STFU, 2010!! 2011 FTW!!

I suppose it's time for the obligatory Merry Christmas/Happy New Year post. The last couple weeks have been incredibly hectic: I worked a crapload, between 40 and 50 hours... which I realize isn't a lot but it certainly feels like a lot when you're getting up at 4:15 a.m. and going to work, then going home, then going back to work till 10:00 p.m. My hours are being cut next week at both jobs, down to about 30 total, which will be good (since I have needed more rest like crazy) and bad (since fewer hours means less money). Luckily the financial situation should work out that we'll get my excess money from UC Denver about the time I get smaller paychecks.

Despite working practically all day every day we did have some relaxation on Christmas, when we went down to Angela's. Matt and I decided to open presents from my parents on Christmas Eve, since we were going to Angela's relatively early the next morning, and I gotta say my parents always know what to get me. I can't help but feel like a giant nerd, considering I got a sewing kit, a cutting board, a veggie brush, and ice cube trays... but I don't really care, I was totally excited! I love little kitchen gadgets and things that make life easier for me... I have enough trouble in the kitchen, I need all the help I can get! OH! And we finally got our Bissell Little Green, which we've been asking for since our wedding over two years ago... yes, I know, I'm a nerd. Matt got the final piece to his Blue Microphone, so as soon as we get our new computer (hopefully when we get our refund from taxes) he'll be able to make his demo and start doing some voice work.

But Christmas Day at Angela's was really relaxing. We had a somewhat unconventional meal of steaks, which I was excited about. Angela, as usual, made a TON of sweets and snacks so by the end of the night I was so stuffed I could hardly move. We watched classic Christmas movies, including National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which I'd never seen before (Matt and Angela were a bit disturbed by this fact). But overall it was a nice and relaxing day.

We were also really excited on Christmas Eve, as we went to visit the 2-bed condo we want to rent. The unit was mildly out of date, as the cabinets were straight up '80s style, but the layout and size of the unit was amazing. It's a 3rd floor unit, so the ceilings are high and vaulted, and the unit is all tile floors except the bedrooms. The one bedroom is a perfect size for an office, and the other bedroom is about the same size we have now. We'd have two bathrooms, which we didn't really think we'd need but figure it'll be very good if I continue to work 5:00 a.m. shifts. The only downside is that the kitchen is actually smaller and less convenient than the one we have now... but if the landlord does as he plans to and replaces all the kitchen appliances it'll be pretty much perfect. I've got to call him this afternoon and see if we are good to go, and even though it's $50/month more than I wanted to spend I think it'll be worth it to sell my car, use public transit, and have a washer/dryer in our unit. I'm not looking forward to moving again, but I hope it's all worth it in the end.

We are taking another hit financially, but at least it was expected. The Subie started running hot two days ago, meaning it is time for the seals to be redone. We are going to take it in next week; thankfully Matt's family gave us quite a bit of money for Christmas so it won't be such a hard hit. I was hoping I'd have my excess check before it needed to be done, but I suppose I can just pay ourselves back later in January. Hopefully this will be the last thing we need to do to the Subie for awhile... at least until we get the Beetle sold and have that $250/month extra to start putting away.

Denver got its first "blizzard" of the season... a whopping 2-3 inches so far, potentially another 2"-3" before it's over tonight. The thing that sucks about living in Denver is that CDOT doesn't do ANYTHING when it snows like this. The roads, even the major highways, haven't been plowed since yesterday at about noon when the snow started. You can't see the lanes on any of the side streets and the only "lanes" on the highways are the ones formed from people driving behind each other. CDOT seems to think that throwing sand/salt on the roads is enough, but they don't seem to realize that it just turns the snow to slippery sludge. I drove home from work this morning going about 40 mph on the highway (which was probably too fast) and 15-20 mph on the side roads. I just wish CDOT would do its job and plow the roads... it's just not safe out there right now and I cannot even think about driving to work this afternoon... ugh.

But I suppose I need to stop blogging and start cleaning. Matt and I decided to have a few friends over for the Winter Classic tomorrow, so I'm trying to get our place cleaned up and organized. It really needed to be done, so I'm happy for the excuse to do it. I just have to clean the kitchen and bathroom and vacuum, so it hopefully won't take terribly long. We hope to have about 5 friends over, and it should be a pretty good time.

And as 2011 quickly creeps up behind us I can only hope it turns into a much better year than 2010... I'm relatively positive it will be.

Workaholic

I'm absolutely exhausted.

When I took two jobs I expected I'd work about 40 hours a week between the two. After all, I'd applied for seasonal part-time positions and had even been told at B&BW not to expect more than 10-15 hours a week. But as we get closer to Christmas I have been working non-stop. My last day off was December 1, and after today I work straight through till Christmas. This week I am working about 65 hours between the two jobs. Add another 3 hours of PT and 6 hours a night for sleep (which is an over-estimate) and it doesn't leave a lot of time for anything. I feel like all I'm doing is working, and when I get home I look at our dirty apartment, the big pile of laundry and dirty dishes and just want to cry. I get home and just want to sit and relax, especially when I'm getting up at 4:15 almost every morning.

I really can't wait to start classes in a month or so mostly because it'll mean fewer hours at the job(s) I hope. I will be receiving enough aid from the school that I shouldn't have to work more than 25 hours a week. I've been trying to weigh which job to keep... ON has good benefits, especially since I'm still trying to lose another 12 lbs and already have "saggy butt" pants. But B&BW is definitely easier and less stressful. Pay-wise, I make more at ON but don't want to do the shipment 5:00 am shift anymore. I'm just not sure, and not knowing about my workload at grad school I am just not able to figure it all out.

I feel like I shouldn't complain about how much I'm working because the paychecks will be pretty amazing and I actually have a job... I know a lot of people don't. But it's been so stressful going back to5:00 am shifts and working 10-13 hours in one day. I'm hoping things will slow down a little after Christmas.

I went to campus on Thursday to meet with an advisor and get my ID. The advisor looked at my schedule and thinks that I'm going to be just fine - the course load shouldn't be too bad as long as I work less than full-time (she recommended). It was nice to get some reassurance that I'm not going to kill myself... of course, I just have to stay on myself about being dedicated to the school work. I was never really good at motivating myself to do homework, but I've just got to remind myself that this is setting us up for success for, hopefully, the rest of our lives. I couldn't talk to financial aid, but I did get to the Student Center and found out my total estimated cost for the semester so I could determine how much I need in loans. I also got my student ID, which was pretty exciting... I can't get my light rail pass till January 4, but I can use my ID now to get discounted stuff :)

Other than work and PT (which is still going well, and is terribly unexciting) nothing else has really been going on. We have been looking for a new apartment a little closer to the mall and light rail so we each have an easier time getting to work/school, as we are still planning to sell the Beetle in the spring. We found one about 8 miles south of here, within a 15 minute walk (and 4 minute drive!) to the light rail. I was so sure it'd be a scam, as it seems all the nice apartments I find on Craig's List are, but we actually got a real response and we're going to try to see it next week. I'm excited because it's a 2-bedroom with a washer and dryer!! It'll be nice to have more space. It's also on the top 3rd floor so hopefully it'd be quieter than it is here. I don't want to get too excited about it but it's such a nice thought.

I was somehow able to get Christmas cards this year, so I've been frantically trying to get them ready to mail by tomorrow, in hopes that they'll arrive to everyone by Christmas. I ordered photo cards, as I usually do, and went to Wolf Camera to pick them up, and got to see a good friend that I haven't seen in a long time. It got me thinking about the last year or so in regards to my friends, and I can't help but feel sad about it all. I haven't seen a lot of my friends, with Angela really being the only exception, hardly at all this year. I know that the main reason why is because of my birthday last year, and I hate that I'm made to feel guilty about how shitty of a friend I've been.

Last year for my birthday I reserved a table at the Breckenridge Ballpark Brewery downtown for 15 people and, without going into too much detail about it all, the only people that came were Matt and my two girlfriends who were visiting from Minnesota. Since then I've just been so pessimistic and didn't even bother planning a birthday party this year. I can't help but feel like I'm being blamed for my behavior... which while I understand that I need to let go and get over it, it really hurt and I don't feel like I ever really got an apology from anyone about it. Maybe I am being petty and ridiculous, but it was my birthday and it really got to me.

However, I've also finally gotten to a point of trying to move on and want to bridge the gap. It's not healthy to be angry about it, a year and a half later, and even though it still hurts I've got to get over it. I've decided to try reaching out to my friends again and hope to reconnect with them. Perhaps a New Years get-together is in order. I'm trying to be an adult about everything... I just hope that things get better.

I've got more that I could say, but perhaps I'll add more tomorrow. It's almost 11:00 pm and I've got to work at 5:00 tomorrow morning, and before I can go to bed I need to get clothes out and set, get the coffee pot set to brew in the morning, and get the Christmas cards ready to in the mail tomorrow.

More of the Same

Nothing too terribly exciting and new to talk about. I've been working a lot - I work at 5:00 five mornings a week at Old Navy, typically until 10:00 or 11:00. Then I typically work for 3-4 hours at BBW in the evenings. I'd like it a lot more if the shifts butted together so I wouldn't have to drive as much (the two jobs are within walking distance of each other, but when I have 6 hours between shifts it doesn't make sense to stay down there). I did get Employee of the Month at Old Navy for November, which was fairly exciting, I suppose. I did get a $15 gift card!

On the plus side the amount of working I've been doing has meant bigger paychecks and a little more comfort for Matt and me. I actually have a small budget for groceries this week! I'm hoping this means that things will get better each week. I worked out a budget a few days ago for all the expenses Matt and I have - including some extra for dates and some over-estimation for groceries - so I can figure out what I'll need in loans for the beginning of the school year. I'm going to campus tomorrow to chat with financial aid and an advisor, so hopefully that all goes well. I'm really worried about the amount of money I'll need to borrow, but at the same time I hope the degree will get me a career with a high enough salary that it won't matter as much.

The closer I get to starting classes again the more excited I get. I remember a few years ago saying that I never wanted to go back to school because I was so over doing homework and projects and all that crap that goes with being in school. My college experience wasn't as good as I'd hoped, and other than meeting Matt it was pretty lackluster, so I guess the idea of going back was really negative. But looking at it now, a little later and (hopefully) a little more mature, I'm excited to go into it and do my best. I'm still scared, but I am hopeful that I'll do well.

The only thing new and exciting, I guess, is that I started physical therapy last week for my recurring and consistent back pain. It started right around the time I was laid off and hasn't let up since. It's been okay, but I worry it still won't feel better after the therapy is done. The exercises I have to do are fairly easy and I really hope it helps. Today I got my first experience with a traction machine... it was a little weird! The biggest problem is that I'm a pretty tiny person and the wraps on it seemed to slip around a bit too much, even when cinched as tight as they could be. But all I can do is keep doing the exercises and hope it feels better soon.

Matt and I are planning to re-organize our bedroom tomorrow as well. A couple weeks ago we had the Spider Incident with Mirabelle, and since then we've both been bitten as well. I got five bites on my leg in one night! So we bought some insect spray and sprayed the crap out of the bedroom... and still the next day I woke up with three more bites. So we've cleaned up the room and, when we move the furniture, will vacuum and clean a bit more deeply. I hope we find that little spider bastard!

I really need to clean this apartment... it's gotten so bad in the last few weeks. I've been tired and sick so I haven't felt any motivation whatsoever to do pretty much anything. I'm thinking about taking a day next week off and just spending the day putting things away and cleaning up. It's long overdue and this place is making me crazy. I also want to do a Goodwill run, as we typically do around this time of year, and I have to dig out as least some of our Christmas decorations. I may skip the tree this year and just put up some of the smaller decorations... I worry that if I put up the tree that Ozzie will get into it and wreck some of my stuff. But I can get some of the snowglobes and a few other things down just to make it a little more Christmasy... and I need to put Christmas Island in my CD player in the Beetle :)

I don't hate Christmas. Growing up my Christmases were usually pretty standard, not good nor bad... I did grow to loathe going to my dad's side of the family's celebrations (which included singing "Happy Birthday to Jesus," and I can't make that up!) but for the most part Christmas was enjoyable. Every other year or so we'd head to Missouri to see my grandma, and I always loved going there. We'd get Grandma's chicken and homemade noodles and always had an amazing dinner and a fun time with my cousins and their families. My mom's family is going to Las Vegas for Christmas this year... and I'm kind of bummed to miss it. But if it becomes a tradition I'm sure we'll be able to go next time. I worried that returning to retail would make me absolutely hate this time of year but it hasn't been as bad as I expected. I'm looking forward to spending a nice, quiet Christmas here with Matt, Angela, and the dogs.

I am feeling a lot better than I did the last time I posted, except I've had this awful, persistent cough since Thanksgiving. I wake up in the middle of the night with these terrible coughing fits (and waking up poor Matt too) and it's been pretty miserable, even with maximum strength cough medicine. Today I'm feeling quite a bit better, but the coughing usually doesn't kick in till early evening, so we'll see if it feels better tonight.

And now it's about time to get ready for work...