Not unemployed

I know I shouldn't complain - but I'm gonna anyway.

So I got laid off... At first I was really busy - well after the hangover and witnessing the shooting in front of my apartment - tons of stuff to do after getting fired: unemployment office, dentist & doctor while I still had insurance, paperwork, blah, blah. It was strange, but ok. I was making myself get up at a reasonable hour and get dressed everyday. [not something I would do normally i.e. if on vacation] Then Easter came and I went to spend the holiday with my mother, who kept thinking of reasons to stay. I was there almost a week when I finally decided to check the home answering machine. Surprise - there was a message from a friend I used to work with - he had left a couple of years ago - he heard I was laid off and I needed to call him right away, he might have a job for me. This was pretty surprising. I really hadn't even started thinking about what kind of job I was going to look for, but I already knew that I wouldn't be staying in the same industry. When I told my mom about the message, she was surprised also. [Which I took badly. Why wouldn't someone I previously worked for want to give me a job?] Then I didn't call him back. Why? I dunno. I wasn't really sure I wanted a job doing the same thing I had been doing for the past 7.5 years. I also knew that if he really offered me something, I wouldn't be able to turn it down. He's a really good guy and I couldn't say no to him. Karma - I do think it is a real thing. Turning down a job that's thrown in my lap would guarantee that I would never find another job and I would end up bankrupt and selling Streetwise on some random corner.

Then he left another message.

So I called him back. Yes, he had a job for me.

Good - temporary
Bad - low pay, huuuge commute

SO I said yes. Now I commute 1 hour in the moring and up to 2 hours at night. I used to live 6 miles from my office, now I drive 130 miles each day. I have to go to the gas station every 2 days. I am exhaused from getting up at 4:45 a.m. each morning.

But I have a job. I have no insurance, but I could pay for it, if I could find a policy. BTW - my COBRA payment was to be $685 per month - No thank you.

The really bad thing is - I was really looking forward to not working for a little while. I wanted to lay around doing nothing. I would have watched a ton of TV. Videos of shows I taped and never watched. DVD's of entire seasons of shows I have never taken the time to enjoy. Staying up late, just because. Maybe going to Vegas to visit my brother.

Now all I do is work and drive. I don't even like what I am doing. And all I hear is move closer and work here full time. I have said repeatedly NO WAY.

And now it's Spring and there are too many concerts to go to even if I had the time, but since I have no time, I can't seem to make it to any of them.

But I am going to Wilco tomorrow. That's a must.