Checking in

I'm alive! :) And will make a renewed effort to blog again. (How many times have I said that now??) Time has been flying by, and I've been so busy...

H and I remain together. Things are good; better than ever, really. Almost 8 months now. He has job interviews next week; it's exactly what he's been looking for, and it's local. I'm optimistic.

We found a roommate! Not a complete stranger - a friend of a friend. He's been here for about a month. He's awesome... We got lucky. He's paying $675/mo, bringing our rent down to $1245.

I got a raise last week! Only a little more than 1%, but it's better than nothing. I'm searching for a job in earnest, but having not passed the bar (I still haven't retaken it), my options are fairly limited. Wish me luck!

Hope you're all doing well!! :) I'm listening to and loving the new Christina Perri album... and staying up way too late. Whoops.

And another month goes by...

I finally have my computer set up in the bedroom; maybe that'll motivate me to start blogging regularly again.

H and I have been together 5 months now, and talk of moving up north has ceased. He had (almost) secured a job down here, and he was talking about buying a house and renting it out 'til our lease expired. But then that job fell through... although they said they'd want to hire him in two months. So I'm not sure what's going to happen.

I've been looking for a housemate the past couple weeks. I've had hardly any bites. Any suggestions on where to post ads (other than Craigslist)?

I've also been looking for a new job. I'll be content if I can find something that pays $20k more. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I'm also trying to decide if saving ~$30/mo is worth giving up my area code and phone number. That's what I'd have to do if I wanted to bring H onto my cellphone plan (he's in a different market, or so AT&T tells me). Would you do it?

I've been spending way too much money on food lately. I need to get a grasp on that. Maybe I can finally get a budget written this weekend...

Another life update

I've never gone this long without posting before! This blog feels like a stranger now. I think I'll familiarize myself again with it soon, once I feel settled... There's been a lot of uncertainty in my life lately.

I've been enjoying life, definitely. But plans are up in the air.

I've been with H (I can't remember why I dubbed him that, but I'll go with it) for about 4 months now (living with him for almost 2), and been at the new job for 3 1/2 months. The job is going well, but I don't get paid enough, and the benefits are terrible. I need a new one. I very much like being an editor; I'd like to stick with it, if possible. But there's next to nothing out there that's a perfect match for me. I'n going to keep trying.

The biggest uncertainty in my life right now is H. He's moving up north; his mom is buying him a house, but she would prefer he live up there. It's also the location he prefers for putting down roots. I may come with him. I may not. It depends on whether I could move my current job up there (we have an office in the city), or find another job. And it depends on how things continue to progress. And I would need an official invitation. Everything is going fantastically - but a few weeks ago, when I broached the subject, he said that level of commitment "terrified" him. Maybe his terror has subsided (now that I've met most of his family, his friends, and got the stamp of approval), but I'm kind of offended that the feeling existed in the first place.

I don't know when he's going to leave. He's been postponing going up north to look at houses, I suppose because he's enjoying spending time with me.

I'm getting our second bedroom ready to move in a housemate. That'll leave us both with more options, I think.

Finances-wise, I'm doing ok, but not throwing as much at my credit card debt as I'd like. I'm looking forward to selling off more purses/clothes/shoes on ebay - I've found myself caring very little about them lately. Moving twice since the beginning of the year has instilled a little bit of loathing in me over "stuff" in general.

Hope you're all doing well! (Early) Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. :)

Thanks everyone

I appreciate all the comments on my last post... even though I'm generally discounting them and deciding for myself (as per usual). ;)

I'm in a much different place than I was in January. I have a job (2 jobs, in fact), I'm emotionally recovered, M and I are at peace and back to being "best friends" (yeah, it happens). The relationship with the new guy (we'll call him H) is a bit odd; it was never meant to be anything serious, but it's evolved in a natural way (albeit backwards - sex --> love --> feeling totally comfortable with one another). Our open relationship is veering towards monogamy (but hey, the unconventional aspect of all of this is not a necessarily a bad thing. And I may continue dating -- he's fine with that, I might add).

There was one comment that made me pause, because it made absolutely no sense. Did I mention I was currently paying $1500 to live in 1 bedroom of a house with my mother (and others)? Someone said if I can afford $1200, I should be putting it towards debt. And what, living in a box? The situation I'm entering now is going to save me $550/mo. And that can potentially go towards debt.

Someone else wondered if there wasn't some other valid reason that my mom disliked H. Nope. My dad likes him. Friends like him. He's just the "intruder" who stole away the happy family time. And she probably doesn't like how quickly I slept with him. Yep, everything's been quick with him. It's been intense. People can argue that my break-up with M has something to do with it, but I think I just got REALLY lucky in terms of how great a match we are.

I'm probably going to bring in someone to live in our 2nd bedroom, bringing the rent down considerably. That may or may not be temporary. If the situation in general doesn't work out, so be it. At the least, it'll be an experience. :p

I'm a Risk Taker

Apparently. Because I'm on the verge of moving in with the guy I'm dating. The guy I've been dating for just about 2 months.

I mentioned major issues with my mom in my last post. Some of the major issues have to do with my guy. She was NOT happy that I was spending all my time with him, having him come over every night. She felt like I was "choosing him over [her]" and she was shocked that I had "moved on so soon." And unfortunately the walls are very thin. So movie watching past 10 is a a problem, and other activities are an even bigger one. He was basically banned from any area of the house other than my room. She radiated hostility at him. And things exploded one night a few weeks ago. Ever since, I've basically been living in his studio. He has a tiny bed and bathroom; I've been sleeping really badly and feeling claustrophobic. So we talked about it, and decided it would be economical to move into a new place together.

He's almost 30 and never lived with anyone, despite being in several long relationships. He had a bit of a panic attack over it. I had one for different reasons. The apartment we're on the verge of renting is $1800 and a 2 bedroom/2 bath (it's really adorable, homey and bright). $900 each isn't bad and much better than what I'm paying to live with my mom. But (and it's a big but), he's looking for jobs all over the country. He's willing to go where the wind takes him. I'm firmly rooted in LA. So, if he up and left, I would have to find a roommate... but maybe that's not so bad. I've decided I enjoy living with people.

The alternative is to find a 1 bedroom that I can easily afford on my own. I have seen a few decent ones for $1200.

So... what do you think? Is this a foolish decision I'm on the verge of making? And am I a terrible person for walking away from the house that my mom and I rented together? (Note that I'm not on the lease, at her request...)

Life Update

I've been at the new job almost a month now. I've also been seeing a new guy for about a month and a half. The job is going well; my coworkers are nice, the work is interesting, and I have some hours flexibility (I can come in between 8-8:30 and leave between 4:30-5:30, depending on how long of a lunch I take). I don't see myself being here for years and years, but I think it's a perfect fit for the immediate future.

The new guy situation is... different. I briefly mentioned this on twitter, but I've found myself in a bona fide open relationship. We have exchanged the "l" word, he stays at my place almost every night, but we're both still dating other people. (In the interest of disclosure, he's continued to actively see other people, while I've been putting in a lackluster effort). I'm playing it by ear for now (and shocking my friends and family!), but I'm not sure how I'm going to ultimately decide to handle it.

I may be moving again in the next month or so. My mom and I are having some major issues. Plus, I'm paying $1500 for a tiny room and limited access to the kitchen (as she feels "uncomfortable" when I have people over. But she forgets that this is OUR house. More MINE considering the amount of money I've poured into it). Ah, the joys of living with parents!

Hope you've all been well!

A New Job

I interviewed for a new job on Monday... and was hired by the end of the day. The pay is crap, but the title is fairly prestigious, and I'll get a lot of networking opportunities. I still have my other (work-from-home) job too.

My monthly income will be dependent on how much work I put into my 2nd job, but I should be bringing home approximately $3800.

I still have $10k in my savings that I haven't decided what to do with... shall I leave it in savings, or throw it at my credit cards?

I need to get through the week, and then I'll prepare a real budget again.