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:: Sunday, April 24, 2005 ::

Have to be into work at 2, but I figured I'd blog a bit. I was hoping to get this back up to once a day, but it looks like I can only manage once every 4-6, these days.

Nothing horridly interesting to report. I'm helping with a literary event at Brookdale this coming Saturday...unfortunately, I'll have to call out of work, but these things happen. I've yet to call out. I'm kind of obligated to help, being the semi-co-prez of English Club and all, but I totally forgot about it, to be honest. Luckily, Suzanne reminded me. I'm going to be proctoring a couple of q-and-as with some authors, it looks like.

So I was picking up insoles at payless, across the highway from my work, and there was only one clerk there. One clerk in a SHOESTORE in HOLMDEL on a SATURDAY AFTERNOON. I helped a few customers get down boxes from high places while the line from hell thinned out a bit. One of the customers called this poor guy a "communist" because he told her there was no one else to help her. Hey, lady - the retrieval poles are two feet from your hand...stop being an entitlement-ridden she-whore and get it your god damned self. I ended up clambering on top of a trying-on bench to get her toddler shoes so she'd leave the guy the hell alone. He saw it, and talked with me briefly, and basically what it ended up as was he wants to hire me, it sounds like for a manager position, at more than B&N is paying me. However, I have to maintain 20 hours at B&N to keep my health insurance (of which I've lost the card since it was sent to me- sigh), and with the weird assortment of hours they assign, I'm not sure I can do another job. I do and don't want to leave...I don't know. I can't imagine payless has better health care, plus I'd be bored to tears. But more money? I wonder how much more money. And a managerial position again. And maybe discounts on shoes? Hm. So I'm checking the site here...doesn't say anything about discounts on shoes, but I have to imagine they exist. They also have health, dental...all that jazz...willing to bet it's one of those in-a-year deals, though.

I should hit up B&N for tuition reimbursement before I go, if I'm eligible. Ok...six months with them and a minimum of 35 hours per week. I don't think I'm scheduled for 35 hours. Suck. I started working there basically February 1st, so I'm at about the halfway mark. Do I want to do this for another 3 months? Is it worth it if I'm not going to be scheduled 35+? I mean, for the insurance, sure, but tuition reimbursement is a pretty big deal to me, one of my main reasons for the job. They don't include the "university fees", which are about 15 a credit, so they'd be paying essentially 300 a class, and I'd be paying 33. But again, I don't think I'm going to be scheduled for 35....last week was 24 and this week is 31. It's close, but not close enough. The 401k/stock stuff is a definate year, that I know.

Urg. Too much to decide on.

Joey and I have been talking about trying to get a townhouse instead of an apartment, a few freakin decades from now when we're actually able to move out. I've been looking over information about mortgages and the price range of most of the townhomes around here, it's pretty bleak. We're looking at at least 150k, and mortgages want you to put down at least 10-20%, less than 20 and you have to buy mortgage insurance, which my dad tells me is about $100 or so a month, and taxes are the same...he says between all the incidentals the city/state/bank charges you, it's about 300 a month on top of your mortgage. Now I read that not only do they want a 20% downpayment, but that your mortgage can't be more than 28% of your income, with most lenders. With mine and Joey's incomes *combined*, that means it can't be more than $900 or so, meaning that an 80k house is the best we can do. That's not even factoring in his debt, which is substantial. Mine will be paid off by the winter, but he's going to have his for awhile. So much to worry about. Dad also says we're going to have issues getting a mortgage while we're unmarried (though he hurriedly amended he wasn't pushing us to) - and I'll be god damned if I'm going to come back from our wedding reception to *this* house. I couldn't even fit through the front door in a dress, for god sakes - my bridal train alone would fill up the volume of the bathroom.


Gotta scoot..need to do some more reading about mortgages.

~Fox
:: Fox 4/24/2005 10:04:00 AM [Say what?] ::
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