Website Wednesday: Eden is Burning and other great blogs

At some point being unemployed gets boring - that's when you find new fun things to do.  Some of the "new" and "fun" things i'm doing right now are

• trying to learn Spanish using Rosetta Stone - Have tried this before unsuccessfully
  
• the couch to 5k running plan at 6mph  (starting Week 3 today!) - Have done this before successfully, but slower. 
  
• researching (but not quite getting motivated enough to make) healthy great tasting meals...
• reading blogs - legal blogs, funny blogs, weight loss blogs, etc, etc, etc

So in honor of my new blog reading fetish, I'm going to introduce you to three of my favorite blogs (cue applause)!

Eden is Burning -  I just discovered this blog like today, literally.  Don't get disappointed by the fact that the author hasn't posted very recently.  I truly believe that if we all start following her blog (i just assumed it's a girl, maybe i should check that...) that she will return to us with time wasting and hilarious posts.  For all you purist who must relate this to unemployed THIS post says it perfectly...  " 'This [unemployment] is a trend just like any other, and, like all trends, once enough people do it it will be considered unhip again. When unemployment reaches 10% we will probably see a cultural backlash against it.'  Analysts predict that may be as early as fall of '09."  Guess that means we should be done soon, as we hit 10% in October. (no fact checking done, so don't yell at me if i'm wrong).

ExHotGirl -  If you're into once a day updates (no more, no less) then this blog is for you.  It's a healthy mix of super funny, weight loss, photography, and total randomness.  My favorite part of this blog is the ability and courage of the author to put herself completely out there.  If you read enough of this blog, you may find yourself knowing Jenn better than your own family.  Freaky.

Not For the Monosyllabic -  We've done fun (twice), and health, and now for the serious work related blog.  The author is a public defender (and lds, but that's virtually irrelevant) - she writes about her job, public perception, and random events.  I love this blog because of how much I can relate to it.  When i get a job, I hope to be THIS inspiring.  Please forgive her for liking her Snuggie.  I need reminders like this, of why I would love to be a public defender, and of how much I relate to this ....

I am surrounded each day by the cast-offs of society. My clients are homeless. They are poor beyond people's comprehension. They suffer from mental illness and they are unmedicated. They are without family, without friends, without someone to care about them. They are struggling with addiction.  My clients lack basic necessities. Letters I mail get returned because my client doesn't live there anymore--they are without a home. Phone calls are impossible because they don't have access to a phone. They don't have a ride to court. They don't have a ride to anywhere. They don't have much, if anything.

I would LOVE to hear about some blogs you love.  I have plenty of time to add them to my reading list!

To-Do: Prepare thoroughly and thoughtfully for job interviews

This is a good synopsis of how my interview went.

Regular blogging should return tomorrow. 

Guess Who's Back....

Hi.  My name is Rachael.  I have a real job interview on Friday.  Therefore, I'm lame.  And I plan on remaining lame for most of this week.  Nothing i could say right now would be interesting anyway....so I bring to you the always delightful Andy with another delightful foray into the world of guest posting!
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Stuff Unemployed People Might Appreciate, But Don’t

You’ve read and enjoyed other lists of things that unemployed people either like or dislike. All I can say about those lists is how pathetic I feel for agreeing with about 95% of the things mentioned.  I had peanut butter and jelly for lunch today, and you wouldn’t believe how much time I’ve spent thinking about what I would do for a Klondike bar. 

It seems like all good lists inspire at least a handful of more lists*, so here you have the list I was inspired to create.

There are several things that seem like perks when it comes to being unemployed/underemployed; I want to take this opportunity to introduce my list of things unemployed people are expected to like, but really don’t.

1.  7 Day Weekends – Remember when you were in school (or employed) and you looked forward to those two days of the week where you had no commitments other than to do something fun, something you’ve been waiting to do all week? Now think about how much you would have loved to make those two days last the entire week. Hmm…it’s not quite as fun as we pictured it. The two-day weekend served a higher purpose. It recharged us and gave us something to look forward to. Without those five days of build-up the weekend doesn’t really have the same effect. There is no looking forward to the days off when there are no days on. There is no reason to “thank God it’s Friday” or even to know that it is Friday. I usually forget what day of the week it is unless I read people’s facebook statuses that tell me ‘TGIF’ or “I have a case of the Mondays.” A constant stream of seven-day weekends only serves to disorient and discourage.

2.  Dressing Comfortably – Along the same lines as the 7 Day Weekend, many of the fully employed population envies the fact that we can dress however we want because we have no one to impress and no one to look professional for. We can dress comfortably every day; isn’t that great? It would be great except for the fact that every time I look down at myself to see I’m wearing pajamas (the same ones I wore yesterday), it reminds me that I have no one to impress and no one to look professional for.

3.  Talking About My Job Search – Everyone has an opinion. And I have pretty much heard all of them by now. I don’t want to be rude, but I also feel like I’ve talked to death about my search so can we move on please? As a quick disclaimer I should say that I don’t really mind talking about it with other unemployed/underemployed folks with whom I can commiserate. I also don’t mind original thoughts on the subject; they’re just so hard to come by.

4.  Encouragement – This is a tough one to write. To be completely honest, I do really need all the moral support I can get. Who doesn’t? The problem I have is that it often leads into something more like nagging and I don’t think that helps anyone.

5.  Reading Blogs About Being Unemployed – …oh wait…um…

And there you have it. Five things unemployed people might like, but don’t actually like. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.  Do you agree? Disagree? What would be on your list?

*a principle I will discuss further if Rachael ever lets me do another guest post