Sitting on your hands

One of the worst things about being unemployed is that you have allot of time on your hands. Oh sure you devote a chunk of it to the job search: emailing resumes, going to interviews when you get them, and so on but the rest is down time. It's the down time that can be a killer. Some use the that time to do housework. Others just sit mindlessly in front of the television. Still others find activities to fill the void. It's the nature of those activities that can lead to positive or negative things. I've heard of jobless folks taking up a hobby such as knitting and later turning it into a business. That's a positive thing. Going down that route has both good points and bad points. The good is it's something you enjoy and other people appreciate your handiwork. I know that feeling. I took up knitting a few years ago (I really want to get back into it) and for Chanuka I made niece and older nephew each a scarf and hat which they and their parents loved. The kids still have them and use them. I need to make something for little nephew. Another good point is going to the yarn store and touching the different yarns and checking out the patterns. You might think that running your hand over random skeins of yarn sounds a bit weird, unless you're a knitter yourself, but cashmere definitely feels different than cotton. The patterns allow you to imagine the endless possibilities. The bad, is the cost. The cost of materials can be a bit prohibitive but there ways to get around it.

For me, I try to fill my down time with different activities. First there's Avon. I've doing that for almost a year. It actually takes some work because you are you own manager, marketing department, bookkeeper, inventory control, and sales force. For those of you interested it's www.youravon.com/llowen if you want to check it out. Also, I have a pile of books that I've either read or am reading. I just finished "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and just started "The American Future" by Simon Schama. Also, I have an application into USC for their Master's of HIstoric Perservation Program, hope I get in. I started to take an active interest in the teaching ESL. For that I have to take at least the CBEST. I think this might be the course I follow for now. The key here is finding time to study and then after I pass it, find an ESL training course. I keep putting it off for no real reason other than I can. I really have no clue as to why. I mean it's not like I like sitting around all day and moaning about the state of affairs or lusting after things (really they're just things). All right, resolved I'll get back on the CBEST trail and insist on time to study.

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