Positive thinking

OK, so getting laid off for the second time in three years isn't exactly a stroke of good fortune. But I'm trying to think positively, look on the bright side, count my blessings, etc. And comparatively speaking, I'm a heckuva lot better off now than I was three years ago.

• It hasn't been 25 years since I last put together a serious resume or interviewed for a job.
• I already have a stack of books on resume writing and job hunting.
• I already have all the job-hunting websites bookmarked. (Yes, I still have that three-year-old folder of bookmarks. I never throw anything away. And so far they all still seem to be valid.)
• I know the ins and outs of unemployment claims. In fact, I applied online last night. With any luck, I might even avoid having to physically visit the VEC unemployment office this time around. Which is good because I'd rather not have to bother actually locating a VEC office, since the one I patronized last time closed shortly after I found a job. (And, in a bizarre turn of fate, my new employer ended up moving to the renovated building.)
  
• I paid off my car loan last August, trimming $300 a month off my fixed expenses.
• I got some major home maintenance (new roof and A/C) taken care of last year, so I don't have those expenses looming over me.

In short, I'm prepared. I know what to expect. Mind you, I'm not saying I'm looking forward to the challenge or any stupid bullshit like that. I hope like hell that it doesn't take me six months to find something this time. But at least this time I know the drill.