Here are some numbers for you numbers folks:
12 - credits that I will be taking semester if a job does not materialize
11 - weeks since I have been notified that I was being laid-off
7 (at least) - rejection letters, e-mails, and phone calls
5 - weeks of unemployment benefits I have received
4 - phone interviews I have had since November 18th (date of layoff notification)
3 - classes that I am currently taking
2 - phone interviews each in December and February
1 - in-person interview conducted
1 - rejection letter that I thought was a court summons.
There are three things that are just frustrating the heck out of me right now. One, if I hear one more recruiter tell me how many applications he/she has received for a position, I am going to freak. It's not like I don't know what the macroeconomic situation is, people! Two, if another recruiter remarks on how "great" my resume is, but doesn't come up with a job, I will also give myself permission to go off the deep end. Third, I need to find my motivation. I don't have a lot of it right now.
No, this isn't a posting about the unemployment benefits that I apply for and gratefully receive each week for the foreseeable future. This is about the benefits of being unemployed - like being able to meet LK for lunch at Sandy's Tavern in Richfield, hanging out with my grandparents on Fridays, and other random events that I/we can attend. One such 
event that Lucas and I had the privilege of attending was an in-store performance at Treehouse Records by Gary Louris and Mark Olson. Mark and Gary were original members of The Jayhawks, one of my favorite bands. Lucas introduced me to the group when their album "Smile" came out. By then, Mark had left the band an albums before that, so I developed an extreme attachement to my man Gary. I love his voice; Mark's is my equivalent of nails on a chalkboard and I prefer "Smile" to any other Jayhawks album, which probably puts me in the minority. Anywho, the two have gotten back together and released an album called "Ready For the Flood". Here's a clip of them singing their first single, "Turn Your Pretty Name Around". For the record, Lucas wouldn't let me wear my "Team Gary" shirt to the in-store.
