Day Eight Hundred and Fifty Six of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Eye Problem

I got up and found my vision all blurry. I wasn’t sure what was wrong. I kept blinking thinking that it would clear up but it didn’t. I started to rub my eyes and that didn’t help much either.

I saw that my eyelids were a little crusty, which was unusual. I washed my eyes and it felt better. It took quite a long time before my eyes were back to normal. It was quite frightening to experience that. The only thing I could think of was getting makeup in my eyes and not washing it out enough?

Early Morning Run Downtown

I was looking forward to my weekly Sunday run to downtown. The weather was fine. I passed by a few runners on my way. But I couldn’t seem to get past a slow jogging pace. It was an effort to do even that.

I’m at a loss as to why I’ve been so tired lately when I run. I have no excuses. The weather is fine, I’ve had enough sleep, I’ve recovered from my blood donation three days ago. So why the snail pace?

Free Yoga Class at Lululemon

I was happy to get to my yoga class. I had no problems there. I was even a little proud of myself because I was able to do more poses than the 20-something girl beside me. I know that yoga is not supposed to be competitive but still. If I couldn’t seem to run very fast, I would get as much accomplished in this yoga class at least. I felt quite satisfied when I finished the class today.

Reality of Working at Some Companies

I overheard a friend talking with one of the Lululemon employees after the class. She was asking about getting a job with the company. I knew that she was looking for a part-time job.

I waited outside to talk with her about it. I told her about a mutual friend of ours who had just gotten hired by them. I said that if she was interested, she might contact her and ask her about it. I asked her if she was seriously thinking of trying out for retail.

Not trying to be mean, but they only hire young people in their stores. My friend is literally a late 40 something year old soccer Mom. And she doesn’t even wear Lululemon. I would be shocked if I ever saw somebody her age in a sales position there.

We were talking about a popular restaurant, too. They have also been called out for not hiring ‘older’ servers. And when I mean older, I mean older than 30 years old. My friend’s step daughter applied there and though she is in the right age group, she was not in the ‘right’ weight group. They do have a right to hire whomever they want.

That’s the reality in the work place. Appearance and age should not count, but it really does. Being in the film industry really hits that home. It’s all about the appearance for the most part. It’s sad but it’s true.

Brother’s Job Application

I had promised my brother that I would finish up his cover letter and resume for his latest job listing that he wanted to apply to. He had sent it to me a few days ago but I just couldn’t seem to get motivated to finish it. I forced myself to sit at my computer until I finally finished it.

It’s sad that the job that he is applying for is at a much lower level than his last job. This is also not even a full-time position. It’s not even a part-time position. It’s only a 5 month contract position. I don’t know if it’s replacing somebody for a leave or what.

I really wanted to do a good job on this application for him. He’s had a tough year and a win, even if it is just a short-term contract position, would help him. I finally finished at 3 AM. Here it is, another late night. I’ve got to get back into a normal sleep schedule.

Day Six Hundred and Eighty Four of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Reunion with Old Boyfriend

Recently, I decided to email my old boyfriend from thirty years ago. We haven’t talked in over twenty years. I don’t know why but I had been thinking about how his life had turned out. He doesn’t have much of an online presence save for a work photo and professional bio.

I had emailed him a week ago, when I had first arrived. He replied that he was available this week, so we agreed to meet this afternoon. I had been anxious about how it would go and whether it would turn out to be a good idea after all.

Unfortunately, it did not turn out well. It was a bit awkward. I got the feeling that he felt nervous as well. I guess I had overestimated about how close we had been during the five years we had been together and that it would even have mattered so many years later.

I felt like I was almost like an interviewer. I asked him about his family and work. I thought that it was odd that he hardly asked me any questions about my life. I guess I was hurt because I thought that he would at least be a little curious about my life over the years. Oh well.

Consider a Move

I was looking at some job listings for Winnipeg. Over the years, I have wondered if I could move back home. The jobs pay around the same rate as Vancouver but the cost of living is drastically lower.

If I were to sell my home, I could easily buy a full house with the equity and not even need a mortgage. I would have lots of room. I might even try to cultivate my Mom’s green thumb! That’s always been the Winnipeg dream, buy a home. In Vancouver, it’s not such a reality with the high housing costs.

I would be closer to my family. As my Dad gets older, I wonder if he will need more assistance and whether or not I’d be able to do much being out on the West coast. I had continued moving back to Winnipeg a few years ago, when my Grandmother was getting older. But I didn’t do it then. I don’t think that I could do it now.

I did look at some job listings though. Although I’d have the local education on my resume, all of my experience would be either international or from BC. I wonder if that would make a difference in getting a job here or not.

With this extreme weather, I do know that I would never likely move back here. I am too much of a West Coaster now. I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve lived longer in BC than I did here in Manitoba. BC is pretty much home now.

Short Tempo Run

I was still feeling a little anxious after the reunion with my old boyfriend today. I decided that it wasn’t too cold to do a short tempo run. Although it was marginally warmer than it was yesterday, it was still cold and windy. One direction was easier than the other. My face is getting wind burned from the last week of running here.

As I thought about my frustrations over this reunion, I tried to run faster. I still had to be careful because there was still a lot of ice and puddles on the sidewalk. I wanted to try to work out my anxiety.

The one thing that I had been surprised about my old boyfriend was that he has let himself go. He and I used to be a really active couple together. If there was anybody that I would guess who would keep in shape into his 50s, it was him. But he does nothing in the winter and only plays golf in the summer. I have to admit that I lost some respect for him over that.

As I finished my run, I was starting to feel a little better. I guess I really shouldn’t delve into ancient history. I really should just focus on my future, which definitely includes finding a fulfilling career.

 

Day Five Hundred and Eighty Six of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Ran Downtown in the Rain Yet Again

I woke up to another dark and rainy day. I knew that I would be running downtown today and was not too concerned since I had gotten used to it yesterday when I ran to UBC. I hadn’t run on this bridge for a while. I used to run it to and from work everyday. It’s part of the marathon route, too.

There wasn’t much foot traffic on the bridge, understandable because of the weather. I hugged the side of the bridge, closest to the water because it was the farthest point away from the car traffic. Still, cars were driving too fast and plowed right through the puddles on the bridge, managing to soak me three times!

I was mad but what could I do? I was already drenched from just running in the rain anyway. I guess the drivers figured that if I was stupid enough to run in weather like this, I wouldn’t care about more water from their car.

Doctor’s Appointment

I was absolutely drenched by the time I arrived to my doctor’s office. It was a beautiful office with plush leather chairs in the waiting room. I felt self-conscious about getting them wet.

It had taken me months to get an appointment with this doctor. I had a mole that I was concerned about. Whenever I had googled photos of cancerous moles, I couldn’t tell if mine looked like that or not. My family doctor thought that it was fine but could not give me complete reassurance, so she agreed to refer me to this doctor.

He took a look at the mole with his magnifying glasses and said that I didn’t have anything to worry about. He said that in his opinion, it did not look cancerous and that I didn’t need to get a biopsy. He said if I wanted, I could get it removed, but it was not necessary. Since it would be a cosmetic procedure, the government health does not cover the cost. I could live with it.

I was relieved to hear that it was fine. I opted for the stairs rather than to be squished in a packed elevator full of sick people going to see their doctors! I rushed out of the building, happy to be in fresh air.

Met Up with Old Co-Worker

I met up with my old co-worker today after my appointment. She was bubbling with excitement. Her husband got the job he was hoping for! He had had his work hours cut in half a few months ago. They had been really stressed about their finances for months. An old co-worker of his had recommended him and before long, he had the job at a new firm, with a higher wage and better benefits.

She also told me about another co-worker who is so unhappy that she is so close to quitting. She doesn’t know what she wants to do, whether she wants to return to teaching or if she wants to stay in the financial services industry. I was so sorry to hear that her job has been that bad that she feels the need to leave.

As much as I was happy to hear about my friend’s husband getting a job, I couldn’t help but still feel depressed about my own situation. Even when I heard about my other friend who is so unhappy, I felt like saying, ‘well, at least you have a job’. Though I know that isn’t fair for me to say that. I totally relate to how you can desperately hate a job and stay in it only because you can’t find something else. I hope she can figure things out soon.

Filming on the Streets

I passed by filming on the streets today. It was good to see that filming has resumed already. I wondered what it was that was filming here but I couldn’t see any signs or people who I knew. I felt ambivalent about seeing this. I wondered why I wasn’t working today but at the same time, I was glad that I wasn’t because the weather was so bad.

There was news of a lower Canadian dollar today. That bodes well for the BC film industry. BC seems to be attracting productions with the lower exchange rate and other factors rather than tax credits. That’s good news. I hope I’ll be able to get some work soon.

Day Five Hundred and Eighty Five of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Rainy Morning

I woke up feeling fairly refreshed and then I remembered my tax problem and then I started to feel depressed again. It was also dark and rainy outside. That didn’t help much for my mood either.

Part of me was looking forward to doing this run but part of me didn’t want to deal with the weather and wanted to just take the bus. But of course I wouldn’t do that. At this time, rush hour, the buses are packed solid with students. I’d rather run in a storm than have to deal with that!

Ran to UBC Volunteer Gig

This was the first time I was running to UBC this morning since before the holidays. I was looking forward to this. This is probably my favorite run. I’ve run this route in all kinds of weather and I knew that today, it would be a little more challenging because of the rain.

It was fairly mild so I couldn’t complain. Anybody who runs in Vancouver is used to running in the rain. I’d rather be running in the rain than running in the ice and snow like my friends are doing right now.

On the sidewalk, I knew which streets I had to be careful not to get splashed by cars. On the path adjacent to the golf course, I had to be careful to dodge the puddles and make sure that I didn’t trip over the twigs and branches. It took extra concentration and energy.

When I arrived at UBC, I was drenched. This time, I had the foresight to bring extra socks and newspaper to stuff my shoes so that they’d dry out while I volunteered. I hung up my wet jacket and hoped for the best.

Reading Law Case

I was reading a law case today. This was far more interesting than reading the Canadian Criminal Code that I was assigned weeks ago. This was for the blind law student who only fairly recently lost her sight. I admire her so much for undertaking law school.

I found myself getting distracted while reading. I had to concentrate while reading because I couldn’t stop thinking about my problems. I was sort of relieved when the two-hour period was over.

Ran Home

The rain was almost gone by the time I was finished volunteering. It was just drizzly out. My clothing and shoes had dried out fairly well but it wasn’t long before they were damp again. The puddles were still there to jump over and cars were still plowing through the water on the streets.

I started to feel pressure on my knee caps. It didn’t hurt, but it felt a little loose. I’ve had knee problems in the past from a ski accident and then from playing squash. I hope that this is not the start of knee problems that plague a lot of runners.

Went Out for Dinner

Although it was still raining later on, I decided to take my Dad out for dinner. Today was a special at a BBQ restaurant and I could get a platter for $13 less than it usually costs. Despite it offering this special, along with cheaper pitchers, the restaurant was not busy. I think it was probably due to the rain.

The platter is quite big and can feed 4 people or more. After we ate, we had a lot of leftovers to take home. We packed it all up in take out containers and headed home. It was still raining heavily.

Job Application for my Brother

I spent the rest of the evening writing a cover letter and tailor making a resume for my brother. This particular job listing was one that I found for him. I don’t know why he didn’t notice it himself. The deadline was tomorrow, so it was definitely a priority for me.

This job listing was pretty straight forward. Of all the job listings that I have worked on, this one made it easy to tailor make a cover letter and resume. Some job listings can be all puff and no substance. They make the listing sound so general and vague, so that anybody can do the job.

By the time I finished the cover letter and resume, it was well after midnight. I sent it to him and reminded my brother to send it right away since the deadline was very soon. I hope that I’ll be able to complete the other ones just as quickly but probably not.

Day Five Hundred and Eighty Three of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Early Morning Run

I got up early to do the uphill run to my yoga class. It was a little cold this morning and there was frost on the road and grass. I was a little concerned about slipping but managed to run at a fairly even pace.

I couldn’t help but think about my friends who are experiencing really extreme winter weather right now. My friend in NY sent me a photo of their recent six inches of snow. I don’t dare complain to them about a little frost!

Homeless in Vancouver

When I ran beside the community centre, I wondered if I would see the same homeless man I’ve seen in past weeks. I thought that it would be too cold for him to sleep outdoors but there he was, bundled in his sleeping bag, under the overhang of the building sound asleep.

Unfortunately, seeing the homeless sleep outside is not an uncommon occurrence. Because Vancouver is one of Canada’s mildest weather cities, people come here, knowing that if they have to live on the streets, it’ll be easier than in colder cities.

When I first moved here over twenty-three years ago, I was not used to seeing so many people begging and living on the streets, but now,  because it’s so common, I am. There’s not much that a person can do. I try to donate things and clothing to the shelters but I found out that there is little chance that it will actually reach those that need it the most. I wish that I could help this person that I see sleeping outside the community centre every week, but I doubt that I really can and that makes me so sad.

Free Yoga Class at Lululemon

This was the first class of the new year and as expected, it was quite crowded. I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to save a space and mat for my friend. She came in late and barely found room.

We had one of our favorite instructors today. Her class was really invigorating but also quite reflective. I was reminded that she will be teaching at the Lululemon store close to me tomorrow, so I think I will go.

Blood Pressure Check

After class I went to Safeway to check my blood pressure reading as I do every week. The first reading was really good, the second not as so much. I took the third and it was in between the two. It always make me curious how my readings can vary so much even when taking them one after another. I am happy that it’s fine and I don’t have to worry about it.

Photo Tutorial for Friend

After class, I ran to my friend’s house. I told her that I would help teach her how to download and edit her photos on her new computer. I thought that it would be a snap but I was taken aback when I discovered that it had Windows 8. My computer is still running Windows 7.

I was able to pick it up fairly quickly so it was okay. I have shown her how to do this on other laptops with other operating systems. She isn’t able to intuitively figure it out on the next system so I’m glad to help her.

Her photos were a little blurry. I wondered why because she’s taken photos before and they were fine. I looked at her adjustments and noticed a few settings that were off. She was ready to just buy another camera but I think that it should be okay now.

Worked on my Retail Blog

I managed to work on my retail blog for a while. I had done a lot of work on it before my Dad and brother arrived for the holidays and now I had to start thinking about what my next step would be for 2014. Am I going to be able to use it as a way to sell successfully or will I have to resort to eBay again?

I signed up for another bloggers meeting that would be about monetizing blogs. I’ve been to other seminars about it but I’m hoping that this one would be more practical. I have to take my other blog a little more seriously in the coming year and that will be a good move.

Another Friend Finds Work

Another friend’s husband has managed to find work. He had become unexpectedly unemployed when the company changed ownership a while ago. Now, he has become self-employed in the last few months and has been busy.

Again, he is the second person I know who was unemployed and is now back at work. He’s not at a company like he used to but this self-employment seems to be working for him. I am feeling a little more hopeful. One friend has a full-time job offer and this other friend is making self-employment work. Surely, it’ll come for me, too?

Day Five Hundred and Eighty of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Got Up Early

I woke up early to take a shower because there would be plumbing repairs in my building all day. I usually take it later in the day whenever, but since the water will be shut off, I got up early. I also filled up containers with water in case we needed some today.

Moving a Store

My friend needed help with a move and I had offered to help her. I had almost forgotten about my promise until I read her email yesterday. She owns a bookstore and had to leave her building for some reason. She put her stock in storage and is now needing to move all of it to a new store front close by.

I was almost out the door when I got an email saying that she was postponing the move until tomorrow because of the rain. I’m glad that she caught me before I left. I hope that it doesn’t rain tomorrow. Sometimes, it can be days before we get a non-rainy day here in Vancouver. It wouldn’t bother me to be in the rain but I’m sure she wouldn’t want her inventory getting wet.

Tax Return Preparation

I decided to start getting my tax return information organized. I usually wait until the last day in April before I even start to look for all of my slips. This time, I want to see if I am entitled to a refund this year and if so, I will submit my tax return as soon as possible.

I gathered up my extra work slips together. It was a little alarming to see just how little I worked last year. But still, it was better than nothing. I know of a lot of people who worked very little in the first half of the year when the BC film industry lost a lot of work to other film locations. It made me feel financially stressed looking over these slips. Sometimes I can distract myself but when I see it in front of me, I can’t ignore the reality of my situation.

I have to remember to gather all of my class receipts as well, since I took some classes over the year that can be deducted. I didn’t get to donate to charity as much as I usually do when I am working full-time so I won’t have too many slips to look for.

I felt good about getting a head start on this so early in the year. Maybe I really will be able to complete my return and send it in right away this year this time. If I find out that I have to pay, then I’ll put it aside and wait until the last day.

Brother’s Job Applications

I started back into working on my brother’s job applications. I had meant to finish it all before January 1st but things just got in the way. I went into one company website and discovered that new job listings had been listed as of today! I found one that was better than the one that he had found.

I emailed him and asked him additional questions but he didn’t reply right away. I asked him to call but he didn’t call right away. I’ll have to get my answer later. The sooner I get his finished, the sooner I can think about my own for 2014.

Dinner at Friends’ House

My Dad and I were invited to my friends’ house for dinner tonight. We were supposed to get together the day after Xmas but that was when he was in the hospital. It was a little rainy but they don’t live too far away, so it was okay.

It was nice to have this holiday meal. I brought their Xmas gifts over with me, too. In some ways, it seems like Xmas was so long ago. They are not even the last people I still have to give gifts to either. I still have my friend’s birthday gifts, my cousins’ Xmas presents and my other friends’ daughter, too. Plus I have to still finish writing up some Xmas cards.

This is taking procrastination to the max. I know that my depression has been contributing to this. I really have to just buckle down and finish this all. I can’t proceed with other important things if I have stuff from 2013 hanging over my head. I have to focus.

Day Five Hundred and Seventy Nine of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Happy New Year

My Dad and I had not stayed up for New Year’s last night. We both turned in early. Neither of us were at all interested in watching the New Year’s Eve celebrations on TV. Last year, we had gone to a friend’s house party but this year we didn’t want to bother going out.

Still Depressed

I had the weirdest dream last night. I dreamt that I was in this elaborate auditioning process for some acting thing, I’m not sure what, but I had been given scenes to memorize. It was apparent that others who were there for the audition had taken it seriously and were well prepared.

I sat there, frozen, not at all prepared and wondering if I could get away with taking the scene sides pages with me to the audition. I could see others in the hallway, practicing their lines. I knew that I didn’t have enough time and to not even bother trying to memorize anything. I felt stressed and anxious.

This reminds me of the classic dream where I am in university and I am sitting down to some exam that I have not prepared for. I have feelings of anxiety and stress then, too. I dreamed this even when I have not been in school for so long. I have no idea why I dreamed this acting audition. Then, I woke up.

Why don’t I ever dream about having an interview at a firm? That’s more likely where I’d feel nervous and anxious rather than at an acting audition. I guess it’s because I don’t take acting at all seriously. If I screw up an audition it’s not such a big deal for me whereas if I don’t do well with a firm interview, I have much more at stake. I would be devastated if I didn’t do well.

New Year’s Run

I decided to start the new year by going for a run. My runny nose has returned so I didn’t think that I should go for too long of a run. I ran along the main road just out of curiosity to see what places were open on New Year’s. A handful of places were open.

On the way home, I saw two other runners. They seemed to be fairly serious runners. I thought that this being January 1st, that there would be newbie runners on the road, working on their New Year’s resolutions.

I was listening to a TV report that said that 50% of people give up on their resolutions within the week. By the second week, 75% of people have quit. They said that the problem was that people aimed too high. They said that they should aim low and go slow. That would result in the highest likelihood of success.

I didn’t bother making any resolutions. I decided to listen to my yoga instructor and try to make New Year’s intentions instead. That’s a gentler approach to it. With such a high failure rate with resolutions, I figured that I would be more likely to keep intentions. There wouldn’t be as much pressure to succeed. I wouldn’t feel so guilty if I didn’t succeed. I’ll see how that turns out.

Signed Up for Running Room Marathon Classes

I decided to sign up for The Running Room Store marathon class program. It’s for 14 weeks. It will finish just before the Vancouver marathon in May. I have never been a runner who likes to run with a group. I’ve always appreciated the solitary aspect of running, especially long distance running.

I thought long and hard about whether or not to sign up for this. There are lots of free running groups out there. This one would cost money, not a lot but $69.99. I read a tweet from The Running Room Store that said that if I signed up, I could get $10 off.

For that amount, I get a technical running shirt and coaching for the marathon. The real reason why I signed up was to meet fellow runners. I didn’t want to meet just any runners, I wanted to meet fellow marathoners.

I think that I need to meet more running friends, too. I have lots of friends and acquaintances but I think I need to find people I have running in common with. In any case, it’s not too much money to spend for 14 weeks.

Day Five Hundred and Seventy Eight of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

New Year’s Eve

I woke up feeling better than yesterday. I wonder if I just had a one day cold or if it was just a runny nose and sneezing. In any case, I was really glad to be feeling better. I wonder if I was the massive doses of vitamin C I was taking or just a coincidence?

Depression Continues

I have this dread with the new year fast approaching. I’ve been feeling depressed for a while now and the holidays and my Dad’s hospitalization has exacerbated it. Now, as the new year approaches, I feel even more stress and anxiety that inevitably feeds it.

It’s just so exhausting to try to hide my depression from my family and friends. Or maybe I’m kidding myself. Maybe they are very well aware of my depression and are too polite to say anything about it. In any case, it’s a lot easier for me to wallow when I’m alone and I miss being alone so I can do that.

Brother’s Job Applications

I had to work on my brother’s job applications. I should have finished them while he was here but just couldn’t. Now that he has returned home, if I have any questions, I’ll have to email him for information which is a pain. I hope that I don’t have to deal with that.

Working on these applications makes me dread what I will have to do in the new year. I don’t even want to think about it. I’ve purposely avoided the whole job search and applications for the whole month now. I’m not sure I’ll even know how to muster up the courage to face it again.

Xmas Cards

I was talking to a friend and telling her that I had to finally start writing my Xmas cards. She said that I might as well not even bother this year. She said that it was tacky to send them out late. I disagreed with her. I said that this is the only time I keep in touch with some of my friends, some of whom I’ve known for over twenty years.

I always create a greeting card with photos and news of the year. I ordered these cards late this year and only received them recently. I told my friend that I thought that it was better to send a card like this to my friends to update them with how my life has been this past year. I told her that I couldn’t stand it when friends send an impersonal card with nothing more than their name.

She said that she sent out cards like that, with just signing their name. She said that she was busy and didn’t send cards out this year. I really wonder why people even bother to do that? I know that there are a couple of my friends that do that and I’m always wondering why they bother.

As I was writing the cards, I was glad that I managed to create my card when I was in a more upbeat mood. If I were to write it now, when I’m feeling so depressed, my friends would really worry and I wouldn’t want to leave that impression for the year. I didn’t finish the cards and will have to continue this for the next couple of days.

Day Five Hundred and Sixty of Unemployment-Fifty and Unemployed

Presentation Preparation

I had spent the previous night preparing for my Junior Achievement lesson I would present this morning. Although I have now done the presentation several times, this time, we would be incorporating a slide show with videos. I had done that once before and it didn’t go that smoothly. I wanted to make sure that I knew which slides to show when I spoke this time.

I would also have a first time partner with me as well. She was nervous and had even wanted to meet ahead of time but I didn’t think that it was necessary. We would have plenty of time to chat before class.

Junior Achievement Classroom Presentation

I got to the school early. I had not been aware of this school before. Since becoming a volunteer, I’ve become more aware of different schools all over the city that I had not known existed. This was a small school with just 200 students.

The school had an open concept where the classrooms were open with no doors or enclosed rooms. It was not as noisy as I thought it might be. It proceeded as usual and I was pleasantly surprised to hear how knowledgeable these students were compared to past students. They were more engaged than other classes as well which was a treat.

The last school I had volunteered at had issues with discipline. I was asking myself why I was even wasting my time volunteering. But the experience this time was positive and I really felt like I might be teaching something useful to these kids. I was upbeat as I left the school three hours later.

Salvation Army Donation

I remembered to take three large boxes with me when I left this morning. I dropped off the boxes to the local Salvation Army store after finishing off at the school. I was surprised to see that there were three other cars in that small parking area doing the same thing.

This was the first time I experienced so many donations being dropped off at the same time. I guess I’m not the only one who is getting rid of stuff ahead of the holiday season. As I unloaded the boxes, I smiled at the worker at the loading dock. I asked him if I could get the boxes back and he gave some back, unsmiling. When I finished, he did not say anything, not a thanks, nothing. I said good-bye and left.

I had a similar experience with a bell-ringer. The last two times I went up and gave a donation into the red bucket, I got nothing, no thanks, no acknowledgement, nothing. I don’t expect much, but seriously, it is that difficult for them to even just smile if actually saying thank you is too much of an effort for them?

I guess I shouldn’t expect any thanks whatsoever for any ‘good works’ that I do decide to do. I guess it should be enough to have the self-satisfaction of knowing that I am doing something good. Still, it does seem odd lately.

Retail Blog Work

I worked on my retail blog in the afternoon and evening. I have now been using my new and improved home office area as a photography studio and it has been a lot easier than before. I still have a ways to finish organizing the office space but it will now have to be put aside until after the holidays.

I wanted to take as many photos as I can to last me through enough posts through the holidays. I managed to get most of them done. I think I should be able to finish the lot in the next day or two.

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

Second Day of Shooting

I woke up early again in order to get to this second day of shooting. I was a lot less anxious because I knew where I was going and today’s calltime wasn’t as early as yesterday’s start time. I had thought that we wouldn’t have a very long day.

Cancelled Volunteer Gig

I had originally booked myself to volunteer the Gran Fondo Cycling Race for Thursday but had to cancel due to this gig. Then, with this second day of shooting, I had to cancel again. I finally booked the day of the race, Saturday. I don’t usually like to volunteer on the day of races because they are so early! So now I will have to be downtown at 5 AM tomorrow!

Good Shooting Weather

The weather was a lot better today than it was yesterday. It was ironic that at one point, it was too sunny so we had to wait for the sun to go behind the clouds before we could resume. Yesterday, we had to wait for the rain to go away and today we had to wait for the sun to go away.

I thought that we were given this second day of work in order to finish off the scene that had been called on account of the rain yesterday. I thought that we would be finished in a few hours and then I’d be able to go home. That was not to be.

There was a small group of us who were chosen to sit on a bus while they filmed scenery video. They couldn’t really see us but they could tell from that distance if the bus was empty or had passengers on it. So we sat on it for a few hours while the bus drove around. I was nodding off here and there but it was an easy enough thing to do and get paid.

Before long we had almost been there twelve hours. I was happy because this second day was an unexpected money bonus for me and it was a relatively easy day. The work was easy, the weather was fine and I got to spend time with friends and catch up, too.

Email from Agent

When I got home, I saw that I had gotten an email from my extras agent earlier in the day. It was for a TV commercial and the money was good. It asked if I wanted to be considered for a Monday shoot. I replied to the email even though it was almost twelve hours later.

She replied right away and said that it had already been cast. I was kicking myself that I didn’t think to try to check my email during the day. I had checked my phone messages but not my emails. It didn’t occur to me that my agent would only send an email to check availability today of all days.

My agents are used to my being less than accessible. I used to have an answering machine that was a little broken so that when anybody wanted to leave a message, they’d have to hear my message twice. I finally replaced that and they were happy. Welcome to the 1980s!

Although I have an old flip cell phone, I hate to carry it around. I forget to carry it with me, and when I do, I often forget to turn it on. Because of that, my agents seldom bother to call my cell.

I can’t blame this behavior on my older age either. Almost all of my older friends are very tech savvy. I could have asked any of them to use their smart phone when I was on set but it just wasn’t in my mindset. And because of this, I lost on this potential opportunity for work.

Despite the problems I have from not having a smart phone, I still resist. I wonder if this affects my regular job search as well. Maybe my old-fashioned ways are some how evident to potential employers. How will I be able to change my ways? Will a smart phone be enough to improve my job prospects?