My quest for financial independence took a positive turn this morning. I forgot about a work bonus that is typically paid twice a year that came at the end of September. Thanks to that bonus I was able to use most of it to get my mortgage down to an even $10,000. I wanted to etch an extra hundred to break the 5-figure mark but of course Dom had hobby stuff that stood in the way. Sigh. But nonetheless I recognize that we're very fortunate to be close to paying it off completely. My pay-off amount at least is in the four figures as of today. If only I had an extra $7600 hiding somewhere.
I took care of a household issue that I put off for a few months. I had our regular plumber come over to fix a leaky strainer in the kitchen sink. That was a $190 hit. Dom thought it was a bit high. But given how the cost of everything has gone up, I realized that gone are the days you can get things fixed for $50 or even under $100.
So I have to get our garage fixed yet again. For years we had the issue where the garage will not close all the way but rather reopen and then we have to struggle to get it to close. I had it adjusted twice before but I was told that the issue is that garage itself is shifting in one direction which is affecting the door function. A more long term fix is to adjust the door so that the sensors will pick them up properly. But doing that would leave a gap on the right hand side of the door. I wasn't keen on doing that and they made adjustments to the settings to get the door to close. But the issue keeps returning months later so now I'm ready to try the long-term fix. I bought a floor strip for the garage that I'm hoping will help cover some of the gap. But we'll see. I need to get it fixed before the weather changes for the colder so will have to work on that this month.
In other news Dom had an interview for a teaching position yesterday at a Gary charter school. It isn't a math role but rather an elective teaching role on career and college preparation. He said the interviewer was boring and he wasn't sure if he made a connection with him or not. When Dom has interviewed in the past, he's had it where the staff reaches back to him within an hour after the interview and offered the job. That didn't happen here but I'm hoping he'll hear something soon.
He ran into a former colleague that is working security at the school. He described him as resembling the actor D.B. Woodside when he played Amenadiel on Lucifer. They bonded over their hate for the same member of the admin team. Apparently that member screwed Amenadiel over as well.
Maybe Amenadiel can put in a good word for Dom if the principal asks. We shall see I guess.
The last time Dom was unemployed was in 2010. Prior to losing his job, he had already paid for registration to one of his first doll conferences. He said his parents helped him get a plane ticket to the event. I found an old tattered sign that he put on his display table back then when he was selling a few dolls. It looks so sad and sweet at the same time I wanted to share it.
We all have our crosses to bear in life but we find a way to get through and ideally in a better place. That's life in a nutshell. As long as we're breathing we have more opportunities to navigate through what gets thrown. Dom and I are both pushing along.
