Today, thanks to Queens Museum twitter feed, I was directed to a blog called Domestic Attempts. Reading this blog I came across a January 30 entry about losing your job. This struck a chord in me. I have been a freelancer for over 20 years. For a great many of those years I worked as a costume designer for film & tv gigs. As such I would work intensively on a particular production for a few weeks or months and then it would come to an end and I would return to being unemployed. I never got used to this. I think it was because so much of my self esteem stemmed from my earning capacity, I never felt good without money coming in.
Add to this being RLO (recently laid off) in the difficult circumstances like we are experiencing globally and the suck factor just goes up. Understandably.
Reading about Domestic Attempts attempts to feel good about this crappy situation prompted me to write this open letter. Firstly to validate DA's feelings. And to respond in kind and in part to her request of Top 10 Ways to Pass Time. The great thing about these 'time wasters' is that while they may appear to be only that on the surface, they actually become vehicles for deep learning and engagement. But I digress.
Here then are my personal favorite Top 6 Time Wasters (more later), the Toronto version (although many of these aren't specific to Toronto):
1) Twitter. Not only an excellent time sucker but once you get the hang of it, its totally entertaining and educational--if you follow people that share your interests. Its also a great way to develop a support system (global and local) around shared values.
2)Take the TTC. Thats the public transport here in the T-dot. Its a great time waster and a great way to people watch and gain perspective.
3)Take up Indian cooking. Its a cost effective way to stretch those precious dollars, great if someone in the household has gluten issues and if done mise en place steez, takes several hours to prepare a 3 sub-jees or side dishes and rice.
4)Read An Incomplete Manifesto For Growth by Bruce Mau. Contemplate. Read again.
5)Watch Today's Big Thing. Always great for a laugh.
6) Read Indexed by Jessica Hagy (image above is her February 2 entry).
2 comments:
Thanks for this open note, I appreciate your empathy and the Time Waster's you suggest. Some of them i am all about, you can check out my response to your response here:
http://domesticattempts.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/a-response-to-a-comment-to-a-post/
So, I read your request for some top time wasters at DomesticAttempts. Well, I can't know how you like to "waste time" but here's what I've been doing while leisurely looking for employment:
Bubblebaths and steam facials during the day
Download free audiobooks from your local library; from humor to non-fiction, what the hell, you'e got time on your hands
Collect recipes; refuse to order from the local Chinese restaurant and save money while learning a new culinary skill since you're home anyway
Organize - I have a completely digital home in under 6 weeks. I even switched all my magazine subscriptions to digital and most of the paper that used to be stored in boxes in a closet (cards, photos, old taxes, high school love letters, et al) have now been scanned into a 1TB hard drive I got for a steal online. I reclaimed closet space I didn't think I had and now everything sits neatly in a labeled box stacked nicely in sight. Lovely.
Work out - I get bored so I pulled out the old Firm DVDs and the Fanny Lifter and get busy every single day. So what if I'm unemployed, may as well tone up this size 4 for the summer!
Do what you used to do on the weekends during the week and save time and money; although I get them far less frequently now, when I get a manicure or pedicure, I get them during the week and take advantage of the discounts I never could when I was working. I do my laundry, shopping, get my touchups and banking during the odd hours of the day when others (who still have jobs) are working. Why waste my Saturdays that way when I may not have this luxury anytime soon again?
Put your junk on Half.com. I got $40 last week alone just for cleaning out my closets, basically. I had tons of books I'd either never read or don't plan to now, so I signed in, logged on others get to enjoy them. You want a cheap book? Check 'em out!
http://shops.half.ebay.com/ladymcse_W0QQmZbooks
That's all I've got for now, but I think you can clearly see I'm taking full advantage of my downtime. Hell, it's actually UPtime. As Ali would say, I am just too pretty! Bad enough being unemployed; I can't be stressed and unsightly, too!
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