Friday was the first time in these two weeks that I experienced some down time. Yes, I was bored. This ruined my positive outlook and it carried through to the weekend. I even woke up this morning less than enthusiastic, but that changed at 10 a.m.I had a good interview this morning and am much happier. I have e-mails to respond to and work to complete. I think today will be a late one, as I plan to clean out my inbox, do some nonprofit work I’ve been putting off, clean (again) my house and, maybe, take a nap.

I need to develop a list of tasks to complete when I have downtime in the future. I have paperwork to file away and cabinets to clean out. There’s stuff to do, but sometimes it can be a “downer” knowing that I have nothing pressing to complete.

Contemplating following through on a trip to D.C. in mid July to see friends and the Cubs play the Nationals. Flights to Baltimore are cheap, probably cheaper than driving. But I may drive just to have some time to think on the road. I may also swing over to Ohio to see family and friends, but who knows? Mid July is still some time from now, and my life my change drastically in the coming days and weeks. Perhaps driving is the best option, as I’m not tied to any schedule.

I had nothing scheduled today, nothing at all. No lunches, no coffees, no awkward appearances at my former employer. Just Lee time. Oh, you don’t know what Lee time is? Well, I guess I don’t know either. It just sounds exciting!

I worked out of my home office all day. I started out replying to a potential employer with some samples of my work, I then conversed electronically with another business owner. He invited me in on Monday for an interview! Yes, I’ll have my first interview in about three years. I have no idea what to expect. Do interviewees still bring chocolates or apples or homemade cookies to the interviews? Just kidding, I’ll just bring myself. And you, if you’d like to come along!

The rest of the day was spent applying for more jobs, trying to clean out my inbox, doing laundry, watering plans, making a taco salad for lunch and a little unpacking of my possessions from my old workspace. I really don’t know how I accumulated so many “things” at that place. It’s crazy!!

Friday may be a little slow in the life of Lee J. Freedman. My main goal is to clean out my e-mail inbox. I’ll also straighten up my house a bit, as Steph and Zach are coming back through Charlotte on Saturday and I’ve been a little messy this week. Maybe I’ll look into playing a round of golf tomorrow! Maybe the pool! Or maybe I’ll just sit at my computer and find something productive to do. That probably would be best. Holla!

I woke to dark skies and rain, which meant no golf or pool. But it’s not like I’ve done either since last Monday. I’ve been busy, and that’s good by me. I started off today with an excursion to my former employer to pick up some sample files. I have to say the company’s been great to me during this awkward time of my life. As I’ve written before, I understand the recent events were business decisions and I’m not taking it personal.

After the brief stop, I went back to … wait for it … Caribou Coffee to meet Charis Wilson, a fantastic public relations and marketing professional. She offered me great advice and conversation. I headed downtown after Caribou to lunch with Peter Gilchrist, then back home to put some samples together to send off to a couple contacts.

Wednesdays usually mean I end up at Big Daddy’s for $3 beer night, where you bring your own container and they fill it up for $3. I love it! I met some friends from Action Plus Ideas and a few Wednesday night regulars. I headed home after drinks, checked e-mail, watched a little baseball and am about to go to sleep. Today was good. I think tomorrow will be great!

Today was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! My bank account was given a jolt, I spoke with someone who (I hope) will be a great resource in my journey and enjoyed some amazing company for lunch, dinner and drinks.

But first, I need to give a shout out to Brett Holland, one of the best sales coordinators on the face of the earth. He’s good at what he does and even better at making people feel good about themselves. Brett, this post is for you.

Yesterday afternoon, a public relations colleague of mine put me in touch with a small business owner who 1) may be in need of my services or 2) may be a great resource as I continue my free agency. He and I spoke for a good amount of time over the phone this morning, discussed my work history, talked about his company and, of course, had a brief conversation about the Chicago Cubs. I think I may start using the Cubs as an ice breaker in the future. Everyone has some sort of connection to the team.

In addition to my conversation with this gentleman, I caught up with Charis Wilson, a colleague from PRSA Charlotte. She and I are meeting up tomorrow for coffee at Caribou. As you may know, I love Caribou coffee. Feel free to send me gift cards. ;) I’m excited to see Charis. It’s been awhile.

I penned a few cover letters today and plan to let them sit overnight. I’ll revisit and revise them in the morning before I send ‘em out. I don’t know where they time goes, but I feel like I’m not getting as much done as I should … and I haven’t even turned the TV on once today…

My body woke on its own this morning at 7:15 a.m. I decided to head out to Caribou Coffee to get a large dark roast. Kathy Onisick, who sent separate “Thinking of You” cards with lottery tickets, Ben & Jerry’s gift card and a movie gift card, also sent me a Caribou gift card. Caribou is my favorite coffee. Even better? I received half off my coffee. Don’t know why, but I’ll take it! Kathy rocks!

I spent most of the morning thinking about 3 p.m., the time I set out to return to my former employer to drop off some paperwork. I don’t think I was nervous to go back. Maybe “apprehensive” is the right word. But I spent the morning shooting off e-mails, replying to others, writing cover letters, sending off résumés, etc. The morning really flew by.

I arrived at my former employer just after 3 p.m. and bumped into a few former coworkers in the parking lot, then a few more as I waited in the lobby. It was a little awkward, but I made it through. I think the former coworkers were just as “apprehensive” to see me as I was to see them. But it went well. I handed over my paperwork and some personal notes to some members of management and my former team, then headed off to the post office, then back home.

Received a message from my friend Jeff Green while I was in the post office. He just moved to San Francisco with his girlfriend after he was let go from his job. I’ve come to realize I have very good company in this unemployment “boat.”

One of my long-time PRSA colleagues passed along a potential employment lead late this afternoon. I shot the lead a note with my résumé and he replied with a “call me in the morning” e-mail! I’m excited and maybe a bit “apprehensive,” as that, apparently, is the word of the day.

To-Do List for Tuesday:
Get my hands of some samples from my former employer
Send off some samples, cover letter and résumé to a potential employer
Search for more jobs
Clean up my kitchen
Clean up my room
Ponder how my kitchen and room got so messy