Friday, September 09, 2005

Ponderings on Hunt Valley So, I have been in my new office in Hunt Valley for more than a week, now.  I love the commute.  It is so nice to just perform the Nelson laugh at everyone as I commute northward.  It is such a change from the I-95 parking lot I used to endure.  There are some small problems I do have with my location, though.  Starbucks I will admit that I am a slave to my corporate master.  I love their espresso beverages.  I am *$'s bitch.  I also liked making Friday my day for coffee.  The closest thing I have here is Caribou Coffee.  I don't mind it, but it threw me for a loop when I asked for a latte last week with an extra shot and the guy behind the counter proclaimed "Large Latte, MOOOSED!!!"  What the hell does a moose have to do with espresso drinks?  Besides, I have no desire for a moose to be anywhere near my coffee drink.  Wegman's I cannot wait until the Wegmans in Hunt Valley opens.  I plan to do all my shopping there.  The Shopper's on Fort Avenue is so ghetto, and the only reason I go to it is for its convenience.  I will gladly shop near where I work, since this store will be a step above that Ghetto Food Warehouse I go to normally. Office I like the office immensely, and it is pretty good.  My only complaint is my office's temperature control.  Or, in this case, an incredible lack of temperature control in my office.  Oy, it's a little toasty in here. All in all, I am glad I made the change.  4:29:53 PM    comment []  trackback []

The Big Payback Today, I received my payout from the University of Maryland for my unused annual leave.  After taxes, I had a tidy sum come my way.  I paid off all of my relevant bills, and I paid a rather large sum on my car.  I could not completely pay it off, though, as I needed to both pay for other things and at the same time have some money in the account to get me through until the pay cycle begins at the new job.  Nonetheless, I was able to halve what is left remaining on my car loan.  That is a pretty good feeling.  On a much more depressing note, I am paying the bail bondsman that I had paid to free my Mom initially back in April.  Essentially, I was under the impression that my mother was going to pay him.  After she told me she was going to pay the rest, I made the decision to ship her off to my sister in Waynesboro, VA.  Well, that never happened, and I received a nice nastygram from the bondsman.  Unfortunately, when I looked at the paperwork I signed, I was responsible for the remaining balance.  I consider this a lesson learned.  In one sense, I am closing a chapter of the relationship I had with my mother that I would rather not visit again.  Closing the chapter, though, is just costing me a lot of money.  It is a lesson learned, on my part.  My mother had no intention of paying that money, and she was going to stick it to me.  She did indeed stick it to me, using me, much like she had over the last 10 to 15 years.  My payback from the University was quite nice, but my mother enjoyed giving me some payback, even if she did not know I was taking care of it.  3:53:03 PM    comment []  trackback []