After deliberating the choice for a few weeks, I went ahead and scheduled myself to take some day classes at the local (well, Mountain View) spot for The National Bartending School. I was (and still am, to a small degree) apprehensive because I am not sure how well I will do memorizing things like drink recipes, etc. (I'm an old man, remember?). Plus, there is the whole interaction with people thing, but I have generally done well with people who are drinking, so we shall see if I do end up getting some sort of temporary job out of all of this.
Today was my first day of "class" and it was actually pretty fun. Went over some basic things ad got to practice behind the bar, mixing some standard stuff like Margaritas, Bacardi Cocktails, Long Island Iced Teas, and my personal favorite - which I want to make and have some friends taste test for me, for the fun of watching them get shit-faced, if for no other reason - the intimidatingly named Adios Mother Fucker, or AMF. Overall, I had some fun, met some new people, and am looking forward to the next week to two weeks of three to four hour classes daily (except for weekends).
If I get out of this and get a temporary spot that pays more than unemployment, sweet; if not, well, I guess it is back on the dole for the time being (or supplementing as I go along between the two, as the case may be). Am not giving up on sending my resume out to anything and everything that even remotely seems similar to a match to my skill set. But I can't just sit on my ass; it only compounds any possible depression which rears its ugly, fanged head over my shoulder. There is an even more urgent reason to try and establish some sort of employment history doing something, anything: we have been informed that our landlord cannot sign us to another year lease next month because he and his wife need to consider their options to get out from under this house we have called our home for the past couple of years. They want to work with us to see us buy it, but there are some obvious roadblocks to that, the most significant being my lack of gainful employment! We have just under another full year to get all of our ducks in a row, so to speak, so we are working on it as best we are able, because we really love this house, this neighborhood, everything about it.
I know I have done my share of bitching about my former employer's decision to implement a "pre-emptive reduction-in-force", but the situation regarding our house really drives some of my anger home. There was no real need for it but their decision could very well affect whether I and my family have a place to live this time next year. And that is on the optimistic side as the landlord could always encounter something catastrophic in the coming months on their own end which in turn will affect us as well; if I hadn't been laid off, it wouldn't be as dramatic or terrifying a situation. So yeah, I blame them. I have been out of work since February, almost four full months, with little to anticipate anything turning around soon. It sucks, and even as I write I know that we still have it better than a great many others out there.
All I can do right now is be thankful for my friends, for the support I have received from them and family, and not get too bogged down in the details, just keep pumping along as hard as I can and hopefully it will work out, even if it gets to the last possible minute (my unemployment benefits are done in January...).
Just gotta keep keepin' on, mang...
