Day Four Hundred and Fifty of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to Free Yoga at Oakridge Lululemon

I got up early this morning to do my usual weekly run to the free yoga class at Lululemon at Oakridge. I wondered how I was going to run since the last time I ran I felt so slow. I left myself plenty of time to get to class just in case I wasn’t able to run very fast.

As I set off, I felt the old me running. I felt light and fast as I ran up the hill. I did feel a bit of twinge in my Achilles tendon area but not enough to worry me. I wondered why I would feel so slow and lethargic one day and then the next, feel fast and inspired?

I wondered how I would feel on the marathon day morning. Would I be in good form or would I be dragging my feet? I hate that unpredictability. That’s the problem with entering any race at my age, I never know if I will be in good health or if I will have a running injury. That’s another reason why I never wanted to pay the high prices of the race entries. I’ve heard of too many stories of people who had to cancel and couldn’t get a refund.

Chat with Fellow Job Searcher

I had a chat with my fellow job searcher after yoga class. It was nice to have met somebody I could talk with about this. I’m still not sure what her financial situation is or how long she has been looking for a job.

She revealed one of her biggest concerns. She is from Hong Kong but has very good English. She said that whenever she saw a job listing requirement that said the candidate would need excellent spoken and written English, she would wonder if she should reply.

I assured her that she should still apply. That requirement is pretty standard and I don’t think that most jobs really need a very high level of English. Most native English speakers that I know use terrible grammar and their written English is terrible.

When I worked overseas I actually worked as an editor and was somebody who did correct English usage (spoken and written). But for almost any of the jobs that I’ve had here, rarely has there been a real need to have that level of ability. I would think that here in Vancouver, her multilingual abilities would be a great advantage. In any case, I think the best thing for her is self-confidence more than anything.

Long Run Today

After the yoga class, I felt pretty good. I had told myself ahead of time that I was going to do a long run and that I would not allow myself to give any excuses. I am running out of time to do long runs before the marathon next month, so I have to do this.

Luckily, the weather was sunny but not too warm. It wasn’t too hot to the point where I’d be dehydrated quickly either. I did have my water bottle with me though and I knew that I’d be able to last until the first water fountain on my route.

I didn’t encounter any fellow runners for the first six miles or so. I usually stop at the nude beach, Wreck beach to do the stairs but by passed it this time. By the time I got to the next beach, I had seen lots of runners. There were also lots of beach volleyballers in a tournament and spectators.

By the time I got to the last beach, Jericho, I was getting tired. I stopped at the tennis club to watch some squash for a short time before finishing my run. By the time I got home, I had logged in around twenty miles for the day. I was weary but not painfully so. I felt like I had accomplished a good long run today.

New Resume Written

My friend had emailed me some information about a job she did a few months ago. She pretended to be a patient for medical professionals. They would have to figure out the correct diagnosis. My friend enjoyed it and was asked back to work it again.

I checked out the link and it said that I would need to apply with a headshot and a resume. I didn’t know if I needed to submit a regular resume or an actor’s bio. I haven’t written an actor’s resume in a long time. I don’t have a formal headshot either. I took a photo of myself with a self-timer and that’ll have to do. I can’t afford to get a formal headshot done right now.

This is just a two-day gig in October but at this point, I’ll take anything I can get. It does sound like fun, too. I have played a patient many times on different TV shows and movies, so why not again?

Day Four Hundred and Thirteen of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Slept In

I was a little keyed up from working yesterday so it took me a while before I was able to fall asleep. I finally fell asleep around 2:30 AM. I was glad I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night as I have been doing lately. I managed to sleep all the way through.

By the time I woke up, it was after 9 AM, which is quite late for me. I didn’t have anything that I needed to wake up for this morning so it didn’t matter. I did feel refreshed, so that’s good. I did my home physiotherapy exercises and did a few stretches. I was ready for the day.

Blood Pressure Reading

I ran over to the drugstore to check out my blood pressure today. I try to have it checked at least every three days. The first reading was unexpected. It was higher than it’s been in a long time. I was a little surprised so I took it a second and even third time. The second time was better. By the third time, it was back to its usual low-level.

I thought that it was odd that there would be that much discrepancy between the readings within a few minutes. I know that the readings themselves can vary at different times of the day, but wasn’t aware that they could be different in a short time period. I’ve been happy with my low readings lately, but this odd higher one really threw me for a loop. Now I’ll be more anxious and worried about it.

Won Dinner for 4 Contest

I got an email from the manager of a new restaurant that is opening up in my neighborhood. I won a dinner for four people from an online contest I had entered! I was quite excited about this because I had passed by this restaurant and was curious as to what it was all about. In my joblessness state, I knew that I was in no position to be going out to a place like this so I was so happy to have won!

So now I had to decide who would be the best people to accompany me to this special dinner with pairings. I needed to choose friends who did not have any food restrictions, so that left off my vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free friends. This also included liquor, so that left off my friends that don’t drink. It also left off my newly made muslim friend who is in the middle of Ramadan fasting, so he can’t eat until after sunset and doesn’t drink, a double negative.

I was happy to win this contest! This is a better prize than the usual double movie pass that I win often. I love being able to go out to eat and since I haven’t been able to afford it, this is a real treat to me!

Fellow Unemployed Friend

I got an email from a friend who had returned to the workforce after a dozen years of being a stay at home parent. He had asked me to be his recommendation a few months ago and I complied. He managed to find a job fairly quickly. He was very happy with this job even though it was only part-time and didn’t pay that well.

Now, I found out that he did not pass his probationary period and is now looking for another job. I was shocked to hear this because he was a really great employee when we worked together at our old firm. He had the best customer service and never got unruffled even with the worst clients. I always respected him so much for his diplomacy.

He said that the managers told him that he had made small errors and that they didn’t think he was suitable for this job. He said that he had been given conflicting training. I felt so sorry for him. I wondered what the real reason is why they would let somebody so smart and capable go? I wonder if they were threatened by him for some reason.

In any case, I have to admire him because he is already back on the job hunt. He already has some interviews lined up and that’s why he asked me to be a recommendation again. Although I am happy to give him the highest of recommendations, I wonder how much weight my opinion will be, coming from a long unemployed person.

Another Retail Blog Photography Shoot

I kept looking at the pile of clothing in my make shift home photography studio and wanted to get it gone, out of my way. Although I worked on it for a couple of hours, I did not manage to get much done. I just wasn’t in a productive mood.

I pushed the pile over to the side, frustrated, knowing that I’d have to return to this work tomorrow or the next day. I don’t know why I couldn’t get motivated to do more than a couple of hours of work today. Hopefully, I’ll be better tomorrow.