Things have been pretty hectic around here lately. I’ve been hitting the virtual pavement looking for a new job, since in my line of work, you don’t exactly walk into a web shop and apply in person. Everything is done online… at least initially.

Keli and Thing 3 just got back from a whirlwind trip to New Jersey (Relax, it was paid for before I lost my job). It was nice spending four days with just myself and the older two kids. Thing 2 had Tee Ball activities most of the weekend and Thing 1 had a bunch of work for a school project that she put off until the last minute (shocking, I know!).

Being unemployed is a very strange feeling. Since I was 16 I’ve held down a job. And at some points, I held down 2 or 3 jobs at the same time. Unemployment pays a fraction of what I’ve been making the past several years, but it pays enough to cover the bills and put food on the table. It’s difficult being on this end of the “welfare” issue. There are good days when I’m optimistic that a new job will knock on the door that afternoon and then there are the bad days, when I feel like it’s a hell of a lot easier – with a lot less pride-swallowing – to stay in the house and not have to deal with people asking, “Dan… You don’t normally pick the kids up from school. Do you have the day off of work?”

Cutting back is something Keli and I have had to do many times so it’s not THAT big of a culture shock. For years now, we’ve been routinely clipping coupons, shopping for the best deals and living as frugally as possible, so we’re not suddenly trying to figure out how to pay for the Bentleys in the car port.

I went to my gym on Friday to cancel my membership, expecting a “I WANT TO QUIT THE GYM!!” moment like in “Friends,” only to have the guy tell me they would comp me two months, because they believed when you’re looking for work after being let go, staying active and healthy was more important to them than collecting membership dues. Anytime Fitness, you guys kick ass!

To top it all off, whenever I try to sit down and write – whether it’s a blog post or continue plugging along on one of my stories – the words simply aren’t there.

When I have my bad moments and I start to get pretty down about being unemployed, Keli usually puts me in line with some wise Wifey advice, such as, “Oh, Dan, shut up already! It has barely even been a month! You’re looking and you’ll find something. I didn’t marry a slacker or a loser!”