It is quite a relief to be employed. It is not so relieving when I get temporarily laid off. Yesterday one of my supervisors told me to not come in tomorrow and to call around 4pm to see if I work the next day.
"Does this mean I'm indefinitely laid off?" I asked.
She chuckled. "No, this means you're definitely laid off."
Lovely.

I shall bring this chapter of my life to a close this Saturday, when I will be moving back to Emporia. Things I learned:

1. How to control your finances without them controlling you.
2. How to be a push-over.
3. How to be a control freak.
4. How to raise a ruckus at work, forcing your boss to fix a situation.
5. How to utterly waste your time. (I was already slightly proficient at this)

I had a bit of a ridiculous situation at work this week in which I was running a classroom that had no teacher. I certainly made sure that concerns were voiced through me and through the children's parents. End result: I look like the best employee in the world in a horrible situation, my coworkers/superiors look like they should be fired. I'm still running the classroom on my own, but people that matter now have greater respect for me.

I'm rather pleased with myself.

64 Days of work left this school year. 100 days until I move to Emporia. The countdown has begun.

To quote one of my coworkers:
"Every time I go to work, a little piece of me dies inside."

I have sort of vowed to live the next four months in a state of poverty for the following reasons:

• I have been reckless enough with my finances for almost the entirety of my adult life that now is certainly the time to be more frugal.
• I have no idea when I will be able to secure employment once I get to Emporia or how much I will be making.
• If I am not living paycheck to paycheck, I will be a lot happier.
• A few cutbacks in spending now = less time being poor in the future.

By the way, I really hate thinking about finances. At least when I am being stupid about them. Gives me a headache.

Avacados are delicious.

To Whom it May Concern:
Despite some rumors to the contrary, probably some accidently self-propagated, I am not quitting my job immediately and returning to Emporia asap. I am, however, planning on moving back to Emporia the last week of May and sharing an apartment with my sister Rachel. I no longer share an apartment with my brother Jarom and am currently taking up residence on my parent's couch. Or to be more precise, the floor next to their couch because their couch freaking blows for sleeping on. No, I am not engaged nor have I come anywhere close to being engaged. At all. I have lost some weight, but not enough to be terribly noticeable or cause for much celebration. Especially celebrations that include lots of cheese dip and Dr. Pepper. I am not in nursing school, although I was considering it at one time. I may or may not be returning to school next fall, depending on how hard I fail in life after abandoning all my principles, real and imagined, to damn myself to a land flowing with prarie dogs and termites. However, the rumor that I use lots of run-on sentences is absolutely true and is being proven to this day.
Ciao,
Roberto

Jarom gave Jesse and I his flu sickness. We were throwing up/ having the runs all night long on Tuesday night. It totally blew. I called in to work Wednesday, but I am back in the saddle today.

I've decided I could never be a bulemic because I hate vomiting so much.

I accidently skipped the relief society book club meeting last night. I didn't read the book anyway. Instead, I spent the night watching american idol and trying to do squats with Jesse on my back (resulting in much injury).

I hooked up the Nintendo 64 that was sitting in our basement to my little 13" tv in my room last night. The only game we have that I even considered trying out was Zelda: Majora's Mask (the not-so-popular sequel. I really want to get Harvest Moon 64, and a bunch of people were selling it on Amazon for about forty bucks. I may have to invest in something awesome. Before I spend forty bucks on my lifelong dream though, I will check at local pawn shops for maybe a cheaper version of the epic game.

The computer lab teacher was going around asking students what color tie they thought President-elect Obama would wear to his inauguration and what color dresses his daughters would wear. They were given the choices of red, white, blue, or other. My silent opinion was that they would all pull an Al Gore and dress the entire family in green.

I am moving to Emporia in the summer. May 21 is the last day of work (a Thursday) so it would be nice if I could find something beginning on the 25th. I am certain that I could get a para job starting next semester, and Emporia's starting wages for paras is over $1.00 more per hour than that of a Dodge City para. Plus they would compensate for experience, so that would be rockin'. Over the summer though, it would be nice to find something that payed lots and lots of money. And if I found that, I may not care about any type of para job. Living expenses would be higher for me, but I would have a place of my own, something I desperately want. Plus, I would have the incomparable joy of trees and humidity, something Eastern Kansans take for granted until they have to do without.

My muscles freaking ache. All over my body. I didn't even know I had abdominal muscles until today. Or at least I don't use them much. You wouldn't think that jogging a couple of miles and playing basketball would make you feel it all over, but I guess if you are as out of shape as I am, exercise can take it's toll.

The Undergroud Railroad

So, I am paying an average $500 a month on my debts, which is almost 60% of my average monthly income. My rent and utilities are about 40% of my monthly income. So Dave Ramsey's advice of getting $1000 saved up really quickly for emergencies is unrealistic for me, at least until March, when my smallest credit card bill will be paid off. For now, I am barely keeping my nostrils above water as I negotiate with the terrorists (debt collectors). Unfortunately for them, I am bound and determined to no longer be a slave to them financially. Because they are literally my masters, and until I get these shackles loosened, they have me captive.



My mother suggested going to a consumer credit counsellor and getting them to manage my debts. I talked to one of these people and almost signed on with them because my monthly payments would be cut in half, but I would be paying more money over a longer period of time in the long run, thus negating my current goal of getting out of debt as quickly as possible. It would also trash my credit score, not that I really care about my credit score. I don't ever want to use credit again, and I don't plan on buying a house in the next seven years or so. My ultimate goal is to buy a house with cash, and I'm determined that I can pull it off.



Also, another of my creeds is to never take out student loans again. If I didn't have my student loans, I would be out of debt in one year instead of two. And I can only get out of debt in two years if I strictly follow Marvin J. Ashton's advice to apply the funds I was using for paid debts to the next debt. When I do return to school, it will be out of my own pocket, with cash. None of this "I will take care of it when (and if) I graduate" nonsense. If I am paying cash for it, I definitely won't want to screw around instead of getting all A's. My original plan for this semester was to take some choir and voice lessons, just to get my foot in the door at the community college. But since I am desperately trying to get out of debt and have absolutely no funds for pleasure spending, this won't be an option. I will just stick with the crappy community choir and try to be content. If I start working at Cargill this summer, my dreams may come true sooner than I had hoped.

I'm finally getting over my cold, which rocks.

I sold my laptop to my brother. It isn't a necessity, and I am considering taking a few classes this semester at the community college. It would be entirely out of pocket, so that can add up. I would have to arrange everything at ESU getting transcripts and those pesky library fines paid off before I could transfer. I'm so ridiculous.

Also, I'm not the one making dinner tonight. Score.