Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Three Weeks In

I am well into my third week of photography classes and I am learning a lot. Mostly I am learning that I don't know diddly. In class I am feeling overwhelmed and out of my league but when I am out shooting photos for assignments, I find myself having a lot of fun and looking forward to turning it all in. I am also finding that not working right now is pretty awesome as far as having time to work on my assignments goes. Monday I was able to have coffee with a friend and then go on a shoot downtown for stuff for school. Today I am able to work on/tweak assignments due tomorrow. It's also been good for me and Bob since we are spending more time together and rebuilding what was torn down during my horrible work experience. It looks like I'm learning more than just about photography.

Interestingly, I've been trying to pick up assignments from the temp agency but so far it's been for naught. I've thrown my hat into the ring on several job postings but haven't even been called. Equally as interesting, we are doing OK financially so far. We have cut back on going out and on extraneous spending and driving. Still, we lack for nothing. We won Twins tickets through our apartment management office so Bob is taking his brother to the noon game tomorrow. We also have been given a great gift for our anniversary that I can't yet talk about but came at a time when I thought we'd have to abandon any plans of celebrating in a special way. All our bills are paid for this month and we have a full pantry and freezer so we are good to go...at least for the next few weeks.

I do have to say that I have to fight my impulse to hoard. Not cats or collectibles but food and household items. When money comes in, I really have to fight running to the store to get stuff to stock in our pantry and freezer. We are good. We have all that we need and more and yet I find myself wondering, what if? So far I've been good about keeping the hoarding at bay but the urge is still pretty strong.

Spending time with Bob has been good. Last week we took a picnic lunch to a local park and had a good time eating, laughing, playing, and exploring. We found the park by just randomly driving around a lake and it was a lovely place to hang out on a breezy sunny day. Bob hunted and chased frogs while I took pictures and sat in the sun. We also played on the playground equipment and just generally goofed off. Yesterday we walked to our local polling place to vote in our primary. The day was warm and sunny and the walk was lovely. We have really enjoyed all the new time we've been able to spend together. It's been a great big gift.

The one big thing that still concerns me and has me struggling is health care. I got my COBRA letter yesterday and if we want to continue our health coverage as it was when I was working it would cost us about $900 a month! That's more than our rent. It would be like coming up with another mortgage or rent payment a month just for health care. Bob really has to get on the stick in talking to the social worker who is supposed to help him find a health care solution.

It is obvious that fall is upon us. Our temps have been chilly, the sun not quite as strong and warm as a month ago, and frost warnings and advisories permeate the local news weather reports. I'm not ready for winter but I do like autumn. I can only hope that our autumn lingers pushing winter back a few weeks or months. I don't have confidence in that happening but I can hope.

1 comment:

Eve said...

I think it's wonderful that you are following your dream!