Sometimes things happen in life that are great and you immediately want to exclaim and shout and go "Whoo!" Sometimes things happen in life that are great and you want to let them sit for a while. Make sure that this really happened and all that. Well, something happened a few weeks ago and I've let it sit. So, it's about time I told you.
I got a job.
Starting on July 5th, I'm back at work in the reality television trenches. Due to the obvious reasons, I'll hold off on saying which show but I will say that Goofy Workplace DocuSoap should be a totally fun experience. I'll be working with a friend of mine for the first time, so that'll be great. Also, their office is closer to my house than my last couple of gigs, so I can look forward to a 20 minute commute instead of an hour commute... on the 110 during rush hour. I'm very excited about it, as you can imagine.
I interviewed for the gig and got it weeks ago, but I've been sitting on the news for a while. I mean, I told Tom, my family, and a good chunk of my friends. I think since I don't actually start the job for another three weeks took some of the immediacy off of broadcasting the news all around the blogosphere (or at least my little corner of it). After 4 months of unemployment, I can now enjoy my last three weeks of unemployment.
Long-term unemployment goes like this: the first month is fun. You sleep in maybe a bit. You give yourself a good schedule, finally working out on a regular basis, tackling projects around the house that have been collecting dust, and getting coffee and lunches with friends during the day because you can. All the while, you do look for work, but you aren't terribly stressed about it. The second month the work itch becomes more pronounced. You hit job boards several times a day. You start e-mailing friends about jobs, and think about maybe cold-calling companies for work. You work out a bit more intensely at the beginning of the month, but it tapers off as the anxiety kicks in. The third month you start seriously curbing any and all expenses, so you stay home most of the time. You are online a good deal, looking for work, reading the news, looking for work and also looking for work. You also start to memorize what TV channels do reruns of which shows and when (like Bravo running The West Wing Monday through Friday 8am to 10am, for instance). You start working out less, and stress eating more. The fourth month involves more TV watching, tons of hitting job sites, and then you go back to working out after your clothes start getting tighter and tighter from all the stress eating. All the while the specter of No Work hanging over your head.
Now, this cycle has been thankfully broken. With three weeks until I start the gig, I am back working out 4 to 5 days a week (including varying my cardio routine with taking very brisk walks around the Silverlake Reservoir). I can now enjoy my time away from hitting job boards every half hour, not feeling like I'm missing something or someone is going to nab a job or whatever. I can have lunch with friends during the day again or go grocery shopping without feeling I'm Tom Joad about to pack up the family and head west. Now is the time I'm going to enjoy the time that I have... and work to fit back into my thin jeans. Not skinny jeans, though; those are hideous.
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