Moving on… Oh my gosh, like, how the hell have you been? I’ve had a bit of trouble this past week and decided I needed to get some shit together before I posted again. You know, like, drink all my troubles away or run away from reality or dye my hair black. In complete Clevelander-fashion, I found myself last Tuesday without a job by the time noon rolled around — completely unexpected — and it kinda fucked with this thing I like to call “comfortability” with stuff such as oh, I don’t know, paying bills. So my motivation went into some sort of 4×4 overdrive with some 478 resumes, 231 applications and 8,783 phone calls made within the first two hours of being let go. Seeing how I haven’t been part of the job searching environment in a couple years, and I’m sort of switching gears on careers — I didn’t know where to begin — so I started with these fabulous networking skills which in turn, lead me to a lot of happy hour bar meetings after “work hours.”
Unemployed Day 1: My first “networking” meeting was last Wednesday at The Boneyard downtown. Met up for a drink, chat a bit, then go home (after school was out, of course). I return to my car only to find that particular garage shut down for the night… and I mean padlocked chain-link fence closed. Stuck. What better way to cure that “Why are You punishing me?” feeling then staying out and proceeding to get bombed… on a Wednesday. Good thing I have friends in highrises (downtown).
Unemployed Day 2: Had school. Wasn’t particularly in any mood to be meeting up with people I’ve only recently met (Sorry, T). I was pensive; I was aggresive; I was brash; I was talking to EVERYONE at Liquid. An older gentleman approaches and asks if they could stalk us for a bit. I remark on the condition they buy the three of us shots. Much obliged, and 4 stalkers later, we’ve made some new friends from New York (one who offered me a job — Feh). Continuing my boorish rampage on the West 6th crowd, I approach an innocent by-stander and make him take my number, but not without telling him he’s hot. (He was short and had facial hair, c’mon!) He and his friend drove into Cleveland from Toronto to visit the Rock Hall… for one day. I really don’t quite understand how that trip was sparked, but I’m sure they had similar WTF? attitudes on their return home. Just me? Who would come to Cleveland on a THURSDAY, for ONE day, and ONLY to visit the Rock Hall. Strange — but pretty freakin cool. I mean, I would drive to Toronto just to see Casa Loma, but that’s me.
Unemployed Day 3: (Day of the Red Robin Burger-Thon). There was a “date” that was formerly involved in this night. Someone new into town, interested in seeing the game — I guess he had a girl back home and just wanted to go out — no problems. Right. He cancelled at 8… and the game started at 7. Seriously. Clock — Look at one. Shooters had their second annual Vodka Tasting party Friday night. $3 martinis, $1 shots (I played third wheel of another couple and was pre-emptively struck by the biggest ASS friend of the planet). Liquid. Tequila Ranch. I think there was an actual moment I walked into Bar Flyy and walked out… but I don’t normally drink Vodka and details get a little sketchy. I DO remember talking to my sister at like 6 am… then falling asleep mid-conversation.
Does Saturday count as an Unemployed Day? Anyways, had to wake early for my football game — we lost, but I have new cleats! Now I just have to work on some better playing techniques. At the Treehouse afterward, I was feeling exceptionally social and making new friends all over the place. Sitting with strangers, sharing pitchers with adjoining tables, having a half-hour conversation with somebody I didn’t know (yet we worked in the same bar at the same time). For fuck’s sake, he didn’t know me either. Midway through my afternoon, one of the “bus guys” from months ago texted with a free ticket invite to the Indians game. Nice fall evening — of COURSE! Met up for one at The Boneyard before game and polished off some nachos after at Winking Lizard. Realized my appreciation for guy friends that will tell it like it is. Interesting conversation about morals and “what have you done in your life that makes you bad?” comparisons. Apparently I score pretty high on the scale of 1-to-10… but I won’t go into what “1″ is or what “10″ is. Let’s just say I always seem to get high numbers on those sort of surveys that get forwarded in emails. My best guy friends ensure me that men are still pigs.
Sunday hit and I have my first official cold of the season. Complete intentions for the Garage Bar BBQ away-game tailgating. I have a sore throat. And a cough. And I’m sniffling. And I sit on my couch practically all day with Lifetime Movie Network. And I’m done… Sunday, being sick, actually provided some spare moments to keep very busy with school stuff for the week. Not working, I am exceptionally prepared.
Unemployed Day 4: To be honest, I wish I remembered what I did Monday. I know I had school. I know I was at the gym at 5am. I know I lost a lung. Eh. Oooh, Steelers game — how could I forget! I ran up to Merry Arts for some tacos and football, reach into my purse (when I get carded ECK!) and realize I switched purses and didn’t place essentials: ID/debit/credit. I have cash — cool — but I get carded. Obviously, this calls for a switch to a darker bar with shittier TVs. I end up at The Drink (which wasn’t a loss seeing their buffalo chicken sandwich aint’ too bad and they have $1 domestic bottles). The Steelers? Yeah, that was a loss.
Unemployed Day 5: Mom’s B-day! Actually completely happy I had the day off (!!) to take her out to breakfast on her big milestone. She opted for Cracker Barrel — good middle-meeting distance between the two of us. My two aunts were able to take an early-lunch hour and meet up as well, and got to catch up on all the juicy family gossip (luckily, none of which included any stories about me). Tuesday night is a make-up night for missed tacos. (Uh, what diet?) Slim n Chubby’s in… is that Brooklyn, Old Brooklyn, Cleveland, Westpark? I have no freakin clue, but they have taco Tuesdays. Feed a cold/starve a fever, right? Sweet — I don’t have a fever yet! Best quote of the evening from SD (not SSD) when SnC became some drunken college party brothel in the making: I feel like I’m at a frat party, but no one’s taking their tops off!
This “looking for work” gig has become an entire job in and of itself… It’s actually become a good time to get some things accomplished on the home front that I’ve been putting off for a while — as well as loving on Nip/Tuck and America’s Next Top Model and Grey’s Anatomy (which I cannot watch since I have class until 10pm!! DAMN ABC switching to Thursdays!!) If I have another continued week of non-work, I may finally paint this place!
