28 Days Later

28 days of unemployment is a little bit of picture 1 and picture 2.  So what have I been doing this past month other than applying to jobs?

1. Mending fences, reaching out, and connecting - my dad and I have been spending time together. I can help him since he has given up his driving license which helps me be productive and feel needed. I know he's the same person with the same limitations but it works for now. I'm back in touch with friends who I haven't seen for over a decade due to rifts/life changes. I don't have energy anymore to hold a grudge and if I sunk a lot of time and memorable experiences into a person, they are going to be my friend no matter what. I have organized a Jamaica Plain job seekers group. We had our first meeting last week and it was great! I got a lot of tips, laughs, and leads.
2. Catching up on TV - Grey's Anatomy and Downton Abbey fell off my must watch list for a couple years. Now that Grey's is in syndication, I can catch up while I peruse job boards/LinkedIn. I rage quit Downton after what happened to Matthew. Now, I'm kinda disgusted with the Anna story-line but I"ll persist. The episodes are my go to sleep viewing. I also watched Star Wars Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels so I could make sense of the Solo movie.
3. Learning SQL - since every other analyst job description asks for it, I signed up for a class at General Assembly. Luckily, it made sense to me and I was able to internalize a lot of basics quickly.
4. Freaking out about money - I have not had any kind of income for four weeks. My severance check has not arrived. My retirement fund cash-out has not come. Even though unemployment is under 5%, my unemployment benefits are taking forever.
5. Getting angry - it turns out having a good work/life balance is not just for your health while you're working, it's key when you are unemployed. If you derive a lot of pride, sense of self and accomplishment from a job and it goes away - it can seriously mess you up. If I let myself to get into the angry loop, it goes "How dare they? I killed myself for this job. The work I performed went above and beyond. Meanwhile they have payroll clerks who refuse to learn Excel but remain employed because they're union. Fuck them! Fucking user life ruiners."