is trying to make me mad with the animals, and to top it off not letting me use the washing machine. Jokes on her though, cuz when she's not here, the animals still choose to be in my room, and I washed most of my clothes before I came back! (and did some more at my mom's this weekend)

I'm SO ready to get out of here!!

So, I did a stupid thing this morning. I didn't know I had done it until I got home this afternoon.

How did I find out? By one of my landlady's famous notes!

What had I done? I left my space heater on. Major stupidity, but NOT done on purpose. I hadn't turned it on since before I went on vacation, and just plain forgot it was on this morning as I was stumbling around getting ready to go to work.

Understandably, she was ticked. I'd be too. But, instead of saying, "Hey Laura, you left your space heater on this morning. That's incredibly dangerous. Please don't let it happen again!" then I could respond with abject apologies, and make sure it doesn't happen again .. and we could move on ...

Nope, she writes me a note telling me that she'd found out my space heater was on, and that she's decided to give me notice of an earlier move out date. June.

She then goes on to say that she's selling her house this summer.

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Today I was studying my SS quarterly lesson on the fruits of the spirit - specifically love. It really hit me hard, all the uncharitable thoughts I've been having towards my landlady.

I had decided that instead of reacting to all this by taking flight and possibly leaving bad blood, I should be the adult and see if we could talk it out and clear the air. Maybe I'd be able to find out what was really going on here.

After getting that note this afternoon, my resolve to have that talk with her weakened measurably. I was again ready to schedule the movers to come get my stuff ASAP and take whatever place I could find.

Thankfully I decided to call my dad first.

After talking with him, I've decided that I'm going to write her a note saying that we need to talk, and when would be a good time for her. Leave the ball in her court.

I'm thinking of leaving it on the kitchen table in the morning before I go to church.

If she bites, then I'll start by saying how sorry I am about the space heater thing, and continue by saying that I think there've been some frustrations building, and I'd like to hear what she thinks. Then go from there.

Hopefully the conversation can make it tenable for me to live here until May. If not, then an intensive search for a new home will begin.

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I also received a disturbing piece of mail from a government agency resulting from a failed company I owned in 2000. I'm going to make some calls on Monday to figure out what to do about it. (I thought it was taken care of way back then!)

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In gym related news ...

K, another worker at the gym, talked to the owner yesterday for quite awhile. She expressed to him our frustration with not having enough supplies to keep the bathrooms stocked, and sometimes not even to do the towels. He agreed that wasn't a good thing, and that now that he's done with his "football middle age thing" (my words, not his) he's going to pay more attention to his business.

So ... this morning I texted E to tell him we were out of laundry detergent - and I had a full load to wash. He then called me and told me that he'd be in later with a lot of supplies. I'd heard that one before, so kind of rolled my eyes. Miracles do happen! We now have more than enough shampoo, deodorant, hairspray, detergent, etc., to last a few months! (no body wash yet .. he's still going to get that). Now we are to tell him whenever the supply closet (which I organized today) gets down to one of anything - and he'll make sure it gets replaced.

If this actually happens, it will make life so much easier at the gym!

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The tutoring session I was supposed to attend yesterday (in order to meet a possible tutoring student) was rescheduled for Monday - due to bad weather closing the school & the mom feeling sick.

Mom told me that there may be another lady with a second grade boy who'd be more able to afford my $25/hr rate than her rate.

So, I could possibly have 6 hours/week of tutoring (or more). That would be very, very helpful.

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What's up with sweet potatoes?!

Last week when I went to Walmart for my weekly grocery shopping, they didn't have any. Then this week they had some, but they were completely unappealing.

I ended up finding some at Albertsons, but they were $1.29/lb versus the russett's for $.98/lb!

I thought I saw on some list somewhere that winter is their growing season?!

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I had to stop by my bank today to figure out what was going on. On Tuesday I had deposited two checks, but they were not showing up online, either as a pending or completed transaction. The teller wasn't able to tell me why it wasn't showing up, but she said that it did show up in my account. Weird.

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Spending today:

Wal-mart: $5.87 (fruit, egg sub, treat)
Albertsons: $3.21 (sweet potatoes)

Today didn't start out great. I got a phone call from E asking me to come in and work a shift. As I half-heartedly got ready to go in, I got a text saying it was a joke, and thanks for my flexibility. I was ticked off. Thankfully I was very careful in my text response, and found out that he'd truly needed me to come in - but had found another way to take care of it. E needs to learn the right time to say "just joking" and the wrong time. (today was my day off)

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Won't go into it, but the situation with my landlady still isn't getting better. I went out to Target this afternoon to look at printers, and then saw "Love Happens" at the dollar theater.

When I got home, I was just overwhelmed with the desire to get out of here asap! So I checked out Craigslist (again - been doing a lot of that lately). Miracles! There were at least 4 really good possibilities which had just been listed today!! One is for $300/mo with the additional responsibility of pet sitting their dog! Another one is just a few blocks from where I am now ($255/month). I'm kind of wondering if this isn't God providing a way out for me ...

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Here are the printers I'm considering. I'd love to hear what you all think about the options - or know about ink costs for them. (i.e. can I use the Walgreen's refills, etc.?)

1. $39 HP Deskjet F2430 All-in-One Printer

2. $40 Canon Pixma MP250 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer/Copier/Scanner

3. $45 HP Deskjet F4235 Multi-function Inkjet Printer, Copier & Scanner

4. $49 HP F2480 All-in-One Printer/Copier/Scanner

5. $49 Canon Pixma MP490 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer, Copier, Scanner - Energy Star Compliant

There are three things I mainly want to be able to do: 1) print stuff for school (research papers, etc) 2) print coupons and 3) scan photos

*all prices are off of walmart.com

Thanks!

In my post yesterday I mentioned about how the situation where I am living is going downhill. One of the tensions is the issue of dishes.

So, today after work I stopped at Albertson's and went to the paper goods aisle.

For $6.88, I got:

100 paper plates
50 Foam Cups (hot chocolate, cider)
20 Party Cups (juice/water/milk)
48 piece variety set of plastic ware

So, the materials cost $6.88, but the value of achieving peace of mind (at least regarding this one issue)? Priceless!

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After thinking about it carefully, I decided to not get a portable DVD player. It just would not really get enough use to justify the expense. Once school starts on the 19th, I doubt I'll have very much free time at all - either at work, or at home. So, I can make do with two streaming movies from Netflix a month, and then take the physical DVD's to my mom's house when I go visit her.

What I really do need to get is a printer with scanning capability, and a replacement power cord for my netbook.

Although I can't get on the internet at the gym via Wi Fi, I can use my netbook to type up discussion postings and journal entries for my classes. I have the feeling that I will definitely need to be spending my time wisely this coming semester - there is a lot of reading required for my Children's Lit class, as well as quite a bit of writing. My two other classes also appear to have a good bit of requirements. I don't think this coming semester will be as easy as the last one. I'm ready for it though.

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If it works out with the student on
Thursday, and I can just find tutoring students for 6 more hours a week ... I am going to quit my job at the gym. Or .. maybe cut back to only two days a week ..

10 hours a week of tutoring would give me $1000/month income (pre-tax) which would be $150/mo more than my gym income at 29.5 hours. I also would save on tolls. I might save on gas, but that would depend on how the hours are spread out.

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When I stopped by Compass today to deposit my paycheck, there was a couple up ahead of me at the teller. The husband was asking the teller what was the "inactivity fee" about that they'd gotten a letter about. She explained that it was just a letter letting them know well in advance of the change in terms, and that all they had to do was make one charge per year to avoid it. They didn't seem to like that idea very much, and were considering closing the account. The teller than used the "it's good to have in case of an emergency!" They ended up not closing it.

(I wasn't trying to listen in .. the participants were just loud!)

Overall, my California trip went really well. My very favorite part of the trip was the day my dad, grandma and I spent with my brother in San Francisco and finally at his home in Napa. We stopped at Ghiradelli's and had hot chocolate, then somehow wound up under the Golden Gate bridge where we discovered a part of San Francisco none of us had been to before - Fort Point. Later, we played three games of Rook, and finally played Wii bowling.

We were planning on visiting Hearst Castle on our way from San Jose to Loma Linda, but we got started at nearly 1 p.m., and by the time we were within 30 minutes of Hearst, it was past time for the last tour of the day. So, we all agreed to continue on to Solvang.

A *lot* of eating out was done on this trip. So much so, that if I don't eat out again until this summer, it'd be just fine with me! On New Year's Eve we ate out at the Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills (by the Farmer's Market/Grove). The tip for that meal, and the hot chocolate at Ghiradelli's, were the only things I paid for the entire trip.

My grandma wasn't quite sure what her Wii was all about. She kept calling it "wi fi". Once we got to her place, and I set it up so we could bowl, she got the hang of it.

In Denver, (layover) I experienced my first deicing while on a plane. I was quite happy that my return trip was non-stop.

I got quite a few new clothes. We went shopping at an outlet place - Coldwater Creek, Liz Claiborne, and Izod's sister store, all contributed to my wardrobe. Then we also hit up JC Penny's for one more item we couldn't find at the outlet place. All in all, for just a bit over $100 I got - two dressy tank tops; a new purse; a short sleeved sweater top; two other tops, and a dress.

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One downer of my trip, which really had nothing to do with the trip at all. I got a call from E telling me my hours had been cut to 27. When I asked him where those hours had been cut (thinking only 4 had been cut) he told me Thursday. I used to work from 8 to close - he was putting me as noon to close.

I asked him if I could have 8 to 3 instead, to keep my schedule basically the same. He told me that K was the one wanting the morning hours. So then I told him to cut a few hours on T and F to equal out the 4 instead. He then tells me that those hours had already been cut!!

So then I asked him how he was figuring 27 hours, because it sounded like 8 hours were gone from my schedule. In the end, he made it so I have 29.5 hours.

I was expecting a cut in hours, but it still hurts (financially).

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I had an interesting homecoming (to where I live). I was greeted at the door by all 4 animals. The two dogs raring to go for a walk.

However, the first acknowledgment/greeting I received from any of the humans was 6 hours later when I went out to the living room and told the daughter that Kayla was outside whining. She snottily informed me that Kayla was not whining. Umm ... ok. I just walked out to the living room for no reason, and happened to see Kayla at the door.

My next acknowledgment was from my landlady this afternoon after I had placed the doggy bag in the trashcan. A short curt "Be sure to lock the door!"

Nice. Adding to that the lovely argument I got to overhear last night between the mom and the kids ... is it May yet???

At least the animals are friendly to me.

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The dishes situation is completely ridiculous. I had a mug of hot chocolate last night. I rinsed out the mug and the spoon, and placed them in the (empty) dishwasher.

Tonight, I went out to the kitchen to put groceries away, and found this note taped to the mug cabinet "Wash your own dishes!!"

I am seriously contemplating buying paper plates, cups, and plastic ware. I hate the waste and the expense, but it might just be worth it for the peace of mind.

I am also contemplating about whether it would be all that horrible to move during the semester if I found the right situation ...

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Something which may help me be a bit more flexible in how much I can budget for housing ... my mom is letting me "have" one of her students for the $25/hr rate. She's been tutoring him at the $50/hr rate, but the mom just isn't able to keep going at that rate.

It would be 4 hours a week, so $100/wk. But it would be about an hour's drive one-way (assuming no major traffic snafus.)

If I do well with this kid, then it might lead to more people willing for me to tutor their child. So, this could be a good thing - especially with my hours being cut.

I'll be meeting the mom/child on Thursday to try it out.

My two biggest concerns are: 1)My mom is going to somehow hold this over me - that there is going to be some kind of extra expectation of me which hasn't been stated yet (like "I'd be glad to help you with getting a different car, but you have to promise me that you'll keep it clean and neat."), and 2) That for one reason or another the child and I won't gel, or I'll have no idea what I'm doing, and completely mess it up, and that somehow that will end up messing up my mom's tutoring business ...

I guess I shouldn't worry over milk that hasn't spilled yet ...

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While I was in San Jose, I ended up telling my Uncle about all my car troubles this year. He basically offered to either co-sign on a loan for a new car, or pay for it up front, and have me pay him back when I can.

The offer does appeal to me very much. Every time I get in my car I wonder if something is going to go wrong.

My dad recently replaced his car. He looked for months for a used car, or even for a few years old car (like an 09 leftover on the lot). He found that the used vehicles were going for as much, or more, as the new vehicles.

My uncle is big on Subaru's. They're good cars .. if I could find one that was similar in size and gas mileage to my Honda, I might go for it.

I just am not sure how I feel about going into such large debt to a relative. Paying it back in good time would depend so much on my finding a *real* job (i.e. not minimum wage!) once I graduate. But if my car dies on me, or gives me more mechanical headaches ... I'll end up having to do it anyway, plus have used up more savings to try to fix it.

Ugh! I've got such a headache thinking about all this!!

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Spending:

Gas: $22.41 (Sunday)

Deli: $4

Groceries: $22.78 (replenishing things I ate up before the trip, etc.)

Almost forgot -- extra monies:
Brother - $40 (birthday money)
Grandma - $50
Dad - $200 (cell phone, space heater, baggage fees, + extra just because)

I'm thinking about getting a portable DVD player - something I can take to the gym to watch movies on, or use at home (since my computer's dvd program still isn't working!).

$10 of my brother's gift goes to saving/giving, but I could put the other $30 towards a portable DVD. Then if I used $30 of the money grandma gave me -- I'd have $60. If I used $25 of the extra my dad gave me, that would give me $85 to buy one.

I've seen them for right around $80, but need to do some research to see if I can find one for less. (I was told by all three that they *did not* want me to put all the money into savings or just bills - they want me to use it for something frivolous.)

I also kind of really need a new printer. It needs to have the scanning capability. Two or three rounds of printing out journal articles for research papers at the library would probably equal out to the cost of one. (my mid-term paper research cost about $18 in printing costs at the library)

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Sorry if this is all over the place. I think jet lag + plane leaving 6:20 a.m. CA time on Sunday, and then getting up at 5:30 this morning for work all are coming together to make me very tired and out of sorts.

Yesterday I did go to church, and I did exchange the Terry's Oranges for the correct flavor, but I did not go to the animal shelter. I didn't go today either. I have however kept myself pretty busy.

I spent a great deal of time yesterday evening copying 5 audiobooks onto my computer, and then transferring them to my iPhone. I had to delete a few I already had on there (and had listened to already).

Today I got up kind of late (because I was up till past midnight loading the audiobooks!) I first went to the dollar theater for the early showing of Ice Age 3. It was really cute - well worth the dollar.

Then I went to the library and dropped off the audiobooks from Saturday night, and picked up 4 more. I would've picked up 5, but several of the ones I was looking for were checked out.

When I got home, I started cleaning and sorting through everything, and then finally got my big suitcase out.

I had to empty that also - I'd stored most of my out of season clothing and some clothes which I'd not been able to fit into when I moved in here in September. But ... two pairs of jeans which were in that category, now fit again! Yahoo! (Thanks No-S!!)

While I was doing all this packing and cleaning and sorting, I was also working on loading up my next 4 audiobooks. I wonder if I'll really have time to listen to 7 books (8 if I get the one off the website). No matter how many I actually get to, it will make for a great head start for next semester! I just have to be sure to jot down notes about the various books.

My suitcase and laundry basket are both out in the car now. (I didn't think it would be much fun to try to drag them outside at 6 in the morning tomorrow!) So, I am pretty much all ready to go!

I've been keeping an eye on the weather in Denver, and am a tad bit nervous. My layover will be there on Tuesday afternoon. They are supposed to get hit with snow by Wednesday sometime.

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Tomorrow I'm heading over to my mom's straight after work. I'm supposed to help her finish up her baking. She's making a bunch of cookies, etc. for my brother's Christmas present. She's already spent at least one full day on this ... I really hope she hasn't made a lot. There's only so much room in my bag!

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I have a business idea in my head. I don't know if it would work or not .. or if anyone would be willing to pay me as much as I'd need for it to work.

I'm also not sure what the best title would be ...

My idea is to offer my services from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. Monday - Thursday; and from 2 - 5 p.m. on Friday's. (I may be willing to do an occasional Sunday as well, depending on schoolwork load.)

My services would include: grocery shopping; folding laundry; picking up dry cleaning; picking up a max of two kids from school; tutoring/supervising homework/music practice, fixing after school snack/cleanup, maybe fixing supper or starting it, etc; chauffeuring kids to after school activities; etc. During the summer, I would offer enrichment activities and taking kids to the park, museums, playdates, etc. Other tasks could be negotiated.

Pricing would start at $25/hour for the first 20 hours per week. Hours 21 - 30 would be priced at $15/hour.

If I could get even 20 hours a week doing this, I would be able to quit the gym. I would still have the morning hours, plus most of Friday and Sunday to do schoolwork.

My mom charges (and gets) $50/hour for tutoring. Of course she already has her Master's ...

I'd have to up my car insurance for carrying kids. I'd also need to put together a contract spelling out everything parents and I agree to. Probably would also need some kind of medical release and accident waiver, etc.

What do you think of something like -- Mom's Assistant? or Mom's Third Hand???

Do you think my rate may be too much?

Anyway, just kind of mulling the idea in my head. I really would like to get out of the gym, and it would be nice to make more money than I am now (wouldn't take much!)

Oh yeah, my selling points: Texas state certified teacher with 8 years of experience, in grad school working on Master's; excellent driving record; love to play games (board games, catch, swings, etc.) believe strongly in interactive learning; may be able to save money on groceries (clipping coupons for items frequently on their list - maybe sign up for grocery game for their favorite store, and make suggestions as to what they might want to stock up on ...)

Yesterday at the gym I only had 6 people come in the entire day. I was there from 7:30 until 7 p.m. Four of those people informed me that they wouldn't be back till after the holidays.

Today ... I was at the gym from 6:30 until 2. Two people came + 1 other person who paid their bill.

E and I were talking about the amount of people expected to actually be around during the next few weeks. He decided that he'd close G2 on Wednesday of each of the next two weeks, and just have G3 open till 3 pm those days. That makes a lot more sense, but kind of stinks for those who were planning on working those days.

K, the lady who takes over on Fridays at 2, told me she had a job interview and offer this morning. She is hesitating on accepting it for two reasons - one of the days she'd have to work is her church choir day; and the other is how far of a drive it would be. Otherwise, it'd be great - 24 hours a week with a certain and unchangeable schedule for $10/hour.

K is an older lady, recently divorced (ex-h was a cheating scoundrel), has two grown children, and has MS. We get along pretty well, and I'll miss talking with her if she takes the job, but I think it'll be better for her - much more stable than the gym. E keeps changing her schedule, and recently reduced her hours to 17/week. I'm just waiting for him to do that to me. Ugh.

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My brother is finally on facebook! I tried to get him to get on it when I first did, but he obviously didn't.

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Tomorrow there is potluck after church, and then I might be going to a get together at the SS leader's house. He mentioned it last Sabbath, but was kind of vague on the details.

I bought an apple cheese danish dessert for potluck tomorrow. I had been planning on making my corn pudding again, but the kitchen was overrun by teenagers making cookies. Oh well.

Depending on if I go to the get together, I probably will spend a few hours at the animal shelter in the afternoon. If I don't do it Saturday afternoon, I want to be sure to do it on Sunday. Although I'm thinking about seeing another movie on Sunday at the dollar theater - either Ice Age 3 or Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Ice Age has been there for awhile now, so there's more chance that Meatballs would still be there when I get back from CA.

I need to download the audiobooks to my phone, return them to the library, and get a few more and download them. Oh yeah, I need to pack too. Maybe I won't have time on Sunday to see a movie.

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Deposited my paycheck today.

My groceries today included a couple of things I could have put off till next year, the cheese danish, and a food gift for my stepdad - so a bit more than I'd really planned on.

Walmart - $14.69

I need to go and exchange the food gift tomorrow though. I bought a Terry's Chocolate Orange ... only I bought the Toffee Crunch version instead of the milk chocolate one. Not paying enough attention I guess.

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I've been checking the weather in San Jose and Loma Linda the past few days. It seems like San Jose is about the same as Dallas weather wise right now. I really don't want to take my big new coat (a number of reasons - one being how bulky it is) but am not sure if my purple coat will cut it.

Are bags still $15 for the first one you check-in?

I'll be taking a box of food goodies for my brother from our mom. Any precautions I should make? (will be in my checked suitcase) I know not to have anything wrapped ... but other than that?

---
Almost forgot. I bought a Flashcards app from iTunes ($3.99). It'll come in handy next semester when I'm having to learn various terms for one particular class. But the reason I went ahead and bought it now is that I've started to get serious about memorizing Bible verses. I made up 18 flashcards this morning which I can study on the plane while in airplane mode, or of course during my 3 hour layover in Denver. My goal is to have all 18 memorized perfectly by January 1. Then I'll add more. I have two down pretty good already. I figure it's good brain work, and it's good for the soul too.

(Also in the flashcards app they have a list of 300 GRE words/def/sample sentences you can download to study. I downloaded them as well - may as well work on my vocabulary too.)

*Today my mom took me to her hairdresser and had me get a cut and highlights. It looks very nice. It'd been several years since I last had highlights put in - last time I think was at Fantastic Sam's for around $60. This lady charged at lest 4x that amount. :OO: If I'd realized how much she charged, I probably would have chosen my mom's other idea - spa pedicure and manicure. But irregardless, I really do like my cut and color.

*My mom went on a trip to Nashville this past weekend with two of her tutoring students who she watches sometimes on the weekends. The mom of the younger girl had bought her two four-inch ceremonial daggers, and had given her permission to take it to school. :OO: My mom did not know this. One of the daggers was still in the girls backpack as they went through airport security.

Luckily they chose to not call the police or any of the many other things they could have done. That was one lucky 11 year old!

*My uncle D who lives in Ohio and has never been sick a day in his life, went into the hospital yesterday with heart attack symptoms. He had surgery today where they placed two shunts in his heart, and appears to be doing okay.

* When I got to my mom's place on Tuesday night she wasn't there yet (out tutoring). So my stepdad and I had a chance to talk for a couple hours. That was really nice - we don't talk all that much usually because my mom and I tend to chat to each other mainly. We also watched a movie my mom would not have liked, but I liked it.."State of Play" with Ben Affleck, etc. I'd equate it with Primal Fear (Richard Gere) and perhaps Michael Clayton (George Clooney). Good twists and turns and an unexpected ending.

*I took my practice exam for school librarian certification on Saturday night. Today I got my results. An 80% was passing ... I got a 79%. I am very extremely happy with that, seeing as how I've only taken one class dealing with the subject matter on the exam. A year from now, I bet I'll be able to ace it.

*We have a new housemate. *He* moved in yesterday afternoon. Apparently he sleeps during the day, and works at night. This should be interesting.

*My mom didn't have a 4 candle for my brownie cake. So, instead of turning 34 yesterday, I turned 35. She told me my other two choices were 32 or 37. I was okay with the 35.

*Payday was Tuesday: $549.xx

While I did get paid for the 6 hours of cleaning, it was at the normal 7.25 rate. Pretty cheap cleaning labor if you ask me. Although, I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it if E hadn't said that he'd try to get us $10/hr for that time. Oh well.

So ..$55 - Giving; $55 - Savings; $55 - Tax Savings. That leaves $384 for other bills, etc.

My Dec. 30 check is going to only have 5 days on it, so will be quite small.

*I am probably going to have to up my texting plan for my phone. Before getting the iPhone, I very rarely used the texting function. Now though, I have a number of people who I text back and forth with regularly - including E (mostly about gym business - easier to make sure he has a written record of what I relay to him than just verbal).

My last bill I was 199 texts over my 200 limit - which equaled to about $20 extra dollars. So, I paid $25 for 399 texts. I have the feeling that this months is going to be similar, if not more.

So ... I think that I'll have to go to the $15/month plan for 1500 texts. I don't see myself ever using that many texts in a month ... but then again I never thought I'd actually use up the full 200. Ugh!

*Spending Dec. 15/16

Deli: $4.68 - Breakfast/lunch (treat)
Costco: $16 - 10 pk Rice Dream milk sub.

I have two dollars cash + some change left of my spending money. I don't think there's anything I'll need to get before Friday when I'll take out my next cash infusion (and deposit my paycheck).

Groceries this week should be extremely minimal, since it'll basically just be for the weekend. I'll be going back to my mom's Monday after work, and then Tuesday fly away to San Jose!

For one of my classes I was supposed to register with the American Library Association and Texas Library Association as part of a "leadership project". Then I'm supposed to explore the sites and write a report on it.

Great, not hard at all right? Except ... when you wait until 8 days before the assignment is due and find out that you can't register online nor over the telephone. You can however register over fax. Then you find out that it takes up to 4 weeks!!! for your registration to process.

Oh, oh!

I emailed my professor and asked him what my best course of action would be. I'm not sure he understood what I was asking, because he emailed me back and told me I had to register with the associations! (after explaining that I *had* registered that morning, but it wouldn't be complete for up to 4 weeks.)

This seriously was not smart on my part. I should have registered way back in August. I just didn't want to pay the $35 fee... so I drug my feet.

This could very well cause me to have to retake the class because leadership points are 25% of our grade. (It does include a few other assignments, but as far as I can figure, this counts for half.) You have to retake any class you get less than a B in.

What a waste of money and time on my part if I have to retake it! It's totally my fault. I'm usually much more proactive on this kind of stuff - especially when it comes to grades!! ARghh!!

At least it's only a one-credit course.

----
I thought I was working at the gym today from 6:30 to 6:30. When I asked E about my schedule last week, he said this week was normal, except for opening on T and Th.

So when he gave me the actual December schedule, I glanced at it briefly and didn't see anything pop out at me.

Then today a bit after 3:00 A walked into the gym. He said he was there to relieve me. I'm like, "what?!" Then I took a closer look at the schedule, and saw that he was scheduled.

When I got in my car I called E and as calmly as possible asked what his reasoning was. He told me that he didn't want any of us working 12 hour days, and since I was opening, he put A in to close.

If he would've asked me, I would have told him I had NO problem working a 12 hour day - especially considering the fact that my Jan. 1 paycheck is going to be paltry due to my California trip. Extra hours right now are a *good* thing!

Seriously, it's things like this that really, really make me *strongly dislike* working at an hourly job. The flexibility is great for some things, but it can be a two-edged sword.

-----
Spending:

Not actually spent yet, but put into motion: $35 on Credit Card for ALA/TLA membership.

Gas: $21.33 --- Could have waited until tomorrow, but I saw a station with $2.19/gallon gas (at least $.20 less than anywhere else) and decided to jump on it in the likelihood of it being a one-day sale.

Dollar General: (cash) $3.31

two pairs of gloves (only sold in sets of two) and a knit pull-over hat (says "one-size" but doesn't cover my ears at all!)

Landlady: $1 -- two AAA batteries so that my keyboard would start working right again (I offered the money - didn't want her to feel like I was taking advantage.)

I woke up to snow on the ground this morning. I love snow, but this batch didn't last very long and was pretty wet.

It also was very cold outside - the actual temp was around 38 F, but with the wind it must have been closer to 25 F!

So ... I spent the majority of my day finishing up my barefoot running paper. I really thought I was much closer to finishing it ... but kept revising it or double-checking facts ... etc. that it was nearly 4 pm before I finally said "enough!" and uploaded it.

Then of course I needed to walk the dogs. They'd been impatiently begging for the last 40 minutes as I was finishing my paper. Funnily this time Nikki was ultra cooperative getting her sweater on, while Kayla kept butting in and making it hard for me to get it on Nikki.

I'll say it again. It was *cold*! Walking for 40 minutes with two dogs who keep insisting on stopping and sniffing - my hands were frozen! (I didn't wear my gloves because well, you know, you gotta clean up after the doggy messes, and I'd rather not take a chance of getting
*that* on my gloves!)

So, it was nearly 5 when we got back.

What had I not done yet? Got my car inspected! Ooops! I'll still be okay to do it on Friday or maybe Sunday - I'm pretty sure the grace period is at least 5 days.

---
I tried to start the process of linking my Compass account with ING, but since it'd been less than 15 days since I changed my address, I couldn't do it online. So, will have to remember to check back next week.

---
No spending today (thanks to my procrastination!)

--
Tomorrow will be a long day at work - from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Fun. I think I'll leave all my money at home to avoid the temptation to go to the deli.

Today was a no spend day.

I also felt much better than I did yesterday, although it was colder outside.

On my way home I came across two accidents. One of them closed an entire intersection, and I had to follow someone in front of me to figure out a detour. The second one was right before my street. It looked like a 4-car chain reaction accident.

Texans don't know how to drive in slick and cold conditions very well. It is supposed to maybe snow tonight. I think I might need a hat (whatever those knit hats you pull over your ears are called.)

--
Today at work I was wearing one glove most of the morning. I had four different people ask me if I was sporting the Michael Jackson look. LOL! No, it was more like wanting to be able to navigate on my iPhone and turn magazine pages look!

There are gloves where you can separate the finger tips while still wearing the glove - but they're in the $25 - 30 range. My gloves were in the $2 range.

---
I stopped at Chase today and closed my checking account. I told the person who helped me that I would have stayed there if it wasn't for the $6 monthly fee if I didn't do so many debit transactions a month. She didn't give me any hassles, which was good.

Then I went over to Compass where I had opened an account last November for the $25 account bonus and "free" mp3 player. (turned out it cost shipping and handling, so I never got it.) I deposited my funds from Chase + my paycheck in there. I also asked for a new debit card because I'd shredded the other one (thinking I'd never use it.)

*I am going to look into opening a student account at the university's credit union - but will probably do that after the holidays when I'm on school break. Spring semester doesn't start till Jan. 19!

---
Today was payday. Ouch. I sure took a hit from having Thursday and Friday off. Roughly $110. It would have been worse if I hadn't worked on Wednesday.

So, my Nov 15 paycheck was $497.49, and my Nov 30 paycheck was $405.73.

I have $30 cash left from my last cash outtake, and kept out $36 from today's deposit (what was left over the hundreds from Chase). That means I have $76 for groceries and miscellaneous to last until December 11 when I'll take another $40.

$40.50 x 3 (Savings, Tax Savings, Giving)

That leaves 248.23 for other bills.

---
Tomorrow I need to get my car inspected (yeah, procrastinated on that!) Finish and turn in my barefoot running paper, and complete another assignment for a different class.

I'm also going to be meeting a new possible roommate. My landlady's daughter is ok with continuing to give her room up so someone can rent it - at least for a short time. It doesn't sound like this person will need fridge or pantry space - which is good, because I'm using all my allotted space!

This morning I managed to get off to work with a new cannister of oatmeal, my frozen veggies and $.72 Michaleo's frozen meal, and a banana. Unfortunately, I forgot my new box of Stripples (vegge bacon) and container of egg whites.

I went to bed a bit after 9 last night, but didn't really get much sleep by 5:30 this morning when my alarm went off. Between not being able to turn off the thought machine and my allergies/maybe beginning of a cold ... ugh!

So ... I wanted more protein for my breakfast than just oatmeal. I headed over to the deli and though I did spend, it was controlled. I got one taquito (breakfast burrito - eggs and cheese); juice; and a banana. $3.33

In case you're wondering why I got a banana when I already had one ... well, I realized I hadn't gotten enough for the whole week this morning. So by getting a banana today, it gives me one less reason to go grocery shopping before Friday. Thus, more than likely, saving me money.

--
So the lack of sleep/rest also affected my driving this morning. I pulled on to the business highway where the speed limit is 60, and it didn't dawn on me to speed up from 45 until someone honked at me.

The whole day at work I was just cold. I wore my jacket the whole day. Usually I can wait till around 10 a.m. or so before I get too cold.

By the time the afternoon shift came, I was feeling plumb miserable.

---
Got home and walked the dogs. That was a production and a half. I figured that if it was cold enough outside for *me* to wear my jacket, then little thin Nikki *must* wear one too. Yikes! She was just like a little kid who doesn't want to wear a jacket!! It took ten minutes of me wrestling with her before finally getting it on. Ugh!!

Kayla was so funny. She was acting like the patient older sibling (which she kind of is, older at least) who just wants to go for her walk! She kept coming up to me like she was letting me know that she'd be willing to do whatever it took for us to get out that door!

---
I came across an interesting work at home site. I haven't tried it yet myself, but it looks good. livework.com

One of the options is doing short answer questions. You just need good writing and research skills.

---
It's only 4:25 right now, but I think I'm going to go to bed a little early. Maybe just rest a bit ... who knows.

Today I helped E and one other person clean the gym location which is closing tomorrow. It took the three of us 6 hours.

I ate about 10 a.m. and got there a little before noon. By the time I was leaving (about 6) I was *starving* and thinking about all the fast food places I could get something to eat. I couldn't actually go *in* anywhere, because I was a royal mess thanks to 3 hours of cleaning blinds and dusting out lockers + powerwashing 6 shower stalls.

But, you notice I said today was a no spender? I fought those thoughts of stopping with thinking about what I had at home that I could make quickly. I came up with a sweet potato, leftover cornbread muffin, and a veggie patty with cheese. Then of course today is an S day, so I wanted to have some chocolate. I realized I already had some chocolate at home, so there was no need to stop somewhere and pick any up.

Yay! So I made it home without falling into the trap of saying that I deserved a treat (fast food) because of how hard I worked today.

---

While dusting out the lockers, I found a dime and three pennies. When I asked E if it was "finders keepers" he gave me a dime he'd found earlier.

So, for children's offering this coming Sabbath, I have $.23 already!

I had a pretty nice time over Thanksgiving. Went to my mom's house on Wednesday evening. After supper we went shopping for a birthday gift for my stepdad's granddaughter. Then we watched "Sunshine Cleaning". I wasn't sure if it was going to be good or not, considering the scenes they were cleaning, but it was actually pretty good.

Thursday we all got up nice and late, and headed over to the dollar theater and saw "Julie and Julia". That was a fantastic movie, really one of the best I've seen in a good while.

After the movie we headed over to Cracker Barrel for our official Thanksgiving Dinner. I pretty much had to choose off the breakfast menu, because I read a nice little notice that most of their veggies and their corn muffins and their beans are all cooked in/with animal fats. Ugh!

Still, I got french toast, eggs, sweet potato casserole and pecan pie. It was yummy and I was quite full. No stuffing though (only trust kind I make myself to not be made with turkey dripping or some such thing.) Maybe I can make some stuffing this weekend.

After we got back home I printed out my running paper for my mom to read - she made a few suggestions, but overall said it was really good. Then I did a 20 minute recording of her talking about family history. We stopped at that point because my knees were killing me. Unfortunately, even though she was speaking loudly, the mike on the camera didn't pick it up very well.

We're going to try it again later - maybe see if we can find some kind of mike or another way of holding the camera when she's speaking ...

----
Of the $40 cash I took out, I have spent .... $3.30!

$.30 was for printing out a registration form

$3 was for the movie yesterday (I treated)

Today I stopped at Walmart and picked up $23.34 worth of groceries and some misc. items. But I paid for them with a remaining balance on one gift card, plus most of the remaining balance on a second gift card.
--
Tomorrow is church and the no-kill shelter, and then on Sunday I'll be helping E clean up the closed gym location. This time however, I *will* be accepting pay.

---
Almost forgot. E had asked me several weeks ago to work this past Wednesday which is normally by day off. I had this niggling feeling in the back of my mind that I should call and doublecheck with him about it on Tuesday ... but ignored it.

I got to the gym at a bit before 8, and found that E had double scheduled the time slot! That's better than not having gotten anyone for it .... but still.

E was pretty fair I think. He said he'd pay the other person for 4 hours and they got to go home. I got paid for 8 - 3 (when someone else came). I just thought it was kind of funny.

Last night I registered for my 3 Spring Classes. $2,167 for 9 credits. I'm going to have to make the first official transfer out of my six-month emergency fund to pay for it. Up till now I've only used my other savings.

This summer I'll take a 4 credit class, and then next fall I'll take 9 credits, and in the Spring 2011 I'll take a 3 credit class + the Capstone (1 week "course" where you write 3 1800- 2500 word essays - pass/fail). So, it looks good right now that I'll be able to graduate by May of 2011.

----
Monday night I got home to find my landlady had acquired another dog! If you've seen the Legally Blonde movies, or Beverly Hills Chihuahua, then you'll have a good idea what the dog looked like -- except much, much skinnier/bonier. An old friend of hers showed up unannounced and told her that she couldn't take care of the dog anymore -she'd found it in a Wal-mart parking lot - and she wanted my landlady to take it.

So ... she took it. It was a very sweet and affectionate and extremely needy (male) dog - probably about six-years old and possibly used as a breeding dog (ahem..certain er.. actions constantly repeated around the female (spayed)dog Nikki ...)

Landlady put an ad on Craigslist on Tuesday, and today someone followed through and came and picked him up. His name was Bruno the Bruiser, but I thought a more appropriate name for him would be Shadow. (as in wherever the main human went he went, or wherever Nikki went, he went (until she growled at him))

---
Not much else going on really. Classes are winding down. I'm still working on putting together my barefoot running paper, and have two assignments left in another class, and then a practice exam in a third class. I'm getting a few extra hours at work tomorrow, and again on Wednesday - which will be helpful since Thursday and Friday we'll be closed.

Just over a month till I see my brother again! I am really, really, really looking forward to that!

---
This weekend I'm planning on putting some more hours in at the animal shelter. On Sunday I want to finish a rough draft of my running paper so my mom can help me proof it over Thanksgiving.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the no-kill animal shelter. I spent about 2 1/2 hours walking/interacting with 5 dogs. The last dog I took out was a 1 yr old large Chihuahua named Penny. She was so funny/sweet. As soon as I got her outside, she started running towards this garden area and jumped up on a bench and sat down. So, I sat down next to her, and she jumped up on my lap. We sat there for the next 45 minutes. Finally, I had to get up and take her back inside. I think she'd have been perfectly happy to have stayed much longer.

After Penny, I went into the cat room and petted cats for about 30 minutes.

I might go back on Wednesday, depending on how much I get done on my running paper.

----
I stopped at the library today to pick up two James Patterson books on CD which were on hold. One is "Alex Cross's Trial" and the other is "Swimsuit." I've loaded the first into iTunes, and am working on the second one.

I also put my name on the hold list for another James Patterson book, "I, Alex Cross" which isn't out in stores yet. (I came across a free excerpt of it in iTunes - didn't even know he had a new one!)

--
Heading towards the library it had been looking a little dark, which I'd thought was weird because it was only 3:30 or so. When coming out of the library, I found out why it'd been getting dark. It was pouring rain! I was completely soaked from head to toe on my way to my car.

Fun! Luckily I'd taken the dogs for their walk already.

---

I stopped at Dollar General to pick up some body wash's and spray deodorant for the gym. Unfortunately I couldn't get them, because their card machine was down and they could only take cash. I hope E actually got the supplies I told him we were out of!

So E asked me to open the gym today. He's put the time clock from the location that's closing here. Blech!

J, the lady who reccommended me for the job came in a bit ago. As I figured when I didn't get a call yesterday nor an email- didn't get the job. The lady they hired started yesterday. Apparently. shed been laid off for a year and could start right away.

She probably had more exp. and the fact she didn't need to give a notice ....

Oh well. It wouldve been nice if they had let me know yesterday. Guess it tells me I'm better off not getting the job. With only 5 cannidates it isn't that hard to at least send an email.

So tonight I'm going to go ahead and register for the 3 classes. I think I'm also going to look more into the ideas of tutoring or working with housebound kids.

I kind of wish I hadn't even tried for this.

It's life, right?

Tonight I attended the orientation meeting at the local no-kill shelter. There were about 12 women varying from 14 to 60's in the group. We were taken on a tour of the facilities, and got to go in the kitty room and the cat room, as well as the small dog and large dog rooms.

There was a couple Siamese cats that were just adorable. And there was a 10 year old Maltese who just looked so sad. Can you imagine a 10 year old dog in a shelter? How likely is it he'll ever be adopted? I'm almost tempted ... just so he'll have a home, even if only for a few years.

You don't have to sign up for particular times, just show up when you have time and they're open.

I need to volunteer at least 8 hours, and then I can take another training session to learn how to train the dogs to do various tricks and commands. Or, I can also take another class to work with the big dogs.

The shelter is about a 20 minute drive, so it's not something I could go to on a whim, but maybe once a week would be doable.

I'm really looking forward to spending time with the animals there.

----
Today B, one of my co-workers at the gym told me he tried to cash his paycheck today (the one that was over a week late) and he couldn't. His check was about the same as mine. I deposited mine yesterday.

Oh joy. I wonder how long it'll be till I find out how far it bounced? At least I found out the great possibility *before* I started moving money out of the account!

Last Monday the gym manager E asked me what I was doing this weekend. I told him I didn't have any plans. He then told me that they were closing one of our three locations due to the building that location is in wanting to start charging rent. (Apparently their business model includes not paying rent, but just managing a fitness center for the building.) Then he said that they would need help moving. I told him I would be willing to help.

I forgot to ask which day he was planning on this move. Ooops. It turned out that it was Saturday. He knows that I go to church on Saturday, so when he got back to me with the day, he asked me if I could come by 2:30.

Because I had already said I would help, I didn't want to back out on my word. So, I agreed to be there by 2:30.

I've mentioned before that I'm a Seventh-day Adventist. Our beliefs on the day of worship is similar to Jews, in that Sabbath is from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. Working for money, watching t.v. etc., is not part of that time.

So, I decided to consider this an "ox in the ditch" situation, and also not accept any pay for the time I put in. (He was going to pay me my regular hourly wage.)

Well, when I got there at 2:25 there was NO ONE else there, except for him. Earlier that day one of the male "sometimes worker" and his son had come for a few hours and helped him load the heavy equipment, but everyone else had not been willing to come help. His dad, the owner, was at home "supervising" some contract work being done on their house.

So, about 2:30 I started loading up all the boxes of books (the dad/owner had co-written a book a number of years ago - there were LOTS of copies still left unsold.) About 4:30 his dad came and started to pack his office down. By about 5:15 I had finished bringing all the boxes in the gym out to the truck where E had been loading them. About that same time another helper M showed up. He helped E take down and load one last piece of equipment.

About 6:30 we finally got in the truck and headed out to the storage facility (after stopping at Taco Bell for food and drink.) A 10 minute trip took about 45 minutes because of a semi overturned in the ditch.

We finally get to the storage place, and unload everything that was to go in the "dry" building (non-climate controlled.)
About 7:30 S, E's now maybe ex-girlfriend (long story) showed up to help.

Then we started to look for the climate controlled unit. After 20 minutes of fruitless searching, we figure out that E had mixed up the numbers! He called the storage place's manager and worked it out.

About 8:00 we started unloading the book boxes into the climate controlled unit. About 9:30 M left. We closed the door of the storage unit, and the rental truck a little bit after 11 p.m.

----
It was a LONG day, but the weather was perfect for it, and I feel good that I decided to help. If I hadn't shown up to help, he probably would not have finished before 5 or 6 this morning! Every muscle in my body aches, and I slept really, really well last night.

E joked that he'd have to be sure to hire all Seventh-day Adventists because they wouldn't accept pay for working on Saturday's. I told him that might be a good idea, except that it'd be hard to find one who'd work on a Saturday in the first place. (unless unusual circumstances)

I did tell him though that he can be expecting a phone call from me around May to help me move wherever I end up going then.

--
Oh, I also finally got my paycheck yesterday. (One week late with a $20 bonus for it's lateness.)

Above is a picture of me in my new suit just before heading off to my interview. K, the person who took over at the gym took the picture.

Overall the interview went pretty well. I answered the questions fairly easily, and the interviewer seemed to like me.

Near the end she told me that one thing they were looking for is someone who can look her in the eye and say they'll be there two years. I told her that I could say that with confidence, because my master's program will take that long (especially if I'm working a real full-time job.)

She then told me that if I was truly interested, that she had a test she wanted me to take. A test only given to candidates she feels are a good possibility.

oh, she also asked me if I thought I'd get bored up there, having a degree, etc. I told her that I had done a similar job at TO, and hadn't been bored.

Ok, now the test. Ugh!

First 20 questions were pretty normal ..
Gave me a list of 4 words and I had to mark the word in each set that least/most described me. Ok, no problem.

THEN there were FIVE Analogies!!!! Errghhh!!!!

white is to black: blue is to ____

5 - 66: 7 - ___

Then there were Five questions about completing patterns.

One example: 298, 209, 129, 58, -4, ___

Another: A, F, Z, U, G, L, T

My eyes were bugging out!

Then to complete my fun ... 10 statements which I had to say if I Strongly Agreed, Mildly Agreed, Agreed, Mildly Disagreed, Disagreed, and Strongly Disagreed.

One statement said: I never miss an event in a series I've subscribed to.

At first I was like, what in the world?!
Then I realized they probably meant like a symphony series or a playhouse series where you can "subscribe" for a season. Well... if I could afford to subscribe to a series, darn right I'd not miss any that I'd paid for!!! But I figured out they were looking for attitudes of rigidity or judgmentalness, so I put "mildy disagreed."

When I was finished, she told me that there are four other people they are looking at, and they should make a decision by next Wednesday or so.

Oh, forgot.. benefits

Paid health insurance
Paid long term disability
Paid 15k life insurance
401k 50% of every dollar to 5% :bug eyes:
8 pd holidays including Good Friday

I didn't bring up about my upcoming vacation. I couldn't find a good way to bring it up. If the offer the job to me, then I'll tell them. Maybe something like "I'm interested in the job, however, I have a trip over the holidays which has been planned and paid for since early October. Is that going to be a problem?"

We didn't discuss salary, so I'm not sure what that'll be. Though I imagine it will be more than min wage!

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and encouragement. Ya'll are awesome.

I have an interview scheduled for Friday at 1:30!

It would be awesome to get this - no more late or bounced paychecks! ( still no paycheck for the 2nd - supposedly will get it tomorrow. )

Monday night I stopped at Ross and bought a suit, a business casual outfit, and a new pair of dressy shoes. Total: $60

I needed the suit because none of mine fit right now. It was only $15. The outfit I'll need if I get the job - if I don't get it, I'll take it back. The shoes - my only pair of dress heels have part of the sole coming off -so not a good thing to wear to an interview.

---
I finally heard back from the no-kill shelter I applied to volunteer at. I'll be going to an orientation meeting on Tuesday night. I'm looking forward to that!

---
I also heard back from the receptionist job I sent a resume in for on Monday night. The contact asked me to fill out an attached application - only there was no attachment! So I replied to her, and she sent me the attachment yesterday.

I printed it out today and typed it out at the library. They didn't have a fax or a scanner. I attempted to find a Kinko's, but after fruitlessly driving around for 30 minutes, decided to wait till tomorrow and fax it from work.

Tonight I got an email asking me for an interview tomorrow at 1:30. I had to say I couldn't do it - I work from 9 to 6:30 tomorrow, and 1:30 is potentially a busy time period at the gym.

Hopefully she'll take the 1:30 slot on Friday I said I could do (would have to get K to come in early, but she usually has no problem doing that.)

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Today was my brother's 29th birthday! I called him and sang Happy Birthday. Then he told me that he'd just been showing a friend of his my video text I'd sent him a couple weeks ago, when the phone rang. Spooky.

I told him about dad buying the Wii for Grandma. He was pretty impressed too.

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I made macaroni and cheese for supper tonight. I'd thought about it before, but hadn't wanted to open up a Rice Dream (milk sub). Tonight though I really wanted some, so I opened up a box. I'd never tried it without real milk - it was yummy. (For added protein I nuked a Bocca Veggie Chicken Patty and tore it up.)

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The gym I work at is closing one of our three locations. E asked me on Monday if I had plans this weekend. When I told him I didn't, he said he might need some help with moving. I thought that he meant *he* would be moving. But I found out later that it was moving their stuff out of the closing gym location.

I'm not sure how much help I'll be - but I'll be on the clock, so the extra bit will be nice.

(in March they're supposed to be opening a brand new facility -- should be interesting)

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paychecks were late this week because E and his parents (check signers) were out of town. To make up for it, they've added $20. I'll have to see my check tomorrow to see if the money actually was added.

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I was accused of being rich on Monday - by the lady who takes the 3 - 7 shift. I had said something about the paychecks being late being more of an annoyance than a hardship. I had a real good laugh about being accused of being rich.

(It was kind of one of those under the breath things - not really directed towards her - just commenting out loud {I think I spend too much time alone sometimes} - she's not really someone I like all that much, though I suspect the feelings mutual -- K on the other hand who comes in on Tuesdays and Fridays, is a sweetheart {frugal} and we get along really well)

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This was my first Halloween since I've been out on my own that I've had a chance to see a lot of kids/costumes. Usually where I've lived there were very few trick or treaters that came by.

Here, we probably had close to 70!! My landlady had to go out and buy more candy because she'd made candy packs for 35 kids.

I'm not sure why, but she pretty much let me be the one to answer the door and hand out the candy. I didn't mind, because it was cool seeing the variety of costumes (and ages!), but I thought it was kind of weird.

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I'm really trying to get back into the mindset of making my food and not just nuking it. It's just so easy to nuke the burrito or the Lean Cuisine - little cleanup and little fuss. But that mindset isn't helping my food budget much. So, the past couple nights I've been actually *cooking* supper! I made quinoa M and T, and then of course tonight, mac and cheese.

I'm going to try to keep the frozen meals just for lunches, and do actual cooking for suppers. Maybe eventually I'll cut out the frozens for lunch as well ... I got back into some bad habits....

Thursday evening I got home from work and started to take the dogs for a walk. Before we'd gotten very far, my landlady drove by and stopped me. She told me she had found something that morning and wanted to show it to me.

Here's what she found:



She asked me if I'd be willing to let it sleep with me that night. She guessed that it was only 4 or 5 weeks old. I agreed.

We named him Felix. Such a sweet little fella. We also agreed that with her two dogs and two cats, there were more than enough animals in the house. So, he'd only sleep with me until we could find someone trustworthy to take in the little fella.

Felix got some sleep Thursday night, a good bit more than I did!

When I got home from work today, there was a note telling me that my landlady had found a home for Felix - someone we could be sure wouldn't use him for *Halloween* purposes.

I was a little sad that he was gone already, but happy he found a good home so quickly (and that I'll get a good nights sleep tonight!)

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My mom's gall bladder surgery went well. They were able to go in laprascopically (sp??) so she should recover in a two week time or so. However, my stepdad and she forgot to mention to me that he had a doctor's appointment on Thursday morning and would need someone to stay with my mom.

I got a call Wednesday night asking if I could sit with her in the morning. I had to make a few phone calls (begging) to find someone to cover my morning hours, but I was able to find someone.

I drove over Wednesday night so I wouldn't have to fight morning traffic.

No problems. Stepdad got home about 10:40, and I left.

Problem: Blinding Pouring Rain the ENTIRE way! It took me about 80 minutes to do a 45 minute drive.

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I have not heard back from the animal shelter I applied to volunteer at, nor the job I applied for yet.

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I am looking forward to this weekend - sleep and More Sleep! (oh yeah, laundry too.)

This morning the woman who works out at the gym every morning told me that there is a receptionist job open at her company. She said I could use her as a reference. We talk a lot and are sort of Quasi friends.

Although being a receptionist doesn't excite me, having health insurance again and more income defintely does!

If I were to get this, I'd probably have to slow down on school - maybe take an extra semester or two. But if I'm making enough to live on, go to school, AND save .... I think the extra time would be ok.

Tonight I need to get my resume polished and put together a cover letter. Then tomorrow I'll stop at the library, print them out, and fax them in. (she told me to fax it. )

So if it works out, then sometime next year I'll have insurance again!

I've kind of gotten spoiled though, only working 4 days a week and pretty much having nothing to do at work. It sounds like the phones are pretty busy, and there might be some typing letters and other projects to keep a person busy. Their current person is being promoted in the company.

@ My mom had an outpatient procedure on Friday - they injected something into her back to calm a swollen nerve -- seems to be helping so far, but she may need the injection a couple more times

@ I spent all day Saturday at a library science seminar, and then met with classmates. It was really funny - one lady I had a lot in common with - we were chatting away and I mentioned about my barefoot running - she reacted like she'd met a celebrity! Lol! I'd mentioned it in my intro and she'd remembered it ever since - said her husband would be jazzed. Too bad she lives in Houston , I think we'd have fun together.

@ my dad sent me a check for the monthly iPhone charges + a little extra -for clothes! I thought that was really sweet and hood timing since I had just bought some new pants!

@ Saturday morning I did my official monthly no- s weigh in. Since July 23 when I started ( including two weeks where I wasn't doing great) I have lost 8 pounds!!

@ I don't get what's going on with E ( gym manager). When I went to the south gym on wednesday there were no clean, dry towels. There was a load washed - luckily I arrived 40 minutes earlier than I was supposed to ( wasn't sure about traffic) and barely managed to have a dry towel ready for the first gym visitor. I off handily said something about it to E, and he was like "I don't know why you guys complain about doing the laundry" I wasn't complaining about doing the laundry - I was annoyed that HE hadn't done any the day(s) before, which left me with no clean towels to start the day. According to the person who normally is there on Wed's this is a normal occurrence.

Then on Friday I went to the south gym again after E had supposedly opened it - I found out when I was closing for the day that he hadn't turned on any of the machines!!! Seriously , how does he wonder why people aren't renewing?? Not to mention all 3 locations constantly running out of one supply or another. (like the ladies bathroom on wed having no papertowels!)

I think he's as bored as I am with doing this but he is rebelling against his parents (owners of gym) by doing the bare minimum - and even less!

I have been quite busy the past few days, and am just now having a few moments to sit down and check in with ya'll.

Midnight Parties:

Friday night about 12:15 p.m. my downstairs neighbors decided that was a perfect time to have a party. Music with a steady beat vibrating my floor, and of course, the best place to congregate was in the foyer. The foyer which is tiled. And in which sound carries easily up the stairs.

After about 20 minutes of this, I finally called the police. About 40 minutes later the music was somewhat turned down, but of course they continued their constant drunken chatter in the foyer. (I could hear the lids of of their bottles clink on the floor.) I finally managed to get to sleep, and was able to sleep in.

Saturday I spent from about 6 pm till midnight packing. I realized I still needed at least a few more hours to be ready, so set my alarm for 5:45 a.m.

At 12:15 p.m. the music started again, although at a lower volume, and the chit chat group began again. About 1:30 I had enough, so I went out and said, "Senors, por favor, ustedes hablamos en el apartmento." (Sirs, please talk in the apartment.) They looked at me like I was loony. Then they responded in rapid fire Spanish. Uh... yeah. Didn't get that, sorry. Pretty much exhausted my knowledge of Spanish just now.

So, I went back to my apartment and had the pleasure of listening to them continue to talk loudly in the foyer until 3 a.m. Then I finally was able to go to sleep.

Needless to say when I woke up Sunday morning, I was dead tired. So, of course I needed some good music with a loud beat to wake me up. :snerk: (I made sure my music could not be heard outside my door - but I do have a subwoofer - so lets just hope the downstairs neighbors weren't light sleepers.)

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The Move:

Somehow, even with all the stuff I gave away recently, I still have WAY TOO MUCH stuff! It took me way longer to pack then I thought it would - and I even had to ask my mom and stepdad to help me - and we still didn't get everything before the movers arrived. (And the movers arrived an hour late!!)

I've gotta say, it was really, really, nice to not have to carry any boxes down or load up the truck. The three guys got everything taken care of boom, boom, boom!

On the way to my new home, I got us lost. I knew exactly how to go, but somehow I managed to get this idea in my head that we had to take the left exit instead of the right exit!! Luckily I figured it out right away, so it only added maybe 15 minutes (by the time we got turned around.)

My mom and stepdad arrived at the destination well before we did. Mom told me she likes my landlady, and is satisfied with the neighborhood. (She *hated* the apartment complex where I'd been living.)

The movers got everything moved in pretty quickly. The one that I paid at the end was extremely honest. I accidentally gave him an extra $100. He came back and asked me if I'd meant to give him that much. Whooh! I'd meant to give him a $40 tip (they really did a great job.)

I just love the dogs and cats. They are so sweet. Maybe tomorrow I can get pictures of them. (My landlady keeps the lights off pretty much all the time - and doesn't seem to use the a/c either.)

Here is a picture of my room. What you can't see in the picture is my dresser. But I think this gives a pretty good idea of the size of the room.



My drive to work is virtually the same distance and time as before. So, that is good news to me.

Tomorrow I don't work, so I'll be going back to my apartment to try and get the remainder of my stuff and start working on cleaning it. I still need a box large enough for my pictures, so will have to go back again probably on Friday after work. Hopefully at that time, I will be able to turn my keys in.

Ok, I better get going. I still have classwork I need to get done before tomorrow night.

Remember when BK had the slogan "We Do It Your Way"? Well, apparently they don't adhere to that anymore.

Tonight I stopped by BK because I was wanting a veggieburger, but since I'm moving in a few days, I didn't want to add to my freezer contents. (by buying a box of them)

Well, they have the Mushroom and Swiss steakburger. I LOVE Mushroom and Swiss. When I was in highschool in Minnesota at a boarding academy I would walk into town twice a month to Hardee's and get their Mushroom and Swiss - hold the burger. Texas doesn't have Hardee's.

Anyway. I ordered a BK Veggie Burger and asked them to put mushrooms and swiss on it. I was told they couldn't do that. So I said, well then, could you give me the steakburger, but just switch out the veggieburger for the steakburger? Nope, can't do that.

Arghh!!! Seriously, how hard is it to add mushrooms and swiss to a different sandwich??

So at any rate, I've made some progress on my getting ready for Sunday's move. My freezer is completely defrosted, and all my books are packed up. I've tossed some clothing that needed badly to be tossed. Next I need to get my kitchen all packed up.

Tomorrow I'll be working from 6 to 11, and then I have to do a library observation from 3 to 5 (for one of my classes) so I'm going to have to pack fast. Most likely I'll end up leaving some of it to be packed Saturday night and early Sunday morning before the movers get here.

Today I got a phone call from the place I'm going to be donating a bunch of stuff to. I'd wanted them to come next Wednesday so it'd be closer to my actual move date. But the lady told me that their driver (male) who could handle furniture would be on vacation as of the 11th.

So .. he's coming over tomorrow afternoon to pick up the furniture and whatever else I have ready to go. (I can have their other driver come again next week to pick up non-furniture items I don't have ready.)

Today Mr B who was my teacher's assistant years ago drove me home from work - the second time this week. (He's probably going to pick me up on Thursday night as well.) I wanted to do something for him to thank him. So I asked if he'd be interested in my vcr/dvd combo or my rolling office chair. He was very interested in both - so they are now gone!

Tomorrow evening my apartment is really going to start looking empty.

Sunday afternoon after my bed is removed, it will look even more emptier.

It really hit me today that a week from this Sunday I will no longer live in an apartment, nor will I be living alone anymore. Weird feeling.

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So, a car update. Le sigh. Screaming my head off and throwing random objects. (Okay, okay. Not reality - just a fantasy.)

Anyway. S, the original mechanic, checked out my car today. After being told over and over and over again that it is NOT the alternator --- it IS the alternator.
Oy vey!

I expressed to him my great frustration with everything car related and money outgo. I asked him if there was anyway to tell what damage was done by Saturday's explosion. Nope - not until the alternator is fixed.

So ... I told him to go ahead and fix it. He's also going to keep the car for a few days for testing - make sure it is running right before handing it back to me.

Thankfully I don't work tomorrow, so I don't have to come up with rides to and from work. Thursday, E has said he'll pick me up again (6 a.m.) and Mr. B will bring me back home. Friday morning ... I'm not sure yet how I'll get there - maybe E again (5:40 am.) Then hopefully after work my mom or stepdad can take me to get my car.

One thing I can be very thankful for right now is that I'm taking my classes all online. Otherwise I'd have to worry about how to get to and from classes as well as work.

I have to be on campus from Aug 22 - 25 for two of my classes. I've already reserved a hotel room, at $63/night + taxes. It was the going rate for everything I checked (one of the cheaper rates actually.)

Well, I don't know how smart this is ... but I decided to see if I could save a good bit of money by posting an ad asking for a couch to sleep on during that same time period. $70 - 100 (Couch &70; Room $100). If I get any responses, what would you all suggest I should ask? Should I ask for a reference? I suppose I could always get there and access the situation - then if it doesn't feel right, head to a hotel...

I also responded to 3 different ads for rooms to rent. One person responded back - $290/month, single mom with two teens. She basicaly wanted to know if I had an income, because I guess previous renters had trouble paying the rent. I told her that I do have an income, but if anything happened to it,that I have my emergency fund + promise of financial backing from a parent. I also offered to pay 3 months up front (with some kind of legal document to protect both of us.) and/or provide her with several references.

This may be a possibility.

Then, I responded to a job listing. I am WAY overqualified for it, but it pays at least $10/hr, so even at 20 hours a week, it would be more than the gym job. It basically is teaching computer classes to little ones - they provide the curriculum, and you work with trained classroom Master teachers. I think this would be a lot of fun, and I could learn a lot (plus maybe make some good contacts for librarian jobs in schools.)

Well ... we'll see what happens!

Ok - got a response to the need a bed listing ... what do ya'll think?

I may have a deal for you. I am about 20 mins from . I am needing a person to look after my house. I am thinking about taking a new job, but the job require for me to travel. so here the deal i have a 17 year old daughter, she does not need to be look after, but i want to make sure my house does not become a party zone. If this sounds like something you would be interested in please let me know. rent is free.

John