Another Day 46 and 47: Life Goes On

 

Holidays and weekends don't count, so today marks 32 days unemployed. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job and unless the Accenture job comes through, I don't know when that's going to happen. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. Tomorrow will mark 7 weeks without a job. I haven't been unemployed since 1985, so this has been a difficult adjustment.

I didn't write yesterday as it was so hot. I just focused on trying to stay cool ! I did get a load of laundry done and I vacuumed the downstairs, so the day wasn't a total loss. It's cooler today so the plan (it's 9:30 am now) is to get the upstairs vacuumed.

We had some rain yesterday but the worst of the storms passed to the west and north of me. That happens a lot and I suspect Lake Ontario has something to do with how weather moves around here, as storms often miss me during winter too. My power and internet went out shortly after 4 pm, so there must have been bad weather close by. The power was only out for maybe 10 minutes but the internet was still out when I left at 4:45 pm. It was restored not long after as I was able to access my security cameras about an hour later.

Yesterday was rock and roll bingo at Point Place. It was good to get out and be social ! I spent about $143 as it was my turn to pay. I'm sure Joe would have paid if I let him, but I don't like to take advantage, as he always pays. My brother paid once as well and Joe said they "take turns", so it's only fair that I take a turn at paying. It's not like I can't afford it. I got home just before 10:30 and the rain had moved on. It was still muggy and warm in spite of the rain. The high for today is only 74 and I am fine with that after the heat of the past few days. I could have camped out in my bedroom or office with the AC on, but the couch is more comfortable, so that's where I stayed with my fan !

I haven't heard from Kurt and it this point I'm going with "no news is good news". If the exception to my location had been permanently denied, I'd have already heard from him so I feel like he is still fighting to get me hired. I haven't heard from any of the other jobs I've applied to but I checked on the Infosys jobs and they aren't considering me for one of the 2 I applied for. That's fine as it sounded like it was a lot more work than I'm really looking for. I'd probably be a good fit for the other job but I'm going to guess they aren't even going to consider me. It's hard to accept and I'm starting to think I will not be able to get a job. This makes getting the Accenture job all the more critical. I've never asked for anything in my life, so I hope I can get this one thing. If I do, I can guarantee I will never ask for anything else.

Tomorrow my new 65" tv is being delivered. This is my "retirement" gift from AT&T. It might be a bitter reminder of my lost job, but hopefully one day soon I can sit and watch it knowing I have a great (and better) job at Accenture ! Rich said he would come and install it but I'm not sure when he'll be able to as he and Barb are heading down to Virginia on Saturday and then next weekend is the Nationals. It'll have to be sometime after that.

Today's main goal is getting on the treadmill. I absolutely must take back control and get this weight off. First I needed to go to Wegman's to buy some produce. If I didn't go today I'd have to wait until Saturday and they are a zoo on the weekends. Plus my hair is done and I hadn't washed off my makeup. I also need to get some pizza supplies at Walmart. If I can find crusts at Wegman's I'll just get what I need there. I am going to phase out the pizza gradually. I got a second cup of coffee at 10 and then headed out after that.

I've come to the conclusion that I am not a good judge of people. My impression of Shari led me to believe her house was some fancy gorgeous palace, mostly because of the way she talked about her pool and some renovations a few years back. Turns out her house is relatively ordinary, in my eye. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath ranch with a finished basement. The basement is nice and the kitchen is beautiful, but the bedrooms look small and the living space is nothing to brag about. There is dark wood paneling absolutely everywhere on the main floor, which I would hate. The basement has lighter natural look paneling that looks nice and goes with the rustic vibe. The listing indicates it's over 2200 square feet but a lot of that is the basement ! The pool, deck and outdoor areas are gorgeous and you get nearly 2 acres of land ... but that's a lot a lot to maintain. There's a 2 car garage and a workshop, which are also nice if you're handy. Negatives for me are well and septic. I need my city water and sewers ! They're asking $360k and will probably get that or more, but it would be a no for me even if I could afford it ! I'd want to rip out all that paneling on the first level and there may not be sheetrock underneath it. My parents house had all that paneling so it must have been a 60's thing. Shari's house was built in 1967 and the first floor is only 1164 square feet. Taxes on the house are ridiculous $1500 for county and $3400 for school ... and that will increase when the house sells for big bucks. The school taxes are high because they lost their nearly $800 STAR exemption when they built a house in Florida. Tax records indicate the house was "bought" from her in-laws, who live on the property next door. The in-laws property looks like a raised ranch with the garage underneath. It's not for sale so they must be staying. Whoever buys Shari's house will likely fall in love with the basement, kitchen, pool and outdoor areas and be willing to overlook the small bedrooms and paneling. If you can spend $360k for a house, you can likely afford to rip out the paneling. If there is sheetrock underneath it won't be that expensive. I'm sure the house is pristine and has been well cared for, so that is always a plus. There's also a coal stove on the first floor and a pellet stove in the basement, so you can heat with that or the electric baseboard heating. Stoves are also more to maintain but would be cozy in the winter ! Google maps shows a farmers field behind the house, so there's a good chance there will never be any development. That is always a plus ! Anyhow, it seems I always think everyone is better than me or has more than me. I guess those are my own insecurities. I should focus on being grateful for what I have instead of worrying about what anyone else has. I have so much more than many, many people and I am profoundly grateful for that.

I pushed myself out the door to get the mail and go to Wegman's around 11:30 and I was back home by 1 pm. I found pizza crusts at Wegman's that are cheaper than Walmart and have 100 less calories ! The Wegman's crusts have 5 in a package for $2.99 and each crust is 220 calories. The crusts I had been buying at Walmart have 3 in a package for $4.97 and there is only 3 crusts in the package ! So I got 10 crusts for $5.98 .. which is only a dollar more than I paid for 3 at Walmart ! So, I bought more cheese and pepperoni. I managed to stick to my list and didn't need to stop at Walmart, though I realized once I was home that I should have bought some light sour cream. No big deal, when it's gone I will switch out the quesadillas and have something else for lunch. I still have a ton of dinner entrees. I didn't buy any other "junk" food and I didn't stop anyplace for treats. That's a step in the right direction ! I ran into some sprinkles of rain here and there but nothing beyond that. They changed the forecast for my area and there is no predicted rain until Sunday evening. 

In the mail I got a letter about not reporting for jury service on June 24 - the day I got a text out of the blue saying I had to report 90 minutes later. I hadn't even showered that day and wasn't dressed, so I'd have never made it. I called the number and the woman told me I could disregard the letter since they managed to seat a jury that day. That was a relief ! I made sure to document the call in case I get another letter. I also got a mailing from Turning Stone about a voucher for a free purse starting today. I texted Kim to see if she or Joe were interested in going tomorrow. If I don't go alone I'll be more inclined to spend less and come home sooner ! Joe is going today with his Dad so it's just going to be me and Kim. I have to be at her house around 11 tomorrow, so it'll be a fun day.