June 2011

My last update wasn't that long ago, right? I mean, I'm at the same job. I did relocated to a hip neighborhood and gained too much weight though.

Boyfriend and I (and son) moved into an amazing two bedroom apartment. We have an absentee landlord (we've never even met him!) and an awesome kitchen. Boyfriend is very excited about the dishwasher, a title he previously held. I am excited about not having to pay for cooking gas, although I do less baking now that I'm a slave to my desk (not really though) eight hours daily.

We went to Bonnaroo a few weeks ago. We drove. To Tennessee. From New York. Luckily, we had the foresight to leave the kid at home, with grandma. We camped (my first time!) and saw a lot of bands and it was awesome sauce. It was also our last vacation this year and well into next year until we have made a significant dent in our debt. It's all about the staycations from now on!

I'm going to be a bridesmaid for the first time. A really good friend is getting married in September. It's all good and fun, except she's really traditional and all this wedding hoopla is affecting my wallet. There's a bridal shower, a bachelorette weekend getaway, the dress (which, thankfully is not hideous) and the wedding present. Oh, and a hotel room because the wedding is not close to home. This is going to cost as much as our trip to Bonnaroo!

Back to our apartment. We moved in May but still have not fully unpacked. It's been a busy two months. Last night we finally unpacked the scale. I stepped on it and gave myself a heart attack. So this morning I left for work 30 minutes earlier than usual, took the train to Union Square, then walked the 30 additional blocks to Midtown. Google maps said I could walk it in 30 minutes. It took me 20. I'm significantly proud of myself, mainly because I've found a way to get some kind of exercise within my time limits. Did I mention that I plan on walking back to Union Square after work and repeating this for the rest of the summer?

All in all, besides being uneasy about being in debt, life is sweet. Boyfriend is an amazing caretaker and Z absolutely adores him. This past weekend we went to Coney Island's Mermaid Parade. Z was originally dressed as Super SpongeBob, with a yellow spongebob shirt, red superman cape and red briefs. It was so hot that the ink on the tag on the shirt started to melt and rubbed off on his back. We decided that it was better to have him be a shirtless Superhero. The mohawk only added to the effect:

 

*Sigh* My baby is growing up way too fast.

Moving on up

I spent Sunday grocery shopping with Z. Since I didn't have a regular job for a good while, I used to avoid the supermarket on the weekends. Surprisingly, it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. The lines weren't ridiculous, and it was nice to see other families shopping with their babies in tow.
Z loves hanging out in the shopping cart. He helped me pick out green beans, put them in the plastic bag I was holding, and then placed the bag behind him in the cart. Mommy's little helper. It wasn't so helpful when he started grabbing everything and throwing it in the cart ("No Z, I don't need shallots!") but I placated him with grapes and other stolen goodies. (Shh!)

We're moving soon. Waiting for our application to be approved by building management. Since I just started working, I don't have an actual paystub yet, but I have sent in both a letter from my employer and my employee contract. They called yesterday wanting contact information for my previous employer. They called today wanting contact information for our current landlord. This is annoying but hopefully it's a means to an end. We have already started packing. Move in date would be mid-April.

Goodbye AMEX

ARG.

I got a call on my cell phone this morning as I was entering the elevator to go to work. An automated voice informed me that American Express has made changes to my card and I needed to call a number to find out what those changes were. So they basically called me to tell me to call them? They couldn't just tell me what the damn change was? Since I was in an elevator and nowhere near a pen, I didn't get to write down the number.

Fastforward to this afternoon when I get an email from them explaining the change. They lowered my credit limit. Lowered is generous. They cut my credit limit in half. Which means I'm almost at my credit limit. Which means I can't used my credit card.

Dude. I'd understand if I was missing payments, or late with payments. I'd understand if I had a high outstanding balance for a lengthy period of time. I'd understand if my credit was shitty.

Not the case. I had a high balance back in September, then I got a "student loan" and paid it off. Been consistently paying off my balance until recently. Since I found out I'd be employed again, I got generous with my use of the card, because I know that I will be able to fully pay off my balance in a few months.This should not matter to the credit card company since they are charging a nifty amount of interest on my balance.

Anyway. I'm done with American Express. I am paying off this balance as quickly as possible then canceling the card. They will never again earn interest from me. Take that you assholes. Looks like my other cards will be benefiting from this change. Visa, you're welcome.

TGIF

We played at Brooklyn Bridge park. S dressed Z in the most adorable red corduroy overalls ever. This is life.

(Contemplating a move to tumblr.) Hmm.

Week one wrap up

1/2 hour to go to the end of week 1 at work.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in way over my head. But mostly, I welcome the challenge.
Yesterday I went out afterwork with a group of friends. They asked if it was hard to be away from Z. Quite frankly, it's not. Although I definitely would love having a little more time to spend with him in the afternoons, I'm quite happy in my new role as worker bee. Routine is good. Who knew?