I’ve been pretty lucky after grad: found a well-paying job
right away, live in a decent-sized dwelling in the city, able to pay for
non-Value Village clothes, and so on. Things were looking up for me in 2011. I
was even, dare I say it, ball-tastically cocky with a smidge of yuppie-arrogant
at my good fortune. But alas, my life at the middle was destined to be
short-lived and by the end 2011, I found myself joining other university grads in
the unemployment pool. Man I wish I could tell you guys that I lost my job because
of a street-cred worthy reason like I was fired for punching a racist co-worker
in the face, or given a pink slip (like so many others) as part of a forced
org-restructuring due to the “the current economy.” All other reasons sound
infinitely better than my situation, which was self-induced and prompted by yuppie
arrogance and boredom.
Despite the encroaching fear of not able to pay rent and
experiencing WTF moments at the grocery store related to the sudden surge in
price of avocados, unemployment has been quite a refreshing venture, mostly
because it’s allowed me to revert back to my slothful undergrad days. Am I much
happier and relaxed waking up at 11 am on weekdays? Am I lazy for wearing
pyjamas and slippers all day, for three days in a row? You bet your sweet buns I
am!
It’s also forced me to think about how to fill the extra time
with projects I previously had no time for, such as learning to play the
guitar, write that great Canadian novel, or sit idly at Starbucks in the middle
of the day watching youtube videos. Now, I know what you guys are thinking. You’re
thinking oh my god the purple banana has become a house-bound crazy recluse,
one step short of getting a whole bunch of rescue cats to keep her company. Well,
calm the fuck down. Although that scenario sounds appealing, I think my
financial limitation, the fact that I currently have $1.36 in my pocket, makes
it impossible to build my army of unholy cat minions. Yes I can’t play the
guitar for shit but every time you strum the strings it sounds like pretty
music so that’s okay. Yes I haven’t progressed beyond the fifth page in my
novel (double-spaced) but…shut up.
Anyway, with all the free time and no money I’ve also taken
up wandering through the Toronto streets most mornings, exploring neighbourhoods
that I previously didn’t know existed, like Leslieville in the Queen and
Broadview area. And hello there are so many free things to do in Toronto like free
entrance at the AGO on Wednesdays at 5pm and free movie screenings at the
National Film Board where I saw a documentary about monarch butterflies, and
yes I now know the crap out of butterflies!
So if you find yourself unexpectedly without a secure steady
source of income, I say get creative stupid and start doing things. Trust me,
it kills the boredom. And refuse the urge to adopt cats.
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