Thursday Thirteen: 13 Reasons why August is kicking July’s ass

Think that's ketchup around her mouth? Think again. Look out July, Boo's gonna put the Kung Fu moves on ya

If you’re new to my blog, you may want to check out posts like this one and that one, and maybe this one. You’ll get a sense of why July 2008 pretty much sucked big donkey balls for me. (Sorry for the language ma, sometimes there’s just no substitute for some good ol’ trailer park cussin’.)

We’re nearly halfway through August and life is already looking up. Here’s why:

1. I got my office moved to my new department and I got a decent space with people I know and like.
2. I got to interview my new hero Anissa and be a snarky pain in the ass for Overflowing Brain’s gracious questions.
3. My dad spent two weeks in Montana with my sister, had a good time, and came back safe and sound.
4. My aunt survived a nasty bout of pneumonia while on one of her crazy road trips across country. They’ve moved her to hospice care because she’s become too onery for the hospital staff, which means she’ll probably be just fine.
5. One of the people I had to lay off found a job and she likes it (so far).
6. I finally got to meet my brother-in-law. I married into this family eight and a half years ago and I had never laid eyes on Homer’s sister’s husband in person in spite of the fact that I’ve drawn his name in the family Christmas gift exchange at least three times over the last 10 years.
7. We had a great family BBQ at our house last weekend. It was party time in the land of the blazing day star. Family, fun, sun and Boo jumped off the diving board by herself for the first time.
8. I made it to my 100th post. That post got me my highest traffic numbers yet. (Thanks for your support!)
9. We made some decent progress on our summer to do list (Kung Fu Panda – check, spent some quality time with family (see above) – check)
10. I interviewed for a new job on Monday, got the offer on Tuesday, and accepted it on Wednesday.
11. Said job pays be substantially more than what I’m making now, appears to be pretty recession-proof and seems to be a good fit.
12. Said job will also pay for me to get my Master’s degree (now I just have to find time to do it).
13. I’m going to get paid to be an opinionated mom. The day I got the job offer, I was also contacted about doing my first paying blog gig. It’s a city guide for parents of preschoolers. It’ll be a separate site. I’ll keep you posted when it’s live in the next few months. It’s not going to make me millions, but some extra cash for my trip to the hair goddess and for the family vacation fund is a bonus. I knew my smart mouth (and fingers for that matter) would pay off at some point.

So, how is your August so far? I hope it’s as great as mine!