Well, I guess I'm still doing this, yup yup. Oh well. She's still got the right stuff in many ways.

< This is Sil. She isn't as harmless as she looks.

I asked for a pretty significant raise at work a few weeks ago. The idea was this:

For what I usually do at work, people working other places, doing the same things, will usually make about three times as much as I do per hour, at least after they've been there as long as I've been here.

A place in town is hiring at $30 per hour to do this same work. That's a few bucks more than I make now, and more importantly, it would get me the fuck out of having to be here. I really, really am not a fan of here.

Of course, after you've been at a place for half a decade, most employers interviewing you will ask why you left. That would have been a bit of a long story - I hate it here because there is an official policy built completely for me. I truly, truly have a different set of rules than anyone else working here. Sometimes it's nice, often it's not, and I have no idea how it came to be in the first place.

But I didn't really feel like explaining that in an interview. A lot of the shit that goes on around here is, honestly, not the kind stuff I'd really believe happens if I wasn't here to see it and deal with it myself.

So I figured, well hey. I'll ask for this raise. I won't get it, and then when I go interview, I could simply point to my vast resume and all the things I do here, and tell the guy "I want to quit there and work here because I'm already doing all these things, think I have a future in them at a place like this, and because I'm not being compensated at a level everyone in this industry deems to be fair." Or something like that. It would have been a good justification.

Instead, I got the fucking raise, and my boss said "well, now you're all in, eh? Gonna be sticking around!"

I guess on the flip side of that - they can't really fire me now, either. In my very persuasive argument as to why I deserved more money (I should have maybe half-assed it, but hey), I think I finally made them realize that without me, literally half of their business just falls apart. Unless, of course, they're willing to bring in people who will accordingly demand the aforementioned two to three times what I make fee.

I don't know. On one hand, I'm making more money to basically fuck around all day (I'm vital here, but don't really have to actually put in much effort just to keep things running), work on my vidya game, read, etc. On the other hand, I'm now kinda stuck here, and I'd be shocked if I get another raise pretty much ever. Not that it matters - I already have wayyy more money than I need.

Which in itself is maybe a weird complaint.

It turns out that the vast majority of my spending doesn't actually come from me. The only reason I've ever bought or rented a house is because some girl wanted me to. The only reason I've ever really eaten take out or anything is because I hate being the only one who cooks and cleans. Etc. etc.

I don't actually cost much. I live in a quiet, little apartment. Before I met Sil, I always cooked, quit drinking, drugs, and smoking. I didn't drive because I really don't need to.

This is a fairly recent picture of my place. I have nicer couches and a bunch of fish and stuff in there right now.

It also turns out that I'm really not good at saving money. Well. I try. But then I meet someone. Or want to do something. Or, as has happened many times over the last few months, someone that someone else, such as Sarah, owes money to, will track me down to get me to pay her debts. I usually do because I feel some sympathy for those suckers.

Whatever happens, it usually fucks my delicate budget. I'm used to having a few thousand bucks free at the end of the month. When something comes up, that stops happening, and suddenly, I can't afford my nice FO internet or a month's supply of tocino, or any of the little things I do usually splurge on.

I can't help but think that if I was always more broke, I wouldn't be so broke when this kinda stuff happens.

Meh.