Meat Candy

I wasn't sure how to break it to you, so I'm just going to come out and say it: I spent $40 on brunch on Saturday.

I have no defense. It's impossible to rationalize the spending. I can say, however, you go to Mission Beach Cafe and get a side of bacon and then come back to me and tell me how much you spent.

The rest of the weekend was way more under control. An OKC dude (dead bodies guy) took me to see Eddie Izzard on Saturday night, and on Sunday I met with a couple guys starting a comedy workshop. All in all, a success.

The weekend: $80 - a little of this, and a lot of that.

Inept

I work for a large enough company that it has an Employee Assistance Program. This EAP offers help in a number of areas (from the death of a pet to divorce to adopting children, etc) - and financial planning.

I called yesterday.
1) A doctor answered the phone. "Oh, uh. Hi. I actually just need help with debt."
2) Forwarded a few times after he figured out that I wasn't going to jump off a building.
3) Talked to an automaton who then emailed me an excel sheet that I have to fill in with all my debt and interest rates and stuff.
4) Filling it out now.
5) Need to email it back.
6) Then they call me back again and schedule a phone meeting with an adviser in 2-3 weeks out.

Well, it's free for now, so I may as well utilize the service. I'll be back with a review in 14 business days or so.

Yesterday - $7: coffee and mini donuts for my coworkers.

I have resigned myself to never being skinny. Suck it, stringbeans.

Faith No More

Here are the things I'm not good at:

• diets
• self-control
• self-restraint
• exercising
• cleaning
• financial management
  

Here are the things I'm good at:

• laughing
• eating
  
• blogging
• baking
• bluntness
  
• breathing
• walking
• shopping
• chit chat
• explaining
• infuriating
• Scrabble

OK go. You tell me what I should be doing. Because apparently I'm failing at the things I'm not good at so I should focus on the stuff I am good at.

Yesterday: $0, but I was really angry about it. Stupid cleanse.

The Cleanse

1/17 - Day 1. Fail. Went to Kat's birthday party and gorged on cheese.

1/18 - Day 1, redux. Fail. Did the salt water flush, and made one lemony drink. Opted to hang out with S/A, ate a Reuben, made coconut brownies. Maybe not a total fail - that sandwich was amazing.

1/19 - Day 1, part trois. Decided to let myself eat bits of a clif bar today since I know it's going to be rough. At work - have 4 servings of lemony drink for the rest of the work day.

The Long Weekend - $80. Reuben, gifts, coffee, cleanse ingredients.

Eventful week

NPR, two bouts of TRX at the Krav Maga gym, a clean bill of health, open bar at S's office party, a visit with LA-K, and the last few days before I start the lemon cleanse.

Yes, the cleanse. The bad for your body and emotional state cleanse. Listen, it needs to happen. Naysayers may nay away, but I'm doing it. Again.

Yesterday: $10 coffee and sandwich

Forbearance

I got uber confused by a letter from Citibank I received yesterday. It looks like my federal loans are in forbearance, but they're not. I don't get it. So I called and asked what I can do to make the smallest payments now while I get my shit in gear, and the guy said I can request forbearance for a year at a time without penalization - that's what it's there for.

So, that's cool - that's about $16,000 if I can get it to hold off for another year (not including interest, which I'd be responsible for). The Citiassist loans I have from undergrad and grad I still have to pay monthly, but I can handle that. It's on a graduated repayment plan - yeah, it's the worst kind. In the long term I'll end up paying more over time. But since I keep accruing parking tickets, I need the help I can get now.

My future self will probably be annoyed with my present self. However, future self, if you're reading this, I still have a 401K that I max for matching potential. So there. I do kind of have my head on straight.

Yesterday and Day before: $20 - cofee and Walitin D

KQED

I submitted a story to my local NPR radio station for their Perspectives spot. While I was recording it this morning at the station, I realized two things:

a) my voice doesn't sound nearly as weird as I thought it did
b) holy crap, they're disorganized.

If you want to listen in, my blurb airs on Friday.

I get a $65 stipend for the piece, which they suggest giving back to the station. It is a non-profit, after all. I, however, am going to give mine to the Mental Health Association of San Francisco.

Yesterday: $6.50 - soup (which is ridiculous, since I made a giant pot of soup the day before).

Break out

I see a direct correlation between the amount of money I spend and the state of my face. Current face situation is grim - 4 blemishes in various stages around my mouth and nose. I'm breaching 29 and I still break out like I'm 14. On a scale of 1 to awesome, I'm a 9.

Good news - I called the dentist to see why they charged my $90 and they're going to file the x-rays as something else so the insurance pays for it.
Bad news - I went on a shopping spree over the last two weeks with money I sort of have, but should have spent paying back various sources of debt. (There's an interesting description - sources of debt. As if, in some way, I am not the alpha source of debt. Ahoy, Captain Passive!)
Meh news - Slayer was cancelled so I got my ticket money back. Yay?
Bad news - two parking tickets.
Good news - got my $100 rebate money for the Palm Pre I bought in October.

Last 4 days - I don't know. $200? I suck.

I ate two bagels in one sitting

{eom}

Yesterday: $15 - lunch and beer

Boring Life

You know what makes me happy? 7 pairs of tights and 3 pairs of shoes from Target for $97.

But you knew that already.

I went a little nuts yesterday with the purchases. I also got the new Katamari Forever. O.M.G. Love love love love love. Nope, I don't have a PS3 but a boy I'm seeing-ish does, so I invited myself over to play. I'm awesome.

Yesterday: $200 - Target, Game Stop, La Traviata take-out

The edge

I had a lovely New Year's with Z, A, I and a bunch of others up in faux-Tahoe. You know when you look at the map and the part that goes from grey to green to indicate mountains and stuff? We were right on the edge of green.

Not only did I repeatedly get my ass handed to me in Bananagrams, I ate a month's worth of calories in three days. Oh, Costco artichoke dip - I will marry you. I will eat you and then I will marry you. Oh, and that banana crème brûlée I whipped up? Not too shabby.

Overindulgences aside, I spent about $120 in food and fuel over the last 5 days.

Huzzah for 2010!