Life Update...

A friend of mine asked me to update my blog properly with what I've been up to since I finished full time work. So, in a nutshell this is probably a snapshot of what is happening at the moment.

In regards to work, I am in a mixture of freelancing and working 2 days a week at a local business that does websites, hosting, etc. That two days, is actually really cool - they have developed their own CMS system, and I am learning a lot as the only people that work there are the owner, the developer and me. The business is brand new, and  I am being brought in to be heavily involved in the marketing and branding side of the company, the design of the CMS system and the website design (which is then handing to the developer to code). The money there is not fantastic, but what I am exposed to is really good.

One thing though - the guy I work with pronounces his "TH"s with "F". "Fink", "Fought" (thought) - he's a nice guy but it's like someone pokes me in the ribs every time I hear it. 

I have also decided to start studying again - I stopped while I figured out what I wanted to do about the work situation. The previous job was just depressing me out of my mind, and it was hard to go home to a course that had no creative outlet (especially when I didn't have one at work). I went over what I needed to do, and because I am a big fan of short course learning I wanted to start doing a Diploma of Business rather than a bachelor. I found a private college that allowed me to put the course on FEE-HELP and went from there. I was meant to start today, but the school is yet to deliver my study material - but in 40 weeks (not 6 years) I will have some kind of business education that I can actually say I have. From there, depending on how heavy the study load is I will possibly apply for either a diploma in management or a diploma in IT - both of these are listed with FEE-HELP, which means I don't pay a red cent from my pocket until I'm over the income threshold (which I'm not earning at the moment). I think the IT diploma will be much more of a sound investment and that may give me a chance to save money for courses that I have to pay for - namely a web course  update and possibly a marketing diploma. 

I'm enjoying the freedom of not working 5 days a week, and I don't know if I'd ever really be comfortable going back to it. But we'll see how we go with that. I received an email from the girl I used to work with - who's still at the same place. She's not happy, and typically they're doing all the things that they did when I was there. She's extremely frustrated and completely over what's going on. I feel fer her, but I love the fact that I left. It's a confirmation I made the right decision. 

My sister is moving back in with me in two weeks - she has just started studying again and is not earning enough to pay for the apartment she currently leases. It's looking like a 9 month stint, but she has lived with us before so we'll just go back to the system we had in place previously. Depending on how long we go in the place we're living in now, we may even try and find a slightly bigger place to live in for the time being. She's doing animation - something she's always wanted to do but never really knew how you got into it. I thought it better to live with us - poor - and do what she wants to do, than keep working as a designer for a fashion company and be unhappy. I think if she'd left it any longer, she'd never go back to what she wanted to do. 

I will be going back home to my parent's place in a week or so to catch up with family and some friends - one has just had a baby and I think it will be a while if I don't see her soon. I adore her kids, and her and I get along like sisters. I haven't seen them since NYs and I don't want it to be a whole year before I go back. I also am looking forward to hanging out with another friend, and take pictures with the telescope. 

I have resigned myself to the fact that I need to do some serious work in regards to my fitness and health. Overall, I'm not to bad - except for the extra weight I have piled on over the past year. I remember looking at myself before Hawaii, thinking "I really need to do something about this!" - well I am past that and more. Which is the stupid, because it means I need to do double the work I would have had to do a year ago. When I left my previous job, I thought I'd have more time to figure myself out. I do, but I think I've just needed to work out how life was going to go. The last week of work and the 3 weeks following it, I think I was too busy battling the breakout on face (stupid stress), and I didn't even think twice about my waistline (well, maybe a couple of times, when I realised PANTS WERE NOT FITTING). 

It's also past weight - I really need to do something about my flexibility and my strength in my back - both at ZERO. My physio really pushed me to start Pilates to get my back muscles to a point where I'd stop having back pain, but I never started. Slack. It comes down to laziness. None of this "I've been busy" stuff, just lazy. I was sitting on the floor the other night - other week I should say - with my legs crossed (which is no problems) for about half hour. My hip was killing me afterwards. Two weeks later, I still have a sore hip. It's really, really bad. You'd think I'd get motivated by looking in the mirror - but I just don't. 

And the funny thing is, for years I was never the one who had that "I'm fat" inner monologue. Sure my legs aren't long and my thighs have always been pretty round, but never "I'm fat". Well, now I'm thinking - "Look how fat I am!". You'd think that would get me off my ass.

Pretty happy about it being July, because that means TAX TIME. Tax time for us at the moment is like Christmas, because of what James earns and our investment property. It feels like it's the one time of year we can get ahead. We have money to dump onto the mortgage, pay out any outstanding debts (which at the moment is a car loan) and spend a couple of weeks relaxing the budget. It's usually just after Christmas, when I start looking at the mortgage, and the savings account and I feel like we're not getting anywhere. Tax time reverses it, and we realise that we're not doing too badly. 

Now... what else?

My brother and I are getting new camera lens', which I am really looking forward to. You'll probably see more photos up in the next couple of weeks. We'll be going snowboarding too, and I am itching to take photos there.

Thinking of looking at savings plans for a trip to South America, maybe Cambodia and would like to do the cheap-ass road trip with my two other friends that I mentioned.

My life hasn't really been that exciting over the past couple of weeks really. I don't think so anyways. Hubby just started his 6 months office stint, which means he went to work this morning in a shirt and suit pants. Bets on how long it will take him to get to the stage where he wants to rip it off? Then how long it will take him to get used to it and become one of the millions of lemmings that wear suits every single day to work? I can imagine he will be very excited to get back on the tools. 

The council workers outside of my house are doing some work on the road, and they're listening to the radio station that plays 70s and 80s rock and soft rock - which is cool, until you realise they play the same set list of about 40 songs over and over, every single day. Some of the songs I love, but not 6 times in the same day. You find yourself going, "This, AGAIN?".

Looks like some of my study material has been sent through, finally. Probably should shower and clean up my desk to get started. I just have to think, 40 weeks is NOT that long. Especially for a new piece of paper to put on my resume.