Since moving, I have gone on several dates--some several dates, some one date, and some not sure what to make of it? Either way, I have not had a lack of dating since moving, but I do feel off my game in many ways. I think without having a close group of friends like I did before I moved, I lack the dialogue that only friends can have about dates. You know, the conversations that help you make sense of what just happened, what your feelings really mean, and whether or not the guy is even worth a second date. As a result, I am kind of sitting here this evening feeling rather perplexed about what I really think, what I really feel, and what I should do to move forward. Maybe refocusing on forming solid, meaningful friendships should be the goal here so that the next date I go on, I will have people to bounce ideas off of and make sure I am not making bad judgments? I mean, I still do have all the friends I had before, but catching up with them has been difficult (the blame going both ways) and it just is not the same as hanging out and having girl talk over a couple glasses of wine. As much as dating would be nice, I really miss the support of my friends the most, so perhaps I really should refocus my energy and start interviewing for friends. I have met a lot of people whether through work or through other people, but other than a couple people nothing that has really stuck as friendships.
Outside of dating and friends, I also have had the difficult task of getting my health insurance and care established in a new state and with a new provider. As a result of now being a poor doctoral student, I actually qualified for a government assistance program to help offset the costs of a health insurance continuation program. Pretty nifty, huh? Well, in theory. For the past two years, I have really been blessed to have easy to afford, easy to access, and easy to understand health insurance through my employer. I guess I took this for granted, because getting enrolled in this government program, making sure I had all of the paperwork, and getting all of the blood work and examinations done has been difficult and time consuming. I am still unsure if this is all going to work out, but am staying hopeful that it does because in the long run this would really be the best option for my health. As much of a supporter I am of us moving towards a better health care system that insures everyone, it is really discerning to see how difficult a public versus a private health care system has been for me. Now, this may get easier in time and once I figure out all of the hoops of this new system it may even be better, but right now I am very disappointed and disheartened that getting set up and access to this form of health insurance is as hard as it is. Did I mention all of the paperwork? So many trees died as a result.
Not only is my salary as a doctoral student low enough to qualify me for a health insurance assistance program, it also has been two months since I got paid. I remember the advice of Suze Orman from The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke that suggested having a six month security fund saved up in case of times without a job or, for me, in between one job and the other. As you can probably imagine, I had no such security fund and these past two months have been the most expensive months with vacations, living with friends and family, and moving. The latter, moving, cost me a lot more than expected--everything from the U-Haul and boxes to furniture and parking fees. Payday just could not come soon enough. And, thankfully, payday was Friday. Sadly, though, my first paycheck was not a full paycheck and it came in the form of an actual check, not direct deposit. It has been a while since I had to actually visit the bank, deposit a check, and wait for it to clear. I did this Friday afternoon and am still waiting for it to clear. I have bills to pays and wish that this would clear so I could do that. You know, there just really are some things you cannot plan for and this was one of those. In this instance, I really am reminded of why I love technological advances that have made direct deposit possible and speed up the process of exchanging money. Because, right now, I needed a deposit into my account like a month ago!
To lighten the mood a little from discussing dating, friendships, health insurance, and needing to get paid, I want to mention a couple shows I just started randomly watching the past couple of days. One, is Jon and Kate Plus 8. I had heard about this show and the drama of the couple separating some time ago, but I had never really watched the show except maybe half an episode here and there. I sat and watched a couple episodes this weekend and was shocked by how much I became invested in their lives so quickly. What is it about reality television that just draws us in? And, I do not even have a lot of life experience to connect me to either Jon or Kate, but yet I sit completely interested in their lives. I don't have children. I am not married. And yet, I want the best for them and their kids and secretly wish they could make their marriage work. Who am I? If I had seen more episodes, I probably would have even cried during the episode I saw of them deciding to get a devoice. Maybe I am just at a vulnerable place right now, but I oddly felt for Jon, Kate, and the 8. Then, I switched channels over to watching Legally Blonde 1 and 2 and the new Legally Blondes movie. It made me laugh, giggle, and happy. Thank goodness for the world being right again!
In other news, I now own www.tragicomic.net. How exciting is that? So, if you type in either .org or .net you will make it to my site. When I first purchased Tragicomic back in the day, it was .net but during graduate school a few years ago, I decided to let my domain registration lapse, and thought I would stop blogging all together. Then, after just a few months, I missed blogging and wanted the domain back, only to find that it had been purchased by someone else. How dare they, right? I was disheartened, but I quickly bought the .org version that was available and settled for that. Well, I was in luck this month, and noticed that the old owner of the .net version had not renewed the domain and so after a few weeks of following the domain, I was able to purchase it again. Now, if only I could get the .com version I would really be in luck. For now, I am happy knowing that I own both versions and it is even easier to reach me. So, if you have not already, bookmark me and keep in touch!
