work

Tighten those belts

3 Comments

I am lucky to say that my work place has not been affected in a negative way due to this economic downturn. I know that I am extremely lucky that our CEO has decided not to freeze our salaries, corporate raise happened on the 8th say whaaatt? YES! (I get a review 2x a year + all of the staff get a yearly raise due to rises in cost of living, etc). There were a few people who left, where I work, and we are a bit understaffed at the moment. I was surprised to hear the news at one of the staff meetings that the freeze was not in effect.

But! This does not mean I’m out spending my money all frivolously, or bragging about what I have.

I’ve put a lot of hard work into building up my savings account and emergency fund in case it takes a turn for the worst. I do still plan on purchasing my vehicle, and I’m being very smart about it. I am NOT taking out a huge loan and I’m putting down quite a bit on the down payment to justify buying a used car. I do not plan on driving all over God’s Farm and spending every cent on gas. I hope to just drive it mainly back and forth to work to save myself time. Right now I’m commuting two hours a day. In the morning it occasionally takes me 45 minutes to get to work with a stop down at the terminal, and another bus ride (yep, two) to work. The way home usually takes longer because it’s rush hour. I get into work later than the usual employee — I start my days at work at 9:45AM.

“Back in the day” when I used to get these e-mails from Banana Republic, Mexx and RW & Co. for 30% off anything in the store, I’d run into the mall immediately after work and see what I could splurge my money on. Not really the best thing to do. I’ve been budgeting tightly for the past year and really thinking before actually purchasing and giving into that “have to have it, right nowwww!” moment.I really think that living on my own, and budgeting accordingly has made me really grow up and think about the long term rather than the short term and do what i used to do, and just go wild with it and splurdge. Some days, I almost wish I was younger again, living with my parents so I could blow my paycheck on something stupid like clothes, lol.

Live’n’learn I guess, right? :)

Continue Reading

Daily, Photos, Wasting Time, work

wire.d OWW!!

2 Comments

I really havfta post two times today.

Seriously.

You guys. I am SO wired right now. The first time I was writing the previous entry, I was about a ¼ the way through my hot drink from starbucks.

devil-in-disguiseYesterday my alarm didn’t go off, but thankfully I woke up when my room mate was walking around. Wednesdays are usually staff meeting mornings which means I have to wake up earlier than usual. Well I set my alarm to go off stupid early this morning, and I headed out with an extra fifteen minutes to spare to make up from being rushed yesterday. What did I do? I headed into Starbucks for a yearly treat (I never go inside that place because of the insane prices), plus I had a gift card — scooore!

I hate the taste of coffee, and I didn’t want my regular mocha frap since even though I was wearing bermuda shorts, I didn’t want a cold drink. So I gandered at the menu for 20 seconds until it was my time to order. I thought I’d try some espresso. WHOA.

Just omg, you guys. Wow, this espresso is the devil in disguise. It’s like I feel tipsy with alcohol, but without the stumbley walk and blurred vision lol.  Jeeze what a newbie hey? I’m sure a lot of you are just laughing your asses off at me right now. Looks like I said that before but I’m not a coffee drinker, remember? Rarely drink tea (My Dad told me it stunts your growth, plus I put way too much sugar in it). So i bought myself a tall skinny vanilla latte. Whatever the hell that was. It tasted terrific and nothing like coffee at all. I downed that sucker, and I hope I don’t come down from this wonderful high lolollll.

K baaiiyyyy!

Continue Reading

Daily, Health, work

Say WHA?

4 Comments

I’m a bit angry this morning. While trying to keep busy on the sketchy second bus I take in the mornings to get to work, I was playing on my blackberry. I saw that I got an e–mail from management saying a certain co–worker wouldn’t be in. This co–worker JUST got back from vacation (I thought it was Cuba), and then I was chatting to a man I work with and actually dreamt I had swine flu last night. I was like “AHHHH” for a second, until my co-worker told me that the woman who is sick today, was IN MEXICO. She’s got the flu. She’s home with the flu and just got back from Mexico. Let me tell you, I’m not even joking when i say I’m going to avoid her at all costs when she comes back into the office. I mean, the media is telling everyone to avoid that place at all costs and then people just go vacation there? She better not even sneeze at the office or I will flip out. I dunno, I think it’s irresponsible if anyone comes back with a possible slim case of even contracting the swine flu, especially since they were directly in Mexico themselves, and then coming to work. She better take care of herself and NOT come to work until there isn’t any trace of even a runny nose. Anyway, apparently she’s at the Doctor’s now getting all checked out.

Sigh.

On a much lighter note. I am in desperate need of new running shoes. I think I purchased my last pair in 2004, and the soles are actually wearing through. I was telling my Mom these details of my running shoes and mentioning the ones I thought would be a good buy, and what she said seriously shocked me and I couldn’t stop laughing. I literally went “LOL” obnoxiously on gmail chat until I couldn’t see the words she wrote. (Mature?)  I guess I don’t actually tell my parents that much about my non–existent athletics, because I am sure she assumed I kept up the running since I was doing a bunch of it last year training for my mere 5km road race back in September.I mean she gave me a water belt for running for Christmas. :/ Oops.

I was talking with her on Gmail chat talking about running shoes of course, and she wrote:  “Are you going to join the track club this year, or do any marathons?”

See that last word there?

MARATHON?

Is she crazy?

Does she not know how much dedication and hard work goes into actually preparing for a marathon? If I was training for a marathon, I think the whole world would know. I’m one of those people that needs to tell 500 people that I’m doing it, so that if I don’t do it, I feel like a failure. I’m sorry if that sounds wrong. But it’s how I work. It’s how I get motivated. “I told this person I was going to do it and I am!” Yah. Going from a 5k to a marathon in that little time? Buddy, the 5k race did me in and I said I’d never run again (which I actually didn’t. I didn’t run after my 5k race). It was HARD! I know exactly how difficult it may seem as I watch my boyfriend do endless hours of training on his bike, running, and swimming getting ready for his tri’s, and even half-marathons at the beginning of the season. Ridiculous! It’s not for me. Not yet anyway. I like to take things slow, and work myself up and try and convince myself that I could do a 10k and not die at the end.

All in all, I think getting new sneakers that fit me, will make my feet more happy and perhaps a little more likely to hit the pavement. But no marathons for me. Just iddy biddy races, for now. (Next September. Heh heh)…

Continue Reading