As always, I know. Let’s just get to it…

The Job – Things at University B are actually going pretty great. Boss Lady continues to be exactly who I thought she was and this job feels…familiar. It is the same role I had at University A and there is no real “learning curve” for me. I have to learn the processes of how things are done at University B but in terms of the actual role itself, I know what to do and can largely be proactive in my duties. The role itself is actually pretty cushy and despite being paid more than I was at University A, I actually have fewer responsibilities. Boss Lady let me know a week or so ago that University B intended to extend me a full-time offer for the upcoming year and Boss Lady’s boss made the announcement of my permanent hire this past week. I will get to the numbers in my 2023 Financial Goals post which I will post later today… (It’s raining here and I feel like writing so I figured I should take advantage of it…)

Some other work tidbits…a brilliant colleague who works out of the office of the university president (we’ll call her Ms. Fab) reached out to me about a role for which she was hiring. (Apparently, she had name-checked me in a meeting about the role and said, “I want someone like AfroPenny.” My former boss, who was also in the meeting, apparently told her, “AfroPenny doesn’t currently have a full-time job so you could possibly get her…” 👀) I told her I was still working through the process of applying to medical school and couldn’t commit to the role for which she was hiring right now. She told me to keep in touch.

I also ran into The Dean at University B. She was surprised I had accepted the role I had and wanted to know when we were going to meet. 👀 I smiled, hugged her back, and said, “We definitely should…” in one of those non-commital ways that generally frustrate me. As things are still in flux for me, I’d rather meet with her after things have become a bit more concrete.

The Apartment – Technically this is still part of the job since it is a benefit of the job but it’s so fabulous it needs its own bullet. I will never permanently share living quarters with someone who is not family again. There, I said it. Now, I don’t need a 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom apartment in the heart of an expensive city, BUT I never realized how much I missed living alone and not having to be overly considerate of someone else just to make dinner or do laundry.

Dating – I had what felt like a “final” discussion with Gentleman Avery. He took it about as well as I expected he would. He mentioned my past attempts to bring closure between us and suggested that this time would be as unsuccessful. That we each get something from each other that we each “need.” He’s not…wrong. But something feels different this time. Maybe it’s just that it has been four years and I’m finally over it? I don’t know. I probably won’t start putting myself back out there until after my MCAT test date in July and I am okay with that for now.

Health – I started going to the gym in the mornings, three times a week with one of my new colleagues. It has been life-changing. Not only do I feel physically better, but my mood is also just so much more consistently better. While I have gone to the gym in the past, my new colleague pushed me to start lifting weights and to lift heavy. My body is changing in ways it never has before. Historically, when I have been stressed, time in the gym/exercise has been one of the first things to fall by the wayside. Not anymore.

My Car – March was an eventful month. In addition to starting my new role with University B, on February 28th, as I was leaving my new apartment’s parking garage, to turn in the keys to my old place, I was hit on the side by an elderly gentleman who was backing out of a handicapped parking space. After several weeks of negotiating and following -up with his insurance company, and the auto shop, later and my car repair should be finished later this month.

However, that was not the end of the misfortune…the day prior to me taking my car to the auto shop, I needed to get my car registered as I had purchased the car while I was in the Midwest. After handing over more than $1,000.00 in car taxes, one of my tires burst on my way back to University B. UGHHHHH! After closer inspection, I realized that the tires on my car and not the Continental tires that come from the manufacturer. While there is a chance they were replaced for wear, at under 45,000 miles, it is unlikely all four tires needed to be replaced. My father thinks that the used car dealership removed the manufacturer-provided tires and put them on a more expensive vehicle. It makes sense. It’s also sad as I now have to replace all four. Thankfully, there is Costco Tires & Auto.


Life is good at the moment. And it feels so good that I have been worried that I have just been “lucky” and that the tide will eventually turn. However, a good friend recently reminded me, “Or, bad/inconvenient/expensive things just kept happening for a long while. Things now are not disproportionately good, they’re just not sucky. *laughs*” Right.