March Madness: Part 2

I live in a condo and toward the beginning of this month I was doing little home improvement projects. These were things I had been putting off for a while and finally got my ass in gear to complete: 

Moved into the bigger room: I was supposed to do this when my mom moved out, but got lazy. I finally made the move and like having the extra space. However, more space does not necessarily mean more storage. Half my closet is taken up by the stairway underneath it so I lost a bit of storage space there. I still have a bunch of crap laying around. I should give it away to the Salvation Army, but you know what's going to happen??? I'm going to need it 2 weeks later. I think I may be a bit of a Hoarder, but it's not terrible. I can still see the floor of my room. I just need to get some plastic bins and organize the chaos. 

Installed a lock on my old room: These are the parts that come with a door knob and lock:

Since the installation instructions were really more of a step-by-step picture guide, I got the gist of it and proceeded to install the lock. After screwing in the strike plate quite easily, I moved on to installing the deadlatch. It was a little tougher than the strike plate (I installed it the wrong way on the first try), but I still managed to get that done. I was so excited, that I wanted to test the latch out. Well, it worked perfectly...then I realized there were no knobs to pull back the latch and open the door. 

Naturally, I freaked out because I had locked myself in a room with a door that doesn't have knobs and without a cell phone. I started pulling hard at the door in hopes of breaking the latch or the door. That didn't work. I looked out the window and considered climbing out of the 2nd story window on top of the patio shade and jumping down to the back yard, but I would still have no phone or keys to get in, not to mention I was in my pajamas. I went back to trying to break the door and the latch and could feel the tears forming (I have bad memories of being locked in rooms thanks to being a mischievous little kid). Finally a took a deep breath and started looking at the latch. There was a release for the latch and the door opened up. I felt like a dumbass and supreme being at the same time. 

Installed wifi: Unfortunately, I don't have a personal laptop or computer. I have a laptop provided by my work, but I don't like using it too much because it reminds me of work. BUT, I can use my iTouch. I think I might have been a cavewoman in a past life because I'd be totally fine without a computer/laptop/gadgets that use wifi. I didn't say life would be as convenient or fun, but I would survive just the same. 

Added another lamp in the living room: I had my Christmas tree up until February. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, the tree looked decent (even though it was plastic) and it provided a lot of light in the living room. Then my mom said that I looked like a crazy woman with a Christmas tree still up in February so she made me take it down. It was pretty dark in the living room after that, especially since part of the living room is painted a dark plum color and Ikea lamps don't really cut it after a while. I finally found a lamp with enough light as the Christmas tree. The tree was funner to look at, but this lamp will do...until December.

I've done a little more stuff to the place, but there's still lots to be done - it's a work in progress. Home improvement/home decor is endless, that's fer sure. Anyways, doing all that stuff was part of the madness know as March 2010.

March Madness: Part 1

"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." - Outkast

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about all these changes that were going to happen and how I was hoping to handle them. Well, the changes happened, but not the way I thought they would. This is long, so I bolded parts that would give you a good summary of the post :)

Mom changed her mind and ended up NOT moving in. This is started the domino effect of changes on a different path than I anticipated. When I thought she was moving in, I planned on having an extra $1200+ per month. When she told me her reasons for staying in Corona, I couldn't be mad, but this meant I would to give up the trip to Thailand for April and Victor's wedding. It sucked having to tell April I couldn't go, but there was no way I could pay for the airfare and March's rent in the same week. Not to mention, I had just turned in my credit application to buy Mad Max (that's what I named my car) from Mercedes-Benz so a big withdrawal from my account wouldn't help my situation. April was unbelievably understanding about me changing my mind. Her graciousness made me feel like more of an ass for not going, but she assured me that there would be more trips we could venture on together later down the line.

The following week, I found out my credit application was declined. I wasn't really surprised given my credit history and the current economic climate, but time was running out and the dealership gave me until March 19th to try and get this car. I told my dad what was happening and he agreed to co-sign with me, so we submitted a new application with both of our names on it. My dad had to hustle, but Mercedes eventually agreed to finance us. Unfortunately, my dad didn't like the deal they were offering and started to shop around. He told me to prepare for the worst case scenario, which in my head meant using the bus to get around indefinitely.

As my dad shopped around for the best deal on a car, Albert referred me to his tax guy, Raul. I was a little hesitant about going to Raul since I knew it would cost money for him to do my taxes. I did my own taxes last year and ended up paying, so it didn't make sense for me to pay someone to tell me I owed money to the government. Albert convinced me to go because maybe Raul could figure out a way for me to pay less or maybe nothing at all. After meeting with Raul, he said I would actually be getting a tax refund this year...which is INSANE! I'm used to owing money, so it was a pleasant surprise for me to get some money back. It's not a lot, but I figured it would be enough to cover the first payment on Max + new tires - I was still hoping I could buy that car. On a personal note, I don't know why I'm so freakin' stubborn. I'm lucky I have a patient boyfriend. Anyways, the refund was the first piece of good news I got in the past couple weeks so it was nice to breathe easy, even for just one afternoon.

The following week (which was last week) was a mad, mad scramble to figure things out with my car. My dad had found some deals, but I would have to turn Max in, which I didn't really want to do since I would have to pay the excess mileage penalty. Regardless, I went with him to the other dealerships to try and negotiate a reasonable down payment with a reasonable monthly payment, AND get the same dealership to buy my leased car as trade-in. I begged for a Prius, of course. But my dad refused to help me buy a "death trap" (his words, not mine). 

I test drove a Honda Insight. All the reviews of it are pretty accurate, it's a poor man's Prius and the engine IS as loud as the critics describe. But I would have taken it anyway. I was looking forward to finally having a hybrid and not having to buy premium fuel. BOTH of my parents didn't like the idea of me driving a non-luxury vehicle. I didn't mind as much, although I would have been more enthusiastic about it if it were the Prius. That ended up not mattering - after test driving the Insight and hearing Honda's offer (which was crap because the Insight would have cost MORE than the Mercedes), I was set on taking the less whack deal to buy Mad Max. 

I told my dad that we should just settle on buying Max, but he didn't feel like settling. Plus, I think the people at Mercedes-Benz pissed him off when they didn't want to finance us initially. He had proposed going to BMW because he worked with them before and like their service. He had already spoke with someone there and was almost sure we could get a good deal on a 1 series. I was really hesitant about the whole thing because 1) I thought the 1 series was pretty weird looking when I saw pics online, 2) did it make sense for me to get a new car? much less a new luxury car? I followed my dad to BMW and test drove the 128i. When I first set eyes on it, I couldn't believe it was the same car I saw online. I still have some qualms about how the back end looks, but it isn't anything I couldn't get over. So issue #1 was resolved. Issue #2 was a trickier.

I sat at the dealership forever. My dad had to leave for work after 2 hours, so I was there trying to negotiate this by myself. I was hungry, I was tired, and I wanted to go home because it was mine and Albert's 3-year anniversary. After 6 hours and several calls to/from my dad for updates on the negotiations it sounded like I was actually going to get this car. Unfortunately, since he wasn't there to finalize everything, I had to go back in there in the morning to settle everything. That night I did the calculations to see if this deal made any sense. In the end, buying the new car actually cost less than buying Mad Max - issue #2 resolved. 

Last Thursday, I met my dad at BMW and we signed the papers to buy the 128i. By that afternoon, we were at Mercedes signing the lease-return papers for Mad Max. I actually cried a little when they drove Max away and my dad was there to give me tissues telling me I'll actually be able to keep the new car this time and can make new memories with it. I still miss Max, but I know I drove him pretty hard. I hope his next owner is able to take better care of him than I did. As for the new car, I still can't believe it's mine. I'm actually afraid to drive it around because I want to take better care of it than I did with Max.

I know I should be driving a hoopty or something that's more within my credit score's realm. The only reason this car even became an option for me was because of my dad. He pulled off some crazy magic trick to get me a BMW with my lame ass credit score and I'm forever thankful. And, coincidentally, the only reason I have enough money to pay my share of the down payment AND the first month's payment is because of Albert and his tax guy. I really should just listen to him from the beginning...I end up doing what he says anyway, so it would save us both a lot of hassle. 

It's just crazy how that all worked out. March has been one crazy month and I haven't even told you the rest of it yet either. Since this post is already pretty long, stay tuned for Part 2.

On The Hunt

It's probably the worst time to look for a new job, but that's what I'm doing. It's not that I'm unhappy at my current job. Actually, I like what I do and my boss is really cool - two things that I didn't find at previous jobs. But, I've been feeling less and less motivated as the days go on. When it comes down to it,  I DO want more of a challenge and something more focused on the environment. While my current job helps companies create a "greener" image for themselves, I still feel my primary purpose is sales (I do try to educate people on how they can lighten their carbon footprint every chance I get). I know every company out there is about money and making more of it efficiently, but I think there is a job out there that will give me a little more satisfaction, not only in my day-to-day duties but my overall job objective as well. And, yes, I'm looking for AT LEAST a $10K increase in annual salary...AT LEAST (seeing my W-2 for last year was just sad). Let's face it, we're all looking to make the most amount of money in the least amount of time and effort, employer and employee alike.

With that said, I'm also REALLY tired of job hopping. Before this, the longest I held a job was for almost 2 years. I wasn't fired ((knock on wood)), I just got bored with what I did every day and/or annoyed with management each time. Now, I fully expect I won't always be happy with management and a future coworker is going to annoy the crap out of me (there's always one), but what will get me through it is my love for the work. If you're thinking, "NO ONE loves their job or what they do forever", then I would say look at our parents' generation. I know my mom stayed with one hospital for 20 years....my dad has been with the same employer since I was born...and most of my aunts and uncles can say they've stayed in the same profession or workplace (they climbed up the ladder of course) for at least 10 years. And, I like to believe they stayed with a job or company that long because they actually LOVED what they did/do. So, I want the same thing.

Because I'm satisfied with my job now, I am being really picky about my next job because I want it to be my "Roots Settling Job." This will be the job that I can see myself doing for the next 10 years (which is basically when I plan to settle down and maybe start a family, yanno, lay some roots...hence, the roots reference). Employers get to say what they're looking for from me, so I think I should say what I'm looking for in an employer (just so I can remind myself of it during the job hunting process):

Minimum Qualifications:

1) Must be a public or government agency (e.g. City of Los Angeles, Orange County Transit Authority, Metropolitan Water Department)

2) Core duties MUST be related to the environment or environmental science (e.g. testing air quality, ensuring compliance of environmental regulations, promoting company-wide participation in eco-friendly behavior, etc)

3) 30-50% travel required (i.e. part of the time in the office doing paperwork/reports, part of the time out in the field interacting with the public and saving the world)

Desirable Qualifications:

- Within 5-15 miles of my residence or public transit friendly

- Alternative schedule (9/80 or 4/10)

- Relaxed dress code

- My own office (I've had this before and it's SO hard to go from that to just a cube :\)

- Paid Holiday Shutdown (I've had this at every job so far...so, I'm a bit spoiled on this one)

- Access to company vehicle for field work

- Cafeteria

Yeah, I'm basically looking for the near-perfect job. Is it out there? I hope so. Wish me luck friends, I'll keep you updated :)