***Week in retrospect***

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I can't believe we're at the end of the first complete week in March. And it's been a busy week at that.

Remodeling continues to occur in our house. All the major fixtures are in except for the master bathroom which still needs the new cabinet and its appropriate appliances (e.g., sink, etc.) The new canned lights brighten the rooms considerably. I can't believe how good the black galaxy granite counter top looks on the central island in the kitchen. It will be amazing once the rest are installed.

Got to get the pics developed asap.

Saturday we're expecting our general contractor and counter-top contractor to arrive in the late morning for a pow-wow session. A repair person will be stopping by as well to take a look at our new oven/microwave as well. What is that sound...?

Moving on....

Finished my first week as a perm at work. Still getting used to it psychologically. It's funny. Most of the staff from the other departments thought I already was a perm. Once they found out (via e-mail), many have stopped by to congradulate me. I've ended the week by bringing donuts to work.

I get paid vacations and have already put in time for our July outing. I'm now waiting to hear back from our financial planner regarding what to do with my 401k once I receive it mid-year. Oh! And there's the issue about my stocks and trust to deal with. Sigh.

Been driving a lot this week. March 15th is the deadline to turn in corporate taxes. I've used my lunch hour to obtain the necessary forms which I then mail certified-return receipt. While last year was slow, we actually turned a (small) profit. We'd hope to really start working on our business this year but remodeling makes it very difficult with most of our stock inaccessible behind boxes and boxes of...stuff.

Speaking of finances, our outflow of our discretionary funds has stopped considerably since remodeling and the new car. Our only real major expenses are eating out. The latter, though, is our big social event: we're too tired and too preoccupied to do any other activities at the moment. Well, there goes our goal to socialize more with our family and friends. Hmmm. May be after June....

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It's funny to state, but I have a "social" activity normally not shared with my spouse. I've been trying to get back to the gym and did so once this week. I enjoyed the two hour session with cardio the first 45 minutes and weights in second session. Less pleasant--of course---were ab work between the two classes. I can't believe the same instructor taught both classes back to back. Ugh. I have to get back in shape especially as the weather continues to get brighter and warmer. One of the perm perks at work is access to the gym room onsite. Hmmm. How will I shower, though? Is it time to stock on towelettes?

Reading and writing still continue to languish. I just started a new book with my friends G. and C. I know what to do about the writing: just make time and do it. Hmmm. Let me look at my schedule....

And on that note, have a great weekend!

*All pictures were found on the Internet and belong to their respective owners.

***Ah, to be young again...***

Rarely do I think about my youth and, even more, sypathize with folks who'd like to reclaim their younger days. I look back at my twenties and (shudder) my teen years and blanch.

However, I do remember a few "perks" from that time. (Well, besides more hair, vitality, looks, libido, etc.) One is the lack of perspective. There are days now that I wish I wasn't too aware of all the consequences of my choices: buying a new car while paying off another one while remodeling the house, for example. In my younger years, I would have either bought the car and rant about the payments (or ignored them and the effects on my credit rating) or--absolutely knowing I couldn't afford a new vehicle--just emotionally moved merrily along after a good scream, rant, and indulgence of food (or sex).

Another perk is disregarding my mistakes. Case in point: forgetting to put out the garbage. Or buying more groceries. Before I would have let it go emotionally. But I'm part of a couple now and such issues get magnified when brought to my attention.

But I am an adult and know of the various logical mechanisms to deal with the above issues. But there are days I miss those blinders where the world revolved--truly--around me.

***Rebirth (and, no, this is not JLo's latest album)***

Funny how fast things can change.

Last Monday the client (and my boss) called me into his office and asked what was my hourly rate with the agency. I told him I didn't know: I rarely keep track once the funds are being deposited in my account. I excused myself and obtained the information. He thanked me and I heard nothing that day.

Last Tuesday the Human Resources department called me in. Now what, I thought as I scampered through the dizzle between the two buildings. In the HR office, I met with the smiling representative who presented me a permanent job offer. Whoa! Floored, I told her I need to think about it. I took the offer and some information with me and, for the next few hours, discussed the issue with co-workers, friends, family, and The Spouse. I even discussed the issue with my agency. All basically said I should take the position: while they understood my reasons for staying as a temp, the benefits (literally) of a perm job outweighed the disadvantages. Besides, The Spouse said, even permanent jobs are but "temporary" in today's economy.

So on March 1st, I signed the contract and submitted it to the beaming HR representative. I also took Thursday and Friday off since the official start date wasn't until the 7th.

I primarily ran errands on both days. I picked up some packages from the post office. I brought up R.'s car to the dealership for its free oil change. While waiting, I looked at the other cars in the nearby dealerships. On both days I indulged at one of my favorite restaurants. I must have easily gained a few pounds there alone. Evenings were spent watching anime.

The remodeling goes on. A few weeks ago, we made an appointment for a glass designer to visit on Saturday. She arrived late with one of the most well-behaved dogs we've ever encountered. Very interesting person with some very beautiful designs. It will be interesting to see what she creates for our bathroom windows.

After she left and a quick meal, we checked out more fixtures for the remodeling at Expo, Standards of Excellence, and Lamps Plus as well. Do you know how many types of faucets out there? I'm so glad we have the Internet. But it was a pleasant experience even though I still have problems telling the difference between bright brass and gold. More importantly, we not only narrowed our choices but made several purchases as well (i.e., the bar sink).

We found some unpleasant discoveries, though. There's an odd hum coming from our new oven/microwave appliance. Is it faulty wiring? And the minor "spill" by the contractor in the guest bathroom had soaked into the hallway carpet and into R.'s office, damaging some books and other papers. And we have yet to hear back from our countertop contractor whose call we promptly returned Saturday morning.

Evenings were primarily spent watching--you guessed it--anime. Sunday, though, we worked on prepping our business taxes as well.

Sigh. The trials and tribulations of remodeling, both a house and one's working career. R. pointed out (when I confided I was feeling a bit disoriented these days) that job changes are remodeling are some of the highest stressors for people. I filed the comment for future reference as we watched another murder on Detective Conan....