Round Three of Unemployment

So far I am doing fairly well emotionally and application-wise there seem to be a lot more jobs out there than last year. This is only my second week of unemployment so I'll probably sound depressed and discouraged around May. I think what is helping me feel okay this round is

A) I can afford to live on my own. I love my parents generosity last year and I did manage to save a bunch of money but I was miserable. It's so nice to be on my own, love my cat, and be surrounded by all my stuff.

B) I am open to anything at this point. I am considering getting into HR or marketing. Granted, I would have to start in entry-level jobs but that's okay if I love the work. I'm also open to contract jobs to relieve the fiscal pressure for a couple months. At this point, I kind of feel that financial analyst positions are jinxed for me. Maybe I won't wind up with a career but more like a bunch of jobs cobbled together to support myself?

C) Control. I have so much more control over my life this round! I am able to control the money I spend by talking to all the providers I pay to negotiate a better deal. And if I am having a low energy day, I can just lie on my couch and veg without being the way or feeling guilty.

D) I am doing my favorite activity during this job hiatus: research. I bought What Color is Your Parachute and a Career Test book
. Yeah, this should have been the stuff I figured out before I completed my MBA coursework but I do tend to do things backwards... Parachutes has some advice that you need to take with a grain of salt. For example, his job search advice seems to be only applicable in rural or towns - like walk into a company's office to submit an unsolicited resume. The places I want to work have security so that's a no go. But he has a lot of good tips on the mental/emotional aspects of the job hunt. He recommends catching up on sleep since the job hunt is a marathon. I am so down with that.

E) It does seem like the job market has picked up. Last year I got absolutely no unsolicited inquiries and had 4 interviews in 5 months. I had an interview last week and have another one this week. Yeah, they are staffing firms but the temp market is really heating up and once that boils, here come the perm full-time jobs!

I do kinda feel like I am an emotional ticking time-bomb so I will crash eventually and feel like a loser or a failure. But I'll hang onto this happy momentum as long as possible (since I am so well rested)!