Days Unemployed: 246
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 33 Extension Weeks
Jobs Applied To Date: 87
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: American Idol, Michael J Fox on Oprah, Diana Gabaldon's A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Lunch of the Day: Left over ham and Sun Dried Tomato and Olive Oil Triscuits
Short ideas today, merely because I can't think of anything interesting to write about. Why? Because being unemployed is BORING!!!
1. I can't watch Keith Olberman any more. Not because I don't like him, but because I just get too inscensed about the news.
2. I wish I were a lesbian just so I could count myself in a group with Rachel Maddow.
3. I think the people next door are drug dealers. They totally trump the crazy alchy lady across the hall who vandalized the light fixture. One of them was throwing rocks at the ducks in the puddles and flipped me off/mooned me when I tried to photograph it. And where do they think they live with their baggy jeans and hoodie hip hop gear, the south side of Chicago? This is like the whitest, most senior neighborhood in Minnesota. Must have MB come and properly install the currently useless deadbolt in the front door. Don't worry, police notification has occured. I can't believe with all the neighbor problems M and D have had that I now have to deal with this too.
4. Why is going to take until April 12th to ship my movies from Amazon? That's two weeks from the order date. Dang, it's Deadwood, Weeds and Extras. It's not like I'm ordering a never before released pirated Chris LeDoux on cassette. It was all I could do to spend the money. They better send them fast before I change my mind.
5. I hate writing cover letters. Had to write one today. I never quite know what to say. However, cover e-mails flow with no problem. Must be careful not to be seduced by the casual communication medium into being less than professional.
6. God bless John Stewart.
7. If friends show up late to the PBS special viewing night, they don't get to spend the rest of the two hour show asking questions about what they missed. Dag nabbit! And this is a 14 hour Dickens series. I'll be damned if they're going to be lost on the plot the entire time. How hard is it to show up by eight to watch a show that starts by eight? This is not rocket science people!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Job Fairs Suck
Days Unemployed: 240
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 0 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 85
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Not needed during the day (See Below), The President's Press Conference (instead of American Idol)
Lunch of the Day: Lee Ann Chin Oyster Wings and Lemon Chicken w/KK
Went to a Monster.com job fair today. I will admit that despite my post's title it didn't totally suck but it wasn't great either. It was at a nice hotel, with fairly reasonable parking but KK really needs to get a nicer car. One with automatic transmission. I hate, hate, hate riding in constant jerky motions and a noisy soft-top. I'm glad I went, mainly so that I can feel like (and say) that I'm taking action beyond searching the eternal internet abyss.
I brought 5 resumes with me, which I knew was going to be too few. Luckily there was not a long line at the registration as we had arrived about an hour after it started (KK being 30 minutes late picking me up, again! Aaargh! But still glad to have companionship in a potentially volatile situation.). Didn't really matter in the end though because most places didn't have actual positions that I would be right for. Unless I wanted to work at a call center in Eden Prairie for ten bucks an hour (easily a 40 minute commute). There were a fair amount of people there. Lots of older gentlemen in suits and ties. Poor guys must be freaking out about being out of work and looking for job in competition with all the young college grads who'll work for half and do twice the work because the don't know when they're being taken advantage of. There were quite a few lines of people waiting to talk to the reps only to be told "well, I'll take your resume but you really should go on line and apply there." Which, having been in recruiting, I know they'll have to do eventually anyway, even if they do get an interview. I can't believe now, that with all the top talent floating around desperate for work, that a career fair attendance would get you the job over someone who is more perfect for it. But, you never know, I suppose.
The one good thing is meeting the reps for the placement companies. For them, meeting you face to face is a major first step as they've got to know they're not sending their client some schlump who would show up in a tank top and dirty hair. Something could come of that. Perhaps I'm fooling myself but I'll take that for a while. It's like buying a lottery ticket. The dollar is worth the few hours of hope that you'll actually win $70 Million between buying the ticket and seeing the Powerball neon at the gas station driving to work the day after the drawing.
Did do some shopping today. I know: naughty, naughty. But it had to be done. Bought some books at Borders (buy 4 and the 5th was free!) and a pair of sweat pants with a tattoo design on the thigh. Hey, it's my work uniform these days! Also bought LL's birthday present today. (I'm actually related to a seven year old girl who wants a chess set for her birthday. I have no idea how that happened.) All this in addition to the Coach purse two weeks ago (full post about said purse coming soon). I feel slightly guilty, and not enough to take any of it back. So shut up.
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 0 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 85
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Not needed during the day (See Below), The President's Press Conference (instead of American Idol)
Lunch of the Day: Lee Ann Chin Oyster Wings and Lemon Chicken w/KK
Went to a Monster.com job fair today. I will admit that despite my post's title it didn't totally suck but it wasn't great either. It was at a nice hotel, with fairly reasonable parking but KK really needs to get a nicer car. One with automatic transmission. I hate, hate, hate riding in constant jerky motions and a noisy soft-top. I'm glad I went, mainly so that I can feel like (and say) that I'm taking action beyond searching the eternal internet abyss.
I brought 5 resumes with me, which I knew was going to be too few. Luckily there was not a long line at the registration as we had arrived about an hour after it started (KK being 30 minutes late picking me up, again! Aaargh! But still glad to have companionship in a potentially volatile situation.). Didn't really matter in the end though because most places didn't have actual positions that I would be right for. Unless I wanted to work at a call center in Eden Prairie for ten bucks an hour (easily a 40 minute commute). There were a fair amount of people there. Lots of older gentlemen in suits and ties. Poor guys must be freaking out about being out of work and looking for job in competition with all the young college grads who'll work for half and do twice the work because the don't know when they're being taken advantage of. There were quite a few lines of people waiting to talk to the reps only to be told "well, I'll take your resume but you really should go on line and apply there." Which, having been in recruiting, I know they'll have to do eventually anyway, even if they do get an interview. I can't believe now, that with all the top talent floating around desperate for work, that a career fair attendance would get you the job over someone who is more perfect for it. But, you never know, I suppose.
The one good thing is meeting the reps for the placement companies. For them, meeting you face to face is a major first step as they've got to know they're not sending their client some schlump who would show up in a tank top and dirty hair. Something could come of that. Perhaps I'm fooling myself but I'll take that for a while. It's like buying a lottery ticket. The dollar is worth the few hours of hope that you'll actually win $70 Million between buying the ticket and seeing the Powerball neon at the gas station driving to work the day after the drawing.
Did do some shopping today. I know: naughty, naughty. But it had to be done. Bought some books at Borders (buy 4 and the 5th was free!) and a pair of sweat pants with a tattoo design on the thigh. Hey, it's my work uniform these days! Also bought LL's birthday present today. (I'm actually related to a seven year old girl who wants a chess set for her birthday. I have no idea how that happened.) All this in addition to the Coach purse two weeks ago (full post about said purse coming soon). I feel slightly guilty, and not enough to take any of it back. So shut up.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Part-Time Job
Days Unemployed: 232
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 1 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 81
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 9
Entertainment of the Day: Sex & The City, S5 E1-3, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, sleep
Lunch of the Day: Rotisserie Chicken w/mashed yams and Andouille sausage
Part-time jobs suck. In addition to working for less than a third the hourly wage I was making before is the complete lack of a stake in what happens there. I seriously could not care less how much scented water we sell at more than $50/ounce. To many of the women there, who apparently have been full time associates since 1985, the women's fragrance counter is the whole world. Nothing is more important than the new Vera Wang gift with purchase or the Hanai Mori $5 spiff. Nothing more tragic than the mean customer on the phone or the bitch working the Chanel counter. They get upset about the smallest, stupidest things! But these bitch sessions and major dramas are just chicken scratches. Now, granted, I like perfume. Particularly Prada Milano and the new True Religion. But selling it is not rocket science and we're definitely not curing cancer. I used to raise money for breast cancer research, run programs for teen development, plan parties for 3 year olds with Lymphoma. I did important things. I made a difference to real people who were grateful for our help. I helped a major corporation give away Millions and Millions of dollars to literally hundreds of charities. I fed the poor with my bare hands, made the sick feel better, built something where nothing existed before. Now I sell perfume.
Unemployment article of the week:
Unemployment statistic of the week: $25.8 Billion: that's how much less employees were paid in the month of January
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 1 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 81
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 9
Entertainment of the Day: Sex & The City, S5 E1-3, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, sleep
Lunch of the Day: Rotisserie Chicken w/mashed yams and Andouille sausage
Part-time jobs suck. In addition to working for less than a third the hourly wage I was making before is the complete lack of a stake in what happens there. I seriously could not care less how much scented water we sell at more than $50/ounce. To many of the women there, who apparently have been full time associates since 1985, the women's fragrance counter is the whole world. Nothing is more important than the new Vera Wang gift with purchase or the Hanai Mori $5 spiff. Nothing more tragic than the mean customer on the phone or the bitch working the Chanel counter. They get upset about the smallest, stupidest things! But these bitch sessions and major dramas are just chicken scratches. Now, granted, I like perfume. Particularly Prada Milano and the new True Religion. But selling it is not rocket science and we're definitely not curing cancer. I used to raise money for breast cancer research, run programs for teen development, plan parties for 3 year olds with Lymphoma. I did important things. I made a difference to real people who were grateful for our help. I helped a major corporation give away Millions and Millions of dollars to literally hundreds of charities. I fed the poor with my bare hands, made the sick feel better, built something where nothing existed before. Now I sell perfume.
Unemployment article of the week:
Unemployment statistic of the week: $25.8 Billion: that's how much less employees were paid in the month of January
Friday, March 13, 2009
Things I miss about working #1
Days Unemployed: 229
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 80
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Grocery Shopping, Rome S2 E1-2, Dead Again, Secret Diary of a Call Girl S1 E1-4.
Lunch of the Day: Salad
Weekends. I miss the glory. There are no weekends if you don't work. No TGIF, no leaving early on Friday, no relief that the long hard week is over, no Friday department lunches with your favorite co-workers or Happy Hours at the bar across the street. Without an office to go to there is no office to come home from, no joy at staying up late and knowing that you don't have to get up early in the morning. It was looking forward to these things that used to get me through the week. Now it has to be the occasional new recipe, Netflix delivery and surfing Craig's List. The best thing about working was not having to go to work. The worst thing about not working is not being able to enjoy not working.
One of the great joys of my life was making sure the alarm was OFF. I don't remember the last time I set the alarm to go off in the single digits.
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 80
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Grocery Shopping, Rome S2 E1-2, Dead Again, Secret Diary of a Call Girl S1 E1-4.
Lunch of the Day: Salad
Weekends. I miss the glory. There are no weekends if you don't work. No TGIF, no leaving early on Friday, no relief that the long hard week is over, no Friday department lunches with your favorite co-workers or Happy Hours at the bar across the street. Without an office to go to there is no office to come home from, no joy at staying up late and knowing that you don't have to get up early in the morning. It was looking forward to these things that used to get me through the week. Now it has to be the occasional new recipe, Netflix delivery and surfing Craig's List. The best thing about working was not having to go to work. The worst thing about not working is not being able to enjoy not working.
One of the great joys of my life was making sure the alarm was OFF. I don't remember the last time I set the alarm to go off in the single digits.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Things that make me glad I'm unemployed.
Days Unemployed: 226
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 80
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Shopping at Ikea, visiting Cat Adoption Center at PetSmart
Lunch of the Day: McDonalds Happy Meal
File this under the heading: Things that make me glad I'm unemployed.
Copied From Cary Tennis on salon.com
http://www.salon.com/mwt/col/tenn/2009/03/12/working_too_hard/
You know all those inflated executive salaries we hear about? And you know all these long hours underlings are working? You ever think about how they might be connected? Say (and this is just me speculating) there are 10 employees who are being worked like dogs. Say each one is making $100,000 a year. Say each one is working 60 hours a week instead of 40. What is being done with that extra 20 hours a week times 10? That's 200 hours a week, or the equivalent of five extra employees. You follow? Perhaps under ordinary circumstances their boss might be worth $150,000 a year. But because of the extra hours each employee is working, that executive actually has the equivalent of five extra phantom employees working for him. They would be making $100,000 a year each if they existed. But only their labor exists -- labor on which no salary is being paid! That's $500,000 a year in uncompensated labor. Where does that $500,000 go? Well, maybe it goes to the executive, and maybe that's why he's making $650,000 a year instead of $150,000.
Just a thought. I'm no economist, but I can count and multiply.
So make your own choices. You can work this job if you want. But you don't need to. You can walk away. You can walk away and get on your bike and ride until your lungs fill with air and you remember what it feels like to be truly alive.
Sing it sister!
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 80
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Shopping at Ikea, visiting Cat Adoption Center at PetSmart
Lunch of the Day: McDonalds Happy Meal
File this under the heading: Things that make me glad I'm unemployed.
Copied From Cary Tennis on salon.com
http://www.salon.com/mwt/col/tenn/2009/03/12/working_too_hard/
You know all those inflated executive salaries we hear about? And you know all these long hours underlings are working? You ever think about how they might be connected? Say (and this is just me speculating) there are 10 employees who are being worked like dogs. Say each one is making $100,000 a year. Say each one is working 60 hours a week instead of 40. What is being done with that extra 20 hours a week times 10? That's 200 hours a week, or the equivalent of five extra employees. You follow? Perhaps under ordinary circumstances their boss might be worth $150,000 a year. But because of the extra hours each employee is working, that executive actually has the equivalent of five extra phantom employees working for him. They would be making $100,000 a year each if they existed. But only their labor exists -- labor on which no salary is being paid! That's $500,000 a year in uncompensated labor. Where does that $500,000 go? Well, maybe it goes to the executive, and maybe that's why he's making $650,000 a year instead of $150,000.
Just a thought. I'm no economist, but I can count and multiply.
So make your own choices. You can work this job if you want. But you don't need to. You can walk away. You can walk away and get on your bike and ride until your lungs fill with air and you remember what it feels like to be truly alive.
Sing it sister!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Don't Ask Don't Tell
Days Unemployed: 225
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 80
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Rome S1 E10-12 (so far), Oprah, American Idol, Target Shopping
Lunch of the Day: Leftover Roasted corn and goat cheese quesadilla
I've decided not to discuss interviews and job prospects with friends and family anymore. This recent round of unsuccessful interviews were discussed with several people in the course of natural conversation. And the number kept growing as the four week process was drawn out. Now that I know for sure that nothing is to come of them I have to recount the story and explanation of why three people decided that I wasn't good enough for them over and over again. Even with casual people I don't see very often. I probably won't see many of them for a month now so I'll have to draw out the process of spreading the news even longer.
How's the job hunt going? I'm so cotton picking sick of that question. How the hell do you think it's going? Did I tell you that I got a job? No? Then what do you think, fool, IT SUCKS!!!! And ever single time I have to answer that question it's like someone is twisting the knife. Why don't you give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?
I know people ask because they care, because they're interested, because they need to know how long I can make do before they need to give me money so I won't lose my home (Mom), but enough is enough. It's been seven months. When I have news, I'll tell you. Until then, the subject is on moratorium.
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: 80
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Rome S1 E10-12 (so far), Oprah, American Idol, Target Shopping
Lunch of the Day: Leftover Roasted corn and goat cheese quesadilla
I've decided not to discuss interviews and job prospects with friends and family anymore. This recent round of unsuccessful interviews were discussed with several people in the course of natural conversation. And the number kept growing as the four week process was drawn out. Now that I know for sure that nothing is to come of them I have to recount the story and explanation of why three people decided that I wasn't good enough for them over and over again. Even with casual people I don't see very often. I probably won't see many of them for a month now so I'll have to draw out the process of spreading the news even longer.
How's the job hunt going? I'm so cotton picking sick of that question. How the hell do you think it's going? Did I tell you that I got a job? No? Then what do you think, fool, IT SUCKS!!!! And ever single time I have to answer that question it's like someone is twisting the knife. Why don't you give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?
I know people ask because they care, because they're interested, because they need to know how long I can make do before they need to give me money so I won't lose my home (Mom), but enough is enough. It's been seven months. When I have news, I'll tell you. Until then, the subject is on moratorium.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Where's my noun?
Days Unemployed: 224
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: E-mail files support 53 applications but it's gotta be at least 80 so I'll start there.
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Rome S1 E3-5 (so far), Oprah, creating blog
Lunch of the Day: Roasted corn and goat cheese quesadilla
Welcome to the first post. If, of course, anyone actually reads this. I guess we'll see. I've created this blog in order to prevent myself from going crazy. You see, being jobless has it's obvious problems (lack of money, frustration at not being able to find work, shame, dejection, etc.) but in my opinion the worst is boredom. Finding activities to fill the day is difficult given the sorry state of daytime television. This may relieve that, it may not. And I might just get bored with blogging. But it at least has kept me busy for the last few hours.
Speaking of dejection, though, I've begun this today because today I received two miserable job related pieces of news:
1. I did not get a job offer from my interview two weeks ago even though I knew the recruiter personally and worked closely with her at my last POE. Even with a personal reference from the person recommending me for the job it didn't happen. This is particularly sucky but it means that I can't even get jobs that I don't really want with really long commutes in an industry I could care less about. (It's always harder getting rejected by someone you're not interested in in the first place.) Tears were wiped. Cat was obviously uncomfortable. There was somone more qualified who got the job. I guess the main question is: when won't there be?
2. I recieved notice that my regular unemployment insurance will run out in two weeks. Now, I will say that recieving anything in the mail on the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance letterhead is a harrowing experience these days. This is, of course, not good news but all is not lost (like my home, ha ha), as there are extension instructions.
In naming this blog I came across an interesting dilemma: there is no traditionally accepted word to mean "jobless person who doesn't really want to be jobless." Jobless is a state of being, not really a title. It's an adjective, not a noun. A person with a job is a worker, administrator, coordinator, employee, associate, etc. But a person who has been laid off has no single word to describe themselves that doesn't take into account their past status as a no-longer-needed reject. I find this frustrating because I meet many people who ask me what I do. A single word descriptor would be preferable to a full sentence explanation with adverbs and adjectives. I can't just say "I'm unemployed" as that has such negative connotations and seems to imply that I am therefore unemployable, which is not true (at least in my mind, anyway). Talk about a conversation killer. I want a noun to describe what I am now, not what I was before. Something without the negative connotations that come with what's been floating around in my head the last few days: loafer, idle, layabout, ne'er-do-well, waster, slacker, disenfranchised, laid-off,
A person without a job has no noun. Sigh. I want my noun.
Unemployment Article of the Day: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/opinion/08friedman.html?em
Unemployment Statistic of the Day: The unemployment rate rose from 7.6 to 8.1 percent. Good times.
Weeks of Unemployment Insurance Remaining: 2 and then on to the extension
Jobs Applied To Date: E-mail files support 53 applications but it's gotta be at least 80 so I'll start there.
Phone Interviews To Date: 1
In-Person Interviews To Date: 3
Pounds Gained To Date: 8
Entertainment of the Day: Rome S1 E3-5 (so far), Oprah, creating blog
Lunch of the Day: Roasted corn and goat cheese quesadilla
Welcome to the first post. If, of course, anyone actually reads this. I guess we'll see. I've created this blog in order to prevent myself from going crazy. You see, being jobless has it's obvious problems (lack of money, frustration at not being able to find work, shame, dejection, etc.) but in my opinion the worst is boredom. Finding activities to fill the day is difficult given the sorry state of daytime television. This may relieve that, it may not. And I might just get bored with blogging. But it at least has kept me busy for the last few hours.
Speaking of dejection, though, I've begun this today because today I received two miserable job related pieces of news:
1. I did not get a job offer from my interview two weeks ago even though I knew the recruiter personally and worked closely with her at my last POE. Even with a personal reference from the person recommending me for the job it didn't happen. This is particularly sucky but it means that I can't even get jobs that I don't really want with really long commutes in an industry I could care less about. (It's always harder getting rejected by someone you're not interested in in the first place.) Tears were wiped. Cat was obviously uncomfortable. There was somone more qualified who got the job. I guess the main question is: when won't there be?
2. I recieved notice that my regular unemployment insurance will run out in two weeks. Now, I will say that recieving anything in the mail on the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance letterhead is a harrowing experience these days. This is, of course, not good news but all is not lost (like my home, ha ha), as there are extension instructions.
In naming this blog I came across an interesting dilemma: there is no traditionally accepted word to mean "jobless person who doesn't really want to be jobless." Jobless is a state of being, not really a title. It's an adjective, not a noun. A person with a job is a worker, administrator, coordinator, employee, associate, etc. But a person who has been laid off has no single word to describe themselves that doesn't take into account their past status as a no-longer-needed reject. I find this frustrating because I meet many people who ask me what I do. A single word descriptor would be preferable to a full sentence explanation with adverbs and adjectives. I can't just say "I'm unemployed" as that has such negative connotations and seems to imply that I am therefore unemployable, which is not true (at least in my mind, anyway). Talk about a conversation killer. I want a noun to describe what I am now, not what I was before. Something without the negative connotations that come with what's been floating around in my head the last few days: loafer, idle, layabout, ne'er-do-well, waster, slacker, disenfranchised, laid-off,
A person without a job has no noun. Sigh. I want my noun.
Unemployment Article of the Day: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/opinion/08friedman.html?em
Unemployment Statistic of the Day: The unemployment rate rose from 7.6 to 8.1 percent. Good times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
