Here I go again on my own.

Uuuugh. I thought about deleting this blog a bunch of times over the past 7 months. After all, the title was about being an UNemployed Social Worker and I was gainfully employed! Well, as fate would have it, I'm UNemployed once again. I am full of piss and vinegar over it so I won't get into it today. I don't need to get my blood pressure up because I don't want any more nose bleeds. I figure since I am UNemployed again I should try to do something constructive besides sleep and play games on Facebook. *sigh* Is a blog "constructive"? I've checked a few of the ones I used to read often and they haven't been updated in months. I guess I'm not the only one.

Acccccck!

I have an interview today. That's all I can think about right now. I supposed I'm due for an update on my blog but it'll have to wait. I need a sedative.

Here's a photo to tide you over...or tease you. Take your pick.

Deep, Dark Secrets.

I never intended on airing my dirty laundry online but in having a blog I realize I'm revealing more than enough every time I post. Without getting into too many details I need to vent my frustration occasionally but for the most part I try to keep this informative and entertaining with the mundane details about my goings on. I have become aware that I may have offended some with my "funemployment" comments over the past few weeks. I am sorry if I offended you. Here's my side of the story. Try being unemployed for 8 months. It's not easy OR fun. But life is what you make of it, right? I was severely depressed this past winter and hated everything about my life. So much so that I sought medical help for it. I decided I wasn't going to be like that anymore. I can't be miserable. It's not my fault I don't have a job and I'm not going to feel guilty about it. I don't deserve to. I don't think everybody understand that there are NO jobs in MI unless they live here. I have applied for everything. Everything. No one is calling me back. I can't make someone give me a job. If you don't live in MI you can't understand. The auto industry is crumbling. Remember four years ago, Hurricane Katrina? New Orleans was in shambles. There were no jobs to be had even for the people that stayed and wanted to make a living. It has taken 4 years for them to get somewhat back on track and there is STILL a lifetime of things that will never be the same. MI is in that position right now. Except no hurricane to blame. If there were a natural disaster would people understand then??? Would they feel more sorry than angry at me? I don't think people are aware of the magnitude of the crisis MI is in. Detroit surpassed New Orleans in decline in population the year after Hurricane Katrina and that speaks volumes to the suffering this city sees. Ever heard the saying "Last one out of Detroit turn off the lights"?

Someone left an anonymous reply on my blog saying, "That voting for Obama thing is working out pretty well for you." and a link to a video with a headline that read that Obama was going to pay her mortgage and car payment. I didn't even watch it. I saw all that I need to see. It wasn't pleasant and that's all I needed to know. I was offended and hurt by that. I don't know who sent it because my blog is public. But it doesn't even matter who sent it. I have worked since I was 15 years old. I have paid into the Michigan Unemployment Insurance fund for the past 21 years. I am using it now! It's like car insurance. You pay your premium to cover everyone else's accidents (even those that drive around in uninsured vehicles) and if you don't have an accident you don't use it. Doesn't mean I'm going to purposely run into a tree but shit happens! I don't deserve to be berated because I need to use something that is rightfully mine. Yes, Lottie REALLY wants me to come to Savannah. My plane ticket is almost FREE and I am working how ever I can to afford it. My unemployment BARELY pays for my bills. Everything else is because I've sacrificed and cut corners everywhere I can. My bills are paid. There is nothing else that I can give up. I'm living the simplest life I have lived since childhood. I worked hard for everything I have and I'm not about to give up simply LIVING. I'm responsible and I pay for what I have with what I deserve as a worker and tax payer and contributor to society. As a social worker I have seen how life is on both sides of the spectrum. I will never stoop as low as some people will out of laziness. If I wanted to purposely live off of the government I would have had a kid and sat on my ass with my hand held out! I am blessed with very good friends, that support me, and care about my well-being and I thank God for that every night when I go to sleep and every day when I wake up. I have never taken advantage of that or taken it for granted. Should I put my nose up to them and act like I'm too good or not worthy enough because I'm worried that people will resent me? No. I'm not going to do that! As Jon BonJovi said: It's my life and it's now or never. I'm not gonna live forever. I just wanna live while I'm alive.

Could it be?

About 30 minutes ago I received a call from a colleuge that I worked closely with at my last job. He's one of the directors at agency that I would most prefer to work with. He informed me that there was a position open and I should apply and be ready for an interview in the next two weeks! What? I'm so excited I feel like I want to hurl! I'm going to cross everything that I get this job! The position I'm applying for is not my first choice but once I get in there I am definitely going to work my ass off to be considered should a postion open in that department. They work with the homeless doing exactly what I did in my last job but they have their shit together! I always envied the way they ran their operation and tried to taylor ours to be more efficient. I think that's why my supervisor despised my co-worker and I. We knew his job better than he did. Oh, I'm going to be nice. I need good karma!! :)

For Sale:

$50,000. Free shipping. In excellent condition. Provided very little well-being or financial stability to owner that will soon need money to move out of state to find work. Must sell.

Georgia on My Mind.

I'm going to Savannah in a few weeks. Yay! Hopefully I'll have something positive happening by then in terms of employment. If not, I'm going to be forced to expand my search. Starting in Georgia. I don't want to but what the hell is the alternative? I can't stand the thought of being unemployed another month. I'm finally verbalizing this because the first step is admitting you have a problem. Right? Perhaps someone will hear my plea? Which leads me to another thing that made me think "What the Hell???" Yesterday I was updating my CareerBuilder profile from 2006. I don't know how many of you are lucky enough to have been through this process but it's not something you can do very quickly. You go through the step-by-step process and fill in the blanks, check boxes, etc. At the bottom of each section there is an advertisement from a sponsor (Universities, etc) and you have the option to have them send you info. I was left scratching my head when I reached a section called Social Networking. It asked that if you had a blog or social networking profiles if you would like to provide the link because "research shows that 24% of employers hire prospective employees based on social networking profiles." Are you effing kidding me? I know this is available for all the interworld to see but I'm not expressly throwing my personal life in the face of an employer in hopes that it will land me a job! I am, however, going to continue to blog and be open about how horrible it is to be unemployed, overweight and broke along with how much I like to enjoy life. If somebody doesn't like it then too darn bad! I am who I am!

Weekend recap~ continued.

I'm reminded that I haven't finished my weekend update about the lake house vacation by the rash that's suddenly covering my body. I'm not even sure if the weekend has anything to do with the rash but I figure my skin is rebelling against all of the sun I cast upon it. I have a gorgeous tan...covered by tiny little bumps. Yuck. Last time I had this was four years ago when I came home from Florida. I changed my detergent, quit using all soaps and lotions and when that didn't work I sought medical attention. The doctor had no explanation and sent me away with a tube of something I quit using after three days because it didn't seem to work. After about three weeks the rash disappeared without incident. One day I suddenly realized "The rash is gone! When did that happen?" I'm not prone to bad reactions to anything. I'm not allergic to anything at all...that I know of. Except for the occasional time when I declare that I'm allergic to carbs or chocolate when I'm trying to break myself from having them. I'm stumped. I can only say that lots of sun is the one thing both occurrences have in common.

Speaking of sun, I've had my fill of sun this summer but I knew that eventually I would reach the point where I was motivated and driven to find a new job. Some days I wake up feeling low and wishing I would get an email, a call, a letter, anything positive pertaining to employment. Other days I wake up and think "To Hell with it!" and just pledge to enjoy the day no matter what obstacles stand in my way! Last week was a little bit of both. Being jobless means being broke the majority of the time and being broke SUCKS! That motivated me to focus on improving my job-seeking approach. I rewrote my cover letter and tweaked my resume to get it up to date with my volunteer work and such. Having accomplished these small tasks made me feel better! I've spent every morning this week applying online, researching the Social Work license exam, checking universities for options to build on my education, programs that would pay for me to go to school to learn new skills and so on. Obviously having a degree is not a fool proof way to guarantee someone will hire me.

At least three people have advised me to get the hell out of Michigan if I want to find a job. Not in such an abrupt way but that's how I feel when I think about it! For YEARS I whined, complained and plotted how I would get out of Detroit. I always had this fantasy that my life would be great if only I moved out of the state of Michigan. Now, I'm content with my life in Detroit. I'm pretty sure when and why it happened and I've come to realize that my life here is pretty damn good. Great. Right? One problem. I don't have a job. It's not for lack of trying! It's out of my control.

Instead of getting bummed as more bills roll in I let it all go this past weekend. Andrea asked me to go with her to a birthday party one of her friends was throwing at his "cottage" on the lake. I'm going to skip the boring details I easily lose myself in and say that I had THE BEST TIME I'VE HAD ALL SUMMER! I laughed from the minute I walked into that house on Saturday until I parted ways with Andrea after the drive home on Sunday. We only drove 2 hours south west and it was as if we were in another time and place. The weather was beautiful. The water was warm. The spirits were flowing. The laughs never stopped. I felt like I was 22 again. I had never met any of these people before but within 24 hours it felt like I had known them a lifetime. I'll close this out by sharing some revealing photographs. I'm so happy only a handful of you even know this blog exists. :)

The majority of gang coming and going over the weekend.

Me, and Andrea with our roomie, Corey. He's our new "bestie". OMG!

Ghetto S'mores!

The house was awesome but I swear it was haunted!

I'm not a boater but I want to own a Pontoon. It's like a freaking floating livingroom! I love it!

Provided us with a few moments of entertainment!Someone must've been thinking dirty thoughts.
I wouldn't go on the Jet Ski but I did get into the water because Jason begged me (threatened me) and it was his birthday!