Refusing the urge to call myself “funemployed” took more energy than you might think. Truthfully I’m oscillating between feeling the most fulfilled I’ve ever felt in my life, to lying on the floor with no pants on, desperately wishing to fall asleep so I don’t have to be conscious for my next stress-induced panic attack.
Since being laid off on April 12th, I’ve:
- Developed two board games and two card games, spending roughly 4 hours each day
- Written a Broncos-themed homage to Silent Hill
- Played 300ish hours of video games, including finishing Breath of the Wild: Crying Edition in its first 3 days of release
- Unpacked and organized all of my miniature painting supplies, then stared at them with hollow eyes for several hours without using them
- Reorganized the furniture throughout my house
- Read every single post that has made it to the top 100 of the front page of Reddit
- Applied for 25 jobs
- Attended two interviews
- Gained 30lbs
- Cancelled almost all of my recurring subscriptions. There were a lot!
- Gone outside twice, once to get my wife’s car new tires and once to go to the liquor store
- technically, I have been in my backyard a couple times to pull my dogs inside and have taken the trash to the curb once a week
- Cooked and eaten over 40 soft tacos
- Excluding one night of heavy drinking, less than 5 drinks total
This is a pitifully short list. I’m the guy that posted a bucket list over 200 items long, most of which consists of completely achievable creative projects, and I’d say that only about 20% of my time has been dedicated to creative pursuits. Thank god I’ve been working on those games or I’d have basically nothing to show for all the free time I’ve had. It’s amazing how little I’ve actually done with this time. I’ve fantasized about having unlimited time to work on my own projects, but the fantasies never include days where I wake up and immediately reject my own consciousness. There really are days when I just don’t want to exist at all. The other days are great, but oscillating randomly between the two states is exhausting.
I also thought I’d spend a lot more effort trying to lose weight. I’m eating decently well (read: not eating fast food or delivery regularly), but the gym is an evil room in my basement where the bad feelings live, so I haven’t been in there more than a couple times. I’m at the point in my life where my body is entering yikes mode so I really need to do something. I promised myself that if I didn’t get down to under 300lbs by my 32nd birthday, I’d start looking into weight loss surgery. I hadn’t considered that I might not have health insurance or a job on that birthday, but it’s looking increasingly more likely to be the case.
If anything, I should be writing more. I’m addicted to the game design process right now so it’s where my mind has gone whenever it feels creative, but I’m going to make an effort to get back to my keyboard some more. That said, my first physical edition of my first board game is out for delivery today, so I see myself spending a big chunk of time staring at it this afternoon and evening.
40 days unemployed. 6/10, will rate again if it lasts to 60.
“Unpacked and organized all of my miniature painting supplies”.
Does that mean supplies for painting miniature things or supplies that might be stored inside Horatio’s locker and used by his dwarf?
‘Free time’ is relative. I have no idea how I had time to work when I had a job. Yes, I enjoy the things that fill my time right now a lot more than I enjoyed work, but the time still flies by with lots left undone. I’ve been using a spreadsheet to keep myself organized, which helps, but I did also just move the internet-based chores I was going to do today over to tomorrow because I’m tired and they’re not urgent. But on other days I’ve gotten more than I planned done, so I know it averages out.
Wow, now that I’m thinking about it, it’s been about 6 months since I was laid off and I still kind of feel like I’m unwinding. Certainly don’t miss work even a little bit.
Baby steps Alex. Just do one thing each day and then try to build on that.
And 2 games and card games is fucking amazing.
And get that the video games have taken up a bunch of your time, enjoy as I don’t have that kind of time
Breaking News!:
Overheard my wife slagging her mother (my dreaded MIL, of course) to her younger sister in no uncertain terms. She’s come over to The Dark Side and I couldn’t be more proud.*
*she’s a no-nonsense person that had a blind spot to her manipulative tendencies. She’s ‘seen the light’.
/just to be clear, on her 70th birthday she announced to all the gathered family that she would shortly be moving into our house and that we would be taking care of her and paying all her bills
Maybe with my dad and MIL needing assisted living, can we look at a group rate for the three of them
After leaving her job as the administrator of an assisted living facility, this is exactly what wifey does now-matching client’s needs to services and inserting them into waiting lines for spots in homes. Thing is, it’s done on a regional basis.*
*Americans of a Certain Bent: “SEE? I TOLD YOU THAT THE CANADIAN SOCIALIST HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS A COMPLETE HELLSCAPE!!!”
Hey, now. Where else but MURIKA can you run the risk of being shot at school, work, or play at any time, AND get stuck with a hospital bill in the hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result?
As long we keep those drag queens away from kids and politicians, that is.
Sweet so she can get them a place. I hear Sudbury is wonderful this time of year. It’s almost FAR enough away
Gonna try to do you a solid and ask her if there are homes in Timmins, Cochrane, Hearst, Nipigon and Longlac. #fingerscrossed
I guess we can do the Sue/Sault if necessary
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May I suggest increasing your uptake of fresh veggies and fruits? It works.
I was laid off about 5 years ago. Took a couple of months to get a new gig. Just don’t give up.
“Good advice!”
I am rooting for you, Alex Demote.
Thank you, I am hanging in there. Got my board game prototype today so things are good
Have you had an attorney look into Social Security disability for your spinal injury?
More importantly do you have any pills for your spinal injury that you’re not currently using?
Not unless you ask me in private
No I haven’t, it was a spousal activity injury and it occurred 10 years ago so I’ve kinda just been livin with it
Did you say you lived in Northern Virginia? I heard that the sidewalk outside of Brett Kavanaugh’s house is awfully slippery, even during the summertime.
That’s about five times as much as I accomplished during the entirety of the COVID lockdown, so I certainly won’t be looking down my nose at you. But Horatio’s right – walk those dogs!
Oh. Saw your comment below. Um…take those dogs recumbent biking?
Hook the dogs up to the bike and have them pull it like a sled in the Iditarod. I see no way this ends badly.
Agreed. I see plenty of ways it ends hilariously, though.
Please record this when you do it
Seriously. I cleaned one of my bathrooms yesterday, and I wondered, “where is my fucking parade?”
“I had a previous engagement, seriously.”
-Under Dog Balloon
He was the best balloon ever! No one denies this!
Good boy!
Not sure it’s viable where you live, but just getting out and walking for an extended period of time can do a lot for weight loss.
I agree! I have a spinal injury that makes anything except swimming and recumbent cycling my only real options for exercise, as walking for extended periods can be pretty painful. Someday I will get surgery
Is there a gym nearby with a lap pool, or a pool offering aquatic exercise/therapy? I find I’m more motivated to get out and exercise if I’ve had to pay a monthly/annual fee. I’m a cheap bastard, and if I’ve got money committed I will damn well make use of whatever I paid for.
Swimming’s great exercise, though.
Right now we only have one functioning car, and we live out in the country. I need to get a new battery for my car first, then convince myself to drive a few towns over if I want to use a pool. Instead, I’m doing neither and complaining
I was going to recommend the same thing. In addition to the physical activity and calories burned, it’s excellent clear your head, think and plan time. If you have an interview that day, rehearse it in your head. If you have accumulated problems or tasks, plan a logical way to address them.
And just don’t quit. Never quit.
HI I’M MARK DAVIS AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIRE YOU TO COACH THE SECOND HALF OF THE RAIDERS GAMES!