The Freezer Tribune

Hello there! Greetings from the deep freezer of Northern Indiana! There are a lot of fantastic opportunities to get frozen here in the great recesses of the world. Simply walk outside and show some skin! You'll be happy with your frostbite result in only minutes! What makes this a must see destination is that you don't have to lay in a bed on your own like tanning (who does that?), there's enough room outside for you and all your friends! Say goodbye to the slow freezing of failing heaters. One step outside and you will be forever changed! Feel the tingly sensation of your nose hairs freezing instantaneously with every breath, and your fingers going stiff with loss of blood flow. At a chilling 1 degree Fahrenheit this morning, you're sure to have your hair stand on end! Get the full experience of a Northern winter right here in Warsaw, Indiana. Kick back and enjoy the Eskimo wannabes sprinting from building to automobile and back again; laugh at them in their frustration when their car is too frozen to start! It's all here and we cannot wait for you to join us in the frozen tundra we call home. It's a one of a kind experience you surely cannot miss.

Well, that being said, with the temperature dropping dangerously low for health and safety, school was delayed for a couple of hours this morning. When I got off work last night and speed walked from my car in the driveway to the house, my fingers were going numb. And I had gloves on! What's awesome about America though is that after hearing yesterday that a wind chill advisory was going out and you should not have any exposed skin for the next couple days, I walk into JCPenny and see bikinis being sold. Sigh.

I'm feeling better about life starting this week, thanks to the plenty of rest I was able to get over my three day weekend and two hour delay! I felt productive and on top of things this morning and arrived to school ten minutes early. I even hit all the lights green going down 30! BONUS! Basically, by the time I got to school, I went and sat in on a fifth grade talking to about bullying and gossip and drama and then took lunch. Which, by the way, was super incredible. I found a recipe on the side of my Velveeta box for broccoli and cheese soup. It's made out of things I usually have lying around for cooking anyway, so it was at no extra expense, and it was the best soup ever. I even had a can of Pillsbury Grands in the fridge that needed using before they expired. I whipped it all up in just a half an hour and had a very satisfying meal. Plus, making one batch will feed me three times. So I took it with me for lunch today too.

I experienced a bit of a phenomenon today as well. I looked to see if I'd been billed for my student loans yet this month, and I hadn't. I found I was slightly disappointed. I did the math and discovered that I will have another loan stamped as PAID IN FULL by March, so in two more payments. I actually caught myself begging them to bill me so I can get rid of it and show them who's really in control of my debt. ME! Not them and their interest rates. The one about to be annihilated is costing me 6.8%. This is going to feel really good. There's nothing quite like taking an ax to something that's standing in your way.

Also, this weekend, I began making a list of possibilities for apartments this summer.  I have a couple of options that would be really super nice to land. Both "communities" are income restricted. I'm not sure how I would fit into that, or if I would. Canterbury told me to contact them again closer to my moving date, and Pike Lake I haven't emailed yet; but last March, they told me I had to be out of school for at least five months. So at least now I fall into that category. If I get into one of these two places, I would most likely stay there for a few years. At reasonable rent prices and good living space, it's unique to the area. Most things are run down and/or overpriced. I need to find something in the $300-$400 range. I can't afford more than that.

I asked one of the managers at Ruby's last night if he thought they would think training me as a server over Spring Break would be worth it. I could only promise them April through July because hopefully I'll have a teaching job starting up in August. We shall see. He said that yes, it would be worth the time to train, and if I was good, then yes, he would put me on the floor. It wouldn't be adding to my hours I work every week really because my availability would still be the same. I feel like as scary as it is, if I never try it, I'm always going to wonder if I could have done it. If I don't like it, I can just go back to hosting I guess. I'd keep that part of the job anyway probably. I don't know if I could serve all the time. If I choose to go that route, I'll have to figure out what days of Spring Break I'll need to be back in Warsaw for that training.

Tonight will probably be really slow at work because of the cold. I don't know if people will want to leave their houses to go anywhere they don't need to. We have reached up to 14 degrees, so maybe people will get brave. Last night was really good, steady, but not crazy; that's really nice. I hope we were able to pull in a decent amount of money last night. That's the one thing that really sucks about the restaurant business. Every penny you make is dependent upon how well people tip. Sometimes, it's not even your fault, people just stiff you. I know I only see maybe fifty cents from each tip, maybe, but that fifty cents adds up over time. One of the servers was telling me when I first started though that he lives and pays a mortgage off of what he makes working full time. That's impressive. And he had the extra cash to start his own business, a little coffee  and craft shop, with his now fiance. Cute! I wouldn't go as far as to say I would feel financially secure only serving as a waitress for the rest of my life, but I can see the benefits there.

Well that went full circle quickly. I guess I don't have much else to tell you. I have yet to get the motivation and discipline to get up and do some exercises in the morning. I still have to finish folding and putting my laundry away and my room is in serious need of attention. I didn't get to the library either. I think I need something non-education related to read anyway to give my mind a break.

Sometimes I feel like I hit the pause button on life for all the working yet life still moves forward at the same time. I can't seem to do everything I feel like I should be doing or need to do. Real life just seems to be a lot of working for me.

One of the teachers here was telling me today at lunch that she's ready for summer already. She's not alone either. From a lot of conversations in the building, many people are getting worn down and ready to be done for a while. It's only January. We still have a week and a half of this month left, then a good four months and a week after that! So, four and a half months to, what, freedom? Yeah right. Summer will have enough troubles of its own for this gal here. I'll just hope for another two hour delay tomorrow. Haha!

Well, on that note, I'm going to go out and brave the cold. I need to make sure Libby runs for at least five minutes before I try to drive her anywhere. Yeah, I know. Good luck to me.

Stay chill folks!