Jambo, good people!
Sitting here in front of my computer, eating melted cheese and Doritos, and drinking whiskey, I suddenly realized it's been almost seven months since I got laid off!
Seven months! The last time I was laid off, I had a new job the next Monday! This sucks!
I've been pretty much working nonstop since my late college years. Hell, I'll admit it, I am (or use to be) a workaholic. I Couldn't get enough of it. A couple years ago, I had a 40+ hour contract job working on site at a silicon valley company, and did another 15-20 hours doing side-work for 4 other companies.
Sound maddening? It was, but that was me. I was use to it. I defined myself by work. I liked the fact that there was a mob of people clambering for me to do things. I thrived on it. There was no other feeling, like coming home at 10:00pm on a Friday knowing I just serviced 4 competing companies with web pages and Powerpoint presentations for the same big conference they'd be attending. Or seeing a business special on TV with graphics I created the weeks before.
I had a sh*tload of money in the bank, and I spent it like water. I satisfied my DVD and Computer buying habit by giving all my money to Fry's Electronics, CDNow, and Amazon.com.
Ah, the big technology boom in the Silicon Valley. It truly was a golden age...
But today, it's different!
The market has tanked.
Stocks are all, but worthless.
Former overnight millionaires are losing their millions.... well... overnight....
And thousands of people are being laid off.
Me? I got caught in October, 2001 during my company's 2nd round of layoffs. I pretty much thought I should've been gone during the 1st round in April, but I managed to hold on. And when it happened, there really wasn't that much of a surprise. I was just pissed that they did it on a damn Monday. I actually had to get up and come to work for no reason!
Anyway, in the months that followed, I realized I had to learn to role with the punches. I was watching a lot of friends fall apart due to unemployment. It made feel like something was wrong with me, because I was rather enjoying it. I got an OK severance package, so I had money in the bank, and I had my whole days free to do stuff.
But I realized I couldn't live the same lifestyle I was accustomed to. So I had to make some changes. I had to move out of my $1500+ apartment in the heart of Silicon Valley, and into a $400 room in downtown San Jose (which wasn't a problem because they were both around the same square footage!!!). I had to curve my outlandish spending habit with extensive downloading from VersionTracker and AudioGalaxy. And I had to say good-bye to a lot of friends I was use to seeing on daily basis.
And today? Six months later?
I'm a different person. In some ways, a better person.
I was forced to reacquaint myself with the human race. Reentered the dating pool, and even chose hanging out with friends over watching TV and eating pizza.
But not living like those people on the Herpes adds (you know, smiling, riding bikes and getting pushed on the swing). I'm still just a computer geek at heart. Always have been. Always will be. I still enjoy the comforts of 'regular' healthy guys (i.e. movies with explosions, drinking, hangin', and women), but there's nothing like a 24" screen and a DSL connection.
Balance is the key. And it's a lot easier when you don't have money.
So what's a typical day in the life of me? Let's see, shall we?
9:02am
I first open my eyes for the new day. I look at the clock and see it's only 9:00! Angrily, I role over and go back to sleep... |
11:15am
After a typical freaky dream (ex: Being the center square on Hollywood Squares with Sissy Spacek and Coolio), I open my eyes once again and use what little energy I have to perform the 'morning maneuver'. This is a series of tasks that are genetically imprinted on the male species.
- Pull myself out of my bed (...Futon, actually).
- I grab the remote control and turn on the TV (which has been set to AT&T cable channel #20B. That's right! MTV).
- Wiping the 'sleep gunk' out of my eyes, (and without looking) I use the big toe on my left foot to turn on the surge suppresser on the floor. My computer springs to life, automatically opening e-mail, the web browser, and 7000+ songs in iTunes.
- I clumsily stumble downstairs to the kitchen and turn on the coffee maker (which was preloaded with Maxwell House the night before).
- I reverse direction and head back upstairs to the bathroom. (The latest Maxim Magazine is waiting to entertain me for the next 10-15 minutes).
- Flush!!!
- Head back downstairs where a pot of fresh coffee is waiting for me. I fill it to the brim with my my extra large tomatocow, coffee mug.
- I return to my room just in time to guzzle coffee and watch that Kylie Minogue video! ("Can't get you outta me head." blah blah blah... and there's the outfit!!!)
|
11:29am
Yawn, stretch and scratch myself... |
11:30am
After about 3 cups of God's nectar [read: coffee], I head for the Mac and check e-mail. And there's always the same messages:
• 8 Messages: How I can become financially secure by working at home.
• 5 Messages: Job Searches listing available positions I'm not qualified to apply for.
• 4 Offers: Viagra and/or sexual enhancements. (Damnit, stop it!!!)
• 2 Messages From Sean on new music to download from AudioGalaxy.
• (Still looking for "Mr. Big" by Free, by the way)
• 1 Message: From BeBe with her daily dose of textual profanity.
• 1 Message: From Roger with a daily dose of Mac-Geek solidarity.
• 1 Message: From Doug about nothing (but written in weird white-boy ghetto-ebonics).
• 1 Message: From Jaffe on who he 'could've' slept with the night before.
I send all my people their appropriate replies and then surf the web. This includes everything from job searches to my favorite pastime: buying stuff on amazon.com.
On a good day, I'll get a short contract job from people I use to work for. It's kind of cool. When you treat people good, they tend to return the favor when you need it. I don't know what the hell I would've done if it weren't for people hunting me down to do contract work. Thanks for helping me keep a roof over my head. Much love...
|
12:10pm
Lunch time! Strangely, the only things I tend to have available are water, cheese, and a stale bag of Doritos. So what does that mean?
Doritos + Cheese + Microwave = Lunch!
I sit, eat and watch a little more MTV. I swear, if I see that damn Tweet video again, I'm gonna hurt somebody. That song makes my eye twitch... |
1:05pm
Back to the bathroom. (Damn Doritos and cheese...) |
1:15pm
Flush!! |
1:30pm
Fold up the bed (Er.. futon), throw some clothes on and hit the streets!
I'm not going anywhere specifically. I just need to get some fresh air in my lungs.
Since I live by a University, there's never a dull moment. Actualization: You can never see enough female college joggers. It's the best 'after-lunch' past time. But you have to be careful. There's a thin line between 'male admirer' and 'creepy 30-something guy on campus'. Keep your mitts off the matches... |
2:40pm
Back to the house and back on the computer. Now it's time to do updates to the web site. It's actually 2:42pm as I write this rant. Cool, huh? Well... whatever... |
3:06pm
Damnit! I'm missing Days of Our Lives! (Don't trip! Nadia Bjorlin is a hottie!). Plus we find out who helped Stefano switch Hope and Lexi's babies... |
4:00pm
I get a call from Sean saying it's time to visit the Holy Mecca. That's right: Fry's Electronics! For those who don't know, Fry's is the Geek's holy place. It's one of the largest computer stores in North America. Mac and PC Geeks alike, come from miles around just walk the many aisles of products.
Now keep in mind, this place isn't for the laymen shopper. Fry's has some of the most frustrating customer service! (You don't believe me? check out the Fry's Electronics Employment Application!) |
8:15pm
Back from Fry's, I install, upgrade, watch, and/or play with whatever useless thing I've just bought. And since I've spent all my money on toys, it's Doritos and Cheese for dinner! In true multitasking fashion, I now watch TV, listen to MP3's, talk on the phone and surf the web at the same time. This is the time the Geek expends the rest of his/her/its daily-allotted energy. |
11:49pm
I wake up at my computer, not realizing I'd just nodded off while Instant Messaging profane obscenities back and forth with Bebe. Seeing that she's logged off, I wipe the drool from my mouth, turn off everything and go to bed. |
12:30am
Realizing I can't sleep, I get up and turn everything back on!
Yep, it's time to do some frivolous web surfacing (Not for porn! That would be wrong!).
There's still some Doritos left, but all the cheese is gone! (Damnit!!!) |
3:45am
I wake up at my computer again, wondering why I can sleep here and not in bed! Again, everything gets turned off, and I give the bed another try.
The chick who lived in my room before actually had invisible fluorescent stars painted on the walls. So when you turn off the lights, it's like you can see the night sky. I fall asleep wondering 'What the hell is wrong with me...' |
4:00am
I'm meeting Sissy and Coolio in the center square again... |
Wow. Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
Everyone says the economy's suppose to be picking up this summer. And even though the unemployment rate where I'm at seems to be at an all time high, there's suppose to be hope for jobs in the future.
I'm not really worried. I've had the opportunity to be on the happy and tragic ends of life. My mother pretty much taught me (by example) that as long as you're still breathing, everything's gonna be OK. Just stick to the path and you're bound to come across something. This comes from a woman would worked 3 jobs when times were hard to make sure I never 'wanted' for anything.
So when I see people stressed about paying mortgages and hospital bills while unemployed, I kinda feel lucky that biggest expense now is cheap rent. I just hope if/when the good life does come back, we all learn from our mistakes and start planning for the next big recession...
...and I'm done. |
