Day Four: Making a List

Distance Traveled: 1.12 miles (2.03 to date)

So it turns out I’m not the first newly unemployed asshole who thought that blogging would be a good way to stay creative while not collecting a paycheck. An old friend shared with me his unemployment blog, telling me he “figured with the economy the way it is, I'll start this blog and chart my progress and it'll become the zeitgeist. MSNBC will be calling me in for expert unemployment advice. Etc, etc.” What’s that they say about the best laid plans? His blog only lasted three days.

With the sense of accomplishment that comes with surpassing a peer, I feel comfortable enough stealing one of his ideas (and no, the common blog theme wasn’t theft, it was coincidence): an unemployment checklist! And because no one asked for it, here’s mine:

• Revise my resume (check!)
• Read a book (does it count if I finish any of the three books I started on vacation?)
• Get thorough medical and dental check-ups before my insurance lapses
• Study copious amounts of baseball statistics to prepare for the 2010 fantasy season (can you believe that news of my unemployment was greeted by one so-called friend with a “oh shit, you better get a job soon otherwise you’re going to dominate the league this year.” Thanks, jackass).
• Look into grad school before ultimately deciding that I just don’t give a damn about an advanced degree
• Work out daily (Day Two FAIL!)
• Figure out what I should have said when I was fired
• Figure out what I could have done differently to avoid being fired
• Figure out what I’ll do in my next job to ensure I’ll never be fired again
• Start a new blog (check!)
• Shower daily (or at least keep my five showers per week schedule that I followed while employed)
• Learn how to crochet
• Bug my friends about my blog so much that they’ll find me a job just to avoid future ramblings
• Watch two hours of daytime TV maximum each day
• Eat an entire wheel of cheese
• Oh yeah…find a job. Whew. Almost forgot.

I’d like to think I’ve made decent progress thus far. This afternoon I will apply to the first batch of jobs I found, and later, I’ll join a few friends for Happy Hour. Do I deserve to reward myself with cocktails meant as a reward for completing a hard week’s work? Probably not…but that cheese isn’t going to wash down itself.