Tackling the To-Do List
I plan to continue the Disney thread in a bit (in fact, it's item #1 on my to-do list), but before I do I wanted to elaborate on a tweet I just made:
Why does unemployment = being busier than ever? Maybe because I'm trying to tackle my to-do list instead of treating it as a lost cause.
WWLoriHC Thu 25 Jun 10:41 via TweetDeck
My to-do list is lengthy. It includes things that I often got to while I was working, such as uploading photos to Flickr (*taking* photos isn't on the list because TRY AND STOP ME) and, less often, blogging, as well as things that Al and I would occasionally schedule in an attempt to knock them off, such as cleaning out a closet, doing household chores, or posting an item on freecycle or craigslist.
It's the items I never really had any hope of getting to, however, that are overwhelming me now—because on becoming unemployed, I had the illusion that YES! Now I'll finally be able to [insert long-languishing to-do item here]. (Suddenly the Beaner's Mad Libs Jr. books, with their lists of suggested nouns, verbs, and adjectives, come to mind.)
Of course, as anyone who's ever looked for a job before knows, it can be, if not a full-time gig in itself, at least a part-time one. That leaves between 10 and 20 hours a week for Flickr, blogging, reading blogs/news/Twitter, and the rest of the to-do list. I'm trying not to find the list so daunting as to write it off as a lost cause again, and I'm also trying not to be overambitious. One item at a time.
At the risk of not just seeming, but actually being, dorky, I'm going to publish my to-do list in the sidebar. I'm hoping it will encourage me to cross things off. (I won't include the things I usually get to daily or weekly, but rather the things I've been meaning to get to for weeks or months.)
Once I've done that, I'll get to the Disney post... and then one of the items on the list.
Eastern State Penitentiary
I've got a bunch of half-written posts in "draft" status, including the next installment of the Disney trip (yes, a MONTH later), but I'm going to post a few random small things rather than letting the longer posts clog up the pipe.
This post is to note that I finally finished posting the digital photos I took at Eastern State Penitentiary a couple weeks ago (film shots to be added to the set once I finish the rolls and get them developed). I *loved* photographing that place, and I'm already plotting my return. I'm debating whether to bring Al, to organize an outing with one or more local photographer, or to go alone again; part of me wants to share the place with others, and part of me is thrilled at the prospect of spending another 4 hours without speaking. There was something very special and almost spiritual about that quiet time.
Re-Entry
I ended up in my archives just now, I think as the result of a Google search (that is, I searched for something, and one of my archive pages was among the results, and I started reading), and it reminded me that I hadn't written here in a while. I think my favorite thing about this blog isn't so much the brilliantly funny posts (probably because there aren't many, though I do have a snort-inducer once in a while), but rather the record of my life that it provides. I love going back and seeing what I was thinking and doing during a particular period—I was going to say, "especially since the Beaner was born," but I realize the posts that don't mention the Beaner at all are just as significant to me. (I think Al prefers the Beaner posts, as it's so easy to forget what each age was like.)
Part of the reason I haven't written much here lately is that I started a paper Unemployment Journal a couple months ago, wherein I have jotted notes and sketches about what I'm doing and learning while unemployed. The other big reason is the same reason I started the paper journal: namely, I'm out *doing things* instead of just sitting in front of the computer all day. I can take the paper journal with me, whereas I'm making a concerted effort these days to leave my laptop plugged in at my desk.
My Flickr stream is probably a more accurate record of what I'm up to these days than this blog (has been), which is why I referred my mom to it the other day. Here's a summary of what you'll find there:
I've been golfing a couple times a week (usually playing 9 holes, sometimes going to the driving range or playing 18) for about a month now, and I'm totally hooked. Playing in the morning leaves time for OpenAjax work, job hunting, house cleaning, and meetings in the afternoon, but sadly I don't think I'll be able to work it into a regular 9-5 schedule when I go back to work. Or maybe I'll find a job where I can golf one morning a week—who knows?
After a couple months of silence, suddenly I'm interviewing again. I'm negotiating a contract(-to-hire) position at the moment, and I've had three other phone interviews in the past week (including the one I was waiting for in the photo on the right). It's an interesting time on the career front.
A couple weeks ago I went out to San Francisco to visit Winsha and Kristin. It was a marvelous four days of catching up and hanging out, of enjoying unemployment and being reminded of how much fun work can be.
Next week the Beaner starts phase-in at school, and Wednesday of last week Shawna needed the day off, so I took the opportunity to spend three whole days with my kid. On Wednesday we took the bus up to NYC to visit his cousin, and on Thursday we drove down to Washington, DC to spend a long weekend and see the sights. On Friday we met up with Sarah and the Goon Squad and visited the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. Laurie came too!
While in DC on Thursday, I noticed that a William Eggleston exhibit was at the Corcoran. The Beaner wasn't interested in seeing it, and we didn't have enough time on our meter anyway, so I walked away disappointed. Al came down to meet us at his in-laws' place in Northern Virginia on Saturday, however, and we stopped at the Corcoran on our way home together on Sunday. This time I walked away inspired.
I'm not sure what this next week will bring (aside from the aforementioned school phase-in for the Beaner); it's definitely a turning point on the work front, and will either result in my going back to work very soon or extending my unemployment indefinitely. I'm still not sure which way it's going to go. More when I know.