Unemployed (Or: I Learned How to Play Skyrim Last Night.... and I'm Kinda Okay At It)

I've worked a minimum of one to two jobs at all times since graduating high school -- never taken a break -- I even worked full time while attending college. I'm not going to say that I love that busy lifestyle; I'm not one of those buzzing little worker bees. I just never considered not working as an option, and learned recently that, for many people, it really isn't an option at all.

Four weeks ago I was laid off from a job I REALLY liked, working with people I still do really like. I knew it was a risk working for a small independently owned business. At the end of the day, they were losing money by keeping me on deck. I can hardly blame them, but I'm still angry. Not at them, and not at myself (I did nothing wrong), but I am angry about all the time I have to fill and the minuscule amount of money I have at my disposal to enjoy that time. If you aren't making money you're spending it. Or you're hiding in your apartment trying hard to be frugal like a pale, shrivelled, protein and booze deprived hermit.

I love my leisure time. Sometimes I just like to take 20 minutes and stare at nothing. Absolutely nothing. The best is when I lie on my back with my legs parallel to the wall -- toes stretched to my cobwebbed popcorn ceiling -- until I lose all feeling in my lower extremities. This is my idea of fun. However, lately I've had a little too much time on my hands. Of course I fill much of my day with job hunting, but this doesn't fill my whole day. It's really just a part of my morning routine now. Craigslist and a cup o' joe.

Last night my boyfriend, tired of seeing me constantly check my email for a response to the million and one resumes I've sent out, decided I needed to be introduced to the oh-so-charming land of Skyrim. It took me almost an hour just to master walking in the game -- I'm more of an 8-bit, eagle's eye view kind of video game person, if you can call me a gamer at all. Once I mastered walking and not looking at the ground or walking into walls and getting lost, I started my quest (for anyone wondering, I'm an elf. And yes, I enjoy the fact that I now have a little more in common with Felicia Day). Subsequently I lost an entire evening in a fictional world. There's nothing wrong with a little escapism, and I sure do need it now, but man.... I really do miss working.

How about you? Do any of you have a hard time filling your day? Anyone else a fan of wall staring? I would love to hear your stories.

The Sweet Life

I have a friend: a very dear, very sweet friend who has decided that I am her pet project. She wants me to write. It's true that I have a blog, but I really have never considered myself a "blogger." I know, a blogger literally is just someone who blogs, but I do it so infrequently, and honestly sharing what I think in such a public forum, even if its about food, feels awkward. Yet this friend insists that I have "voice" and that I'm "funny." Her blog(s) are becoming pretty well known and she's branching off into publishing some short stories, so maybe I should listen to her and at least give this blogging thing another try. But something's going to change. I just can't talk about food ALL OF THE TIME. It makes me hungry. And I don't really own a digital camera (who wants to read a food blog without those high-res, gorgeously back-lit, reach-through-the monitor-and-eat-it photos?).

The Sweet Smith wants to talk about something else. LIFE. Primarily mine. If you're a close friend, maybe sometimes yours.

Let's cross our fingers and see of this works out better.