Soooooo much going on already and we're only 6 days into the new year!
Not McDougall-wise - I am actually doing quite well with that, except for having only started to get back into walking (after various ailments like migraines and back aches) and it is cloudy and rainy today, so I can't go out
. But otherwise, I have been sticking with my plan and I really feel much happier. It is now much easier for me to refuse temptations, mainly in the form of my parents trying to needle me into going out to eat with them or have junk food with them (like my mom, who asked me if I wanted them to order a pizza for dinner and I firmly said, "not for me" and didn't feel any hesitation - that wouldn't have been true a week ago).
However, I do have to watch myself because the stress level that has been so low for me the past month or so has now suddenly shot up.
I got the materials for this online tutoring place which I need to complete (they call it "completing the interview process" but it's a bunch of quizzes and examples where I have to show what I can do - they do that a lot with online type work, which I can understand. Since they can't see me face-to-face, they need to know that I practice what I preach on my resume). So I'll be working on that all this weekend to get it done and then, supposedly, I am down as a tutor and can put myself in the schedule. I'm not sure if there are any limitations in terms of how many hours I can do (I know it's part-time work), but I hope to be able to do 20 hours a week at least.
So I'm excited about it but also a little stressed because, even though it is based on things I do all the time with my students (help them with their writing, give feedback on writing, etc), tutoring 1-on-1 is very new to me, so I know the expectations are different.
I haven't yet told my parents and, to be honest, I am a little hesitant. As I mentioned, my dad is now in a panic about money (but I don't really feel a whole lot of sympathy for a man who yells at my mom for spending money on a cleaning woman to help her once a week with this huge house because she is nearing 70 and can't clean it alone but always has money for restaurants and what HE wants) and I wouldn't be at all surprised if, when he finds out I am getting more income, he does one of his theatricals and "sits me down to talk to me" and basically asks me to pay him something as rent every month. I will not lie here - if he does that, I will tell him "no problem. I'll be looking up the price of a plane ticket back to the States" because I would rather pay rent on a place where I have some peace and privacy than pay my parents (and also, if I do move out, they can get full rent on the in-law unit which would give them a lot more money monthly anyway).
I have already begun looking at places in the States where I can live cheaply for a few years, until I can move back to SF. I wouldn't be moving probably until this summer or early next year (which would give me a chance to start earning with the second job and possibly even getting a third job picking up more online tutoring hours somewhere else) and saving some money.
Here are my needs (so anybody who happens to read this journal, if you know of a town, please feel free to suggest something!)
- I would like a nice mid-size town that isn't a huge city but isn't a rural town either
- I am a single 40 year old woman, so safety is essential! I have to be somewhere where I feel safe living there and, if I happen to go to a concert or some other event at night, I would feel safe coming home alone
- I will not have a car (and don't want a car!) but I would be totally open to having a bike. Since I would be working from home, traveling to and from some employment wouldn't be an issue.
- Because I won't have a car, I would like an area where shopping is fairly close by - preferably walking distance. By shopping, I mean a good supermarket (and, ideally, a health food store), drugstore, dry cleaners, hair dresser - the usual type of stuff you need for everyday life. Also, having a cafe or even a few of them and a bookstore or even a few of them would be extra nice
.
- I'm fairly flexible with weather, though I would prefer mild weather. As long as there isn't a danger of tornados and hurricanes by the dozens during the season, I'm OK.
- I'm also looking for a
furnished apartment. My stuff is in storage in San Francisco and I don't think it's worth the hassle of getting it out, hauling it to wherever I'll live, then hauling it back in a few years. There is nothing in my stuff that I am really attached to, as it is mainly stuff I've used when I was a student. I plan on selling off most of it once I get settled in my SF apartment for good and using some of my savings to buy real furniture, not stuff from Ikea and Walmart that is about ready to crumble and looks fit only for a freshman college student!
- The rent I would like to pay is $500-$700/month, though I would be willing to go a bit higher if needed. I know that's not much at all, but it's a rent I am comfortable that I can pay even if I whittle down to just one job and it takes me a while to find a second job.
So far, here are a few places I've been looking into:
- Austin, Texas (this has actually been on my list for a while)
- Tempe, Arizona
- Glendale, Arizona
- Davis/Sacramento, California (though this might be out because CA tends to be pricier than other places)
- Lubbock, TX (if no other option, since I know the town quite well and feel safe in it)
Just form the list, it's clear that I prefer the Southwest/West Coast area. I actually got quite attached to the Southwest when living in Texas and I wouldn't mind sitting out the few years until I can go back to SF there. I have Austin down, but I'm really open to other towns in Texas, though I haven't quite researched them yet.
Phew! Lots to think about!