It's official, furlough days were cut from 11 to 6 days, making last Friday my final furlough day (for this fiscal year at least) and this week, my first 5-day work week, in 6 weeks! It's bitter sweet ... I will be very glad to start getting regular pay checks again, but I will surely miss the long weekends!
This past 3-day weekend I was more focused on enjoying my last long weekend (due to Furloughs ... Labor Day weekend is right around the corner thank goodness) than on being productive and crossing things off of my list of things to do!
I started off my weekend at the Raven's game on Thursday night, and then later in the weekend fit in a visit with my mom, a movie with a friend, an Oriole's event, the Little Italy Festival, a long walk along the water, had a great night with friends helping paint a barn, and had a reunion of sorts with a group of high school friends ... all in all a great weekend!
I did manage to get some painting done inside and outside at my house, hung some pictures/art I'd been meaning to hang, got some cleaning done, and accomplished a few other odds and ends things around my house, but nothing too noteworthy.
Over the course of writing this blog I feel that I have knocked some major things off of my list of things to do, and hope, that even though the 3 day weekends are over, I will be able to finish off the list soon! All the painting I have started I hope to finish this week! Then, before it gets cold outside I'd like to patch and seal my concrete patio and seal my interior bricks. I still want to frame some of my grandfather's stamp collection, and attempt to sell the rest. I really need to look into getting life insurance, need to sell or donate old prom/bridesmaid dresses taking up space in my closet, and then I really REALLY need to study for the 3rd part of my Interior Design licensing exam which I will take in the spring, and hopefully be done with!
So, this concludes the Furlough Friday blog! Thanks so much to everyone who has been following, I actually really enjoyed writing, and hope you have enjoyed reading! Maybe blogging is something I will continue as I think of interesting things to write about in the future ... we shall see!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
5
Although no official word has yet been given, it seems pretty certain that the 11 furlough days planned for at the start of this will be reduced to 6 days. Financially, this is great news, and while I have not accomplished everything on my list of things I had planned to do on furlough days, I feel that I have definitely made progress, and crossed off some of the higher priority items!
That being said, last Friday was furlough day #5 and this coming Friday will be furlough day #6, and possibly my last furlough day (for this year anyway)!
Friday I got up and made myself pancakes for breakfast, a definite perk of not having to rush off to work! I then made a much needed trip to the grocery store ... I was thrilled when I pulled into the empty parking lot, thinking this was going to be the fastest, least stressful Safeway trip ever ... unfortunately not the case! It was that day that Safeway was reorganizing their entire store, unstocking shelves and loading up carts that were all over the isles, taking down and rebuilding shelves, and restocking shelves, it was quite a mess, and took me forever to hunt for what I needed and get out of there, BUT, I can't complain too much, because, I had the time!!!!!
When I got home I made a pasta salad for a party I was going to on Saturday, and then I headed downtown to meet some friends for lunch. Otakon was in town this weekend, and usually a group of us from work eat lunch outside just to observe the crowd ... I decided I shouldn't miss out just because of the furlough, and I must say, it was well worth it!
When I got home from lunch I vacuumed out my car, something I've been meaning to do for a while now, and then it was time to head out to get my oil changed. While there, I asked for a quote to have my fog lights replaced because somehow both of them have holes in them. I was told that it was a common problem, and that it would cost $683 to fix! My initial thought was, "why would I pay $683 (on a furlough budget mind you), to fix something that would most likely happen again," and I then asked, "is it a real problem to not get them replaced?" I was told that the only thing that could happen is that if water got in the lights might not work. I decided, if it's not obvious, that it was not worth it, and justified my decision with the fact that I really rarely drive my car, and it's even more rare that I drive it in the rain (which is how water would get in a create a problem) ... then I drove back to Baltimore in a torrential downpour - go figure!
When I got back to the city, I spent some time with a friend before taking him to the airport, and when I got back home, decided to cancel my plans for the evening and stayed home and painted my stairs instead! The stairs had been painted before I moved in this ugly brown color ... they are now a lovely charcoal!
Saturday morning I got up and had to run to the post office to pick up a package, for whatever reason, even when I leave the signed form on my mailbox, they will not leave the package on my steps! When I got home I finished up the pasta salad for the party I was going to, and also made a vegetable pizza to take! It was then time to get ready and head to the party where I spent a lovely afternoon/evening with great people and great food!
Sunday I got up and got to work on my stairs again ... it is quite a challenge to paint stairs/railings when you need to also be able to use them, so I got as much done as possible, but was unable to finish completely, hopefully that will happen this week! While I had all the paint supplies out, I decided to go out and finish up sealing my back fence, so that's finally completely done!
After I cleaned up from painting I got a call from my Mom saying she had food, so I headed home to have dinner with her, saw my brother, and came back to Baltimore with lots of leftovers!
Hopefully this week I'll be able to plan and prep for everything I want to get done next weekend so that I can make the most of my last (even though I'm not holding my breath) furlough weekend!
That being said, last Friday was furlough day #5 and this coming Friday will be furlough day #6, and possibly my last furlough day (for this year anyway)!
Friday I got up and made myself pancakes for breakfast, a definite perk of not having to rush off to work! I then made a much needed trip to the grocery store ... I was thrilled when I pulled into the empty parking lot, thinking this was going to be the fastest, least stressful Safeway trip ever ... unfortunately not the case! It was that day that Safeway was reorganizing their entire store, unstocking shelves and loading up carts that were all over the isles, taking down and rebuilding shelves, and restocking shelves, it was quite a mess, and took me forever to hunt for what I needed and get out of there, BUT, I can't complain too much, because, I had the time!!!!!
When I got home I made a pasta salad for a party I was going to on Saturday, and then I headed downtown to meet some friends for lunch. Otakon was in town this weekend, and usually a group of us from work eat lunch outside just to observe the crowd ... I decided I shouldn't miss out just because of the furlough, and I must say, it was well worth it!
When I got home from lunch I vacuumed out my car, something I've been meaning to do for a while now, and then it was time to head out to get my oil changed. While there, I asked for a quote to have my fog lights replaced because somehow both of them have holes in them. I was told that it was a common problem, and that it would cost $683 to fix! My initial thought was, "why would I pay $683 (on a furlough budget mind you), to fix something that would most likely happen again," and I then asked, "is it a real problem to not get them replaced?" I was told that the only thing that could happen is that if water got in the lights might not work. I decided, if it's not obvious, that it was not worth it, and justified my decision with the fact that I really rarely drive my car, and it's even more rare that I drive it in the rain (which is how water would get in a create a problem) ... then I drove back to Baltimore in a torrential downpour - go figure!
When I got back to the city, I spent some time with a friend before taking him to the airport, and when I got back home, decided to cancel my plans for the evening and stayed home and painted my stairs instead! The stairs had been painted before I moved in this ugly brown color ... they are now a lovely charcoal!
Saturday morning I got up and had to run to the post office to pick up a package, for whatever reason, even when I leave the signed form on my mailbox, they will not leave the package on my steps! When I got home I finished up the pasta salad for the party I was going to, and also made a vegetable pizza to take! It was then time to get ready and head to the party where I spent a lovely afternoon/evening with great people and great food!
Sunday I got up and got to work on my stairs again ... it is quite a challenge to paint stairs/railings when you need to also be able to use them, so I got as much done as possible, but was unable to finish completely, hopefully that will happen this week! While I had all the paint supplies out, I decided to go out and finish up sealing my back fence, so that's finally completely done!
After I cleaned up from painting I got a call from my Mom saying she had food, so I headed home to have dinner with her, saw my brother, and came back to Baltimore with lots of leftovers!
Hopefully this week I'll be able to plan and prep for everything I want to get done next weekend so that I can make the most of my last (even though I'm not holding my breath) furlough weekend!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
3/4
Last week I received my first pay check reflecting the furlough cut. The loss will be manageable, but the check was a nice reminder that it's not all fun and games! I will not deny enjoying the time off though ... I was furloughed last Friday, and this Monday, and could definitely get use to these 4-day weekends (if not for the financial burden they cause)!
I was able to head home Thursday after work to go to the Cecil County fair for the Demolition Derby! I love the Derby, and it was good to see old friends ... those I expected to see, and those who I just happened upon ... the Fair is most definitely THE place to be!
Friday I got up and got my dad to go to the hardware store with me to help me pick out some supplies for projects I want to do at my house! We ran a couple other errands and then when we got home my dad pulled out the trailer for me to load with yardsale stuff, we parked it in the garage, and I was all set to go for the next day! After lunch I headed out to do some more shopping, for stuff I needed of course, no frivolous spending on Furlough Day! I made it home in time to have dinner with my grandmother, and ended up staying to visit with her for a few hours ... I will take this time to mention that my grandmother is probably the person I admire most in my life, she is truly remarkable, and gives the absolute best life advice; it was really great to have the time to talk some things through with her! I got home to an empty house and decided to go for a nice long walk around the farm with my dog - you don't get that same serenity in the city, but it quickly got dark, we found ourselves in the middle of the corn fields, and ran home!
Saturday I was up at the crack of dawn to set up for the much anticipated yardsale! The goal was more-so to get rid of junk than to make money, but I figure I averaged about $12/hour and made about half of what I lose on a Furlough day, so I was happy! After cleaning up from the yardsale and counting my money and wrapping the change, I went to a gun shop with my dad and brothers, because, well, they asked if I wanted to go, and I had nothing better to do. Later that night I joined some great friends for dinner at a new local place, but bailed on the after-plan to see Wolverine (if you know me you understand why), and went out to a bar instead and had a great time catching up with an old friend :)
Sunday, I got up, packed up my stuff, and headed back to the city to make it in time for Baltimore Brunch! After brunch it was straight to pickles for some pre-game drinks, and then the afternoon was spent at the O's game! Unfortunately the O's didn't fair too well at all in the game, but it was a lovely day for baseball, and the company was great, so I thoroughly enjoyed my day despite the loss! The 10 of us that went to the game hung out for a little bit afterwards, but then everyone parted ways since the majority of the group had to work the next day :/ When I got home I unpacked from my weekend at home, framed a print I had gotten a frame for on Friday, and hung it, did some other odds and ends around the house, and called it a day!
Monday I got up and got some cleaning done while I waited for my mom to get to my house. Once my mom arrived, we headed to Bethesda to get my grandfather's stamp collection (that he left to me) appraised. I, unfortunately, am not a millionaire, BUT, if I am able to sell the stamps, I should make enough to make up for at least 4 furlough days! I should note that I do intend to pick out some of the unique stamps and frame them to keep for sentimental reasons, I'm not completely heartless, but have decided I have no need to hang on to the entire stamp collection! My mom and I had a nice lunch, and then it was back to my house to get to work! I spent 3 hours sealing the fence in the back of my house, and did not finish (probably should have invested in a sprayer), but decided I deserved a break, so my roommate and fellow furloughed friend headed to the pool!
Another great weekend, and few more things crossed off my list of things to do!
I was able to head home Thursday after work to go to the Cecil County fair for the Demolition Derby! I love the Derby, and it was good to see old friends ... those I expected to see, and those who I just happened upon ... the Fair is most definitely THE place to be!
Friday I got up and got my dad to go to the hardware store with me to help me pick out some supplies for projects I want to do at my house! We ran a couple other errands and then when we got home my dad pulled out the trailer for me to load with yardsale stuff, we parked it in the garage, and I was all set to go for the next day! After lunch I headed out to do some more shopping, for stuff I needed of course, no frivolous spending on Furlough Day! I made it home in time to have dinner with my grandmother, and ended up staying to visit with her for a few hours ... I will take this time to mention that my grandmother is probably the person I admire most in my life, she is truly remarkable, and gives the absolute best life advice; it was really great to have the time to talk some things through with her! I got home to an empty house and decided to go for a nice long walk around the farm with my dog - you don't get that same serenity in the city, but it quickly got dark, we found ourselves in the middle of the corn fields, and ran home!
Saturday I was up at the crack of dawn to set up for the much anticipated yardsale! The goal was more-so to get rid of junk than to make money, but I figure I averaged about $12/hour and made about half of what I lose on a Furlough day, so I was happy! After cleaning up from the yardsale and counting my money and wrapping the change, I went to a gun shop with my dad and brothers, because, well, they asked if I wanted to go, and I had nothing better to do. Later that night I joined some great friends for dinner at a new local place, but bailed on the after-plan to see Wolverine (if you know me you understand why), and went out to a bar instead and had a great time catching up with an old friend :)
Sunday, I got up, packed up my stuff, and headed back to the city to make it in time for Baltimore Brunch! After brunch it was straight to pickles for some pre-game drinks, and then the afternoon was spent at the O's game! Unfortunately the O's didn't fair too well at all in the game, but it was a lovely day for baseball, and the company was great, so I thoroughly enjoyed my day despite the loss! The 10 of us that went to the game hung out for a little bit afterwards, but then everyone parted ways since the majority of the group had to work the next day :/ When I got home I unpacked from my weekend at home, framed a print I had gotten a frame for on Friday, and hung it, did some other odds and ends around the house, and called it a day!
Monday I got up and got some cleaning done while I waited for my mom to get to my house. Once my mom arrived, we headed to Bethesda to get my grandfather's stamp collection (that he left to me) appraised. I, unfortunately, am not a millionaire, BUT, if I am able to sell the stamps, I should make enough to make up for at least 4 furlough days! I should note that I do intend to pick out some of the unique stamps and frame them to keep for sentimental reasons, I'm not completely heartless, but have decided I have no need to hang on to the entire stamp collection! My mom and I had a nice lunch, and then it was back to my house to get to work! I spent 3 hours sealing the fence in the back of my house, and did not finish (probably should have invested in a sprayer), but decided I deserved a break, so my roommate and fellow furloughed friend headed to the pool!
Another great weekend, and few more things crossed off my list of things to do!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
2
Another furlough day come and gone! When you have an extra day added to your weekend, it is amazing how much more you can accomplish, and how much more fun you can have!
Last week was a pretty rough week for me, so on Friday, it was nice to kick off my long weekend by keeping it low key and going to an outdoor movie in Little Italy. Before the movie though, I did manage to clean up an explosion in my fridge as well as a flood in my bathroom (apparently my roof is leaking again). I also attempted to contact my insurance company about a bill I received for a strep test I had gotten 2 weeks ago. I knew at the time that I probably didn't have strep, but figured why not get the test just in case. Had I known that I would have nearly assaulted the nurse gagging me, gotten a sore throat as a result of the test, and would get a bill that I will either have to pay or harass insurance to pay, I would have declined ... lesson learned!
On Saturday I played tennis in the park with some friends. The fresh air, exercise, and vitamin D was much needed, and hey, I kind of like tennis, and the park is super convenient, so that may happen more often! After tennis, we ventured to the community pool ... I have been wanting to try it out, but did not have high hopes about it being decent. I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised; the pool was huge, clean, and uncrowded, and the actual crowd was surprisingly decent (I can say that b/c I live in the neighborhood). After the pool I got a few things done around the house, and fit in a trip to the grocery store before getting ready to go out for a night of dancing (always a good time)!
Sunday morning I got up and loaded all of the yard sale stuff I had priced from my house into my car and headed home. Once home, I gathered and priced everything I had stored there for the yard sale, and am now all set to have the actual sale on my next furlough weekend! That evening I went out to dinner with the family to a place my dad has been wanting to take all of us when we're home at the same time, so I felt good about getting to do that. When we got home from dinner I kept one of my brothers company while he washed my car - the wash was much needed, my car looks great, and now all I need to do is clean the inside (hopefully sometime this week). That night I watched Casino Royale with my dad and brothers while snapping green beans fresh from the garden - always great to be home :)
Monday morning my mom and I went through stuff that had belonged to my grandparents that I had set aside for myself. I had forgotten what all I had, so it was nostalgic and fun to go through it. Some stuff I had to leave to be stored, but some I was able to bring back to use/display in my house. Once I got home yesterday afternoon, I used the fact that I will have guests next weekend to get some cleaning done inside and outside my house! I also tried to set up an appointment with the roofers hoping that they will be able to find and fix the leak that caused the flood in my bathroom on Friday - I left a message, hopefully they will get back to me and be out sometime this week - preferably before the next rain storm! After that I did some research on the stamp collection that my grandfather left for me, and contacted a professional about a possible appraisal, so I am hoping to have that done on a future furlough day. I also chatted on-line with a Comcast rep to see about changing some services, and found out that it probably wouldn't be worth it, but now I know! I looked into selling/donating some old dresses, painted a hatch door on my back patio, installed the new filter in my fridge, and looked through a folder of magazine workouts I have saved and picked one to add to my normal work out routine for this week!
I am starting off my work week today feeling accomplished, motivated, and well rested!
Thanks for reading!
Last week was a pretty rough week for me, so on Friday, it was nice to kick off my long weekend by keeping it low key and going to an outdoor movie in Little Italy. Before the movie though, I did manage to clean up an explosion in my fridge as well as a flood in my bathroom (apparently my roof is leaking again). I also attempted to contact my insurance company about a bill I received for a strep test I had gotten 2 weeks ago. I knew at the time that I probably didn't have strep, but figured why not get the test just in case. Had I known that I would have nearly assaulted the nurse gagging me, gotten a sore throat as a result of the test, and would get a bill that I will either have to pay or harass insurance to pay, I would have declined ... lesson learned!
On Saturday I played tennis in the park with some friends. The fresh air, exercise, and vitamin D was much needed, and hey, I kind of like tennis, and the park is super convenient, so that may happen more often! After tennis, we ventured to the community pool ... I have been wanting to try it out, but did not have high hopes about it being decent. I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised; the pool was huge, clean, and uncrowded, and the actual crowd was surprisingly decent (I can say that b/c I live in the neighborhood). After the pool I got a few things done around the house, and fit in a trip to the grocery store before getting ready to go out for a night of dancing (always a good time)!
Sunday morning I got up and loaded all of the yard sale stuff I had priced from my house into my car and headed home. Once home, I gathered and priced everything I had stored there for the yard sale, and am now all set to have the actual sale on my next furlough weekend! That evening I went out to dinner with the family to a place my dad has been wanting to take all of us when we're home at the same time, so I felt good about getting to do that. When we got home from dinner I kept one of my brothers company while he washed my car - the wash was much needed, my car looks great, and now all I need to do is clean the inside (hopefully sometime this week). That night I watched Casino Royale with my dad and brothers while snapping green beans fresh from the garden - always great to be home :)
Monday morning my mom and I went through stuff that had belonged to my grandparents that I had set aside for myself. I had forgotten what all I had, so it was nostalgic and fun to go through it. Some stuff I had to leave to be stored, but some I was able to bring back to use/display in my house. Once I got home yesterday afternoon, I used the fact that I will have guests next weekend to get some cleaning done inside and outside my house! I also tried to set up an appointment with the roofers hoping that they will be able to find and fix the leak that caused the flood in my bathroom on Friday - I left a message, hopefully they will get back to me and be out sometime this week - preferably before the next rain storm! After that I did some research on the stamp collection that my grandfather left for me, and contacted a professional about a possible appraisal, so I am hoping to have that done on a future furlough day. I also chatted on-line with a Comcast rep to see about changing some services, and found out that it probably wouldn't be worth it, but now I know! I looked into selling/donating some old dresses, painted a hatch door on my back patio, installed the new filter in my fridge, and looked through a folder of magazine workouts I have saved and picked one to add to my normal work out routine for this week!
I am starting off my work week today feeling accomplished, motivated, and well rested!
Thanks for reading!
Monday, July 8, 2013
1
So, my first furlough day was this Monday; it worked out quite nicely with the 4th of July Holiday! I had the 4th off, took off on the 5th, obviously had Saturday and Sunday off, and then Monday made it a nice little 5 day weekend.
More-so than being productive, this weekend was a chance for me to have fun, clear my head, and kind of take an assessment of my life at this point, which, without trying to sound too dramatic, was much needed!
In the 5 days I had off , I managed to fit in quite a bit! First was a 4th of July party with family and family friends where I got to spend some quality time with my brothers on the jet ski! Second was a birthday lunch to celebrate my brother's quarter of a century birthday. Next was a camping trip with friends ... I survived, which was my only goal going into it, but, I will actually admit to enjoying parts of it, specifically the grilled corn on the cob and fireworks! Lastly, a trip to the beach to celebrate a friend's birthday was a great way to conclude the weekend!
As far as being productive, and crossing things off my "Furlough Friday List of Things to Do," I did manage to fit in a few things here and there!
One of the first things I want to do with my furlough days is to prepare for and have a yard sale. It is quite amazing how quickly I have accumulated stuff since I moved into my house a year ago, and it's time to get rid of the things I haven't used, and what better time to make a little extra money! I managed to send some e-mails to those people who usually yard sale with me to check on dates and interest, and I also managed to gather and price all of the things in my house that I intend to try to sell. I have stuff I need to go through at my parents' houses as well, so that will happen on another furlough day!
I filed my ever-growing pile of paperwork, so that's done for now. I painted numbers on my back fence and on my garbage and recycling cans and lids in hopes that no more lids will go missing and I will no longer have to search the alley for my misplaced cans, so we'll see if that happens! I had made a cardboard deer head wall hanging this winter that needed some repairs (hot glue gun to the rescue), so I took care of that. My refrigerator has been alerting me for months to replace the water filter, so I managed to locate it and ordered a new one ... I don't know how necessary changing it is, but it was quite expensive, so I hope I don't need to do that too often!
All in all I am satisfied with what I accomplished, and hope to keep the momentum going for the next 10 weeks!
More-so than being productive, this weekend was a chance for me to have fun, clear my head, and kind of take an assessment of my life at this point, which, without trying to sound too dramatic, was much needed!
In the 5 days I had off , I managed to fit in quite a bit! First was a 4th of July party with family and family friends where I got to spend some quality time with my brothers on the jet ski! Second was a birthday lunch to celebrate my brother's quarter of a century birthday. Next was a camping trip with friends ... I survived, which was my only goal going into it, but, I will actually admit to enjoying parts of it, specifically the grilled corn on the cob and fireworks! Lastly, a trip to the beach to celebrate a friend's birthday was a great way to conclude the weekend!
As far as being productive, and crossing things off my "Furlough Friday List of Things to Do," I did manage to fit in a few things here and there!
One of the first things I want to do with my furlough days is to prepare for and have a yard sale. It is quite amazing how quickly I have accumulated stuff since I moved into my house a year ago, and it's time to get rid of the things I haven't used, and what better time to make a little extra money! I managed to send some e-mails to those people who usually yard sale with me to check on dates and interest, and I also managed to gather and price all of the things in my house that I intend to try to sell. I have stuff I need to go through at my parents' houses as well, so that will happen on another furlough day!
I filed my ever-growing pile of paperwork, so that's done for now. I painted numbers on my back fence and on my garbage and recycling cans and lids in hopes that no more lids will go missing and I will no longer have to search the alley for my misplaced cans, so we'll see if that happens! I had made a cardboard deer head wall hanging this winter that needed some repairs (hot glue gun to the rescue), so I took care of that. My refrigerator has been alerting me for months to replace the water filter, so I managed to locate it and ordered a new one ... I don't know how necessary changing it is, but it was quite expensive, so I hope I don't need to do that too often!
All in all I am satisfied with what I accomplished, and hope to keep the momentum going for the next 10 weeks!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Intro
As an employee of the Federal Government, more specifically, The Army Corps of Engineers, the threat of FURLOUGH has been looming for months. At first I was not sure if I'd be furloughed or not. Then I found out that if I was furloughed, it would be one day a week for 22 weeks. 22 weeks was reduced to 11 weeks eventually, but I still didn't know if I would be affected or not, and the possibility of it being reduced to 7 days was also being thrown around. 30 days prior to the furlough start date I was asked to sign a letter stating that it was possible I would be furloughed, and then finally, last week, I received notice that I would indeed be furloughed for one day a week, for 11 weeks, starting the week of July 8th.
At first the thought of being furloughed was devastating, and the uncertainty and lack of information surrounding it was not comforting! I of course quickly calculated how much money I would be loosing, also devastating, and decided I needed a plan! My first step was to re-think my summer plans; I didn't want to commit to anything I wasn't sure about being able to afford. Second step was to look for a roommate to help with my mortgage and household bills and expenses. I had been considering the option of a roommate ever since I bought my house, but hadn't put much thought or effort into making it happen. Luckily, right around the time there was first talk of the possibility of a furlough, one of my friends was looking to move to the city, and everything just kind of fell into place!
With a roommate to lessen the financial burden of the furlough, I was able to look at an extra day off each week in the middle of the summer in more of a positive light. I started a list of all the things I could accomplish on my days off and continued to add to it anytime I thought of something I'd like to get done but never have time to do. Before I knew it, I was actually looking forward to being furloughed, and as crazy as it sounds, think I would have been slightly disappointed if I didn't end up getting those days off!
So, my goal is to make these days off as productive as possible, and the idea of a blog, to hold me accountable to marking things off my list seemed like a good one! The plan is to post what I accomplish each furlough day, so next week the posts will begin!
In conclusion, I have 2 confessions:
1) Not all of my furlough days are on Fridays, just thought that title had a nice ring to it.
2) I am in no way shape or form a literary genius, nor anywhere close to being one, so don't judge, and if you actually read to the end of this, thanks for bearing with me!
At first the thought of being furloughed was devastating, and the uncertainty and lack of information surrounding it was not comforting! I of course quickly calculated how much money I would be loosing, also devastating, and decided I needed a plan! My first step was to re-think my summer plans; I didn't want to commit to anything I wasn't sure about being able to afford. Second step was to look for a roommate to help with my mortgage and household bills and expenses. I had been considering the option of a roommate ever since I bought my house, but hadn't put much thought or effort into making it happen. Luckily, right around the time there was first talk of the possibility of a furlough, one of my friends was looking to move to the city, and everything just kind of fell into place!
With a roommate to lessen the financial burden of the furlough, I was able to look at an extra day off each week in the middle of the summer in more of a positive light. I started a list of all the things I could accomplish on my days off and continued to add to it anytime I thought of something I'd like to get done but never have time to do. Before I knew it, I was actually looking forward to being furloughed, and as crazy as it sounds, think I would have been slightly disappointed if I didn't end up getting those days off!
So, my goal is to make these days off as productive as possible, and the idea of a blog, to hold me accountable to marking things off my list seemed like a good one! The plan is to post what I accomplish each furlough day, so next week the posts will begin!
In conclusion, I have 2 confessions:
1) Not all of my furlough days are on Fridays, just thought that title had a nice ring to it.
2) I am in no way shape or form a literary genius, nor anywhere close to being one, so don't judge, and if you actually read to the end of this, thanks for bearing with me!
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