March 17, 2003

Today is the day to wax your floor poetic.

As some of you more perceptive readers have noticed, there is a new little listing at the bottom of my page: "Days Unemployed."

This is not just based on a whim. I got laid off about ten days ago from my copywriting job. Basically, around 3:30 on a Friday I was called into a meeting by our office manager and told by him and my supervisor that due to financial constraints, they couldn't keep me on anymore. My friends at work were sitting around chatting it up, and I didn't feel like killing their buzz by announcing right away that I wouldn't be there anymore, so I went outside and made some phone calls. Then I went inside and killed my coworkers' buzz.

And, uh, so on.

Anyway, a lot of people have been very soliticitous and wonderful, asking about me and offering bits of advice, and a lot of it is very similiar; being laid off sucks, but unemployment can be kind of cool. You get time to yourself, time to catch up, and of course, those nice checks from the government in the mail. Even though I feel this pressure to get a job and stop sitting around the house, I've been really busy, enjoying not having to get dressed until I feel like it, having my pick of the machines at the gym in the late morning, and generally almost dreading getting a new job, which is dumb, I know.

Based on the feedback I've been receiving, though, (especially from Dennis Diclaudio) 'unemployment' seems like a good topic to have readers write in on. So, this week, I ask of you: Have you ever been laid off? And, if so...

1.) What was your immediate reaction? Did you cry? Get drunk? Eat a pint of ice cream? Punch somebody in the face?

and...

2.) How did your schedule change afer you lost your job? I mean, obviously, you're not going to work, but did you miss getting lunch with the accountants at noon? Miss your cigarette breaks every 15 minutes? And then...start watching soaps every day? Go to the gym? I, for instance, have a pretty busy day of making calls, writing, going to the gym, but it all comes to a halt at 5:00 for the hot-hot-hot lineup of "Simpsons"-"That '70's Show"-"Simpsons"-"Seinfeld." That's when my day officially ends.

or...

3.) Just tell me, a la "What did you do last summer?" "What did you do with your unemployment?

You can respond to any or all of these, but just get 'em into me by Monday. I'd like to hear and compare. And hopefully some of you will have really great stories so I will feel better about myself. Okay, I feel pretty good about myself at the moment, since I don't have to get up early this week, but assuming that I didn't feel good about myself, you'd make me feel better.

Hear?