Faute de Mieux

I think unemployment disagrees with me. Not just the broke part, but also the lack of structure part. I've been rather anti-social. Perhaps people have wondered what I have been up to, whether I have fallen off the face of the earth or simply been sucked into the vortex of daytime television. Neither. I've been applying for jobs, going to the gym, reading a lot, and tormenting the cats.

It hasn't been all bad. I think I needed some time to decompress from five years of sitting in front of a computer every day. Hence my lack of posting and computer-related activities. I don't spend much more time than I have to at the computer, and I don't watch any daytime TV. I make dinner at home every night (healthy and economical), I'm in great shape, I've read about Influenza and the Plague (Next up: The Cosa Nostra and the IRS. See, I've got themes!), and the cats are now endearingly neurotic.

On the job front, I have received interested phone calls from three of four places in Orange County, which would be great if I weren't categorically unwilling to make that drive. At first, it was hard for me to admit it, but I am not a very good driver. I am easily distracted, and I tend to get sleepy on long drives - even when I'm the one doing the driving! Fortunately, I have a hearty instinct for self-preservation. No long drives for me! Which is why the calls from beyond the Orange Curtain have been so frustrating. I specified "Los Angeles" and "unwilling to relocate" in my Monster.com profile - Why must they torment me so? Also, someone from CalTech called me to tell me how bored I'd be with the job I had applied for. It's strange to have someone call you only to tell you that you don't want the job.

Things are looking up, though, as I've had some interest from local companies looking for contract work, and from a firm downtown that is hiring for a permanent position. After the Huntington's disappointing lack of interest, I know better than to get my hopes up, but I'll still keep my fingers crossed.

Now, it is a lovely day outside, and seventy-five degrees. It's the sort of day that would have made me shut my blinds at GNP so I wouldn't spend the whole day wishing I were outside. The upside of unemployment is, now that I've put in my time on the job search, I can go outside and get a little sunshine while I run my errands.

One of the good things about being unemployed is that last week I was around to hang out with my little sister while she was on spring break. I helped her with a school science project (left) on DNA. The assignment called for a model of the double-helix, but the pimped-out gold pedastal was our own idea. We went ice skating and played video games. I got my ass whupped in Samurai Warriors. We debated whether or not 50 Cent hit the juice to get pumped for the cover of his new album "The Massacre". I say yes, my sister says "No, he's just swole." Also, we saw "The Ring Two" which wasn't very scary, but can claim the title of Scariest.CG.Deer.Ever!

Jared's job took everyone on a cruise to Ensenada. It was fun. The ship was huge, and I was enthralled by the "About the Engines" video that was running on a loop on one of the ship's TV channels. I learned about the massive diesel generators that power the ship, the rotating "azipods" that both propel and steer the ship, and the sophisticated stabilizer system that reduced the rocking of the ship. I was amazed at such a miracle of modern engineering, and at the copious amounts of alcohol available on said miracle of modern engineering. Despite the ship's sophisticated hydraulic stabilizer system, drunkenness and seasickness are still an unpleasant combination. Not for me, I don't get seasick.

This picture is from Brian Ramsey's birthday party. It was a ton of fun, and the last party I've been to where people actually danced (Thanks Olga!). Thanks Val!

Mike was right. I have become the hobo blogger. So here are some of the things I promised to post back in December. This is our cat Jack. He's not the smart one, or the cute one - that's Meg. But we love him anyway. As you can see, he's grown a lot since November. He weighs more than 10 pounds, and he still likes to sit on my shoulders and attack my hair.