When we moved into our new (to us) house we’d planned for some renovations.  First on the list – but not the first we could afford – was a new garage.  I didn’t want to own the ugliest garage in Edmonton and our original (circa 1950’s) monstrosity certainly qualified for the moniker.  Last year we put a new roof on the house.  This year the plan was to replace the garage and blow insulation into the ceiling/roof.  While both plans are still going to go ahead, it’s going to be tight around here for the next few months.  The estimate that our contractor gave us a few months back was what we used to try and save our pennies so we could afford the new garage.  Today we’ve learned that the cost of removing the demo detritus and pouring the concrete is at least 100% higher than the original estimate.  The cost of the garage package has increased as well.  The new plan is to subsist on Kraft dinner for the next few months so we can afford to save enough for the cost of the garage.  We haven’t even addressed the planned addition of insulation to our ceiling/roof.  Originally I wanted to do it over the summer but I think it will need to be pushed back until September to give us additional time to save enough $$ to pay the bill.

What really sucks about all this is that I was supposed to get a promotion and a raise at work seven months ago.  It has yet to materialize.  Sure, when it’s finally processed I will get back-pay.  However, the government will take a big chunk of that amount in taxes so I’ll be lucky if it covers the costs of the new insulation – and that’s assuming that it even materializes by the end of the summer.  I’m getting the feeling that it’ll never be processed before my next contract ends!

Remind me again why I continue to work where I do?

As much as I’d like to, I can’t even pretend that I’m procrastinating today. Once again I have been locked in my basement and am diligently working away at my assignments. Today I’m tackling my Enviro Chem assignment that is due next week. Tomorrow I return to the Psych assignment I spent a good chunk of Saturday working on.

Despite my natural tendency to avoid anything school related to the last minute, I’m on track to get everything in on time this week. It’s a bit scary. Of course this new found dedication to working hard on my assignments actually means that – other than our short break out last evening – I really haven’t done anything fun over the long weekend. While everyone else is out camping, gardening or relaxing, I’m busy trying not to pull my hair out.

Too bad I can’t say the same about work. I’m still plodding through building my database and I’m not sure it’ll be ready for beta testing at the end of the day Tuesday. It’ll depend mostly on whether or not I can manage to avoid all interruptions and spend a solid 8 hours working on it.

Each year at the college they host an internal Teaching Success Symposium (TSS). It’s organized by a cross-departmental committee but is associated mostly with the department I work in. Most likely because we’re the Pedagogy people. Professional development and consultation services. That’s us.

This year I had an opportunity to join my fellow consultants (cause my boss rocks and OK’d the time) at TSS. Some of my co-workers were presenting workshops during the day and I had to juggle my schedule to attend the ones I wanted to see. The highlight of my day was a session just before lunch. It was led by an instructor who facilitated one of the pilot online courses we offered this year. It’s really gratifying to watch someone who obviously loves what they do talk about a project that you were involved in – even it it was only on the periphery.

Today is my 1 year “anniversary” at the college. In lieu of cookies I am accepting coffee, ego stroking and Lindens (L$).

Despite the missing job title/pay scale/etc. in my offer letter, I re-signed my contract. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this ends up being a good idea as I’m now committed through to mid-May 2009. No going back to work in the private sector for another year. I’m just going to sit here spending my time fantasizing about my mythical job reclassification and retroactive pay for a few moments. Ah. Wasn’t that nice?

It just would not have been a good idea for me to be unemployed a full-time student while Drew is off playing in the Sandbox. It’s a good plan. I just need to keep telling myself that. I’ll continue to have dental plan coverage and near weekly visits to the torturer dentist. I’ll be paying into a pension plan. I’ll continue to build my CV and work on papers for conferences and journals *I hope*. I’ll spend my days frolicking with super geniuses (and maroons) and playing in Second Life. There’s an educational methodology to it, honest!

Signing the contract also means that I’ll still be on track to graduate in 2011 (is it really that far away?) instead of finishing up earlier. It means I’ll be 40 before I can finish grad school – providing I can knock the socks off of the reviewing committees and gain entry to a Master’s program. Drew’s eligible for retirement at 41 and I’ll just be *knock wood* getting out of school!

But I’m getting way ahead of myself and my current dilemma. I want a shiny new MacBook. I can get a shiny MacBook (or Pro) at an educational discount as a payroll deduction at work. I didn’t buy a computer through the academic plan last year because I had just bought a new *ptooey* Dell laptop. It’s got Vista on it. Piece of pooh. I know. I’ve said that before. It bears repeating. Anywho. The mouse house doesn’t really have sufficient space for desktop systems. When we bought the house a few years back I gave all my desktop systems to friends.

Minus one.

My Mac. I LOVED my Mac. The sun rose and fell on my Mac. By the time we boxed it up for the move it was starting to show it’s age. An old G3 beige, it could only upgrade to OS X.0.5. Leopard was never in its future. When we moved in and set up the library/office (after culling many books; an exercise in pain and suffering)there just wasn’t enough space in the room for a desktop computer system, printers, etc. Something had to go and unfortunately, my beloved Mac made room for a series of PC laptops. At the time I convinced myself I couldn’t afford to buy an iBook or MacBook laptop because I worked in a PC environment. Mac’s cost significantly more than PC laptops at that time. I’d succeeded in convincing myself that if I purchased a Mac I wouldn’t have been able to install company software, access the corporate VPN, link up with co-workers when I was traveling, etc. This was, of course, before the days of decent Windows emulation software.

Since I’d purchased a new PC laptop in January of 2007 – prior to the exodus – Drew flat out refused to allow me to purchase a Mac at the college when I accepted the position here. I had to wait until the new year before he’d bend to my begging and pleading. Once the new year rolled around I didn’t want to purchase the MacBook because I through the payments would be too high. I’d have only had the option of 12 payroll deductions (6 months) instead of 24.

That’s where today’s post title comes into the mix.

Since I re-signed the contract yesterday I need to make a decision asap as to whether or not to march down to the Tech Store and buy the MacBook. The earlier I place the order, the more payroll deductions I can make in the year and the lower the payment will be. Drew refuses to weigh in on the battle I’m holding with myself as my piddling salary covers both the payroll deduction for the MacBook and mortgage payment. Ever since I quit the slave factory, accepted the el grande pay cut to work at the college, returned to university part time, and we managed to (finally!) finish paying off all non-mortgage related debt, we’ve been following the standard if we can’t save for it and buy it in cash, we don’t need it rule. It’s in play for the new garage – which we desperately need – and plans for the backyard gazebo. It’s dictating whether or not we go on vacation for the next few years. The rule may even come into play when Drew gets a new (to him) vehicle next year. The little devil on my shoulder is busy preaching that, technically, a payroll deduction isn’t a loan and it isn’t credit. The angel on my shoulder is busy reminding me that there’s nothing wrong with my PC laptop. It’s still functioning (mostly) and I have most of the software on it that I need.

Drew usually inherits my old laptops when I upgrade but he’s started murmuring about a revolt. He too wants a MacBook. Of course, he wants the 17in Pro while I want the 15in Pro. My current PC laptop is a 17in. and I find it too big for my liking. Two laptops before that I had a 13in and I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would…Off topic again. I know. I just can’t seem to make a decision. Perhaps it’s a good thing. The longer I wait, the less likely I am to buy the new laptop. The more I’ll be able to curse Vista and stop around complaining about my Dell.

Maybe the new Mac is a good idea after all…

Juggling has begun again.  My new classes started yesterday and I’m busy trying to get over the cold crappiness whatever that I’m suffering from again.  I need to keep on top of my classes this semester since I’m planning on picking up a third part way through the semester.  I haven’t decided if that makes me crazy or not.  Perhaps I should start reading my textbooks rather than the ones that interest me.  I just finished Christie Blatchford’s 15 days (again) and have moved on to Carol Off’s Ghosts of Medak Pocket this week.

I received my contract renewal offer letter today and have 3 days to decide if I’ll be accepting it.  Since my position is a bit in limbo, I think I’m the only one who’s received a job offer with no position title, rate of pay, etc.  I need to meet with HR to confirm – if nothing else – that I’ll continue at my same rate of pay until they sort out my (6 months and counting) job reclassification.

We’ve pretty much decided I’ll be accepting it though.  I like the people I work with and it’ll stop me from becoming too isolated while Drew’s away.  We did consider my taking a year off to finish my degree – what takes forever part-time is very quick if I were to attend full-time – but decided that with Drew gone I might become too much of a hermit if I wasn’t working and seeing people everyday. We can always revisit my taking time off to finish school when he gets back in Feb ’09.

At least I’ll get to do fun things at work this week.  I’m building a new database with multiple reporting capabilities based on individualized front ends.  Each person will have different options for data entry and/or reporting based on their needs.  I’m pretty excited about it.  Since I’m not the most experienced database designer out there, I figure it’ll take me a while to get it all sorted out.  Tomorrow I’m starting the main design/mapping phase and am pretty stoked.