That's today's unemployment number for Philadelphia. Unfortunately for me, not only is that the closest major city to me, but I am one of the many that comprise that statistic.
But I'm not bitter....much. Okay, a bit, maybe. Seriously, the company was not doing well at all (maybe it still isn't) and I was simply one of the many fingers it elected to sever in order to save its dying hand. A hand that I prehensiley thumbed for a decade, I might add.
And I don't consider myself "funemployed". I had never even heard of that until long after it would have been applicable. Admittedly, July and August were great. I made it a point to do absolutely nothing that could be mistaken for job hunting. It's been seven years since I took off two weeks in a row. This was something to be carefully savored as long as, well, as long as is appropriate...however long that is.
Loving life and living large, I lazed through the rest of the Summer, dipping into the severance package like a bag of chips -- you know, the ones you just can't stop munching because each one tastes like more.
So now that the party is over and the bag of chips is considerably lighter -- and the damn dip has gone sour -- I've begun the great machine that will propel me back into my chosen profession.
Unless, of course, I finally get the call that they really need me to play drums for the Led Zeppelin reunion tour.
