Today my focus has been on personal finances and career stuff, so I don’t have much to write about… I’ve stayed in the apartment with eyes glued to my laptop. When I say “personal finances” I mean taking a hard look at my monthly expenses, putting those together in a budget to determine my monthly “burn rate,” determining how much I need to earn to make ends meet, and looking ahead to see how best to manage everything. So lots of spreadsheets! Although I did get a sizeable payout from the sale of the house in SF, I know I can’t keep living off savings forever and I’m still carrying some debt I haven’t paid off yet — I’m holding on to my cash for the time being until I find a job (hopefully soon). The topic of personal finances is taboo for most people, but I guess I’m more open to it since I’ve made a career in budgeting/finance work.
On the job front, my initial phone interview with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) seemed to go well. I spoke with the assistant publisher who just joined the organization last year, and it sounds like he has already done a lot to improve their financial and administrative operations. The CFO role sounds like a good fit for my background and their needs. The call was supposed to last 30 minutes but we went over a little, so I think that’s a good sign. I got the sense I’ll be invited to the next stage of the interview process, which will be another phone call with more folks in the next 1-2 weeks. We shall see!
The only other excitement today was making another batch of Brown-Butter Bourbon Rice Krispie Treats. I think the marshmallow-to-cereal ratio turned out better this time; the previous batch was a little gooey.
