Pondering

So I'm chatting up a coworker at PPD this past weekend and we're grousing about how our company doesn't seem to believe in little things like cost-of-living pay increases or paying us what we're worth according to the industry standard, and she clues me in as to a key reason why business has given the appearance of having dropped in recent weeks: we lost a significant business partner who was responsible for at least 40% of our revenue!!

ACK!

So it's got me thinking harder about what I want my next job to be. I'm certainly not going to burn bridges when we move; this job can be done remotely, and even with sucky pay, that's a good thing to have on the side. But I think I need to look seriously at employing myself in a full-time job up there, and have WSP as part-time from home. At least until I get pregnant.

So this week will be spent attempting to take some time to project, because I haven't made enough time yet to do that, and scanning the available opportunities up there for what may peak my interest. Also told Les that if his teeth are the only thing keeping him from looking for work, then he needs to a) go to my dentist down here and get a referral for another oral surgeon who may be cheaper than the ones we've encountered so far down here, or b) give serious thought to MCG (Medical College of Georgia), because they're infinitely less scary than say, Shands Dental, as far as cut-rate dentistry goes.

Back on the horse

Well, not really. I still need to focus pretty fully on the walk for 2 more months. But we're going up to SC for Labor Day weekend, so I might actually, finally get a good look at Columbia! Yeah, I know, kind of crazy to so look forward to a place I've barely seen, but that's me. Anyway, how am I dragging Les there? His sis moved into her own place with a friend in Columbia, so we'll have to see it and I can persuade (read: order) him to drive around a bit and case the joint while we're there. I'd like to at least drive through USC, which is practically downtown, and get a feel for the west and northwest areas. I'm guessing that the areas south and near Fort Jackson are similar to the areas around NAS Jax, meaning the house rates might be lower, but so is the safety/standard of living factor, so I'm focusing on West Columbia near the airport (where Midlands Tech is) or the Irmo/St. Andrews area, because it seems nice and close to town without being swamped by it. What sucks is that all this knowledge comes from the web, so I really want to get a look at the place, get a feel for it, so that I can further pare down my focus and really start planning how to get us there.

The number you have reached.....

My moving organization plans are on hold this week, as I strive to create an exercise and fundraising program and actually stick to it. I'm participating in the Charlotte Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in October, which means raising $1,800 and getting myself in shape. Once I have a groove going where that's concerned, I'll get back to projecting how the heck we're getting out of here come April.

For information on how to donate to the Avon Walk, check out the link titled, My Personal Walk Page, on my other blog: http://emberslighthouse.blogspot.com. And thanks for your support!