I've mentioned my work problems before. I was in a pickle, I guess you could say, because I felt damned if I did and damned if I didn't...
I really wanted to confront the people I was having problems with, but very much doubted that it a) do any good and b) wouldn't come back to bite me even harder later. In fact, I was positive that it would come back to bite me. So I held my tongue for the time being. I was prepared to bide my time, prepare a case, and then present my evidence to the Big Boss at my review next month. But as it turns out, I don't have to.
One of my friends at work is quitting over the same kind of stuff--and when we compared stories, we discovered that one person was the cause of all of the problems. I urged her to tell the Big Boss about the issues she had, so that maybe something good would come of the bad of her leaving. She did, and also mentioned to him that several other people also had issues, including me.
Big Boss, being very concerned about his company, personally went around to several staff members to ask their side of the story. I happened to run into the boss, not knowing this whole story, and he asked to see me in his office.
It is scary when the CEO of your company randomly asks to see you in his office. I'm gonna just put that out there. No matter how nice he is (and he is the NICEST!!), it is still a little nerve-wracking.
At the staff meeting that day, he actually relieved this person we all were having problems with of his HR duties. What a relief! I just hope we don't get anyone worse in, you know? For now, I'm counting my blessings that I didn't even have to explain all the he-said, she-said, and that my CEO is taking action to fix one of the main problems in my company. This is one of the rare cases that I don't have to fight tooth and nail to get what I want.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Garage Woes and Parking Tows
For the past 6 months or so, I've been raking in some very easy dough: $18 a week for doing absolutely nothing. Basically, it is passive income at its finest. And it made me look at landlording (is that even a word?!) in a whole new light.
I rent my garage spot out for $18 a week (a steal for where I live!) to a random from TradeMe. He only parks there 4 days a week and allows my roommate to park there sometimes when he isn't using it. Great deal, right? A little compromise for everyone. I asked my roommate if she wanted the spot to herself for $18 a week, and she has always said no. I told her whenever she wanted it to herself, we kick him out, and it's hers for $18 a week or whatever she wants to negotiate. When both my roommate and my garage tenant need to park, one parks inside the garage, and one parks just outside.
Technically, you are not supposed to block the garages. And since we have a double garage that our downstairs neighbor uses, I have warned my roommate and garage tenant that they are to NEVER block the neighbor's side of the garage, under any circumstances. She is well within her rights to tow if that happens. And she is a bit...stern about this.
I am guessing you know where this is going...
Last week I got a frantic call from my garage tenant. He had parked outside of the garage for some reason (my roommate was out of town with her car, NO IDEA why he parked outside) and his car was gone. No one knew anything--not my neighbors, not the management company, not the tow companies.
We thought it was stolen. I freaked out, because my place is very very secure normally. All the doors and many windows of the 15 or so apartment blocks face each other, and generally there is always a neighbor around that will see something fishy going on. Several families live here and most of us are long-term tenants, anyway. I am saving up for renter's insurance this month, so OF COURSE something like this would happen right before I planned to buy it.
On with the story:
He called the police, who informed them it was indeed towed. Sucky, a $300 fee to get it out of impound. I felt horrible for him, and offered to refund that week's rent. It isn't much, but it sucks to have your car towed--I've been there.
I think what happened was that he and my roommate had made some sort of agreement about who uses the inside spot, but neither of them told me. I really don't care, as long as they are happy.
I'm pretty sure my neighbor had the car towed. She denies it, but honestly, if it was in her way, I don't blame her.
When garage tenant first started parking, we signed a sort of lease agreement for the garage spot. My current roommate wasn't there yet, so when she moved in, he agreed to let her share the spot for half the rent (he was originally paying $36 a week, $18 to me, $18 to my roommate--my roommate now is effectively parking instead of getting $18 each week).
Today, garage tenant threatens to sue me for the $300 towing fee because it isn't his fault or whatever and apparently his lawyer friend told him that it is the responsibility of the contractor to take care of this kind of stuff. I just tell him, our contract is for the inside of the garage. I can't help what happens outside of it--you've been warned about being towed there & it is always a risk. I told him I'd happily refund last week's rent and arrange for him to always have the inside spot since he is paying for it. My roommate will have to deal--it's free parking for her!
He went for it, and is now no longer threatening legal action. But seriously, you cannot hold me accountable for being towed anywhere but inside my garage. Whatever he and my roommate decided, it isn't in the contract.
So all is OK now, although I'm worried that my roommate will want to move someplace where she isn't afraid her car will get towed. (Maybe I should just let her have it for free? She is pleasant, pays bills on time, clean, and is hardly ever home. While I'd like to be best friends with my roommate, this is probably the second best situation I can think of.) What a debacle, though. I kind of don't ever want to be a landlord if this is what can happen over a stupid garage spot!
I rent my garage spot out for $18 a week (a steal for where I live!) to a random from TradeMe. He only parks there 4 days a week and allows my roommate to park there sometimes when he isn't using it. Great deal, right? A little compromise for everyone. I asked my roommate if she wanted the spot to herself for $18 a week, and she has always said no. I told her whenever she wanted it to herself, we kick him out, and it's hers for $18 a week or whatever she wants to negotiate. When both my roommate and my garage tenant need to park, one parks inside the garage, and one parks just outside.
Technically, you are not supposed to block the garages. And since we have a double garage that our downstairs neighbor uses, I have warned my roommate and garage tenant that they are to NEVER block the neighbor's side of the garage, under any circumstances. She is well within her rights to tow if that happens. And she is a bit...stern about this.
I am guessing you know where this is going...
Last week I got a frantic call from my garage tenant. He had parked outside of the garage for some reason (my roommate was out of town with her car, NO IDEA why he parked outside) and his car was gone. No one knew anything--not my neighbors, not the management company, not the tow companies.
We thought it was stolen. I freaked out, because my place is very very secure normally. All the doors and many windows of the 15 or so apartment blocks face each other, and generally there is always a neighbor around that will see something fishy going on. Several families live here and most of us are long-term tenants, anyway. I am saving up for renter's insurance this month, so OF COURSE something like this would happen right before I planned to buy it.
On with the story:
He called the police, who informed them it was indeed towed. Sucky, a $300 fee to get it out of impound. I felt horrible for him, and offered to refund that week's rent. It isn't much, but it sucks to have your car towed--I've been there.
I think what happened was that he and my roommate had made some sort of agreement about who uses the inside spot, but neither of them told me. I really don't care, as long as they are happy.
I'm pretty sure my neighbor had the car towed. She denies it, but honestly, if it was in her way, I don't blame her.
When garage tenant first started parking, we signed a sort of lease agreement for the garage spot. My current roommate wasn't there yet, so when she moved in, he agreed to let her share the spot for half the rent (he was originally paying $36 a week, $18 to me, $18 to my roommate--my roommate now is effectively parking instead of getting $18 each week).
Today, garage tenant threatens to sue me for the $300 towing fee because it isn't his fault or whatever and apparently his lawyer friend told him that it is the responsibility of the contractor to take care of this kind of stuff. I just tell him, our contract is for the inside of the garage. I can't help what happens outside of it--you've been warned about being towed there & it is always a risk. I told him I'd happily refund last week's rent and arrange for him to always have the inside spot since he is paying for it. My roommate will have to deal--it's free parking for her!
He went for it, and is now no longer threatening legal action. But seriously, you cannot hold me accountable for being towed anywhere but inside my garage. Whatever he and my roommate decided, it isn't in the contract.
So all is OK now, although I'm worried that my roommate will want to move someplace where she isn't afraid her car will get towed. (Maybe I should just let her have it for free? She is pleasant, pays bills on time, clean, and is hardly ever home. While I'd like to be best friends with my roommate, this is probably the second best situation I can think of.) What a debacle, though. I kind of don't ever want to be a landlord if this is what can happen over a stupid garage spot!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Over Five Years Blogging!
Oh my gosh. I simply cannot believe that when I first started posting here, I was five years younger! It was 2006, and I was in my late twenties. Turning 30 was starting to become a fleeting thought, something that felt far away but that I knew was going to happen, and I'd better start planning for it.
I hated my job but didn't fully realize it, preferring instead to ask for more opportunities so that I could show them what I could do, ask for classes, and hoping that through all my enthusiasm and willingness to learn, things would get better.
My family was a mess. My dad was ill, my sister was ill and in and out of mental hospitals, my mom was a wreck, but at least I still had one grandma and one grandpa around.
I was starting to date the guy who eventually brought me to NZ.
I lived in beautiful, sunny Southern California. I knew that I adored the weather there, but mentally, I was in a terrible rut. Despite many many efforts and too-many-to-count invitations to random people, I couldn't find many people that I actually liked hanging out with, instead (again) making do with the people that were willing to hang out with me consistently. I had two weeks of vacation a year, which I used to go home, even though I lived in one of the most beautiful and greatest states in the country.
The townhouse I lived in then remains my favorite place I've ever lived. Ten blocks from the beach and with roommates that were a joy to come home to every evening. I've never felt more comfortable in a place than that.
I was still stuck in grad school in my head--the people, the places, the atmosphere...
Financially, I was a mess but getting it together. I finally had a steady paycheck that added up to a livable amount (e.g. not grad school wages). I didn't have a large EF, I had debt, I was learning to cut back, and I had humongous dreams that felt completely insurmountable (i.e., save for a Europe trip, wedding, retirement, kids, new car, etc. etc.!).
I started my blog when I was stuck in Las Vegas for a month during a work trip. Over the weekends, I hung out in my amazing Hilton hotel, saw the Hoover Dam, took many hiking trips out to the Valley of Fire, and avoided everything typically Las Vegas. I never gambled nor drank a drop while there, the entire month. Mostly because I was there alone. It is not that fun to gamble or drink alone. (At least, I've never been tempted to do any of those things alone!) Still, I ran out of ideas and needed something else to do--and this blog was born.
I'd been thinking about it for a long while. I was very close to making my last debt payment when I wrote my first post. I somehow stumbled onto PF blogs during my journey to pay off debt--I think maybe through Karyn Bosnak, who wrote the book that inspired my entire journey. Or maybe I found one in another random www way, as you do, I don't know. All I do know is, here I am. I remember making my first comment on a PF blog. I had no experience with blogs, and doing so kinda felt like I was talking to a celebrity--I knew all about them, and they had no idea who I was. It was really weird--there I was, reading someone else's personal experiences like they were a close intimate friend, but they had no idea who I was, some stranger on the internet. And then, when I actually started my OWN blog, I felt unworthy--who am I, to put stuff out there and let people read my most personal thoughts? Who said that I could do that?
Just me. I only write for me, and I think it shows. Even today, five years later, I have not blown up like many of my counterparts who started around the same time that I did (J. Money and Trent come to mind--I have comments from both of them in the early years of my archives!! :) ). I don't make any money from ads. I don't get many comments. My writing is not 100% grammatically correct, is self-centered, meandering, and probably only entertains me. I may go private soon, because at this point it is about keeping track of my goals, and I'm tired of being anonymous. I want to be able to write freely. (I also would love feedback from strangers, but I can't tell my story with no censorship AND have full anonymity. Impossible.)
So I don't have tightly written posts. So I haven't gotten any better at this than when I started. I don't know about google search optimization, monetization, PF carnivals (Can I be honest? I find them incredibly boring and always skip those posts), or writing how-to posts to catch people's attention ('How to reduce your cockatoo bill in 5 easy steps'), etc. I don't edit my posts, they are all stream-of-consciousness. I could do all that stuff if I wanted to, and I have dabbled here or there, especially in the beginning. But it doesn't suit me.
So, Five Years Later, where am I? Am I where I thought I'd be at 33? Absolutely not!!! But maybe I'm in a better place than I thought I'd be? At least in some ways, that is true.
I now have a job that I absolutely adore. I no longer calculate how many cents I make each second or minute at work. (Seriously: if you are doing that, LEAVE YOUR JOB.) I am doing what I am supposed to be doing with my career.
My family is still a wreck. I think things have gotten slightly better in some ways but much worse in others. I no longer have any living grandparents, a fact that saddens me every day.
The guy I was dating 5 years ago is no longer in my life except in the way he changed it by bringing me along with him to NZ.
I travel LOADS. Now, if there is a long weekend, I usually go away for it. No opportunity is squandered--none. I look back and cannot believe that I used to waste so much time in California. What was I DOING instead of exploring that beautiful state?! It is such a shame, but I've learned a lot about travel planning between now and then, and learned how to camp, too (cheap!!). Back then, travelling felt like it took a lot more effort than it does now, and I didn't have good people to go with, anyway. See: doing things alone in Las Vegas. Like drinking and gambling, traveling alone isn't that much fun for me (see next section).
I have people I like to hang out with--MUCH better than the ones in California, but less so than in grad school. They are not just people I tolerate because I can't find people I like better--I do like hanging out with them. If I had a gripe, it would be that I don't have any friends my own age--they are all 10 years or so younger. But they like to travel like I do, so it's not that bad.
I have an apartment that I like, but it is better than every other apartment that I have looked at on TradeMe (countless hours on that website, searching for the Perfect Apartment...). My roommate now is never home, but is pleasant when she is home, and pays the bills on time, so I'm happy with her, but it could be a lot better, compared to my situation 5 years ago.
I continue to be stuck in grad school in my head, but slightly less so. It is how most people view their college days--the BEST of their lives. It's hard to compete with that. My job now revolves around a University, and maybe that is part of why I love it so much.
Financially, I feel good. Not great, but on the right track. I have a budget worked out. I have a healthy EF. I consistently save. I don't have enough in retirement, but I'm working on that. I have funds for my Insurmountable Goals set up, and contribute each month. I have plenty to fund my travel addiction. My spending radar is honed very well. My mistakes have become smaller. I'm very happy with how my finances are going.
I'm sure that these aren't the only ways my life has changed. I wonder where I'll be in another 5? Cheers to a happy place.
I hated my job but didn't fully realize it, preferring instead to ask for more opportunities so that I could show them what I could do, ask for classes, and hoping that through all my enthusiasm and willingness to learn, things would get better.
My family was a mess. My dad was ill, my sister was ill and in and out of mental hospitals, my mom was a wreck, but at least I still had one grandma and one grandpa around.
I was starting to date the guy who eventually brought me to NZ.
I lived in beautiful, sunny Southern California. I knew that I adored the weather there, but mentally, I was in a terrible rut. Despite many many efforts and too-many-to-count invitations to random people, I couldn't find many people that I actually liked hanging out with, instead (again) making do with the people that were willing to hang out with me consistently. I had two weeks of vacation a year, which I used to go home, even though I lived in one of the most beautiful and greatest states in the country.
The townhouse I lived in then remains my favorite place I've ever lived. Ten blocks from the beach and with roommates that were a joy to come home to every evening. I've never felt more comfortable in a place than that.
I was still stuck in grad school in my head--the people, the places, the atmosphere...
Financially, I was a mess but getting it together. I finally had a steady paycheck that added up to a livable amount (e.g. not grad school wages). I didn't have a large EF, I had debt, I was learning to cut back, and I had humongous dreams that felt completely insurmountable (i.e., save for a Europe trip, wedding, retirement, kids, new car, etc. etc.!).
I started my blog when I was stuck in Las Vegas for a month during a work trip. Over the weekends, I hung out in my amazing Hilton hotel, saw the Hoover Dam, took many hiking trips out to the Valley of Fire, and avoided everything typically Las Vegas. I never gambled nor drank a drop while there, the entire month. Mostly because I was there alone. It is not that fun to gamble or drink alone. (At least, I've never been tempted to do any of those things alone!) Still, I ran out of ideas and needed something else to do--and this blog was born.
I'd been thinking about it for a long while. I was very close to making my last debt payment when I wrote my first post. I somehow stumbled onto PF blogs during my journey to pay off debt--I think maybe through Karyn Bosnak, who wrote the book that inspired my entire journey. Or maybe I found one in another random www way, as you do, I don't know. All I do know is, here I am. I remember making my first comment on a PF blog. I had no experience with blogs, and doing so kinda felt like I was talking to a celebrity--I knew all about them, and they had no idea who I was. It was really weird--there I was, reading someone else's personal experiences like they were a close intimate friend, but they had no idea who I was, some stranger on the internet. And then, when I actually started my OWN blog, I felt unworthy--who am I, to put stuff out there and let people read my most personal thoughts? Who said that I could do that?
Just me. I only write for me, and I think it shows. Even today, five years later, I have not blown up like many of my counterparts who started around the same time that I did (J. Money and Trent come to mind--I have comments from both of them in the early years of my archives!! :) ). I don't make any money from ads. I don't get many comments. My writing is not 100% grammatically correct, is self-centered, meandering, and probably only entertains me. I may go private soon, because at this point it is about keeping track of my goals, and I'm tired of being anonymous. I want to be able to write freely. (I also would love feedback from strangers, but I can't tell my story with no censorship AND have full anonymity. Impossible.)
So I don't have tightly written posts. So I haven't gotten any better at this than when I started. I don't know about google search optimization, monetization, PF carnivals (Can I be honest? I find them incredibly boring and always skip those posts), or writing how-to posts to catch people's attention ('How to reduce your cockatoo bill in 5 easy steps'), etc. I don't edit my posts, they are all stream-of-consciousness. I could do all that stuff if I wanted to, and I have dabbled here or there, especially in the beginning. But it doesn't suit me.
So, Five Years Later, where am I? Am I where I thought I'd be at 33? Absolutely not!!! But maybe I'm in a better place than I thought I'd be? At least in some ways, that is true.
I now have a job that I absolutely adore. I no longer calculate how many cents I make each second or minute at work. (Seriously: if you are doing that, LEAVE YOUR JOB.) I am doing what I am supposed to be doing with my career.
My family is still a wreck. I think things have gotten slightly better in some ways but much worse in others. I no longer have any living grandparents, a fact that saddens me every day.
The guy I was dating 5 years ago is no longer in my life except in the way he changed it by bringing me along with him to NZ.
I travel LOADS. Now, if there is a long weekend, I usually go away for it. No opportunity is squandered--none. I look back and cannot believe that I used to waste so much time in California. What was I DOING instead of exploring that beautiful state?! It is such a shame, but I've learned a lot about travel planning between now and then, and learned how to camp, too (cheap!!). Back then, travelling felt like it took a lot more effort than it does now, and I didn't have good people to go with, anyway. See: doing things alone in Las Vegas. Like drinking and gambling, traveling alone isn't that much fun for me (see next section).
I have people I like to hang out with--MUCH better than the ones in California, but less so than in grad school. They are not just people I tolerate because I can't find people I like better--I do like hanging out with them. If I had a gripe, it would be that I don't have any friends my own age--they are all 10 years or so younger. But they like to travel like I do, so it's not that bad.
I have an apartment that I like, but it is better than every other apartment that I have looked at on TradeMe (countless hours on that website, searching for the Perfect Apartment...). My roommate now is never home, but is pleasant when she is home, and pays the bills on time, so I'm happy with her, but it could be a lot better, compared to my situation 5 years ago.
I continue to be stuck in grad school in my head, but slightly less so. It is how most people view their college days--the BEST of their lives. It's hard to compete with that. My job now revolves around a University, and maybe that is part of why I love it so much.
Financially, I feel good. Not great, but on the right track. I have a budget worked out. I have a healthy EF. I consistently save. I don't have enough in retirement, but I'm working on that. I have funds for my Insurmountable Goals set up, and contribute each month. I have plenty to fund my travel addiction. My spending radar is honed very well. My mistakes have become smaller. I'm very happy with how my finances are going.
I'm sure that these aren't the only ways my life has changed. I wonder where I'll be in another 5? Cheers to a happy place.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
GO ALL BLACKS!
Crazy day in Auckland planned--it is already standing room only on Quay St.! Having lunch and pre-drinks and heading down at 3. I can't wait for the insanity! RWC is the best!!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Health Issues
As well as work issues and family issues, I'm having some health problems. They go way, way back before any of the other problems started. My story, for those that haven't been here before:
Eight years ago, I was stricken with mono. I say 'stricken' because that is exactly what it was. After about a month of feeling headachy, tired, weak, and with a sore throat (flu-y), which I attributed to being stressed out or just being lazy, I had a big field outing one weekend--the very last bit of 2 years of fieldwork for my master's degree, thank GOD--and came home from my flight and crashed. I slept for over two days straight, only getting out of bed to crawl to the bathroom. I barely remember the next four days. Monday and Tuesday, I was sleeping. Wednesday I was awake for maybe a half an hour to eat. I couldn't even watch television, all I could do was lay in bed. Thursday was more of the same. Friday my mental capacities had recovered enough that I decided to go to the doctor. I drove near the health center at the university I was attending, but there was no parking nearby, so I had to park in a spot that was usually a ten minute walk away. It took me over an hour to walk in--it was agony and took all I had to not collapse on the sidewalk. I have no idea why I didn't call my boyfriend at the time or my friends to drop me off (?). They did a test immediately and then announced that I definitely had mono. That week still kind of haunts me. I had no idea what was wrong, but I knew that something was really, really off. It was very scary.
Prior to mono, I was a purple belt in tae kwon do, and worked out for 2-3 hours at a time three times a week. I ran several miles the days that I didn't have TKD. I biked several miles to and from work every day. I had plenty of energy--physical and mental--for whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. I loved my life.
Overnight, my entire body, and life, changed. Even after I 'recovered' from mono and the antibodies were not detected in my system, my energy levels were so low it was pathetic. Getting me to work out is a humongous chore--for many years after my mono I just didn't do it. When I do work out, I get terrible headaches, body aches and have to sleep over 12 hours a night to recover, for two or three days. My brain is constantly foggy, I can't remember anything, I can't do math anymore. I confuse words, I can't hold a thread of conversation. My sentences are tangential and I can't argue. I'm cold all the time. I'm pale, weak, and sleep over 10 hours a night to feel anything close to rested. My blood pressure is a consistent 90/60 or lower.
I'm sick. It doesn't take much to figure that out. I think it is related to the mono (being a scientist and all!), but no doctor will ever even entertain the thought. I've actually had a doctor admit that she was giving me iron pills as a placebo after I challenged her that they didn't do any good. I've had a billion different blood tests and they all come back normal, so doctors laugh in my face. They say it is all in my head. They tell me to eat better and sleep more.
A little part of me wonders if I am just lazy. Maybe I'm using being sick as a crutch for not, say, running a marathon or being able to motivate myself to work out consistently. Maybe the problem is in my head. Maybe I want the problem to be in my head so that it is fixable & I don't have to take a pill every day for the rest of my life.
One of the reasons why my XBF and I broke up is my health issue. He was very concerned for me, and couldn't figure out why I didn't try to fix it, instead I just whined about it all of the time. I just wasn't ready to face it. Maybe I'm still not. After all, I have a decent life: a job I love, friends, family, and I have recovered enough that I can play tennis with friends and run once in a while (still with the workout hangovers, but I can do it). Why get greedy?
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism by a doctor in the US during my immigration medical in 2008. He gave me pills but warned me that if I started on them, I could never go back--I'd be taking pills for the rest of my life. He said to get tested again when I got to NZ, and then go on the pills once it was confirmed. I went to the doctor, only to be told that my blood tests were low but not low enough to require treatment.
Every year, I say that one of my priorities is to address this health issue. Every year, I go to the doctor, get the blood tests, hoping that this time, it will show up and be treated. I have played with the idea of going to a natural health practitioner before, but the idea always scared me. I'm a Scientist, capital S. I would never want my colleagues to believe something that hasn't been double-blind tested and confirmed and tested again. It just isn't logical, and it would not work in my line of business. When every doctor I respect does not believe in a treatment or tells me I'm fine, I tend to believe them. In my eyes, homeopathy is a crock and New Age-y and only works via placebo. Only non-scientific, airy-fairy hippies believe in the power of healing crystals. Plus, there is the fact that because there is no proof that it works, the supplements and treatments are not regulated by the FDA and the like. That I could do MORE damage by trying to help myself scares the bejesus outta me.
But it is time to try. I have gotten many of my financial goals out of the way, and identified other life goals and priorities that I really need to focus my attention on. Number One, no question, is my health. I have to figure out what is going on and learn to manage it properly. The rest of my life depends on it. And I'm finally at a place mentally where I can handle it, I think.
Enter in GrabOne. They had a nutritionist deal ($99) and a Thyroflex/Naturopath consultation ($74) up for grabs a few months ago. I bought them both. This past week, I've gone to three doctors' appointments: one at my doctor's, one at the naturopath's, and one at the nutritionists. They all say kind of the same thing but in different conflicting ways...I'll get to them in my next few posts. I really need some insight here!
Eight years ago, I was stricken with mono. I say 'stricken' because that is exactly what it was. After about a month of feeling headachy, tired, weak, and with a sore throat (flu-y), which I attributed to being stressed out or just being lazy, I had a big field outing one weekend--the very last bit of 2 years of fieldwork for my master's degree, thank GOD--and came home from my flight and crashed. I slept for over two days straight, only getting out of bed to crawl to the bathroom. I barely remember the next four days. Monday and Tuesday, I was sleeping. Wednesday I was awake for maybe a half an hour to eat. I couldn't even watch television, all I could do was lay in bed. Thursday was more of the same. Friday my mental capacities had recovered enough that I decided to go to the doctor. I drove near the health center at the university I was attending, but there was no parking nearby, so I had to park in a spot that was usually a ten minute walk away. It took me over an hour to walk in--it was agony and took all I had to not collapse on the sidewalk. I have no idea why I didn't call my boyfriend at the time or my friends to drop me off (?). They did a test immediately and then announced that I definitely had mono. That week still kind of haunts me. I had no idea what was wrong, but I knew that something was really, really off. It was very scary.
Prior to mono, I was a purple belt in tae kwon do, and worked out for 2-3 hours at a time three times a week. I ran several miles the days that I didn't have TKD. I biked several miles to and from work every day. I had plenty of energy--physical and mental--for whatever I wanted to do, whenever I wanted to do it. I loved my life.
Overnight, my entire body, and life, changed. Even after I 'recovered' from mono and the antibodies were not detected in my system, my energy levels were so low it was pathetic. Getting me to work out is a humongous chore--for many years after my mono I just didn't do it. When I do work out, I get terrible headaches, body aches and have to sleep over 12 hours a night to recover, for two or three days. My brain is constantly foggy, I can't remember anything, I can't do math anymore. I confuse words, I can't hold a thread of conversation. My sentences are tangential and I can't argue. I'm cold all the time. I'm pale, weak, and sleep over 10 hours a night to feel anything close to rested. My blood pressure is a consistent 90/60 or lower.
I'm sick. It doesn't take much to figure that out. I think it is related to the mono (being a scientist and all!), but no doctor will ever even entertain the thought. I've actually had a doctor admit that she was giving me iron pills as a placebo after I challenged her that they didn't do any good. I've had a billion different blood tests and they all come back normal, so doctors laugh in my face. They say it is all in my head. They tell me to eat better and sleep more.
A little part of me wonders if I am just lazy. Maybe I'm using being sick as a crutch for not, say, running a marathon or being able to motivate myself to work out consistently. Maybe the problem is in my head. Maybe I want the problem to be in my head so that it is fixable & I don't have to take a pill every day for the rest of my life.
One of the reasons why my XBF and I broke up is my health issue. He was very concerned for me, and couldn't figure out why I didn't try to fix it, instead I just whined about it all of the time. I just wasn't ready to face it. Maybe I'm still not. After all, I have a decent life: a job I love, friends, family, and I have recovered enough that I can play tennis with friends and run once in a while (still with the workout hangovers, but I can do it). Why get greedy?
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism by a doctor in the US during my immigration medical in 2008. He gave me pills but warned me that if I started on them, I could never go back--I'd be taking pills for the rest of my life. He said to get tested again when I got to NZ, and then go on the pills once it was confirmed. I went to the doctor, only to be told that my blood tests were low but not low enough to require treatment.
Every year, I say that one of my priorities is to address this health issue. Every year, I go to the doctor, get the blood tests, hoping that this time, it will show up and be treated. I have played with the idea of going to a natural health practitioner before, but the idea always scared me. I'm a Scientist, capital S. I would never want my colleagues to believe something that hasn't been double-blind tested and confirmed and tested again. It just isn't logical, and it would not work in my line of business. When every doctor I respect does not believe in a treatment or tells me I'm fine, I tend to believe them. In my eyes, homeopathy is a crock and New Age-y and only works via placebo. Only non-scientific, airy-fairy hippies believe in the power of healing crystals. Plus, there is the fact that because there is no proof that it works, the supplements and treatments are not regulated by the FDA and the like. That I could do MORE damage by trying to help myself scares the bejesus outta me.
But it is time to try. I have gotten many of my financial goals out of the way, and identified other life goals and priorities that I really need to focus my attention on. Number One, no question, is my health. I have to figure out what is going on and learn to manage it properly. The rest of my life depends on it. And I'm finally at a place mentally where I can handle it, I think.
Enter in GrabOne. They had a nutritionist deal ($99) and a Thyroflex/Naturopath consultation ($74) up for grabs a few months ago. I bought them both. This past week, I've gone to three doctors' appointments: one at my doctor's, one at the naturopath's, and one at the nutritionists. They all say kind of the same thing but in different conflicting ways...I'll get to them in my next few posts. I really need some insight here!
Banished from Working
Changes are afoot at work...like usual. My boss came in the other day to tell us that we weren't allowed to work more than 40 hours a week without boss's approval. Only if there is a deadline the next day will we be allowed to work over 40 and use that extra in lieu time another day.
It's so confusing--we will be paid the exact same amount no matter what. Why not let us accrue in lieu time and get more work done when we choose to? My boss also said that there are zero deadlines--therefore no excuses to work more than 40 hours/week--but I NEED DEADLINES. How many times have I told my boss that? Deadlines allow more work to be done, and more efficiently.
When I protested, I got the usual blank from this boss who doesn't understand when people explain things that are upsetting them. So I have two options:
1) I was trying to follow the rules and register my vacation leave like we are supposed to, but now I could just go back to the way everyone else does vacation at my company, and not log it in at all, and take as much time off as I'm owed, when I want to, like usual. (I normally clear it with my bosses WAY before logging it into the system, but maybe I won't now?) My boss doesn't know when I'm in and when I'm not in, and neither does anyone else. No one keeps track of where anyone else is or what anyone does, so this actually might work.
2) Cut my normal 60 hour work weeks back to 40--I looooove my work but there's no way I'm doing it without getting the time off later. What a terrible system! I've been effectively encouraged to NOT work.
It's so confusing--we will be paid the exact same amount no matter what. Why not let us accrue in lieu time and get more work done when we choose to? My boss also said that there are zero deadlines--therefore no excuses to work more than 40 hours/week--but I NEED DEADLINES. How many times have I told my boss that? Deadlines allow more work to be done, and more efficiently.
When I protested, I got the usual blank from this boss who doesn't understand when people explain things that are upsetting them. So I have two options:
1) I was trying to follow the rules and register my vacation leave like we are supposed to, but now I could just go back to the way everyone else does vacation at my company, and not log it in at all, and take as much time off as I'm owed, when I want to, like usual. (I normally clear it with my bosses WAY before logging it into the system, but maybe I won't now?) My boss doesn't know when I'm in and when I'm not in, and neither does anyone else. No one keeps track of where anyone else is or what anyone does, so this actually might work.
2) Cut my normal 60 hour work weeks back to 40--I looooove my work but there's no way I'm doing it without getting the time off later. What a terrible system! I've been effectively encouraged to NOT work.
Monday, October 17, 2011
What exactly are the protesters protesting about?
see here for an excellent synopsis:
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10
We deserve better, and we are angry. Unite!!
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about-2011-10
We deserve better, and we are angry. Unite!!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
My Favorite Budget Category
I know, I know...how big of a PF nerd do you have to be to have a favorite budget line-item?
Apparently, as big as I am. Although my Misc category is insanely flexible, and I <3 my Savings category in my budget, hands down, my most treasured budget category has to be my monthly Charity allotment.
It just feels so damned good to give. Am I right? It's just great to have that separated out neatly from the rest of my money, earmarked to go toward some good cause. It doesn't have to be the same cause every month, or even given away every month--whatever good cause that I come across that I want to support, I have the freedom to do so. It is a way to express my personal beliefs and what is important to me.
I've started donating $25 a month to the NZ Heart Association. This isn't just about giving, though--I get something back. For $25, I get two tickets entered into a lottery for a house, or a car, or vacation every two months. I get more than I give out of this, actually--it is really fun to daydream about winning a car! Or $10,000! I like it better than playing the actual lottery, which makes me feel a little dirty due to my Southern Baptist upbringing (not that I actually think it's dirty when other people do play the lotto--I just always feel a little guilty afterward when I do...I would rather not feel like that.). This is the same, but the proceeds go to charity. Which decidedly does NOT make me feel dirty. Quite the opposite!
The other $25 (or more...it is the only budget item that I don't feel bad about exceeding) goes wherever I want. Some months, it goes nowhere if I don't have time to research, or do not hear of a cause. But then, other months, opportunity after opportunity pops up. For example, this month I have many friends that are looking for donations for causes dear to their hearts/charities they are heavily involved in: a college scholarship memorial fund; a breast cancer awareness event; a marathon run to support leukemia research; and Occupy Wall Street. It feels great to be able to support my friends and causes I feel strongly about.
It is excellent stuff. I love that it is built into my spending plan so organically. I never have to worry about where the money is coming from.
And that is why I nerd out about it. :)
Apparently, as big as I am. Although my Misc category is insanely flexible, and I <3 my Savings category in my budget, hands down, my most treasured budget category has to be my monthly Charity allotment.
It just feels so damned good to give. Am I right? It's just great to have that separated out neatly from the rest of my money, earmarked to go toward some good cause. It doesn't have to be the same cause every month, or even given away every month--whatever good cause that I come across that I want to support, I have the freedom to do so. It is a way to express my personal beliefs and what is important to me.
I've started donating $25 a month to the NZ Heart Association. This isn't just about giving, though--I get something back. For $25, I get two tickets entered into a lottery for a house, or a car, or vacation every two months. I get more than I give out of this, actually--it is really fun to daydream about winning a car! Or $10,000! I like it better than playing the actual lottery, which makes me feel a little dirty due to my Southern Baptist upbringing (not that I actually think it's dirty when other people do play the lotto--I just always feel a little guilty afterward when I do...I would rather not feel like that.). This is the same, but the proceeds go to charity. Which decidedly does NOT make me feel dirty. Quite the opposite!
The other $25 (or more...it is the only budget item that I don't feel bad about exceeding) goes wherever I want. Some months, it goes nowhere if I don't have time to research, or do not hear of a cause. But then, other months, opportunity after opportunity pops up. For example, this month I have many friends that are looking for donations for causes dear to their hearts/charities they are heavily involved in: a college scholarship memorial fund; a breast cancer awareness event; a marathon run to support leukemia research; and Occupy Wall Street. It feels great to be able to support my friends and causes I feel strongly about.
It is excellent stuff. I love that it is built into my spending plan so organically. I never have to worry about where the money is coming from.
And that is why I nerd out about it. :)
Sunday, October 09, 2011
NZ vs Oz!!
We're in the Semi-Finals against Australia! It's the match up I've been wanting to see. RWC, 2011, amazing! Suddenly I love rugby...the US doesn't know what it's missing out on!
Saving by Staying Sober
Tonight's experiment was a success! I decided to, I guess, not stop drinking, but drink less, after my month at home with my friends that are my age. Turns out, if I lived in the US and hung out with my friends? I wouldn't drink. Probably ever. It was refreshing, and I'm tired of feeling like crap for 3 days after I drink, as well as the horrible things it does to your skin.
This week, my friends in NZ were talking about going out on Saturday during/after the England vs France game (um...WTF happened there??). I hadn't been to the Cloud or FanZone or any of that yet, so I was excited to go. I wasn't, however, excited to go and not drink when everyone else was.
I had a very weak but yummy pina colada during dinner at 7:30 pm, and then I stopped there. Just water for the remainder of the night...and it was fine. I made it to 3:40 am completely sober. It helped that I ran into a very cute guy that I met through work that I could flirt with all evening (AND NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE; I have learned my lesson!!), but not drinking was absolutely no problem. I think the worst part was that I felt my feet ache more than I usually do when I'm out drinking. Time went by much more slowly than it does when drinking; I could savor the minutes instead of losing them. I had my wits about me when talking to the drunk guys around me; I was clever, cute, and fun instead of confused, naive, and drunk. I could enjoy dancing to my favorite songs, without fearing that I would get whiplash from dancing so crazy to them (this happens to me A LOT; I guess I thrash around a bit when I dance??).
And the savings! Drinking is so expensive. It is great to not have to worry about the cost of anything; dancing is free!
So, sober is working out for now...we'll see how long I last!
This week, my friends in NZ were talking about going out on Saturday during/after the England vs France game (um...WTF happened there??). I hadn't been to the Cloud or FanZone or any of that yet, so I was excited to go. I wasn't, however, excited to go and not drink when everyone else was.
I had a very weak but yummy pina colada during dinner at 7:30 pm, and then I stopped there. Just water for the remainder of the night...and it was fine. I made it to 3:40 am completely sober. It helped that I ran into a very cute guy that I met through work that I could flirt with all evening (AND NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE; I have learned my lesson!!), but not drinking was absolutely no problem. I think the worst part was that I felt my feet ache more than I usually do when I'm out drinking. Time went by much more slowly than it does when drinking; I could savor the minutes instead of losing them. I had my wits about me when talking to the drunk guys around me; I was clever, cute, and fun instead of confused, naive, and drunk. I could enjoy dancing to my favorite songs, without fearing that I would get whiplash from dancing so crazy to them (this happens to me A LOT; I guess I thrash around a bit when I dance??).
And the savings! Drinking is so expensive. It is great to not have to worry about the cost of anything; dancing is free!
So, sober is working out for now...we'll see how long I last!
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Work
I am Suh-WAMPED with work lately--working until 11 pm or later all this week so far. Meanwhile, there are AMAZING mis-communications and horrible happenings like great people quitting the company. I have written SO many posts about work the past few weeks, only to scrap them because I'm afraid to reveal too many details that will render my anonymity null and void, not to mention my job security.
Basically, one of my bosses is flat-out lying to make one of my coworkers look bad because she dares to move on to a job that better suits her interests, after giving my boss plenty of opportunities to keep her. It is appalling, what people at my company are getting away with. I've completely lost respect for that boss. Luckily, it is the boss whose expertise doesn't fit with my own preferred career path. If I move on from her, and if I eventually leave and she pulls this crap on me, it doesn't matter--I don't need her for a recommendation. My boss knows this, too--and she knows that I know what she has done to my coworker. It is totally disgusting, and I don't know how much longer I can work with someone I do not respect one bit.
I don't know what is happening with my company in general. There have always been problems, but my other boss has always acted like a shield for me. Now that she is gone, I'm seeing how ugly the dynamics really are, and I'm being treated very differently than I used to. It's up to me to speak up for myself now, and due to my age, position in the company, and the fact that I look like I'm 22, I get lectured and belittled when I ask to be treated fairly and with respect. Everywhere I turn at work, there are horrible, horrible lies and manipulation and offensive displays of ego. Meanwhile, the people that have only given their all to the company, and are extremely talented and dedicated, are being treated awfully. It doesn't make sense; the horrible people should be called out for their behavior.
I guess I'm going to be the one to do it. My review is next month, and I have zero problems pulling in the head of the company, along with the people I have problems with, and my two bosses, to talk this out. I'm keeping a log of every little incident, with email correspondence and witnesses, and it all is going to be aired out. There are major, humongous problems that will destroy the company if they don't get fixed, and no one...no one is saying anything.
While all this is going on, my actual career is going fantastically! My work continues to be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling and wonderful and exciting. I got an amazing opportunity to do fieldwork in the coolest place, and to learn a new research skill while there, to boot! I think I was offered it partially because I helped out the coworker that is being wronged, maybe she felt like she owed me one, but still, I'll take it. I am so incredibly excited about this opportunity, it is one in a million kind of luck to get it. And of course, there is the fact that I'm now a TV star. :)
I am still very sad about my sister, but that is what it is. He will show his true colors again one day, and I just have to hope that my sister will be strong and smart enough to recognize it.
Basically, one of my bosses is flat-out lying to make one of my coworkers look bad because she dares to move on to a job that better suits her interests, after giving my boss plenty of opportunities to keep her. It is appalling, what people at my company are getting away with. I've completely lost respect for that boss. Luckily, it is the boss whose expertise doesn't fit with my own preferred career path. If I move on from her, and if I eventually leave and she pulls this crap on me, it doesn't matter--I don't need her for a recommendation. My boss knows this, too--and she knows that I know what she has done to my coworker. It is totally disgusting, and I don't know how much longer I can work with someone I do not respect one bit.
I don't know what is happening with my company in general. There have always been problems, but my other boss has always acted like a shield for me. Now that she is gone, I'm seeing how ugly the dynamics really are, and I'm being treated very differently than I used to. It's up to me to speak up for myself now, and due to my age, position in the company, and the fact that I look like I'm 22, I get lectured and belittled when I ask to be treated fairly and with respect. Everywhere I turn at work, there are horrible, horrible lies and manipulation and offensive displays of ego. Meanwhile, the people that have only given their all to the company, and are extremely talented and dedicated, are being treated awfully. It doesn't make sense; the horrible people should be called out for their behavior.
I guess I'm going to be the one to do it. My review is next month, and I have zero problems pulling in the head of the company, along with the people I have problems with, and my two bosses, to talk this out. I'm keeping a log of every little incident, with email correspondence and witnesses, and it all is going to be aired out. There are major, humongous problems that will destroy the company if they don't get fixed, and no one...no one is saying anything.
While all this is going on, my actual career is going fantastically! My work continues to be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling and wonderful and exciting. I got an amazing opportunity to do fieldwork in the coolest place, and to learn a new research skill while there, to boot! I think I was offered it partially because I helped out the coworker that is being wronged, maybe she felt like she owed me one, but still, I'll take it. I am so incredibly excited about this opportunity, it is one in a million kind of luck to get it. And of course, there is the fact that I'm now a TV star. :)
I am still very sad about my sister, but that is what it is. He will show his true colors again one day, and I just have to hope that my sister will be strong and smart enough to recognize it.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
September Roundup
In September, because I don't count the money I spent on my trip, I was able to only spend $1612.77. Income was from garage rent ($90), salary (3 paycheck month: $5,312.33), and the AECT dividend (undecided, probably $160).
This means I can save approximately $3500 in September. This influx of cash more than fills my $4K Vanguard Fund Fund, knocking out another 2011 Financial Goal--only $3100 was needed in that. I am honestly astonished at how much progress I've made in one year! My initial goals were completed by June, and these stretch goals are also half done.
In October - December, I am undecided about what to focus my goals on. It is tricky, because there are several trips coming up, most notably the trip I'm taking with my Mom and sister over Christmas. I also have a weekend trip tacked on to the end of a work trip to Nelson. A few friends and I will drive from Nelson to Christchurch and explore the area for 2 1/2 days. Very exciting!
My other 2011 Financial Goals are still pending, most notably buying insurance. It is a tricky and very important decisions need to be made. The last thing I want in a crisis is to be stuck reading the fine print, wondering where I went wrong.
Rent: $840. Right (ahem) on the money.
Groceries: $147.85. As expected--needed to replenish my stock after being away for a month.
Internet: $54. The cheapest it ever gets.
Electric: $58.84. Gone for a month...
Eating out: $14.50. Just went out last night to a food court to catch up with some friends after being away.
Charity: $25. Need to step it up here.
Cell phone: $20. Vodafone topup.
Medical: $0
Misc: $37.58. Finally bought a blender!! and shampoo.
Savings: $415. Normal long-term savings to my Roth, House DP, and Europe trip funds...
Month rating: triple A+!
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