also up early tomorrow- gotta get to the farmers market before making fundraising calls for the Lower 9th Village Community Center starting at 10. Tom's coming along, gonna check out the computer lab issues.

Sunday, not sure- there's a potluck/BBQ and watching the Saints Game at The Village, so we might do that.

Definitely need to get to Lane Bryant, I have some Real Woman Dollars that I am determined to cash in before they expire after this weekend.

Tonight, Tom's work is having a fundraiser at Rock & Bowl and then maybe we will catch a friend's son's show at Tipitina's (Free Admission Friday!)

I ran home from work last night, too! Thinking I was barely beating the weather. I don't understand. It's just so windy.

While it is humid out there, the air doesn't have that saturated, rain-is-inevitable feel that it had yesterday. Plus I keep seeing little bits of blue sky peeking through the dark clouds. Verra odd.

initially the plan for tomorrow was to get up early and head to my friend's house to help her keep the kids per her soon-to-be-ex-husband's request, but the oldest(who's 6) has strep throat. so i don't think i'll be going. may try to make plans with two other girlfriends to have dinner and maybe see a movie or play some Wii.

Sunday is usually my lazy day or my clean house day.

just got Hunger Games from the library yesterday and started last night. I really need to just read the books I already own and have not read, but I keep getting things from the library instead. I guess at least I am not buying more.

I've already decided that my book challenge for next year will be to read 1 book a month that I already own. Sadly, I actually have more than 12, and my fiction shelves are not that extensive.

I've already decided that my book challenge for next year will be to read 1 book a month that I already own. Sadly, I actually have more than 12, and my fiction shelves are not that extensive.

Ooh, that's a good one. I might have to give that a try.

I had vowed this summer I was not going to buy any books for six months and read only from my TBR pile. That lasted 2 months, but I get a few on the done side of the column

I keep trying to not buy new books until I've read what I have and failing. One book I already own a month, though, that might be an achievable goal.

Sadly, I actually have more than 12, and my fiction shelves are not that extensive.

Oh god, I have you so beat there.

Books are my crack. And used books at a yard sale? Completely unable to pass them up.

One book a month I own is an excellent goal. I should probably try for two.

Weekend: Paperwork today. Teaching Saturday, more about that later. Church Sat. night & Sun. morn. Plus, I might see if I can visit my friend with the scary pregnancy blood clot who is home from the hospital now and probably bored.

But the SO is camping this weekend, so I am thinking about what disruptive housework stuff I can do while he's gone. Not windows, 'cause I don't want to fall off a ladder while he's gone. But maybe staining the woodshed and working the fall garden bed. I have a few more onions and a bunch of tomatoes to harvest still and the garlic and new onion sets need put in the ground.

Anyway, teaching. I'm quitting. The part-time job, not our company. I have really mixed feelings about it, but I had two lessons two weeks ago and zero this past week. It does not make sense for me to sit at the store for eight hour to teach two half hour lessons. And it doesn't make sense for me to drive a half hour in separately, either. There is plenty of other stuff I could be doing with that time, and it's no longer helping out financially.

Literally, last pay period, I had 1 lesson. The SO? 44. Yeah, so.

But I can't help feeling like it's failure. I realize it's mostly because I teach beginning students who are more likely to quit than the SO's adult advanced students. But I dunno. I always kinda have imposter syndrome about this stuff, like I shouldn't be teaching, and this just seems to confirm that. And then there's the money. We're only half-assedly doing Dave Ramsey's plan at this point. And I can't help feeling like I'm not contributing to that, or to our other financial goals. Like the SO already works wicked hard with this, and the recording, plus all his regular work. I feel like he's doing too much, but I can't tell him to do less, especially if I'm not holding up my end.

I know most of that is dumb brain imps, but I can't help feeling that way. I know we're doing fine, financially, we're very lucky. And after today's payday, we'll actually have our $1000 baby emergency fund again. And I'll probably be a better musician for quitting, since I'll be able to practice for me, and not for lessons. There's no doubt I would love to have weekends back, especially if we're not playing in the band every weekend.

So. It's probably a good thing. It just feels weird.

Oy. Just got out of a last-minute meeting with my department and my boss's boss. Turns out he (and everyone reporting to him, including us) is being reorganized to report to someone else. This is the first in a long-predicted series of steps to eventually eliminate the entire department, which will more than likely occur by the end of next year, possibly sooner.

I'm not going to try and job hunt now since they're helping me out with my degree (although I might try and cram in two classes in the spring to get all of my reimbursement out of them in case they get rid of us earlier than expected), and since I'll have a big severance package due to being with the company since 1992. Between that, and my 401(k), which I have not put anything into but the company has deposited enough cash to pay for the rest of my degree even after the early-withdrawal penalty, I'll be able to finish off my masters without having to get a loan.

And, by the time I get my degree, I'll be significantly thinner so job hunting won't be as difficult as it would be now.

At least they're letting us know now.