Working w/ unemployment : volunteering

I am currently unemployed. I'm very fortunate that this period of unemployment didn't catch me off guard, and that I have a huge amount of support to get through this as I pursue personal and professional goals. As such, my unemployment experience is likely fairly different than most of the millions of Americans currently out of work, but for all of us, it isn't easy.

This is the first post in a series called of how I am working with unemployment, how I'm managing my time and amplifying my job search, based on advice and research from others as well as my own experiences. For those of you also experiencing a similar transition or who have, I would love your input. For everyone else, I hope you don't have to involuntarily go through periods without work, but find this series of posts interesting nonetheless.

Valentine's blast from the past

I don't often celebrate Valentine's day (though I am thinking about baking some Valentine's themed cookie cups, because really, why not?), so instead I thought I'd use this as an opportunity to shamelessly self-promote myself and how I fell in love (Valentine's Day pun!!) with writing.*

When I was in middle school, being on student council also meant working on the school newsletter--and being student body president meant REALLY working on the school newsletter. So, when I was looking for something to do in the big bad world of high school, I got involved with our school newspaper, Knightlife (our mascot was the Knights, so puns everywhere). By the time senior year rolled around, I was editor-in-chief, and one of the features I took over from previous editors was a Top Ten list in each issue. For February, we (predictably) published a top ten list of the best and worst about Valentine's Day. This is by no means my best example of journalism (or, uh, even an example of journalism at all), but I thought it would be a fun/funny/terrifying and seasonally relevant glimpse into my high school mind to share with you.

Fewer "things"

At the beginning of the year, I decided I would discard, give away, or otherwise get rid of at least one "thing" each week until I move. For me, this is a little bit more challenging than it sounds because of just how much I got rid of when I moved in October, but six weeks in, I still believe it's manageable.

The inspiration for this challenge came from Dinah Sanders' Discardia. The tagline for Discardia is "make room for awesomeness." I haven't read the book, but from the website, what I take from this idea (I could be totally off from Dinah's intent!) is that paring down things that don't matter or aren't important will make room for truly enjoying the things that are. If you know me you also know that I'm always seeking ways to reduce my impact on the environment, so this idea of letting go of "things" appeals to my green side as well.

A sampling of "things" no longer in my possession.

Since I don't know when I'll be moving, I don't know how many weeks of discarding I have left, though I anticipate as time passes it will get more difficult. In the little more than a month since starting, I've played it easy, recycling a hand-painted dish that broke in the move, sorting through paperwork to weed out what I don't need, cleaning out my art class portfolios (hope no one wanted a painting of a collage of an ostrich), mailing a book to a friend, and going through my intimates drawer*.

These things, for the most part, weren't hard to discard. They were easy decisions to make given the state of the things, or with the luxury of more time to logically sort things. There are no stories to tell about my separation from these things, which is why they were easy to let go. As this experiment progresses, I don't anticipate it will continue to be this easy, but I do anticipate it will be rewarding just having fewer "things."

*If this post has intrigued you about letting go of some things you don't need, and, if like me you've had your share of ill-advised bra purchases, please consider donating them this month to benefit the National Network to End Domestic Violence. New or gently worn bras can be dropped off at any Soma Intimates, or mailed to NNEDV. And, if you aren't sure if your bra qualifies, that's ok! They'll make sure any unusable items get recycled properly. 

Attention, attention!

Be grateful I don't actually own a megaphone.

Double announcement today:

1) If you're here, you may have already noticed that we have a new color scheme here at Bettina Writes. Hope you like it!

2)... The food blog has officially launched! Check it out at CREAMCHEESEandfeelings.blogspot.com, and I hope you like that even more!

A "Dear John" letter...to Diet Coke

Dear Diet Coke,

We've been through a lot together. You were there for me on some of the longest nights of my life--all-nighters to write papers, late night work shifts, and being "on-duty" when I was a resident assistant. You were there to keep me going through long work days, and you were there for good times too, countless movie and dinner dates, always with your effervescent personality that made me tingle.

Photo (L to R) of me and Diet Coke, circa 2008

Unfortunately, it's not me, it's you.

As much as I know it must hurt to hear this, it hurts me to have to say it. It's time for me to move on. Yes, you've been there for me for many years now, but you've also done damage that will take years for me to get over, if ever. I suspect I don't even know how much damage you're capable of. And you're not just hurting me, but others I care about.

You're not just like a drug, you are a drug, and I've got to call it quits. I can't say I won't be open to a booty call every now and then, but I need to make room in my life for someone better.

We'll always have our memories.

Love,
Bettina


SERIOUS NOTE: If you haven't already, please click the links embedded within this letter. They all lead to articles that are just the tip of the iceberg of why I've decided to give up soda. Soda (and diet soda is worse than regular sodas) does horrible things not only to our bodies, but to the environment. It's a huge challenge for me to give it up, but I'm confident that this is a decision I won't regret. 

Just checking in

I've got some posts in mind to write for this, but I've been busy with some stuff, getting the food blog ready being one of them. So, in honor of that, and to fill the radio silence, here is a photo of me pretending to be a French chef.

Disclaimer: I am not a real French chef.

Brief thoughts on the new year

When you think about it (which you’re apt to do if you are sitting home alone like I was), new year’s eve and new year’s day are just another night and morning. Yet, we’ve assigned these measures of time to our lives, and something about starting another year, opening a new calendar, and trying way too hard to remember what number to write at the end of the date screams of new beginnings. 

"Fresh Start" by seantoyer on Flickr

Since I’ve been working toward several goals over the last year that I haven’t met (like losing weight, but you know, also getting a job, and moving), I didn’t really set any new year’s resolutions (though I did pick January as the month to implement my plan to give up soda, but perhaps that’s for another blog post?). Even so, I was still struck with that ingrained feeling of hope and a fresh start when I woke up on January 1.

So, if I’ve taken a resolution at all, it’s this: to make everyday in 2012 feel as fresh and new as new year’s day. Whether you’ve taken another resolution or not, I hope you’ll consider each day as a new start and a reason to feel motivated to do whatever it is you need, whether day to day tasks or ambitious goals.

Thanks for starting 2012 with me, and I look forward to having more to share with you.

Love,
Bettina