This week has been so disorienting. I had a nice 4-day weekend, after finishing up my seasonal contract. I petsat over the weekend, played in the sun, biked, and went to happy hour.
Then I totally splurged on myself and spent $27 on a facial and pedicure at the local beauty school. It was fabulous! I kept thinking, I’m not going to enjoy these luxuries during the day, so mind as well have some fun! I highly recommend going to beauty schools for much cheaper services. The key is, you need to have time. They are learning so they are not just rushing you in and out as some salons do. I almost never get this kind of stuff and it was a treat!
I’ve also forked over more money related to my job. I am starting to realize the unexpected expenses that come with starting a job. I had to officially (and finally) get my OR driver’s license, which cost me $65 for the license and the fee to take the test. I haven’t taken the test in over 12 years, and some of those questions are ridiculous! I had a question involving a rural road and a horse that I got wrong. I can’t imagine any scenario of me driving near horses, but I have to remember Portland is not like the rest of Oregon. Also, I have a huge learning curve at my job with some of the technological applications. They will train me on the applications, but I want to make sure I am learning and growing quickly, so I signed up for a workshop that will help me with this stuff for $50; so far I’ve spent $115 towards my job.
I also need to stop being lazy and bike to work. My job is no longer in walking distance, but the bus options aren’t very good and I really don’t want to fork over $100 a month to take the bus. Biking would be free, I’d bike 8 miles a day, which is a decent workout, and it would be environmentally friendly. Usually the environmentally friendly route is the cheaper route, so I just need to get it together.
So far I am loving everything and really excited to dive in to this next chapter. I can’t wait until I’m no longer ‘new’, and I ‘get’ everything. I can’t wait to feel more settled with my finances and see my first check at my new pay rate! Right now I’m still in transition mode, and that is ok. It won’t last long and I’m so glad there is a transition. As my partner’s mother has mentioned, this is a small miracle! Having my contract end on Friday and having something lined up is so perfect. I am still so grateful, and so happy with everything.
I won’t be able to check blogs at work, so I am going to try to wake up earlier and stay up late to catch up on everything. I do miss everyone during the day!
How was your week? What are you grateful for this week?