who says i don't work

Today's guest blogger is Blondielox and she was the second winner of the Under the Sheets-Shhh guest blogger giveaway. I love how creative she was about writing a post about a fictitious gal living in San Francisco. Ok Blondielox it away......

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tell you about my day, huh?

well... i went to the library to return the books i checked out:
loving your small space
paris - the photographic journal
reorganizing your small-as-a-button closet on a shoestring-budget
strength training yoga
what does the term interracial dating truly mean?
(book titles i made up - except the last one; you made that up Laura!)
i had to wash all my delicates for spring/summer {you know, the pieces that sit around, just to appear fabulously once a year; usually in july}. nothing worse than having that perfect moment... ready.. go on, put it on!.. it's just right!! & it has a weird crease, ripple, or wave! nope not gonna happen here. 'cause i'm taking charge of my life. i know what's gonna come up (for the most part), i know what to expect. i just never have time to: prepare for it, re-file that, buy that weird tool for this or the strange sealant for that. but, now i do! do i now? hells ya'! i'm gonna work my butt off! for guess who.. me! that's right, me! hardest job i ever had & lovin' every minute of it! yeah, life's hard, even sucks sometimes... hey, i'm not goin' all vonnegut or anything.. i'm just saying this is a moment. i needed a job. i gave myself one. myself. my mess. my love. my vision. my life. so, junk drawer.. kiss your foreign friends good-bye! because i got a new plan for you! & it ain't for socks!
i decided to waltz on over to the banana boogie board bar to get an orange soda, & this is the first thing i saw! i thought, what the heck are they doing here, in their cute little outfits & healthy looking skin & attitude on a tuesday morning?! then, i zipped that attitude right on up and smiled to myself while thinking, they must be self-employed! *thumbs up*
then, this is the second thing i saw.... & thought, okay i do realize that i am not going to be able to market myself to pay myself to keep organizing & re-organizing my house/life. but i do have time to finish what i've started. & by the time it's time... i'll be so ready it's gonna knock their socks off. (& we'll know where to find 'em!)
i reflected on it all while having my hair done. the bridge, the city, international orange. yeah. that's my favorite color. in my favorite city. in love. working hard. for myself. to make our future more sparkly. here, internationally.
um.. how much are you supposed to tip the ocean breeze again? 

BlondieLox

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Thank you so much BlondieLox for your guest post and I think your designs are amazing. You are such a talent. Thanx for entering the contest and playing along. And if you are interested in guest blogging at Under the Sheets-Shhh email me your post ideas about travel or relationships.

Can Getting Laid Off From Your Job Be A Good Thing?

Last week my friend ‘Katie’ joined the ranks of the California unemployed. She was laid off from her agency marketing job. Over the last couple of months, I know of at least ten skilled, intelligent, creative and hard working people who were laid off from their jobs. Recently I wrote the post fifteen tips on how to support a friend after they have been laid off. But, as the times and job opportunities still have not improved, I wanted to add on to that article so you can help yourself or loved ones through the daily grind that is unemployment.

OK let's face it, our laid off friends get to make some tough decisions in their days…such as, ‘Which coffee shop should I work at today? Should I go for my run now or later in the day when the fog clears?’ Although, we’d all like to have these options, having to fill up your days without the camaraderie of co-workers or a planned work schedule can be difficult to get adjusted to.

In fact, many unemployed ask themselves, ‘Now what do I do with my days?’ Of course, it's usually Murphy's law that as soon as they start to enjoy their time off, they find full time work. My advice is to encourage your unemployed friends to create a daily schedule and fill out a list of things for the week that can be accomplished. Referring back to my earlier post, here are a 2 specifics you can do to help your friends or loved ones.

11) Point out your friend’s skills and talents. It is very easy for them to get down on themselves. Remind them that a bad experience should not define them.

The reality is your unemployed friends need frequent reminding that they are very skilled, and have a lot of talent. As soon as the job market improves they will have plenty of opportunities to choose from. Wouldn’t you feel down if you were unemployed for months and hadn't heard back from recruiters, gone on any real interviews or had any new leads on jobs even though you've been sending out tons of resumes?

15) Help them create a support system. Connect your friends to other people that you know who have been laid off. This will let them network and vent. It helps to be able to talk to someone who has gone through the same pains.

I’ve noticed recently that my unemployed friends are pulling their connections together, taking care of one another and starting to reinvent themselves. Full time work is not as available, so many are turning to their entrepreneurial side and starting new companies.

I’ve also noticed that many others are returning to having a more balanced life? Isn’t that a wonderful thing? People are reading more frequently, taking better care of themselves and spending more time with their families.

And so I ask, how can folks make the best of being laid off? What would you do with the extra time? Who would you need support from? Please read this post whenever you are feeling down and know that you are not alone.

Tips on How to Support A Friend Who Was Laid Off from Their Job

Recently I was sitting at a table for a dinner for my friend's birthday. There were eight of us celebrating and enjoying each other's company. Finally the bill came to the table. We all became silent and a little uncomfortable. It was then that I realized that four of the eight friends around that table had all been laid off from work. The current statistics are 'California jobless rates leaps to 9.3%'. With the unstable times catching up to us, I wanted to offer fifteen things that you can do to help a friend who has been laid off from their job.

When we are all working we all fantasize about all of the things that we could do if we didn't have a job. Like work out more, take that pottery class we have always wanted to take or travel the world. Well I know that at least my laundry would done and things would be very clean at home:) The reality can very different for people who all of a sudden have a lot of time on their hands. I have spoken to two friends over the last week and they have both said to me 'what do I do with all of this time?"

It is completely normal for a person to go through a grief cycle after they lose their job. The stages are: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Your friend that was laid off will also go through the 'should have, could have and would have' cycle. The faster you can help your friend start to think about their skills the better the outcome.

My tips to support a friend who has been laid off are:

1) Encourage your friend to figure out their expenses and file for unemployment. Unemployment can take up to 3 weeks to process so the sooner they file the better it can be.
2) Suggest that they start to ask their connections and jobs that they are interested in for informational interviews. These interviews can be done over the phone or over coffee. The next time someone has a job opening they will keep you in mind.
3) Offer free gym passes or deals. They can also go jogging or hiking. The exercise will keep their spirits up.
4) They can update their LinkedIn profile to show their network that they are looking for work. A lot of recruiters use LinkedIn as well so this can be a great tool in their search.
5) Continue to plan lunches with these friends. This can really lift their spirits by getting them out of the house and continuing to connect with their social circle.
6) Establishing a new routine is key. By continuing to have a schedule at home it can help keep your friend motivated and positive.
7) Put in searching for jobs every day. Build up your resume and references and start to apply. There is a lot of competition in the job market today so putting in the consistent time can keep them one step ahead of someone else.
8) Help them make a list of less expensive daily things that they can do. They can get out of the house for a coffee, see some sites or even make a weekly menu to make dinners.
9) For a very small monthly fee they can join Netflix. This can really keep your friends spirits up by watching movies at home and not spending unnecessary money by going out.
10) Let them vent and follow their lead. Try to take their calls even if you are at work. Remember it probably took a lot for them to reach out to you and you might want the same if you were in the same boat.
11) Point out your friends skills and talents. It is very easy for them to get down on themselves. Remind them that a bad experience should not define them.
12) Take them to a networking event. You never know who you will both meet.
13) Offer to help look over their resume. You can also connect them to people that you know. People are always looking for good people in the work force.
14) Encourage them to go back to school for a certificate to build up their skill set.
15) Create a support system. Connect your friends to other people that you know who have been laid off to network and vent to. They will know exactly what your friend is going through.

Do you have other pieces of advice to add for a friend that has been laid off from their job? If this has happened to you, how long did it take to get back on your feet? Do you agree with the grief cycle from the loss of a job? Thank you LipStick Diaries for your appreciation about this post.