The One Where Sara Gets Laid Off Again

Oh, the titles I could have given this post....

Don't Cry for Me Argentina Bloggerina

On The Dole Again

I Kissed A Girl I'm on the Dole and I Like It

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish Bosses

Breaking Up is Hard Easy To Do

Sayonara, Suckers


For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter (whatcha waitin' for, an engraved invitation?) or Facebook (friend me!) or my other blog (shame on you for not reading that too!) I got laid off on Monday. For those of you keeping count, this makes twice in less than a year.

Unlike last time, though, I am less than heartbroken about this one. In fact, calling me in any way upset by the news would be overstating things. I knew from Day 3 at this company that this was not a long term situation for me. While I didn't talk about it much here (because we all know that's a no-no in the business world) I dreaded going there every day. I fantasized on a daily basis about quitting. It literally sucked the joy right out of me. It's not my nature to be a Debbie Downer, but that's how I felt every time I walked into that place. I hated who I was when I was there.

So it was with something closely resembling elation that I graciously accepted the news of my lay-off. I'd been forewarned by an in-the-know friend on Sunday - and forewarned is forearmed. I was able to put my thoughts together before going in there and was prepared to say what needed to be said to HR before I left. It also gave me the opportunity to say good-bye to the few friends that I'd made while I was there.

Now I'm back on the government dole again, but wiser and more prepared for unemployment this time. I've learned a valuable lesson - as bad as unemployment feels, an ill-fitting job feels worse. I never should have accepted my last position. I knew it was a bad fit before I even accepted it; in fact, I struggled mightily with the decision to accept it at all. But I felt guilty for being unemployed and with no other options on the horizon, I figured I could put up with the job for the paycheck. Big mistake. One that I won't be making again.

I will also embrace this time with enthusiasm, something I didn't do the last time around. I felt so much guilt for not contributing to our checkbook that I didn't enjoy the time the way that I should have. I'm not naive enough to think that the old guilt won't resurface - it's already trying, every day when Nate comes home and asks me what I did today - but I'm trying not to let it suck the fun out of my time off. I've got a long list of things to do, people to reach out to, goals I've put off long enough. It's time to embrace this season in my life and I am walking into with open arms.

Jitter Bug

I'm down to my last few hours of freedom before I return to work full-time tomorrow. And I must admit, I'm a total stress ball.

It's kind of like the first day of elementary school. You have no idea what to expect. Will you like your boss? Will you like your coworkers? Will they like you? Will you like the job? Will you be able to find the bathroom when necessary? Will you be dressed appropriately?

There are all the questions about how this will affect my life in general - how will I adjust to the commute? How will I find time to work out and run? Will I be able to get the housework done? How in the world will I make time for everything I need to get done? Will the puppies hate me for abandoning them for hours on end?

And most surprisingly, I'm sad. Sure, I'm thrilled to finally have a job. To be a productive member of society again. But I'm also kind of sad to see my unemployment end. I mean, when else will I get the opportunity to do whatever the heck I want for weeks on end? The funny part is, I was so worried about finding a job and not spending money, that I couldn't fully enjoy the time off. And now that I have a job and money to once again spend as I please, I'll have no time to enjoy it! It's a nasty Catch-22.

I'm also sad to see my time as a telecommuter really truly come to an end. I know it's been five months since I lost my job, but I kind of kept expecting Ashton Kutcher to jump out from some bush and tell me I've been punked. The company didn't fold and my job is still right where I left it - won't I pretty please come back? I guess that just speaks to how much I loved my old job, my boss, my employees and the perks of being a telecommuter. I'd go back in a heartbeat, if I could.

I know tomorrow the thrill of the new challenge will rush in and I'll be fine. I'm excited about the challenges and opportunities at the new company. I'm excited about meeting new people and flexing my work muscles again. And I'm excited about dressing up for the office (because we all know, everything comes back to the clothes!). Whenever I start to lose focus, I'll just hold onto these things. That...and the promise of a good glass of wine at the end of a long and hopefully productive day!

How do you spell Sara? L-A-Z-Y

I should be....

...cleaning the house. It's amazing how dirty a house can get even when you've been gone for ten days.

...replying to the two dozen waiting emails in my inbox.

...reading the library book that's due back on Monday.

...working out with Jillian.

...getting my laptop re-organized after it's near-death experience.

...downloading pictures from our vacation.

...blogging something interesting, lest my blog readers decide I have deserted my little corner of cyberspace.


Instead, I am...

...contemplating a trip to Starbucks for my second coffee of the day, courtesy of the fabulous Starbucks treat receipt program.

...sitting around in my pajamas even though it's the middle of the afternoon.

...cuddling with my furbabies.

...catching up on all the trash TV I've missed the last two weeks. Tori and Dean, anyone?

...debating which to have for dinner: cheetos or a pop-tart.

Rikki Tikki Techie

{image via racineweb}

We've had a little makeover here at Unwrap Life, so if you're reading through Google Reader, click on through to check out my new Three Column Layout. It took a little trial and error but I finally figured out how to add the third column.

I've added a new goal to my Unemployment To Do list: learn HTML coding. I've picked up a little bit here and there over the last few months but I'd really like to learn how to do my own layouts and buttons. It would also be a marketable skill I could add to my resume.

Do any of you know HTML coding basics? Have any good websites or tutorials you've used to teach yourself?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I've got all kinds of randomness floating around in my head today. Guess that's what very little sleep, a truckload of Aleve, and 36 straight hours of captivity on the couch will do to you.

So here are my thoughts in all their random, drug-induced glory.

1. The Good - I have a job interview! Woot, woot! It's a part-time marketing assistant position. I struggled a bit with whether or not to apply for something that was only part-time and requires a huge pay cut, but in the end it sounds like a really fun, interesting job so I went for it. Keep your fingers crossed for me on Thursday.

2. The Bad - I woke up yesterday in some major pain. I had a back injury four years ago that knocked me flat on my butt (literally) and required three weeks in a back brace and months of chiropractic care. I've gone nearly two years without a flare up but it appears my good luck has run out. I have been laying around on the couch with my heating pad for nearly two full days know but I still can't stand up straight. Moving from standing to sitting or sitting to laying is the worst. The chiro can't get me in until tomorrow so I am stuck like this for at least another day. I've seriously been considering this as an option for the better part of the afternoon:


3. The Ugly - To keep myself entertained I have been catching up on all the blog reading and random internet surfing that I missed last week while my sister was in town.

Wonder how many hours it took to put Lady Gaga in these hideous, skankalicious boots?

{image via perezhilton}

Stack 'em high

Believe it or not, I am entering my third week of unemployment and I have yet to crack open a book. Hard to believe, since I normally average a book or two a week.

I have been so desperate to keep myself busy, to prove that I can still be productive, that I have barely taken any time to actually enjoy my time off. This weekend I finally scratched the last item off my Unemployment To Do list, so maybe now I can spend a little more time doing things I enjoy - like plowing through this stack of books I got today at Half Price Books.

I swore up and down I was going to consign my little box of books and get the heck out of Dodge, but alas the line was long and the clearance section was calling my name. I need more books like I need another hole in my head, but how could I resist some of my all time favorite authors and every book just $1?

At that price I'm lucky I didn't walk out with more books than I came in with!

Lady of Leisure

{image via google images}

To Do List

1. Sleep in
2. Starbucks run
3. Read newspaper
4. Random internet surfing
5. Eat bonbons
6. Maybe, job search a little
7. Repeat

_______________________________________________

Okay, so maybe that's not really my To Do list for this week. Kind of wish it was, but that's just not me. I might be able to do it for a day or two, but being a Lady of Leisure is going to get old fast. To that end, I have made a real To Do list for this week.

• Job search (every day, at least two hours)
• Get our taxes done (every year I swear we will have this done by January and every year it's not done until April)
• Change my driver's license to our new address
• Dentist appointment
• Doctor's appointment
  
• Organize my craft room
• Catch up on scrapbooking (last page in my current book = Christmas 2007. Yikes!)
• Clean out my closet drawers
• Paint touch ups around the house
• Clean my office
• Hang the pictures that are still cluttering our dining room (six months after we moved in)
• Get out our summer clothes and store the winter clothes
• Consign clothes
• Consign books
• Rearrange the garage
• Volunteer at the food pantry
• Work on my Indy Star blog
• Spring clean the house
• Arrange volunteer work for the month of April

Nate saw the list and said, 'Uh, how long do you plan to be unemployed exactly?'. Ha! I think he's a little worried that I might get used to this!