The return of primetime…

Over the past few weeks I’ve noticed one direct parallel between unemployment and college – primetime television.  Shows like ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘American Idol’ have once again become main events, me and my roommate gathering around the TV with our popcorn and opinions at the ready.  Instead of trying to remember the latest happy hour special (‘was that Margarita Monday or Winey Wednesday?’) or lazily putting together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before calling it a night, I actually plan my evenings around the 8-11 timeslot. 

When all is said and done, I’ve basically reverted back to my 18 year old self, holed up in SF State’s Mary Park Hall. Instead of planning my night around term papers, I plan it around interview prep.  Instead of determining whose room we’re all cramming into, I wonder which roommates will be home to commiserate with.  We gossip about the celebs that have gotten kicked off our favorite shows, about the most shocking season finales ever and look forward to the fresh crop of sitcoms/dramas we’ll soon deliberate on.

While some may laugh at our retro antics, ultimately staying home is a perfect excuse to save money (and couldn’t we all use more of that now-a-days?).  Besides, without copious amounts of time to spend watching TV, I would never have discovered the wonder that is ‘Being Erica’ or caught up with the gang at ‘How I Met Your Mother’. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have DVR’d episodes of ‘The Office’ to catch up on…

Question: What primetime shows have you either discovered or rediscovered in an attempt to save money by staying in?

I want my mommy…

As babies we innately know when we want something all we have to do is cry.  As we grow up, that crying becomes a way to signal a boo-boo that needs attention, to escape the clutches of our older brother/sister or a warning that you’re not faking that fever after all (even if it coincides nicely with your spelling test).  Eventually, sobbing comes courtesy of heartbreak or if you’re like me, the realization that you’re about to enter… GASP, the real world.

Now that I’m unemployed, I’m not afraid to say it… I want my mommy. While I’ve learned with age to cope with a fever (lots of daytime television and chicken soup), coping with the loss of a job is a different story. Left alone in an empty apartment during the day, the silence is haunting, thoughts of simpler times swimming through my head.  Each day I think about budgeting, about my strategy for rebounding from this setback but most of all, I think about my family.  While I’ve built a nice support system out here, nothing can replace a mother’s embrace.  Three thousand miles away, phone calls can only do so much to bridge the divide.

So, I pose this question to you… what methods have helped comfort you during the rough patches?  What is the adult equivalent for chicken soup and a band-aid?

My Own Personal Snow Globe

Today I discovered one of the first plus sides of unemployment – calling your own snow day.   Snuggled up at home with a cup of hot chocolate and my blog at my side, I can enjoy the blizzard that goes on outside my window while the rest of the [diminishing] working world braces for the cold.  No sludgey mess to waddle in, no game time decision on what shoes to wear and best of all, no wondering if this California girl has the right under-armor to withstand the gusty winds that could very well toppler her over (for all you meterologists out there, pun intended).  Instead, I can snuggle up for my daily job search. And when the hot chocolate runs out, I can join the rest of the snow day kids out in the powder for snow angels and a chance at building my first epic snowman.  I guess you could call the world my own personal snow globe…

Welcome to Unemployed is the New Pink [Slip]

Hello world and welcome to the first edition of Unemployed is the New Pink [Slip]. My first foray into the blogosphere,  inspiration struck after I realized unemployment has afforded me plenty of time to ruminate on life, love and the pursuit of employment.   I’d like to give credit to Ms. Gina Titus for the blog name and James Gross for making me realize it was about time I hopped on the digital wave… surf’s up!

February 28, 2009 — Hello Grid

Back on the grid and hitting the pavement hard or at least as hard as these times will allow.  Heading into my third week of unemployment, I can’t help but get anxious.  I know the job search could take months but my sanity really can’t afford that.  Used to action items and measured productivity, my day is not complete unless I’ve checked an item off my to-do list.

Today is a slightly more productive day as I rest easy knowing I’ve hopped on the networking fast track, meeting with a friend of a former client for coffee at a Chelsea cafe.  A half hour early, I sit here writing away, listening to the stories of the regulars who pop in and out on their way to work.  In true Christina fasion, I quickly indicate I’m from California and when asked if I’ve been hit by the struggling economy, I shrug my shoulders and admit I’m unemployed.  A couple knowing nods later I hear about the other patrons who’ve been laid off, now finding endless amounts of time to sip coffee and perhaps chronicle their journeys just like me.

One hour later my “power breakfast” has left me full of ideas on the new media front.  Someone who used to pride herself on being up-to-speed on current events, I realize I no longer remember the password to my Twitter account.  Sigh… more items for my ‘to do’ list.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying to find ways to pass the time.  I’m happy to report I’m suddenly an avid runner, averaging a couple miles a day.  I’ve also become a housekeeper of sorts to Apt. 602 where I do the dishes, take out the trash, and walk the dog.  Wonder if I can put any of that on my resumé...

Jokes aside, it’s amazing how unemployment makes you that much more introspective.  Already a very analytical person, the time off has afforded me plenty of hours to ruminate on life and love.  I think about the family I miss out West, about the life I had envisioned for myself out East and the intersection of it all.  I’ll never regret the decision to move here but doubts easily creep their way to the forefront without the safety net of a job.

Amidst the chaos of Manhattan I remain eerily calmn, my fears swallowed up by the undulations of the city.  I can no longer wrap my thoughts up into one neat little package.  Like a river, they flow right into each other until life interrupts the scene.   Reminds me of a painting – Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian.  Modeled after the New York subway system, the lines of the grid run one into another, leaving me to wonder what the final destination is…

Broadway Boogie Woogie, Piet Mondrian