Once More, With Feeling

Last Thursday, I was walked to the security desk of Really Big Pharma where I handed over my badge and was told never to return.

I suppose I should have been stunned and come home in tears, but I didn't do that. Mostly, my head spun a little at how suddenly it had happened, but I seemed to get over that pretty quickly.

I have a number of concerns in mind.

1. I have two, count 'em two laptops from the contracting company I was working for. I have to find a way to get these back to the firm and get a receipt in my hot little hands.
2. I'm afraid they're going to charge me for these computers and they are both a piece of shit. Two pieces of shit.
3. I have to find a way to enter my hours for October.
4. I have to get paid for September, which should occur in a week. Then I have to get paid for October.
5. I filed for unemployment insurance on Friday morning and am concerned that the contracting company will consider me to be fired.
6. I am considering filing a complaint about Really Big Pharma creating a hostile workplace but this is honestly mere whimsy.

I have learned that if I want to make more than unemployment insurance, I have to make more than $16.60 per hour.

Jobs are not thick on the ground.

I have talked to Dr. Angela and she has yelled at me (she can't help it, she's Sicilian) and told me I need to look for a job four to five hours a day. This is not easy to do. Once I look at the email from the job boards I've signed up for, there's not a lot I can do. And by "looking", I mean applying for them.

Despite being a writer, I have a wretched time writing cover letters. I'm going to have to devote special time for this. Maybe that will be part of my four to five hours a day.

I did have a very bad day on Friday but talked to Emma and she helped drag me out of the Slough of Despond. I find myself relying heavily on You Tube for entertainment. Specifically, there are shows like "Life on an Edwardian Farm", "Life on a Victorian Farm", "Life on a Wartime Farm" and the latest selection, "Building a Medieval Castle." These are great fun to me and I always get a kick out of the tremendous enthusiasm shown by one of the hosts, Ruth Goodman. There's no job too dirty or heavy or onerous that she won't go at with gusto.

I regard this job search as my next great Challenge. I'm going to have to be disciplined and work hard, two things I'm not very good at. The foundation of this is to stay current on my meds. So far, that's no problem but it can vary from week to week. Another thing that helps is a daily schedule. This includes the Great Job Search and working on the house.

It stung when Dr. A said this is not a good time of year to be looking for a job, although I know she's right.

Still, here we are and off we go.