I haven’t written a life update in some time and I figured it was time I wrote one as life things often change your finances…

1) Applying to medical school – Not too long ago, I wrote “When the universe decides to call your bluff…” and I thought (and maybe you did too…except maybe C, she seems to be a soothsayer of sorts) that I was done with the “will she/won’t she” apply to medical school waffling until April. Yea…no. I know this is a life update and I hate putting off telling you what I have decided until another post…but I am. For the moment, I will say that I am the most content and the least anxiety ridden I have been in some time.

2) Dating/Social Life – Despite my very demanding schedule at University B, I have managed to squeeze in a couple of dates. I had a nice time, and great conversations with all of them, but no real attraction. I also thought that Dude (he actually hates the word “dude”…it’s probably why I initially used it) Gentleman Avery and I had finally moved on from whatever lingering mental pull we had on one another…but that was not to be the case. It was disappointing because I thought I had gotten to a place where I admitted I loved him (to myself…had been fighting this for some time), was comfortable with that, and with the idea that for several reasons, it just wasn’t going to work out. It only took one conversation between us to really “wreck” all the “progress” I had made in terms of moving on. I take a small amount of comfort from the fact that I know he hasn’t been able to move on either.

In between odd dates and work, I have also managed to make a few friends and good work colleagues. This is the first time in my adult life that I have really established significant connections and friends in a city and it’s pretty great. I went out for drinks and a late dinner with a new acquaintance (we’ve decided we will be friends) and I had the most fun I have had in some time. It must have showed, as the hostess stopped by our table to ask about our “girl’s night” as we “seemed to be having so much fun.” It was a pricier hangout that most nights for me, however, over the course of the evening, I learned she is also a pretty frugal person with significant student loan debt she is working to pay off (she is only 31) and pursuing public service forgiveness. I have more in common with her at this current point in my financial life than I have with anyone else and I am excited about the possibility of being able to be a bit more open with someone in real life about financial goals, plans, etc.

3) University B – I am just going through the motions at University B as I am mentally checked-out. And I admitted as much to my boss during my glowing (seriously, this man didn’t give me any constructive/critical feedback) performance review. I will continue to perform well in my role and do my best to support students, but beyond that, I am just counting down the days until June. A committee of which I was co-chair, whose work will be made redundant before the report to which we contributed is even published, has gratefully come to an end. I also have taken a step back from one of the “additional” duty jobs I had which resulted in a small stipend each month. Of course I decided to step away from it just as they increased the amount of the stipend…but that’s often how it goes. I may consider serving in this role again for the Spring semester but we will see.

My actual role at University B is incredibly demanding, in terms of my time, at the moment. I have worked three weekends each in September and October and will work two weekends in November. The Saturdays I give up for this role are really long days (usually 6:00AM-5:00PM) and I feel like the next day (like today) I spend a lot of time just trying to recover, and don’t feel like I have gotten a “real” weekend. Eh. It’s another reason I am excited to step away from this role in June.

This life update is a bit shorter than most because my gig work has meant I haven’t really been pursuing consulting work, and I have been doing gig updates in separate posts. I expect to pursue more consulting work in the next year but I am pretty happy with my gig work/full time work balance at the moment.