I am almost entirely recovered! I was actually feeling better last Sunday, but had a persistent cough this week. It seems to be fading, which means I start running again this Monday! I've been out of an exercise routine for almost a month, so I hope I can still make 3 miles. We will see. The race I was supposed to run last week did not happen. However, I've signed up for a 5K next month. I'm hoping to finish in a respectable time. I don't want to embarrass myself.
Family (my grandparents) are in town. They came over to see my place today. Nothing motivates you to clean like guests!
Now it's Saturday afternoon and I am totally at a loss for what to do. I've been rather stressed on the weekends, but now I've caught up on all of my chores and errands. I think it's time to make a new "to do" list!
Well, I just wanted to say hello and let you know I'm still alive.
Something substantial will be coming soon (I hope).
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Illness
I've been traveling for the past 3 weeks. The day I returned I was not feeling well. Things went from bad to worse and now I'm in self-imposed quarantine. I had all the symptoms of the flu, but my recovery seems to be too quick for it to be the flu. I don't know what I have, but I do know I'm ready to be back to 100%.
My sick days have given me a chance to declutter the DVR. I have a tendency to let shows stockpile. Many I just end up deleting without watching.
This post is without any real direction. My head is fuzzy.
I currently have no food. A friend had to bring me a loaf of bread. I'm out of peanut butter for Pete's sake!
The rest of the weekend will be spent resting, cleaning, and restocking my bare cabinets.
Don't forget to watch NPH hosting the Emmy's. He's awesome!
My sick days have given me a chance to declutter the DVR. I have a tendency to let shows stockpile. Many I just end up deleting without watching.
This post is without any real direction. My head is fuzzy.
I currently have no food. A friend had to bring me a loaf of bread. I'm out of peanut butter for Pete's sake!
The rest of the weekend will be spent resting, cleaning, and restocking my bare cabinets.
Don't forget to watch NPH hosting the Emmy's. He's awesome!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Money
First off, I've made what I hope is the last change to my username. I've evolved from "otrolado" to "freelancer" to "thinkrqp". The goal was to allow you to contact me by e-mail. While this blog is not really that anonymous, I'm not really comfortable giving out my primary e-mail address.
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Money. It's often said it's the root of all evil. This is an inaccurate quote from 1 Timothy (it's really the love of money), but we all get the gist.
There have been two primary "battles" in my life. The biggest (and the one with the greatest psychological impact) was related to my attraction to guys. That's been the primary theme of the blog and how most you of stumbled across it.
The theme for today is something almost equally taboo.
I have been very fortunate to have a mother (and father) who are very candid about money. For better or for worse, I know the complete financial situation of my parents. No subject is off limits, from what my parent's make, to their 401K balance, mortgage, medical bills, etc. Shockingly, a very large number of my friends (people in their 20's) don't even know what their parents make. For that matter, they are terribly uninformed when it comes to what they should do with money or how much it takes to survive.
Now, I will say that I have a vast understanding of what I should do when it comes to money. The problem is that until this summer I have not really been doing it. I've been a prodigal son.
I do balance my checkbook and contribute an adequate amount to my 401K, but that is the extent of my good behavior.
I like things. Shiny things. I like eating out. I really, really like to travel. I'm not satisfied with a trip to Branson. I want Budapest. It would be easy for me to take a cop out answer and say that my trips abroad were the cause of my over spending. But that's disingenuous. The truth of the matter is that I continuously buy things I don't need with money I don't have. My debt is a direct result of living beyond my means. I have consistently (on a nearly daily basis) made poor decisions about how to spend money. Buyer's remorse is nearly non-existent in my life (with the notable exception of a Rosetta Stone software package I bought at a mall in Seattle). Since getting my first credit card my freshman year of college, I have spent $28,000. I am quite certain I have spent equal that amount on my debit card.
For the past 6 years I've had serious cash flow issues. This leads me to use my cards more than I should. That has finally changed. I will have no more credit card debt in 4 more weeks (well, there might be $300 that lags behind) and will finally, FINALLY, get a paycheck and NOT have to transfer it to American Express or Visa.
My new financial goals include building an 8-month savings, knocking out the rest of my student loans and putting a couple hundred dollars into my stock account (that currently has a value of $250).
I told myself I would be debt free in last December, then March, then June, etc. Finally, I decided enough was enough. Slowly but surely I've come out from under this trap. It's not been easy. I've fought a lot of temptation when it comes to cute jackets from Banana Republic and new clothes for work. I've had to set limits and stick with them. If I can I change my behavior permanently I will be in great shape. I just have to take it a day at a time.
---
Money. It's often said it's the root of all evil. This is an inaccurate quote from 1 Timothy (it's really the love of money), but we all get the gist.
There have been two primary "battles" in my life. The biggest (and the one with the greatest psychological impact) was related to my attraction to guys. That's been the primary theme of the blog and how most you of stumbled across it.
The theme for today is something almost equally taboo.
I have been very fortunate to have a mother (and father) who are very candid about money. For better or for worse, I know the complete financial situation of my parents. No subject is off limits, from what my parent's make, to their 401K balance, mortgage, medical bills, etc. Shockingly, a very large number of my friends (people in their 20's) don't even know what their parents make. For that matter, they are terribly uninformed when it comes to what they should do with money or how much it takes to survive.
Now, I will say that I have a vast understanding of what I should do when it comes to money. The problem is that until this summer I have not really been doing it. I've been a prodigal son.
I do balance my checkbook and contribute an adequate amount to my 401K, but that is the extent of my good behavior.
I like things. Shiny things. I like eating out. I really, really like to travel. I'm not satisfied with a trip to Branson. I want Budapest. It would be easy for me to take a cop out answer and say that my trips abroad were the cause of my over spending. But that's disingenuous. The truth of the matter is that I continuously buy things I don't need with money I don't have. My debt is a direct result of living beyond my means. I have consistently (on a nearly daily basis) made poor decisions about how to spend money. Buyer's remorse is nearly non-existent in my life (with the notable exception of a Rosetta Stone software package I bought at a mall in Seattle). Since getting my first credit card my freshman year of college, I have spent $28,000. I am quite certain I have spent equal that amount on my debit card.
For the past 6 years I've had serious cash flow issues. This leads me to use my cards more than I should. That has finally changed. I will have no more credit card debt in 4 more weeks (well, there might be $300 that lags behind) and will finally, FINALLY, get a paycheck and NOT have to transfer it to American Express or Visa.
My new financial goals include building an 8-month savings, knocking out the rest of my student loans and putting a couple hundred dollars into my stock account (that currently has a value of $250).
I told myself I would be debt free in last December, then March, then June, etc. Finally, I decided enough was enough. Slowly but surely I've come out from under this trap. It's not been easy. I've fought a lot of temptation when it comes to cute jackets from Banana Republic and new clothes for work. I've had to set limits and stick with them. If I can I change my behavior permanently I will be in great shape. I just have to take it a day at a time.
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