Hmm... where to begin? I have a bunch of random notes, so maybe I'll just break it all down.

The Offer -- As always, leaving every little detail until the very last minute, work made me an offer late Friday afternoon... which I very nicely disputed. Actually, I was kinda insulted, but was calm about it, "Sorry, I don't mean to be difficult, but that is not what I'm expecting to be paid." I hate playing hardball, but I won't be able to forgive myself if I don't at least try.

I explained my rationale of why I deserve more: If the company were to hire another contractor off the street instead of me, they'd be paying twice as much and that person wouldn't have the 5 years of company knowledge that I do. I'm certainly not asking for twice as much... but I am asking for what's fair. Fortunately, my boss eventually agreed that I was making a reasonable request.

It might sound like cutting my nose off to spite my face, but I would rather make LESS elsewhere and know that I was at least being treated fairly, than to make what they offered me, and know that they were totally taking advantage of me.

After we left work, I was absolutely fuming. (This was before I received the email from my boss where he agreed with me.) J reminded me not to take it personally. They're always going to offer as little as possible up front and expect that you're going to negotiate. Fair enough, but it's worth mentioning that they offered J quite a bit more than they did me, even though I do a lot more work than he does.

I'm obviously not upset with J... not in the least! I'm just ticked off at the whole issue. Time after time, when I pointed out that I'm paid below the industry standard, they would always ignore me and refuse to increase my salary accordingly. In fact, ex-manager once told me, "Well, you've always been underpaid." As if that's some kind of legitimate excuse. Then when I make the transition to freelance, they try to turn the tables to their advantage by offering the so-called industry standard for contract writers. Which is total BS, because according to my research, what they offered clearly isn't the industry standard at all. Figures...

So, here we are on Wednesday -- when my last official day was Friday -- and I have YET to receive any kind of contract from HR. *sigh*

J told me that if they don't offer to pay me what I'm worth, and I decide to quit altogether, then he will quit too. While I think that's sweet of him to stand by me, I don't want him to mess up his opportunities just because of me.

Anyhow, I'm sure it'll all work out... I just hate this waiting game.

The New Life -- This past weekend was a long weekend here in Canada, which J n' I spent getting our place ready for our new lifestyle. (AKA: cleaning.) We knew that we wanted to have the house all perfectly tidy so we could just jump into work on Tuesday without any distractions.

In between cleaning, any moment I had alone to journal or meditate, I was sure to thank the Universe for these wonderful blessings. Yeah, there's still a bit of BS to endure, but we'll get through it. It really is amazing how everything has fallen together for us. I mean, yeah, it's been years in the making... but still!

Anyhow, J n' I got up bright n' early yesterday morning, and had a coffee on the balcony. I have to say that Tim Horton's coffee from the can is not half as good as Tim Horton's from the paper cup. Blegh. Maybe J just made it too strong? He likes to eyeball things instead of measuring them. I think tomorrow I might have to just make it myself.

After coffee, we dived into our screenplay spreadsheet, reviewing our notes and working on the new structure. While it's a really great experience, the new life is not without its minor kinks. J is a real stickler for routine. Every time we would take a quick break, I'd use that opportunity to respond to an email or two -- and if it took me 5 minutes longer than he felt it should, he would start hounding me. I told him that if he wants this little arrangement to work, he's going to have to be more flexible. We normally make a *great* team, but I have to admit that I was getting 2% peeved at him yesterday morning with his relentless pestering, "Who are you emailing now? I'd like to get back to work over here. Can't you leave that until later?"

Fortunately, after I mentioned that he was being a bit of a tyrant, he agreed to back off. :)

All that being said, I was only responding to the most important emails -- like our wedding coordinator, etc -- and ignoring all the ones from friends asking when I'd be on MSN again. The truth is I don't think I will be on MSN much at all anymore. Unlike work where I jump from assignment to assignment, this kind of writing either flows or it doesn't, and having my mom interrupt that sacred flow just to tell me what she's cooking for dinner... well... yeah, not so good. So no more MSN, except the one day a week I come into the office... like today.

The Office -- So J n' I came into the office today, even though we don't have a stupid contract yet. Fortunately, Payroll (who understands how friggin' slow HR is) agreed to pay us on our next paycheque for any days we come in this week.

We might not have come in at all today, except some people have organized a goodbye party for us, which is extremely... umm... awkward. I mean, we're still coming in one day a week, (well, that's assuming we get our contracts), so to have a goodbye party just feels really weird, y'know?

Not to be a Negative Nelly, but if we don't have our contracts by next week, we are not coming in at all until something is resolved.

Such nonsense...

Weddin' Stuff -- Jeez Louise! With every passing day our wedding website reminds me of just how many days we have left until the big day. (37 days and counting -- Eek!)
I got an email yesterday from our coordinator who said that our itinerary will be mailed to us sometime this week, and then asked me if I plan on taking J's last name. Man... I hadn't really decided yet -- not that I haven't been racking my brain over it. I've just been on the fence for months.... which really is a post in itself.

I finally decided that I would take his last name for "family" sake should we ever have kids, and also because I know it would really make J happy if I did -- however, we both agreed that for professional reasons, my nom de plume should continue being my maiden name.

Also in wedding-related news, tonight we are meeting with a friend who is making us our little wedding cakes for our reception. (The same cute lil' ones that were served my shower.) YAY! Those were so cute n' tasty!

So, between the contract nonsense, our new life, and our upcoming wedding, (not to mention all the birthdays, weddings and family reunions we have every weekend), August is gonna be one crazy month!