Day Nineteen: Unemployment

I had my interview today...

And I GOT THE JOB! There is a slight increase in pay from my previous position and I get 20 days of vacation! 20 days! I was nervous that I wouldn't find vacation time comparable to my previous company where I had 24, but 20 is awesome. And I get an additional day for every year that I'm there. Definitely, very exciting. I start after the big day part 2. :)

Yay! Yay! Yay!

So, what happens to my unemployment posts? Do they only stop once I start work or do they end now? Hmm... do I still fill out stuff to get unemployment in the mean time? Hmm... I mean, I am not technically making any money until probably the end of September.

Anyway... Yay! Yay! Yay!

Day Eighteen: Unemployment

More interview prep :) I had to fill out an application for the company. Fun times. Since they work with government contracts, all the compliancy stuff is VERY important. Fascinating...

Day Seventeen: Unemployment

I'm not counting Monday, since it was Labor Day. I did have a pretty great weekend though. BBQ and games (I highly recommend Partini btw) on Sunday and then the VA Tech vs. Boise State game on Monday. I got the tickets through groupon. They were for the party deck on the club level. The club level was pretty spectacular. No lines for the ladies room or concession stand. It was also air conditioned and had great lounge area with couches and plenty of tvs. I thought the party deck was going to be crowded since it was standing room only, but it turned out to be really spacious. We left after the 3rd quarter, (while Tech was still winning...) so that we could avoid the crowds and traffic. Unfortunately, they lost. :( I still had a lot of fun at the game though. The last time I went to a game was almost 5 years ago, so it felt good to be there.

On Tuesday, I received a call from a company for a recruiting assistant position. I had emailed my resume to on August 23rd. I set up an interview for Thursday. I started reading up about the company on their website and did a little interview prep.

J got off work early because he is going out of town. I went with him to pick-up his rental car and we stopped for a quick lunch. After that we took Wegman to the pool. Weggie mostly hung out in the baby pool area, until he learned that there was a treat table. He took a number of opportunities to run to the treat table and we'd have to drag him back. His gf Abbey was along for the adventure as well.

Day Sixteen: Unemployment

I had a lot of random appointments scheduled today - mostly big day part 2 related. I also got materials together for substitute teaching.

Day Fifteen: Unemployment

I got my severance and vacation time payout today. It's kind of sad because it means I won't be getting anymore paychecks. At least I'm used to living on the cheap (2004-2006).

I paid my speeding ticket today as well. Hopefully there will be no more stupid moves like that on my part. I hate throwing money down the drain like that.

Day Fourteen: Unemployment

I'm not sure where the day went, but I had the loveliest evening! I bought tickets via groupon for "The Sound of Music" at Wolf Trap about a month ago. The day prior, I was actually dreading going to the musical because of the heat. We got there around 6:30 and by 7:30 it had cooled off a lot and the show was wonderful. I love musicals. I watched either "The Sound of Music," "Annie," or "The Wizard of Oz" every weekend as a kid.

Wolf Trap is also such a great setting. It's so peaceful and I love that I could bring in my own food for the lawn seating. We stopped at Vienna Inn and picked up hotdogs. *sigh* An evening doesn't get much more perfect than that. :)

Day Thirteen: Unemployment

Today was VERY productive. A lot of things were checked off my to-do list such as going to the post office, getting my oil changed and going to wal-mart. No update on the job front, but I'm getting my application materials together so that I can substitute teach for the county.

Day Twelve: Unemployment

A very productive Monday, if I do say so myself. I applied to two jobs, made some phone calls. My to-do list grows pretty fast these days. On Monday, I had to go to my old apartment in Silver Spring, because I accidentally had something sent there from Amazon. Oops... Luckily, it was still there and I was able to have dinner with P, her boyfriend, and my brother that evening.

Day Eleven: Unemployment

I had my interview with the Literacy Lab today. Not surprisingly, I was offered a position. Of course there are still some administrative details that have to be taken care of - background check, TB test...

There was a time when I wanted to be a reading specialist and this job falls right into that job description and the time commitment is nice because I can still continue with the job search.

J got off work early and we went to National Harbor for a Segway tour that we had purchased on Groupon. Segways are awesome. The National Harbor is not. We had dinner at place called Grace's Mandarin. It was awful. I wrote a review for it on Yelp because I don't want anyone else to get tricked into going there.

Day Ten: Unemployment

I had planned to go to the Social Security Office and DMV today, but that didn't happen.

I met up with J near his work to have lunch together. We ate at Johnny's New York Style pizza which was quite wonderful. We shared a slice of steak and cheese, a slice of chicken alla vodka, and a jumbo slice of cheese. It was my first time there, so I had to have a little bit of everything. We had planned to also split a Gold Rush sandwich at Roy Roger's but I just couldn't get enough pizza. After lunch, we went to Baskin Robbins and I had a scoop of pistachio almond and a scoop of world class chocolate. It was a rather glutinous afternoon for me and not much was done on the job front.

Day Nine: Unemployment

I accomplished everything that was on my to-do list. Of course there are still plenty of other things to take care of... and of course jobs to apply to.

name changer

So, I have decided to put the name change on hold, indefinitely. I don't mind going by Mrs. J socially, but something doesn't sit right with being Mrs. J professionally (regardless of whether I have a job or not!). I feel like if I were to take on a new last name, it would be erasing a part of my identity. With a name like HT, I don't think many would confuse me with Suzie Whitebread, but I feel if I changed my name, the marriage would be defining me as a person.

J doesn't think this makes any sense and thinks that as a family we should have the same last name. I want our children to have his last name and I want to be recognized as Mrs. J when it comes to J and kids (when and if they come). It's just that at work and on my resume, I want to be the same HT that I've been for the past 28 years.

Anyway, this has put my visit to the social security office on hold. I still need to visit the DMV though because I need to update my address. With all this unemployed time on my hands, it is really a great time to knock this out...

Day Eight: Unemployment

Vacuumed the living room. I think that's about it.

I accompanied E to trapeze school. I had purchased a gift certificate for her about two years ago for her birthday and she finally got around to using it.

To Do List: Wednesday, August, 25
- Upload Trapeze photos
- Meet K to scope out make-up for big day part 2
- Donate dog food to Humane Society or Hart 90 (it made Wegman sick, though it did have good reviews)
- Go to Giant for groceries

I also got my info back from the VA Unemployment Office. I can claim benefits for 25 weeks. I will probably put in my first claim next month, since I'm getting severance pay and my vacation payout soon (September 5th?)

Day Seven: Unemployment

I applied to about five jobs this morning. I think the most exciting one was with Rosetta Stone. The position involved working with test panels. It would be neat to do something like that. Definitely brings me back to the days of student experiments back in college. Fun times.

I got contacted back by a tutoring group called the Literacy Lab. I am going to interview with them on Friday. I used to tutor a 6th grade girl in reading/writing and it was enjoyable. I think that kind of thing comes naturally to me, but is it going to pay the bills?

I also went to Wegman's for some groceries in the morning. E came over to hang out for the evening. I made turkey meatloaf and some potatoes for dinner. Rather uneventful evening. One of my new favorite shows is "Too Fat for 15." I really want to write letters to the kids on the show and let them know what a great job they are doing and to encourage them to keep up the good work.

Got through the jive on Cardio Ballroom, but found the Paso waaaay too complicated, so I quit about 15 seconds into it. It was a good workout though.

I decided that I should go ahead and tackle the whole name change game this week at the social security office and dmv, especially since J has to put me on his insurance now. I figure I can use my maiden name as a middle name since I don't have a middle name. It is still really awkward to go by a different last name though. Ehh... do I really want to change it?

Day Six: Unemployment

I didn't write an entry for yesterday, but at this point, I have completed everything from my to-do list from Wednesday, well... at least given an attempt. Here are the things that I've learned. You can only send an email 30+ days into the future, no less! Also, Cardio Ballroom kicked my butt. I only made it part way through the jive.

Time to create/re-evaluate some goals! More to come later!

Day Five: Unemployment

Finished painting the bathroom today. Not sure how it looks... the only reason that yellow was the decided color was because the floor tile is yellow. Would white have been better? The walls were so banged up from the wallpaper removal process, that the sponge effect was really attempt to mask the damage. I don't even want to take down the painters tape because I'm wondering whether I need to slap some more paint on there.

I went to the pool today! Second time of the summer. I haven't even been to a beach this entire summer (unless you count the dog beach... which was an awful experience.) Ridiculous. Where did the summer go? The heat was oppressive, so I think I spent as much time indoors as possible.

Looked into unemployment. I think I am signed up for it. I have to provide information for two jobs that I applied to per week. I guess I am supposed to get a letter in the mail soon detailing how much I am eligible for each week. I also frittered around with job searching. I know I checked out a bunch via Virginia Workforce Connection, USA Jobs, Idealist.org, and the Washington Post. I'm not sure how many, if any, I successfully applied to. On one of the websites it lists out all these skills based on the different positions that I've held. It's an impressive list of skills well over 100. Where do I channel all this talent?!?! How could I possibly do so with just one job? Ha...

I was really irritable today. Perhaps from sitting at the computer for hours and not getting anywhere or maybe it was the incessant barking of Wegman. *sigh*

One more day until the weekend. Yes, us unemployed still need weekends off, thankyouverymuch!

Day Four: Unemployment

I got up early and applied to one job.

The rest of the day I spent downloading songs via dirpy.com. Love it!

It was kind of rainy and yuck out, so I had a nap. Later on, E came over and we chatted and hung out. I made some easy chicken pot pie for dinner.

Every day I try to make a list of things to do the next day, usually only half of them get done but small victories add up, right? My list for tomorrow is already quite extensive and I have lots of random projects as well, such as sorting through old boxes and scrapbooking. I also got a new workout DVD - Dance with Julianne, Cardio Ballroom. Hopefully I will get to that tomorrow! Though, I also have high hopes to get to the pool.

To Do: 08/19
- Paint Bathroom
- Check into Unemployment
- Try out futureme.org (make sure it works) E and I wrote letters to each other a few years ago for us to receive when we're 30, as that draws near (YIKES!) we want to make sure it will work!
- Collect quarters (for parking meters)
- Cardio Ballroom

Day Three: Unemployment

I had quite a few errands to run this morning.
- Dentist for two fillings (Hello! Gotta take advantage of the dental insurance while I still have it!)
- Bank to deposit checks
- Petco for food, treats and a toy for Wegman
- Affectionate Pet Care to drop off check for the dogwalker
- Vet to pick up my ball-less puppy


It was nice to have done so much so early in the day, however, I lacked motivation for the rest of the day. I hung out with one of my friends that essentially works a graveyard shift at USA Today.

P sent me some job postings. I'll get to those tomorrow.

Day Two: Unemployment

After a weekend of doing not a whole lot, with the in-laws, I wanted to focus on applying to some jobs. I applied for a few at the nearby university, one through one of my old employers, and a few more through the county. I'm looking into the areas of education and administrative work, mostly because I think that's all I'm really qualified for.

I had a breakdown on Friday because it really feels as if I'm not qualified to do any job. Reading job posts can be very defeating.

Also, first thing that morning, I had to take Wegman to the vet so that he could be neutered. It was kind of sad, but we don't really need our puppy having puppies of his own. He stayed overnight at the vet so that they could monitor him post-surgery.

J and I took advantage of a guilt-free night off and went to a quick dance lesson. It was fun, but not something that I would pay hundreds of dollars to do, especially since I'm unemployed. After the dance lesson, we went to dinner. We've been married for a month now, but he was out of town for work for about 3/4 of it.

Day One: Unemployment

It's lovely to have Friday off, no? Yeah, it's kind of different when you're unemployed. I sat at the computer for a little while looking for jobs and such, but I am not certain that I applied for anything. I did apply to one or two positions with the county the day before though, I believe. I'd like to work somewhere close to home, and maybe get back to working with kids again, maybe juvenile delinquents. I remember enjoying my time with them.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning and preparing for a weekend visit from the in-laws. Yes, in-laws. I'm officially married now! Crazy, eh? J and I went to Charlottesville last month and got married with our parents and his brother there as witnesses. It was a lovely time and it takes the pressure off the slightly larger ceremony in September. So, in the midst of this unemployment, I'm still making preparations for a wedding!