It’s been one complete year now that I’ve only worked two days a week at IBM, and it’s been great.
My biggest fear starting out last year was the effect that a 60% reduction in pay was going to have on my lifestyle, though I obviously thought it would be manageable or I wouldn’t have done it.
As I’d hoped, living well below my means like I always have, the reduction has had little-to-no effect at all. So, picking up one more day a week now is going to be gravy in terms of income.
Not that I’m thrilled about the extra day, because I’m not. If my manager would have let me, I would have worked two days a week for another year.
I’ve picked up Mondays as my third day, mostly because that’s the day almost all of our company holidays fall on, so I might as well take advantage of that.
And that means, I worked today. I actually went into the office, so I could give Qiana her edits. After that, I started on Jim’s edits.
I touched base with a lady in my department, who I’ve never met and who doesn’t even work in Raleigh, but who will be in Minneapolis next week for the STC Conference, too. We made plans to connect on Sunday afternoon. I hope she’s a fun person. I’ve never even talked to her on the phone—it’s been all instant messaging.
On the way home, I stopped by the Service-Learning office to reschedule some meetings that I’d set up with Myra to work on the web site for the new Center, and to pick up the boards to return to George Barthalmus’ office along with the easels.
I parked illegally at Service-Learning and then again outside Ricks, where I put on my flashers in a no-parking spot while I unloaded the boards and easels.
I put them just inside the main door of Ricks, and then parked my car across Hillsborough Street in front of Porters. I was just about to put two quarters in the meter, when I checked the one for the spot behind me to see if it had any time left on it. 29 minutes. Perfect. I backed up my car a spot.
[Shift to Third Person]: She’s always living below her means.
I worked on the new web site for the Center for Excellence in Curricular Engagement tonight, when I should have been working on the STC newsletter.
At around 9:20 this evening I got the following e-mail:
| Congratulations! North Carolina State University earned an award of Excellence in the 2006–2007 STC Newsletter Competition for its outstanding newsletter, Technical Speaking. You should be very proud of this honor because it recognizes your dedication to publishing an exceptional STC newsletter. |
This is a “step up” from the level of “Merit,” which is what we’ve received in the past. Wooho!
I am very proud of this, but it’s not going to make it any easier to get this last edition done. Tomorrow for sure!