"Don't stop talking to me, I haven't been listening"
To say that it's been a while since I last posted would be an understatement. It's not far off from the two-year mark. I've actually meant to post here on a few occasions but for different reasons it never happened. Updates are in order:
First off, I'm not in school anymore. However, it's not for the same reason that it's usually been in the past. I'm not in school anymore because I actually graduated! Finally, after all this time. After changing my major more than once, roommates bailing, breakups, being broke, a bum computer, uncertainty, depression, working too much, and having a bad semester or two due to all those reasons and more - I finally did it. Sure, it's only a two year degree, but it's a start. I do feel like I've accomplished something, even if it's nothing crazy difficult. I owe my mom a lot for letting me stay at home all this time for free and go to school. She helped make this a reality.
Second, I have a job that I will be starting soon! I began looking for jobs about 2 weeks before I graduated so I could get a head start. No more than two days after officially graduating and I'm already lined up to start a job at a local IT company. It's a small business, I'm not sure how much I will make just yet starting out. Hopefully it will be enough to cover most of my expenses. Either way, it's a step in the right direction. I get to learn more, I get real job experience related to my degree and career field, and I finally get some income again. I will work standard 8-5 Monday-Friday hours with weekends off, overtime should be available as well. It may not sound like much, but a regular schedule with two days off in a row is much better than most of my previous jobs in the service industry so the structure will be welcome. I'm hoping to either work my way up from a level 2 to a level 3 and make ~40k/year or get two years experience + certifications and try to find a job that pays about the same. If not, I can always try to go back for my bachelor's. Either way, it's much needed and a good start.
Third, Jen and I are applying for apartments so we can move in together! We looked around for a few weeks and settled on one. We turned in the application and are waiting to hear if we will get it. It's a little pricier than what we were aiming for, but I think we should be able to make it work. It's probably a little more than what we need, however, it checks most of the boxes. Plenty of space (1400 sq ft), 2BR/2BA, quiet area and safe neighborhood, community pool, lawn to use, patio, security system, washer + dryer included, very close to my job, and more. If it doesn't work out for whatever reason, it's only a one year lease. It's exciting to look forward to moving in with someone. Aside from normal anxiety, I think it should work well. I don't have the same apprehensions as last time and thankfully there's not some wild 1,000+ mile relocation involved. That was a good experience and I don't regret it, but this is what I need for now until I can build myself up some more.
Those are all three of the biggest things going on right now. Lots of changes have taken place since I last posted. The last month or so has been very busy and stressful at times, but it will be worth it in the end. Things haven't all been great. I had to get some oral surgery to remove a tooth. I'm not a fan. I still have more dental work that needs to be done because I lacked proper care and dentist visits for a while. I'm hoping it can go as well as possible, but who knows. I've had some rough TMJ/TMD syptoms for a while which has made life a struggle at times. Some days just aren't good. I'm working on it as best I can. It will take some time, money, and patience. Hopefully I don't need more surgery or anything crazy. I also hope it's only TMJ and not something worse going on. Some of the symptoms have been concerning and it has affected my quality of life for about a year now. On the bright side, I quit smoking cigarettes, I've stopped smoking weed for about two months so I could job hunt and it's been a good break - I may keep going with it. I drink a little more now, probably due to all the recent stress and pressure from everything else. I can handle it for now. I built a new computer as well! It's been a goal for so long and it happened. It's pretty beastly and should last for a long time. That's all I will post for now, I have some things to do. Just figured I needed to vent some and update since it's been so long.