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.