Justa 'Nother UD Day

4 hours, 23 applications, and 1 really sore backside later, I'm at the end of UD #9 (note: I'm not counting weekends).

A half hour after I was laid off, I was on the phone with a recruiter. Oddly enough, the recruiter that helped me find my last job was no longer with that agency. Great. Thanks for that. Place me in a shaky position and split, Steve Miller style she took the money and ran. Anyway, UD (Unemployed Day) #2, I was on my computer most of the day perusing Craigslist, updating professional networking profiles, spamming my friends with my resume and employment requirements. UD #3 was pretty fabulous, then #4 through #7 were pretty miserable. But today, UD #9, I'm back in the game, diving head first into the depths of Craigslist and a floundering job market.

I used to think that I was really good at not working. Turns out, my keeping-myself-busy habits are rather expensive. I learned that for me, being unemployed + bored + single + adventurous = the act of burning through money. I have tried to be creative and do things that are relatively inexpensive, however I also learned that the most effective soul searching also requires good food, good wine, cultural entertainment and sunshine. I've been to Napa, the Academy of Science, SF Botanical Gardens, Fort Mason, spent time in the coveted October sun, picked up a book, cleaned my apartment, baked a cake, and of course have been on Craigslist a couple of hours a day. But then there's the grabbing justa bite, justa coffee, just a beer, justa snack, justa few drinks with friends...so see, I don't just need a new job to make money, but I need a new job to stop spending money. Tomorrow I'm trying to spend a completely free day. On the agenda? SF Main public library and a Hayes Valley gallery featuring New Orleans artist James Michalopoulos, then a show at the Fillmore thanks to new friends.

I gotta say, it has been kinda nice to indulge in guilty pleasures during my time off: staying up late, having one extra drink, sleeping in, catching up on bad TV...I've watched a lot of bad TV over the last week. Reruns of Fraiser, Golden Girls, Will & Grace, Paris Hilton's "My New BFF", the new 90210...yes, I am indeed ashamed, especially since I never used to even watch TV other than the Food Network and Travel Channel (not just because they're the best channels on television, but because they don't show any scary movie previews, which scare me just as badly as seeing the whole movie itself). But what else are you going to do when you're not just unemployed but also sick? Oh right, I started blogging.

I'll post an update with how much money I end up spending tomorrow during my "free" day. It's going to be quite a challenge, but I'm up for it. It's amazing what boredom can do for inspiration. Maybe I'll start collecting sand dollars and cash them in for some more driftwood.