Ok, I sent in my application...I know if they are truly as deeply Catholic as they are said to be, a couple of things there will stand out...still, the worse that can happen is that they won't hire me...

Now, I was thinking (because another friend now has been asking around and told me that the friend of a friend - small city!- works there, and that she gets 50% off the tuition for her second kid, but that has to pay full for the eldest...)...what would I do if they did offer me the same salary as here, but NOT offered Ale's tuition??...or offered only half, which is still astronomical -imo- as the FULL tuition is ~$4K/year, plus the admittance bonus which is almost $2K!!....
You know what? I'd probably take it anyway! (I just wouldn't send my daughter there!)...I mean, the working hours would be infinitely better (say 7:30- 3 - let's say to 4) as opposed to 8-6...I'd still be able to find a second job, say from 5-7 and would be able to spend more time with Ale...

Dreams are free, aren't they??

I'm stressed and decided to connect to one of my best friends through the messenger...she was in the shower, and I got her youngest kid! LOL! good thing I always start with: are you there??...
Anyway, checking my email, there was an answer from the school!!!....they received my resume and sent me an application form to fill...now I'm confused...there's a field that states:
civil marriage: YES / NO
religious marriage: YES/NO

...now, technically speaking, I should answer NO and YES...but, legally, that is sort of impossible (unless you are divorced, the way I am!)... I'll be honest, though, because nothing good ever came from lying, right??...and, if they are the sort of school who will not have a divorcee, I don't want to work there and I don't want my daughter there! (oh, and, in case I haven{t mentioned this before: no, my daughter is not my ex-husband's...I think I HAVE said that before!!)
Oh, well...since I have to sign the form, I'll fill it out/print it at the office, because I have a scanner there and so could send it in tomorrow!!

wish me luck!!

Since there's nothing to do - at the time!- about the issues in my last posting, I decided to do SOMETHING that might result in more money....I send an email to the Ministry of Education asking how I can become certified (even if you graduated as a teacher, you still have to go to them for tests/certification and, as far as I knew, you didn't necessarily HAVE to be a college graduate to be certified, as long as you could pass the tests!....but, all this is hearsay, so, today I asked!!) ...of course, the bad thing is, now I have to WAIT to hear from them! LOL!

along with a very nice (imo) cover letter....All I can do now is sit and hope...and see what happens!

One for a teaching position, and one for a call center...now, the website for the call center was announcing $12/hour, but, I'm not sure if that is what they are charging to the companies that use the call center or if that is what they're paying the agents...I guess I'll have to wait until I hear from them!!...I was thinking, if they pay $6/hour, a full time would pay ~$960/month (slightly more than what I'm currently making)..but, if it were $12/hour, a full time would pay me 2x what I'm making!!....I don't want to get too hopeful, though!

*************
Just came back from Xerox, across the street. Needed to sign some invoices. I asked the cashier - with whom we have a good working relationship - whether they get requests for translations...she said it's not frequent, but sometimes people do ask. She promised to call me if she gets any requests for translations...so that's another "line" I'm throwing...

Went to the Sheraton this weekend (finally!)...had a good time, although we did spend a lot of money....Ale was hungry and I bought a sandwich...which she then didn't eat....dinner was not included....then, because we were waiting for a friend to come pick us up and she was already hungry, I also bought lunch...our friend couldn't make it in the end and had to take a taxi!...total spend on this weekend was $43...
And the other OUCH! is my poor skin! Ale wanted to be in the pool all morning and, she had wasted most of our sunblock lotion on her dolls at home, so, when I tried to squeeze the tube, there was only enough lotion for one....guess which one of us got solar protection??...obvious, no? ...so, I am as red as a lobster....AND, my niece lost our aloe gel, so I will have to buy a new one (I REALLY REALLY need it!)...

Yesterday, in the teacher's lounge, somebody mentioned that there is a school that is hiring full-time teachers...at $800/month....now, that is more or less what I make here, but, if they were willing to throw in Ale's tuition, it might be worth it...the only thing I'm not so sure of is that this is a Catholic school....I'm wary of religious schools in general...in my own experience (the "B" class at the German School was made up of children -like me- who had come from other schools, and, honestly, kids from religious schools tended to be very close-minded and, also, they seemed to me, to be followers rather than leaders....) Being the daughter of a single mother might also pose a problem for Ale at such a school...so, all this is on my mind...I'm thinking I might go there and try to find out...what's the worst that can happen, right??

practically as junk...but, the engine was damaged...I got $300 for it, which is prettty much what I expected to get...I have been looking at new(er) cars...so far, just checking the classifieds...the price my friend's husband is offering me sounds reasonable, even a (tiny) bit below market...so I may just go with the car he's offered...I still don't know...in the meantime, I'm spending money on taxis to go from the office to the school...not good, as I spend in 1 week almost what I used to spend for gas for 2 full weeks...
oh, well, at least I get rides from home to the office in the morning and from the school to home at night!

the Sheraton hotel sent our company letters for 1 free weekend for each of the admin assistants...they expire on Feb 28...so, I just made my reservation for this weekend!...I'm taking Alejandra with me!....we'll check in on Saturday afternoon, go to the English lessons/Scouts and then grab something to eat (probably pupusas, which are cheap!) before going to the hotel...Ale can enjoy the cable TV and the air condition before going to bed...after she has gone to bed, I can enjoy a warm bubble bath (I don't have a bathtub at home!) and, the courtesy includes buffet breakfast for 2...we'll probably wake up early and, Ale can play in the garden for a while (2 hours) and then we can hit the pool until noon! --aaaahhh!

Ugh! I hate to admit this, but, I haven't filed my taxes and I haven't called the call-center from the ad...

I need to call Padre Vito's home to see if they can fax me a copy of the letter detailing my donations (tax deductible)....and, I need to find a phone to make the call (yes, there is one on my desk, but, the acoustics here are soooooo good, I can hear everyone's conversations...and, if I can hear theirs, they most probably can hear mine!...

My goal for TODAY is going to be to make those two phone calls AND post an update!

***************
called the home and they'll fax me a copy! yay! - so my homework for tonight will be to fill out the form so that I can file the taxes tomorrow!! (11:00AM)
*******
I called the call center...they do have part time positions available, a part time is 7 hours a week, you choose your hours...they open from 6am to 10pm every day (Mon -Sun)...they wanted to schedule me for an interview on Tuesday, but I said no, because of the location of their offices (not the best area of town)...I gave the info to the other admin in my area and she already scheduled her interview, so I'll get the info regarding $/hour from her next week!

Ahhhh, the peace that comes when you stop procastinating (sp?)

I checked with the (other) bank the company works with and, the exec said I can get a loan...I need a co-debtor (either my sis or one of my best friends, the only people I've co-signed for)...If I take out a loan for $5,000 I'd be paying $121/month (don't ask for how long, it's not pretty!)...Now, a friend says he can get me a very good used car for $3,000- $3,700 ...I could use the rest of the money (and the $1,000 I had originally set aside for cc debt, which right now is on hold pending what happened with the car) towards cc debt...that way, the $121/month would cover both the car AND cc debt...it would be a good deal, as the personal loan interest is less than half that on the cc's....so I'm thinking about it...since my friend is bringing the car from the US, I'd have to wait a couple of weeks (he's bringing it anyway, not specifically for me, so there's no committment on my part and I have 2 weeks to shop around and look at other options)...I think I'll call the bank lady and ask her to start the paperwork for the $5,000....I'll see if my sister can be my co-debtor. If she gets rejected, then I'd have to wait until one of my friends comes from a business trip (in March)...Or I can ask my best friend-sister-partner-in-crime, who I know would be willing to do it...problem is, she's been with her present employer less than a year...

...It's a plan!

I went to another job-search site and found a couple of interesting postings...
interesting as in I can apply and the $$ is more than I currently make!...the most promising one is for an Admin Assistant for the President of a multi-national company, paying $1,300-$2,000 based on the experience/ qualifications...keep your fingers crossed!
I soooo need a job that pays more....and I soooo DESERVE a job that pays more!!!

Ok. I received a bank transfer for 1 of my translations (2 pages + recording), for $100.00
This goes towards my $20 challenge! yipeee!!

Challenge statistics:
invested: ~$6.00 initial
~$2.55 (addtnl) gas/Jan
~$4.00(addtnl) gas/up to feb 17
=======
$12.55
earned: $120.70

net for January: $12.15
net for February*: $96.00
Total ytd for 2006:$108.15

++ think might need to use the money for car instead of for cc debt payment! Still, if I have to, this is money that I won't be borrowing, so I'm counting it as progress!

I got a call from a friend of my sister's...he wanted some scripts translated into English and German (won't do the German, though, I really haven't got the skill to do it, and I feel it would be dishonest to even try!)...I will, however, do the Spanish to English one...and I also get to read both the English and German texts so he can incorporate it into the documentaries he's putting together...He says he has $150 for the whole package, so, what I get depends on how much he has to pay for the translation into German...

Once I get paid, this goes to my challenge money/CC debt

I just got a request for a translation...they send me part of the document, and still pending on the other pages, but, still, only with what I have right now I should get $100-$120....add the rest (say it's only half of what they've sent) and it should be AT LEAST $150-$200... woo-hoo!! AVAL CARD, HERE I COME!!

Oh, since this is extra, it would count towards my $20 challenge...but, I'll post a summary of the earnings for this at the end of the month!! (just this morning I was praying for some extra $$$ to pay debts!!)

Of course, now I have to stay late at the office to get started (our computer at home just died...we should get it back on Sunday...it'll cost $15 to repair it!! - we asked a friend...the technician we called first said it would cost $190!!!- could you believe that??)

I posted a while ago about my boss's maid, and about how the people that had lived/lives in the house were willing to pay for her little son's school and school-related stuff...
I had to call her a couple of times, but, she finally brought me the list of school supplies requested by the school (they are not willing to give her cash, for fear she will use it towards other expenses)...so I went and bought the stuff for her...I tried to get the best deals possible, but still, with uniforms, books, supplies and shoes (1 pair dress shoes, 1 pair tennis shoes) it came out at ~$74!!! I did get clearance before buying the shoes...but, I did not really get permission for the tennis shoes...but, if they say anything about it, I'm willing to let it come out of my pocket: that poor kid was wearing shoes that were 2 sizes too small!!...I don't think they'll object, though...and now he has everything he needs to start the school year!

You know what kills me? this child is my daughter's age (5 1/2) but, size 6 clothes are waaaay to big for him, he wears size 4 clothes! his shoes are size 29 (13)...Ale wears a size 30...in our circle, she's considered tiny and, next to him, she's tall! ...and, just think about it, because he has lived at the company house the last 2 years, he's had much better nutrition than his brothers!!
I'm glad my boss (& the others) have taken an interest in him and are willing to see that he gets a chance to improve his living conditions.

************
edited to say: they were ok with the tennis shoes!! - my boss was happy that I had taken that decision and, also that I suggested we keep a file - both physical and electronic - on all expenses, so that he can show it to the other people that have contributed to the fund!

I get a new group of students starting on MOnday, 2 hours each day, from Mon-Thurs, that's 8 more hours/week!! - WOO-HOO! I can use half of that money towards debt and save the other half for Ale's school enrollment fee!

Credit where it's due: Thank You, God!!

while at the school selling supplies, I ran into an old friend, who's a teacher for their English extension program...classes are from 6:15pm to 8:15pm Mon-Thursday (and the place is like 10 blocks from my office!) and they have classes on Saturday mornings (8-12) and afternoons (1-5)....I have signed up to give classes either at night on the weekdays or in the afternoon on Saturday....so far, they have only offered the Saturday afternoon (night classes are considered "prime" hours, and they pay a bit more, so they don't give you those unless you've been there for at least 6 months)...the pay is not much and, after taxes, it'll be like $5/hour, so I'd be getting ~$23 for each Saturday...not great, but, it'll work out to about $80/month, which, added to the $70/month I currently pay in tuition for Alejandra, gives me enough money to cover her tuition at the new school (bilingual schools charge anywhere between $125-$400 per month...obviously, we are NOT talking about the American or British schools here, so $150 should cover it!!)...If, in 6 months I am given night classes I'd probably drop the Saturdays...eventhough financially it would make more sense to keep both...

I'm not in love with this solution: It steals time from my daughter, which I hate, and from my rest, which is not good, but, I NEED the money and, frankly, at the moment this is the best offer I have - I DO love teaching, so that's a positive!....I wish I could find a job that I loved that would pay all the bills (meaning, that would pay $1,200-$1,500 per month!!)....((sigh)) At least, it's something!- and it brings the -$200 on my budget to -$120!!

No news either from the American Embassy or the European Union yet!

Well, this being our first year doing this, we have had to pay the price of learning: we bought way too much stuff, and sold only about half of what we expected...the good news is: we have already recovered the investment...the bad news is: there is no profit yet, so right now it seems that those 2 weeks of getting up at 6am and going to bed at 1am were for nothing...More good news: we spoke to 3 companies about setting up a special exhibit there so their employees can buy stuff, and they have all agreed to it, and the employees are rather enthusiastic about it, so we expect to make a profit after all!- it will just take about one or two more weeks, and will probably not be as high as we had expected... So, I'll say it went well.... We'll know how much we made from this venture by the end of the month...

Oh, and, GREAT news, I just paid off my American Express card (yipee!) and programmed a payment to pay off another card on the 11th - I want to keep my checking account from going into the overdraft for as long as I can!...so, now I only have 2 more cc's (and one HUGE loan) to go....

wish me luck!

I feel sooo tired lately!...for the past 2 weeks, I have been going to my cousin's every night - and weekends, too!- to prepare all that's needed for the school supplies packages (just to give you an idea, we bought 4 boxes of bond paper, that's 20,000 sheets of paper that have to be separated into packages of 25, 50, 75 and 100 pages - depending on the grades)....we still haven't finished doing THAT, and, then there is the matter of pricing and of actually MAKING the packages according to specifications for each grade (our profit comes from the fact that parents won't have to hunt for the stuff, but can buy it in one neat little package...some things are priced slightly above market prices, some exactly at market prices and some even slightly below...so we WON'T be selling anything individually, as that would "dilute" our profit)....

I have been arriving home at around 11:30 or 12:00 at night - I haven't been going to walk in the mornings, in order to get as close as 8 hours of sleep as possible!- then back to the office at 8am in the morning, leaving here at around 6pm, going home for dinner and then back to my cousin's....I wish I could say it's almost over, but it's not!...we still have way too much to do, and, then there's the sale itself in January (2nd -7th)....but, again, going over the numbers, we could make up to $2,000 EACH, just on the school supplies, without even considering the backpacks!!!...this COULD be the miracle I have been praying for!!

I received a special gift from the Sheraton HOtel....they have sent all admins in my company a certificate for a free weekend for 2 at the hotel - obviously this only covers rooming, nothing else- and I have planned to go there with Alejandra for the weekend of Jan 14th...I should have some $$ from the school supply sale and, it will be soooo relaxing to be just the 2 of us...she can swim in the pool and I know she'll be happy to be able to wake up and sing in the mornings - my niece naturally throws a tissy fit every time Ale starts singing at 7am!!...Also, we'll have cable and a BATHTUB, with HOT water!!!....oh, and she'll have mommy all to herself, she won't have to share me with anybody!! - I'm planning on bringing books as well!....the hotel is 1 block away from the Museum of Modern Art, which Alejandra likes because: "they have pictures just like the ones I make!"...LOL!...entrance to the museum is $1.50, we haven't gone in quite some time, so that could be an additional treat for her! - Me? oh, I get to soak in the tub in HOT water after Alejandra has gone to sleep, and I get to sleep in an air-conditioned room!

both on the biopsy thing and the job situation...
I'm soooo glad it was really nothing (well, not NOTHING, but just a minor infection!!)...I guess I can cancel my sister's idea of saving for a hysterectomy! LOL!...
The job situation in ES is really terrible...I've been lucky, I was only unemployed for 2 months after I was fired...some friends that were fired a few weeks before me (July 2003) still haven't found jobs...others have had to settle for temporary jobs or for jobs that don't pay more than 50% of what they were making...as for me, well, if I were debtfree, I could lead a very comfy life with my current salary....I will start a more earnest job search in January (people don't leave -or don't announce they are leving- their jobs before Dec 15th...why? Xmas bonuses are given out on Dec 12th, and, if you leave voluntarily, by law you are NOT entitled to it...) so January always has some good job postings....I've had a new call from the Embassy- not regarding the job I applied for- to ask whether I had a valid driver's license and whether I am proficient in MS Office (anser to both questions is yes)...They asked if they could consider my resume for another position within the organization (YES!!), and, if so, they wanted me to send them IN WRITING confirmation regarding the license and the Office issues...needless to say, the HR lady probably hadn't even hung up when I was already sending her the required fax!!...I don't expect to hear from them before January, though....but, all I can do now is hope!

If I got that job, I'd have to do some serious financial planning...by law, they don't discount for pension fund or for taxes, so I'd have to find a way to set up an account for when I retire (people who work at Embassies in ES do not have to pay taxes, so that money would be "free" to go into debt payment!!)...oh, well, no use stressing about that right now, is there??

Oh, and, I didn't manage to finish all my Xmas shopping yet, and the Xmas shopping season has been formally inaugurated- bummer! ...at least, I'm only missing my cousin's present, and my sister's birthday present!!

...and they are NEGATIVE!!!

wooo-hooo!

I was at my cousin's last night- preparing envelopes with tickets for the children's party on the 10th, and she said: well, what are you going to do with your school supply money?...and I said: put it towards debt...and she said: just that, no little goodie that you want? It WILL be over $1,000, you know...I was like: WHA...? I thought it would be about $1,000 for both of us, meaning that once split it would be about $500 each, but, she says she made more than $2,000 last year on backpacks alone (which she split with her former friend/partner...we are still trying to figure out why she decided not to be friends/partners anymore...she just took her stuff, returned my cousin's and stopped talking to her altogether!)...but, back on topic, we ARE doing backpacks besides the school supplies, so it should be even more than $2,000 to split this year (well, in January, so, next year!) ...I would like to put it all towards debt anyway, but, if it REALLY is over $1,000 I think I'd put $500 towards debt and save the other $500 for Ale's school - this would most likely cover the enrollment fee and uniforms...
Now, to this, we have to add whatever I get from the toy venture...although, here we DON'T go 50/50 because my cousin does about 70-75% of the work!

Well, our Xmas season- as far as selling toys goes - is almost over (most companies have their children's party before Dec 10th)...and we have already started working on the school supplies...right now, parents are enrolling their kids in school for the new year (classes go from Feb-Oct), and, they are given the corresponding school supplies list...we obtained permission from one (large) school to hand out flyers advertising that we can sell "packages" including ALL the items on the list (so the parent doesn't have to run around the city finding everything!)...we got the lists for all grades, too, and have already started running around to see where we can get the best prices....we will sell this to the parent at a cost slightly over what they would pay at the libraries, the catch being that WE get wholesale prices...notebooks, for example, who sell at the store/supermarket for $0.32, we can get for $0.15....on other items the difference is minimal, but, still, we hope to be able to make a nice profit from it...I will request 3 days vacation (26, 27 and 28) to go with my cousin to buy backpacks and other items, and, will request another 3 days from Jan 3rd trhough 6th to actually sell the stuff (the school gave us permission to sell the stuff on school grounds, too!)...

Whatever we get from this will go straight to the cc's!, the more I can pay before April, the better (as I would have to start school hunting in May, so that Ale can join in the fall - bilingual schools follow a different schedule!)

I got paid for the November lessons up to now: $100!!...AND, one of the PM's that used to work here had left his car - engine didn't work and he couldn't sell it...with the instructions that, if I managed to sell it, even as scrap, I should keep half of the money and give the other half to the maid at the house in which he was stationed...well, I got a call a while back and they delivered the money today!! It sold for $200, but, I had to give the maid an additional $40 for a desk that other PM's took, but haven't paid for yet - figured it's easier for me to get paid than for her, as I see them everyday - so, I actually took $60....I took 10% of my money and gave it to the Padre Vito home and another 10% and put it in my Cuenta Futuro - which is my savings acct...I'm giving Ale 5% for her own bank acct, I'm leaving $10 for fun money and using the rest towards debt!...I'm planning on doing this with any extra money that I make this year. Starting next year, I'll do 10% Padre Vito, 5% Ale and all the rest towards debt, as I need to pay as much as possible to be able to live on my salary next year....(no more farm money!)

The English lessons are extra, but, those are not always reliable, as the amount changes depending on the number of times you actually give a class!

The bank exec delivered the cheques for the loan today...I already went to pay at one CC company
I have to go pay the loan at the other bank - unsure as to how we will handle the refund of $150, though, as, while the exec was processing the cheques, one payment came due and, since I have it on automatic discount from my salary account, it was paid....

I also need to notify payroll that they don't have to discount this money anymore...or, rather, that the discount should be $159.91 and should go to another bank! lol!

I feel much lighter...I know it's a looooong way off being debt-free, but, at least I know I can live with my salary, and not have to hand most of it to the credit card companies!!

WOO-HOO!!!...I got $7,800. I'll get the cheques on Monday (and will head straight to the other banks to pay!!)...this greatly reduces 1. the amount of money I need to pay for debts each month and 2. the amount of interest that I'll pay in the long run!...it is such a relief!!!!

I could dance!!! yipeeeeee!!!

(thanks to all who gave me support and were rooting for me on this one!!!))

She said still no news, but that we should definetely have an answer by tomorrow! ...I keep praying that this comes through...it's not like my Plan A is not working (the loan would be plan B) it's just that the loan would make things waaaaayyy easier!

OH, and I started with the English lessons, 2 this week and I go again today, so we'll be having 3 lessons per week, that makes $30/week! yipeeeee!!

Gotta go now, though, because we are getting trained on the new accounting/purchasing procedures....Finally!- the procedures have been implemented for 6 months already! and every time, whenever you want something paid/bought, you need to go to at least 5 different people to get a straight answer!!...my mantra has become: I HATE project Centra....Hopefully, with this training, my new mantra will be I LOVE project Centra....or, at the very least, I hope that it will stop being such an inconvenience as to merit notice!!

Will update again tomorrow, hopefully with wonderful news!!

Which is typical for me...my cheque was $206 for the Oct-16 to Oct 31 period....of this, I pay $70 to Alejandra[s school, $40/week for the maid, 1 supermarket (~$40), $15 gas, $5 cell phone, $10 fixed phone line, and about $150 to debt...so that leaves me with $10 until Nov 7th...when I receive the farm money ($750), and from that I pay $30 for the prepaid funeral services, $5 water, $15 electricity, $15 swim lessons and about $650 to pay debts...and then again I'm penniless until the 15th, when I receive $311, of which $158 go to pay the rent, $40 for the supermarket and $10 for gas, $2 for cell phone and about $100 to pay towards debt....
then the cycle begins again....it's really tough, and, I really, really, really need to get out....but, that is why I'm paying so much towards debt, I have plans to get rid of 2 cards by Dec 31, 2005, then "kill" another one in January and a fourth in March....that'll still leave plenty of debt for the next 3 years...especially since the $750 from the farm will stop, so that the payments will have to be greatly reduced (probably will have to go back to minimum payments only- UGH!)...that is, unless I can get that loan from the bank...and they haven't called...they must still be "investigating"...I hate waiting!!!!!

I hate waiting!!!...but, I called the bank exec this morning and she said there were still no news and that the results of the applications are posted once a day, in the mornings....so there'll be no news today....probably tomorrow...she said she'd call me when she has an answer....(in other words, she doesn't want me calling everyday...)

I have discovered that other cc companies ALSO increased the percentage on some of their credit cards...including my Amex!!...it went up by 5 percentage points - OUCH!...good thing I'm scheduled to be done with it by December and, even if it means making a few extra sacrifices, I WILL be rid of it by 31/dec/05!....same thing with my Banco Cuscatlan card (which, fortunately, hasn't raised it's interest rate!!)

I'm starting (teaching) English lessons today....$10/hour and it'll be 2 hours/week...so $20/week...tax free!....this will all go towards debt repayment!!...at least until January...then it'll go half/half into Ale's enrollment fee/debt...I still need to find ways to make more $$$$... or spend a lot less (not likely!....there's not much room to "cut" anymore...except for swimm lessons ($15/month) and we are trying to lower our electricity bill, other than that, it'd have to be the food bill and that's difficult with two growing children in the house!! -can't have THEM on rice and beans for too long!...and, the high gas prices have caused price increases in food (and, of course, even if the gas does go down, the prices at the supermarket will remain at their new levels! ugh!)

On the other hand, I have just seen a book I want to buy - it's a new release: J.J. Benitez' Caballo de Troya 7!!! - I have waited several years for his new book - as has my sister....and I think we will endulge in it!!...Caballo de Troya is GREAT!!...I highly recommend it, although, I know some people might find it offensive, and even heretic...but, you've got to remember it's FICTION... the short-short-short book review: the series deals with the "memoires" of a US military man that went on a secret mission: to travel back in time and follow Jesus and try to find out whether 1. there WAS an historic Jesus and 2. whether He really was of divine nature or not...He has been specifically chosen because he is a non-believer...and, guess what....he BECOMES a believer!...the mission gives several "leaps" in time (two or three, I cannot remember) and, it is soon discovered that time-travel is altering the cells of the time-travelers, making them age at an unnaturally fast rate...it becomes this man's personal mission to record everything he sees and to pass it on to the world- that's why he contacted the author, supposedly- because he's appalled that the evangelists are NOT recording as they go, but that they put their stories on paper until much later...the series of books are a really good read, intellectually challenging, spiritually enhancing - whether you agree or not with the author, it makes you either question or affirm your faith - if you're a Christian, that is....J.J. Benitez was once accused of saying that Jesus was an alien...I remember that interview...he said: NO, I didn't say Jesus was an alien, I said He was NOT OF THIS WORLD, which is an entirely different thing!!...

Anyway, back to $$$ matters, I might buy the book for us....I get a 15% discount on cash purchases at the bookstore that is promoting the book right now....I could list this expense under: spiritual care...or maybe just "mental care"...LOL!...

Speaking of staying healthy, I have decided that I'll bring tea from home for lunch instead of buying a soda, and will use the soda $$ to buy an apple and a banana (soda=$23, apple + banana = $0.25)....moneywise it's almost the same, but healthwise it's a great difference....

Well, gotta go for lunch now....I brought my paella, but need to get my tea and buy my fruit...I also need to walk up to the mall after lunch to pay the phone bill...cannot do it over the internet because last month we paid late, so the invoice does not match the outstanding amount...oh, joy!