I was working this late because there's a bunch of contracting work I wanted to get wrapped up all nice and tidy before I started the Four Year Plan, which officially begins tomorrow. Part one of the Four Year Plan is starting this new full-time, permanent job.
It's actually almost the perfect job for me. (I say almost because nothing is truly perfect, is it?) It's the first job description that I've ever seen where I had exactly all the skill sets listed. It's working for a company doing something that I've already spent large amounts of my hobby time doing - namely writing software related to the real estate industry. Or more specifically helping buyers like me, get all the information they want. I interviewed them really carefully and they interviewed me just as carefully. And it ended up being a good match. I'm going to really miss contracting and the flexibility it provides. But I'm really looking forward to working in a team, in the city, on a project that I think is super cool. I have high hopes for it all.
After we got up late we headed by bike to this new breakfast place we rode by yesterday. It hadn't opened for business yet, and so we settled with breakfast at Cafe Colucci, which was a big mistake.
Well, I'm pretty sure that I suffer from hypoglycemia because I have a lot of weird things that happen when I don't eat soon after waking up. Like a really bad headache, for one. The restaurant we ended up at is usually really great for Ethiopian food, but apparently not breakfast. But you have to go there knowing you won't get quick service. It's just not how it works.
Also, I'm a breakfast person. I like breakfast and encourage our family to go out to get breakfast often. So, I really do care what my breakfast was like, and my breakfast wasn't so good. Actually, it was awful.
When I got home, I worked a bunch. That was pretty much the rest of my day.
Punkinpie did some gardening. Which is really cool, because I really feel like we're starting to make some progress with our home. There was a point, several months ago, when I really started to invest in this place as our long term home. And part of that was gardening. It's looking good.
Also, there's this weird plant phenomenon that's happening in my houseplants. Well, there's two, actually. The newest one are these mushrooms that are growing in one of our houseplants. Could somebody please identify these? There getting bigger, and I'm really enjoying them being here. It reminds me of the Pacific Northwest.
The second weird plant thing is the ants. They invaded yet another plant, except this time instead of re potting the plant and washing away all the soil, I just put poison nearby. They seem to be gone now. I guess that means there's a lot of dead ant bodies in that one plant now. What exactly happens to ant colonies when you poison them? I'm curious.I woke up a little sore today. Probably from the yoga on Friday and then the bike riding the past two days. I feel really good.
I forgot about explaining the Four Year Plan. Basically it goes like this. I don't want to raise kids here. Actually, that's not entirely true. I wouldn't mind raising kids here, but we need a lot more money to do it. I want both of us to have time to spend with our kids. And I don't mean after working full-time. I think it's ridiculous that we can't both own a home and have both of us work only part time. Where I used to live, this wouldn't be a problem. How are we supposed to be attentive parents if we can't be around for our kids in their formative years? Well, as I've mentioned, I have high hopes for this startup company that I'm going to start working for tomorrow. I took a little less money for more stocks. And I vest in four years. So, in my perfect world, this company will do well, and I'll make money off of it - think Google. I will stay there for four years to get all that stock, and then Punkinpie and I will possibly move. We have an agreement to talk very seriously about moving. The fact is that we could probably live on half of one income in Olympia, WA if we lived frugally, or on two halves easily. I'd like to move somewhere cheaper and raise our kids in a more mellow, much cheaper area. In Olympia, you can still buy a house where the rent pays the mortgage. That's a ridiculous concept here in the Bay Area. I'm willing to give up the glitz and glory of this area for a chiller, mellower, and more down time filled life. We'll see what we decide in four years. But that's our plan and agreement right now: To talk seriously about moving somewhere cheaper where we could both work less than full-time. And that might not even be Olympia, but then, it might. Only time will tell.
Cool Links for Today:
Grafiti and Media linked together
Optimize Your Life
Scratch That Travel Itch
World Music Festival. If they ever play the states again, get here.
Investment Sense
The Mother Load of Mortgage Calculators
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