Lunch

I've found a new favorite in the hospital cafeteria. I buy a pre-packaged scoop of chicken salad for $1.65. I then buy a croissant for $1.45. This meal comes up to a little under $4. It's delicious, it could be healthier, but it isn't too too bad. Sometimes I'll buy a can of Diet Coke for $1 also. I go up to the Plaza Level and go outside, find a bench underneath a tree, and read a book. It's quiet under my tree. I enjoy it. I have a beautiful view of the hills from my favorite bench. These hills look like a backdrop on some days. Other days you can barely see the top of them from the smog or clouds rolling in. I see other people out there on the Plaza Level. Most of them sit by themselves and will pull out a book or some just stare off in to their own little world. Some of these people are doctors and I often wonder if they're thinking about this critically ill person on floor 7 or the woman who just had to have an emergency C-section on floor 3. Maybe they're just thinking about how they're new BMW got hit in the doctor's parking garage.

Life is good on the Plaza Level from 11:45-12:30.

Bed

When I moved to California I threw everything I could in to my car. I had to leave behind many things that I would love to have now. First on that list is a bed. On my second day here I went on an Ikea shopping spree. I had zero furniture. When I got to the bed section I started looking at the prices and my jaw dropped a little. I had no idea mattresses could be so expensive. But you need more than a mattress, so then I walked over to the next section where the bed frames were. Let's just say I walked out with everything I needed, but the bed. So right now I am sleeping on a futon mat that I bought. It sounds worse than it really is. I just have a very hard time parting with so much money. I know I would use a bed every single day, but for some reason that doesn't help the thought of handing over hundreds of dollars. Also I am happy with the futon mat. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it does what I need it to do. Which is to keep me from having to sleep directly on the floor. I think my first BIG purchase with my new job and paycheck will be a bed. It's getting a little embarrassing when friends come over and see my room and their eyes have to drop four feet before they can actually see my bed.

I will say our cat seems to love it. All she has to do is step up three inches and she's right next to me :).

Benefits

Yesterday from 3PM-5PM I sat through a benefits class now that I am a regular employee. They were a lot of phrases thrown at us. 403B, 401K, stocks, bonds, and many others that are still kind of swimming around in my head. So if I want to retire one day and actually have money to live off of I need to decide between one of two options. One is once I hit 65 I will get a monthly check for X amount until the day I die. As I put money in this account the medical center will match it by half if I give up to 6% of my paycheck. Well they'll match half of it also if I give 4% of my check too, but the people who were in charge of this training were really pushing putting 6% in, which makes sense to me. The other option I could do is when I hit 65 I get a lump sum of whatever I have saved up and however much my place of work has thrown in. If I ever leave California and I chose to do the lump sum I can essentially "cash" it out when I leave. If I do the monthly plan that amount (whatever it is at the time I leave) will just follow me until I am 65. I don't know. It's a lot of information that I need to think about. My thing is how do I know I am going to reach 65? I know I can leave money to loved ones and everything. It just seems so far away. 40 years. This is the time I need to start thinking about these things for me because no one else will. They also talked to us about health insurance and HMOs and PPOs. Once again it's just stuff I really never had to think about.

Which leads me back to my main question: what if I don't reach 65? I know I can leave money for my kids or family if something were to happen to me. Except I don't have children and I can't imagine ever having kids at this point and time. I feel like I need to have an imagination to pick which plan I want to go with. Or maybe I just need to think about the worst and best case scenario. I have until Friday before I need to start throwing money in to my nest egg, or it's really just a nest at this point I guess.

It's hard being 24 with your adult life laying before you.

Great

Now that I have this page open all my thoughts and things seem to be racing around in my head.

Good news: I am officially official at my place of work. I am getting my new ID card today, which will not say POOL EMPLOYEE. I am officially out of the temp. pool and in the huge ocean of "regular" employees. I was asked if I wanted to wait till next week to take my picture so I can make sure my hair and make up is perfect O_o. That's not really my style. I come to work in 1 of my many black, work appropriate shirts. Dark pants and black flats. I wear my hair in a neat ponytail. I wear foundation, bronzer, a dash of blush, eyeliner and mascara. I mean, I don't look like I'm rolling out of bed is my point. Oh well. I'm the only one who will really be able to see my not perfect hair and make up picture on my ID.

This blog is going to be great :)