Mo' Money

Tony Snow is resigning as White House spokesman. He's been battling colon cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, but that's not the reason he's stepping down. He's stepping down for financial reasons.

From the New York Times:

Mr. Snow, who has been battling a recurrence of colon cancer and just finished a lengthy set of chemotherapy treatments, had said that he intended to leave before the end of President Bush’s second term. In recent interviews, he said he would depart for financial, not health reasons.
The former journalist with Fox News who had a nationally syndicated talk show received a salary of nearly $170,000 as White House press secretary, far less than his cable show earnings.
He recently told Hugh Hewitt: “I’m not going to be able to go the distance, but that’s primarily for financial reasons,” Mr. Snow said. “I’ve told people when my money runs out, then I’ve got to go.”

Geez, if he can't make $170,000 work, along with countless benefits that I'm sure comes with the job, what hope does a parent working a minimum wage job have? This should be proof to the administration that working class folks need help. Instead, though, the administration will probably see it as evidence that the rich need tax cuts.

The Cost of Living

I was offered a job yesterday.

Hooray!

But the pay is less than what I think I deserve for it.

Booooo!

Now I have to think. It's a good opportunity, one that will hopefully lead to bigger and better things. I'm not completely blindsided by the amount offered, but I was still hoping it would be more. As it stands, it would be just enough for me to cover cost of living and maybe save a little every month. A cushion would have been nice.

Also, I try not to think about this fact, but it is a fact nonetheless: the salary offered is slightly more than what I made in my first year out of college--and, I just realized this, the salary is a little more than half of what I could have made if I continued my consulting work full time. In fact, if one were to look at my salary history, it would look like a roller coaster. It was up, then went down when I taught, then went up again as a consultant, and it looks like it will be going back down.

So now I have to decide. What to do, what to do?

Of course, we can't overlook the bright side: I was offered a job!

Debt in Texas?

I just completed my tax return--state and federal--and now I have a headache. I put it off to the last minute because I knew I was going to be cutting a check, and I would rather hold on to my money as long as possible. This marked the first time I'm not getting a refund. Next year I should be back in refund territory.

I hope.

The good news was that the amount I owed was less than I expected. Not by much, but enough for me to splurge today on a vanilla latte.

The deadline has been confusing to me. All the literature I have read suggested that it was today, the first business day after the 15th. However, a couple of people--my sister and a guy at the gym--told me that it was tomorrow due to Emancipation Day being celebrated in D.C. If they and Wikipedia are to be believed, then I actually have until tomorrow. Regardless, I'm parting with some money today or tomorrow.

It's just been a screwy day today. Something just felt off all day.

The shooting at Virginia Tech.

The nor'easter affecting the Boston Marathon.

The LA Weekly winning a Pulitzer Prize as the very deserving Jonathan Gold won for criticism, the first ever for a food critic.

The death of Don Ho.

Kate Middleton dumped by Prince William for being too common.

What a day!

Four Wheels and Good (Downward) Dog

I got my car serviced this week and walked out $378 poorer. Belts and liquids had to be replaced, but bills like these make me wish I knew more about cars than I do. I can change the oil, but that in itself isn't a huge savings. It also makes me wish I didn't rely on my car so much. I love to drive, but I wouldn't mind living closer to the places I frequent and to mass transit options like the Gold Line. I'll never give up my car, but I'm sure I wouldn't mind giving it and me a few days off during the week. When I was in Europe last fall I loved taking the subway everywhere and walking. As it is, Papa Smurf has logged over 70,000 miles and he's still a month shy of his fourth birthday.

I saw this picture in the New York Times last night:


Photo by: Ken Stewart/Getty Images, for the New York Times

I wish my downward dog was as good as this guy's. I form a lopsided table with mine instead of the pyramid this guy has. I really need to practice, but it will have to wait until my knee is better. I was able to sleep much better last night. The Advils certainly helped, but the knee does seem a little better. Or I could just be getting used to it. I'm still limping badly and I can't put too much weight on it but I'm hoping that by the end of next week I can pick up running again.

MARATHON WATCH 2007: 6 Days...

The Dow fell 416 points today! I guess I'll be postponing that retirement after all.

Money is always on the back of my mind these days--how to keep it, how to make it, how to spend it. For a while there I was worried I was going to have to put in more than I expected towards my fundraising. With a week left until final funds I was still $800 short of my minimum. My goal was to get within $200 of the minimum and pay the rest as if I was covering my registration and hotel. Thanks to the generosity of friends, though, I was able to make my minimum and even exceed it.

As part of Team in Training, I find fundraising to be the toughest aspect, moreso than twenty mile runs. It's also why I'm a part of the program. I have to remind myself that TNT is not simply a social group (but it can be), it's a group of people working together to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fulfill its mission. With that said, though, it's still tough to ask your friends and family to donate, especially if you're like me, someone who doesn't like to ask others for things. If I want something, I get it myself. Heck, if they'd let me, I would fry my own burgers at Burger King.

So, I have to chastise myself often for neglecting the important part of TNT and getting caught up in the camaraderie and good times. We are there to fight cancer--and have fun doing so. If I do the math, though, after attending various fundraisers, donating directly to someone's efforts, buying fundraising shirts, etc, I've probably put in hundreds of dollars towards the cause. Too bad I can't claim all of those as tax deductions. I'm not complaining. Quite the opposite. I wish I had more money to contribute not just to LLS but to other organizations I care about. Maybe some day I'll be rich enough to have a building at UCLA named after me. But if the Dow keeps falling like it did today, I doubt it will be any time soon.

With regards to running, I'm taking the day off. I skipped the gym today and instead got my haircut and met a friend for lunch. I've got a massage scheduled later and then it's off to Dave and Buster's for the SGV Send-off Dinner.

It's quite fitting that the song playing while I write this is LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" from his/their upcoming album, Sound of Silver, with its bouncy chorus declaring "if I could see all my friends tonight." Well, tonight, I am!