I fear my blog is going to become (even more) boring as I delve into the details of trying to make and/or execute A Plan. (Note: it is unclear yet whether this is The Plan.)

Now, regardless of the fact that I am leaning towards actually executing this Plan, there are still several issues. One is that it is summer, and I do not intend to go anywhere at the moment, because summer is a terrible time to look for work anyway. The second is that I would like to reapply for the Libertarian Fellowship. I am unsure at this point whether I will apply for the early deadline (so maybe I can know that I am rejected by XMas again, and not pin any additional hopes on it) or if I should wait until one of the later application deadlines.  Third is that I still prefer NYC to DC, and even though the MAJORITY of jobs are in DC, there are still a few good ones in NYC, and maybe I could wind up with one of those, however unlikely.

Did I mention Polite Boy started asking me legal questions on his own behalf, and then started ARGUING with me over my answers. And these weren’t wavering opinions, they were STATEMENTS OF FACT. And yes, I know the law is up for interpretation and what have you, but he was trying to go into all this technicalities that were irrelevant, because his overall premise was wrong.

He was also suggesting that it would be okay to lie and claim that he never signed a piece of paper, because it wasn’t notarized and therefore they can’t really prove he signed it. There are a number reasons why this is a stupid idea, the first being, of course, “committing perjury is a bad idea.”

God, I am a magnet for tools.

I didn’t fall asleep until after 3AM and then I had to be up early for my appointment with the Crazy People Doctor, where I babbled about my realization that I am eventually (probably) going to have to just make the leap, quit my job, and move to DC.

Next summer, I plan to be one of three places: DC, NYC, or Europe. That’s about as far as I’ve gotten with The Plan.

Ok, that’s not quite true. Three things that need to happen before I go anywhere.

1) Pay off my car. It’s a 3 year loan, through March 2012. I know that if I wind up in NYC I won’t need a car (and maybe not for DC either, depending on whether I live in DC proper or N. Virginia) but paying it off before I try anything big is a psychological neccessity. I’ll worry what to do with the actual car when the time comes.

2) Save up $5000 strictly for COBRA. There is the “go without health insurance” option but since I’m trying to responsible/smart about the potential leap, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Based on what COBRA cost me during my brief stint of unemployment in 2008, that will keep me for 6 months.

3) See a dentist. I must, must, must get over this fear and get my teeth taken care of. And I need to do it while I have dental insurance.

My college housemate Diane is in Florence right now and I am so jealous. I saw Florence for the first time on a high school trip in 2000. It was not love at first sight (I preferred Venice). I returned in the summer of 2003 for a study abroad program and fell head over heels.

I told Diane that she has to go check out the street we lived in, and also see if “La Habitacion” is still there. (Is it evidence of globalization that a bunch of American college students studying in Florence spent many of their evenings down the street from their apartment in a Spanish tapas bar?) “Already planning on it,” she replied, and promised to send pictures.

As if I weren’t already jealous enough.

I don’t consider myself to have wanderlust. In fact, part of the reason I am pushing so hard on this job search is because I long to be able to put down roots somewhere. I wouldn’t even say I like to travel — I’m far too neurotic, and that can remove a lot of the enjoyment.

But lately, the urge to see Florence has been gnawing at me. I like the general idea of running away to Europe for some meandering travels — who doesn’t — but I would settle to just drop into Florence and stay. I mean, who wouldn’t want that too? Especially after the movie Under the Tuscon sun.

I’m too practical for vacations. The longest vacation I’ve taken since I started working was 5 days in Rhode Island with my family. I have this emergency fund sitting in the bank, squirreled away for all the just in cases. Just in case I lose my job. Just in case I have to dip into it because my next job doesn’t pay as well. Just in case.

And  while all those dollars sitting there for just in cases, provide a sense of security, am I being TOO conservative? Too cautious? I could take that money and live off of it for a year if I quit my job and went on a fulltime job hunt in DC. (attend every single networking event in town, and the like). Or, if I could somehow, some way wait it out here, I could wait for them to lay us all off and then run away to Europe for a few months, and then hit restart.

The trouble with the latter is that waiting it out keeps getting longer and longer. We weren’t even supposed to be here past December 2009. And I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I don’t know how much longer I can keep my life on hold.