January 1st. New Year's Day. The time for new beginnings, new resolutions, new habits ... some say, the perfect time to wipe one's slate clean and start over.
Well, I'm starting over, all right. As of noon Friday, December 30th, I'm once again unemployed. The job search begins on Tuesday ... here's hoping it doesn't take thirteen months like it did the last time!
I've lost or left jobs before, of course. Who hasn't? But this time it feels different. Last time, I was grateful; I'd been hating the place (though not the work) and its management for years, and I was just sticking it out until the layoff I could see coming actually arrived (I needed the money, and here if you quit there's no EI to fall back on). I've left jobs in anger, in frustration, in disgust, or to go to better jobs. But this time ... I loved that job. I was very fond of the people I worked with, and got to be friends with a lot of nice customers. And damn it, I was good at what I did! This time ... I'm just really, really sad.
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Last night - New Year's Eve - was pretty quiet here at Chez Chaos. J was at work, so it was just the Big Guy and me. We watched television for a while, then he went outside to have a few beers and I curled up with one of my new movies. Eventually he came back in and remarked that it really didn't feel like a special day, and I had to agree. The whole neighbourhood was quiet all night - none of the usual gongs & whistles. Don't know if everyone was out partying, or what, but I sure did appreciate the peaceful evening!
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Today was a mix of the traditional (for us) - taking down the tree and packing up all the decorations - and the new - cleaning out the basement. We've made a pretty good start on it - the truck box is almost full enough to do a dump run, and my car is packed full of stuff to be dropped off at a local charity thrift shop. Now that we finally have room to work down there, the insulation and wallboard will go up this week, and with luck by next weekend we'll be putting up shelving. After that, I have a feeling the organizing part of the job will be almost all on me, but that's okay too. It'll give me something constructive to do besides sitting at the computer all day hunting down jobs and sending out resumes.
J has announced the intention of moving out at the end of January; apparently she has found not only two good (I hope) housemates, but a house for them to rent. I really hope it works out for her; she's always missed East Van and wanted to move back there. It will also mean she'll have a thirty-minute commute each way rather than the ninety minutes (and sometimes much more) she has to travel to work from here. And she's almost 27, so it's time to empty the darn nest already!
I have big plans for that room - it will become my new workroom/sewing & craft room/office/guest room. The day after she moves, I'll be in there cleaning and priming, and the next day I'll be painting. No more neon lime green - that will change to pale grey walls and a bright white light-reflecting ceiling. Since I'll be working with fabrics and yarn, I'll really need a very neutral background and a lot of good light.
This teeny-tiny room I'm currently in will become the Big Guy's den. He'll have a nice desk, a file cabinet of his own, good light to read by, television, bookshelves, and with luck enough space for that hideous old recliner presently (dis)gracing the living room. Maybe then all his assorted papers and junk will migrate permanently from the kitchen table, and we'll be able to sit there and eat together ... maybe ... a girl can dream, can't she?
The resolutions I made this time last year have served me well, so I'm sticking to them for this year:
1) I will work with what I have.
2) I will finish what I start.
3) I will step up my efforts to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
And I'm adding a fourth:
4) I will spend at least four hours every single day, Monday through Friday, looking for a new job.
And of course I'll continue to report my progress on all fronts!
New Year, new start? I certainly hope so!
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I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2012. May you accomplish everything you set out to do, and be pleased with the outcome of every choice you make.
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