Those last two weeks were so nice.

So for the last two weeks things were great. I felt totally untouched by our countries depression. I got a promotion to Collections Manager here at the Sports Hall which included a 6% raise which isn't to bad. Joe got hired at Yahoo! and he was making almost 2 times what he was making at Telelanguage. Then.. well.. we got bit. Yahoo! is to lay off 1500 workers. We expect the worse. I am mainly angry because they just just hired him. How did they not see this coming. Haven't they heard of a hiring freeze? So no more health insurance and back to worrying about randomly breaking a leg and hoping that all major injuries happen in the truck because at least that has insurance. We are hoping for at least two months severance pay. He will go on unemployment. I created a budget. Not my spend tracker as before. Now it is budget time. If we spend 2000 a month then we can live for about 1 year without dipping into our meager savings or adding to it (unfortunately). Which is pretty good I think. God willing we won't get sick (I am looking at you Alice! who cost us more in medical bills this past year then ourselves.. but you gotta love that kitty) When we first got here it took Joe 3 months to find a crappy job and the economy didn't suck as much then. So I expect it to take a while to find a decent job again. He doesn't want to settle for something as bad as telelanguage again. I agree. He is smart and has experience in many things. He deserves better, his dues have been paid. Perhaps Portland won't work out after all. I have been rolling this around in my head all day. We LOVE Portland. We want to stay here and buy a house, raise a family (although not in the public school system which has a totally crazy 43% dropout rate!) We want to walk around forest park and Mt. Tabor. We want to do things that aren't free.. really enjoy all that this progressive city has to offer. We want to finally make that trip to the ocean which never seems to be in our cards. But maybe we can't. Maybe we need to city search again. Seattle seems to expensive, big, urban.We could never buy a house in Seattle ( Art History and Labor Relations.. What the Hell were we thinking!) California.. maybe.. I don't want to go back east.Not even a little. We have not felt that terrible feeling of being trapped or stuck since we arrived on the left coast. What about west.. but not as west as here.. Colorado? It might turn blue (THANKS BARB AND RICH!!) Blue is part of my criteria for moving to a new state. I am now 100% anti-snow. I love a moderate climate more that I thought I would. We heat our house with wind and not oil! I don't see it not snowing or being very very cold in CO any time soon. Perhaps I could take up skiing (only after I get health insurance obviously) We shall see. Our lease is until Sept 1st. That is a long way away. Perhaps things will change before then. I currently don't have faith in that.

I wish... but prolly not.

I was reading Bitten a blog on the New York Times website. The entry I listed talks about spending only 20 dollars at the Farmers Market for a dinner for 4. I was a bit appalled that this person thought this was a bargain (he sited the failing economy as a influence in this choice) I wasn't the only one who felt this way as I read the comments. He also used lots of pantry items to make the meal.. making it far over 20 dollars. I was getting increasingly excited that I spend only 70's a week or less. This week we had dinner company twice to boot!. Then I saw this blog about a couple who live on 30 dollars a week on food. I was like holy cow! I thought I could do that!! but then I read a few entries.. and well they don't eat much and the food they buy is very inexpensive..14 cents a lime! That is crazy.. unless of course they are key limes.. in which case I totally get a better deal at .5o a piece.! It did make me want to join the food coop down the street though. Perhaps that will be my winter food volunteer thing. I already miss market. I feel like a waste by the time I get to church on Sunday because I haven't lifted heavy weights across a gravel lot or set up lots of tables and chairs and tents.. June isn't that far away right?...
Anyway about the 30 dollars. In one entry she sites that she misses buying lots of cheese. I never want to miss that. I also like all the fruit I buy and things like ice cream and butter.. can't forget butter!.... and joe eats 3 or four advacados a week.. not one. So well we eat more thats my point.. We are probally skinner ( thats my own personal take but I bet it's true.) I am still pretty jealous that they can do it for 30..
I am actually starting my own food project soon along the lines of the 30 dollars kinda.. Once the big market is over I am going to start taking the money I usually spend there and start stocking up on things over the winter. I want to have lots of canned tomatos.. pasta.. flour.. dried beans etc.... Then when markets start up again in the spring / fall.. I will spend the 70 a week only on local fruit/ veggies.. / milk / cheese etc... I am soo excited for next summer. but first for the saving.. and a long winter of grocery store produce.. blah.

Something we did last year... and this year!

Traditions can finally begin since we have been here a year!

Guilt

Today is a busy day for me. It is my first time riding my bike in the rain. It went a lot better than I thought. We shall see what happened when we add cold.

This afternoon I have to go to the post office to pick up a package that needs a signature. It is petmeds for Alice. Then I have to vacuum the house and apply the med.

The debate is on at 6 - 7:30

I have to stop at the library

I am buying a new food processor- I will pause here for my story. I have been using my grandmothers for the past 5 years. She has had it for as long as I can remember. It finally has broke. Well it still works but is unsafe. When you plug it in it just goes.. pretty scary. So Joe and I have been checking craigslist and I found one for $85. It is a Cuisinart like my old one and it is slightly bigger. and shinny and newish . They apparently only used it for a year and it has been in storage for about 2-3 years. I am pretty excited!!

So the guilt comes from not having time to cook dinner. I have been thinking about buying a frozen pizza.. which is against everything I stand for. Joe seemed excited that I would "let him eat something like that" So I am thinking about it to make my life slightly easier today.

sigh..

I should have planned this better but I have been soo tired all week. I think it may be that I am still used to how dark it gets in the morning here. Or maybe it is the bike riding?