Baby Steps...

I lolled around in bed for a couple of hours this morning, wallowing in self-pity and talking to a good friend on the phone. Husband brought me coffee and breakfast in bed. That chat cheered me up enough to begin setting up the mechanics of my job search.

Spent the rest of the day building a job-search database in MS Access so that I can track what positions I am applying for and for what companies. That's something that I have always found challenging when doing major job search - knowing to whom I have already submitted independent applications so that I don't stupidly submit the same thing twice (or allow an agency to submit me for a position I have already applied for independently). It also helped me knock some of the rust off my decaying database skills.

Filled out the Unemployment application online, then started data mining the CalJobs listings for leads to type into my pretty new database so that I don't forget to follow up on them.

After that was done, I pulled out my 7 year old resume and started ripping it apart. My old resume was far to dry and uninteresting. I decided to go with something still low-key, but that also demonstrates my skill with MS Word. I've drafted hundreds of data sheets and promotional fliers over the past years, and the eye I have developed is standing me in pretty good stead. Just need to add a little meat on the now-constructed skeleton, and I will be ready to start sending out applications.

In the mean time, I was fortunate to receive a couple of custom orders from my Etsy shop. So I can fill some of my non-employed downtime in being productive and bringing in at least a little tiny amount of money.

Things aren't peachy keen and hunky dory, but I'm concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other to go forward. Every now and again, though, I catch myself thinking of things that were on my to-do list at the ex-office. Stuff that I really wanted to complete this week, that will lie fallow until some poor shlub gets a nastygram from one of our customers or sub-contractors. Part of that makes me cringe... but then I remind myself that THEY sacked ME. So let them do it themselves. That's what they wanted, right? Riiiight.