Workaholic at Large, Seeks Meaningful Activity

Wow, I'm officially unemployed.

This is a profound situation, unknown since 1996, and while enjoying a leisurely second cup of coffee, seems unreal. Up since 6:30am, I've already emailed three people, watched two hours of news, made a list, pretended to go back to sleep and failed, and now am with said coffee and at a loss of what to do first. I applied for unemployment within an hour of coming home from my last day of work yesterday. Income taxes were done last week. I could start sorting through the boxes of flotsam I brought home from the workspace yesterday, which included a hefty supply of cleaning products. There's a great place to start.

I've checked Monster.com, and so fulfilled my job search requirements for today. Dum-dee-dum, what to do, what to do, what to do?

Pathetic, I know. It usually is like this when I take vacation time, a good three days until I can really kick back and be the slacker, a few naps, quality time with pets, and some time tumbling over the Big Life Questions. And some epic Chinese movie rentals with good Hunan and Szechuan takeout.

A dear friend has already tried to get too sentimental about this whole separation from the Company process with me, and I told her I'd call her in a few days to chat. I felt kind of sentimental about a month ago, during the whole 'holiday' period, as I was coming out of shock and seeing clearly how much of the fun part of the job I would lose. But this last week has been all about getting the messy job done, be the good Executor, leave them feeling the task was handled well by the right people, managing the needs of the laid-off staffers. Not entirely in jest, I asked people, "Who am I going to boss around now?" I've been a Boss, a Manager, a Leader of Projects, an Answerperson. Today...what? Who? When I get to be just me, and not jump at the ring of my phone at odd hours, thinking 'it's the store', when my hair is let down, the music is turned up, and I've set down the Company's Agenda for the last time...I'm not totally sure who this person is, what she looks like, or what she wants to do now. Other than rent some Gong Li films and stop by Fu-Jin's on Hawthorne. Perhaps that's all that needs to be on the To Do list today. Tomorrow is 'Cash Paycheck'. Saturday is 'Wrap Party with Co-Workers at 5pm'.

So far, so good.