Entering the Working World...

Well, long time no write. Sorry about that. I’ve gotten wrapped up in the real working world and just haven’t found the time until now. Now being at 1 o’clock in the afternoon at my desk where I have absolutely no work to do.

I got a full-time office job within two weeks of escaping my graduate institution by the way.  I file paperwork to clear cargo through customs. It’s not too bad, my kind of job in the sense that I don’t have to talk to anybody. It’s quite nice. Also, eventually my one boss here in this city (have another one in another state as well…) keeps telling me once we get a new computer program, there’s less work involved, and he wants me to do cost analysis for him. Yay calculus!

Anywho…today has been so boring. Nothing’s happening. I had one file that I didn’t get to last night (which took 15 minutes), and one sitting on my desk in front of me that’s almost completely done, but I’m waiting on a question I asked my supervisor (she’s out of town for two days). Basically…I just need to know which number to use, because the paper is contradictory. So once she tells me that, it’ll take another 10 minutes and I’ll be done with this one is well.

My coworker has been having a lot of trouble with her computer today. It’s not working right and our boss keeps making not-so-subtle insinuations to me that it’s because she’s not doing it right, doesn’t understand Mac, etc etc. I know she’s doing it right, it’s not that complicated. But he won’t even talk to her. He just keeps calling me. I feel like I came in today just to be tech support for her computer, when it’s all his fault it’s screwed up in the first place.

I mean, I guess I shouldn’t complain. I’m being paid to essentially do nothing. I’ve sat at my desk for most of the day playing Tiny Tower and reading Kelley Armstrong’s book The Reckoning. Heck, I’m even writing a blog entry. But I’d still like to find some happy medium here. Some days she swamps me with so many files even my coworker who’s been doing this for 10 years couldn’t keep up, or there’s days like today where there’s nothing. Plus this one I’m waiting on her to give me the info for is her freaking file, so she should do it.  I could’ve just not come to work today. The only file I’ve actually done can’t even be cleared by customs today because of the date. Sigh.

On the graduate school front, I paid my scholarship refund back earlier this month. It hurt my bank account big time, just about $7,600. Ouch ouch ouch. However, I think that’s the end of it.  It’s a big time relief, to think that absolutely everything involving that stupid venture is completely done.  Got rid of the money I owed them. Didn’t have to pay them anything extra for withdrawing.  Got someone to take over my apartment. Cancelled the cable haha. Everything. Now I can focus on the important things in life: my amazing fiancé (who gave me quite a scare in the past few weeks…he’s going to kill me one of these days with worry), my wedding, friends and family, and work (if there was any… :P).  I’m also trying to write a little bit here and there, one my own as well as with my fiancé, and still trying to figure out a way to help other graduate students and even undergraduate students, who are in the same or similar predicaments with their own universities. It’s not fair to be bullied/scared into staying because they’ll charge you money. It’s just not.

Thoughts on the working front…it’s nice to have money. And a steady income at that. I’m so used to getting a large lump sum twice (or three times at schools on quarters like my undergraduate university) a year that it’s kinda weird getting money every two weeks.  I’m definitely more relaxed because I know absolutely positively for sure we’ll have enough money for the wedding with me working this job now. Plus, I can afford to spend some money here and there…some clothes, a dvd once a month, a book, etc.

But I’ve come to realize it’s really really hard for me to spend the money. I know I have extra. I know I can spend some on myself, treat myself every once in a while. But sometimes it’s ridiculous how hard it is for me to do so. I’ve got to figure out a way to not feel guilty about spending $15 on myself every once in a while.