Seeing this dude tonight

Last time going out in this ol' city.

WANT

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ahh so the stick in my spokes.

Got got called into the boss & boss's office yesterday. After praising me for a bit (thanks dudez,) they gave me some not so good news. Apparently they didn't follow procedure properly and me moving down as a full time employee would cost them half of my salary in taxes and whatnot (I have no idea how it works, so I'll just trust them.)

However, they have offered me a 6 month independent contract..

+/-

+ I'll be making more money, and be able to get paid for overtime.
- I will have to put aside money to pay my own taxes
- I will have to pay my own insurance
- No PTO
+ They're paying out my leftover accrued vacation, something like 5 days I think.
+ They're going to cover my cell and internet,
+ They're paying for my insurance for October.
+ I can get paid every 15 days, instead of once a month like most contractors.

I may have a migraine about it now, but I am trying to look on the bright side - they've made changes to the contract to make it better for me, which was very nice of them - my boss said that he'll give me a recommendation to wherever I apply and said he would help if he has any ins at a company I'm interested in. I am hoping this'll give me an opportunity to find something great in New York - and I'm glad I have at least a few months to find something that works well for me.

I will figure this out once I'm settled in.. For now I will focused on packing, my Grilled Cheese going away party tomorrow, and making this move as smooth as possible.

This week has gone by so slow. I want to stab my eyes out!!!!

Also, I've decided on a couch.



Did I mention Lindsey S. will be in NYC when I get in? I haven't seen her in years.. There's gonna be some lady bonding and wine drinking for sure. Ahh lovely.

My Costa Rican boyfriend Albert and I. He tried to drown me, then told me he loved me. Usually it's the other way around.



Floatin in the Pacuare River, right before slamming my hip into a rock.

i am dressed like a Dutch immigrant today??? My room is getting emptier...

The post-vacation blues have settled in and are mixing with pre-moving anxiety. I stared at the Ikea website for hours today, trying to imagine where to fit couches and bookshelves in the new place. I equally wish I were riding a rickety bicycle down a dirt road covered in sand and sweat. Can't wait to start seriously planning my next escape. Until then... pack pack packing away.

I'm back!

Too distracted to blog, but here's me ziplining through the jungle in costa rica.

I just spent about a minute and a half trying to find the @ on this keyboard. Clunk clunk clunk.

Arrived 2 hours late on Saturday, due to an unruley passenger in Dallas. Honestly, sitting at the gate for 2 extra hours wouldn´t have been so bad if I didnt have Captain Complainer sitting behind me whining about how they were throwing suitcases around outside our window and questioning why Unruly Passenger would have wasted all his money buying a plane ticket if he was gonna be a douche. Plus Polish Hacking Cough kept shouting about wanting to leave and needing tequila.

Thank you Kava Kava for your natural anti-anxiety benefits. I was cool as a cucumber.

Hopped in a taxi once I got through customs, and arrived at the Gran Hotel by 10pm. Too late for dinner, too late for a beer. Not too late to listen to wheelchaired trumpet player man in the giant public square outside my window. He played Blue Moon and it killed me.

Woke up at 5:30am yesterday (weird hours, weird airplane sleep) and enjoyed a breakfast of fresh fruit and toast with guava jam. I will eat my weight in pineapple while I am here. It is incredible.

My tour bus was over an hour late (cause I guess the guy didnt show up for work and they had to bring in another dude.) The guide's name was Will and I think he developed a crush on me by the end of the day.. insisted on a hug and gave me a kiss on the cheek? Eeek. We picked up Tomas and Andrew, who reminded me of those short little dudes from the last season of Amazing Race, and got on our way.

Ok, I'm tired of blogging. I will wait until I have pictures cause thatĺl make things more interesting. Iḿ gonna go out in San Jose now and try not to get robbed.

OH MAN! The Costa Rican goth kids!!! they were out in the square last night and I was pretty much obsessed.

Also, I saw a sloth and a tucan hung out on my arm. Touristyyy.

Mom gets in at 1pm - river rafting to Puetro Viejo tomorrow.

I've been saving up my credit card "Thank You" points and decided to use them to save myself some money for something I know that I will need and use and love..

TADA!!


I wasn't sure what to expect, and only cooking will tell how they are, but they arrived today and are sooooo pretty and heavy.. and BIG. They beg to be used for dinner parties, especially the gigantic saute pan (my burners at my new place are big, so this will work just fine.)

On the drive home today (in which my coworker played a John Mayer record and I texted Dan lyrics to "Your Body is a Wonderland," which I dont think he appreciated,) I got a little tenderhearted on myself, thinking about the next few weeks.

I remember sitting on my couch on my 27th birthday and telling Nell that I thought this year was going to be a big year of change - I'm not sure if I had a feeling then of what was to come, or just thinking that propelled me to make the needed changes.. but I was right. I'm at a point that I never expected - starting over in many ways.. and that is really exciting to me.

Taking the last few months to be selfish completely - to surround myself with people I care about and who I love and trust - traveling to new places - doing things I'd loved but had fallen by the wayside - has been so incredibly beneficial. At this point I feel so secure in myself - in who I am, and my abilities - and that feels really fucking good.

For a long time I let myself believe I wasn't good enough or that I couldn't be good enough, no matter what I did. Now I know that's not true. I am doing everything I've wanted to do, and I'm doing it on my own. I'm taking a crazy trip to a foreign country that I planned, I'm moving to a new city (to a great apartment) with what I've saved over the last year, I'm growing in knowledge & confidence at my job. I really believe I can do anything. I believe I deserve the best, and I'm willing to make that happen for myself.

Basically, I'm happy. And I've been eating WAY too much ice cream this week.

Flying anxiety starting to kick in. 8 hours on planes? BRING ON THE KAVA KAVA. And maybe some wine.

And let's not get mugged kiddies...