To paraphrase Gordon Gecko: "Free is good".
As you know I have plenty of free time on my hands these days. I wake up, look at my schedule, figure in my volunteer duties, my job search needs and then plot out the day. As much as I hustle I do find that I hit some dead spots on my calendar come mid week. For most folks that has to be the ultimate luxury. For me it's just business as usual.
So, how do I handle it? Okay, let's just say that I have a free Wednesday afternoon. It's a sunny out, sure, but then it is August in the Northwest. The options on how to fill a day are somewhat endless. There is plenty of yardwork to do, any number of drives I can take. I can work on my resume, continue to search for jobs. I could work on my house, paint my bathroom, empty out the cottage, pick up a book, try a new recipe, get on the phone or take a walk. Sure, I could always second hand or take a nap or snack, heck, it wouldn't be beyond me to open up a bottle of wine, get out the grill and pop a half dozen cd's in the stereo, blow the afternoon away. Sure, it IS summertime, but buddy, this has turned out to be the longest summer vacation I have EVER had. A day off is not so much a treat at times, it sometimes turns into a burden. You want to use your days well, not squander them, make them count.
Then again, there are those days where you just want to screw around and do squat.
That's when I crank up the 'net, get on my "employers" website and see what's playing in their stable of movie houses around the region. I am not on the payroll, and I don't even have an official status outside of my boss's made up term for my volunteer status: "managerial intern". But those hours I work in the evenings five days a week are movie house gold. I turn that time that could be used for gold bricking into adding to my skill set and, in turn, turn that time sweating it out in front of the projector into free movie matinees.
It's been a different experience taking in the movies that way. I walk up to the door, tell them who I am, where I work, what I want to see. No passes, no id cards, no one calling to verify my employment. It's strange and wonderful and slightly schoolboyish, having a movie auditorium practically all to myself midday. I haven't had that kind of fun on the job since my old drive in days. Instead of taking a car load of buddies to the movies I haul my bones to the theater and walk right on in as if I own the place.
To date I've caught Inception, The Other Guys and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. I have an old friend that I'll take to the movies later on this week, in that wee window of afternoon time I have available right prior to my evening shift. I am getting closer all the time to actually, possibly, hopefully, coming on board full time at my little local theater. But in the end, even if that doesn't work out, even if I bag another 40 hour position that takes me out of that wonderful movie house experience I will still find time to hang out, volunteer my time, stay on the "payroll" as it were and continue to generate not only goodwill but free movie passes. It may not be a retirement package or a health program I'm enrolled in but for the moment those movie passes feel like a paid vacation, and the thrills I get out of walking in the door gratis are about a great a thing I can think of to take the edge off this job search weary heart of mine.
Good things come to those who wait or, better yet, who hustle their butts as a volunteer out in the community.
Action!
The Grand: now here's a local movie house that does that "volunteer a shift/get a free movie pass" thing right:
http://www.grandcinema.com/
As you know I have plenty of free time on my hands these days. I wake up, look at my schedule, figure in my volunteer duties, my job search needs and then plot out the day. As much as I hustle I do find that I hit some dead spots on my calendar come mid week. For most folks that has to be the ultimate luxury. For me it's just business as usual.
So, how do I handle it? Okay, let's just say that I have a free Wednesday afternoon. It's a sunny out, sure, but then it is August in the Northwest. The options on how to fill a day are somewhat endless. There is plenty of yardwork to do, any number of drives I can take. I can work on my resume, continue to search for jobs. I could work on my house, paint my bathroom, empty out the cottage, pick up a book, try a new recipe, get on the phone or take a walk. Sure, I could always second hand or take a nap or snack, heck, it wouldn't be beyond me to open up a bottle of wine, get out the grill and pop a half dozen cd's in the stereo, blow the afternoon away. Sure, it IS summertime, but buddy, this has turned out to be the longest summer vacation I have EVER had. A day off is not so much a treat at times, it sometimes turns into a burden. You want to use your days well, not squander them, make them count.
Then again, there are those days where you just want to screw around and do squat.
That's when I crank up the 'net, get on my "employers" website and see what's playing in their stable of movie houses around the region. I am not on the payroll, and I don't even have an official status outside of my boss's made up term for my volunteer status: "managerial intern". But those hours I work in the evenings five days a week are movie house gold. I turn that time that could be used for gold bricking into adding to my skill set and, in turn, turn that time sweating it out in front of the projector into free movie matinees.
It's been a different experience taking in the movies that way. I walk up to the door, tell them who I am, where I work, what I want to see. No passes, no id cards, no one calling to verify my employment. It's strange and wonderful and slightly schoolboyish, having a movie auditorium practically all to myself midday. I haven't had that kind of fun on the job since my old drive in days. Instead of taking a car load of buddies to the movies I haul my bones to the theater and walk right on in as if I own the place.
To date I've caught Inception, The Other Guys and Scott Pilgrim vs the World. I have an old friend that I'll take to the movies later on this week, in that wee window of afternoon time I have available right prior to my evening shift. I am getting closer all the time to actually, possibly, hopefully, coming on board full time at my little local theater. But in the end, even if that doesn't work out, even if I bag another 40 hour position that takes me out of that wonderful movie house experience I will still find time to hang out, volunteer my time, stay on the "payroll" as it were and continue to generate not only goodwill but free movie passes. It may not be a retirement package or a health program I'm enrolled in but for the moment those movie passes feel like a paid vacation, and the thrills I get out of walking in the door gratis are about a great a thing I can think of to take the edge off this job search weary heart of mine.
Good things come to those who wait or, better yet, who hustle their butts as a volunteer out in the community.
Action!
The Grand: now here's a local movie house that does that "volunteer a shift/get a free movie pass" thing right:
http://www.grandcinema.com/
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