a sporadic late-night update, as usual

mood: sleepy/meh
music: "Tired" by Adele, only because the CD I ripped it from kept skipping

It seems like the only time I can find to update this blog is when I really shouldn't, because right now I really should be sleeping for an early start tomorrow: leaving the house by 7am to get mom to work by 8am, and me to work by 9am. Yes, I'm still driving my mom's car and taking her to and from work most every day. And yes, I'm still a cashier at ye olde local Whole Foods. But more on that later.

Right now, everything's mostly okay. Sort of. Student loan debts are slowly being paid, and most of them are current, which is due in great part to having three paydays last month. Now, with my very first federal tax refund, I can keep the ball rolling; that is, unless I happen to fuxx0r up somewhere, somehow. Money's tight in the family all around: federal taxes hit my parents especially hard this year because they had to take from their 401(k)s last year to pay my brother's lawyer fees (but more on that at a later date). The sis is finally scratching her itch to move out and be on her own. I don't blame her: she's been nothing but helpful financially to the family since she started working, and even with her contributions, she is confident enough in her finances to get her own apartment (at least, with an old friend from high school) in the city. The bro is still at home, as lazy and unresponsive as ever, until his fiancé (carrying their baby (surprise! no, literally, it was a surprise for everyone)) comes over, then suddenly he's affectionate and happy. And me: I contribute what I can, from chauffeuring mom to and from work and cooking whenever I can (as opposed to wasting money on take-out), to keeping the house in good order, inside and out. There's a lot going on, and not everything is hunky-dory, but life goes on.

But on to happier things! With the spring came lots of changes to the garden. Last December I slaved over a new planting bed that bordered the edge of our property. I planted a daffodil naturalizing mix, white tulips, a couple of peony divisions from an overgrown planting, coreopsis, miscanthus, Russian sage, and crape myrtles. (I was going for a pinkish-bluish-white theme, with a splash of red. That was the best I could do without a color wheel handy.) And since late March everything has been blooming nicely, with plenty of daffodils and tulips to enjoy; I even cut my first flowers and put them indoors, which I think is a milestone/rite of passage for gardeners. There were a great many kinds of daffodils in that naturalizing mix I planted: white ones, yellow ones, doubles, orange-centered ones, pink-centered ones, big ones, and really tiny ones, but they all smelled amazing, especially indoors. And right about now, the tulips are looking rather stately, in an elegant row at the edge of the bed. Next to bloom are (thankfully) the peonies, which already have large buds. (Sorry, not pictures of anything yet: I'm still too poor to buy a camera. Maybe when I get a better job, I can finally afford a good one to last me a good while. For now, use your imagination!)

And the ch-ch-ch-changes keep coming! Almost a year into my job, I'm finally starting to move up and get recognized. I got involved in a committee to make the store better, I volunteered to revamp an old reference book, and now I'm training new guys. I even got a raise: 60 cents/hr! Huzzah! And recently I was hired to help "green" up the dismal state of our sustainability efforts, and was encouraged to apply for their leadership development program. What that will translate into dollars, blood, sweat, and tears I don't know yet, but it all sounds exciting and promising.

With all this recognition, however, I can't help but wonder if I can find a better job elsewhere. Sure, I'm getting cred and lots of experience in a company I like that is going places and doing awesome things, but I know I can so much better than the paltry $10.60/hr (plus benefits, admittedly) I'm currently getting. This may just be some grass-is-greener thinking, but it may be high time for me to seriously consider a new job, since I'm in a much better position now than I was this time last year.

Speaking of plans, a re-evaluation of my goals is in order.

1. Last February I scheduled my A+ Essentials exam for M 14 May, which gives me only THREE (!) weeks left to study. Holy &^&$%#, it's crunchtime!!!
2. I've been pretty bad with sticking to my study schedule, so I'll have to double up my efforts if I don't want to waste my hard-earned money. Both the Ides of March and Friday the 13th have passed, so I have no more excuses. Hopefully I won't have to resort to cramming the night before, biochem-style.
3. I need to start applying for Tier 1 helpdesk positions. I've been eyeing this one job listing for ZocDoc for a while, and I really should get around and actually apply for it.
4. 50%? How about 6%? I managed that. This goal was rather unrealistic.
5. I've been slacking on the keeping-up-with-technology effort. I could go for days without using the family PC. Does my iPod touch count?
6. A month ago I installed some more memory, does that count?
7. Chinese? What Chinese? This fell by the wayside almost instantly. This could seriously use a good routine and a ponderous smackeral of discipline. And lots of confusing Cantonese AM radio.
8. Pssh. Not enough time for that.
9. I gotta call up the local community college and snoop around.
10. Nope. No volunteer opportunities outside the city.
11. As of this moment, I weigh approximately 191 lb. I'm (still) a fatty. But I bought a digital scale, does that count?
12. Not until some loans are paid off. And I'm in better shape.

So, yeah, there. Lots of things going on, so I need some rest. Good night!