How do you keep from talking to the cat…er… how do you keep busy?
I have been laid off one month now, and will receive my first pogey (Canadian slang for unemployment benefits) in a day or so.
They calculated my benefit rate, and it worked out to 50 cents per hour LESS than I made working. (My commissions etc bumped up my average wage) SO I am holding out for the dream job - one that will make me happy. I dont know exactly what it is, but I dont have to take one that doesnt appeal to me. I am looking into taking some courses, or something. I dont want to waste 40 weeks of basically full pay!
I clean the house alot.
ALOT. I just did my bedroom, the closet and everything. And I am a terminal slob! I cant stop cleaning!!! I clean till its all done, then I start the cupboards or the closets or under the bed!! I usually only do this stuff when I get ready to move out!
I was talking to the cat the other day… I have to find something to do!
What are you guys doing to keep from ‘cat-talking’??
I quit my job and moved to Chicago in August. I’ve been temping to pay the bills (no bennies when you QUIT), theoretically trying to check out companies in this area.
This is supposed to be a break - I was really burnt out on office jobs when I moved. I’m wondering if I’ll ever have the ability to do anything productive ever again. I’m disgustingly well-educated with lots of marketable skills and stuff, but nothing really appeals to me.
I need some goals.
I’m starting a resume-writing service to earn money, ResuMaven. Succeed or fail, it will at least be mine.. So lately I’ve been working on a business plan and looking for sources of start-up capital - a microloan of some kind.
I’m also working on a Peace Corps application. Africa sounds nice, right about now.
I talk to the cat. Often. Pukey stuff like “hi miss kitty-witty cutie-wootie pants!” I’m sure if I were employed I’d stop doing that at once. heh heh heh.
I do a lot of writing. I stopped being able to afford guitar lessons, but as soon as I can I’m starting them again. I want to take a class in desktop publishing.
That’s about it. Once you start talking to the cat, it’s pretty much over.
Its more like yell: JESUS CHRIST MURPHY!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU INTO NOW??? GET OFF THE TABLE DAMMIT!!!
His name is Murphy. (named for Murphy’s law about stuff going wrong) apparently morning is his crazy time of day - but I didnt know that when I was at work.
ResuMaven I love the sound of that! It sounds like you are tapping into your creativity while you are home - good for you. I dont have any of that…unless you count the SIMS.
I was laid off in March of 2000 from a job where I had worked twenty-five years. [Tales of my misadventures have already been done, so I won’t go into that here.]
I have a degree but not enough experience in the field to get the job I want. I have taken training and am temping in office jobs, hoping that I will get an office position where I can someday use my degree in some capacity or other.
I haven’t worked since last Wednesday morning (very short work day) but have been applying on-line for jobs and mailing out cover letters and resumes.
kellibelli, I’d like to catch that house cleaning virus from you. Good luck to you, and to magdalene, in your job searches.
Kelli,
I got called back to my old job! Hooray! I am also going back to college (http://www.esc.edu) I’m learning the sax, and working out a lot. Losing my job (even though I now have it back) really gave me a kick in the ass.
My last day of work in Rhode Island was Dec. 22. I’ve been here in California since Jan. 1 and still don’t have a job. I’m halfheartedly looking, but I just came from a job I hated, so I want to find just the right one. Unless I run out of money before then… then I’ll temp.
What do I do in my spare time? I sleep late. Hang out with oldscratch a lot since he’s also semi-unemployed. Watch a lot of news tv and Animal Planet (heehee, Animal Planet made me want to work at the San Diego zoo!) and drink lots of coffee. So for me it’s kind of a novelty, being unemployed for now. If I don’t have any bites by next week I’m going to go to a temp place.
yeah… I’m in the terminally underemployed pile. It feels like it’s been years since I’ve held a job. In truth it’s just been a while since I worked more that 15 hours a week, 3 days, and it’s been a while since I’ve worked at all.
I’ve been without work since a week before Christmas and money is getting tighter than Oprah’s blue jeans.
I’ve sent out another flurry of re-tooled resumes, and set up a new account on Hotjobs. Today I broke down and picked up an application from Tower Records. Next, I’ll be standing in front of my bathroom mirror perfecting my “Would you like fries with that” sales pitch.
Most importantly, i’m not getting a pay cheque. Which sucks because i’ve been “paying off” a guitar since september (actually i’ve only put a down payment on…) and i’m out of tobacco, and everyone i know is in another city/province/country. So i cant go see 'em
Anywho, if any of you feel likee giving (note not lending) me $40,000 or so…
Ah well…
Upham
Yes, I’m checking in too. I enumerated details in my “bad news” thread, so let me just say that I HAVE been keeping busy:
Packing up for moving
Catching up the laundry
Packing up for moving
Scouring the want-ads
Updating my resume
Packing up for moving
Updating my portfolio
…and did I mention
Packing up for moving
I went to the li-berry the day after I got laid off, naively thinking this would be a great time to catch up on my summer reading.
Silly me, I had assumed that just 'coz I’d suddenly gotten forty hours a week freed up, I’d actually have free time. Well, may I say that Mrs. Tygr has successfully dis-abused me of that notion.
And when I say dis-abused, I mean…
[sup]Oh… Hello dear.[/sup] :eek:
Good news! I checked my messages this morning and I got a call back from SF Weekly about a classified sales job. I don’t want to jinx anything, but I’m excited. This is the first opportunity that’s broke for me since I got canned.
I’m sitting here twiddling my thumbs because I’m not even allowed to look for a job at the moment. The INS hasn’t seen fit to send me my employment authorisation (I should have received it by the middle of December) and I can’t get through to their information line at any time of day.
On the upside, I got my first story rejection the other day! I’ve been told you’re not really a writer until your first rejection, so I guess that means I’m a writer now.
I, too, clean. You think talking to your own cat is bad? I talk to the cat upstairs which I’ve never even seen. I can hear it, though, gallumphing across the apartment.
Posting here is not going to continue beyond today. I’ve been good for a month, and I intend not to lapse for very long.
You know, just yesterday I saw this subject title and thought it didn’t have anything to do with me.
I am now here, humbled (and downsized). So far, I have only updated the resume, started up an account at monster.com, and contacted U-Haul for rates. As long as I’m jobless, I might as well escape from Texas.
To think, I was just looking at replacing my old clunker car this weekend. I’m glad I decided to wait. I have no idea how I would have handled car payments at this point.
It was really, really weird in the first hour after getting home this morning. I didn’t know quite what to do to fill the time.
I’ll let you know if I’m talking to the cats in a week.
