Day 3: Friday

I made myself sleep in this morning--I've had trouble getting to sleep lately (something I've never really dealt with before; I've usually been able to fall asleep when my head hits the pillow). Not long after I woke up, my mom called. She invited me out to lunch. It's become a bit of a thing for her that when a family member loses a job, there's a "celebration of a job well done!" It's a bit odd, I suppose, but I think it's a positive spin on a bad situation. Anyway, I drove out there and had lunch with Mom, Dad, and Big Brother (who was laid off the beginning of March, but recently was re-employed--he'll start probably a few days after my last official day).

So, needless to say, I didn't accomplish much on my list of things to do today. I did finish Dan Miller's 48 Days to the Work You Love. I think I need to re-read it. I started it before I was laid off, so I don't think I got as much out it as I need to now. (When I started it, I just wanted infomration. Now I want an action plan.) I also serged the edges of a bunch of fabric. Before fabric can be sewn, it needs to be pre-washed. Before it can be pre-washed, the edges should be serged (or something) to keep the fabric from unraveling in the wash. I also unstacked and re-stacked the dishwasher, which doesn't seem like much. However, it's a task I avoid doing because I also think how long it's going to take (even though it only takes a few brief minutes!).

Interestingly, I'm on a list of 365 things to do in Minnesota. Today's item was "Volunteer", and included a link to a source of volunteer opportunities. This makes me happy. I really think it would be great to volunteer--not just now, but to build a relationship with a volunteer organization that I can continue working with. I like to feel like I know what's going on, so right now while I have a little time (hopefully not long!), I can build a relationship where I feel comfortable jumping in in the middle.

Tomorrow will be a long day. I feel a little guilty, because it's all having fun. I'll get up early, bike to Bobbi's, and then we'll bike together to Target Field for the Twins baseball game. We'll bike home, drive to St. Paul for the Swarm lacrosse game. (The Swarm, apparently, just clinched a playoff berth. Who knew? I thought they were all but mathematically eliminated when they lost last week. I suppose it's possible the stars aligned, or I could've simply been wrong about how well their season was going.)

In financial news, today was payday, so I logged into my bank account. I was immediately weirded out by the five-digit balance. Apparently my tax refund was added to my account this week--it was particularly high because of the first-time homebuyers tax credit. This was really nice to apply to my credit card balance... (I ran into some difficulties with some personal issues in the last two years, so I had a high balance. I should be in much better shape. I actually would be fine, but I want to set aside a good ammount to potentially pay for a new roof in the next couple of years. Or, have a little extra in case of emergency.)