First off, I just want to thank all of you that took the time last Caturday to give me moral support after I shared the news that I was unexpectedly let go from my day job. Your compassion and faith in me was overwhelming and I cannot begin to tell you how much it helped my emotional well-being.

After getting through the first week relatively unbruised (admittedly I think the reality of the situation truly had not sunk in – not to mention, deep down I was really enjoying the down time being at home with Dan and the kitties) I was prepared to begin week two of looking for employment with a fresh and healthy attitude. Unfortunately, fate had other plans in mind. I logged into my computer bright and early Monday morning to tackle the day, only to be greeted by a blank white screen with this annoyingly efficient message, “unable to connect to the server.”

Royally screwed is right… I actually had another phrase in mind but thought better of it in case I have some PG-rated readers…

I did what anyone would do – I cried, I threw a tantrum, and I rebooted my computer and Internet modem about a hundred times. Nothing worked – modem lights that were supposed to display in a slow, steady stream of green, were now glaring at me in an angry succession of red dots. A great game if you’re a cat, not so much if you’re an adult who is addicted to the Internet who also needs to find a job.

I steeled myself to make the dreaded call to my Internet provider and after being on hold for about 6.5 hours, I finally got to talk to a human being who thoroughly confused me with his technical lingo – is your “blah bitty blah blah” connected to the “whatchamacallit” divided by the radius of the square footage of your house times pi equals 3.14? Huh? When he finally realized he was talking to a technically challenged person, he said “your modem is dead and you need a new one.”

Oh.

He continued on, “and we can’t get a new one out to you until late tomorrow afternoon.”

Well, despite what could have been a nervous breakdown, I decided to take it in stride. Not having the Internet for almost two days was kind of liberating. I literally unplugged and enjoyed some guilt free time around the house. My mom took me to lunch. I read a book. I went outside. I snuggled on the couch with the kitties. And guess what, when I finally had the Internet again, not much had changed. I still was unemployed and the job boards were still there for me to look at.

No matter what the circumstances, sitting on the couch and having your cat cuddle with you (Kizmet is actually giving me a hug) is the best medicine ever.

And in another hilarious quirk of fate to add to an already stressful start to my week, I got a lovely pimple next to my nose. I haven’t had a pimple in probably 20 years and I was instantly reminded of my teenage days and the emotional trauma of always being picked last in gym class. That’s actually what the whole looking for a job process at my age feels like – a bit demoralizing, traumatizing, and demeaning – like I’m an old, obsolete flip style phone trying to fit into a young and hip iPhone world.

I read the job descriptions and they make me cringe. One ad read, “Do you wanna work for…” Wanna? When did “wanna” become a professional word? The ad may as well have been written by a kid sharing a tweet on Twitter. There are even quizzes to take now when you fill out an online application, which I assume is to determine whether you are deranged or not (sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not, it just really depends on what we’re talking about. Take away my cats, coffee, or chocolate… I’m deranged).

Geez… God no! We can’t hire this lady… Look at this resume! She was born in the olden days… like before Instagram was even invented… Can someone get me some milk and cookies? Is it my nap time yet?

Here’s an example for you: Working in a team environment is important to you – True or False? How does your entire chance of gaining employment depend on a True or False quiz? What if your answer is somewhere in-between? Sometimes it’s important to work with a team and sometimes it’s important to work independently. That’s the trouble with technology – all of our resumes and applications are filtered into a computer that is looking for specific key words and answers. How do you rise to the top of the qualified pile if you can’t answer in tones of grey? Not all of life is black and white or true and false.

I can’t say that technology isn’t wonderful, but I do miss the days when life was grey – like when you had to look for a job in a newspaper. You actually had to mail your resume and then you were called in to meet your perspective employer face to face – you know, like you were a real human being…

But hey, there is a cat related silver lining to it all. Last Friday I had some AMAZING company drop by the house! One of my favorite cat people ever, Toni Nicholson, of RCTees was in Florida on vacation with her husband, Mark. I had never met her before and she and Mark were able to drop by for dinner. Christine Michaels of Riverfront Cats also came by and we had a blast getting to know one another better!

Christine, myself, and Toni. Christine and I are wearing the newest T-shirt from RCTees, “Like a Boss.”

And if that’s not enough, later on tonight I will be heading to Coral Gables with Dan to attend a fundraising gala the Cat Network of Miami is hosting. Jackson Galaxy of My Cat From Hell will be the featured guest speaker and I can’t wait to see him again! I first met him in 2012 at a book signing for the Cat Writers’ Association in Los Angeles. He has gone on to become a huge celebrity, and me, well, I’m at least famous in my own little cat world! He probably won’t even remember me, but that’s okay! It’s still going to be a blast.

Jackson and I back in 2012. Sigh… a lifetime ago!

I get to play dress up (I found an old gown of mine and “leopardized” it by adding a bunch of beads and sequins – who says just because your unemployed you can’t be uniquely stylish?) and I will also be meeting up with Christine again, as she lives in that area. Dan will also be going and it will be wonderful to have him with me, as he rarely gets to go to cat related events with me.

So, all in all, it’s not so bad… Have a great Caturday all and thanks for letting me share my update with you!

Thank you to everyone who has so generously donated to the Riverfront Cats Fundraiser and Giveaway. As Christine has found more cats in need of help, we have extended the event until 11:00 p.m, PST, Wednesday, October 28. The winner of the giveaway drawing will be announced on Caturday, October 31.