The "Joys" of Unemployment

It's been almost a month since I lost my long term temporary assignment. I have held jobs continuously since the age of 13. Being out of work for any length of time is strange and scary, but I'm trying to make the best of it. Here are a few 'good' things about being unemployed...

1. I met my neighbor! My schedule was so ironclad (6:30am - 7pm M-F) that I wasn't around at the same time as my next door neighbor. I met her the other day, I have been living here for 6 months already! About time!
2. Went to odd places. Not really odd odd, but different. I found the LaBrea Tar Pits by accident for instance. I believe mixing it up makes for a change in energy which in turn allows my imagination and creativity to expand. Yay!
3. Traffic be gone! Because I am traveling at off peak times my experience with traffic has been cut by 75%! My sanity is restored and I am actually enjoying driving here for a change!
4. Crowd Free! No lines at the stores, the gym is a ghost town, all because I go at off peak times. Bonus!
5. Auditions Galore! I am not juggling a day job schedule so my audition choices have expanded. I even booked a small project already. That's a good thing!
6. Recharge Time! I pretty much started working my second week upon arrival to Los Angeles so I probably needed the rest. Although it's not been too restful since the need for money is at the back and front of my mind.
7. Thinking outside the box. I attended a few workshops at The Actor's Fund which really made me think about my true strengths, passions and interests. Teaching and Performing are both on the top of the list. Then there's supporting philanthropic organizations. If I could mix that all together, it would make for a yummy soup!
8. Lost a few inches. I have been trying to figure out why I was stuck at a certain level for awhile. I wanted to drop 10 more pounds after bulking up slightly with muscle. I knew it had to do with my food. So these past few weeks I have been cutting my grocery budget which in turn regulated my calorie intake in the right increment to battle those last inches. I can see my abs poking out a little now. YAY!
9. Reading. Finally got a library card! They let me choose the design too, which ended up being the Warner Bros logo (fitting for the neighborhood). I have been doing a fair amount of book reading lately (as opposed to magazines). 
10. Writing. I have a running list of writing projects that I have been slow to get to. Needless to say, I am getting caught up on a few first and second drafts.
11. I can do with alot less. I am usually a frugal person but living on close to zero has given me the opportunity to learn that I can live with even less. Being creative with resources has been interesting. 

Here's hoping to finding a new job before the unemployment runs out...