Today I cleaning out the last of the junk from our storage. Well, I’m trying to anyway. There’s a lot to fit in the garage and not space for my car and the junk. Until we sort out the wheat, the chaff stays. Bummer.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
Resumé Updated
I’ve finally updated my [resumé](http://houseofwarwick.com/resume)to reflect my current job at CenturyTel. It’s been four and a half months on the job and I still enjoy the challenge. One of the hidden benefits has been the daily drive. I’ve got a great sunrise photo on my Facebook page from the top of the Highway 65 bridge over the Ozark Mountain Highroad.
Cheap Entertainment
I stumbled in to a deal on cable television, getting about twice the channels we had before for the same price. We ditched the DSL for internet with Mediacom and doubled our speed, which is crucial for streaming HD content from Netflix.
Diehard
Diehard is still one of the beat movies made.
Financial Planning Class
I’m nearly 40 years old and I manage my money poorly. I get by like many people, but I don’t have the right plans to have a secure future. Considering some of the hard lessons I’ve learned recently, it’s time I took lessons so I won’t have to do this again.
Tammy and I signed up for a Dave Ramsey “Financial Peace” class offered by a local church. This class is like hiring a personal trainer for exercise–we all know what we should do, but the trainer helps you do it right.
The first steps were easy. We set up another account at the bank for an emergency fund and stocked it with money. That will help us weather the next storm (like a new transmission) a little easier. Tonight, we sat down and wrote a generic budget and were surprised just how much we spend in basic areas like groceries.
The class might not be held tomorrow night due to [the weather](http://www.tammykirks.com/archives/847) but we’ll try to make if it’s open.
Emotionally, this is a big deal for me. Money has been a point of contention between Tammy and I for years, but this class is teaching us to come together and work on our problem with a plan and a goal. Just one session and writing the budget has probably cut my stress in half.
January 2009 Updates
I like my weblog, but I don’t write much any more. It’s not just here, but most places like Twitter or Facebook get very little attention. I have friends who post often and it pulls me back to the keyboard. I guess I don’t write because I realize that I have hardly the time to read what others write. Plus, at the end of the day, I spend my work time in front of a keyboard so I guess that makes it hard to write here.
Job Stuff:
I don’t talk about my job on my weblog except to say that I have one and it’s going well. I like my workgroup and the drive back and forth to Branson is actually relaxing. Call me if you want to know more–all of it good.
House Stuff:
If you read [Tammy’s weblog](http://tammykirks.com) then you’ll get a good idea of our latest news, but I’ll write a digest here in a separate post.
Programming Stuff:
I used my Pragmatic Programmer’s 35% off coupon for a book on developing for the iPhone. That means I’ve got three books headed my way in the spring (when they are published on paper) but early access to the “beta” versions as a PDF files.
Professional Stuff:
I have to complete or renew 7 professional certifications before the end of March. That means my head will be in a book for several hours each weekend a couple of evenings during the week.
Steve Kirks 