Smells like Rain

Since one of my goals for self-improvement is to focus more on what's going right instead of what's going wrong, I've been considering all of the plans I previously had for around this time, granted I was still working. Pretending I was never laid off and kept with the plans I made earlier this year/last year I: would have a savings account towards getting a house, be in a bigger place for a better price (until I could afford a house), hopefully driving a different car, and going back to school.

The only goal I can say I kept was working less. > Around the time I found out about the layoff, Noel was just a few months from finishing his last semester (music school). We were hoping after that he would have a job and I would be able to cut back my hours (just a little!) at work by this fall, and just during times for school. After the bad news I ended up trying to get in as much work as possible to make up for the time I would be without a job. I would still like to find a way to keep a few of these goals. In the spirit of being happy for what I still have instead of what I don't, here's my new plans.

Open A Savings Account To Save Up For A House
I was going to deposit this year's tax return there. Then my car needed repairs. Okay, I just decided to put the rest in. Then I was laid off and used that money to make up for what unemployment doesn't pay for. There's really not much I can do about this one besides find a job. That's not working out very well for me. I'm actually okay with hold off on this goal until the time is right. As long as that desire to look at houses stays away.

Be In A Bigger Place For A Better Price At the time I found several listings for places with at least one more bedroom than I currently have, just for a little more or about what I pay now. I like my current place, it's just too small. This is another item I wanted to use my tax return towards. Obviously that's not happening for quite a while now.

Since my last post I took time out to take my mind off of things depressing me. I found enough strength to start some major cleaning! Between washing the windows, taking my computer apart, pushing the couches around, and not daring move the tv stand; I ended up rearranging my living room. Not by much, the bigger things are still in place or just slightly pushed over. The little things I did move made a big difference and things look cleaner. Plus a few swaps of furniture and it does feel like a new place. Sorta. There's really not much I can do in the bedroom with the lack of space, but I'll get around to it.

Go Back To School. You'd think with all the time I have this wouldn't be a big issue. Here, unemployment is very picky about school. They encourage approved job training and the like; however, reasonably they do not want you doing anything that interferes with how often you'd be available for work. Some people said they've been able to attend school if they could prove it would help them get a job and make it clear that they would quit to take an available job. A few have stated they don't mind if you're taking night classes. My plan was always to finish up with online classes so I could have more time to work, and later take the campus only classes. I think I can still go through with this agenda. School started last month; but, online classes are done in several sessions (one semester thrown at you in 9 weeks!). The next starts mid-October. I plan to call the Unemployment Office tomorrow and make sure I make all the correct steps in order to limit the chance there will be a problem. This will definitely help with finding a job. The bases nearby are more likely to hire a student without experience than a person just without experience. Then I need to go through the school to sign up. While I already finished a year there, I'm not too sure if I'll stick to Computer Science.

I'm not sure how I'll pay for it this close to class time, so that's on my list of things to research. So far I've only been compensated for one check UE owes me for the period my claim was put on hold. I'm trying to catch up on that, and it doesn't help that I'm in the middle of dealing with my car (again) so it can pass smog.


Have A Newer Car
My car's not bad. There are things I would like changed that I can live with and somewhat work with. It's just these stupid repairs that get to me. My plan was never to buy a brand new car, just any car that was better than mine. My plan? Um... Eh, er... Hope that with all the repairs thrown at it results in it feeling new? I... *runs*