The Unemployed Life

So far, so good. I know I said that I would wake up at 5 and plunge right in to working on the house. I reconsidered that plan - I am working on the house, but I am also decompressing from the stress of the last month or so. I have given myself four days to Putter, then on Monday the real work can commence.
So, the first thing I did was my nails:


My pedicure is holding up perfectly, but my fingernails grow really damn fast, and a manicure only lasts a week at the most. Another reason I am reluctant to spend money on things like that. I did, at Caroline's suggestion, buy Opi in Bubble Bath, yes this is a much more corporate neutral color than the one done at the day spa. Though right now I can do my nails in any damn color I please, I do like this color. And I'm very impressed with Opi polish, it really does last forever.

After my nails dried I called the lawyer I'd worked with, he was our outside counsel and we talked almost daily. He offered to write me a glowing letter of recommendation, and said I was the smartest paralegal he ever worked with, and I said, "Promise you'll put that in writing!" He will. It is a sign of the market that he was hinting around to see if I'd come to work for him a year or so ago, and now they are also laying off legal staff. No refuge there.

I spent hours on the phone yesterday, including a long conversation with yet another cousin that I haven't talked to since I was in the hospital in February. She's also in MD, and is very supportive of the idea of my moving up there.

I've been cleaning out the hall bathroom, preparing to paint. Girlchild still has personal residue in both the back bedrooms, so this weekend she will spend some time reviewing same, and either taking or trashing the rest of her stuff. Sunday night is garbage night, there will be a mountain of trash at the curb. Every garbage day from now on will be larger than usual. I hate like hell to throw things away, I'm passionate about recycling and donating, but there are things that aren't qualified for either. Next week I will break out the paint and beautify both bathrooms. I also need to call a pond guy and an bug guy for a pre-emptive termite inspection. The week after, the day after Christmas, exterior paint commences. That is also the week that I will arrange for new carpet in the master bedroom, and start tagging stuff for the Bigass January Garage Sale. I'll also update my resume and send it to a couple of local legal agencies, because after the first of the year I will make myself available for temporary work.

For the remainder of this week, we are conserving our energy:






I'm knitting away on the Minimalist Cardigan, and I'm so glad I downsized it, the larger size would have been too big. Of course, it's in the 80s and humid this week so it's hard to work up enthusiasm for knitting, but they do promise a dip into chilly weather next week. And next week I think I'll have to make some time to make these:Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios They sound IN-credible.