Drop-In

http://xkcd.com/119

In between bouts of intense boredom and attacks of irrational fear, there's a time for creativity. Rock out your unemployment by crafting potential band names, a practice first pioneered by Dave Barry. They can be punk, new wave, acid rock - anything goes.

Here's my present compilation:
Monos Azules Que Volan (Flying Blue Monkeys): A psychedelic mariachi trio
Obscene Caffeine: Techno pop
Leon and the Cognitive Dissonance: Acid Gregorian chant
Clinical Trial: an experimental group 


Speaking of experiments, you can also develop comics. There's at least one hanging up the pencil this year. Back in the day, I wrote a serial detailing the New Adventures of Super Nerd and the Radioactive Can of Spam on my algebra homework. I believe this is the main reason the teacher gave me a B instead of an F. Super Nerd had a plaid cape, pocket protector and a linear algebra toolkit, after all. Who knows -- if you doodle Ernie the Unemployment Eunuch on your resume, you might get more consideration. Or they may report you a psychiatric center. Either way, it's change.

Comments

  1. FaerunnerSeptember 22, 2010 at 12:53 PM

    If I had any talent I'd consider comics. As it stands I think I'll stick to 'freelance' writing. At $1 an article, I might even be able to buy new sneakers this year!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Malled. Really?

Image
In the late summer of 2008, I returned to the United States from Spain (at least we Americans don't have a 25 percent unemployment rate, eh?) and found the job market a vast wasteland. Like so many of my journalism brethren before me, I turned to retail. I worked at an independent pharmacy and gift shop until October 2009, when I was laid off. So I have little sympathy for Caitlin Kelly, author of Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail . She takes a stab at exposing the plight of the proletariat, but Upton Sinclair she is not. For starters, her "career" in retail was two, then reduced to one day a week stints at The North Face in a New York suburb. When I read career, I think 40 hours a week. She complains about climbing like a monkey in the dark, dirty stock room, I raise her a stock room that occasionally flooded with raw sewage. It brought another perspective to the phrase "crappy job." I can, however, commiserate with her chapter on customers from hell,...
Read more

Against DIY Gifts

You're un/under-employed, so you're cutting costs for the holidays. Cue the avalanche of Pinterest-flavored posts on jar-based gifts . Lucky Charms marshmallows? Another take on granola? Pepper vodka? Spare me. Why am I so Grinchy about handmade gifts? I love hand-knit beanie and scarf presents.... It's the lack of thought as to real cost. Yes, you might be able to give a thrifty gift by saving all of your spaghetti sauce jars and mass-producing your family gifts. However, the time that's required to put together all these glass container concoctions (not to mention the cost of materials) may actually be more expensive than seeking out a just-as-sentimental gift from Amazon. If you're still bent on a whimsical DIY gift, here are a few more personalized suggestions: Note cards that feature your (good) photography. A useful yet creative gift. Handcrafts exclusive to you. If you're a champion knitter, by all means, knit something spiffy. If someone knit m...
Read more

Job-hunting in your native habitat

Image
If Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0 wants you to practice stealthy cover letter maneuvers and ninja-like resume writing, I'd rather wear a pith helmet, ready to exclaim "Crikey" like a certain Australian naturalist when first observing a dream job -- then go after it. I'm calling it my plot, prepare, pick strategy. I didn't dress up like David Livingstone , but I did use safari-like tactics when I targeted my internship. First, I researched prospective companies in my area that fit my interests and career path. I followed them on Twitter. I read their blogs. I've created Google news alerts for them so I can track their industry activity. In short, I've stalked them like a cheetah stalks an unsuspecting antelope on the Serengeti , except I'm a lot nicer and less likely to feed on your carcass. So how did I finally net my internship? The company tweeted about a summer internship opportunity. I mentioned the tweet in my cover letter, didn...
Read more