A Week in the Life of This Single Girl

Back when I regularly co-wrote a column for Meridian Magazine with Julipalooza, there were occasional posts entitled, "Week in the Life of a Single Girl." Those columns are all pulled down now, or I would link to them. I'm not sure what is infusing me with creativity tonight, but I felt like writing one of those posts again. So on with the departure from the blogging norm.

Let it be known I am single and unemployed. This basically equates to the most boring life ever. I also have a cat. This just makes me sound that much more pathetic. This week was not a normal week for me. But then again, I have determined that in the last few months of drama, nothing around me is ever very normal.
The week was full of the usual job applications, dealing with various state agencies, watching TV, killing time, a date, and visiting friends.
One thing I never expected about unemployment is how much time it takes to be unemployed. There are a myriad of agencies, lawyers, and representatives I have to call and email on a regular basis. And that's all just to prove that I am unemployed! After that there is the actual job hunting procedures. I spent most of the week in a funk that I hadn't had any strong leads or call-backs, and began to really doubt myself. That's the Catch-22 of job hunting- just when you really need to be on your A-game, and present your strongest front, is usually when you are feeling your lowest.
A few times this week I felt like I was on some sort of bad reality show where someone off-screen was calling the shots and throwing new obstacles and challenges in my way. First it was getting denied my unemployment benefits, just for the money to arrive the very next day. Second there was a guy thing. *post edited cause i just found out certain people read this!*
I think Saturday night is a good metaphor for the rest of my week. On Saturday I sang with my choir at a lovely Presbyterian chapel downtown. Due to the awkward stage arrangements, I had to stand on my chair in order to see the director. That was a lot of ups and downs, and smiling, and hoping no one saw the gigantic ungracefulness of it all. I sang to a room of strangers. I knew no one in the audience. And I knew I was surrounded by talent far superior to my own. I was out of my league and trying to fake it and impress a room full of strangers.
From the job hunting to dating to singing, "I was out of my league and trying to fake it and impress a room full of strangers," pretty much sums up the whole of my existence.
And that is the week in the life of this single girl.