Since 2000, I have moved 10 times I think.

   

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

Hey kids!

I came back to gloat a bit.  Take a look at my pie chart for this year, one month in:


Things have started out rather good on the financial frontier, but don't be fooled.  This is probably where they're going to stay for a long while, only to be followed by a steep decline when I can't find a job after graduation.  Oh, the economy!  What a laugh!

This month has treated me quite well on the book selling front, but tis the season for that!  Since December, I think I have sold and shipped 5 textbooks, each worth between $20 and $50 in profit.  That money has gone straight into the travel fund, so it's sitting in a pretty nice position already.

Yesterday I received a letter in the mail informing me that I will be getting a bursary from the school.  I'm not sure for how much, but I do know it's more than $100.  At this point I haven't decided where it will go.  I am considering beefing up my emergency fund, or maybe using it to get new glasses, or maybe putting some into my travel fund while using the rest for some things I "need" for school and my placement ("need" is in quotations because I haven't fully convinced myself that I do, in fact, need these items).  Maybe I'll divide it up into all of those categories.  Either way, I think I'll wait until I know how much I'm getting before I make any final decisions.

I also started to get my taxes together.  It's looking like I'll be getting a healthy return this year, so I've been considering what I will do with that.  It'll still be a few months before I see any of it, but I can try to make some sort of plan.

I have started to look up job prospects too, in the hopes that I can find an opportunity that I want to pursue.

So what am I going to do in February?

1. Continue scoping out job prospects.  I have decided to do some info seeking through my teachers.  Mostly I'm just trying to find workplaces that I might like to work at, whether there's an opportunity available or not.  I would like to graduate with a job lined up, so it's going to take a lot of work over the next few months to track down the opportunities that are out there.
2. Continue figuring out what I want from a dream job.  Part of getting a dream job is knowing what it looks like when you're searching.  This is not to say that I am going to hold out on getting a job in the meantime, but the personal realization of what I'm looking for will help to determine my direction.
   
3. Find new ways to save or make money.  As much as I'd like to work right now, I don't think it's realistic for me to be able to balance school, my placement, and a part time job without going absolutely crazy.  But there must be something else I could do to help me save money or make more money.  I'm going to explore some creative ideas to do this.

To the next check point!

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I am assembling a career portfolio.  I would like mine to be different than the typical one out there, something that stands out and shows my personality.  To do this, I was thinking it would be great to house the files in something other than the traditional leather (or pseudo-leather) portfolio binder, but I'm having trouble thinking of something that is me, but also professional  (as much as a macaroni artpiece would reflect me, I don't think it's appropriate).

What creative things could one do/use for a portfolio?
- a lab chart board that they use in hospitals
- a recipe box (well, a very large one), or a cook book
- a magazine
- a photo album
- ...?

January 10, 2008

I can't remember the last thing I heard him say, or the last time we hugged - come to think of it, I don't think we ever hugged.  That's just not our family.  There was no life-changing discussion, or any type of special bond between us.  Hell, I don't even have a cherished childhood memory of the two of us.

Maybe I've just reached a point in my life where I realize how important family is.  Or maybe I did have a connection to him that had become hidden over the years.  We were really close before my parents split up.  We spent a lot of time together, in the little group of kids and their dads, tied together by the life-long friendship of our parents.  All the dads would share ski-doo duty on a typical winter afternoon, filling their sleds with whichever of us didn't have a place.  In that respect, he was a dad to me. 

And he was my dad.  They were best friends who did everything together.  As far as I know, there weren't many days when they didn't go for their afternoon/evening coffee together.  It was never a matter of if they were going, just when.  It's difficult to imagine my dad without him nearby.

It's tragic to imagine my dad without him nearby.

I never expected this would hurt me so much.


You are missed.

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The thing about losing loved ones during the holiday season is that the day will never go by unnoticed.  It's always going to be an unusual day, no matter  how many years go by.  It's no September 5th or May 14th, the days that are as normal as any other day.  It's a day when your routine is different and those regular distractions of day-to-day life are not there to make you forget, if only for a few minutes.  No, it's a day during the season that emphasizes spending time with family, serving as a constant reminder of those who are no longer there.