Why on earth would you ever ask an unemployed person how their day was unless you were digging to see whether they’ve applied for any jobs? Much like asking a kid after school how their day was, or asking an office employee how work was, the answer is likely going to be whatever gets the question out of the way quickest – one word, one syllable. Anything like fine, sucked, or great can and will be used curtly if the unemployed are feeling judged.
For the most part just examining the living space of the unemployed will give you a story of their day. If they’re still in their pajamas, that means they didn’t bother to shower, and they didn’t leave the house except maybe to dart outside to pick up mail. If the TV is on that means it’s been on all day, along with the laptop casually resting on the couch. An open cupboard means the unemployed got so hungry after zoning out a couple hours during video games that they raided the pantry, forgetting to close it before anyone else got home to see their shame. And, of course, the smell of alcohol on their breath goes to show that nothing productive other than getting a buzz on was completed during the day. So, if still asked how their day was, the unemployed are likely to answer “great” because, duh, they just chilled like a bum all day. These are the days the unemployed dread asking their employed questioner how their day was because of the rising envy in their eyes as they think about all the hours spent having fun while they were at work.
Every once in a while, the unemployed do something that goes above and beyond the usual of doing absolutely nothing. Usually these are days that end in embarrassment and at times, a casual misdemeanor charge. When the unemployed spend most of their days alone cooped up at home their social skills tend to degrade a bit. What is obviously wrong to do in public is sometimes done by the unemployed who spent so much time thinking, “Wouldn’t it be funny if this happened?” they lost the ability to discern between fantasy and reality. So when the unemployed do something like panicking and grabbing a fish out of a potential employer’s tank after bombing an interview, that would be something that would be labeled as “fantasy intended for a humorous moment in a TV show or movie” and not for real life. Ashamed, but with a great story to tell, the unemployed hang their head when the person bailing them out sarcastically asks, “So…how was YOUR day?”
Tags: day of unemployment, letting yourself go, unemployment envy, unemployment fail
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I read somewhere that a person in unwanted social isolation (ie, a housewife or unemployed) has to have three short conversations a day to maintain reasonable social skills. Even if these conversations are just with 1) your most annoying neighbor, 2) the cashier at Walgreen’s and 3) the UPS man, this is a good target to work for.
Otherwise, you risk mumbling in sentence fragments in your next job interview. Not good.
Housewifey is sometimes desired. I’d love to be a housewife, shit. I’d rather work hard where I’m comfortable than some stuffy office or a shit retail environment.
ha, good advice. :p
not that im even getting any callbacks for interviews, but i have noticed the mumbling go a tad unchecked.
its why i picked up the guitar again. (singing helps too) even if i hear my neighbors laugh as they walk by… makes it seem like im an artsy guy or watev. lol doing something constructive other than being ‘that creepy guy that never goes out’.
Thanks for the chortle. Now that my “sabatical” has stretched to the 12th month, I need to put aside my work ethic guilt and apply myself to embracing the behavior of “chilling like a bum”. It’s 9:40 a.m. and I’m heading out to the QwikeeMart for one of those caffeinated malt beverages. And instead of envying the cashier’s position, I’m going to silently deride him/her for their loser situation. I’m feeling much better.
oh, how I loathe that question. Another one of my top favorites is “so, what’d you do all day?” As much as I’d love to say I spent the day eating ice cream while watching oprah and catching up on a few lifetime movies, I pretty much end up saying, “you know…stuff.” I wish I had the guts to just put it right out there.
I won’t speak to my grandma anymore-terrible to say, but everyday she would call me to ask me, “What did you accomplish today?” It drove me NUTS and put me on the Defensive so bad! Ahhhhh! Too much pressure as it is!
This.
My husband asks me on a daily basis whether I’ve had a good day or whether I’ve been productive. It really does make you feel like you’re being judged.
Ren…I am a housewife. It might annoy some feminists, but I would rather work at home instead of in the places you mentioned. I totally agree.