Thursday, July 28, 2011

How I Spent The Twenty-Ninth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

This applying at not-for-profits for jobs that I'm fully qualified for might be starting to get some traction!  While I still haven't gotten called for any interviews, today I got my first personalized e-mail from a company.  And talking to another company's Twitter person has gotten my application "flagged."  I hope that's a good thing.  I think it is since they thanked me for my support of their causes.

I'm not saying which these companies are since that wouldn't be fair.

The crazy thing is that I forgot how much fun it was to write cover letters to association that I actually care about.  The ability to tell them why I want to work for them and demonstrate a knowledge of what they do.  And even if I end up with a job with another association, I'm learning about a lot of good causes in the process.

I've started to put together a list on Twitter with all of the places I've applied.  It's kind of fun to compare their social media presences.  Some of them I have higher Klout scores than.  I could help them I think.  My old employers have a Klout score of 25.  It blows my mind that it's that high.  I would have said about 15.

Anyhow, that's neither here nor there.  I also learned that when I don't want to apply somewhere (but it's a position I'd be good at), writing cover letters is like pulling teeth.  There's still a bunch more of both experiences to be had tomorrow.  There are three places I want to apply with deadlines of August 1.  Time to come up with some attention grabbing lines.  Mostly at Starbucks in the city.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, JULY 19 ($30.69)

  • 9:22 a.m. Potomac Mills Mall - Free.  Just an average day of waiting for the bus inside of the mall since it was 100 degrees and humid outside.
  • 10:58 a.m. FedEx Office - $2.64.  In all of my napping and applying for jobs, I forgot to extend the payment protection on my Capital One card.  This trip to my "office" was printing out and sending in the form.
  • 11:23 a.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  My plan was to send in my application to volunteer at the National Archives at the Starbucks by the National Archives.  My computer refused to save the application, however, so I just applied a couple of other places.
  • 1:29 p.m. Ted's Bulletin - $17.00.  I had been craving one of their veggie burgers with the egg and cole slaw on top.  And it was delicious!  I really can't afford to eat here as often as I do.  But I can't help it!
  • 3:33 p.m. National Portrait Gallery - Free.  To see as many museums as completely as possible, I have been repeating.  This was my first visit to the National Portrait Gallery.  One of the jobs I applied for was for Civil War Associate.  The tour was on the Civil War rooms.  I'm hoping it's a sign.
  • 5:21 p.m. Union Station - $7.05.  In order to save money, I had decided not to go to Roti.  But going to Taco Bell meant that I ended up ordering more than I should have.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 ($54.44)

  • 8:54 a.m. Union Station - $14.00.  The train to Baltimore is amazingly cheap.  It's $7.00!  That's less than it costs me to take the train home from Washington D.C.  I didn't buy a round trip ticket, but we'll count it that way.
  • 10:30 a.m. Baltimore Penn Station - $3.40.  Transportation in Baltimore is also cheap.  I didn't buy a round trip for the light rail to Camden Yards, but we'll count it that way.
  • 12:29 p.m. Oriole Park At Camden Yards - $31.00.  I paid a little extra for a seat in the shade.  It was well worth it.  The only extra expense I paid (since I ate some bagels for breakfast from home) was $1.00 for a program.  The Red Sox crushed the Orioles getting a hit in every inning.  It was worth every penny.
  • 7:20 p.m. Subway - $6.04.  Having not eaten all day, I started feeling not so well on the train home.  I stopped at the Subway in Old Town Manassas so I wouldn't pass out.

THURSDAY, JULY 21 (Free)

FRIDAY, JULY 22 ($15.19)

  • 10:14 a.m. Manassas Civil War Military Parade - Free.  It was too hot to leave the condo on Thursday.  But I wanted to take pictures of the celebration in Manassas so I made my way out in the heat to do so.  It was an impressive parade.  The men and women in it must have been sweating horribly in their dress unifrorms.
  • 11:35 a.m. Prospero's Books - Free.  Even though I usually pass right by the shops in Manassas, I decided to stop in this book store.  They have a great Civil War selection.  Though I didn't buy anything.
  • 12:17 p.m. Katerina's Greek Cuisine - $9.00.  I can no longer say there is no good Greek restaurant around D.C.  This one in Manassas is spectacular.  And well priced.  I hope it stays in business because it's close to home.
  • 12:58 p.m. Simply Sweet On Main - $1.64.  Unemployment gave me a bit of a scare.  I didn't get my check because I had declared the conference as education.  Oops.  I waited on the phone for a long time but eventually got it sorted out.
  • 2:20 p.m. Center For The Arts At The Candy Factory - Free.  The speaker who was presenting was amazing.  But the air conditioning was even more so.  I learned a lot about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln.
  • 5:17 p.m. Taco Bell - $4.55.  My addiction runs so deep that I walked in 100 degree weather for half a mile to this location.  Of course it helped that the bus wasn't running and I had to walk to this part of Manassas anyhow.

SATURDAY, JULY 23 (Free)

SUNDAY, JULY 24 (Free)

  • 5:28 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  Going to the gym on Mondays hadn't gotten me there any in the week, so I figured maybe Sunday would be better.

MONDAY, JULY 25 ($19.67)

  • 9:21 a.m. Potomac Mills Mall - Free.  Air conditioning is actually priceless.  As is the electrical outlet here.
  • 11:10 a.m. FedEx Office - $5.77.  This time I refused to leave the FedEx until I printed, filled out, and faxed my application to the National Archives.  And I succeeded.  In time for lunch.
  • 12:31 p.m. Roti Mediterranean Grill - $9.90.  I finally made it to the New York Avenue Metro location of Roti.  And it was actually not as good as the one in L'Enfant Plaza.  Maybe it was just the lunch rush.  Or maybe it was the bad salmon I ate.  Anyhow, L'Enfant is more convenient for me regardless.
  • 1:25 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Another trip to Starbucks, this time the one by the Archives again.  Since it was raining, there was nowhere to sit with a plug.  But I still found a way to apply for a few more jobs.
  • 3:18 p.m. National Portrait Gallery - Free.  Finishing out the Portrait Gallery so quickly should show how much I loved it.  And there are a lot of cute girls who hang out here after work.  It's like a destination.

So that's $119.99.  If only I could have as much fun and spend as little money as I did this week (or less), life would be brilliant.  Still, I'm starting to run low on cash finally so if some of these resumes I'm sending out don't pay off soon, I'm definitely going to have to start temping.  Or just sitting around in boredom wishing I were temping.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $6046.05.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

How I Spent The Twenty-Eighth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

Since I'm not beyond my first six months of unemployment, educating myself last week felt like a step in the right direction.  I now feel almost fully qualified to run a social media campaign.  At least I know the best practices for doing so.  With this newfound arrow in my quiver (yes, I am still spending too much time on OKCupid), I finally applied for the Civil War Associate position at the National Parks Conservation Association.

Maybe telling them how I would run the campaign was a little over the top, since they have a pretty strong Twitter presence at @NPCA, but I am serious that I want this position.

To supplement my application, I am going to brave the heat tomorrow and capture a lot of Manassas' grandeur.  Right now it actually has some since today marked the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run and the town (excuse me, the Independent City of Manassas) has activities all weekend.  And they're mostly bus accessible.  At least tomorrow.  If I get an interview, you can be sure I'll bring these along to show what I offer in terms of being a marketing team member.

At least their web presence isn't all press releases like a certain other association that will remain nameless.

The funny thing was, on Tuesday I took a tour of the National Portrait Gallery immediately after sending in my application.  The random topic (as chosen by the docent and not known in advance) was the Civil War Room.  It seems like a sign.  I hope it's a sign.

In other news, I applied for my first for-profit job at a research place out in Bethesda.  I think I'm going to hit a lot more of those up.  If I want to do entry level research, it's not like a marketing firm is any worse a place to start than a not-for-profit here.  I really need to compile all of these places that I applied that are not on government sites for permanent keeping.

Since, you know, that's required by unemployment and all.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, JULY 12 ($77.17)
  • 10:38 a.m. FedEx Office - $7.22.  I don't even want to talk about what the CTA left me for a going away present.  All I can do is try to clean up the mess they left my North Community Bank account.  This took faxing, so I stopped by what is quickly becoming my home office away from home.
  • 11:41 a.m. National Archives and Records Administration - Free.  The free noon program was on Good Humor suing Popsicle.  Thankfully, they gave us a free one of one or the other as a bonus for attending.  That could have gotten ugly.
  • 1:32 p.m. Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe - $17.00. I had to come back and try the food after my dating debacle there.  It was pretty amazing.  Expensive as heck, but I got out for under $20.00 by just getting an entree.
  • 2:35 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Since I was in Dupont Circle, I figured looking for work at a fancy Starbucks might encourage me.  Except most of the people in it were similarly unemployed.
  • 4:01 p.m. U.S. Post Office - Cleveland Park - $.54.  Unfortunately, one of my forms needed to be mailed in on this hot day.  So it was a good thing I knew about this post office next to a Metro stop.
  • 4:11 p.m. Exxon - $1.71.  I had a venti iced tea lemonade.  I felt the need to buy gum and other things to make up for the real reason I was there.
  • 5:06 p.m. Safeway - $27.70.  My plan to shop in the city and then eat dinner were thwarted by a train delay. But I did get the shopping done.
  • 6:43 p.m. City Square Cafe - $19.00.  Since I got home a train earlier than I expected to, I decided to stop by for happy hour.  The potato gnocchi was awesome.  As was the macaroni and cheese.  Though I really should have only gotten one or the other with all of the groceries I had on me.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13 (Free)

THURSDAY, JULY 14 ($125.00)
  • 8:52 a.m. ASAE: The Center For Association Leadership - $125.00.  Probably the best triple digit expenditure I've made while I've been unemployed for sure.  What a great conference!
FRIDAY, JULY 15 ($19.85)
  • 1:22 p.m. Truckeroo - $10.00.  I returned to the food truck carnival for a second month running.  This time I had it down to a science, getting one main and one dessert.  The lines were not nearly as long this late though.
  • 4:26 p.m. Magic Putting Place - $4.00.  For the second time this week, I returned to the site of a bad date to exorcise the demons.  It turned out that I actually golfed better while having a panic attack.  Who knew?
  • 5:28 p.m. Taco Bell - $5.85.  It's sort of sad that when I go a week without Taco Bell I get cravings.  And this one being right across from mini-golf didn't help.
SATURDAY, JULY 16 (Free)

SUNDAY, JULY 17 ($10.52)
  • 8:27 p.m. Walgreens - $10.52.  On recent weekends, I haven't left the condo at all due to the heat.  This is probably both good and awful.  It took running out of toilet paper to get me moving.
MONDAY, JULY 18 ($40.90)
  • 12:09 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  Another Monday at the gym.  Though I still felt out of shape since I need to go more than once a week.
  • 3:57 p.m. Wegmans - $40.90.  I felt like less of a Woodbridge resident because I've never been here.  Now I have.  They had a lot of fun groceries that I ended up buying.  Though the sushi was probably something I couldn't afford.
So that's $273.44.  Ugh.  I really need to slow down as I'm not really getting any richer collecting unemployment.  And I am bored regardless!  Hopefully I find something soon.  It's getting to be temping time for sure.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $5926.06.  

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

How I Spent The Twenty-Seventh Week Of The Rest Of My Life

So the "great" online dating while unemployed "experiment" is proving to be a complete failure.  While it's only anecdotal evidence, my hypothesis that girls with a caring streak like unemployed boys is failing.  Of course there are other variables at play, such as having no car and no way to actually go on dates in the city.  Though I did test this variable last week.  And when I drove to a date in Arlington before driving to Ocean City, I got a second date.

Now, of course, this girl cancelled said date yesterday, but who's counting?

Still more testing is necessary.  And, well, I hope that I either meet someone amazing or get a job in the near future.

I think the problem is that I have too much time on my hands.  The one online talking that went really well was with this girl named Jaime from Alexandria.  She has lots of free time at her job and likes to chat.  Or did.  That's a whole other story and this is not a dating blog.  That would be more depressing than what it really is.

So, on to the unemployment front.  Tomorrow I'm attending the Social Media for Non-Profits seminar at the ASAE Center here.  I think it will feel good to board a train to the city to actually participate in something.  But it's going to be weird having to be on time.

Which reminds me.  I think I'm about to sign up to be a volunteer at the National Archives.  They give you research training!  For free.  Now, of course, it would be better to get paid for it.  But then I'd have to actually get hired through a more exacting process.  There is an interviewing and security clearance though, so if I do eventually get a government job, I'll have gone through that.

But, man, if I get turned down for volunteering, I am seriously going to cry!  At least last week made me happy.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, JULY 5 ($24.52)

  • 12:25 p.m. Capital City Diner - $12.00.  By now, my quest for a great feta cheese omelette should be legendary to my readers by now.  They had a good one.  Getting there, however, I walked through some bad neighborhoods I don't want to live in.  Next time I know there's a bus.
  • 1:54 p.m. United States National Arboretum - Free.  I'm kind of afraid of bugs.  It was kind of hot so the bugs were out in force.  It seems like a great place if you're not having a panic attack.
  • 4:06 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Taking the bus back from the Arboretum, I ended up at my usual Starbucks.  And they finally got my order right.  I think it's because I'm now a regular.
  • 5:12 p.m. Roti Mediterranean Grill - $8.52.  In a complete repeat of Friday, after the Starbucks, I stopped by the Roti before catching the train at L'Enfant Plaza.  They had feta cheese this time.  I can never have too much feta!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 ($29.50)

  • 7:15 p.m. Nationals Park - $29.50.  When I got offered a $20.00 ticket to see the Cubs play the Nationals, I wasn't going to turn it down.  Though to call that a baseball game given the performance of the two teams is iffy. 

THURSDAY, JULY 7 ($96.42)

  • 1:10 p.m. Great Clips - $17.00.  Even though I had less faith in this date going well than either of my previous two, I decided to get my head shaved.  My hat was kind of stinky, so I figured it was better if I didn't wear it.
  • 5:08 p.m. Alamo Rent A Car - $29.03.  The scary thing was that I forgot to bring a good credit card.  Thankfully a bad one had a little money left.  I didn't have enough to get insurance though.
  • 6:09 p.m. Mad Rose Tavern - $32.94.  My date this evening had kind of fancy tastes.  She said she always wanted to live in Arlington while living in the D.C. area.  Though I did enjoy the cheese plate we split.
  • 7:49 p.m. Thomas Jefferson Memorial - Free.  Since I actually had a reliable form of transportation to get me out of the city, I decided to see the sun set at where I thought would be a great vantage point.  It was.
  • 11:14 a.m. Wawa - $2.95.  I decided to drive east into the night toward Ocean City.  This was without a real dinner and with a beer in me.  I wasn't drunk, but I did crave a slushee a bit too much.
  • 12:38 a.m. Casino At Ocean Downs - $14.50.  When I found a casino, I figured that I found a place to eat, have fun, and then crash for the night.  I had a beer and lost $5.00 playing video poker in record time.  But they closed at 2:00 a.m., so there was no sleeping in their parking lot.

FRIDAY, JULY 8 ($105.02)

  • 6:16 a.m. Food Lion - $18.46.  In my packing, I didn't remember to bring a beach towel or sunscreen.  Thankfully the Food Lion whose parking lot served as my hotel room had both.
  • 6:44 a.m. Ocean City Boardwalk - Free.  I had thought about sleeping near the beach, but that seemed dangerous.  I did get to the beach in time to see the sun pretty low in the sky.  Even if I missed the sunrise.
  • 7:43 a.m. Happy Jack Pancake House - $12.50.  Even though there were plenty of all you can eat places, I decided just to get pancakes considering the amount of beer I had on an almost empty stomach.  This place's pancake sandwich with egg in the middle was tops!
  • 9:08 a.m. Beachwear Factory - Free.  I found a great parking lot on the street for free (something that would not happen on the weekend).  It was in front of this place.  I needed really cheap sandals.  Theirs were too expensive.
  • 9:24 a.m. Planet Surf - $8.47.  This place, which only had Sell Sell on its sign (but I looked it up on the internet), had really cheap sandals.  Now I actually own sandals for the first time in my adult life.
  • 10:33 a.m. Ocean City Beach - Free.  Free and wonderful.  If it didn't cost so much to get there, I'd hop in my car every Friday while I was unemployed.  Dipping myself in the Atlantic reaffirmed my wanting to stay here.
  • 1:11 p.m. Maui Golf - $9.50.  There were so many mini-golf places in Ocean City that it almost blew my mind.  I chose this one because it was the closest to a beach theme.  It was kind of terrible.  But my 46 on a par 44 was the best score of my life.
  • 2:51 p.m. Ocean City Chamber Of Commerce - Free.  I plan on coming back so I picked up a bunch of brochures.  There are also no public changing areas in Ocean City, so I changed in their bathroom.
  • 4:28 p.m. Wawa - $40.49.  Gas has gotten cheaper since my road trip, but it's still not cheap.  If I hadn't wasted a bunch of it looking for a place to sleep though, it probably would have been cheaper.
  • 4:56 p.m. Tastee Freez - $5.60.  When I saw one of the two Eastern Shore locations of Tastee Freez, I had to stop.  This one had a full food menu, so I got macaroni and cheese.
  • 7:31 p.m. Exxon - On The Run - $10.00.  Since I filled up while still on the Eastern Shore, I had to top up in Alexandria before returning the car.  Getting stuck in Washington Nationals traffic did not help to keep the car fueled.
  • 7:56 p.m. Alamo Rent A Car - Free.  Not a scratch, dent, or ding on my car this time.  No speeding tickets.  No nothing.  I actualy got it back an hour early too so they'll refund my card something.

SATURDAY, JULY 9 (Free)

SUNDAY, JULY 10 ($20.90)

  • 7:34 p.m. Walgreens - $14.87.  After so little sleep and so much sun (which caused a burn because I didn't get my neck or scalp enough, I crashed all day Saturday.  Sunday I remedied the issues.
  • 7:45 p.m. Subway - $6.03.  Since I was already in the area, I treated myself to a sandwich.

MONDAY, JULY 11 (Free)

  • 4:10 p.m. County Center Owner's Association - Free.  The gym was necessary after my long weekend (which pretty much consisted of Friday.  Afterwards, I was right back in the swing of things.

So that's $276.36.  Pretty soon I'm going to have to slow it down since that's just too much.  Though I haven't run out of unemployment yet, so I'm still good.  This week started out expensively yesterday, but I have food for every day.  And while the seminar tomorrow is $125.00, it does include lunch.  Still, this week will probably cost about the same.  Even without any dates.  My total spent since I've been unemployed is $5652.62.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

How I Spent The Twenty-Sixth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

Even though last week was supposed to be some sort of milestone, it didn't feel much like one.  I'm sure a potential employer will hold it against me that I've now been unemployed for over six months, but the first four were spent in Chicago not really looking (and submitting an accidentally bad resume to the government), so it feels like two.

Still, I'm getting more and more frustrated that I'm not hearing back from anyone for an interview.  My unemployment has apparently not run out, but I'm not counting on that for much longer.  And my unemployment status kind of looks bad in other areas as well.

So I'm seriously considering going to keepersonline.net before the August 1 deadline that I set for myself.  It's kind of temping, but it's also kind of a trade school for administrative professionals (which research assistants and marketing assistants are both included in).

I think that I'm also going to a conference on Social Media for Non-Profits on Thursday.  It's $125.00, but it's better than I usually spend that sum of money.  And it will be good to go into the city for an actual purpose.  My only worry is having to explain to everyone why I'm unemployed in breakout sessions.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, JUNE 28 ($15.85)

  • 1:36 p.m. Subway - $6.03.  After the debacle of the night before, I could barely hold food down.  But I figured a sandwich was okay.  Just to be safe, I got it without mustard.
  • 2:01 p.m. Harris Teeter - $9.82.  Even though I wasn't particularly hungry, I figured that I needed to eat.  I bought two packages of fake chicken nuggets.  No matter how sick I feel, I can always eat these.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29 ($15.84)

  • 12:08 p.m. IKEA - $5.96.  The only good part about waiting an hour for the bus was that I had time to get pasta at IKEA.  It was delicious.  Though I kind of got lost since I still wasn't feeling 100%.
  • 2:15 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  Even if it meant going to Alexandria, I was going to look for jobs at my favorite Starbucks outside of Washington D.C.  There was some good job hunting.  But I spent most of my time on OKCupid.
  • 4:26 p.m. Potomac Greens - Free.  I had planned on walking north to Arlington and through Del Ray in Alexandria, but I didn't realize the road I was on didn't go through.  It did end up at a nice park though.
  • 5:44 p.m. The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial - Free.  Knowing that I didn't want to walk anymore, I took a bus to the Pentagon to catch the train home.  I ended up seeing this really understated and awesome memorial.  And missing my train.  Worth it.
  • 7:37 p.m. Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins - $5.88.  After I missed my bus, I panicked.  I took the Woodbridge train home rather than get stranded in Manassas.  This was where I grabbed dinner.

THURSDAY, JUNE 30 ($1.38)

  • 8:26 p.m. 7-Eleven - $1.38.  I was pretty much too tired to leave the condo after my adventures in transportation the day before.  But I did want to get one last Slurpee while they were giving away movie tickets.

FRIDAY, JULY 1 ($59.29)

  • 10:51 a.m. Ted's Bulletin - $17.00.  Lunch had always left me too full to try their desserts.  But breakfast was smaller and their homemade pop tart was incredible.  The only thing keeping this from being my favorite restaurant in Washington D.C. is the service.
  • 12:18 p.m. National Museum of the American Indian - Free.  This time I got there too early for a tour as opposed to too late.  But I stuck around and took one later.  I still haven't seen much of the museum.
  • 3:06 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  I ended up back at my usual Friday Starbucks near the Federal Center SW stop.  The staff there got my order wrong yet again.  They're the only staff that does.
  • 4:29 p.m. Safeway - $29.77.  In order to feel more like I lived in the city, I decided to do some grocery shopping.  The fact that this Safeway is across from a Metro stop makes it easier to shop at than anything in Prince William County.
  • 5:22 p.m. Roti Mediterranean Grill - $8.52.  Since I had discovered where the L'Enfant Plaza Roti was the week before, I decided to eat there.  This food court location left a lot to be desired aesthetically, but not in taste.

SATURDAY, JULY 2 (Free)

SUNDAY, JULY 3 ($131.04)

  • 1:33 p.m. Target - $131.04.  I forgot to account for my meds in thinking that this would be a cheaper week.  Though I did discover that Target is the cheapest grocery store in the area.
  • 2:04 p.m. Extra Space Storage - Free.  When we first pulled up, my code didn't work. We came back after Target and it did.  I finally put away my sweaters.

MONDAY, JULY 4 ($25.50)

  • 3:33 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  I should have probably gone earlier since my bad Monday, but it did make me feel better.
  • 6:43 p.m. G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium - $25.50.  Even though I didn't really love my first Potomac Nationals game, nothing said Independence Day to me more than minor league baseball and fireworks.  And too much beer.

So that's $248.90.  Far more than I thought it was going to be in the middle of the week for sure. The trip that I took to Ocean City this week will make for a similarly large sum I think.  Though it was entirely worth it.  I feel like a new person after I got back.  Maybe feeling good will have me spending less money than feeling bad.  Who knows?  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $5376.26.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

How I Spent The Twenty-Fifth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

Today marks my two month anniversary in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.  But in no week have I felt more like I lived outside the city.  The problem is, of course, the holiday that we're about to embark on.  The fact that it's kind of a big deal around here is fun.  The fireworks over The Mall are supposed to be pretty amazing.  And Manassas is all dressed up in bunting.  But I can't get to any of it since I'm still stuck jobless and carless in a place where the buses don't run on holidays.

Though this is keeping me out of trouble, it is putting a crimp in my social life as well.  I'm actually renting a car next week to go to the nearest beach.  I don't know exactly where that is as of yet, but once I figure it out, I'm there.  I was renting it to see my first concert, but that has fallen through like so many other things as of late.

It's all just more impetus to continue on the job hunt full speed ahead.  I took a small break when I went to New York City and then earlier this week.  But I am back at it full force and just applied for a position at the Department of Labor that I'm qualified for yesterday.  It's a customer service position.  It's sad that I have let my skills atrophy so much that it's the only thing I'm now qualified to do.

At least I'm qualified to do something though.  Though apparently not much.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, JUNE 21 ($31.48)

  • 10:08 a.m. T-Mobile - $18.18.  In my drunken stupor on my last night in New York City, I somehow lost my phone charger.  Since I needed to call unemployment, I didn't have much of a choice but to get a new charger.  It took them forever to wait on me though so I didn't get a chance to charge my phone much.
  • 4:26 p.m. Safeway - $1.59.  One thing that I was glad that I did was get a couple of bagels on the street before I left New York City.  The driver of the bus didn't let us out at the gas stop in New Jersey officially.  But I didn't get a water.  It was hot when we got back to D.C.  This was necessary.
  • 4:53 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  The funny thing was that this Starbucks was on New York Avenue.  It was my first chance to fully recharge my phone.
  • 5:44 p.m. Union Station - $7.71.  It was a really bad idea to eat Taco Bell when I was feeling hungover.  But I did it anyway.  That was one of the longest train rides home ever.  But at least it wasn't on a bus.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 (Free)

THURSDAY, JUNE 23 ($25.54)

  • 7:18 p.m. Subway - $5.71.  I didn't feel well enough to leave the condo the day before, but I had run out of food so I had to.  Since people had warned me that I was about to spend a lot on groceries, a cheap sandwich seemed the best option.
  • 7:34 p.m. Harris Teeter - $19.83.  This is supposed to be the most expensive store in the area.  The fact that more than my Aldi bill only got me food for the weekend would seem to back up this fact.  But they have really good brands.

FRIDAY, JUNE 24 ($10.53)

  • 11:30 a.m. Potomac Mills Mall - $6.53.  I decided it would be cheaper to eat "lunch" at the Sbarro in the mall than to eat downtown.  Spaghetti isn't a bad breakfast, I guess.
  • 1:18 p.m. National Building Museum - Free.  This was the last day that the National Building Museum was free, so I had to take advantage of that fact.  I had planned to do more while I was there, but a docent talked my ear off for a while.
  • 4:02 p.m. National Museum of the American Indian - Free.  Since I was in the area, I figured that I'd compare the Washington D.C. main branch with the New York branch I had just visited.  Not surprisingly, the New York branch was more artsy.
  • 4:59 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  This is the Starbucks that is closest to the headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services.  I want to drink at this Starbucks a lot in the future.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25 (Free)

SUNDAY, JUNE 26 ($18.28)

  • 1:55 p.m. Walgreens - $6.28.  I was out of razors again.  I can only imagine how many razors that I'm going to go through once I'm actually employed.
  • 2:15 p.m. Amici's Restaurante - $12.00.  My security deposit finally arrived from Chicago the day before.  My landlady had taken $150.00 out for cleaning, but that was fine.  I still had money to get a buffet and it was nice.

MONDAY, JUNE 27 ($22.62)

  • 11:10 a.m. County Center Owners Association Clubhouse - Free.  Since I had a long day ahead of me, I figured that I needed to get the blood pumping.  I really need to start going more than once a week.
  • 1:06 p.m. Taco Bell - $5.62.  I decided to spend pretty much my entire day in Manassas.  So I made my way over to "my" Taco Bell and had lunch before seeing a movie.
  • 2:04 p.m. Manassas 4 Cinemas - $7.00.  Originally, I had no plans to see Super 8, but my companion for the evening had seen it and loved it.  It scared me a bit and I had to suspend a little bit too much disbelief.
  • 7:14 p.m. Magic Putting Place - $10.00.  This was the most scary round of mini-golf of my life.  My hands wouldn't stop shaking.  What I learned is that mini-golf is not the most conducive way to get to know someone.  Otherwise, I don't want to talk about it.  Guh!

So that's $108.45.  This week might be even less since I barely left the condo.  Who knows.  I may find some way to spend a lot of money tomorrow or Monday, but I heavily doubt it.  In a way it's good since my bank account is back to comfortable levels again.  Maybe another week of locking myself inside would be good.  Or maybe not.  At least I've got my day at the beach on the horizon.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $5127.36.