Unemployment Part One

I must confess that I am no expert at what it feels like to be unemployed long-term. It has been two weeks of “real” unemployment but thanks to a good friend I’m currently living rent-free and by no means destitute. That said, if I’m feeling “like this” then I can’t begin to imagine what people facing long-term unemployment must feel like.

I’ve applied for nine jobs this week and only heard back from one - a rejection. The other eight are still “considering,” I guess. Still, you can’t spend all day scouring the net for jobs. There simply aren’t that many to look for. So then, what do you do with your time?

I think the clearest sign of being unemployed is a far more regular presence on Facebook. I’m linking articles, I’m commenting, I’m just browsing around...basically, I’m using the veil of “keeping in touch” to spend an exorbitant amount of time on Facebook. You are welcome for all the amazing articles and photos. Also, I just had an enormously long political debate over health care with a Republican I don’t know on a mutual friend’s wall. Yes, that happened.

Then there’s maintaining the house. Yes, this can in fact take hours on end. Dishes, laundry, dry cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, and so on. Often times I wonder how people actually have time for regular work.



Finally, there’s Absolutely Fabulous. A British sitcom, I’ve now watched all five six-episode seasons and I’ve been in Australia for less than three weeks. I don’t know how it happens, but there’s an episode during breakfast and another whilst I’m cooking dinner. Maybe one just before bed. Before you know it, you’ve watched the whole season. “Cheers, thanks a lot.”

While it was “fun” the first two weeks, now I’m just getting a bit bored and wondering how people sustain this feeling for months on end. More on this topic until I get a job, because it’s pretty darn interesting.

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Kyle Taylor