Enjoying life
Its been a long time since I've updated our blog, sorry for being so lazy about posting. Mark and I have been really enjoying Oregon, and loving the lazy days of summer. I know the first question on everyone's mind is, do we have jobs? The answer is no, and which is attributed to a purposeful lack of trying. Mark and I have decided to enjoy our summer and really spend the time reflecting on life and pondering what kind of work could make us happy.
We got the proceeds from our house sale and was able to pay off almost all of our debt. Its a great feeling to have no car payment, credit cards and be done with my student loans. We put the rest of it in a money market account getting 5.4 % interest. =) Feels weird to have so much in savings, but its a very nice feeling. Living in Oregon is so inexpensive, the cost of living is cheaper than LA and there is no sales tax, which is sooo nice. We could probably get away with just one of us working, which gives us a lot of options.
Mark is a little closer to a work decision than I am, and he has decided that getting back into elementary school computer education work is what he'd like to do. He has a few apps out to try and get a job doing tech work for some of the school districts in the area. He is still considering working in higher education, but its less of a preference.
As for myself, I have a lot of options open. One idea is to go back to school full time, either an MBA in finance or something using my biology degree and just work part time. Another idea is to take a class at night this fall, getting certified in Microsoft's MCSE program and working during the day. I have some other more far fetched options that I'm considering as well. Until I figure out what I want to do, I've postponed serious job searching.
When you tell people you aren't really looking for a job, its a weird feeling. I think we're all conditioned to work, and so bucking that tradition seems like a weird idea. I have to resist other people trying to make me feel guilty for taking time off, or the unsaid accusations of "being lazy". As most people who know me know, I'm a very efficient person, so some people are surprised I'm not bored. I have been spending the time doing a lot of soul searching and reading. I am also really enjoying our time here in Oregon, its a beautiful place. Summer here has been a little hot, but most days have been fine. I've never really been a fan of sunny days, so I've really enjoyed the few overcast days we've had, and look forward to more of them in the fall.
How do we spend our days? Well, both of us are night owls, so we have taken to staying up late and sleeping in, which seems to be a more natural schedule for us rather than having to force ourselves to wake up early for work. I usually spend my days reading, doing paperwork, unpacking, house chores and playing our computer game. We have been doing a lot of driving around, trying to learn our way around our new town. A lot of time has been taken up by the mundane tasks that is inevitable when you move to a new city. Its only been in the last week that we feel "settled" into our new apartment, with most of the stuff unpacked. There is a lot of stuff we won't be unpacking until we buy a house.
The cats are fine, and have definitely settled in. They are enjoying all the windows they can look out. The apartment has very wide window ledges, so even our fattest cat has no problem jumping up. The apartment is smaller than we're used to, but its fine for our purposes. We've been pretty good about eating at home a lot, though we have tried some of the restaurants around our neighborhood. We've already identified some favorites. =)
Anyways, that's about it. Best way to keep in touch with us is email or snail mail, since we often forget to charge our cell phones nowadays. =) Back to enjoying summer...
We got the proceeds from our house sale and was able to pay off almost all of our debt. Its a great feeling to have no car payment, credit cards and be done with my student loans. We put the rest of it in a money market account getting 5.4 % interest. =) Feels weird to have so much in savings, but its a very nice feeling. Living in Oregon is so inexpensive, the cost of living is cheaper than LA and there is no sales tax, which is sooo nice. We could probably get away with just one of us working, which gives us a lot of options.
Mark is a little closer to a work decision than I am, and he has decided that getting back into elementary school computer education work is what he'd like to do. He has a few apps out to try and get a job doing tech work for some of the school districts in the area. He is still considering working in higher education, but its less of a preference.
As for myself, I have a lot of options open. One idea is to go back to school full time, either an MBA in finance or something using my biology degree and just work part time. Another idea is to take a class at night this fall, getting certified in Microsoft's MCSE program and working during the day. I have some other more far fetched options that I'm considering as well. Until I figure out what I want to do, I've postponed serious job searching.
When you tell people you aren't really looking for a job, its a weird feeling. I think we're all conditioned to work, and so bucking that tradition seems like a weird idea. I have to resist other people trying to make me feel guilty for taking time off, or the unsaid accusations of "being lazy". As most people who know me know, I'm a very efficient person, so some people are surprised I'm not bored. I have been spending the time doing a lot of soul searching and reading. I am also really enjoying our time here in Oregon, its a beautiful place. Summer here has been a little hot, but most days have been fine. I've never really been a fan of sunny days, so I've really enjoyed the few overcast days we've had, and look forward to more of them in the fall.
How do we spend our days? Well, both of us are night owls, so we have taken to staying up late and sleeping in, which seems to be a more natural schedule for us rather than having to force ourselves to wake up early for work. I usually spend my days reading, doing paperwork, unpacking, house chores and playing our computer game. We have been doing a lot of driving around, trying to learn our way around our new town. A lot of time has been taken up by the mundane tasks that is inevitable when you move to a new city. Its only been in the last week that we feel "settled" into our new apartment, with most of the stuff unpacked. There is a lot of stuff we won't be unpacking until we buy a house.
The cats are fine, and have definitely settled in. They are enjoying all the windows they can look out. The apartment has very wide window ledges, so even our fattest cat has no problem jumping up. The apartment is smaller than we're used to, but its fine for our purposes. We've been pretty good about eating at home a lot, though we have tried some of the restaurants around our neighborhood. We've already identified some favorites. =)
Anyways, that's about it. Best way to keep in touch with us is email or snail mail, since we often forget to charge our cell phones nowadays. =) Back to enjoying summer...
posted by Judy | 4:49 PM
3 Comments:
YAY! I'm so glad you posted on your blog. I've been checking it several times every week, but missed this post because Ricardo and I have been really sick. Ricardo's been home for most of the past two weeks--he went to the doctor for the first time since we moved back here. It seems we're pretty much over the bug now--I hope.
I think it's cool you're not actively looking for jobs yet. It's a privilege and a blessing very few people are able to enjoy. I love being "unemployed" (funny thing is, people are always working at something, even if they're not getting paid for the work). It's an incredible opportunity for personal introspection, spiritual growth, and appreciation of your marriage. I think it's much "lazier" to avoid growth and relationship building by living for your job, working constantly and burying yourself in stuff that doesn't matter much in the long run. You can toss that line back at the naysayers.
Kevin asked about you today, so I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your new home. I think you got to spend time with the W's while they were up your way? Hopefully they'll have some photos of you so I can see that you're alive and well.
Hi guys!!! Irene and I are happy that you guys are happily settled in. However, all this talk about no job and "lazy days" has got Irene thinking. She tells me that she might just join the crowd. Heck, I might throw the towel too, but I am gonna have to win the lottery or forclosure would be right aorund the corner. Hmmmm... Oh well, I can dream.
What is snail mail? Rosie
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