While I was Away...

I took a vacation.

Yeah, yeah, I know…unemployed people shouldn’t take vacations. We should just stay at our computers all day long and look for a job. That’s the same kind of thinking that says jobless people are just lazy, deserve no fun in life and should walk around with a bright red U on their chests.

But I took a vacation anyway. Visited Seattle with my sister and niece for six days.

I used my frequent flyer miles to pay for the airfare. If I had to pay out of pocket for the plane, I would not have gone. One good thing about all the business trips I took at my previous employer is that it gave me enough miles to take a free trip. Almost makes up for the horrid way they treated me. Almost.

Seattle is a great city, and one of three cities in the U.S. I want to visit (up next are Boston and Chicago). Pike’s Market, it’s most well-known destination, is amazing, but since July and August is the height of the city’s tourist season, it was very crowded. And you can take it with you: my sister had a 10-pound salmon shipped back to her home in Pennsylvania from one of the fish stands in the market.

We also went to the Space Needle; the Seattle Art Museum (which had an exhibit on native son Kurt Cobain); saw the original Starbucks; took a ferry ride around the harbor and to the very quaint Bainbridge Island; went on a tour of underground Seattle in Pioneer Square; and even watched a baseball game at Safeco Field (the Mariners vs. the Red Sox).

The weather was perfect; none of the rain Seattle is famous for. Getting around the city on public transportation is either free or at a very low cost. So I would definitely recommend a trip to the 206 area code.

Deciding to go was not an easy decision, what with my current financial situation. But who knows when I will be able to go on another vacation? I only had to pay for a part of the hotel room, food and entrance to the attractions. So it wasn’t wildly expensive.

It wasn't like there was much for me to do back in New Jersey. Nothing but sending out countless résumés that get swallowed up in cyberspace; waiting for calls for interviews that never come; and, my favorite, getting emails that start with “While you were an attractive candidate...” Nothing good comes after that phrase, does it?

There were times when I almost was able to forget my jobless status. Almost. Living in the now has never been easy for me. The trip didn't make me feel any better about my situation, but I didn't feel any worse. Overall I had a good time, although it would have been better if I had a job to come home to.

At least I got OUTSIDE, which tanned my face and got rid of my Facebook/Internet job search pallor.

Before I left, I learned that I flunked that test for the reporter job (see “Jumping Through Hoops). I was disappointed and frankly, embarrassed that I did poorly. It’s inexcusable, really, that I failed. I tried to find out from the HR lady what part of the test I did badly on, but all she would say was that the test was “very competitive.” Most likely, I didn’t do well on the reading comprehension part. Those standardized tests always bedevil me.

Considering the company advertised again for the reporter position, I have a feeling I wasn’t the only one who crapped out on the test.

But while I was in Seattle, I did get some good news. The Senate approved extended unemployment benefits. So I’ll be getting weekly payments for 20 more weeks, until November. (And no, I'm not planning any more vacations!)

Hopefully, between now and then, all the summer interns will have gone back to college and media companies will realize they will have to pay real journalists to do the work. For real money! Maybe then someone will hire me.

If not…well, perhaps the Senate will again pass extended unemployment benefits. Or not. Who knows what will happen?

But for now I won’t have to dip into my savings or get a job at my local Target or grocery store as a cashier.