No one tells you how lonely unemployment can be. I don’t think I noticed before because Cindy’s work hours used to be more flexible. Since she started her new job a few months ago and has started working 9-5 hours, my days have become increasingly isolated.

Even though I didn’t make many lasting friendships at my last job, they were a part of my life that I didn’t notice until it was gone. They were the ones who I talked about sports with or what movies I may have seen that weekend. I had a coworker who had similar music tastes as me and we’d talk about new albums or shows going on around Los Angeles. There was a Red Sox fan who I sought out whenever the Yankees beat them. He was also a Cowboys fan so I even got to rub it in during the football season. Sometimes, there would be a Lakers game on in the kitchen TV and we would find excuses to congregate there. When I finally got laid off, one of the first things that pissed me off is that I wouldn’t be able to go into work after the Giants won the Super Bowl and talk shit.

When Cindy goes to work in the morning, there are days where I don’t speak again until she gets home. When I do have conversations, it’s either people calling me about jobs I applied to or calling vendors about the wedding. Sometimes, one of the guys at the gym will throw an acknowledgement my way but it’s usually in reference to a sports jersey I’m wearing or a funny t-shirt I have on. I still have instant messages with my friends throughout the day but it’s not the same. Plus, odds are those people are busy¹. They have jobs.

I really shouldn’t complain though. I’m not much of a conversationalist these days anyway. The only things I have to talk about are wedding planning or being unemployed. Maybe it’s best that I have no one to talk to throughout the day. I don’t have much to say.

^{1. I know. I know. I’m annoying. I apologize.}

I was never much of a dater (surprise surprise) but I’m noticing that looking for a job has become like looking for a new girlfriend. Everything I hated about being single is now haunting me in my unemployment.

E-Hireme: Before when you were looking for jobs, you would write a cover letter to an HR person with your resume attached. Now there are all these detailed, annoying online applications that take like 15-20 minutes to fill out. It’s like registering for a string of online dating services. You have to recreate your resume over and over again (plus attach your resume – why both?) and you just feel like it’s going into a void never to be looked at.

Hook Me Up?: Everyone you know who has a job at a company you want to work at becomes that friend who has a cute friend you want to be introduced to. It’s awkward especially when they don’t think you two would actually make a good match.

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It’s been over a month since I lost my job.  It’s funny.  I wondered how long it would take me to go from “hopeful that I will find a great opportunity” to “desperate for anything.” The answer is: about a month.

Every weekday afternoon, I load up all the job search sites on my browser.  I open new tabs for every job I’m interested or think I am relatively qualified for.  Then, after I read through the qualifications, I apply to the ones I think my skills and interest match up best with. I’ve applied to over 30 jobs so far.  Those 30 or so resumes have resulted in three in-person interviews and one phone interview.  That’s a pretty shitty average. If I was a baseball player, I’d be on the bench or out of the league altogether which, I guess, is how I feel.

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