So, what else have I been doing? Katie and Kel are coming to town tonight. It's their last night of smoking, so naturally, they're coming to the city that won't let you smoke in bars, even. (OK, their bar of choice is technically outside the city limits. It's just funny to me, to tell people only part of the story.)

I am scheduled to work till 10, and I'm not really sure what to hope for. If I leave early, that's more drinking, but less paycheck. I'm currently looking at 34 hours this week, which is already a little lower than ideal. I no longer need 40 hours/week to keep my head above water. But, every little bit helps.

I don't necessarily want a salary. I know all about how that means you're probably looking at 60 plus hours every week, because They don't have to pay overtime. I guess I just want the guaranteed minimum to be more like 36-ish instead of 30.

I'm learning all about schedules now, which should mean I won't have to worry about my hours quite so much. "Screw everyone else" can officially become my new motto. I'm too nice, though. I would probably feel shitty about giving myself hours at the expense of the other associate managers. ("HA ha! Only 12 hours for you! The rest are MINE!") Besides, that flagrant an abuse of my scheduling powers would probably mean I wouldn't get to do it anymore, and payback is a bitch.

So. All the AM's get roughly the same amount of hours. All the really good people get all the hours they want. And that's where things start breaking down. There are too many people who really need and deserve at least 30/week, and just not enough hours to go around. Dammit, why did I have to start learning schedules during the roughest part of the year? In two months, we won't be in the Dead Season, and I could have an extra body or three scheduled for each shift.

The really ironic thing is that I've promised not to look for another job "for now." I'm learning something new, and I got a raise. This is theoretically enough to keep me happy. In the grand scheme of things, I'm making myself even more hireable at that magical "Somewhere Else" that I swear I'm going to get hired at someday. But how long is "for now?" I have no idea.

Yes, I know this is a road that leads to me working at Fazuul forever. I need to set a more clearly defined quitting date.

Hmm. Right now, my job hunt, if I were on one, would be limited by the potential pay rate. I really do seem to need about $10/hour. Most of my current expenses are credit cards and student loans. (The car is also a biggie, but I decided that I really can't plan on not having a car payment. It sucked so much when I thought the Purplemobile was paid for, and then I found out a month later that I needed a new car. So, the best way to think of the car is as a non-negoitiable expense, just like rent.)

I found out that I have a mere 23 payments left on the student loans. Once they're paid off, I'll be able to settle for a smaller starting pay at a new job, thus opening up more options that I can't consider right now.

Well, no, actually, I won't. Bills exapand to meet the available income. But that still seems like a reasonable goal. When the brain is finally paid for, I will look for a new job. Hooray!

Hmm. I was planning on throwing my tax return at the credit cards. If I threw the tax return at the loans instead....

No no no. Thwacking the cards really does need to happen. I said I was going to do it last year, but then I bought a bunch of stupid stuff instead. Once the cards are manageable, I can maybe divert some extra money towards the brain payments. There we go. SET. IN. STONE.

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