What's Really Important

Layoffs hit hard this week, not just at Target and Best Buy, but also at my company. So far I've been lucky, and I know exactly how lucky I am. I've consistently been clear on my feelings for my job, but when it comes down to it, I still have one. For now. And at this point, any job is a good one, so I'm grateful to be employed.

That doesn't mean I'm not working on writing so someday I can leave the land o'cubes for my dream job, but the fact is any steady, decently-paid position is nothing to scoff. Our taxes and any possible bonus (oddly enough, the SAME DAY layoffs swept through the parent company, it was made fairly clear that there will be some sort of raise/bonus situation in March) will help. Pay off debt, put some in the bank.

I love my husband. I love my family. I love my dog. The rest? Job, money, debt, house, car...just frosting.

Because It's Cool

The Rocket Garden at Kennedy Space Center...a great place for tall people to go to feel short.

I Heart Tax Season

I realize it's ridiculous to be excited to do my taxes, but this year we have some serious deductions and such that will create a MUCH bigger tax refund than last year, per Turbo Tax's calculators. Since we do have quite a bit of debt, this makes me monumentally happy. Paying off some big ticket items and sticking a chunk of change into our savings will go a long way to making me feel more secure, especially since even my company started laying off people today. Granted, our layoffs are the result of a merger causing overlapping jobs (none of which should effect my department at all), but still: uncertainty is uncertainty. For the first time I don't really feel guilty about our recent vacation: it was worth it, we saved for it, and now we'll replenish those savings and pay off some debt.

On top of that, my husband gave me the ultimate writing compliment the other day. Generally a lot of what I write isn't really his style, but he'll be supportive anyway and say whether the writing is good or not, regardless of the content. The most recent shortie was, in his words, "Poe-ish." Wow.

He did suggest therapy, too...but the story has had several incarnations and is as polished as I can make it without obsessing, so it's off. We'll see what happens next.

Argh. Seriously

It was in the 50s an 60s the entire time we lounged on the beach (in jeans and hoodies) last week in Florida.

It was 73 and sunny the day we came home, to -13.

*sigh*

Doesn't matter though: vacation is still vacation, and it was ever so excellent to be away from work for a week.

Monday monday...

I got SQUAT done last weekend, but I did run my butt off taking care of my sick husband, who spent the entire weekend migrating from the bed to the couch to sleep, whispering how much his throat hurt, and generally feeling miserable. Turns out he has strep, which thankfully will be knocked out by Friday...and even more thankfully I have a doc who is compassionate enough to prescribe antibiotics for ME as a precautionary measure, in case I get it also. Ugh. Last year I had an ear infection on our vacation...I do NOT want strep throat this year, dammit!

So it's Monday and I stayed home from work in case I had the disease (becuase it's terribly contagious until you get 24 hours of antibiotics in you) and the earliest appointment I could get was 11:30am. That means instead of being stuck in hours and hours of traffic hell this afternoon, I got to spend it watching the pretty snow fluff accumulate on my back patio, over the frozen dog poop in my back yard (from Thor AND his pint-sized girlfriend next door who insists on pooping on our side of the fence).

And now, -30 windchills for the rest of the week. Seriously. Saturday can't come fast enough.

9 days

Until Florida, THANK GOD. Between the holidays and job hunting for something in the Portland area, even my days off aren't really days off, and I could really use a real vacation. I think hubby could too.

And tonight is our 3rd "Rome" date in a row...8pm, lying in bed cuddled up to my favorite person in the world to watch a DVD from the first season of Rome is a most excellent way to spend my evenings.

The dog is giving me some trouble this week: his ears will NOT clear up no matter how often I clean them with the crap the vet gave me, in fact, he keeps scratching an open sore in one. DAMMIT! I'm going to have to take him in if the sore doesn't heal up by the end of the week. Neosporin isn't helping, and it actually showed up just before he was done with the antibiotics. Argh. Maybe the foot wipes I was using for the infection between his toes will do the trick on his ear...

New Year, New Goals

I'm sort of a major scrooge on New Year's Eve. 2008 was a shitty year anyway, in pretty much all aspects of my life. Looking back was just depressing and put me in a major funk, which of course started a minor tiff with the hubby and resulted in me being even more, well, unhappy (because "funkier" is just completely different). Plus after the holiday insanity for Christmas I generally don't feel like partying on NYE...in fact, I much prefer staying at home (where it's warm) and hanging out with friends. Last night i stayed home but it was mostly by myself (Hubby made an appearance at a friend's party and got home about 9) and I'm not ashamed to admit it, I was pouty...which is why I completely encouraged him to go to said party becuase I was NOT in any shape to hang out with yesterday. Seriously.

But, new day, new year, new goals, new me...right? I'm such a geek: I AM one of those people who sit down and make goals for a year...not resolutions, because those ridiculous things never work. But I'm not an ordinary organized geek...oh no. My writing background is too ingrained for that: I don't make goals, I make OUTLINES, as in major goal followed by SUB goals, to be completed over the course of the year. This year, because I've read in multiple places (and rumor has it this is in The Secret) I'm writing down an actual outline with timing and putting it up on my office wall.

I have major goals in most areas of my life: body, mind, soul, relationship, living situation, career. I'm 31: it's about time I learn to find some balance in my life and get my shit in order. Seriously. I started many of them right around Samhain, which is a much better (and less stressful) time for me to begin the New Year, however there are some that just weren't feasable to begin until after the holidays, so only baby steps were made in those 2 months after. NOW, in the darkest, coldest, and slowest time of the year is when I can really focus my energy on kicking all my goals into a higher intensity and build it over the year, instead of driving them all to burnout by February.

2009 is my year for change. I can feel it...now I just need to follow through and DO it.