Guilt

After feeling incredibly guilty about my list yesteray of unfinished items, I worked on the baby blanket last night. It was the first time I knit while watching TV. Typically, I have to look at the stitches, but last night I was in the zone, so to speak, and the rows just flew by. Perhaps it was the crappy Lifetime movie I watched that made it easier to focus less on both. Perhaps.

Regardless, I have about 3 more inches to go on the blanket before I have to reverse the pattern.

And I think I would like to try to knit socks. Does anyone (if anyone reads this) have any suggestions about good patterns to start with? I know I don't need any more projects gumming up the works right now, but I think Im' ready for the sock challenge/bliss that I've been reading about on various blogs.

Job update: I got the raise I wanted yesterday. In true Prezzy fashion, I was called into her office at 4:15 yesterday afternoon, unannounced, for my "review" which was really nothing more than a salary review with the back office budget lady there as well. It made me uncomfortable, which is normal as Prezzy inspires that kind of dread, both to have it sprung on me like that and to not even have a private conversation about it. Not to mention not even having a moment to prepare myself or collect my thoughts, save for the time it took to walk from my cube to her office. But, I got what I wanted. It turns out to be a 15% raise, and she made a big point of telling me that normal raises here are 3%. When you make as little as I make, though, 15% doesn't seem all that much in actual dollars. However, it will be the push I need to feel more comfortable about my finances and getting rid of that last bit of credit card debt in under one year, if I commit the total raise to the card.

But, this does raise some issues for me. I have an interview with another organization tomorrow. For a job that is a step up for me, a challenge, and sounds pretty interesting. I know I don't have an offer yet and that I haven't even been on the interview, but already I'm weighing my options. Is staying here worth it now that I feel like I have enough money to live on? Or am I still going to feel the same dread coming here, knowing that I have little room for advancement or opportunity? Is it better to just get out? Or to give it another chance with the new salary? I have the known-vs.-unknown syndrome going on here. I know that Prezzy is totally nutso and that's not going to change, but I do have a system here that helps me deal with it. At someplace different, there's no guarantee that things will be different, though in my humble opinion, they sure can't get worse. Any ideas here?

I think at the very least, getting the raise will help me feel more confident at the interview tomorrow, because I will know that I have something decent to come back to if it doesn't work out.

Oh life. How you challenge me. Keep it coming.