The weather continues to be gloomy this week, with intermittent rain/sleet showers. I have been mostly staying put in the apartment over the last few of days, although today I get out for a short walk in the late afternoon to Merrion Square. It’s well timed as the grey clouds have cleared up somewhat, letting some blue sky shine through.
Clouds above Dame Street:
Merrion Square:
The weather hasn’t been my only excuse for staying in. I’m waiting on a package from the U.S. sent by my sister that contains a 3-month supply of my prescription medications as well as some over-the-counter remedies that aren’t available here in Ireland (e.g., allergy meds with decongestant, etc.) According to the UPS tracking history, the package arrived to Ireland on Tuesday, with the last update being an “import scan” around 9pm. It was supposed to be delivered yesterday but no one ever rang. There aren’t any more status updates today, and there is no longer a scheduled delivery date/time. I hope that there isn’t a customs issue with my medication, which technically is not supposed to be mailed internationally.
In the meantime, I did some research into what prescription medications are approved for use in Ireland and was surprised that my anti-depressant, Wellbutrin, is not on the list. Wellbutrin was approved for use as an antidepressant in the U.S. decades ago in the mid-1980s. The same drug, bupropion, has also been marketed as a smoking-cessation drug under the name Zyban, which does appear on Ireland’s approved list. According to some quick internet searches, some doctors in Ireland will prescribe bupropion “off label” for treating depression. I also came across a post online that Ireland had run out of bupropion altogether, which wouldn’t be surprising during the pandemic, although who knows whether or not this is true for certain. These discoveries are somewhat discouraging and adds to my worry about the package arriving OK.
Overall, I’ve been feeling a bit unsettled due to lots of unresolved issues hanging in the air. I’m continuing the seemingly never-ending Sisyphean task of scanning job postings everyday, skipping over any that require a full accountancy qualification to be considered. Speaking of that, I am ramping up my CMA studies and still deciding on when to schedule the first exam… there are some testing slots available in mid-May, although my study program advises to wait until June to give me the best chance of passing on my first try. I could also technically take the second exam in late June, but that would compress my study time for that exam by more than half, which means there’d be a much smaller likelihood of me passing. The next testing window is September-October, and given that results are sent out 6 weeks after the end of the month in which you take an exam, that would mean the soonest I would receive the CMA qualification would be November-December (assuming of course I’ve successfully passed both exams). In the meantime, I haven’t heard anything back from OCCRP about the CFO position, so I’m less and less hopeful that might work out.
In terms of my financial situation, I have ample savings but am wary of spending it down. I’m still waiting to hear whether or not my California unemployment benefits will be extended — the last notice I received in February indicated I would be getting another 11 weeks of benefits, but apparently the California EDD is still re-programming their system and it may be a couple of more weeks before I receive confirmation. It’s not entirely clear if the extension was contingent on the American Rescue Plan that was only recently passed, which could have caused the delay. The American Rescue Plan also contains a provision that would cover 6-months worth of my COBRA health insurance premiums starting in April, although I still need to confirm that the COBRA administrator won’t continue to charge me. Lots of moving pieces!
Until next time….
