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....