Life changes, and an explanation

I am sitting in my apartment, in the San Francisco Bay Area, eating a chocolate croissant from a local bakery around the corner, surrounded by half un-packed boxes of books and clothes and knick knacks.

Somethings are too pretty to doodle

I feel like that one (long) sentence says a lot about my blogging absence, but on the likely chance it means far more to me than it does to you, let me elaborate.

Remember all those posts about working with unemployment (er, the series I still haven't finished)? And all those asides about looking for a job? I found one! A pretty great one! In San Francisco!

When I started to lag on posting, I was moving forward in interview processes, and then had about three weeks from being offered the position to move from LA to the SF area. If you've ever had to move to a new city quickly, then you know it isn't easy. If you've never had to do it, I wouldn't wish it upon you. Regardless, so far everything is good, dare I say even great--I was able to find an apartment (a one-bedroom at that; closing the door to go to sleep makes me feel so much more accomplished in life), and I've been working for about three weeks now, and enjoying being back in a city and exploring a new area.

I imagine some introspection on the past few months will be coming soon, but for now, I'll enjoy my chocolate croissant and everything this moment implies.

Working w/ unemployment :keep a schedule

It can be easy to sleep in later, stay in pajamas all day, and just sit down at the computer (or newspaper classifieds) and try to go at it. I've had weeks like that... and I barely got anything done.

When I set up a schedule for myself, around my expectations for job searching, breaks, and other things I aim to do over the week (details of which are for a later post), I don't always follow it to a T, but frankly, I get shit done.

I've found that the organization of a schedule has had a similar motivating effect, like the one I mentioned in my last post about bettering yourself. It's not just a schedule but a set of goals and rewards, that become more achievable and more rewarding.

The other part of keeping a schedule is making sure you do all the work you need to do. Set a time to wake up and a morning routine, and if you're anything like me, you'll get more done throughout the day. It should also make the transition back to work easier, since you've been scheduled all along.

This is one of those things that I think is helpful for any stage of life, but an especially important reminder when it can be easy to ignore. How do you keep track of a schedule, and does it keep you on track with life?

Working w/ unemployment :better yourself

Blogger's note: Apologies for the lack of posts the last couple weeks. I'll be finishing up this series over the next week or so, followed by an explanation of the sporadic posting this month.

As I mentioned in my first post of this series about working with unemployment, I'm fortunate to have a lot of support in this transition. As such, I am able to spend some of my time on personal projects, one of which is an emphasis on bettering myself.

Essentially, if you are in the situation to have a new found block of time you might not have had otherwise, I say take advantage of it. Learn something, try something, improve something about yourself.

These things are going to vary for everyone, and possibly be pretty personal. Many of the things I've talked about doing during this transition (learning, volunteering, etc.) could all be ways of bettering myself.

I've also been doing personal training. I look unhappy, but I'm bettering myself!

Here's why focusing on bettering yourself in some way (and really, it is whatever that means to you) is so important during this time: it's motivating. When I feel successful at the gym, or that I'm learning how to do new things, and learning more about my mind and body, it motivates me to seek those things professionally. When I submit job application after job application and don't hear anything back, it can be demoralizing. It's great to have something that I have more control over, that I can trust will lead to progress and success. For me, that success has lead to more confidence which has also translated to my job search.

Unemployed or not, do you take time to better yourself? What does that look like for you?

Last month on the food blog

I'm  a litte behind on posting this, but here's what you might have missed on CREAMCHEESE&feelings last month:

 Quick and easy, and great recipe for beginner cooks

Photos about my experience recipe testing for the new Steamy Kitchen cookbook

Creamy and crunchy, I can eat it all day long

A slight update on a traditional comfort classic

My hands-down favorite way to eat green beans

Years of making and eating mashed potatoes went into this recipe

Truly something special, from Smitten Kitchen

Best things I read this week,March 25-31

Ya gotta read a lot if you want to write a little. Here are some of the best things I read this past week: 

"When things are done in secret in our name, we can be held accountable for them, even if we can't hold accountable our government for directing it. And that feels very un-American to me."

"Rachel Maddow: the Fresh Air Interview"

from NPR Books (@nprbooks)

"I do not feel that it is reactionary or even inaccurate to describe an unwanted, non-indicated transvaginal ultrasound as 'rape'. If I insert ANY object into ANY orifice without informed consent, it is rape. And coercion of any kind negates consent, informed or otherwise."

"Where is the Physician Outrage?: A Doctor on Transvaginal Ultrasounds"

from Whatever by John Scalzi (@Scalzi)

"Make yourself useful: Five food actions in five minutes," simple steps anyone can take to start fixing the food system in America.
from Grist (@grist)

"This Creepy App Isn't Just Stalking Women without their Knowledge, It's a Wake-up Call about Facebook Privacy," a scary, sobering, and useful reminder about online privacy and information.
from Cult of Mac (@cultofmac)

Best things I read this week, March 18-24

Ya gotta read a lot if you want to write a little. Here are some of the best things I read this past week: 

"It's painful to even consider giving up the narrative we use to navigate our life. No, that's too risky, especially now, in this economy. So we play it safe and go back to our story."

"Extending the Narrative"

from Seth Godin's Blog (@ThisIsSethsBlog) 

"Mike Daisey, you should be ashamed of yourself. And to members of the American theatre: we should be disappointed in ourselves too."

"This Is A Work of Non-Fiction"

from Arts Journal

"The High Cost of Being a Woman," a look at the numbers that add up to financial inequality between men and women in America. 
from The Nation (@thenation)

White-Out News: a tumble-blog that is just what it sounds like (unless it sounds like news about white-out).

Working w/ unemployment : get a hobby

When you're unemployed, looking for employment is your full time job.

That said, we all need some time to recover, rest or veg out after a day or many days of work. There are only so many jobs posted, only so many people you can contact, and only so many coherent cover letters you can write in a day. This is where I find the sometimes harsh sounding advice to "get a hobby" actually really useful.

Hopefully you have a hobby already*: sports, reading, hiking, crafting (one of my hobbies of choice, and appropriately, March is National Craft Month). Spending time with your partner, family, kids or friends definitely qualifies (and is, dare I say, imperative!) as well.

*If you really don't have a hobby, a CNN quiz from 2007 claims it can help you find "America's New Leisure."

I've found that my hobbies have not only helped me stay sane, but also provided me a reward system (finish 10 cover letters and I can take a reading break), helped me with last week's tip of learning something (I'm completing online lessons in coding and crocheting), and helped me get organized (I'm reducing my crafting stash bit by bit). Just as hobbies are diverse, so are the benefits.

Hobbies don't have to be costly, which is obviously a concern at this time. I've a lot of craft supplies that I've saved over the years but never used, and loads of books I never made the time to read (and thousands more at my disposal at the library). If your hobbies lean more towards sports or the outdoors, chances are you already have the equipment, and if not, a local community center might have it available for free. Community publications and websites (like Craigslist) are great places to find others with similar interests if your hobby works best in social settings.

Unemployed or not, what hobbies help you unwind and recharge? Please share in the comments!