I got the job!!

Friday was crazy, but in the end I took the job I was offered Thursday night. I was giving my current employer until Monday to try to counteroffer, but the person in charge of the budget is out of town Monday and Tuesday and I couldn't wait until Wednesday. So, I told them nicely not to worry about it because, from our talks in the past, I didn't think they'd be able to match it. She thanked me for my honesty and things are fine.

The new job is giving me about 20-25% more in pay, plus more holidays and Jewish holidays, paid medical and dental, and is a step up position-wise. I'll be doing similar work. I just grew too fast for my current employer and they are ready or able to promote me to where I feel I should be. At least one of the guys there is going to hire me as a marketing consultant so I can make some extra money on the side, which is very cool!

As for Friday... if I hadn't been out on Thursday for the interview I would have thrown in the towel early on Friday and not gone in, but I was trying to be responsible. It backfired a bit LOL.

We had a decent amount of ice on the ground Friday morning, but my personal problem was the water main break on City Avenue. I work off City Avenue and take the road in for most of the 45 minutes it takes me to get to work. It's very busy, so everybody would be taking the same routes to go around the closed section. So, I decided to take SEPTA. Usually I don't have many problems taking it, but in my early morning foggy brain I forgot that the bus would be stuck in all that traffic, too.

So, I walked down the street to catch the trolley, which took a little while but got there. It was pretty cold and with the wind chill it was in the low 20s. I know, it's not as bad as a lot of you have it, but for me it's cold :) Took about 15 minutes to get to the 69th Street hub where I had to catch the bus.

Waited for the bus for about half an hour when they said it would be another 25 minutes. This is a bus that is very busy and picks up people about every 10 minutes. As I'm looking around at all the people outside and inside, I realize I'm not aggressive enough and will get bowled over and STILL not get on the bus. So, I decide to take the trolley BACK home and drive in after all, figuring I'll get there by the time the bus does anyway.

I wanted to call my boss so she knew. I don't carry a cell phone but was going to use my calling card, but I didn't have the right PIN. Then I was going to get change but the change machine was broken. I try not to carry a lot of change but I scrounged out 50 cents, put it in, dialed the number, had to scrounge for another 35 cents. Told Donna what was up, and took the trolley home. While home I had some breakfast until I heard the magic words on the news: "City Avenue is clear." Then I drove to work and it was pretty easy except for the one lane they still had shut down. It was a small bottleneck, but nothing major as it was after 9:30 by the time I got there.

So, my adventure started at 7:30 and I finally got to work about 10:00. At least they knew I was trying.

Oh, then later in the day, while I was still fighting anxiety about the job and hadn't yet made my decision, the side zipper on my pants split. The funny thing was that I was going to bring a spare pare in case I slipped in ice and mud -- I do that sometimes and often have a spare. I didn't want to miss the trolley the fist time and forgot, then forgot the second time I left. Luckily, I was wearing a long enough turtleneck and cardigan that it covered it up, but jeesh!

So, a day that could have really been rough was a little better because I went home knowing that in a few weeks I'd be working at a new place with different benefits and pay. The people there are nice, but I will miss those where I work now. I just got to the point where I didn't feel I could continue working there simply because I liked the people, when I need to start going somewhere in my life and saving more, etc. I figured my budget with the new salary and it will be nice to be able to have savings for various things -- car repairs, emergencies, etc. -- and still be able to buy a little stitching and a movie once in a while :)

Oh, and I forgot to post my exercise calendar from February. Each star represents 20 minutes of exercise, except for the first day when it was for 15 minutes. I'm planning for more stars in March, but am very happy with February.