Eleanor Arnason's Blog, page 123

Dream

I had a really nice dream last night. I woke at 2 a.m. and lay a while, trying to memorize the dream. But it's fading fast.

I was approached by two young women, aspiring writers, because I am a writer. I talked to one first, then she left, and the second one approached me. I was trying very hard to be encouraging, to share what I know about writing, my belief in the importance of writing.

The first young woman came back, and the second left, angry because she no longer had my full attention. The

Bracelet

The St. Paul Art Crawl happens in April and October. Many artists in Lowertown -- the city's artist quarter -- open their studios and display their art; and people wander from studio to studio, maps in hand. There is one jeweler whose work I like a lot. She was trained as a geologist, and her stones are always awesome. I passed through the art crawl last night -- on my way to something else -- and stopped at her display. I bought a bracelet, though I shouldn't be buying anything except food righ

Icelandic Sheep

I have been thinking about Icelandic sheep.

When I was in Iceland the second time, I met a distinguished evolutionary biologist. I said, "People always tell me sheep are stupid. Are Icelandic sheep stupid?"

He replied, "Sheep are not stupid. People always say denigrating things about animals they exploit."

In point of fact, there are Icelandic stories about how smart sheep can be, especially about the weather.

Traditionally the Icelanders have sent their flocks into the mountains to graze in the sp

Magnolias

The magnolias are blooming.[image error]

SPRING!

It is spring.

I have switched from wearing a turtleneck and a long-sleeved shirt over it to wearing a t-shirt and a long-sleeved shirted over. I don't really need the long-sleeved shirt today. It's 75 degrees.

I am down at my favorite coffee shop, in theory working on a story. But I am actually surfing the Internet. There are flowers on the coffee shop tables, forsythia and daffodils from a staff person's garden.

Tomorrow I am taking off from the job search and other tasks. Sunday I plan to clean h

Unemployment Again

I wrote the post immediately below to explain why I am going to write abut unemployment. It is something that many people are experiencing.

Patrick and I are more unlucky than many, because we have both been laid off. However, if unemployment actually is running at 23%, which a Great Depression kind of figure, then many households are or will be experiencing loss of all work income.

We are also lucky, because we have no debt and a relatively modest life style. In the short term, meaning for the

Unemployment

I will pull myself out of this mood and write about other things -- pretty soon now, I hope.

The official unemployment rate -- called U3 -- was 8.5% in March. That is one in eleven people. However, U3 is not considered accurate, because it only counts those who are unemployed and currently looking for work.

A better figure is U-6, which counts those currently looking for work + "marginally attached workers." These are people who are not currently looking for work, because they are discouraged, ha

April 23

I deposited my severance pay this morning, then stopped in the glasses shop next door to look at expensive frames. I found a very nice Alain Mikli pair for $615. Prescription lenses will take it over $1,000. Most likely I will not buy the frames.

This is not a cause for sadness. I have five pairs of glasses of varying ages, but all wearable. Three pairs are really fine. One is adequate. One pair is a mistake. The material is wonderful -- a translucent plastic, full of complexity and glitter; but

My Day

I was so upset yesterday that I did not go to sleep till morning and then for only an hour or two.

During the dark hours in the middle of the night I updated my resume and wrote a cover letter for it. I need to print these out and proof them, then email them to a job prospect.

I filed for unemployment and talked to a couple of insurance agencies about my Cobra extension.

Patrick and I got groceries, and I made lunch.

That's been the day.[image error]

Lay Offs

A friend works at the Minnesota State Historical Society. They have laid off 50% of their staff. My friend still has her job, but it's being completely reconfigured.[image error]