Days of Being Unemployed

I could never have imagined feeling like this.
When the Rocky Mountain News published for the last time on Friday, Feb. 27 and we all went into the newsroom the next day to pack up our desks, I thought I was about to embark on a great new journey.
I had it all figured out.
First, my wife and two kids would take a week to decompress. Get our bearings. Think of it as a mini-vacation where I'd spend time at home, play with my 2-year-old son and hold my 9-month-old daughter while the iPod blasted assorted Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley and Dropkick Murphys tunes. We'd have ice cream in the afternoon and enjoy being together before I got to work in earnest in my next career - a screenwriter.
But one thing I learned about being a reporter was you could never anticipate the story. You just had to report the story as it happened. And what happened to me on Monday was not part of the script.
I was tense. I didn't feel like I was on vacation at all. I was worried. Suddenly, instead of seeing the week as a time to spend with my family, all I heard was the ticking clock counting down to no paychecks. Then what? Lose the house? All around me, there were hundreds of people scrambling to find work. A whole slew of journalists were suddenly competing for the same jobs. It was like I was still stretching at the starting line and the starter's gun went off and I was being passed by a field of runners.
In the days to follow, I did my best to make contacts, follow up on job opportunities all while trying to finish the final draft of my screenplay. It was less-than-ideal. But I also became aware of myself. The pressure to provide for my family suddenly came crashing down on me. I felt like I needed to do something. Fast.
I scrambled. I got a freelance piece assigned to write for The Denver Post. I made contacts in the political field to see what might be available there. Every email that was not returned or every phone call I made that didn't yield me a call back felt like a personal slight.
Then, it dawned on me. What I'm going through is exactly what more than 7 percent of the nation is going through - a loss of identity. Who am I? Am I a journalist? A writer? I know that I'm a husband and father, but those things don't pay the bills. You always hear how family is most important, but a job is pretty important as well to keep the family well-provided for.
It reminds me of that great scene in "It's a Wonderful Life" when Clarance the Angel is drying off after jumping into the river to save George Bailey. Bailey tells Clarance about the money he needs after it got lost in transit to the Savings and Loan. Clarance tells Bailey that they don't use or need money in heaven.
"Well, it comes in pretty handy down here, you know," Bailey tells Clarance.
I always thought that line was funny. It's still funny, but it strikes a little closer to home.

Father of a non-sleeping child

My son is 21 months old, which means in 21 months, my wife and I have not slept through the night. We don't know what to do. We tried letting him cry it out, but he decided instead of crying and falling asleep, he would cry and vomit all over the crib. And now that he can climb out of the crib, we can't leave him alone in there. I think we need to transition him to a bed, but then we have to baby-proof the room. As it stands right now, his room is a playground of dangerous devices. There's the wall sockets. The bookcase that could collapse on him. The closet with all kinds of hazards. Come to think of it, his room resembles the temple at the beginning of "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
We are hoping he'll just grow out of it. Friends have said when they reach two, they start sleeping through the night. Hmmm, three months to go then.
If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on things that might work so we can get him sleeping through the night before then, that would be great.

Introduction

I'm new to the blogging world and I figure if I get three hits over the next month, I'll be way ahead of the over/under Vegas set for my blog views - I believe it's officially 1.5 hits.
Anyway, hello to everyone and in the coming days, I'll try and post some thoughts on current events, things going on in my life as a new father of a 15-month old and some links to stories that I think are important or interesting. I guess I can link to other bloggers, too. I know a few and, unlike a recent charge that claims they're all typing from their mom's basements, these bloggers don't quite fit into that catagory.
OK, let's see how it looks.