Whoa, is me!

Today I received an email: "I heard life hasn't been treating you well." This from a woman who has a wheelchair-bound husband and has MS herself. Are you fucking serious? Other than losing my job, life has actually been treating me very well! And, certainly compared to a couple of years ago, life is grand.

I'm going on a mission. I'm going to enjoy my time off. Fancy that. Although I spend time every day looking for a job, making contacts, networking and more, I need to enjoy the time that I'm not or when I need a break from Monster, Indeed and outplacement events. Even now, I'm sitting on the back deck going through email and Facebook. Forecast? Partly sunny (about time). I've had enough dark clouds overhead.

If you are or have been unemployed (when you normally work in the first place), no doubt you have been on the receiving end of pity. When I call my parents, I say, "hi, it's me and I'm still unemployed." I find getting it out of the way pre-empts the piteous strike: "Anything happening, sweetheart?" "Um. No." And, while we're talking, "fuck no, since you hate when I swear."

Most of my unemployed friends - regrettably there are many, but thankfully we can all lean on each other - get the same thing. This can be a long haul, and I hate to think every time I speak with someone, conversation has to start with my lack of work. I'm thrilled to get the call or email about a potential job lead or "I have a friend in the bakery business who needs a communications lead and wants you to be a food critic." (Hmmmm...idea!) Those connections are priceless, and friends don't realize how thankful I am that they're looking out for me. (Thank you, guys.)

I find it's more with parents and family who know I'm subsisting on pasta until the next unemployment check. "That's really not good for you, Dear." Okay, maybe it's not that extreme, but ordering out for Chinese is now limited to once a week.

Conversation Starter Suggestions:

* I have a great book now that you have time!
* Wanna go for a walk?
* Did you clean out your second bedroom/closet/basement yet?
* Did you see in Cosmo that there's a serious lack of virgins in the world?

I can't listen to things like, "What type of anti-depressant are YOU on?" or "Let's start a 'Laid off from DB' bitch session group." Seriously. What's even worse is watching the news with daily reports on the economy as nothing but doom and gloom. Um....I KNOW! No more daytime television (especially with those commercials touting how I can become a computer repairman in as little as 6 months)!

So save me the pity party, and I'll try to save myself the same. I think I'll renew my subscription to Cosmo to have something fun to talk about instead of "OMG, can you believe so-and-so is screwing the company vice president?" Ok, maybe not a good example because I really want to know that, but still... there's a life out there, people. Enjoy it while you can!

Off to Book Club!