The Last Year

Most of my time and energy over the last year has been directed to my 30 hour per week retail cashier job and looking for a full-time job to replace the one I lost in April 2009. When this first happened, I spent a lot of time figuring out the financial aspects. I decided I would keep my part-time job and collect unemployment, even though 55% of my part-time wages are deducted from my unemployment payments. Even so, that still gives me a little bit more money than just straight unemployment. Not to mention the fact that for that 30 hours per week, I am out of the house and around people. I immediately cut living expenses wherever I could and have been able to stay current with my bills. I absolutely hate collecting unemployment and have tried and tried again to find a fulltime job. I have had more than several interviews for positions that I was very qualified for only to hear, "We have selected another candidate". As time goes on, I am convinced that my age/appearance is directly related. Being almost 51 and 50 pounds overweight is NOT helping me. I have advanced computer and administrative skills, decent interviewing skills, wear a nice suit, and show up smiling and friendly. I always follow up with a professional thank you email. But I don't get the job. The only card I haven't played is the appearance card. This blog is the first step in my preparation to play that card. I am going to lose 50 + pounds through diet and exercise and blog my progress.