I have now been on my first date ever in NZ! (You know, the kind where you are 100% sure he is interested and it isn't like just a friends thing and he isn't going to invite his mates along or lunge at you in the middle of a bar unexpectedly. THAT kind. (the ONLY real kind, to my knowledge.))
And...it wasn't horrible! :) I've heard about some really crap first dates. However, I was right to go in with low expectations--after all, this was only the second time I had ever chatted to him. I wouldn't say that I was blown away or anything, but there is enough there on which to base at least a friendship. We have stuff in common. He seems thoughtful and kind and somewhat normal and smart. These are all good things. I think there is potential for a friendship, but I'm really unsure about anything else.
As the date was winding up and he was hinting and then outright asking me on a second date, I found myself wanting him to NOT kiss me. And I was even slightly tipsy. Thank God, he did not. This is not necessarily a strike against him. I'd feel that way with any guy on the first date.
The thing is, I warm up to most guys so slooowwwly. I usually have to know the guy for quite a while before I'm seriously interested. Once that happens, it's all a go, but it just takes a really long time, and many sessions of me thinking about the pros and cons and convincing myself yes, this is something that I want.
So far, he has been ridiculously patient with me and my insane work/social schedule. I do NOT want to lead him on or mess him about in any way, so I think I just have to tell him all of the above. Hopefully he is dating other girls and not counting on this to lead somewhere with me. I just don't want to waste his time when I am not even sure I'm interested! My worst nightmare about dating is hurting other people's feelings. I can't even flirt unless I know that a) the guy is just a friend and we are just playing around, or b) I'm sure I like the guy. That in between stage is where I freeze up.
So this is a solid maybe. A really good start, though--REALLY good!
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
March 2015 Net Worth
Net Worth Jan 2015:
$82,378.59 (NZ NW)
$21,163.92 (US NW)
$103,793.12 (US/NZ the same)
Net Worth Feb 2015:
$83,906 (NZ NW) (+1.85%)
$22,045 (US NW) (+4.16%)
$106,201 (US/NZ the same) (+2.27%)
Net Worth Mar 2015 (change since January 2015) (change since last month):
$84,772.22 (NZ NW) (+2.90%) (+1.03%)
$21,809.21 (US NW) (+2.93%) (-1.07%)
$106,832.43 (US/NZ the same) (+2.86%) (+0.59%)
Net Worth April 2015 (change since January 2015) (change since last month):
$82,378.59 (NZ NW)
$21,163.92 (US NW)
$103,793.12 (US/NZ the same)
Net Worth Feb 2015:
$83,906 (NZ NW) (+1.85%)
$22,045 (US NW) (+4.16%)
$106,201 (US/NZ the same) (+2.27%)
Net Worth Mar 2015 (change since January 2015) (change since last month):
$84,772.22 (NZ NW) (+2.90%) (+1.03%)
$21,809.21 (US NW) (+2.93%) (-1.07%)
$106,832.43 (US/NZ the same) (+2.86%) (+0.59%)
Net Worth April 2015 (change since January 2015) (change since last month):
Monday, April 06, 2015
April Goals
At the beginning of March, I settled on knocking out a few of my 2015 goals:
- file my taxes (yep! Well, Feds, at least)
- attend a meet up event to meet my quarterly goal (done!)
- Get medical check up. (nope)
- Apply for an NZ passport. (got it!)
- Back up laptop. (Done!)
- Get my March PhD pampering--a massage. (yep!)
I did all of these except for getting my medical check up. I need a specific person who can do a specific procedure, and I went back and forth with the clinic to see if/when they were available. This went on for a few weeks, with no result--she was on vacation, she was sick...whatever. Then I got busy with work and literally was ONLY eating, sleeping, showering, and working. I did absolutely nothing else. I want to start scheduling my work better to be more efficient between 9 and 5 so I can have a life during my PhD. March was effing RIDICULOUS. Maybe if I just worked extremely hard every day, I wouldn't have to go insane 100% work time for weeks on end before big deadlines? That is my hope, anyway.
Now that I have my life back, I can get a few more of my 2015 goals done in April:
- File my state taxes. (done)
- Do the Coast-to-Coast hike now that the weather is cooler?
- Plan out Europe destinations (Prague, various places in Germany, London); US trip this Sept.
- Maybe do the SMAT hike through the creek like we talked about?
- Do research into a nice camera for my Europe trip.
- Update my CV, LinkedIn, ResearchGate, staff page, etc.
- Get medical check up scheduled. (completed; still need to go back next month to finish it up)
- Go on one date. (Yup!)
Preplanning goals and getting back on track:
- Get my sleep schedule back on track.
- Do Duolingo and Memrise German courses a few minutes a day.
- Look into that public speaking course schedule.
- Look into the photography course.
- Start tennis and pilates again or otherwise work out every day.
- Review bridge rules.
- Review astronomy lessons.
- start stretching every day.
Friday, April 03, 2015
March Madness
Like I said, March was a bit crazy toward the end. My budget is imbalanced because of how much I was working. There was NO time for cooking or shopping or busing/walking anywhere, so my shopping budget is under and my eating out, grocery, and transportation allocations were blown to pieces:
| Mar 2015 Budget | |||
| Category | Spent | Budgeted Amount | Balance |
| Rent | $880.00 | $880.00 | $0.00 |
| Groceries | $526.08 | $425.00 | -$101.08 |
| Internet | $29.33 | $29.33 | $0.00 |
| Electricity | $37.62 | $50.00 | $12.38 |
| Eating Out and Alcohol | $171.30 | $125.00 | -$46.30 |
| Charity | $0.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 |
| Cell phone | $20.00 | $60.00 | $40.00 |
| Medical | $0.00 | $65.00 | $65.00 |
| Misc | $359.38 | $600.00 | $240.62 |
| Savings | $500.00 | $500.00 | $0.00 |
| Total | $2,523.71 | $2,759.33 | $235.62 |
| Remainder | $263.71 |
With the remainder, I'm going to follow my rule and save half of it and spend half. I'm going shopping this weekend to get an outfit for my first (real) date ever in NZ.
Misc:
| alcohol | $ 116.28 |
| entertainment | $ 20.50 |
| exercise | $ - |
| fees | $ 105.33 |
| gifts | $ - |
| goods and wants | $ 59.87 |
| transportation | $ 71.40 |
| travel | $ - |
Fees were for:
- trademe. I had to pay $50 to place an ad to rent out my garage. I tried every other free method since Gumtree died, and nothing else worked, so I sprung for it. It turned out well--I only had to wait 4 days between renters.
- I also had overdue library books (oops).
- I paid for a few of my intern's lunches if she went and got me food for lunch and dinner for a solid two weeks. I literally had no time to do it myself.
April should hopefully be back to normal.
Travel Plans
Well, that was not fun at ALL.
The past 3 weeks or so have felt like a year. I have been working from about 5 in the morning until midnight every day in order to make a deadline for my PhD. To be honest, it is really my fault, as I should have been working a lot more on the PhD the past few months. In January, some data didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I had worked on getting that data since June of last year, so I was terribly unmotivated at the thought of having to do it all over again. January and February were spent writing, reading, and investigating efficient ways to annotate and organise my literature, which was definitely necessary, but I should have also been working more in the lab to keep that going in the background.
Then a miracle--my data was off by two decimal points due to an unreported error in the literature. The data was saved and suddenly made sense! It was also suddenly possible to make my deadline for a conference I wanted to go to in Europe this summer, but ONLY if I worked my a** off to get data for it.
So that is what I did, and lo and behold, I made my deadline. I am very proud of myself, but more importantly, it proves to me how dedicated and motivated I can be when I really want something. This is something I'd forgotten about myself since getting my cushy, fun job. I have always worked hard, but I wasn't challenging myself enough. I CAN do more, and I should not be afraid to try.
It also helps because I'm pretty bad at getting the one thing that I value the most: a meaningful relationship. The whole social scene has always been hard for me, so it is nice to know that even though my talents do not lie in being super attractive, in-demand, and having my pick of a partner, I can still make my other goals just fine when I really apply myself.
So I am getting what I want--going to Europe on work's dime. I am inviting my mom and aunt along. They'll get a place to stay with me, and I'll get to give my Mom the European travel experience that she has always wanted.
The past 3 weeks or so have felt like a year. I have been working from about 5 in the morning until midnight every day in order to make a deadline for my PhD. To be honest, it is really my fault, as I should have been working a lot more on the PhD the past few months. In January, some data didn't turn out the way I thought it would. I had worked on getting that data since June of last year, so I was terribly unmotivated at the thought of having to do it all over again. January and February were spent writing, reading, and investigating efficient ways to annotate and organise my literature, which was definitely necessary, but I should have also been working more in the lab to keep that going in the background.
Then a miracle--my data was off by two decimal points due to an unreported error in the literature. The data was saved and suddenly made sense! It was also suddenly possible to make my deadline for a conference I wanted to go to in Europe this summer, but ONLY if I worked my a** off to get data for it.
So that is what I did, and lo and behold, I made my deadline. I am very proud of myself, but more importantly, it proves to me how dedicated and motivated I can be when I really want something. This is something I'd forgotten about myself since getting my cushy, fun job. I have always worked hard, but I wasn't challenging myself enough. I CAN do more, and I should not be afraid to try.
It also helps because I'm pretty bad at getting the one thing that I value the most: a meaningful relationship. The whole social scene has always been hard for me, so it is nice to know that even though my talents do not lie in being super attractive, in-demand, and having my pick of a partner, I can still make my other goals just fine when I really apply myself.
So I am getting what I want--going to Europe on work's dime. I am inviting my mom and aunt along. They'll get a place to stay with me, and I'll get to give my Mom the European travel experience that she has always wanted.
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