Day Five Hundred and Nineteen of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Last Minute Violin Cram Session

Since I had to miss last week’s violin lesson because I was working all weekend, I was trying to get in as much practice as possible before today’s class. I did some practicing last night, but since it was late, I didn’t want to play much in case somebody could hear me.

Pain in Shoulder and Arm

Last night, when I was practicing, I experienced a lot of pain in my shoulder and arm. It’s been over a year since I had my running accident when I tripped on the sidewalk crack and went flying, landing squarely on my shoulder and elbow, dislocating my shoulder and fracturing my shoulder and arm. It’s felt great lately so I figured that I was almost all recovered.

I’ve been tapering off with my home physiotherapy exercises but now I wonder if I was too premature. Obviously, if I’m experiencing pain when I use my shoulder and arm too much, it does need to be strengthened. I guess I’ll have to keep at it.

But coincidentally, I’ve found that whenever I play my violin for very long, I get a lot of pain in my shoulder and arm area. That can’t be a coincidence. Even this morning, I had wanted to get as much practice in before my class, but I had to stop all the time when it would ache too much.

Violin Lesson

The weather was miserable this afternoon. It’s about a fifteen minute walk to my lesson and I almost considered taking the car. This weather made me feel even more depressed. I wondered how long this heavy rain would last.

I was really anxious about how I would do in class. I purposely moved away from everyone as far as possible because I didn’t want my playing to distract the other students. I had popped some ibuprofen earlier, hoping that it wouldn’t hurt as much during class.

While I was playing, my violin suddenly became out of tune. I thought maybe I was imagining it, but I had the teacher check it and she confirmed that it all went out of tune. She guessed that there was a problem with one of the parts.

That’s the last thing I wanted to hear. I’ve had enough problems with this cheap violin. If I had known all the problems I’d have, there’s no way I would have bought such a cheap one. But that was over ten years ago when I bought this package on eBay. I only have three lessons left so I’m hoping that I can just hold out until then. Here’s another example of something I can’t afford because of my financial situation and it’s depressing me.

Skipped Usual Saturday Run

The weather was worse today, colder, more rainy and more wind. I usually drop off my violin and go for a run after my lesson but I really didn’t feel motivated to do that today. The weather was so bad, I didn’t even feel like walking home!

I hopped on a bus that was packed with people. I guess I wasn’t the only person who opted to ride on the bus instead of walking or running. I was feeling guilty not running and not even walking home. I felt like such a sloth because I was actually using up a precious bus ticket today.

Met up with Friends

I took the bus to the thrift store that my friends work at. I hadn’t been there for a while. I miss the times when I used to hang out there and we would tell each other our problems and joke around. One of those friends has returned home east but the new person is very nice and she fits right in with our banter.

It’s embarrassing to admit to them that I’m still not working full-time. Although they are very understanding, I’m sure that they are thinking that maybe I am being too picky about jobs. They think in terms of jobs rather than careers.

Although it was good to let off some steam about my frustrations, when I got home, I started to feel gloomy again. Unfortunately, I coped by eating junk food and then watching mindless TV and falling asleep early. I hope tomorrow will be better.

Day Four Hundred and Ninety of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Slept In

I was able to sleep in this morning. I think that all the physical work has been making me more tired and having me fall asleep earlier than I usually do. Because I didn’t have to get up so early and didn’t have to set up an alarm, I relaxed a bit more and slept better.

Household Chores

Today, I vowed to try to do as much cleaning out of my stuff as possible. However, as usual, I became distracted doing other things. Sometimes I wonder if I have some kind of mental disorder like attention deficit or something.

I managed to do some household chores but not as much as I had wanted. Part of it is because I am such a procrastinator. I have friends coming to help me on Monday so I wanted to get as much stuff gathered together today in order to fill their truck. I don’t want to waste this opportunity by not having much to fill the truck with.

Home Physiotherapy Exercises

I did some home physiotherapy exercises today. I have been trying to maintain a regular schedule with them. Now that I have passed the one year mark since my running accident when I tripped on the sidewalk and fell, dislocating my shoulder, fracturing my arm, shoulder, etc, I have to admit that I’ve been feeling pretty good.

When I did my exercises with weights, I didn’t feel as much pain as I used to. This change almost coincided with the one year anniversary. I wonder if I should add weight now or leave it as it is. I would have to jump from five pounds to ten pounds. I haven’t seen any seven and a half pound weights though I’m sure that there must be some. In any case, I am going to make an effort to keep up these exercises.

TV Commercial Availability

I got an email from my extras agent. They wanted to check to see if I wanted to be considered for a TV commercial. At first, they said that it would be a certain union rate but then emailed back and said that it would be pay of a lower rate. At this point, I would be happy to get the minimum.

I emailed back right away and said to please consider me. It’s been several weeks since I booked a commercial so I’d really love to get one! Of all the gigs that an extra or background performer could get, that is the best paid for the least amount of time.

I was watching TV and spotted two of the commercials that were filmed here that I did not get chosen for. Every time I see those commercials, I get depressed. I can usually fast forward through the commercials but every once in a while, one will slip by me. I always wonder, why didn’t I get that one?

Last Minute TV Show Booking

I was packing for tomorrow night’s get together. There are a few of us extras who get together socially every few months or so. I had organized this get together weeks ago. It was difficult to get one evening where all five of us could make it. We finally agreed on tomorrow. We were going to get together at one’s house, order take out and hit the hot tub.

A couple of days ago, one person had to bow out because of work. I was surprised because it’s not common that a production will work on the weekend. We decided to go ahead with it since it had been so hard to organize it in the first place.

Then, after 7:30 PM tonight, I got a call from the casting director asking me if I wanted to work tomorrow! I thought of that hot tub beckoning me, but I knew that I’d have to take the work. I wondered why I was a late booking, everybody else I talked to said that they were booked a day or two before.

I called one of my friends to see if he was booked and he was. He said that he could pick me up. I was happy to hear that. We live close to each other so we like to car pool as much as possible.

I spent the rest of the evening gathering up wardrobe for tomorrow’s shoot. Because my closet broke a few weeks ago and my friend hasn’t had time to fix it, my clothing is all over the place. I hope that it won’t rain or be too cold but I have to take extra layers in case it does.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s shoot, partly because of the money of course, but also because I know a lot of my friends will be working on it as well. I’ll really miss getting together with my friends and doing the hot tub party but I really need this job.

Day Four Hundred and Sixty Nine of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Sleep Problems

I had difficulty sleeping last night. I was so exhausted from my day of working and then running in the heat that I fell asleep while watching TV. I woke up at midnight and then couldn’t get to sleep for a while. It’s been a while since I’ve had sleep problems.

When I woke up to the alarm this morning. I was feeling groggy. I hate that feeling when I don’t feel like I got a decent night’s sleep. Usually I have stayed awake because of my anxiety but these past couple of nights, it’s been because I fall asleep early from the physical work I’ve been doing and then the hot weather running.

Third Day of Work

Today I ran to my friend’s building to help her again. I wore my new running shoes today and I had a little pressure in my Achilles tendon area but no pain. I hope that the running shoes help. It wasn’t quite as warm as yesterday so the run was pleasant.

Today, she asked me to line drawers and shelves in her kitchen with contact paper. She has a really large kitchen that has several drawers and shelves. I first had to clean the drawers and shelves before I could lay on the contact paper.

Then I had to measure and cut the paper. Well, it’s not paper. First there was thick plastic that had some kind of oil on it. It had been curled in the roll for so long, it wouldn’t lay flat on the bottom. Then, the other rolls were a kind of thin paper or vinyl with an adhesive on the back.

I measured twice and then cut once as the old adage says. The hardest part of this job was laying it down flush to the sides and making sure no bubbles or creases remained. I’m not one for this kind of work. But since I was getting paid, I took my time and made sure that each one was perfect. Even after six hours, I had not finished the job, that’s how big her kitchen is and how many drawers and shelves it has. I’ll have to finish next week.

Booked for TV Show Gig Next Week

I checked my messages and found out that my extras agent called. She asked me if I was interested in working next Tuesday on a TV show that I have worked on several times before. I called her back immediately and told her that I’d be happy to work next week!

Not only am I booked on that show, but so is my car! That is an extra $35. That’s not a lot of money, but it does pay for gas since I would be driving to the gig anyway. It’s just another little perk when your car gets booked with you.

One Year Anniversary of my Running Accident

Yesterday I finally reached the one year anniversary of my running accident when I tripped on a sidewalk crack and went flying. When I landed, I ended up landing on my elbow, dislocating my shoulder, fracturing my arm, shoulder and ending up with assorted road rash on my palms and knees.

I’ve stepped up my home physiotherapy exercises lately. I still feel some pain when I do the exercises. I am still at around 90%. I have plateaued at that level now for weeks and wonder if this is it. My orthopedic surgeon and physiotherapist kept warning me that I would reach the highest level I would ever reach at the one year mark. Well, here it is, the one year mark.

I guess I should feel grateful that I have been able to reach 90%. I don’t experience any pain unless I do the exercises and if I don’t do difficult yoga poses, I wouldn’t even remember that I had that accident. It does make me more cautious when I run, which can be a blessing, too. I have my big scar on my arm to remind me to be a little more aware of cracks in the sidewalk!

After I had my ski accident at Whistler that resulted in knee surgery and then my squash accident that resulted in ankle surgery, I never was able to play either sports to anywhere near the same level. At least this time, I am pretty damn close and it doesn’t affect my running at all.

I always thought on this one year anniversary I would return to the scene of the accident but I was too tired to run that far. So instead all I did was have a bit of a silent run where I contemplated and remembered. That’s good enough for me.

Day Four Hundred and Sixty of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Home Physiotherapy Exercises

I haven’t been doing my home physiotherapy exercises as often as I have in the past. I am fast approaching the one year anniversary of my running accident when I tripped on a sidewalk crack and went flying, landing hard on my elbow, dislocating my shoulder, fracturing my arm, shoulder and assorted bruises and road rash on my elbow, arm, palms and knees.

My orthopedic surgeon and physiotherapist predicted that it would be a year before I would reach the optimal stage of recovery. They also predicted that I would never reach 100% of what I could do before. I would say that I am probably at 90%. For the most part, I hardly even notice it anymore until I try to do something, like reach for something or do a complicated yoga pose and then I remember my shortcomings.

Although I have been trying to maintain the same level of home physiotherapy exercises that I did earlier in my recovery process, I do admit that it’s not as much as before. I was inspired today when I read an article by a young tennis pro who said that she still keeps up her daily intensive shoulder exercises even though her accident occurred a few years ago! I was amazed with her dedication! I figured that if she could keep it up, so could I. Sure, the condition of my shoulder does not affect my occupation like hers does and she does have the advantage of being a lot younger than I am but I still should follow her lead. Why shouldn’t I work to get the best shoulder I can?

Phone Interview

I was doing my laundry when I got the phone call I’ve been waiting for. I had been referred to a part-time acting gig by my friend last week. Basically, the ‘actor’ plays a patient and the medical professional has to determine what is the best course of treatment once presented with symptoms.

My friend participated in this a few months ago and she recommended this company to me. I had done similar kind of work years ago when I was a university student (to med students) and then recently as an actor in different films as a patient. I sent an email to the contact people and told them of my experience and included my headshot.

I was a little worried when I didn’t hear back right away. I got the phone call this morning when I was doing my laundry. I asked her to call me right back while I composed my thoughts of what I would say.

There are more and more phone interviews that precede an in-person interview these days. I tend to not like them if I am not prepared so I usually let them leave a message and then I call back once I have re-familiarized myself with the firm and position.

The person I was talking with was very nice and asked me simple questions about my experience. She explained what the position was all about and then, voila, I was hired. She sent me links to register and one to a training video. This is only for two weekend days in October but I was so thrilled to get this gig!

I think that the work itself will be fun, especially since I like any opportunity to do any acting or improv. And of course, any casual or part-time work I can get is always helpful! I will also be working with my friend, too!

Dad’s Birthday Dinner

Today is my Dad’s 80th birthday potluck dinner. My friend hosted it for me and there were 16 people. We went early and I helped clean up before the guests arrived. Earlier in the day I had made roast garlic potatoes and honey garlic chicken. I helped her get appetizers ready and set the table among other things.

Once all of the guests with their different dishes arrived, we started our feast. Since my Dad visits me three times a year, he has become friends with these people over the years. They were all happy to help him celebrate his 80th birthday.

As the evening progressed, I was concerned about what time my call-time would be for the movie shoot the next day. I should have checked my email on my friend’s computer, but I figured I could wait until I got home.

Email and Phone Messages from Casting Director

We didn’t get home until almost 11 PM. There were two phone messages on machine asking me why I hadn’t confirmed my call time for tomorrow’s shoot. I guess I really should have checked my emails at my friend’s. I felt terrible but I didn’t want to call them now that it was so late.

It took forever to boot up my computer but once I did, I immediately replied to the several emails and apologized profusely. My call-time is 6:30 AM! I really need to get ready and go to sleep right away since I’ll have to leave by 5:30 AM. I’m excited about finally getting some work this month!

Day Four Hundred and Fifty Nine of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to UBC Volunteer

I got up early to run to my volunteer gig at UBC. The weather was pretty dismal with rain and wind. It had been a while since I had run in this kind of weather. The whole run I had to watch for wet leaves and puddles. The last thing I want to do is slip and fall again. Once I get used to it again, it’ll be fine but until then, I have to be extra careful.

This is the first day of school today. On the way, I saw several parents dropping off their kids at school. They looked so cute and parents looked so happy and proud. I have to remember to start running a different route so I don’t literally run into these student drop off crowds.

I got the UBC and there were so many new students. They all looked so young! As I sat in the recording booth, I was shivering because of getting drenched on my run here. There may still be air conditioning on in the booths, too. It was almost comical when my teeth were chattering a little while I was trying to record. My clothes never did fully dry by the time I finished two hours later.

The weather had improved a little on my run home. I managed to warm up a bit once I started running at a faster pace, too. I was happy because I didn’t experience any pain. I am feeling more hopeful about my marathon later this month.

Home Insurance Renewal

Today my home insurance policy was going to expire. I had attended a home insurance seminar a few weeks ago and had jotted down some issues that I wanted to review with a broker. I wanted to go over my earthquake coverage for example. I had meant to come last week, but procrastination got the better of me and I had to come on the last day instead.

This is a bad month for me financially because of taxes I owe and the renewal of my home policy. When I opened the invoice for my renewal, it seemed quite high, but when comparing it with last year’s amount, it had only gone up marginally.

I really made an effort to ask many questions to make sure that I really understood what my policy was all about. In the past, I’d only vaguely listen to the spiel and then sign. I made sure that she explained everything in the simplest terms so that I’d know exactly what I was buying.

Once I signed the policy this time, I was satisfied with my coverage and my understanding of it. Although it really hurt to have to pay that much money when I really can’t afford it, I have ended up buying myself a lot of peace of mind and that’s good.

Email from Extras Agent

I received an email from my extras agent today. He sends the updates fairly regularly which is always helpful to let us know what productions are here and what their needs are. He added an explanation as to why some of us weren’t getting as much work as we used to.

Unfortunately, this email was aimed at his older clients, including me. Although the productions have always favored younger extras, there has been a push for productions to narrow down their requests even more. For example, a production will tell them that they don’t want any passers-by people to be over 35 years old. Never mind that an average street scene will have people of all ages, if they want to impose that age restriction, they can.

Sometimes, the extras agent might submit somebody who looks a lot younger than they are, but they can’t push it. I’d like to think that I look younger than 50 plus, but I’m kidding myself if I think I can do it on a regular basis. I have a friend who is my age and she really seriously thought that she looked in her early 30s. Sure, she looks younger but I had to suppress a laugh when she asked me earnestly if she could play 30.

I got an email from a casting director for the gig that I’m doing this week. Because of the rain, they are wondering if they might have to push the shoot date one day. That’s fine with me but the next day’s weather forecast doesn’t look much better. I hope that I don’t lose this day or postpone it out much father out. I’m getting a little excited because I will finally have a little money coming in soon.

Day Four Hundred and Forty Nine of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Watched Squash Tournament

I got up early this morning so that I could go to Jericho Tennis Club to watch my Seattle friend play at the Sun and Surf Squash tournament. I knew that I wouldn’t have much time to stay before I’d have to leave. I managed to watch his whole match even though it was long and went to five games.

It’s been a long time since I had to quit squash due to ankle and knee injuries. I had to have surgery for both. I always intended to return but for some reason, it’s never come to pass. Squash is a more expensive sport than running (which is free) is. I no longer belong to a club so I’d have to find people to play with and pay guest fees. I can’t afford tournament entry fees right now either. This is one of those things that I have put on my to-do list once I get a full-time job and can afford things. Until then, all I can do is watch.

Helped at Friend’s Garage Sale

After I picked up my Dad, I went to my friend’s garage sale. She paid me to help her all day. I was really grateful to her for this. In the past I have helped her for free but since losing my job, she’s been quick to create ‘jobs’ for me for some money.

It turned out to be a nice day weather-wise and we got a fairly steady stream of people. I had brought a few things of mine to sell as well. I had brought mostly bigger things since those are the things that take up the most space. I have to admit that I was thrilled when I sold that first thing! I was willing to sell a fancy mirror hanging for $2 but my friend stepped in and said that it was $8, which the customer gladly paid.

I sold a handful of other things as well. It helped that I put them at dirt cheap prices. Now that I’ve been encouraged with a little success, I’m going to try to sell a few more things before I just donate them to charity. Even if I can get a little amount of money, it would be good.

I was surprised again to see how many seniors there were who were scooping up a lot of things. At every garage sale I’ve helped my friend at there have always been so many seniors who come and buy things. There are even some who spend hours looking at each and every thing. There was an older man who held on to a tea-cup and saucer for a long time while he looked. He didn’t even buy it, he got another one instead. He came back the very next day and looked for another hour. I guess he has nothing better to do.

I figured that seniors, especially older ones my Dad’s age would be avoiding opportunities to pick up things. By that time, they’ve often downsized their homes and their possessions and don’t even have the room to store any of these treasures. And yet here they are, at thrift stores and garage sales adding to their stuff.

Home Physiotherapy Exercises

My injured shoulder has been pretty good lately so I have to admit that I haven’t been doing my home physiotherapy exercises as often as I have in the past. It’s coming up to my first year’s anniversary since I had my running accident. In some ways I can’t even remember what had happened and sometimes, when I try to do something and experience pain, it all comes back to me.

I guess I have been preoccupied with my other injuries, like my Achilles tendon. Is this what being fifty-something is going to be like, having to cope with one pain or another? It’s a little frustrating to think of the future.

Day Four Hundred and Forty Eight of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Thrift Store Visit

I woke up early to go to the Salvation Army thrift store back to school sale. I had gone to one of the stores yesterday to see if there was anything worth my getting up early to be one of the first at the store opening. I saw two suits that I liked. Suits were only $2 in today’s sale. I also saw some things for my retail blog as well.

There weren’t many people at the store when we got there. The last time they had this $2 sale, there were a lot more people. I guess it’s less busy because of the summer holidays. In any case, that was good for me because the suits I had chosen yesterday were still there.

Part of me wonders why I am still even bothering to build up my work wardrobe since I’m not working. I have a closet full of work clothes and the only time I wear them is if I ‘play’ a business person in a TV show or movie. That makes me sad. I wonder if I should stop even bothering to look for work clothes, until I’ve actually found a full-time job?

Short Run

I decided to go for a short five-mile run. The weather was good for it, not too hot and not too sunny. I had hoped to do a fast run but I was feeling unusually lethargic and heavy. I couldn’t understand why I was feeling like that. I had eaten only soup and salad for lunch and yet I felt like I had eaten a banquet of greasy, heavy food.

Every time I took a step, I felt like I was wearing heavy clodhopper shoes. It was so odd. I have no idea why I was running so slowly today. Even when I was on a slight downhill stretch, when I usually feel quite fast and gazelle-like, I felt slow.

I still had some slight Achilles tendon pain when I ran today and I wondered if I was exacerbating my condition if I continued to run? I did some stretches but I’m not sure if it’s strengthening my calves enough to make a difference. I’m just hoping that I can hold off on any serious Achilles injuries until after the marathon next month.

This reminded me of my UBC volunteer coordinator’s dilemma when she was training for the Paris marathon in April. She had some pretty serious injuries going on but she and her husband had already paid for their non-refundable plane tickets! She still managed to do all of the appropriate training for injured runners, like pool running and physio therapy and somehow managed to run and complete the marathon!

Okay, my marathon is only an hour drive away and I didn’t actually pay for the entry fee, but I still feel just as obligated to finish since I don’t want to waste my friend’s entry. Sometimes when I’m running well, I entertain thoughts of finishing fast enough to qualify for the Boston marathon! But when I run like today, I fear that I will be humiliated and the last runner, with the course marshals waiting for me to finish so they can close the course. I’m sure I’ll be some where in between those two extremes.

Blood Pressure Reading

I went for a blood pressure reading later in the afternoon. I was happy to see that it was low. It’s been a several weeks now since I visited my doctor and decided to go off the high blood pressure medication she had prescribed. I’ve been monitoring my blood pressure regularly since and I have been able to maintain low readings ever since. If I ever did get high readings, I would go back on the water pills right away.

I have another appointment to follow-up in a month. At this point, it does look like I’ll have the same readings and hopefully will be able to support my argument as to why I decided to go off of the medication. This is probably the first time I deliberately did not heed my doctor’s advice and this time I don’t think I was wrong to do so.

Craigslist Ad for Friend’s Garage Sale

My friend had posted a listing for her garage sale but because there are so many listings, it got totally lost. She asked me to post one for her. This is one of the last summer weekends. That means a lot of people are getting desperate to do their final push to get rid of things before school starts.

I decided to get some things together so that I could see if I could sell some things at her sale, too. I concentrated on getting rid of bigger things. Even though I’ve known this garage sale has been coming up, I haven’t put things aside until this week. Because I live in a condo, I can’t really sell things in a garage sale or yard sale. This will be my best chance to get rid of some things.

Day Four Hundred and Twenty Nine of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran to Free Yoga Class

I ran this morning to my weekly free yoga class at Lululemon. The weather was overcast and a little chilly. I wondered if the hot summer weather has turned and it will now be getting cooler? I hope not. It doesn’t seem like our summer has been long enough yet.

I got to class early enough that I was able to cool down after my run. I felt pretty good as I started the class. It wasn’t too crowded in class, probably because of the long weekend. My chest and arm pains have almost healed so I didn’t have any problem doing the class either.

High Blood Pressure Reading

I went to check my blood pressure after class. This machine is popular, there is usually somebody ahead of me taking their blood pressure. It’s mostly seniors who like to use this machine at this grocery store.

Although my reading was normal, it was a little higher than it usually is. Whenever that happens, it always freaks me out a little even though it’s still well within the normal range. It’s been a few weeks since I went off of my high blood pressure medication and I’ve been carefully monitoring my readings. Luckily, I have still not felt it necessary to go back on the medication.

I wonder if my depression has any affect on my blood pressure readings? I don’t take any medication for depression but I wonder if my ‘nerves’ or emotionality makes a difference? If I feel anxious and stressed, would that make my blood pressure rise?

Ran All Afternoon

As I started to run home, I still hadn’t made a decision as to how long I was going to run today. At the shortest, I would run straight home, making it an 8 mile total run for the day. That’s what I did last Sunday. At the point where I could turn off to run home, I pondered for a minute and then decided to keep running.

Although it was sunny and hot, there was a slight breeze. I was feeling pretty good so I kept going to the next point. I stopped to drink some water and apply more sunscreen. At this point, I could go on or I could start to go home.

I decided to run further and then stop at UBC to get more water before heading home. At this point I had started to feel really hot and sweaty. I put on some more sunscreen. It took me longer than usual but I made it home. In total, I had run twenty miles today.

The main reason why I wanted to run this long distance today was because I find that it clears my head. I think I do my best thinking on these runs. I was trying to think of my best strategy to apply for some jobs that I had seen online. Although I think that I could do a really good job, I don’t have the confidence and I think that this might show through in my cover letter and my interview (if I even got an interview).

I spent those hours running and saying a kind of mantra, you are a good person and you deserve to get the best job that you want! You are not too old. You have a lot of valuable experience that somebody will appreciate.

Despite any of my previous career successes, because of my present circumstances, being unemployed for over a year, I can’t quite convince myself that I could get a good job. The longer I ran, the more tired I got, and the less convinced I was of my awesomeness.

Heat Exhaustion

As soon as I got home, I felt quite tired. I was really hot and sweaty so I took a shower right away. Unlike the last time I ran a long run in this sun and heat, I felt odd. I had a fever that didn’t go away. I collapsed on my bed.

I haven’t felt this way since I had heat or sun stroke when I was playing in a tennis tournament years ago. I almost fainted on the court and I didn’t know why I felt so terrible. Luckily, there were doctors playing who recognized what was happening so they took care of me. Since then, I’ve been careful whenever I’ve been out in the sun. It’s not likely heat stroke but probably just heat exhaustion, the less serious condition.

It took me hours before I felt better. I took a nap but I probably shouldn’t have. I ended up waking up at midnight and then couldn’t go back to sleep until almost 4 AM. I hoped that I would felt better the next day.

Day Four Hundred and Twenty Eight of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Home Insurance Bill

I received my home insurance bill yesterday. The renewal is always around labor day. I was expecting the bill, but not this new rate! It was a lot higher than I expected it to be! It seems like it’s at least $150 more than last year’s rate. That doesn’t seem right. I have to dig up my old bill so that I can compare.

I attended a home insurance seminar so that I would be able to get the very best coverage for the lowest price this year. Now that I know some of the things to look out for, I know that I’ll be better informed when I sit down with my broker this year. In other years, I’ve just almost blindly accepted anything that they had suggested. Now, I will make a real effort to go through the coverage with a fine toothed comb. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get that rate down, too.

Home Physiotherapy Exercises

It’s been a while since I’ve done my home physiotherapy exercises because I was waiting to heal after pulling my muscles in that area. Since I have seemed to have healed, I decided to do some exercises. I guess the rest that I took worked because I was able to do the exercises with little pain.

It’s funny what a little recovery time will do for an injury. The chest and arm pain that I had been experiencing is all but gone. I’m glad that it didn’t take more than just rest. It would be a real hassle to have to get a referral for a physiotherapy appointment (referral for my orthopedic surgeon from my family doctor and then a referral from my orthopedic surgeon for my physiotherapist). I’m glad that I waited before starting all of that process.

Attended Japanese Festival

I had been waiting all morning to see if the weather was going to improve. If it did not stop raining, I would not attend the local Japanese festival, the Powell Street festival. I usually go every year. It’s the one time of the year that I wear a summer kimono, yukata that reminds me of when I used to live in Tokyo many years ago.

Although it was overcast, it wasn’t raining so I met up with my Aunt and we went to the festival. It was more crowded than I had expected, given the weather. A friend of mine was performing with a Japanese drum group, so I wanted to watch the concert. I also ran into a few friends that I see every year. They too have some connection to Japan and attend every year.

The best thing about this festival is that it is free. All of the exhibits and concerts or performances are free. The food booths are always crowded so we went to a Japanese store to pick up some lunch boxes. My Aunt finally allowed me to buy her lunch. It’s been embarrassing because ever since I lost my job, she hasn’t let me treat her when we go out to eat. We laid out some blankets and enjoyed the day. Oddly enough, the sun came out blazing just as we were leaving.

Grocery Shopping with my Aunt

Before I dropped off my Aunt, we went grocery shopping. I had done some shopping at the Sunrise market before the festival so I didn’t have a lot to get. I usually just go shopping with my Aunt because she needs some help with heavier groceries since she doesn’t have a car.

I always get my gas there, since the no-fee credit card that I have with them gives me a few cents off each litre of gas. I had three-quarters of a tank so I told him to fill it up. Unlike most long holiday weekends, the gas price was low, so I figured that I might as well get it while it was cheaper.

When I got my receipt, my Aunt said that it was $32. I was stunned! I couldn’t believe that a quarter tank was that much! I was shocked the last time I filled up my tank when it was $83 but now, it’s even more expensive! I know that once I get used to the new rate, it’ll be okay. But it seemed like it went from filling my tank for $40 to more than double that rate! If I hadn’t already thought long and hard before driving anywhere, I’ll be even more careful to consider the high cost.

Day Four Hundred and Twenty Seven of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Wasted Day

I woke up in a very sad mood. It was the first non-sunny day in over a month. We were lucky that we had an entire July of sun and warm weather. But today, it was cooler, overcast and it even rained a bit.

I was feeling really depressed today. Today was the start of the long weekend. Monday is BC day, a holiday. Just like all the other long weekend holidays, I felt sad because I felt a little guilty that I didn’t deserve a long weekend. I could not relate to my working friends.

I didn’t want to leave my home. All I did was feel sorely sorry for myself all day. This was one of those poor-poor-pitiful-me sort of days. I felt like doing something-crying, drinking, hitting something, binge eating, screaming, or tearing my hair out. But instead, I just turned on the TV and tried to distract myself.

Poor Telemarketer

The phone rang and I usually don’t pick up the phone, especially if I don’t recognize the number. I don’t know why, but I picked up this call. It turned out to be from a political canvasser. She first asked me if I had supported the party that came into power recently and I said that I had. Then she thanked me for my support. Then she started her spiel about how the party needs my financial support…

I interrupted her abruptly. I told her that I didn’t have money because I was unemployed and that my employment insurance had run out, too. Then, she had the audacity to ask me if I couldn’t still send some amount out even if I wasn’t working? At that point, I exploded. I was so mad at her! I was just about to start on a tirade before she realized that she had pushed me too far. She apologized, thanked me for my support again and then quickly hung up.

I’m not usually one to take out my anger to unsuspecting telemarketers. I realize that they have a tough job that I, myself could not hack and I do respect them for it. But this time, I was in that mood where I was so close to lowering the boom on anybody. I’m glad that I got off the phone before I really let it go.

I have to admit that this has happened before. Here in Vancouver, we have a lot of street people begging for money all over the city. If I am in a particularly bad mood, I take a certain perverse pleasure in telling them no, and then explaining that I am unemployed and can’t find a job. Usually they are a bit startled so they don’t say anything more. Only once did somebody say that couldn’t I still give something since at least I was getting employment insurance?

Picked up Damaged Glasses

I got a phone call from the movie theater. They had found my glasses last night. Apparently, I had dropped them when I stood up and didn’t notice that they had fallen. Somebody stepped on them as we walked in the theater. Luckily, the lenses were not broken. They said that they would put them aside in the box office for me.

I ran the short distance to the theater. I was feeling a little sluggish. Maybe it was because of the weather today. Still, I was glad that I got my heart rate up at least a little today. It was a little odd to be running in cooler weather after a month of hot weather.

Once I got to the theater, I gave my name but they didn’t have them for me. They had to ask somebody else where they were. When I finally got them, the frame was twisted but the lenses were okay. I was pretty sure I’d be able to fix them so I was relieved. I’m glad that I averted that expense to replace them right now because of course, I can’t afford it.

Blood Pressure Reading

I decided to check on my blood pressure since it’s been a few days since I had taken it. The chest and arm pain that I had been experiencing has lessened so I am not concerned that I could be having heart problems. Still, I wanted to continue to monitor my blood pressure.

My first reading was normal but higher than it’s been. I took a second reading and it was better. I decided to take a third and it was lower still, I was happy with that. I wondered if I could just sit there, at the drugstore and take my reading, over and over again, whether or not it would get lower or if it would finally settle to some level?

Big Waste of a Day

At the end of the evening, I felt guilty. I didn’t do much of anything all day. I could not get motivated to do anything. Whenever I did try to do something job search related, it would just make me sad and I’d go lie down. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t keep this up.