That fucking ridiculous course that took me 7.5 months to complete is finally DONE!  Exam written and submitted.  All I can say is about time!  No more dealing with that retarded instructor.  On that note; I contacted the department and voiced my lack of joy over my experience with this guy and found out that he’s on the chopping block because of all of the complaints against him that are the same as mine.  Big surprise.

After this I’m calling it quits on courses anytime soon, even if I do get a sweet tuition benefit.  Now back to the 52 hour work weeks! woo!

I find it extremely frustrating being a bigger girl in a tiny society.  I am considered plus size 12 but a regular size 15/16, you would think where I can fit into two markets that I would be able to find clothing to fit, this is not the case at all.  I can find clothes in three different stores, Ricki’s (love it!), Forever 21 (but only online or when I’m in Orlando), and Addition-Elle (only plus size store that carries a 12).  I am by no means an unattractive size and I wear the clothes that look the best for my body shape, and quite frankly.. I love my curves.  If I had been born in Marilyn Monroe’s time, I would have been a desirable size – I’m actually smaller than she was.  Society and clothing designers dictate what is attractive and what isn’t, but with the majority of north america being overweight, they should start realizing how much revenue they could generate if they catered to this market.  I applaud Forever 21 for realizing this and creating the Faith 21 line.  It may not be available in all stores but whenever I inquire as to whether the particular store I am in has it, the answer is always the same.  ‘Not yet but its in the works”.

I like to be fashionable, but due to my size this can sometimes be difficult.  I love my designer but am limited to handbags, shoes, and accessories.  I recently purchased clothing at Dynamite (a small sized store) and quite frankly was surprised I fit into their large.  I found that many of the clothes I left behind would have fit if they weren’t narrow minded and carried an XL.  While flipping through their sale racks, literally ALL of the sizes were XS and S; clearly they need to wake up and realize that the majority of their customers cannot fit into their abnormally small sizes!  Even though I’m ranting on Dynamite, all stores from Forever 21 (reg sizes) to Guess, need to wake up and realize most girls have hips, they have breasts, and god forbid a lil thigh.  There are real women in this world, not just 12 year old girls that haven’t hit puberty.  Until then I’m happy to spend my hard earned cash at stores that believe “bigger” women are beautiful too.

There comes a point in a person’s life where they must decide whether its best to rent an apartment or make a major purchase, such as a house, condo, etc.  I’ve been toying with the idea for awhile but have just started to seriously research the market.  I have determined that based on a $100,000 mortgage paid over 30 to 35 years my mortgage payment would be roughly $470-500.  This is the same cost as my rent.

There are pros and cons to both obviously, but to a financially responsible person such as myself, the most sensible option would be to buy.  Why should I waste my money renting when I can own my own home for the same amount of money?  This not only gives me equity but can potentially turn a profit when I sell (I won’t be staying there for 30 years).  I would really like to own a Condo/Townhouse but mini-homes are literally a 1/4 of the price in some cases.  I need to research further and determine what purchase would go up in value over time, I don’t want something that will depreciate.

I have been contemplating for years but have had many excuses or reasons this is not feasible.  The most popular being I’m on year long contract jobs, I don’t know if I want to stay in this town another year, can I really afford it, etc.  I really should have considered this a year ago.

I’m a little concerned with the 2006 Honda Civic that I purchased a bit over a month ago.  I bought it from the local dealership, and have gotten great service, but now its time to decide whether I want the extended warranty that includes roadside assistance (I bought a previously leased vehicle).  I did some googling on common issues and apparently hundreds of 2006 Civic owners have issues with their engine blocks cracking under 90,000 kms.  This poses a concern for me as mine is currently at 67,000 kms.  Of course a few hundred out of thousands of vehicles doesn’t mean much, but the fact all the interweb discussions focus on this engine problem and about 1% focus on other issues concerns me.

I spoke with my salesman today and it turns out my warranty ran out on June 14th, and I was told I had to the end of the month.  So if I decide in the next day or so that I want the warranty they “may” be able to cover it.  In my opinion they should honour it as I was originally told the end of June.  If a engine needs to be replaced at 70,000 kms and costs me $4000 to fix it, when my warranty could of covered it and tons more for $1000, I’ll be pissed.

For someone who has spent the majority of her years without a significant other I seem to have a full boat at the moment.  I’ve had a boyfriend here or there, and the few flings to entertain me, but generally I’m on my own.  This has never really bothered me to much as I am a commitment-phobe and am not looking for a Mr. Right.

Lately it seems as though I have a fair amount of men on my plate, some which I wouldn’t mind tossing.  I’m still having complications with Mr. Benefits – though the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight, Mr. Awkward is still lurking around and has made a few attempts at making me jealous, and now there is a new guy thrown into the mix.

This new individual may actually have some potential, except for the fact he’s looking for a little more than I’m willing to give.  I’m looking for fun and non-commitment.. he’s looking for a little more than that.

Sometimes I start to wonder if its all even worth it.  Maybe I should just say to hell with it and become a nun.

I really should write a book about the awkwardness, and sometimes disturbing, antics of my life.  Oh wait.. that is why I have this blog.  Regardless, I have an update on Mr. Awkward, Mr. Benefits, and now Mr. Disturbing (who will only make one appearance). Please keep in mind that the second part of this post may, or certainly will, fall into the TMI category.

First off, Mr. Awkward.. oh dear.  So the day after my last post Mr. Awkward sends me a message letting me know what we should do on our date.  Say what??  I had no idea how to approach this new predicament I seem to have gotten myself into.  Eventually I couldn’t dodge it anymore and I gave him the “friends” speech.  Typical cop-out I know.  Also gave him the I lost everything with Mr. Benefits and I don’t want that to happen again.  He seemed fine with it at the time, said he didn’t want to ruin anything and we went on our marry way.  Fast forward 2 weeks – he won’t talk to me.  I try and I get maybe 5 sentences and thats it.  Its awkward, it sucks, and I’m not happy about it.  Apparently the male ego IS as fragile as they say.

Now for Mr. Disturbing.  I had added this guy on MSN a while back (I think I met him at a party… maybe..) and he randomly messages me (keep in mind I’d never actually “met” him.  A.K.A – to many martinis) and asks if I wanna “play”.  I was like WTF?  Does he want to play bejeweled?  No No, he wants me to watch him masterbate on webcam.  To which I was told “its okay if you do not want to participate, but will you just show me your face”.  After I got over my initial shock, I found this to be extremely funny.. like piss your pants funny.  I ended up deleting him but of course had to tell everyone I know.

Flash forward to Mr. Benefits.  He receives my text telling him my hilarious encounter.  Basically I was joking around about watching.. I even said JK! in my text.  I get a “Well was it good?”.  Umm.. wtf?  J.O.K.E.  So add this response to the fact he wont talk to me about my recent dates, he changes the subject, I’ve determined that there is some jealousy residing there.  And the bitch in me?  Abso-fucking-lutely loves this fact.

As I have mentioned in previous posts my friend’s brother is into me.. well I guess I would considered him a friend of mine now as well.  Regardless I have never hung out one on one with him before, as I have had suspicions of his being attracted to me.  Well I finally thought he had moved on, he had begun dating another girl, but last night its quite apparent that I was wrong; he’s more forward than ever.  I had believed that there was going to be a group of us going to dinner, but when I showed up there was only him.  Everything was fine through dinner, normal friend talk, but when we walked home it was a different story.  I nearly walked off the path as to avoid rubbing shoulders (he was that close), it makes me quite uncomfortable.

I’m not really sure what to do as he is a friend, but I can’t just keep ignoring it as that has already failed.  I certainly don’t want it to end up like Mr. Benefits.  I have yet to post about that, but long story short we had a HUGE blow up and our friendship is hanging by a thread and I have been emotionally distraught for months.  If I can offer anyone advice from that situation, if you value your friendship don’t let the sexual things get in the way.  It only leads to disaster and heartache.  As for Mr. Awkward (I seem to have code names for everyone, lol), anyone have some good advice to approach this situation?

Course Update: Prof came back from being MIA for 3 weeks… to which he has now been MIA for another 1.5.. fml.

As I mentioned in a previous post that I’m taking a class on Project Management training that was… difficult to say the least. Now the professor has gone MIA.. and has been for 3 weeks now. I did receive an email from him after I complained to the department about not hearing from him for 2 weeks. Apparently his computer died.. which is understandable, but in this day and age usually one has a work machine and a home machine, so why couldn’t he atleast send out an email explaining this in those 2 weeks instead of me having to complain? Regardless he informed me that I could get an extension on my end date, which I fully intend to utilize, not necessarily because I need the time (I might due to procrastination) but solely on the principle of it. A dead computer is no excuse for not letting a person know.. its called a Public Library.

Currently I am attending a project management training course offered through the PMI. This has proven to be extremely helpful as its like a crash course in what I’m supposed to be teaching myself (as the course is online). I’m hoping this helps in my understanding and I’ll be able to finish it with a decent mark. Given that the course is stressing me out.

On a side note.. Hilton = sweet rooms. I’m used to the 2.5 star hotels (as I refuse to pay $200 a night) but my work is footing the bill for the training. A girl could get used to this.

I’ve recently come to realize that being in debt isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  According to most articles I’ve stumbled across they all stress the same thing, debt = bad.  Its not the debt itself that gets people in trouble its their inability to manage it and their spending habits.  I am a fairly recent university graduate, I finished my degree in 2008 and came out with roughly $5000 in debt (compared to other students this is very small), half of this being credit cards.  Being of little income as a student I kept up a certain level of living by placing items on my credit cards (yes plural – a person really should limit themselves to one), this came a problem when I graduated.  I have since knocked myself down to $1500 (one card & a LOC).  My ultimate goal was to be debt free by the end of this month, and I could easily achieve this, but have decided to purchase a new car.  This new purchase worried me at first, as it would put me an additional $8000 in debt (after tax savings, money obtain from my old car, and savings).  What I failed to realize at the time is that being in debt is a part of life.  Should a person be in debt for their entire life? Obviously not but growing up entails major purchases that cannot be made on one’s own.

How you manage this debt is what makes a person financially responsible.  Having a monthly budget that pays all necessary fees, such as rent, utilities, etc while putting away atleast 5-10% of your monthly earnings into a savings account, while spending within this budget, makes you responsible.  After my student government tax rebate I will be able to pay off my credit card and a portion of my LOC.  This will allow me to maintain my budget, put away 25% to savings, and have my car paid off in 2 years; which is better than the majority at 3-4 years.

How many people in my age bracket (24-29) can actually say they are financially responsible?  In my small circle of friends there may be one.

Question: How do handle your debt?  Does making the payments stress you out or are your comfortable paying off it off over a period of time?

I’ve been working on a course online on the topic of project management.  I’ve been enrolled since Feb 25th and have yet to even get past chapter one.  Now this is mostly because I’ve been “busy” and have put it off plus I went away for 10 days.  Still I should be farther long than this, mostly this is due to the fact that the mathematical portion of this course confuses the fuck outta me.  I’m not a mathematically inclined individual (I openly admit that – why I graduate with a BBA is beyond me) and to learn from a professor is hard enough but to teach myself is just NOT going to work (the class is online-based).

I’ve attempted to get help from other sources but it hasn’t panned out.  I’m seriously starting to worry that I am going to fail this class and seeing as I’ve expressed interest in project management to my boss this is obviously not an option.  I think me and the library are going to become best buds.