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Contracts Extended
Jun. 2nd, 2012 08:44 pmMy two contracts that were to end yesterday have been extended. So the current plan is:
* Geosciences (20 hours per week) - still until at least October, at most December 31
* Business (20 hours per week) - now until December 1-ish, with a break in service so that I don't become benefit-worthy
* Undergraduate Studies (4 hours) - one or two more weeks, depending how long it takes to finish; I really think it will take two more weeks
So I might end up making more money this year than ever before with the combination of my vacation pay, cashing out my 457 retirement account (no penalty on that kind, but it does count as income) and being full-time or more for most of the year. I may even be in danger of edging above the 15% tax bracket.
I've decided to prioritize my financial goals. First priority is to continue living the lifestyle to which I have been accustomed. I have parried off the eating-beans-from-the-back-of-a-van lifestyle for another year.
Second priority is financial independence. That means I have enough money saved to last me until my pension kicks in at my current rate of spending. Basically, any extra money beyond sustaining my fabulous lifestyle is all being thrown into this savings category until I'm done. I could be done in as little as one year and 7.5 months if I keep getting to work full-time with decent pay. I will almost for sure be done in two years and 7.5 months. I am just about guaranteed to be done in five years and 7.5 months.
Once that's done, I could quit working. But there are more things I want, so I just might not.
I want to catch up on the charitable contributions that I'm currently blowing off just in case.
After that it's time to save up for renovations. I want a dishwasher. Badly. And covered parking. Hopefully before hail hits our cars. And a separate laundry room so I can get the washer out of the kitchen and have more counter space and extra cabinet and drawer space. A big walk-in closet would be good. And a real garage (my "garage" looks like a one-car garage until you notice that the door is just a regular door through which a car could not fit).
I also fantasize a bit about having a landscape architect set up the yard to have trails between islands of beautiful native plants that are somehow magically weed-proof and with no mowing required.
Blogs of the Day
Today's theme is "know thyself." Here are three blog entries that together describe two sets of opposing traits. Knowing which one you have might help you make better and/or quicker decisions about how to approach certain things.
Embracing the Nagging Voice of Success by Mr. Money Mustache - "The problem was that for the last four days, there has been a growing chorus of nagging voices in my head, telling me that I was falling behind on everything and I needed to work harder to catch up. These voices are relentless, and the only time they let up is when I work hard enough to get ahead of the self-imposed tide of responsibilities. In fact, the reason I’m staying up all night to write to you, then get a whole bunch of other stuff done on this computer, is to silence those damned voices. ...
"That constant nagging is not a sign that you suck. Quite the opposite, It’s a sign that you’re going somewhere. Those are the Nagging Voices of Success! So one of the secrets of a happier life is actually learning to appreciate and even embrace their occasionally bitchy whines."
Then on the other side:
Routine Will Oil the Machine by Mrs. Money Mustache - "I often require external influences to get my butt into gear. I clean the house only when people are coming over, I exercise only if I’m signed up for a class, I work on projects mainly when they are assigned to me by others, and I finish books only because I’m in a book club. I eat when I realize I’m very hungry (which leads me to end up eating plain raw foods, since I’m usually too hungry to cook anything). ...
"The answer for me (and perhaps you too) is Routine. ... For example, I know that if I start using my computer first thing in the morning, I am screwed and I will be on this thing all day long. So, as soon as MMM bikes off to school with our son, I have a routine: I clean up around the house until he gets back. Then I’ll do a round of the gardens outside, weeding and watering and soaking up some nature. This will lead to noticing other things that need doing around the house – incoming mail that needs processing, things that need fixing. The routine causes all of this useful stuff to happen, and without it I would have been just sitting around checking e-mail and perhaps even Facebook (gasp!)."
These two remind me a little of chikuru and raaga123. As for me, I have voices in my head all the time but they don't make me feel inadequate or harassed. I have no problems with my voices. I don't think they're saying the same things as Mr. Money Mustache's are saying to him, though. Mine are much more interesting and fun.
And then I don't think I am mainly motivated by outside influences, though they help. (Sometimes I think that if adding on the external influences don't work, then what will?) I certainly enjoy the state of not having to do anything. And I definitely benefit from routine (which I prefer to think of as "plans" - main plans, back-up plans, default plans, etc.). Specifically, setting up good default plans of what to do when nothing is pressing does help me to be happier with how I'm spending my life. For example, I've just starting using Chore Wars again to help me keep reminding myself of those things that I've labeled as chores (not just normal chores, but also things like "Getting to bed at a reasonable hour").
Quiz: Are You an "Abstainer" or a "Moderator?" at the Happiness Project - "I find it far easier to give something up altogether than to indulge moderately. When I admitted to myself that I was eating my favorite frozen yogurt treat very often, two and even three times a day, I gave it up cold turkey. That was far easier for me to do than to eat it twice a week. If I try to be moderate, I exhaust myself debating, “Today, tomorrow?” “Does this time ‘count’?” etc. If I never do something, it requires no self-control for me; if I do something sometimes, it requires enormous self-control." (emphasis removed out of laziness)
I have two immediate reactions on which one I am: 1) moderator, because I don't want to give up things and 2) it depends, because I really shouldn't have cheese curls in the house. (Not that they're in the house for long.) There are definitely some things where, while I don't want to admit that I can't stop once I start, I am happy to admit that I don't want to stop and therefore I rarely stop after a reasonable amount of time once I start.
On further thought, it's clear that I really am a moderator. I still allow myself to have cheese curls at parties and I even allow myself to buy them when they are on sale.
One of the commenters brought up the point that the dichotomy might really be whether you want hard-and-fast rules (such as "never do this") or whether you can handle flexible rules (such as "I can do this sometimes"). I definitely like the rules, just like Abstainers, but I only like certain kinds of rules. So what if I can have cheese curls only on Mondays, but I'm not in the mood on Monday, but they are at a party on Saturday? I do not need to invite these tragedies into my life.
Actually, I think the abstainer/moderator traits and the clear/fuzzy rule traits are related but different trait sets. And I'm a moderator who likes clear rules. I think I already know I like rules and so I already know to try to make them and to continually refine them until they work for me. But I bet there are more areas where rule-making could help me.
Cake of the Day
Here is a starry, starry night, with a dragon.
Here's a closer, less blurry look (turns out it's more of a slobbery, slobbery knight):
\
* Geosciences (20 hours per week) - still until at least October, at most December 31
* Business (20 hours per week) - now until December 1-ish, with a break in service so that I don't become benefit-worthy
* Undergraduate Studies (4 hours) - one or two more weeks, depending how long it takes to finish; I really think it will take two more weeks
So I might end up making more money this year than ever before with the combination of my vacation pay, cashing out my 457 retirement account (no penalty on that kind, but it does count as income) and being full-time or more for most of the year. I may even be in danger of edging above the 15% tax bracket.
I've decided to prioritize my financial goals. First priority is to continue living the lifestyle to which I have been accustomed. I have parried off the eating-beans-from-the-back-of-a-van lifestyle for another year.
Second priority is financial independence. That means I have enough money saved to last me until my pension kicks in at my current rate of spending. Basically, any extra money beyond sustaining my fabulous lifestyle is all being thrown into this savings category until I'm done. I could be done in as little as one year and 7.5 months if I keep getting to work full-time with decent pay. I will almost for sure be done in two years and 7.5 months. I am just about guaranteed to be done in five years and 7.5 months.
Once that's done, I could quit working. But there are more things I want, so I just might not.
I want to catch up on the charitable contributions that I'm currently blowing off just in case.
After that it's time to save up for renovations. I want a dishwasher. Badly. And covered parking. Hopefully before hail hits our cars. And a separate laundry room so I can get the washer out of the kitchen and have more counter space and extra cabinet and drawer space. A big walk-in closet would be good. And a real garage (my "garage" looks like a one-car garage until you notice that the door is just a regular door through which a car could not fit).
I also fantasize a bit about having a landscape architect set up the yard to have trails between islands of beautiful native plants that are somehow magically weed-proof and with no mowing required.
Blogs of the Day
Today's theme is "know thyself." Here are three blog entries that together describe two sets of opposing traits. Knowing which one you have might help you make better and/or quicker decisions about how to approach certain things.
Embracing the Nagging Voice of Success by Mr. Money Mustache - "The problem was that for the last four days, there has been a growing chorus of nagging voices in my head, telling me that I was falling behind on everything and I needed to work harder to catch up. These voices are relentless, and the only time they let up is when I work hard enough to get ahead of the self-imposed tide of responsibilities. In fact, the reason I’m staying up all night to write to you, then get a whole bunch of other stuff done on this computer, is to silence those damned voices. ...
"That constant nagging is not a sign that you suck. Quite the opposite, It’s a sign that you’re going somewhere. Those are the Nagging Voices of Success! So one of the secrets of a happier life is actually learning to appreciate and even embrace their occasionally bitchy whines."
Then on the other side:
Routine Will Oil the Machine by Mrs. Money Mustache - "I often require external influences to get my butt into gear. I clean the house only when people are coming over, I exercise only if I’m signed up for a class, I work on projects mainly when they are assigned to me by others, and I finish books only because I’m in a book club. I eat when I realize I’m very hungry (which leads me to end up eating plain raw foods, since I’m usually too hungry to cook anything). ...
"The answer for me (and perhaps you too) is Routine. ... For example, I know that if I start using my computer first thing in the morning, I am screwed and I will be on this thing all day long. So, as soon as MMM bikes off to school with our son, I have a routine: I clean up around the house until he gets back. Then I’ll do a round of the gardens outside, weeding and watering and soaking up some nature. This will lead to noticing other things that need doing around the house – incoming mail that needs processing, things that need fixing. The routine causes all of this useful stuff to happen, and without it I would have been just sitting around checking e-mail and perhaps even Facebook (gasp!)."
These two remind me a little of chikuru and raaga123. As for me, I have voices in my head all the time but they don't make me feel inadequate or harassed. I have no problems with my voices. I don't think they're saying the same things as Mr. Money Mustache's are saying to him, though. Mine are much more interesting and fun.
And then I don't think I am mainly motivated by outside influences, though they help. (Sometimes I think that if adding on the external influences don't work, then what will?) I certainly enjoy the state of not having to do anything. And I definitely benefit from routine (which I prefer to think of as "plans" - main plans, back-up plans, default plans, etc.). Specifically, setting up good default plans of what to do when nothing is pressing does help me to be happier with how I'm spending my life. For example, I've just starting using Chore Wars again to help me keep reminding myself of those things that I've labeled as chores (not just normal chores, but also things like "Getting to bed at a reasonable hour").
Quiz: Are You an "Abstainer" or a "Moderator?" at the Happiness Project - "I find it far easier to give something up altogether than to indulge moderately. When I admitted to myself that I was eating my favorite frozen yogurt treat very often, two and even three times a day, I gave it up cold turkey. That was far easier for me to do than to eat it twice a week. If I try to be moderate, I exhaust myself debating, “Today, tomorrow?” “Does this time ‘count’?” etc. If I never do something, it requires no self-control for me; if I do something sometimes, it requires enormous self-control." (emphasis removed out of laziness)
I have two immediate reactions on which one I am: 1) moderator, because I don't want to give up things and 2) it depends, because I really shouldn't have cheese curls in the house. (Not that they're in the house for long.) There are definitely some things where, while I don't want to admit that I can't stop once I start, I am happy to admit that I don't want to stop and therefore I rarely stop after a reasonable amount of time once I start.
On further thought, it's clear that I really am a moderator. I still allow myself to have cheese curls at parties and I even allow myself to buy them when they are on sale.
One of the commenters brought up the point that the dichotomy might really be whether you want hard-and-fast rules (such as "never do this") or whether you can handle flexible rules (such as "I can do this sometimes"). I definitely like the rules, just like Abstainers, but I only like certain kinds of rules. So what if I can have cheese curls only on Mondays, but I'm not in the mood on Monday, but they are at a party on Saturday? I do not need to invite these tragedies into my life.
Actually, I think the abstainer/moderator traits and the clear/fuzzy rule traits are related but different trait sets. And I'm a moderator who likes clear rules. I think I already know I like rules and so I already know to try to make them and to continually refine them until they work for me. But I bet there are more areas where rule-making could help me.
Cake of the Day
Here is a starry, starry night, with a dragon.
Here's a closer, less blurry look (turns out it's more of a slobbery, slobbery knight):
\