2024 - Getting Back To Where I Was

  Holidays and weekends don't count, so I'm holding at 24 days unemployed. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job and after losing out on the Accenture job (maybe!), I don't know when that's going to happen. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. Yesterday marked 5 weeks without a job. I haven't been unemployed since 1985, so this is a hard adjustment. I managed to get 3 loads of laundry done yesterday, so that is all caught up. I thought about going to the casino today but decided that if I go I'll go tomorrow or Tuesday. After yesterday's gloomy rainy day it was nice to see blue skies and sunshine today ! It was a breezy day too, so I opened all the windows to let the fresh air blow through the house. Rich called me about going on a baseball trip to Altoona PA on August 4th, and I decided to go for it. It means leaving Minnie for about a...

  Holidays and weekends don't count, so I'm holding at 24 days unemployed. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job and after losing out on the Accenture job (maybe!), I don't know when that's going to happen. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. Yesterday marked 5 weeks without a job. I haven't been unemployed since 1985, so this is a hard adjustment. It was gray and gloomy when I got up and by 9 am we had some light rain falling. My mood has lifted a bit since finding out Kurt is trying to get around the proximity issue to get me that Accenture job. In a roundabout way, he asked me to wait ! His email said "I can't ask you to hang on, that would be very unfair of me" and he wished me the best finding something. I replied that I wouldn't wait if a great opportunity came along, but so far that seems pretty unlikely ! Getting that...

  written 06-25-24 Holidays and weekends don't count, so I'm holding at 21 days unemployed. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job and after losing out on the Accenture job, I don't know when that's going to happen. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. I check everyday, but my severance pay hasn't shown up yet. They did say 45 days and it's only been 30, so we'll see. This past Friday marked 4 weeks without a job. I haven't been unemployed since 1985, so this is a hard adjustment. Today is Tuesday and I resolved to shower this morning and get some things done. I didn't get much more than putting out the trash done, but that is a start ! I spent the entire weekend and all day yesterday on the couch feeling sorry for myself. I did apply for a job with Infosys on Saturday and another with a recruiting company for a similar role at A...

  Holidays and weekends don't count, so I'm holding at 19 days unemployed. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job and after yesterday's disappointing news, I don't know when that's going to happen. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. I haven't lost hope on the Accenture job, but I don't think it's going to happen. Sad all around as I'd be a huge asset to them. I think Kurt knows that, but he may not have the clout to change their rules. Last night was the drum circle and dinner at Francesca's. I still can't really taste anything, so I can't say I enjoyed my meal of homemade gnocchi with marinara sauce. I think my taste is slowly returning as the sauce seemed sweet to me, which I do not like. I also caught a whiff of garlic today when I heated the leftovers, so that was good news ! The drum circle was fun but the AC w...

  8:19 am Today is day 19 of being unemployed because holidays and weekends don't count, but it's been 4 weeks since I last "went to work". Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and it looks like that may happen soon. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. I only got paid for 12 vacation days (they screwed me out of the other 16), so today is brought to you by my severance pay, whenever that shows up. When you lose your job, it's easy to be bitter about it. What hurts the most is that I was at the top of my game. My appraisal rating was the highest I've ever received and I was the hardest worker on the team. All the hard work I put in was being recognized and being laid off was 100% all about the almighty dollar. So, while I'm grateful for all that I achieved I am left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Being financially secure goes a lo...

  Today is day 18 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and it looks like that may happen soon. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days, so today is brought to you by my severance pay, whenever that shows up. I didn't write yesterday as it was so hot. I spent the entire day in my bedroom with the ac on, watching YouTube and playing Cookie Jam on my tablet. I didn't bother doing any job searching, as I was still hoping for the Accenture job. Well - late last night I checked my email and discovered an interview request from their recruiter !!! I was so excited. It is scheduled for tomorrow at noon. That gives me the morning to make sure my hair is good and to do makeup and decide what to wear.  I had so much trouble trying to get to sleep last night. I wa...

  Today is day 16 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and it looks like that may happen soon. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days, so today is brought to you by my severance pay, whenever that shows up. I've been sick for the past few days, which is why I haven't written. I believe I have covid as I have the symptoms: cough, fever, headache and as of yesterday I can't smell or taste anything. Saturday and Sunday were the worst days and I spent them both on the couch. Saturday I managed to get the cats fed and then collapsed on the couch and slept until 5 pm. I don't remember much between feeding the cats and waking up at 4:59, not knowing what day it was or if it was morning or night.  I spent the rest of the day and night lying on the cou...

  Today is day 13 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and it looks like that may happen soon. For now, I consider this time off to be an extended vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days, so today is brought to you by my severance pay, whenever that shows up. I somehow contracted a cold or COVID. It started with a scratchy throat and sniffles on Tuesday. As of today I just have sniffles. I've been taking Benadryl at night and that dries things up and helps me sleep. I take 2 at bedtime and 1 during the day. I'm not sure how this happened as the last time I was out was last Wednesday. Odd to get sick 6 days later. Oh well. I did manage to get to the post office yesterday and got all my retiree paperwork and the check for my 401k. I realized I haven't received my village tax bill or my water/sewer bil...

  Today is day 12 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and it looks like that may happen soon. For now, I consider this time off to be a vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days and today was day 12 of that. In reality, I'm getting severance equal to 50% of my annual pay, so I'm basically paid through November. As of yesterday I hadn't heard back from Kurt. I thought the problem was I don't have a Bachelor's degree, as far as he knows. Monday I came across a job req on Accenture's website that appeared to be the audit role I was hoping to get. I thought he was ghosting me because the job req says a Bachelor's degree is required. So, I decided to claim to have a Bachelor's degree and applied for the job. If they ask, I will say I was too embarrassed to use it on my resume because t...

  Today is day 9 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and hopefully I clinched that Monday ! For now, I consider this time off to be a vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days and today would be day 9 of that. I got up around 9 am today after having slept on the couch all night. I was too lazy to get up and go upstairs. I spent the morning watching YouTube and playing Cookie Jam. I briefly checked LinkedIn and my email. I haven't heard anything from Kurt with Accenture and ended up sending a followup email just after 4 pm. I was going to wait until next week but decided to just follow up today. I'm feeling a little desperate as I really want this job and I know I would do well. Ambrosia texted me to let me know her fake degree passed a background check for National Grid and she starts a new job there on ...

  Today is day 8 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and hopefully I clinched that Monday ! For now, I consider this time off to be a vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days and today would be day 8 of that. I was awake about 7:25 am today and I feel refreshed. I actually fell asleep on the couch last night until 1 am, but was able to go right back to sleep when I went upstairs. It likely helped that my bedroom was nice and cool from the air conditioner ! I fed the cats and settled in to watch YouTube and have my coffee and a cinnamon roll. Today is Kim's 64th birthday and if they were still with us it would be my parents 65th wedding anniversary ! Saturday is my mom's birthday and she would have been 84. I may visit their grave on Saturday. I did my usual check of LinkedIn jobs and didn't see anyt...

  Today is day 7 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and hopefully I clinched that Monday ! For now, I consider this time off to be a vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days and today would be day 7 of that. I was awake before 5 am today and got up around 5:15. I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. I took a shower before heading downstairs to feed Minnie and have my first cup of coffee. I waited until 7 to feed the stray cats. Once that was done the entire day stretched out in front of me. I could see myself sitting on the couch watching YouTube all day and that's a habit I need to get out of. I had laundry to do and I wanted to wash the car, so those were the goals of the day. I no longer feel desperate to apply for jobs. I'm going to continue my pause in hopes of landing the job at Accen...

  Today is day 6 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and hopefully I clinched that yesterday ! For now, I consider this time off to be a vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days and today would be day 6 of that. I was awake before 6 and got up shortly after. Even though I was tired and wanted to sleep until the alarm at 7, I knew that wasn't going to happen. I fed the cats, had breakfast and then got myself ready to go meet with the financial planner. That went really well and we took the first step by having my 401k liquidated. They will send me a check to give to the planner, who will establish an IRA. I should get about $377k and the annual management fee is 1% of the balance, so $1000 for every $100k. That is more than I pay now, so I'll have to pay attention to the rate of return on my investment. ...

  Today is day 5 of being unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and hopefully I clinched that today ! For now, I consider this time off to be a vacation. I got paid for 12 vacation days and today would be day 5 of that. After a restless night I dragged myself out of bed around 7:20 am. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep well. It was nearly 2 am before my mind shut down and let me sleep. I got up knowing I could nap later if it was absolutely necessary, but I don't want to start bad habits. I should sleep better tonight since I'll be tired. Minnie started demanding to get on my lap just before 8 am and I couldn't give in to that because I needed to get my hair done and work on makeup and what I was going to wear. I managed to get my hair to a point I could accept and also did ok with the makeup. I wor...

  I'm holding at 4 days unemployed, because holidays and weekends don't really count. Considering I'm getting paid, am I really unemployed ? I guess so. It's going to continue to be a scary place until I have a job, and hopefully I will clinch that tomorrow ! Turned out to be cloudy and a little cooler today, but it was warm enough that I didn't need to turn on the heat. I was up around 8 and after the cats were fed I had a couple cups of coffee and my breakfast. I weighed myself this morning and I am at 272. I've gained 10 pounds since I broke my wrist ! I'd guess I don't have cancer .. lol ! On that note, all is well in my digestive tract these days. About 11:30 I headed out to gas up the car and get a few things at Walmart. I was really close to E so I got gas in town. It's was 3.599 a gallon ! This is a big reason I want a work from home job. The pitcher I use to fill my filtered water sprung a leak so I needed a new one, otherwise I really didn...