Unemployed, But Still Fabulous

Well, it's happened. As of 10:00 Monday morning, I'm officially out of a job. It sucks, but I think we're coping well. I've got a month's worth of pay still to come from my job, I filed my unemployment claim, and between that and temping and freelance work, I think we'll be okay until something more substantial comes along, as long as we forgo extras. Plus we've still got student loan money and a hefty tax refund coming our way. We may be shivering in the dark to save on utilities, but as long as we can make the house payment and eat well, we're pretty happy. If you like, you can read more about our coping strategy over at The Bauhaushold Report a bit later today.

At least there's been plenty to cheer me up. A supportive and understanding husband, love and support from friends and family, a brand-new grandnephew, and lots of naps have done plenty to keep my spirits high. In a stroke of fortuitousness (there's my $3 word for the day), as I was packing up my desk on Monday I received a package from a friend that was full of all kinds of inspirational and comforting goodies, including a big ol' bag of chocolates. Well-timed, indeed.

And as if that's not enough, Molly & Andy over at The Bumbles Blog gave me some love in the form of the award you see over at the left. Now it's up to me to spread the love by passing it on to my own Fab Five. For reasons unknown, also included in this meme is the requirement to list 5 personal addictions. I'm guessing the meme-makers were going for the frivolous kind, not AA-style confessionals. So here goes:

1. Pandora. I've almost always got it running in the background. In fact, I'm listening to my Abba station right now. Which leads me to...

2. Abba. Really, is there a better pick-me-up than cranking up "Dancing Queen" and dancing like nobody's watching? I can't think of any. But I can think of a close second, and that would be...

3. I Can Has Cheez Burger? Serious stress-relief, right there. And on that note, I also can't get enough of...

4. Cute Overload. I defy you to stay grumpy or sad after a visit to that blog.

5. And finally, even though it's come and gone and I've had a love-hate relationship with them over the years, TWoP still keeps me coming back for more. I just can't resist the snark.

And now to pay it forward, I hereby bestow the Fabulous Blog award, should they choose to accept it, upon the following:

The Splintered Mind - Douglas Cootey's humorous accounts of living with ADHD and Depression inspire me as much as they make me smile.

Conditional Axe - Jeff Stolarcyk is a humorous geek. In other words, he's my people.

Lurking Rhythmically - Erin Palette makes emo fun. She's also hella talented.

The Kim Challenge - I first became a fan of Kim through her Daily Special and Pretty Imperfect web series over at the late, great Elastic Waist. Reading her daily struggles with food, body image and unemployment is like reading about myself. Only funnier and in better shape and living in a real city.

Blogging Away Debt - Teresa's financial struggles and amazing progress at paying down her family's credit card debt has been a huge inspiration in my life. Fabulous, indeed.

Now go. Read. Love.