Unemployment Sucks
By Nate • Aug 25th, 2008 • Category: General Sod, Sod that is bad
Yeah, that’s right, I’m unemployed. I got laid off rather unceremoniously last Thursday. The company I had been working for is slowly going out of business, which means that, instead of saving us all the agony of waiting in our offices for the inevitable, they’ve just been gasping along, letting go of a few people at a time. I guess it’s time to fully enjoy the bliss that is the Oregon Unemployment Department, until I can find a new job ASAP, that is.
Anywho, all of this free time during the day should theoretically give me all sorts of time to blog as much as my little heart desires. The downside of being at home for most of the day is that I’m much more prone to get stuck in a rut where I don’t pay attention to news and current events, two of my prime sources for vitriolic rants and bemused ramblings. Life indeed is difficult.
Just for reference and for something to do until I get acclimated with sitting on my ass during the day, here’s a quick break down of my first day as a unemployed schlub:
8:30 - stunned awake by my wife closing the front door on her way to work. I roll over and realize that I should get up.
9:00 - Finally pull myself out of bed and stumble into my office. I surf some job websites and reddit for a bit until I realize that I’m hungry.
9:10 - Miserably fail at making oatmeal. Instant oatmeal at that. This is not getting my day off on the right foot.
9:30 - Get sucked in to the new, live morning edition of SportsCenter. God, I hate Hannah Storm. Where’s John Buccigross when you need him?
10:00 - Decide that I need to get dressed and start my day. I make it to the gym and work out unenthusiastically, sleep crusties still lodged in the corners of my eyes. On the treadmill, I look around, wondering if the two other people are also unemployed or if they can tell that I am. No one told me that being unemployed would bring with it paranoia. Shit…
11:00 - Shower and feel like a new man, until I realize that it’s 11:00 and I have nothing to do for the rest of the day. I go home and keep my dogs company.
12:00 - Realize that I do have things to do, like return my old cable box and modem and return a shitty vaccuum that Sara bought from Target. Errands, a useless bastard’s best friend!
12:15 - Instead of being able to just hand Comcast my old cable box and modem, I have to sit in a goddamn waiting room with a dozen other people, take a number and wait my turn. All I have to do is give these pieces of electronics to someone, say “Thanks.” and leave, but instead I’m there for 40 minutes. Oh well, what the hell else am I going to do?
2:00 - Finally make my way back home to find that one of my freelance clients, responding to an e-mail about my current “unemployed” status, has asked if it’s permanent. I spend the next half hour reading waaaaay too much into this comment, assuming that, perhaps, they want to hire me full time. They probably just wanted to know if this means that they can lowball me and get away with it.
2:30 - Something mildly interesting on the History Channel distracts me from…something.
3:00 - Now that I know all about the Roman emperor Claudius’ reign, I feel ready to take on the rest of my day.
3:30 - Who knew that logging could be so enthralling? All of a sudden, watching a TV show about truckers on ice seems compelling. What the hell is happening to me? I thought it was Rik that had turned 30(thus being officially old enough for the History Channel’s mid-day programming), not me.
I need to get on a schedule. I really do. Until then, I’ll post a little song, just because our admin has sent me an e-mail saying that we can. Enjoy some Young Sportsmen!
Nate is pretty sure Mark Twain said it best, "Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations, and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place."
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Sorry to hear man… But this means you can write 4 or 5 times a day now, right?
Man, I am so sorry to hear about your job loss. I have been there and done that and it is really frustrating and a downer for the ego. What kind of job were you laid off from? How challenging will it be to find another job in your chose field? I wish you luck.
I was out of work for 10 months last year. At first it was therapeutic (regaining my sanity) and I didn’t job hunt, but as my savings dwindled, I started thinking, this really fucking sucks. I applied for everything - I was overqualified and couldn’t even get a job at Borders. Talk about insult to injury. What did I do then? Mainly started drinking by 9:30… ish. I was bombed by noon and I’d pass out for three hours. Then wake up, cook dinner and start all over again. A job finally found me and I started this past January.
All I can tell you is this too shall pass. Just keep trying and remember that each resume or application gets you a step closer to the ultimate goal.
Good luck.
Working at home doesn’t suck at all. You will see that you will be making more than your previous job if you just keep on working on it. The internet is full of opportunities, you can get the most money by learning some tips and tricks.
Btw, blogging isn’t the only thing that makes money online. You could also consider domaining, getting some job online like programming and other stuff if you have something to offer.
Have you still found a job yet, mate? I sure hope you do. I am waiting to get joining for my first job yet and I know exactly what you mean. The US recession has taken a toll over all of us. In fact, working from home is a good option, only not even in the vicinity of the satisfaction a day job with a tiring schedule can give. Any ways, best of luck for your job!
Well now you have something to do right? I know that feeling I have been there before and it is no cake walk. I bet that you enjoy or enjoyed having time to do everything you want and nothing at the same time. Working from home is what I have done since that happened to me and I would not trade it for anything.