the loneliness of the long distance unemployed

One of the tough things that happens when you become unemployed is that you find out who your true friends are. Especially the longer you are without a job. I've noticed that people don't call as much, and even in the online forums (ie email, Facebook) they seem to be nonresponsive. That really hurts: unemployment is not contagious, or at least it's not spread thru human contact with the already-jobless.

At first, there's a lot of sympathy, people saying they'll keep an eye out for you or put in a good word. But now, after 3.5 months, or however long you've been on the dole, you're lucky if you get a one line email.

But the true friends, ahhh. They're the ones that will still invite you to join them for a drink, or return your calls or emails, and the first thing they ask is not "So, how's the job hunt going?" I hold these friends in my heart.

As for the others, well, for the time being I'm letting go. Maybe we can pick things up later, maybe not. But for now, energy must be conserved. It might be that they are really really busy, and I can understand that. But, as a teacher of mine once told me, when I was complainng about not having enough time to get things done, "All you have is time, it's how you choose to use it that matters. You make time for the things that are important."

Didn't post yesterday because I was running around registering with employment agencies, which I know I needed to do, but just doubt it'll do much good.

I find myself getting enraged at the smallest things, I mean seeing-red-mad. I know it's because I feel impotent and vulnerable, but the anger is starting to scare me. I want some revenge against the company that downsized me, I want to see the building burning and crashing to ground and rats running rampant over it all. I want to see the executives homeless and begging on the side of the road. I don't care if this is mean spirited. I don't care.

I'm tired of it all, all of it.

The Unemployed Need Not Apply

The Unemployed Need Not Apply


I found this on another blog, survive unemployment!, and had to post this, because it's just wrong. I haven't seen or experienced this yet in my area, but I don't doubt that when I tell an interviewer that I was downsized, it's certainly not a mark in my favor.

That's wrong, wrong, wrong. Like the original post says, I could do nothing to control the situation at my former employer. In the meeting where we were let go, they even told us that the decision was NOT BASED ON PERFORMANCE, that we were all excellent employees. (Corollary question: if not performance-based, then what in hell does performance count for? Discuss. Also, why would you dump excellent people?)

Is it another sign that the economy is really in the tank? Or is it a regional phenomenon?

Of course, I stupidly relocated to an area where good jobs are few and far between, unless you're willing to super commute. (Which I am. ) So the idea of it being regional sort of makes some kind of twisted sense: too many people and too few jobs.

But still, this kind of discrimination - like ALL discrimination - is reprehensible.

Here's my story: I was downsized - ugly word, isn't it?- on March 1, 2010. I guess I'm a little luckier than most because I snagged a job with the census right off the bat. Cool, right? Sure, except it's a short term solution - these jobs weren't meant to last forever. But it's a good way to keep myself busy and earn a little money.

I'm not a kid any more, either. I'm in my early 50's (which is a challenge all by itself) and have an unusual family situation. If you're also unemployed, you probably have the same feelings I do - anger, sadness, worry about what's going to happen next - and dealing with it all can feel as futile as emptying the ocean a teaspoon at a time.

I decided to start a blog because I can feel my brain getting mushy from lack of stimulation. So i figured I'd start this and challenge myself to write something here every day. I can't promise it will be great literature, but I'll try to make it marginally interesting, and not rant too much about the injustice of it all. So, thanks for checking this out, hope you come back!