Back to the Drawing Board

I learned on Thanksgiving Eve that I didn't get the job at the regional bank. It was between an internal candidate and me; it turns out that the candidate's current job in the department is being eliminated, so she would have been displaced otherwise. Not to mention, she already has the learning curve beat. The kind HR contact said she'd keep me in mind for any other marketing jobs that might open up in the new year. Guess we'll see what 2010 brings.

Meanwhile, it's back to the drawing board for me. May need to change my game plan (to perhaps part-time job and freelance?) soon if something doesn't open up, as my unemployment compensation ends in February unless Congress extends benefits for those who lose theirs in 2010. I'm trying not to freak out and panic and overworry. As an editor, I work better under deadline pressure anyway, right? This is just a different kind of deadline pressure. Gulp. We will be fine ... we'll all be fine ... it's just a matter of time.

Still, as one who's always looking for signs and would bet the proverbial farm (if I had a farm) on her intuition time and time again, I did find some small comfort in these words last night:

Dear Pisces, of all the signs, you have the most spectacular outlook for a brilliant New Year ahead. You will have Jupiter, the giver of gifts and luck, soon to crown you celestial favorite of the zodiac in January for a year's stay. Rarely have you had a year as fortunate as the one that is on the way. After having been the most beleaguered of all signs, you are about to see a complete turnabout from all you've suffered. Reward, opportunity, happiness, and stronger health are on the way. Ahead is a dazzling year for you, full of wonder and light.

I say ... bring it on.

Bad Blogger

Kinda hard to take myself seriously as a bona fide blogger when I haven't posted in more than two months. I've always been deadline driven, so I guess it should be no surprise to me -- no deadline, no blog entries. Simple.

It's surprising how much one unemployed editor can find to fill her days. They haven't been things that were on the virtuous "When I'm Unemployed, I'll ..." to-do list, but they've been cross-them-off-the-list things all the same. Just this week (and it's only Tuesday!) I've painted the house shutters, done yardwork, scrubbed the front porch siding, caught up on laundry and gone grocery shopping. Not done? Exercising (sorely needed), baking (which would obviously cancel out any said exercising) and crafting. Oh, well.

On the job front, I've been fortunate to have had several interviews with a regional bank, and it looks like I may be among the final candidates. We'll see what develops. And, it's more than a little ironic that on the only day, several weeks ago, when I seriously freaked out about being unemployed and drove for miles out into the autumn countryside to just chill out, that I should come home to an e-mail asking if I was still available for this job that I first interviewed for back in August. God heard me, even though I was too proud to ask.

And so, while my days at home haven't gone quite as imagined, they've been lovely and needed. It's been like recharging a battery that was on "Low Battery" for much too long.

Betwixt and Between

I'm about six weeks into my new adventure, and it still feels weird, like I'm in limbo. I've sent some resumes out and had a phone interview, thanks to networking help from a dear friend, but I'm still unemployed. That's not really a surprise, given the state of the economy and the surge in unemployment. In fact, truth be told, I'm thankful nothing has come along right away.

What's surprising to me is that I feel lost. I'm not really embracing the stay-at-home gig, even though I've had big plans to get in shape, make a quilt, cook great dinners, bake bread, read important works of literature, etc. I've worked "real jobs" since I was 15, with barely a break, and you'd think I would feel that I've earned—and, yes—deserve this break, but I'm feeling guilty and a bit lonely. I thought I'd throw myself into this new adventure with gusto, but, instead, I'm squandering my days away. Perhaps that's what I've needed to do these past several weeks to bridge my old world with my new reality. All I know is that I've got to get cracking, or I'll really be sad that I didn't do more with this gift of time.

So, this week, I pledge to:
1. Walk 30 minutes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
2. Begin piecing my first quilt.
3. Bake cinnamon bread (from a mix, but it's a start).
4. Begin reading either Middlemarch or the next-to-last Edith Wharton novel I've been saving for a special occasion. ( I still find myself checking library bookshelves on the off chance that I've overlooked something she's written, but, alas, that's not the case. )

And, oh yeah, look for a real job.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

So, I'm on Day Three of trying to register online for unemployment benefits. I continue to get the same R.No: error, whatever that is, with an incomplete message to "Please try your request again. Please consult your ..." What? Doctor? Mommy? Tarot cards? I've tried completing the application on a Mac, on a PC, in Safari, in Firefox, in a box, with cream and lox. (Sorry, channeling Dr. Seuss there for a second.) Nothing.

And I've tried to call the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (i.e. unemployment office) four times today. Guess what? The automated recording says they're receiving so many calls that they encourage you to register online. Really? Hmm ... novel idea.

As part of an actual job search, I've tried to apply online for a corporate communications specialist job that isn't showing up once I go to the company's Web site, even though it shows two job postings in communications, yet only one actual job listing.

Week I of unemployment is off to a smashing start. And so begins my adventure on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride of Unemployment in The.Worst.Recession.Since.The.Great.Depression. Whee. Yep, it's gonna be a thrill a minute.

And Now I'm Back

I placed my flag in the blog world three days before the best work adventure of my life began. I'm placing it again on this, the final day of the journey. Not many people get to live their dream job; I was one of the lucky, lucky few. While my heart is sad, and things didn't work out as planned, the experiences I had and the lessons I learned in the past 2+ years will stay with me the rest of my life. It sounds trite and canned, but it's oh so true—I've learned so much from the people who started out as coworkers and became dear friends. Their smiles and lessons are what I'll take with me going forward.

As I pray, search and wait for the next wonderful thing that's meant to be, I'll be maneuvering the world of unemployment, job searches, crafts, scrapbooking, organization, weight loss, stay-at-home motherhood and daytime TV—not necessarily in that order.

Howdy

I'm here.