I'm here for the beer

The best reason to stay at my job is the free booze, the Beer Friday celebrations, and the fact that we not only condone drinking at work, but, in fact, we encourage it. Last year, our gatherings included soft drinks. This year, we've eliminated the soft drinks in favor of expanding our beer and wine selection.

And with good reason.

This is not an easy job. It's stressful beyond belief. I never know if my work day will bring a retrial granted to a convicted killer on the grounds that DNA evidence aren't substantial enough to uphold his conviction or a standoff outside a suburban home or a city council meeting in which residents are teed off about golf nets in their neighborhoods. Seriously, the news abounds in Plano. Ya know. On the beat. And when news abounds, work abounds and stress piles up and you sometimes feel like your editor is breathing fire down your neck.

This week, I've written about a man who has been granted a new trial by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state's highest court on criminal matters. He was convicted years ago of murdering a young girl, but recent DNA evidence revealed that no reasonable jury would have convicted him if they'd had access to said evidence. It's exciting stuff, stuff I never would have guessed I'd be covering when I was a reporter covering tiny Texas towns like Lorena or Mart for the Waco Tribune-Herald. And sometimes, writing stories like this is just kind of awful all around. Yesterday, I drove to a park to look at a memorial erected in honor of the little girl who died in 1993. It was eery and slightly prurient to be standing in the park named for a girl whose killer may never be known.

But it's all worth it if there's beer at work.

Bit by little bit

I've paid off one debt completely. It was a stupid personal loan. I borrowed the money right before I moved home from Portland because my Bank of America credit card was maxed out and I needed to make car repairs. So, I borrowed money from my bank, paid off the credit card, and then used the space on my credit card for car repairs and moving expenses. The credit card was paid off months ago, and I closed the account. I've now knocked out one more debt. Bit by little bit, I'm getting out of stupid debt.

Whaddyathinkaboutthat? Yes.

Basically, the past few and next few months have been and will be dedicated to getting this stuff paid off. I am making glorious progress. With any luck, Brandon and I will be married with zero credit card debt. Hallelujah.

So, right now, I am dog-sitting for a tidy schnauzer named Schatzi and putting my wage toward another credit card. Because every little bit helps.

Onward, Upward, Eastward

I've moved east. Yes, this is the second time in less than three months that I've moved. Brandon's mom invited me to live in the guest bedroom, and I said yes for a couple reasons: 1) Hurst is in Tarrant County, one hour from Brandon; 2) Gas costs nearly $4 per gallon.

Anyway, I've moved. My furniture is still in Hurst, but I'm picking it up this weekend. More consolidating will happen between Brandon and I and our stuff. We have less stuff! We've given things away and thrown things away. We've exchanged beat up cardboard boxes for plastic storage totes. We've getting a storage unit in which we will keep the totes, our furniture, and any wedding gifts. It feels good to free ourselves of junk we've been holding on to. If you have a drawer or a cabinet or a closet or even a room full of junk, I advise throwing it away or calling a charity and having it picked up. Freeing yourself from the junk that weighs you down feels wonderful. Trust me: you don't need those old boxes full of books from your childhood or greeting cards from your ENTIRE LIFE. Seriously. I had several shoe boxes full of greeting cards from every holiday for the past 10 years. I threw most of it away and kept some letters, real letters, written by people like my grandparents or my dad. And those letters are filed away in one pretty, acid-free preservation storage box. It feels good to be free.

Tomorrow, I drive to the DART rail station on Parker Road, approximately five miles from my new residence. I will ride DART to Uptown Dallas and ride a bus for the short jaunt to my office. I'm taking my commute from 80 miles round trip down to 10 miles each day. Eff you gas prices. And traffic.