Funemployment, Day One Hundred Eighty One: Faux Pas

so my last post was about the l.a. times' article about this new generation of kids who are taking full advantage of unemployment and having a good time while being on the job hunt. when they published this article i emailed the reporter to let her know i have a blog about the same topic. i got a very quick response about checking out my blog and i was very excited!

until i remembered what my first paragraph was about. d'oh.

i was in the car, desperate to email back, apologizing for kind of totally blasting the times, and it wasn't until a half hour later that i could muster up a reply about my innate sarcasm to explain why i actually did like the article but felt the need to blast the paper.

yeah....so no response. not that i'm surprised but well....if you read something less than flattering in the paper you'll know why. :)

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Seventy Nine: Funemployment of the Times

aw, l.a. times, you're so adorable when you try to be relevant.
a mere eight months into this economic downturn the they print a local front-page article about these CRA-ZAY kids who are *gasp* enjoying their unemployment! apparently the kids are calling it "funemployment". my, what a clever name!

okay, so they're a little behind the curve but better late than never since they're gospel truth for my parents. if it's fit to print in the times, it's legit. (four years ago they thought i was going off to my death in indio for some weekend "music festival" until coachella made the sunday front page. after that it was a perfectly good reason for missing my mom's birthday every year.)

and although my parents have been fantastically supportive of my funemployment, there have definitely been times that they've worried i'm having a little too much fun. so it's nice to have some backup in proving that just because i'm not chained to my computer (except that i have been for 3 days now) doesn't mean i'm not on the hunt.

maybe i'm just doing an extra good job of putting the "social" in "social networking"...:)


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-funemployment4-2009jun04,0,7581684.story?page=1
From the Los Angeles Times
COLUMN ONE
For the 'funemployed,' unemployment is welcome
These jobless folks, usually singles in their 20s and 30s, find that life without work agrees with them. Instead of punching the clock, they're hitting the beach.
By Kimi Yoshino

June 4, 2009

Michael Van Gorkom was laid off by Yahoo in late April. He didn't panic. He didn't rush off to a therapist. Instead, the 33-year-old Santa Monica resident discovered that being jobless "kind of settled nicely."

Week one: "I thought, 'OK . . . I need to send out resumes, send some e-mails, need to do networking."

Week two: "A little less."

Every week since: "I'm going to go to the beach and enjoy some margaritas."

What most people would call unemployment, Van Gorkom embraced as "funemployment."

While millions of Americans struggle to find work as they face foreclosures and bankruptcy, others have found a silver lining in the economic meltdown. These happily jobless tend to be single and in their 20s and 30s. Some were laid off. Some quit voluntarily, lured by generous buyouts.

Buoyed by severance, savings, unemployment checks or their parents, the funemployed do not spend their days poring over job listings. They travel on the cheap for weeks. They head back to school or volunteer at the neighborhood soup kitchen. And at least till the bank account dries up, they're content living for today.

"I feel like I've been given a gift of time and clarity," said Aubrey Howell, 29, of Franklin, Tenn., who was laid off from her job as a tea shop manager in April. After sleeping in late and visiting family in Florida, she recently mused on Twitter: "Unemployment or funemployment?"

Never heard of funemployment? Here's Urban Dictionary's definition: "The condition of a person who takes advantage of being out of a job to have the time of their life. I spent all day Tuesday at the pool; funemployment rocks!"

It may not have entered our daily lexicon yet, but a small army of social media junkies with a sudden overabundance of time is busy Tweeting: "Funemployment road trip to Portland." "Funemployment is great for catching up on reading!" "Averaging 3 rounds of golf a week plus hockey and bball. who needs work?"

As frivolous as it sounds, funemployment is a statement about American society. Experts say it's both a reflection of the country's cultural narcissism -- and attitudes of entitlement and self-centeredness -- and a backlash against corporate America and its "Dilbert"-like work environment.

"Recession gives people permission to be unemployed," said David Logan, a professor at USC's Marshall School of Business. "Why not make use of the time and go do something fun?"

Jean Twenge, co-author of "The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement," said in some cases, many employees had lost balance between work and life, with too many late nights and weekends spent at the office. When they stop working, they realize how much they had given up.

Nina Flores, 28, quit her job as a jury consultant in Costa Mesa on Feb. 1 and has no regrets.

"You figure out how much . . . you miss when maybe you're tied to your BlackBerry all the time or, in my case, traveling for work all the time," she said. "I can't imagine doing that again and sacrificing everything I want to do for me. . . . I think it is a new way of thinking."

For many younger people, Twenge said, work is less central to their lives. These days, more people than in the 1970s are saying they want jobs with a lot of vacation time, according to preliminary data from Twenge's generational surveys. Younger employees today also are less willing to work overtime. And, when asked if they would quit their jobs if they had money, more are answering "yes," though the majority still say they would continue working.

"It really suggests there has been that generational shift that work is not the be all and end all," said Twenge, an associate professor of psychology at San Diego State.

Flores said she finds herself looking into jobs she would have never considered before, even if it means taking a big pay cut. What's more important, she said, is flexibility, lots of vacation time and something that doesn't have "that 9-to-5" feeling.

Amanda Rounsaville, 34, of Los Angeles quit her job as a program officer at the California Endowment in late March. A self-described workaholic who rarely called in sick or used vacation days, Rounsaville found a certain peace last month during her three-week trek through northern Mongolia with two friends, sleeping in $3-a-night, tent-like gers.

"I literally found myself smiling uncontrollably at being that far away from everything," Rounsaville said.

Enjoying the solitude, she found herself contemplating: "Do we work to live or do we live to work? Do I have life goals that are not work goals?"

Both Flores and Rounsaville discovered that they like themselves better when they're not consumed by their jobs.

"This is the best version of me," Flores said, adding that she feels "completely healthy," relaxed and focused.

Rounsaville agreed: "The rat race puts blinders on you and makes time fly, and then the next thing you know, you've missed the chance to be your more exciting self, or to push yourself in a gutsier direction."

For some in older generations, watching their children embrace an escape from responsibility is difficult. So while a young unemployed person might be saying, "This is awesome. I'm having a really good time," their parents are probably asking, "Haven't you gotten a job yet?" Twenge said.

Flores' decision to quit her job was initially met by concern and worry by her parents and some friends, but she thinks it's partly because they simply can't relate. By the time her parents' generation reached their late 20s and early 30s, most were married with children.

Van Gorkom's father had a similar response. Since being laid off as Yahoo Music's director of user experience design, Van Gorkom said he has purchased a laptop and started shopping for a new couch, "which my dad doesn't understand." As he spends money, his father is nervously asking Van Gorkom whether he needs any money.

USC's Logan isn't convinced funemployment is unique to this generation. The notion of slackers -- or whatever label is in vogue -- has been around for decades. What's different, he said, is the new social media that allows the unemployed to find each other and make plans through Facebook and Twitter.

Andy Deemer, one of Rounsaville's traveling companions, points out that they went to Mongolia with "someone two people removed from me that I had only met once two years ago at a cocktail party." The 36-year-old New Yorker and college pal of Rounsaville's, said they connected with that third travel mate through Facebook and word of mouth.

The daily lives of the unemployed have never been more public. They can post online photos of globe-trotting vacations, blog about their long lunches and broadcast via Twitter the day's weighty choices, as @james6378 did last week when deciding between Lucky Charms and Frosted Flakes cereals.

By thumbing their collective noses at employment, they also are sending a message to corporate America, Logan said.

"People are saying screw it and they're leaving companies," Logan said. "We need to figure out how to make companies work better for everybody. Until that happens . . . early retirements and furloughs are going to continue. People are going to opt out of the system."

Deemer, an independent filmmaker who also worked at CNET and about.com, said he actually enjoyed corporate America, up until November when the Internet start-up he was working for failed to get financing. After it tanked, he sold his New York apartment, put his belongings in storage, turned his parents' Beijing home into base camp, and embarked on a spiritual quest to find various mystics and shamans around Asia.

"I'm a little worried," he said of his future financial stability. "There's a nagging sense of fear that does gnaw at me when I consider it."

But Deemer has taken big risks before in the name of fulfilling a dream. He quit his CNET job to make the low-budget cult movie "Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead," which still makes him "smile big." He expects no less from his Asian adventure.

With his friends in tow, Deemer has already managed to visit a fortuneteller in Myanmar and a tarot card reader in Thailand, and to spend a few days with Saffron Revolution monks near the Thailand-Myanmar border. In Mongolia, he searched 10 days for a reindeer-herding shaman, finally tracking her down on his last day.

She wore tight jeans, a glittery purple sweater and a rhinestone headband. She typed on a laptop. He found her both mystical and authentic, though when he returned from his Trans-Siberian adventure to Beijing, he felt unchanged.

But since he was seeking answers, the Mongolian shaman had one for him. On a Post-it, she wrote his fortune in Cyrillic. The last sentence, in a nutshell: Go back to work.

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Fifty Eight: Managing to Manage

so i know i complain about how my marketing classes are getting in the way of my carefree funemployment but really, they're not the worst thing in the world. i guess i just expected a different benefit than i got yesterday when one my group projects kicked my ass into overdrive and i remembered how good it felt to flex my managerial muscles.

all five of us had been plugging away on our own sections of a brand analysis of red bull, the first part of which was due yesterday. our group of five women have all been very polite and diplomatic but no one had really taken the lead so i offered to compile everyone's sections into one document. (you can take the girl out of the weekly competitive report but you can't take the weekly competitive report out of the girl!)

a little cutting and pasting, and we'd be on our way, i thought. yeah...not so much. as the other pieces trickled in i thanked god i'd spent most of my career as an editor and project manager. one section contradicted the other section which contradicted the other section, and with an hour to go we were still missing one member's opening section AND and intro and summary. so i chugged a diet dew (ironically, there wasn't a red bull to be found) and started herding cats by phone and email.

in my best non-panicked, pleading, girlie voice, i suggested revisions, assigned the intro and summary, and hunted down our missing contributor. with 15 minutes to go we had our intro and an opening section that i hoped our professor would think was written by someone with english as a second language. with 5 minutes to go, i pulled a summary out of my ass, slapped a coat of editorial paint and a red bull logo on the report and sent it off to the other group member who really stepped it up for printing.

i was stressed, exasperated, and hadn't felt that good in a long time. 6 months, to be exact, when i was putting out fires for a living. i'd forgotten the exhilaration of taking the wheel of a car out of control, the thrill of problem solving, and the pride and sense of accomplishment when the day is saved.

and thankfully, i think everyone in our group realized this isn't the best way to go about part two of our project so we're already a few steps ahead. but i think i'll stock up on the red bull just in case...

Look at all these people

Look at all these people in the gym locker room getting ready for work. Ah, I used to be one of them. Sigh...oh well, off to the beach!

I've noticed that i'm tanner

I've noticed that i'm tanner than normal this time of year & realized that the sun is a much more effective method than bad fluorescent lighting!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Fifty Five: Too Much of a Good (Free) Thing

apologies for being away from funemployment for so long, but i've been inhumanly busy lately with classes, job hunting, and unexpectedly, collecting free food. seriously, apparently my last post was just the beginning of a free food juggernaut that the fast food chains' marketing departments are embracing more passionately than a 300-lb repeat customer.

i passed on the free kfc (sorry, i'm not *that* hard up yet) but loved the el pollo loco! the free sit-down two-course meal at cafe was turned into a 3-hour dining experience. and my free coffee bean iced coffee tasted extra jolt-y with money left in my pocket. sadly, i didn't get organized early enough to claim free mother's day brunch or coldstone creamery (helllloooo...my friends get free babysitting and i get free food. it's a win-win!) and now comes tomorrow's free haagen-dazs!
http://www.haagen-dazs.com/shops/shopLocator.aspx

now, far be it from me to complain about free anything, much less food, but i'm wondering why the healthy food joints can't jump on the freebie bandwagon as quickly as the fast food chains. for god's sake, they should at least be in better bandwagon-jumping shape!. i mean, i would have loved to get my free ben and jerry's scoop and haagen-dazs and krispy kreme, but as someone whose budget barely sustains a gym membership, a new "missy" wardrobe with elastic waistbands is out of the question.

come on, it can't cost *that* much to give away a few thousand smoothies, sandwiches, or a salad, right? i know, funemployed beggars can't be choosers, but there are plenty of healthy eaters whose wallets could use a break too! and personally i'm in no hurry to go back to my post-college job hunting days in NYC when i lived for a solid month on $1 mcdonald's quarterpounders (with cheese!). *shudder*

so thank you, haagen-dazs. while i appreciate the offer, i think i'll go shell out the money for some fro-yo or fruit or something. hell, i just got another unemployment check so maybe i'll splurge and get the large pinkberry with double fruity pebbles!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Forty One: Who you callin' chicken??

funemployed chicken-lovers rejoice! the free food frenzy continues this week thanks to a poultry face off between KFC and El Pollo Loco (heretofore "EPL"). EPL has been trying to get a bigger foothold in the healthy fast food market and had planned on giving away two free pieces of their chicken tomorrow. and since KFC is launching their new grilled chicken (or as they called it "un-fried". gag.) at the same time, they're pre-empting EPL and giving away one piece today. oh, how the feathers will fly! (ba dum bum!)

their timing couldn't be better, too, since a)i eat chicken to point that my mother has actually voiced her concern ("you're going to turn into a chicken!" i'm somewhat certain this is impossible.) and b)these are brilliant case studies for my marketing classes. pretty genius real-life examples in action. will these stunts guarantee my return business? no. will i gladly take their free food anyway? hell, yes!

i may try to score some grilled KFC today but quite frankly i've heard it's pretty much in the same grease/oil family as their regular fried chicken. but i'm a huge EPL fan so tomorrow you know i'll be first in line. hmmm...i wonder just how many locations i can hit in one day...?

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Thirty Nine: The New Norm

it's amazing how widespread a phenomenon funemployment had become. not the blog, but the jobless existence itself. i was out last night, ran into some friends and in a group of five of us we realized only one person had a job. (and it SUCKS to be them cause guess who's buying the drinks?!)

it sucks for everyone who can't make a living, but in a way it's almost nice to have so many kindred spirits. no one even bats an eye when i mention my not-so-employed status. and most of the time now, they're in the same boat. so although i'd rather not have the economy swirling quickly down the toilet, at least it's comforting to know i'm not alone.

Funemployment, Day...pick a number!

phew! i spent the last three days cramming for class, reading, doing remedial powerpoint presentations, and all of today catching up on the fallout from that. so several laundry loads and a billion emails later, i'm taking a break! off to dinner and L.A.D.S.

i'll report back tomorrow!

I'm on my way to

I'm on my way to class and missing the rangers playoff game b/c of it. Who knew funemployment had so many competing priorities?

Not only is my tues

Not only is my tues night class a total waste of my funemployment but I spent all day doing homework and missed free scoop day @ ben & jerry's!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Thirty One: Back to where it all began

admittedly i have mixed feelings about all things disney, since my experience there left me with a sour taste in my mouth worse than the goofy's sour balls they sell on main street. BUT when someone invited you to club 33, you drop everything and go!

i was lucky enough to start my morning with one such invitation and i couldn't be more excited about going to the unhappiest place on earth! club 33 is the uber-exclusive, members only club that walt himself created, complete with luxurious restaurant, alcohol service (the only place in the park you can drink), and microphones in the chandeliers so he could eavesdrop on his guests. seriously.

it costs something ridiculous like $25,000 to join, then a few grand each year to keep the membership. oh, and there's about a 14 year waiting list for the privilege of paying this. and to get in as a nonmember is virtually impossible unless you know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy...so the chance to go comes around once in a lifetime.

well, twice for me. my parents took me for my 16th birthday (my dad knew a guy who knew a guy...) which was a fabulous surprise! but sadly i was too young to appreciate the exclusivity--and the alcohol. but i still have my personalized matchbook they used to give to the guests.

so fingers crossed all goes well tonight and i have more great stories, and maybe another matchbook!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Thirty: Tax Day Redux

yesterday was a classic day of funemployment. got up early, went to the gym, had a leisurely coffee at a new place and read the NY Times (yes, the real paper paper!). then i got a tweet from ladecostified.com, a great site that posts about free/cheap events and deals around town. there were a ton of great tax day deals being offered but the best was a free lunch at ivan kane's cafe was in hollywood.

i immediately forwarded to my other funemployed friends and people who can get away with a last minute lunch. it didn't seem like anyone was going to make it so i went by myself and had a lovely chopped salad and mini mac n' cheese. sadly, i had to pass on the 2 for $5 martinis (seriously! it's their dangerous weekday lunch deal) since i still had homework and class that night.

but as i was almost licking my plate, dan and nick showed up. so i ordered a coffee and chilled with them while they asked the same questions everyone else in the joint was asking. "free? really? what's the catch?" well before they even ordered ian and adam walked in! they're two of my L.A.D.S. friends who i didn't even think to invite but came on their own. random but great!

then, katy showed up after her run with her friend in tow. and in true small world fashion, it turns out dan used to work with her friend. seriously, at one point we had half the cafe tables hogged and were pissing off the staff. it was awesome! so two hours and some free lunches later we headed back to reality but with another great funemployment story to show for it. and really, that's what it's all about...

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Twenty Nine: Blog Draft = FAIL

so while my chronically overachieving classmates were giving their technically advanced presentations about how insanely accomplished they are i distracted myself from my gross inferiority by drafting tonight's blog post. it was witty, insightful and poignant. and it is now sitting in my notebook in the women's restroom of dodd hall.

emily = FAIL.

with any luck i'll get it all back tomorrow after i go scrounge around campus dumpsters all day. (this whole school thing gets exponentially worse every single week) so until then, please enjoy yet another someecard as i'm way too braindead to come up with something original.

So another great thing about

So another great thing about funemployment is having time to take UCLA classes. Seriously, were the guys this hot when I was in college?!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Twenty Seven: Rising from the Dead

oh man, there is absolutely no time i appreciate funemployment more than monday mornings. or sometimes monday afternoons, depending on how my weekend went. for the most part, i still stick to my "up at the ass crack of dawn and drag my lifeless butt to the gym" routine so i can still get a full day of pointless resume-sending, networking, and homework in.

but lemme tell ya, those few monday mornings when i just can't face the bleak, miserable unemployed world, it's the best comfort in the world to be able to pull the covers up over my head and not deal with reality for a few more hours. and as someone who rarely sleeps past 8am, it's wonderfully decadent to wake up every hour, see the clock tick past 9:30, 10:30, noon, and not need to worry about it.

no doubt tomorrow i'll be back at christine's 6am boot camp class. but for today i'm gonna enjoy my late-sleeping, gym-skipping, bbq-eating day. yay funemployment!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Twenty Four: Very Good Friday

okay, one thing i DO miss about working are the half days/slow days. facebook and twitter were all atweet today with how slow a day it was or how it wasn't a day at all! granted all my days are slow days but still, there was something extra delectable about a half day when you're used to working your butt off.

ah well, in honor of good friday:

Well it's 5pm, time for

Well it's 5pm, time for my rush hour commute home! I hope that block walk from peet's to my place isn't too crowded tonight...:)

So this whole school thing

So this whole school thing is really cutting into my blog time. I thought this was supposed to be FUNemployment!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Twenty One: Sunday Funday!

i think one of the best perks of funemployment is sunday funday. sure, you can occasionally pull it off even if you have to be at work on monday but if you have to actually function, fugheddaboutit. worse yet at disney monday mornings are a back-to-back meeting marathon so i had to spend the whole weekend just resting up for it. (and by "resting" i mean "partying")

but now i spend my weekends resting up for sunday funday. luckily i have a partner in funday crime who also doesn't have to work on mondays so it's become a routine to spend sunday afternoons (then evenings, then late night...) basking in the sun with some 2-for-1s and some good friends. great way to wind down the weekend and ease back into the work week (whatever that is).

hmmm...but now that i think about it what's stopping me from starting wednesday funday? or monday funday? hell, at this point it really wouldn't make much difference if i just abandoned the days of the week altogether and generically called each day "funday". "hey guys, let's do lunch next funday!" "no, i'm busy funday. but how about funday instead?"

i'll let you know how this little social experiment goes...

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Nineteen: Happy Funemployed Birthday to Me!

today i turn another year older and probably not much wiser. but i do know that every birthday should be a day off work (or in my case, a national holiday). true, when you're in the office, you get cupcakes, maybe some flowers and if you're at disney the complete vandalization of your office/cubicle which is kind of the best part. last year the brilliant and tech-savvy mae lee and her fiance mocked up a tmz.com webpage and inserted me into all the stories. best. gift. ever.

however, when you're not at work you can have a birthday decadent enough to make it a really happy one. today i went to spin class (although probably would have slept in if i'd gone out last night), had breakfast with a great friend at the griddle which you can only get into during work hours, and had a mani/pedi...with extra massage. awwwww, yeah! now that's decadence!

now i do have to get some serious stuff done but after that it's off to kroq's April Foolishness comedy benefit show. i'll be celebrating my birthday with good friends and a lot of drinks and laughing. a very happy birthday indeed!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Eighteen: Things I Don't Miss, part...something

i heard some staticky sound on the radio today and it reminded me of another thing i don't miss about working: the grating static sound of a blackberry sitting too close to a speakerphone.

seriously, nails on a chalkboard. i get chills just thinking about it. thankfully i never had a work blackberry to participate--christopher and i were masters of dodging the leash. clearly now i love and nurture my crackberry (a little too much) but if it was in any way associated with work, i'd loathe it like a full day of task force meetings.

so with that i'm off to set my blackberry down anywhere i damn well please and it will make only pleasing sounds, never knowing the torture of a conference call.

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Seventeen: Back to School Day

i haven't said this in um, a few years (by which i mean ten) but i'm getting ready for school! tonight i start my ucla extension classes for their marketing certificate program. tonight is principles and practices of marketing, and if the textbook is any indication it's gonna be awesome! they've got case studies of iTunes, trader joe's, and other companies that are actually interesting and relevant. so i'm actually looking forward to it, even though my weeknight social life is totally shot.

i've got my textbooks, my registration paperwork and my bus pass so i think i'm set. although i think i'm gonna have to find me a trapper keeper, pee-chee, and hello kitty pencil case just for good measure. :)

so wish me luck, i've gotta go catch the school bus!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Sixteen: The Funemployment Club

sadly i have more and more friends who are losing their jobs lately. like, enough friends that i always have someone to invite on my funemployment activities and never have to repeat in a week. sad, but true. so i'm thinking of starting a club and/or support group. but without the steps, self-pity wallowing and gloomy church basement.

i'm thinking we could get together once a week and do something we couldn't have done while working and at least make some lemonade outta these funemployment lemons. like go to a museum on its free admission day. or hit the beach on a weekday when it's not insanely crowded. or take advantage of all the restaurant early bird specials popping up lately. or my favorite, have lunch at the griddle, where you can't even get in on a weekend!

but whatever we do, i'm thinking of imposing a ban on the annoying jobhunting questions i've been inundated with for months. i know everyone just wants to help but i can only repeat my depressing and futile jobhunting history so many times a day before i start telling people i've stopped looking for a job and am now looking for a sugar daddy. yes, i've tried that job site (i've tried ALL the job sites!). yes, i've met with placement agencies. no, i haven't gotten any responses. yes, i'm on linkedin. no, just because i once liked the x-files doesn't mean the fbi forensics team will hire me. and no, dad, i don't want to be a paralegal or work for so cal edison.

so if i do actually make this happen, i'll spread the word. hopefully it'll give people a break from the jobhunting grind. and hopefully soon we won't have any members left. but until then, bring on the griddle celeb sightings!

See, if I was employed

See, if I was employed I could never have spent two days watching skating at the world championships. Silver lining....

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Twelve: On the Bright Side

this week has taken the fun our of funemployment. lots of useless emails, unreturned phone calls, pointless appointments, and hundreds more resumes lost in cyberspace. jeez, for the nonresults i'm getting i could at least be outside getting a tan! i'm trying to find a silver lining and think i have one, thanks to someecards.com.

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Eleven: Game On!

i actually a helluva lotta work today--resumes, employment agencies, follow up calls, etc. so now, it's time to play games!

the santa clara alumni entertainment group is hosting a tour of EA games' headquarters tonight. we get a tour of their hq, demo of a new game, and oh yeah...free food and drinks (my funemployment meal of choice). i'll be packing my resume and pre-written cover letter of course, but at least this'll be my kinda networking!

could you imagine working there? i don't doubt it's hard work, but honestly i think my guy friends would be more excited about this job than when i worked at playboy. (yes, my guy friends are geeks.)

if anything comes of it, i'll update the blog. but until then, game on!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Ten: Funemployment at Work

today was a busy one. after two weeks away and a very funemployed week back, i desperately needed to buckle down and get back on the job hunt. i sent many resumes, contacted temp agencies, and did my online orientation for ucla extension classes which start next week. hell, i'm even staying IN tonight to catch up on emails and tivo!

all this work kept reminding me of, well...work! remember that time when someone paid me to bust my ass all day and be on a set schedule? i do. vaguely. today also reminded me that when you have a job you like you really don't mind it. i certainly wasn't averse to working 10 hour days regularly last year. well lemme tell ya, as someone who's been working since she was 15, a few months off is bliss!

sure, it'd be better to have a steady job, paycheck, and health insurance, and i'm sure once i get the next job i'll be right back to busting my ass all day. but my god, it's been pretty fantastic seeing how the other half lives. it's so decadent getting to work on my own schedule, or sometimes not at all! this life isn't without its cares, but it's been a wonderfully refreshing break from the rat race. and as someone who isn't independently wealthy, i doubt i'll get to do this too many times in my life.

having said that however, i'll be spending the rest of the day trying to win the lottery and/or marry wealthy so i CAN do this many times in my life. gotta run!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Eight: My 2-cent Fortune

i know, i know...everyone means well but seriously, if people keep giving me their job hunting two-cents, i'll never need to work again.

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Seven: $$$Professional Guinea Pig$$$

i keep forgetting to check craigslist for jobs but that might not be a bad thing. i know there are great legit jobs on there but for some reason craigslist seems so old skool for me. sure, it's great for selling furniture, missed connections, and some other things that i hear an ex-boyfriend is using it for these days (afternoon delight, anyone?).

so i finally gave it a look this afternoon and holy goldmine, batman! i've found a revenue-generating goldmine! as long as i'm willing to be scrutinized, poked, prodded and generally used as a human pin cushion. which i so AM!

allllllllllllllllll the way down below the "real" job listings (overrated!) there's a link to "ETC". click it. please. it's awesome. and i can make a killing if i can just find enough things wrong with me.

insomnia? check! irritable bowel syndrome? why not? anxiety? hell yes! jewish and willing to donate eggs? absolutely! there's big money in these studies and i may need to cash in soon. the big money is in egg donating...and a rare medical condition called "Dance Hostess", whatever that is. i'm not quite at that point yet so maybe i'll start at the bottom (diabetes and overactive bladder) and work my way up as times get tougher.

and clearly i'll have plenty of time to think about this since my anxiety is causing my insomnia which is making me overweight and making my irritable bowel syndrome flare up. i think craigslist has just the study for me!

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Six: Back to School

i'm back from the east coast and sadly, the job market did not miraculously turn completely around in the two weeks i was away. still only a few faint glimmers of hope but nothing i can take to the bank. not that i'd trust a bank with much of anything these days....

so with no real prospects, i'm making like rodney dangerfield and going back to school! since nothing in enertainment is opening up i'm trying my hand at marketing and doing UCLA Extension's Certificate program. from what i've seen on the job sites marketing's one of the few fields still hiring. and from the little experience i have with it i think i'm gonna like it. if i really bust my butt i can finish by the end of the year. but god willing, i'll get a job before then.

in the meantime, though, i'd better go dust off my trapper keeper, my pee-chee, my hello kitty pencil case, and make some brown paper bag book covers. wish me luck!

I got a bite! Well

I got a bite! Well an app't for a call about a job with spin master toys. I think my offer to be paid in yo gabba gabba merch did the trick! :)

Funemployment, Day One Hundred Four: Back to Funemployment

much to my dismay, my fabulous east coast vacation is over and it's back to reality. it was amazing while it lasted though! i saw friends i haven't seen in 5 years, made some new ones and remembered how exhilarating it is living in nyc. i was so sad to have to leave (although getting home to 75 degree sunny weather was a nice way to readjust).

and ironically, i never would have been able to do this without the recession. i rarely got to take vacation while i was working (it's difficult when your boss takes more vacations than george w. in office) and with everyone cutting back on travel, the industry is virtually giving away vacations. mine was even more affordable thanks to my wonderfully generous friends who let me crash with them, and those who treated me to dinners, drinks, and a rangers game!

but even if you're not as much of a mooch as i am, you can still travel on the cheap. the package deals are the best bargains but even if you just want a weekend staycation you can get hotels and flights for obscenely low prices (my flight from l.a. to DC was $99!). one site i stumbled on is for Frommer's Budget Travel magazine which lists lots of great deals: http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dynsrch/realdeals/realdeals.html. (7-day alaska cruise, $499)

or if you're one of the lucky funemployed masses you can get even better deals by booking at the last minute. check out http://www.lastminutetravel.com/hp.aspx for deals like airfare to NYC plus 4-star hotel for $403. wait, seriously? hold on, i may be going back!

you, too, can live the life of leisure whether you're funemployed or not. (but hopefully you're not.) so take advantage and send me a postcard!

I tried to post daily

I tried to post daily on my east coast extravaganza but funemployment may need a hiatus until i'm back to the land of fruits & nuts. Stay tuned!

Well i'm celebrating st patty's

Well i'm celebrating st patty's day early in hoboken as you do a week before nyc. Enjoying east coast funemployment while I can!

I'm on the train from

I'm on the train from DC to NYC and my wallet isn't too much lighter. Friends graciously treated me to meals and the amazing museums are FREE!

I'm dead tired and can't

I'm dead tired and can't wait to do it again tm! pandas @ the zoo, more museums and dinner with friends. This is funemployment at its best!

DC, day 1: walked around

DC, day 1: walked around all day in 10 degree wind chill & loved every minute. Saw 2 friends & hung outside the west wing w/ secret service buddy

CA, VA & MD. I've

CA, VA & MD. I've now been to 3 states in one day. Throw in DC tm and it'll be four. Now THIS is funemployment!

Funemployment, Day Eighty Six: Close Encounters of the Catty Kind

i'm just back from a friend's afternoon birthday party at the abbey. saw some friends, met some new friends and was thrilled to see a former disney coworker that i adore at a table nearby. i went over to say hi and as i was talking to him, realized that at his table was another former disney coworker i do NOT adore.

well thank god i'd just gotten my hair done and looked good cause i'm fairly certain he'd be texting my old boss as soon as i walked away. i said hi and tried to be as fabulous as possible while he gave me his signature insincere smile and the "oh my god, you still exist??" look.

awkward moment, yes, but i realized i no longer have to deal with him on a daily basis anymore. and i SO win.

in unrelated yet still catty news, a friend's friend's ex was there on a date with jackie warner (of bravo's show, workout). DRA-MA!

Funemployment, Day Eight Five: Gloom and Doom, con't

oh joy. more good news on the heels of yesterday's post.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-california-jobs28-2009feb28,0,3811550.story
From the Los Angeles Times
California unemployment rate reaches 10.1%
With more than 1 in 10 workers unemployed in January, the state registers its highest jobless rate since June 1983, not far below the record of 11%.
By Marc Lifsher

11:14 AM PST, February 27, 2009

Reporting from Sacramento — More than 1 in 10 California workers were unemployed in January, the largest percentage in nearly 26 years, the state reported today.

The 10.1% jobless rate is the highest since June 1983 and not far below the 11% record set in November 1982 at the worst point of a severe recession, according to the governor's office. Job losses escalated in January, with the state's unemployment rate jumping by 1.4 percentage points from a revised 8.7% for December.

The grim California job numbers tracked closely with data released earlier in the day by the U.S. Commerce Department that showed that the national economy contracted by 6.2% in the last three months of 2008, the biggest slowdown in 26 years.

Both numbers underscore that the U.S. and California economies are locked up because of a wrenching drop in demand for goods and services from businesses and consumers alike, economists said.

Recovery will not be quick, cautioned Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger: "The number of Californians without jobs and a means to provide for their families is a sobering reminder that there is nothing more important than getting California's economy back on track.

"The road to full economic recovery will not be short," he said, "but the economic stimulus measures I fought to include in the state budget, combined with the federal economic recovery agenda, will help California create jobs -- while laying a strong foundation for better economic times ahead."

Funemployment, Day Eight Four: I Did the Research

here's a link to the department of labor's website which has some great explanations of the details of the COBRA premium reduction. very helpful!

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html

Funemployment, Day Eighty Four: Gloom & Doom

america has always been a nation of overachievers (or am i thinking of japan?) and unemployment claims are certainly no exception. last week's unemployment claims were the highest in more than TWENTY SIX YEARS! yes, the last time this many people were out of work i was wearing neon ray bans and leg warmers and stalking alyssa milano at the sherman oaks galleria (R.I.P. licorice pizza and hot dog on a stick).

hiring freezes are still frozen solid and every day i send resumes into a cyber black hole, never to be seen again. and my friends who have been great about personally pimping me out to colleagues can't break through the HR iceberg. retail is hurting too, and even starbucks is shuttering stores so i can't even get a job as a coffee jockey. it's bleak out there and probably will be for awhile.

but i have been finding small glimmers of hope on recovery.gov, the info site for The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (so renamed due to incessant snickering every time someone says "stimulus package"). supposedly the act will create or save 396,000 jobs in california in the next two years. i won't hold my breath that long but at least that'll get somebody behind the starbucks counter to serve me a grande mocha. and i'll need the grande to collect all that spare change i'll be begging for on rodeo. (what...? i go where the money goes!) the recovery act will also increase weekly unemployment payments by $25 which will just about cover my coffee habit/income-supplementing supplies.


another glimmer of hope is that i'll still be able to afford my brilliant doctor who will keep me healthy till i'm 80...and still unemployed. beginning march 1 the recovery act will subsidize 65% of my COBRA coverage for up to nine months. and considering the highway robbery COBRA gets away with each month, that's a BIG help!

so i gotta run. i'm off to the doctor to finally have this gaping head wound looked at...

Funemployment, Day Eighty Three: FunNetworking

i had every intention of posting during the 25th, since i thought i'd go to my friend gillian's monthly media industry networking cocktail event and get home early. yeah, not so much....

first off, the event was at beso, one of my favorite restaurants/bars with an irresistible cocktail menu. second, unbeknownst to me, for the first hour all drinks and some appetizers were comped. so an amazing cocktail and an otherwise unaffordable champagne later, monica and i were meeting more lovely people than we had business cards for.

seriously, it was such a great, friendly group of people you couldn't believe you were in l.a. (unless of course you were born and raised here and have been lucky enough to know the genuine people here). everyone we met was so nice and funny, and because it was a small, invited group we all knew we had at least one friend/host in common. and even people we couldn't network with were a blast and we may have some new friends in the morning.

so thanks, gillian, for putting this together, and making job hunting a LOT of fun for a change! see you next month for sure!

Funemployment, Day Eight Two: Free Food Day!

following up from last night, dollar dogs at the stand were fantastic! damn cheap and damn good! i splurged and got two "loaded" dogs with the more gourmet toppings which set me back a whole $2.50 each. and one hot apple/cranberry cobbler was about $3. i'd better stop being broke soon or else i'm going to be a very very fat woman. so luckily for me, yesterday was their last monday special like this--beginning in march the deal is offered every day, but only from 3-5pm. phew! stand, my waistline thanks you!

but what's even better than cheap food? FREE food! and today is a banner day for it! international house of pancakes, jack in the box, and quiznos are all offering free food.

on ihop's annual national free pancakes day, they're offering a free short stack all day today. they ask, but don't require a donation to the children's miracle network so it's good marketing for a good cause. http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/

and apparently miss america, katie stam will be flipping flapjacks at one of the l.a. locations. i'm sure that's exactly the glamorous life she had in mind when she won the crown. "I hope to turn pancakes into miracles for children across the nation," Stam said. yes dear, pancakes = miracles.


jack in the box is offering two free tacos as part of its "hang in there jack" campaign. print out a coupon at hangintherejack.com and redeem away!

and quiznos is giving away a million subs through their latest campaign for their lower priced menu. submit your info at http://millionsubs.com/Reg.php and redeem your coupon! you can also nominate someone to win a year's worth of free subs and i'd like to suggest myself as a worthy, unemployed nominee. and if you nominate me i might just share a bite or two. :) http://millionsubs.com/Contest_Reg.php

Funemployment, Day Eighty One: Taking a Stand

i'm about to go meet my former programming coworkers for a little reunion and discount dinner at the stand in encino. who knew, but apparently every monday night they have dollar dogs! i've never been before but with all the toppings you can get a pretty good meal--and for a buck!

i'll report back later....

Funemployment, Day Seventy Nine: The Unhappiest Place on Earth

R.I.P. my silver pass. :(

Funemployment, Day Seventy Eight: Plan C. C for Carnie.

with no hope for these hiring freezes to thaw any time soon everyone's talking about retraining and rethinking careers. people keep suggesting alternative careers for me, some of which are possible and sensible, some of which are not. so cal edison worker? really, dad?

i've been trying to think of recession-proof jobs i could pick up fairly easily and i think i've found one. so if you know of anyone hiring carnies (you know, circus folk!) please drop me a line.

Funemployment, Day Seventy Seven: A Solution

alright, already i get it! the economy sucks! everybody's unemployed and nobody's hiring! houses are foreclosing! the stock market's in the toilet!

gawd, i can't turn on the tv, radio or computer without hearing more doomsday stories about how the country's in a freefall and there's no bottom in sight. yes, it's news and is at the forefront of the national consciousness. but for the love of god, i've been living it for over two months and i know better than anyone how bad it is. all i ask for is five minutes of escapism here and there. sure, we're all going to hell in a handbasket but why not get a tiny bit of reprieve and mindless distraction on the way down?

so i'd like to offer my patented coping mechanism in hopes that it offers some small comfort. practice with caution:

Funemployment, Day Seventy Six: Taco Wednesday! wait...what?

i'm off to dinner at don antonio's on pico for their wednesday taco special. i'm excited for a happy hour* bargain that's not just about drinks. (wait, did i just say that?) so just in case you didn't already OD at the 75 taco tuesday joints in town you've got yet another chance to get your taco on.

and just wondering aloud, why taco tuesday? other than the obvious alliteration, is it related to the adage to not order the fish on mondays? is tuesday the weekly expiration date for ground beef and/or tortillas so they've gotta hustle 'em out the door as quickly as possible? hmmm...my stomach will soon find out.

*taco specials are good wednesday from 5pm to close.

Funemployment, Day Seventy Five:

i didn't post yesterday out of respect and honor for our esteemed presidents. well, that, and i was schlepping around all of southern california and just didn't get around to it.

there was more schlepping today but i did manage to get to the gym later in the day. i still try to go obscenely early in the morning, since it starts my day off right and then i can watch that bewildered look on friends' faces when they find out how early i wake up to voluntarily punish myself.

but lately i've started taking classes in the middle of the day for variety, better celeb sightings, and well, just because i can. and also lately i've noticed that more and more of my early morning devotees and entertainment industry colleagues are taking the same later classes. at first i thought "great, so and so's here too!" and then realized it's because they must have caught the Funemployment too.


i'm thinking of suggesting a new class, "Fit & Funemployed": we'll do a quick warmup, some cardio work, and then lunges while passing weighted business cards to everyone in the class. and the number of reps will directly correlate to your number of linkedin connections.

maybe i can get janice dickinson and dyan cannon to try it and tell us how this recession is nothing compared to the great depression!

Funemployment, Day Seventy Three: Yay, Presidents!

woo hoo! three day weekend! no work tomorrow! oh, wait....

Funemployment, Day Seventy Three: Happy Valentine's Day!

Funemployment, Day Seventy Two: Plan B

so i'm thinking if this whole "job" thing doesn't come through soon i'm just gonna have octuplets and live on the donations and notoriety.

Will someone please tell me

Will someone please tell me why I decided to cut back on drinking during Funemployment so now I can't take advantage of all the happy hours?!

Funemployment, Day Seventy: Confessions of a Bad Movie

sometimes being frugally funemployed had added bonuses. like tagging along with friends to screenings of good movies--i get to a see a good movie AND save myself 10-15 bucks. and sometimes i tag along with friends to screenings of movies that aren't so good and then i'm *really* happy not to have paid 10-15 bucks.

such is the case with confessions of a shopaholic. admittedly i'm a fan of chick lit and their big screen adaptations. but oy, this one was--to use shopaholic terms--a cheap sidewalk knockoff whose upside down "PRADO" triangle falls off a week later. isla fischer is adorable and hugh dancy reminds me why i have a fetish for english guys, but if you're gonna go see a chick flick run, don't walk to he's just not that into you.

Funemployment, Day Sixty Nine: Sit Still!

yesterday i finally got off my butt to get that free haircut i mentioned a few weeks ago. Sit Still Salon in venice is hopping on the funemployment train and offering a free haircut on Mondays to anyone who can prove they're unemployed. good marketing ploy and good karma.

and a good haircut too! my hair is pretty boring and basic and i almost felt bad i wasn't trying something crazier. but i'm still scarred by a bad junior high school cut and perm (no really. blonde afro. litle orphan annie. really.) and am loathe to stray from my tried and true.

but tifanie was great nonetheless. she was really sweet (used to be a disneyland photographer!) had great advice for caring for my babyfine tangly hair, and never tried to give me the hard sell on products i'll never need. on top of that i got good coffee and plentiful copies of the tabloids. and as my mom pointed out, one of the owners cuts the hair of coldplay, "whatever that is". :)

so if you're in the market for a new salon or stylist check her out. and even if you're not funemployed they have a special for first-timers. $44 for a cut and blowdry. http://www.myspace.com/sitstillsalon
(and no, they're not sponsoring this post.)

Funemployment, Day Sixty Eight: Sonny With A Chance...of Disney divas.

last night was the premiere party at the hollywood improv for disney channel's newest original comedy, sonny with a chance. (sorry, i still slip into copytalk every now and then.) it stars one of disney's new darlings, demi lovato who, if you're between the ages of 6 and 14, is kind of a big deal around here.*

so my friend hillary let me tag along with her to see the accompanying fanfare and hoopla and see my old disney friends. admittedly i was worried about the possibility of running into my old boss who is an awkward woman even in the best of situations. but i figured as long as i avoided the buffet table i wouldn't even have to see her. luckily, she was a no-show (she must have heard about the lack of buffet) so i was free to mingle with old friends and coworkers**. i did get some surprised looks, like i'd just risen from the dead, but i was happy to be living proof that there is life after disney.

it was also awesome to watch what became the equivalent of the cool kids' table in the cafeteria. in the middle of the room was demi lovato, selena gomez and other assorted aspiring disney channel "it" kids. it was like an issue of tiger beat come to life. and as the night wore on and grammys let out, miley cyrus and her manmeat of the month showed up and joined the gang (she fed him food. gag.). and as if that wasn't enough tween star power for one table, taylor swift joined in, still wearing her grammy outfit. it was like the teen choice awards spontaneously broke out at the improv.

at that point i realized that if someone dropped a bomb on that one table, disney channel would go bankrupt. i mean really, shouldn't they have a company policy that no two of its moneymakers can travel together for fear of losing too much of its stable to an accident? (or DUI, or paparazzi beatdown, or naked photo scandal...) but then i remembered that at age 15 they're over the hill, have an ever-growing sense of entitlement and salary requirement, and judy taylor probably has fifty more just like them waiting in the wings to be america's next top tween.

comforted by that realization, we headed upstairs to watch with the crew. the show looked good, everyone seemed happy with the premiere, and i'm sure the ratings will be great.*** and being a G-rated affair the party wound down just in time for me to meet friends working the grammys at st nick's for some R-rated drinks. sunday funday, indeed!

*if you're older than that you'll appreciate nancy mckeon playing her mom.
**shout out to the funemployment fans! thanks for the encouragement!
***tiffany thornton is laugh out loud funny and i can't wait for her to steal the show from demi.

I'm going to the premiere

I'm going to the premiere party for disney channel's new show, sonny with a chance. And i'm going with a chance of seeing my old boss. Details tm

Tonight i'm enjoying the lack

Tonight i'm enjoying the lack of pressure to go out big on a saturday night. Cause when you're funemployed, EVERY night is saturday night!! :)

Funemployment, Day Sixty Five: Things I Don't Miss, part four

in this friday installment of things i don't miss about working, we'll talk rush hour. rush hour that, in los angeles on a GOOD day is still soul-sucking, but on a friday...in the rain...is immobilizing. literally.

being funemployed i'm blissfully ignorant of traffic reports, relegating that trivial info to the poor, employed masses (although i'd think with a nearly 10% unemployment rate, the freeways would be empty!). but every so often this ignorance bites me in the butt when i make plans to meet someone a few freeways away at 7pm. oops. that means leaving my place on the west side approximately one week prior.

like tonight. even meeting friends at 9:30pm means sitting in the wet, rainy 405 traffic for awhile. fun. well, at least it's not a regular ocurrance. oh wait, that's not a good thing, is it...?

Funemployment, Day Sixty Four: Can ya help a sistah out?

since the job market looks to be frozen for awhile i'm trying to be clever in making money. legally, that is. so i dropped off a bunch of my nicer clothes and accessories to a consignment shop my stylist friend, monica recommended.

laura's resale on ventura and whitsett. or, for those of you further away or just lazy, www.getchic.com. if all my stuff sells (probably not, but a girl can dream) i could make about $775. not a bad pull for cleaning out my closet!

so go! shop! and feel free to write me for a list of my items which i KNOW you'll love and will fit you perfectly and will make your butt look tiny! http://www.getchic.com/

Funemployment, Day Sixty Three: Things I Don't Miss, part three

things i don't miss about working, part three: being "tasked" to do something. this corporate buzzword ranks right up there with "circle back" and "take offline" in cringe-worthiness.

first off, that can't be a real world! "task" is but "being tasked" has got to be some godawful phrase someone way up the chain made up to make underlings feel better about being ordered to do something.

second, it never works. nobody feels better about being tasked to do something. we get it, we do what you say because you pay us. we're okay with that, and no buzzword and a chipper voice will make us feel like we've been anointed by the almighty to staple the covers to all those TPS reports.

third, has anyone ever been tasked to do something enjoyable? "hey, sparky, i'm tasking you to take the company jet to barbados to see how long it takes! no need to hurry back, just expense it." if you want us to feel privileged to perform the task you're tasking us with, it shouldn't need to be tasked in the first place. we should want to volunteer! so quit with the b.s. and happy face and trying to get us all excited to add a few more grids and a few more hours to our day.

i don't know why that popped into my head on the way to the gym this morning but when it did i had an involuntary shudder and rolling of the eyes, much like i did back in my unemployed days. maybe it's still the PDSD (post-disney stress disorder). thanks for letting me vent and go get back to whatever you've been tasked with today.

Funemployment, Day Sixty Two: A Grand Slam!

So Operation Grand Slam was a success and i'm now at the gym trying to work off the 6,500 calories i just inhaled. this is proving difficult, however, as i'm quickly slipping into a pancake/egg/bacon/sausage coma. damn you, denny's!

i also got to ride the elevator with adam sanderson who apparenty doesn't feel the need to get to work early. and judging by the spandex i'm guessing he's not here working off his free grand slam breakfast. i'm guessing he doesn't know what "denny's" is.

okay, must crawl next door for primo double espresso before falling asleep on the treadmill, which could be deadly. funny as hell when i'm flying off it, but deadly. :)

Mission accomplished. I'm fat and

Mission accomplished. I'm fat and happy and back to my car before they start enforcing meters. All told i'm out $4.15 including coffee and tip.:)

So i'm at a window

So i'm at a window seat and am pissing off people in line everytime i stop eating to post on my storm. Heh heh...

Yep, free food tastes better

Yep, free food tastes better than paid food. Even tho the eggs r "eggs" in the same gelatinous way trimana's "eggs" r i'm still loving 'em.

Mmm...can't post...eating...

Mmm...can't post...eating...

Ahh! Finally seated inside and

Ahh! Finally seated inside and so happy! Unlike some a-holes who have the nerve to complain that service is slow when they're getting a free meal

Who knew denny's is the

Who knew denny's is the official restaurant of bowling? Somehow i'm not totally surprised... now people r sitting outside. I'm not that hungry!

Woo hoo, the door is

Woo hoo, the door is in sight! And now the line wraps well around the corner. There's a precocious teen behind me who's so me at 13. Hilarious!

is in line for her

is in line for her free denny's breakfast. I can smell the bacon from here! Funemployment86.blogspot.com.

So i'm at the denny's

So i'm at the denny's near ucla and am one of the few people not wearing pajamas. Who knew college kids got up so early?! Grr I need coffee!

In the name of funemployment

In the name of funemployment i'm standing in a line around the block from denny's. Yes denny's. It's windy and cold but i'm getting a free meal!

Funemployment, Day Sixty One: Calling All Karma!

it's a new month, and i'm feeling pretty good about february* funemployment. i know, people are still being laid off by the thousands but i'm hoping the dues i paid in january are going to lead to something this month. that said, i'm not above having my plan b's, so i'll keep scratching those lottery tickets, looking for my sugar daddy, and earning all the good karma i can.

and i think karma owes me a big one, because last week i helped another emily little get a job interview. some background: for awhile now i occasionally get email misaddressed to an emily little in london**. for the most part it's been lame email forwards that i've already gotten from 10 other people so i haven't bothered to correct their gmail error. but i did love the picture emily UK accidentally sent to me from the spaceship earth attraction at disneyworld (for those of you who don't know me, the girl in the diving gear is the other emily, not me). oh, the irony. i do hope her life has been complete and fulfilling without this picture...


but last week my english doppelganger got an email from a caroline jackson confirming a job interview with omni partners. i don't know what omni partners is but they sound important and i'll be damned if i'm gonna stand in the way of an emily little getting a job! just because one of us is funemployed doesn't mean we all should be.

the lovely caroline jackson replied and thanked me for replying, since emily UK probably never would have showed up if she hadn't gotten the email. so i now have a warm fuzzy feeling and some good job karma in the bank that i'm hoping will start paying dividends soon. who knows, maybe some day she'll have a job lead for me. or at the very least she'll be willing to join (and invest omni partners' money in) my new job hunting service catering exclusively to emily littles.

to that end, i've started replying to similar emails to make sure she gets them. and i'd be lying if i said i didn't hope some more good karma would come my way. the latest email correction involved her friend tripp lane (seriously) sending a picture of a chair in a pub that he thought their friend brad was looking for. so if i do get my karmic payback it may just involve furniture, but after two months of funemployment, i'll take it!

so good luck, emily little of london! if omni partners ever opens an l.a. branch i'm putting you down as a reference.

*wow, i just almost typed "ferb-ruary". the disney kool-aid still lingers...

**gmail's "help faq" page explains this phenomenon using the example homer.j.simpson@gmail.com which is yet another reason i heart google.

So who just saw the

So who just saw the denny's superbowl commercial?! Tues from 6a to 2p u can get free grand slam breakfast. Bless u denny's! Funemployment tx you!

Funemployment, Day Fifty Nine: Days of Our Funemployed Lives

yeah, i've officially given up keeping track of what day it is. saturday, tuesday, friday, they're all the same at this point. yesterday i couldn't figure out why my friend would have had lunch near her office on a saturday. oops, it was friday. so unless i think i'll need this whole "days of the week" skill for a future job i'm just gonna let it go.

Funemployment, Day Fifty Eight: D-Day at Disney

i'd like to say i didn't post yesterday out of respect to my former collegues at disney channel since yesterday disney/abc cable networks group dropped the L-bomb: layoffs. so far i've only heard of two people i knew personally getting the axe. one of whom should have gotten the axe a looooooooooong time ago but apparently had some dirt on someone and couldn't be fired. the other one is someone who worked his butt off and it's a shame this happened to him. but hopefully soon they'll come to appreciate the joys of funemployment and find the bright side of the situation (helloooo....active silver passes!).

but alas, no, i was just out having too much funemployment to post. thanks to locally famous radio personality dave the king of mexico i went to a screening of Fanboys. it's a geek-tastic comedy about friends who roadtrip to break into george lucas' skywalker ranch to get a peek at the phantom menace. through a friend i know some of the guys involved in the movie so it was that much more fun to see.

and since the screening room was on rodeo and since we're in the worst economic downturn since the great depression and since i have absolutely no money, of course i took a stroll down rodeo drive. oh my. recession? what recession? the diamonds at cartier, harry winston and tiffany still sparkled as brightly as ever. so if this whole "job" thing doesn't work out i'm gonna need to get a sugar daddy. like asap. interested and qualified applicants please send a photo, resume, salary history and stock portfolio.

Funemployment, Day Fifty Six: Alright, Already!

so i know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but really people...enough with the unemployment rate! i know i started a sweeping trend by losing my job and really, it's very sweet that you all feel the need to do the same to make me feel better. but please, there's no need to resort to such drastic measures just to make me feel included and have more time to keep me company during my funemployment.

not that i don't appreciate it, cause i do! but seriously, stop with the job-losing. someone's gotta keep the country running. i thank you, and the state budget thanks you.

Funemployment, Day Fifty Five: Here Goes Nuthin'...

today i'm meeting for lunch with a friend of a friend* in programming at fox. i'm not sure if he has an actual job open (who the hell does these days? open jobs are the new urban legends) or if it's more of an informational interview. but either way i'm excited to at least get a foot in the door and hopefully lay the groundwork for a job there in the future.

the more i think about working at fox the more excited i get about it: 24, house, family guy, the simpsons, and as i realized when we had to postpone because of the NFL playoffs, sports! it really would be amazing to work with some of my fave shows and on grown up shows, no less! not that there's anything *wrong* with making a career of pandering to tweens with stunts concocted by squares who think "totally" is still a hep new buzzword...but i digress.

so i'll let you know what happens and if i'll be delivered from funemployment anytime soon. probably not, but at least i'll get a free lunch. wish me luck!

*mcgahey, i'm using my first paycheck to buy you drinks for this one! :)

Funemployment, Day Fifty Four: Addendum

after i posted about my favorite* job sites a few days ago i got even more suggestions from friends about sites they, or people they know have had luck with. so in hopes that some of you out there will get lucky with these here are a few more to try:

indeed.com--sort of a clearinghouse search engine of multiple job sites based on your criteria. thanks, deb!

hollywoodnexus.com--jobs, news and events for the industry and its fans. thanks, andre!

ed2010.com/jobs/whisperjobs--a journalism site that posts jobs they hear about word of mouth from their insider connections. most are based in nyc but there are a few in l.a. and freelance nonspecific.

and of course, craigslist! i spend too much time trolling the "missed connections" section, wondering if anyone saw me from across a crowded room that i forgot there are actually job postings on there!

so again, happy hunting and if you do get hired, please make sure they have room for me too. ;)

*and by "favorite" of course i mean "they tease me daily with empty promises of gainful employment so i email and i email and wait by my inbox for hours on end, hoping that maybe--just maybe--today will be the day they'll call but every day it's all for naught and yet i'll willingly endure the torture day after day after day".

Funemployment, Day Fifty Three: Shear Funemployment

good news, funemployed people! we now have yet another reason to love mondays besides not having to go back to work--free haircuts!

my mom sent me this breaking news from the l.a. times today:
Sit Still Ongoing: Irish-born owner Zac Jenkinson, who cuts the tresses of Coldplay, gives back to the city that welcomed him. On Mondays, people who are between jobs can get a free shampoo and haircut (regular price, $100) and half-price blowout ($22); validation of unemployment or termination may be required. Major credit cards accepted. Appointments are advised.
255 Main St., Venice. (310) 314-2665. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

(she then sent me a follow-up email referring to coldplay, "whoever that is") :)

this kind of charitable gesture makes me simultaneously happy and terrified. happy that there are good (and business-savvy) people out there who'll do this for us funemployed. but also terrified that there are that many freakin' people out there in the same situation that it's worth their while to comp the cut and just make the tips, etc.

i'm not due for a haircut for a few weeks but with the unemployment rate as high as it is i'd better make my appointment now or i'll look like rapunzel before i ever get in. or i could make some plans on a monday night that require a blowout...anyone wanna invite me somewhere fabulous???

Funemployment, Day Fifty Two: Luck be a Lady?

according to my horoscope, today is my luckiest day of the year. like, crazy, dollars falling from the sky, meet george clooney the day he decides to settle down, lucky. but so far my luck has included making it through kickboxing, not ruining my laundry and two great naps.

but in the wake of more layoff news and of playboy shuttering the new york office (R.I.P. vargas pinups, office wetbars and lots and lots of boobs) i've realized today is the day i put my can't-fail funemployment plan into action: the lottery.

no, not the shirley jackson kind. (although it would trim down the unemployment line, reduce the state deficit and my competition for jobs. i'm just saying...) no, i'm talking the california state kind which could cure me of all my funemployed job-hunting woes.

i've never played before but i did know someone who almost won big (one of my work study supervisors at the NYU library played the same numbers religiously and if she had just switched her last two numbers one week, she would have won it all). so if anyone has suggestions for the best tickets (they're all very colorful and confusing) or a number-picking strategy gimme a shout. i'll share some* of my winnings with you if i hit the jackpot!
*"some" = "none"

and hey, if my can't-fail plan fails, there's always professional bingo.

Funemployment, Day Fifty One: Shhh! Be Vewwwy Qwiet...I'm Hunting Jobs!

according to mediabistro's fishbowl LA, california's unemployment rate has hit 9.9%, worse than the rest of the country.
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA/in_n_out/los_angeles_unemployment_rate_hits_99_106758.asp

not that any of us who turn on the internet or a radio or pick up a newspaper (i'm sure there's one of you out there) need reminding of this, since every day brings news of more layoffs. and unfortunately more than a few of my friends have become funemployed along with me (but haven't yet gotten to the "fun" part). and since i got a head start on the unemployment line i've been asked about recommendations for job sites so i thought i'd list them in case they're of use to anyone else.*

my top three are:
http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/
the site overall is a great source for media news, events, classes, etc. and the job listings are always quality (no work-from-home-and-make-millions listings here!)

http://thebiz.variety.com/
this is variety's job site that's trying to morph into a networking site too. they had a great listing the other day for a director of programming for disney channel--i think i'll go for it!! ;)

http://www.showbizjobs.com/dsp_jobsearch.cfm
my friend andy got his new job on this site, and in this economy that's a ringing endorsement!

i'm also on about a million other sites, some listed below. please enjoy, good luck and happy hunting. and of course, feel free to let me know if you stumble across something i might have a shot at!

http://www.entertainmentcareers.net/
http://www.careerbuilder.com/
http://www.job.com/
http://marketing.theladders.com/
http://www.juju.com/

*i will CUT YOU if you apply for the jobs i want.

Funemployment, Day Fifty: Discount Dining!

one of the few upsides to this sadistic economy is that bargains abound! i've already talked about the good happy hour deals but since even *my* liver needs a break every so often (can you believe i'll be drinking club sodas tonight?) it's time to turn to food bargains.

and lucky for us los angelenos next week is LA Restaurant Week! i'd totally forgotten about it until yesterday, when mom and i plundered fashion island for free makeup courtesy of a class actions settlement with cosmetic manufacturers. we had lunch at McG's restaurant, A Restaurant, the reincarnation of The Arches in newport which is having their restaurant week this week. so i thought i'd check out la's and see what kinds of deals are out there.

it's actually restaurant weekS, as it goes from Jan 25-30 and Feb 1-6. and i am going to be so damn fat in february i'll need TWO valentine's! there are some amazing restaurants offering lunches and dinners for $16-$44 depending on how fancy schmancy they are. so if you need to find me for the next two weeks i suggest working your way down the list below. bon apetit!
http://dinela.com/restaurantweek

Cube
The Foundry
BLT
Drago
Citrus
NineThirty
Dakota

Today was another free funemployment

Today was another free funemployment score-free makeup! Thanks to a class action settlement mom and I scored free moisturizers. Thanks macy's!

Funemployment, Day Forty Eight: Yes We Did!

wow. today was another day i was so happy to be funemployed. i was able to watch a good few hours of the inauguration, unencumbered by a pesky "job". so inspiring, so amazing, and so calorie-burning, as a few of us watched at least an hour on the stationary bikes at the gym*. i seriously got chills when the whole gym gave obama a standing ovation when he was sworn in.

so here's hoping that ambitious change he promises is on the way and soon. or at least the economic change so i can get back to work. and i'm sure the 800 people laid off at warner brothers today agree with me.

*side note, new fave song: air and simple gifts. how amazing is john williams? star wars, indiana jones and now presidential inauguration. he does not suck.

So I actually would have

So I actually would have liked to see the disney inaugural concert go down. I'm damn glad I didn't have to deal with the logistics of it but...:)

In todays's installment of funemployment

In todays's installment of funemployment we're gonna talk about fries. Why? Because kris thinks there should be a blog about fries. Happy now? ;)

Funemployment, Day Forty Five: Director is the new Manager

so i woke up this morning and sifted through my 27 daily job listing emails, and saw one job description that sounded oddly familiar: Director of Program Planning for Disney Channel.

yep, most of this is exactly what i was doing as a lowly manager. so apparently when you do that and you're on my boss' good side you're a director. when you do it and you're on her bad side, you're funemployed.

JOB SUMMARY
The Director of Program Planning handles day to day oversight of the Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney Program Planning and Program Scheduling departments including decision making, plus managing people and processes. This Director reports to the Executive Director of Program Planning, Scheduling & Acquisitions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy:
Oversee the development and implementation of programming strategies (both long-form and short form) for Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, ABC Kids blocks; Lead internal “work session/brainstorming” meetings for Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney programming; Oversee stunting/event strategies for all three kids programming blocks

General Management:
Supervise two program planning employees and one program scheduling employee on a day-to-day basis to help with implementation of program strategies and tactics; Liaise with internal departments such as Development, On-Air Promotions Production, Marketing, Digital Media and Brand Management to generate cohesive programming plans; Work closely with Director of Multi-Platform Programming to help ensure premiere dates work for content windowing and with Sr. Manager of Programming for Disney XD to help ensure balance between the platforms

Financial:
Work closely with Ad Sales and Research departments to ensure financial success of DC program sponsorship

Funemployment, Day Forty Four: Free Money!

so for a long time now i've known that my gym was great for working out and d-list celeb sightings. but today i also found out it's making me money! i paid my parking ticket, put my 50 cents in the machine, and it gave me BACK 75 cents! woo hoo!

of course that 25 cent profit doesn't QUITE make up for the monthly dues but i figure if this keeps up for the next 10 days i can get my double espresso at caffe primo!

hey, gimme a break--in this economy i'll take what i can get! :)

Funemployment, Day Forty Three: Almost Paradise

courtesy of bean (via alex) and jermaine, i'd like to tell you about my new job. well, it's not "mine" yet but if i don't get it i'll die a thousand deaths and will bludgeon myself to death with my storm.

i will be emily: island caretaker.
http://www.islandreefjob.com/en/#/home

The Best Job in the World – Island Caretaker Great Barrier Reef
About the job
Tourism Queensland is seeking applicants for the best job in the world! The role of Island
Caretaker is a six-month contract, based on luxurious Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier
Reef. It’s a live-in position with flexible working hours and key responsibilities include
exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef to discover what the area has to offer.
You’ll be required to report back on your adventures to Tourism Queensland
headquarters in Brisbane (and the rest of the world) via weekly blogs, photo diary, video
updates and ongoing media interviews. On offer is a unique opportunity to help promote
the wondrous Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.
Other duties may include (but are not limited to)
Feed the fish - There are over 1,500 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t
worry – you won’t need to feed them all.
Clean the pool - The pool has an automatic filter, but if you happen to see a stray leaf
floating on the surface it’s a great excuse to dive in and enjoy a few laps.
Collect the mail – During your explorations, why not join the aerial postal service for a
day? It’s a great opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the reef and islands.
About the job package
Living above the Great Barrier Reef is a pretty unique benefit, but the successful
candidate will also be paid a salary package of AUD $150,000 for the six-month contract.
You’ll receive return airfares from your nearest capital city (in your home country),
accommodation and transport on Hamilton Island, travel insurance for the contract period,
computer, internet, digital video and stills cameras access, plus travel to a number of the
other Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. The six-month contract commences 1st July
2009.
About the location
Stretching for 2,600 kilometres, and composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900
islands, the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia is the world’s largest coral reef
system. The World Heritage Listed area supports a diversity of wildlife including whales,
dolphins, sea turtles and more than 1,500 species of fish. The reef is an extremely
popular destination for tourists, sustainably managing approximately 2 million visitors
each year.
Education/Experience Requirements:
A broad range of experience will be considered, but the successful applicant should
posses:
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills
- Good written and verbal English skills
- An adventurous attitude
- Willingness to try new things
- A passion for the outdoors
- Good swimming skills and enthusiasm for snorkelling and/or diving
- Ability to engage with others
- At least one year’s relevant experience
How to apply:
Want the best job in the world? If you enjoy new experiences and you can spare six
months to enjoy life above the Great Barrier Reef, you’re already in with a good chance.
It’s easy to apply.
Step 1: Create a video application (in English and in 60 seconds or less) telling us why
you’re the best person for the job and demonstrating your knowledge of the Islands of the
Great Barrier Reef.
Step 2: Fill out a brief application form and upload your video to www.islandreefjob.com.
Applications close 11.59pm UTC 22nd February 2009
Applications open on 2.00pm UTC 9th January and close 11.59pm UTC 22nd February
2009.