A Chronicle of my Changing Times.

Snow days are great. Living in North Cacalaki like I do now means that I don't see to many snowflakes, let alone Snow Days. I do have the good fortune, however, of living in an area which was blasted with over 20 inches of wet wonderful snow yesterday into this morning. What this means is that my car, with a clearance of about 12 inches, was attempting to plow through 8 inches of snow - and basically not going anywhere. Not to work, not to the store, not to the movies - nowhere. So I took today, and did jack squat nothing. Nada. Zilch. I take that back, I did take a nap, shovel the driveway, snooze a bit more, watch Two Towers, munch on some Chunky Soup, watch Joan of Arcadia and finish my fun filled day by watching the ever delictable Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in Femme Fatale. I'd recommend one of these days every month to anyone. We just need to work on snow days in July.

Alas, I have to get up tomorrow and start back to the real world. This includes Micro class in the morning at 8. So I need to be heading to bed.

Posted by: mjmarble at February 27, 2004 23:28 | link | comments

As a friend of mine pointed out, I haven't updated this in a while. It's not that I haven't wanted to or have lacked Ideas - those come easy as hard as that is to believe considering I seem to always put up just tedious updates as to what I'm doing or (not) accomplished. Well, I do have plenty of thing's I'd like to write about, things I'd want to say. I run into two problems: 1. I don't think of them in a timely fashion (ie - I'm in bed, driving home, at work or am droping the kids off at the pool), or 2. I don't have time to properly write that which I want to. As I'm sure many of you are aware, this can be a time consuming task - rewarding yes, but time consuming. Especially if you want to put up quality posts. When I have the most free time (at work) it's difficult to write becuase of interuptions and blog difficulties (with the editor and work firewalls???) My sincere goal is to spend less time watching TV and playing Risk on my computer and start writing more. After all, if I do end up going to Peace Corp then I plan on using this as a place to easily keep the masses (all 4 of you) informed about my life in loo of any mass emails. I just think the journal/diary entry is much more cozy.

As for life: the obligatory update is that I've written my first draft of my first essay (Yay!) and want to have the second done tomorrow night. Took a test on Sat for Micro - don't know how I did since I really didn't study as hard as I could have. I'm a bit worried about it. As of today I have officially paid off my CC debt. Something to smile about. Had a minor setback with smoking - but not really. I'll explain later in depth. Dad's 60th B'day was Sunday. I don't know how universities can get away with charging exhorborant amounts for parking. And, finally, talking to good friends is always a blessing. I need to remember that whilst most of my friends are strewn to the four couners of the country; I need to count myself lucky to have such outstanding people my associates and contemporaries. It's cliche, yes; but I really am lucky. I miss them all.

Well, I'm off to bed with the vain hope of somehow getting up early tomorrow morning to go work out. At least I'm pretending to try...

Posted by: mjmarble at February 24, 2004 23:46 | link | comments

Well, it's been a busy week or so since I last posted - or at least it seems that way.  Ok, so it hasn't been a week yet.  Whatever.  I did decide to take my friend up on his offer.  I'm now simply waiting on his check to clear my onto my account so I can make those wonderful phone calls to all my credit cards.  It's a good feeling.  I hope/dream that I can be frugile enough to pay him off, and pay him off early.  I honestly think I can.  It all comes down to deciding on not only living in a budget but playing a game with myself trying to beat my budget.  For instance, if I give myself $50 for entertainment cost, why couldn't I try to come in with $45?  Maybe cutting enough of these corners will offset those unforeseen events which have held me back in the past.  One example of this is in my taxes.  I was all pumped about the thought of getting a return back.  I hadn't actually figured things out, but I was sure I'd get one.  Everyone gets one right?  Well over the last year I worked a part time job at a certain pizza delivery company.  Said pizza delivery company only withheld $27 on the over $1500 I listed making there.  Thanks said pizza company, now I owe over $200 instead of getting money back.  Things like that bother me.

Otherwise, things are going well.  I feel like I'm getting ahead on some random things.  I still have to work my tush off, but I'm starting to feel like I'm getting there.  I received a 89% on my first Macro test.  Not quite an A until you factor in the class average was 65%.  Yeah, there'll be a curve on that one.  Now I have another test this Saturday in Micro, and the 85% I got on the last test just won't do.  So I'm setting out to study tonight.  Lots of fun - (must remember I signed up for this).  Now if I can only get to those damnable PC essays.  That and working out in the mornings are the only area's I feel that I'm still completely failing.  It's funny, making the "right" choices feels good.  I'm almost boayed by them.  Still much work to be done -but I'm sensing progress Jeeves!

Must be that planner I bought.

Posted by: mjmarble at February 17, 2004 21:46 | link | comments (1)

It feels like it’s been forever since I posted 36 hrs ago. A lot has gone on. First off, I decided not to do the ESL volunteering. I really need to focus on my classes and I’m going to look into other volunteer opportunities. Maybe something else with Hands on Charlotte or more through my church. It’s a tough choice, but I think it’s the right one. I’m also looking to accentuate my work experience as a banker as well. I’d be happy being an ESL tutor in the PC but I don’t want to limit myself.

So I met with an accountant friend of mine last night. Basically he had offered to look through my budget with me and try and help me meet my goals of having things paid off by October. Well, I took every free moment I had yesterday to put together a spread sheet of my budget, including all expenses and incomes I have averaged over the last 3 mos. I highlighted areas I’m cutting my spending (like not going to the bar and dropping $300 in a month watching the football playoffs or quitting smoking). Upon close review I’m screwed. I mean I’m really screwed.

I have about $400/mo to put towards the principle of my debt. The problem is that I have 8 months or so to pay it all off and there’s no way I’m going to hit my mark. It just is not possible. And even if I cash out my 401k upon leaving and sell my car (minus the amount still owed) I might not make it. And that’s with nothing going wrong. For instance, if my car breaks down for whatever reason I’m really just dead in the water and I won’t be able to go.

I could put off my targeted time to leave thus relieving the pressure to be done so quickly. But by doing this I completely mess up my timeframe. By putting this off just a little bit it might mess me up for an entire year. No pressure, right? Plus I’d be admitting defeat. That I can’t allow. I just can’t. And I’ve accepted certain sacrifices to try and do this whole shabang. I’m fine with those and I know there will be many more, but I have to see progress, some movement forward. Part of that is moving on to the next step which is PC.

I think I’ve mentioned before that when I started working at the bank in September 1999 that I stated frequently that if I was still at this place 5 yrs later someone should just shoot me and put me out of my misery. Well, fate has a sense of humor. I’m pushing as hard as I can not to be here more than a week or two past my 5 year anniversary.

But all this discussion and thought started with the fact I’m not going to be able to meet my goal of having my credit card debt paid off before I leave. It’s just not possible under my current scheme. Well, like I said, this is what my CPA friend and I were talking about. He made the more than generous offer of giving me the cash to pay off my credit cards right now (he states he has it in savings – “easily” as he put it) and I would owe him the money to be paid off in a set time frame we’d agree upon. The difference here is that he’s not going to charge me interest. This means every penny I’d pay him back would go towards the principle. When I run my budget, suddenly I have closer to $600/mo to go towards my debt instead of $400 – and that’s without making any additional financial sacrifices (which I plan on implementing anyways). Of course if I do this I am making a firm commitment to this friend to pay him off within say 9 months the entire amount come hell or high water. I think I’m going to do it, but I do want to sleep on it a bit more. Any thoughts or comments? Anyone? Beuller?

Posted by: mjmarble at February 12, 2004 13:29 | link | comments (2)

So I have a decision to make.  I'm taking classes Tuesday night for Micro Econ (I think my test went very well) so I can meet a pre-req for some Grad School I might want to apply to once I get back from Peace Corp.  It's important that I improve my academic record a bit before I can even apply to almost all the programs I'd like to get into.  So I need to get A's in all the courses I'm taking, no if's, and's or but's about it.  But I also feel like I really need to get into Peace Corp to gain the second language skills and international experience to get into these same good International Relations Grad programs.  I do volunteer quite a bit, but almost none of it is the organizing/running type PC seems to prefer.  I've done more showing up and helping out wherever needed. 

Well there's a  program in Charlotte which is recommended by PC as a good way to gain "necessary" experience.  They do a bit of training and require a commitment of 6 mos of tutoring.  It sounds like an experience/expertise which would be wonderful to have, even without PC.  Problem is that they want mandatory attendance at four training sessions, 3 hrs on Tues & Thurs for two consective weeks.  Well I already have Tues night commitment of class.  The training only comes around once every 6 mos, which is why I didn't sign up earlier (I found out about the program in November - this is the first training since then).  The next training is in the fall, after I hope to leave for PC.  I asked my Proffessor tonight if he'd mind if I missed, and he understood.  I just hate to miss class for any reason, especially since it's a once a week class.

So do I skip class and get the training for this ESL tutoring which could be beneficial and partially help in getting me into PC or do I focus on making sure I get the good grades in the classes I'm taking.  I'd really like some feedback.  I only have a few days to decide...

One quick side note, I went to Europe for the first and my only time just about 4 yrs ago with my girlfriend at the time.  I love it across the pond.  A lot.  We made a promise to each other that we'd make it back within 5 yrs even if we weren't dating - you know the type of thing you can only do whilst you're still dating and can never fulfill after you've parted ways.  Well she gave me a call tonight asking me for any of the info/guides I have becuase she's heading to the UK for a week or two in just over a month with a friend.  I hadn't realized how long it'd been since I'd gone until that moment.  I know I'm working on bigger and better things via PC and then Grad School, but there's a part that sucks about it all.  I want to have a holiday in London, Kent and England in general.  Gotta work on that...  Don't ask me how, but I do.

Posted by: mjmarble at February 10, 2004 23:06 | link | comments

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