Money Problems

Today some stress was taken off of me. My company finally started to reimburse me for some of the money that I have spent on this trip. The agreement before I left was that they would pay the airfare and the tuition before I left and then I would be compensated for food, lodging and transportation upon my return. By my estimate this three week trip would cost me three thousand dollars.

For some reason they felt that this would not be a problem. I am flattered that they think that I have three thousand dollars just lying around but I do not have that much at my command. My plan was to spread the amount among a couple of credit cards, but this plan soon fell apart last week. I had reached the limit on two cards and was paying for my current room through my checking account. Now all of this nonsense is over and the room is being paid for on the company credit card which I think that they should have given me in the first place. Live and learn, I guess.

I have some real mixed feelings about senior citizens working at fast food restaurants. Since I eat lunch almost everyday at one chain or another, I see these people on a daily basis. Part of me is happy that they have something to do, but I think that retirement should be more than some minimum wage job. Then again dignity and old age do not go together in America. I don't think that I would want my grandparents working at some fast food chain.

Class was so boring today. I could hardly wait for it to end. I like the instructor, but enough is enough.

Here is how the class works. I have a sheet outlining the classes for the three weeks. When I arrive in class I get a manual and a binder with hardcopies of the slides that we will see for the day. We listen to the instructor talk for about six hours as she displays slides. Then it starts all over again the next day. Sometimes the next lecture builds on the previous one, but not always. Each class is seen as a self contained unit for anyone to take.

I never really gave much thought to the state of Nebraska before I came here. For me it was where the pioneers crossed to get to the west coast. It was where the buffalo roamed in huge herds. It was the dustbowl. It was just an abstract for me. Now that I am here, I guess what I heard was right. Its everything that I was told it would be.

The art museum has two large sections devoted to western and Native American art which I saw last Saturday.

I watched part of the Lewis and Clark documentary of PBS tonight, which tied in to where I am now. What those men did is just not possible anymore. I know that it can be done, but they were the first to do it.

I'll be the first to admit that my televison viewing has increased since I have been on vacation, but I was living on a very fixed budget until today. Plus the weather was really miserable earlier this week. Tomorrow night should be a little different. I still have to get a haircut and do some laundry.

The days seem much longer here for some reason. In the morning and early afternoon, school occupies my time. The evening is all mine though. There is no homework. I don't have to clean anything. My bed is made for me everyday and there are new towels in the bathroom. I guess that I really don't mind though.

I would certainly go on another business trip if work asked me to go somewhere. I think that my biggest problems will be when I get home. I'll have to sort through three weeks worth of mail. This includes bills and junk mail.

My twenty-eight birthday is next month. I really don't know what that means anymore. In my mind I have been the same for years. Then there are times when I wonder if I have done enough with my life or if I should have done more. I would never describe myself as an aggressive person when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder. Only recently have I started to make a salary worthy of a college graduate. Sometimes money just isn't that important to me. The only reason that I would want more money would be to travel I suppose. I can't see myself roaming europe staying in hostels or anything vaguely bohemian. I would have to travel in comfort.

Well, I think that I will stop rambling now. This is how I am in person. My mind wanders from one topic to another. Maybe I need more focus. No, I can be very focused when I want to be.

I wonder where I will be a year from now. There would have been no way of knowing last year that I would be in Nebraska this year. I wasn't even working for this company yet.

yesterday

index

tomorrow