Well hello there! This week marks my 31st week of being unemployed. I have not mentioned being unemployed in the last 3 weeks on this blog and you, my readers, were probably thinking thank the good Lord!!!! But guess what? This just means I have a lot of catching up to do on the subject!…
I will most certainly be taking a break from my unemployment updates during the holidaze. Partly because we will be busy driving 2,042 miles to Colorado next week and then back 2 weeks later. But mostly because what kind of update can I really give you? There ain’t much going on! So, again this week,…
There’s not much to report on the unemployment front. Pretty much the same as last week, although I did have a magazine assignment due this week. Other than that action, things are SSSSLLLLLOOOOOOWWWW. I’m just hoping all the seeds I am planting now will grow in 2011. Instead, I will use this post to report…
Sad news for the millions of unemployed adults out there. Congress failed to pass the federal unemployment extension of benefits. So 26 weeks of benefits is the definite max for now. Gone are the days when people could collect unemployment for a year or even longer. Many are losing their benefits this week, 3 weeks…
My conference in Milwaukee was GREAT. I took my required classes for the certificate (I am hoping to get something in the mail … I am that person that needs something official in writing) and went to many informational sessions. Of course the challenge is putting some of those things I learned into action to…
I’m uber pumped this week for unemployment because I am flying out tomorrow morning to Milwaukee. Okay, that doesn’t sound right. I’m not terribly excited that I’m going to Milwaukee (oddly enough, this will be my second visit to the city this year–last time it was for a wedding. It’s actually a neat city.). Anyways,…
Job searching is tiring … at least Mr. McKinley thinks so. In all honesty, this was a good week. It seems like there have been more and more job openings in my field and even locally. Before you break open a bottle of champagne on my behalf, remember that most of these are contract jobs.…
So … obviously I was out and about for week 21. I was in CT, NJ, NY & PA. Even with all the fun I was having (more photos and stories about my travels will follow), I applied for jobs! I promise! J, meanwhile, was in CT, NJ, MN, & VA this week (as well…
It’s a little depressing to think I’ve been unemployed for 20 weeks. I’m just about halfway through my maximum unemployment benefits, so I’ve started thinking about my game plan post-UE. Right now, I apply for most jobs I see, which are still few and far between. Many times, though, it pays more (literally) to collect…
I wasn’t really unemployed this week … My old company hired me as a freelancer to cover a conference. Working is good for the soul … or maybe just the ego … or the pocketbook. Anywho, yeah for me! The conference was in St. Louis. I’ve driven through the city on my cross-country trips before,…
John Muir said, “The mountains are calling and I must go.” We agree. So we are going. Today we leave to hike southbound on The Long Trail in Vermont. It’s the oldest long-distance hiking trail in America (completed in 1930). We are going to try to complete between 150-175 miles of the 273-mile trail. The…
What a boring week … no work and I did not find too many places to apply. Ho hum. I did hear back from one place. A medical editing contract job. It was only a first contact (the editing test would come next and we know how well I do on those), but I turned…
I am no longer a contract graphic designer. I sent the auto repair magazine to print for the last time today. It feels good. I will miss the steady paycheck and the sweet computer, but I will not miss the anxiety I felt every other week. If you know a graphic designer (Shadow …), go…
I didn’t have any work to do this week. No magazine layout (that’s next week). No magazine articles. My article in the local newspaper came out, but I did the work for it awhile ago. I looked for new work. High and low. But zilch. So I got very domestic. ShortShorts and theQuilter are away…
I survived my 3rd issue of the auto magazine!!! It IS getting easier, but it’s still extremely stressful and I officially decided Oct. 1 will be my last issue. I have some other freelance work coming down the chute in the fall, so I think I will be better off. Now onto the long weekend,…
I am a deadline-oriented person. I actually love deadlines and thrive on them, which is a good thing because deadlines play a huge role in my field. Lately, I’ve had to deal with some deadlines, but found myself not liking one of the deadlines. I am still doing that biweekly layout/design work for that auto…
I have another volunteering gig from tomorrow through Sunday. This one is quite unique and I think it’s going to be intense. I’m volunteering on the course of the Untamed New England Adventure Race. But this is not just standing at a water station at the halfway mark. This race involves 170 miles of paddling,…
This was a Very Hard week (with a capital V and H). I started some new contract work and went through daily panic, anxiety and heart attacks. But no snack attacks. That would have been fine. Just the bad kinds of attacks. I And I was a bit of a Drama Queen (again with capitals)…
I know you probably laugh when I say how busy I feel these days. Busy enough that I can’t even blog about being unemployed! I have no kids, no job … what the heck do I do all day??? But, I am busy, terribly busy. There are things cooking and I’m not ready to fully…
I got up at 6am this morning. I never even got up that early when I was working! It was all for the sake of volunteering. And for once, I was NOT volunteering for one of J’s events. I’ve spread my wings beyond, but I still am his number one sidekick when he needs me…