Commuting - No reason to commute any more..

Well, the firm is shutting down come middle of January, and I will have no place to commute (or work fr that matter :) ).. Which means that I will have to start riding for fun... Hummm... Where do I find the motivation?


A

You may have to set aside time as "health maintenence" time to be sure you ride while you are job hunting. It is very hard to do when you are stressed out. The time my husband was laid-off he did nothing but job-search. Even after he got a job. He had a month of vacation to use, with pay, but was so stressed out that he couldn't do anything with it. Even though this will be an anxious time, take the time to smell the roses & spin those wheels. You owe it to yourself, and starting a new job you probably won't get vacation for a year so take care of yourself.

Originally posted by sorebutt
Well, the firm is shutting down come middle of January, and I will have no place to commute (or work fr that matter :) ).. Which means that I will have to start riding for fun... Hummm... Where do I find the motivation?


A
I guess in times like these when you have more time to spare, you can use some of it to "expand your mind" (on the bike!)

:thumbup:

Sorry to hear, there's way too much of that going on these days.

What did you do for a living?

Assuming you aren't really strapped for cash (e.g., broke as a joke), use the time for personal improvement as well as job-hunting; you'll find life much less stressful.

If you work in the computer field, like I do, consider taking a six-month hiaedus and doing something completely off-the-wall, like working at a cafe (not Starbucks), bookstore, or restaurant; I've done this twice, and always find the experience rewarding. That, and it beats going nuts trying to find a job in a saturated market.

Whatever you do...don't stop cycling! If anything, cycle more! Just think of how lean and mean you could get by doing a 50km ride each morning.

Then again, that's just my advice; I could be wrong.

Originally posted by sorebutt
Which means that I will have to start riding for fun... Hummm... Where do I find the motivation?


Well, every ride I do is for fun (even commuting). Somehow I don't think you'll need any motivation to ride when you're looking for work. In my last period of unemployment (late '97, although I was looking for another job all through '98 because that job sucked) my bike allowed me to release a lot of frustrations.

Originally posted by sorebutt
Where do I find the motivation?
You don't have to get and ride per work schedule.

If money's not too tight, go on a long ride.. sojurn!

If anything, riding will save cash until you re establish!

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.
I went through a similar experience 1-1/2 years ago. I was unemployed for 9 months.

My wife and I agreed that I would job hunt in the morning for a few hours and then go riding to relieve the stress. She didn't want a dead, out of work husband. I rode almost every day (including weekends) and thoroughly enjoyed my months of unemployment and lost 30 unwanted pounds in the process.
When I did find another job :( I was in much better health (physically and mentally) than if I had spent all my time job hunting.

Good luck in your search.
Take time to take care of yourself.

Originally posted by Matadon
... consider ...doing something completely off-the-wall, like working at a cafe (not Starbucks), bookstore, or restaurant; I've done this twice, and always find the experience rewarding. That, and it beats going nuts trying to find a job in a saturated market.


All the replies posted so far are full of excellent advice! But this one may be best of all. If you can do it....

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I should have mentioned that I will not have to worry about paying the mortgage (I am a VC, and have done well lately). All I'll be missing is the reason that "forced" me to get up at 5:30 and hop on a bike 3 times a week.
I am mostely worried about slacking off riding, with winter, rain and all, there are too many "excuses" not to ride...

:)

I had 2 years of short term contracting, with plenty of fallow periods in between. It can get really easy to become sluggish and dispondant, but cycling is a great way to stay in shape both mentally and physically.
Try to use you bike for all the errands you have to do, and fit some panniers, so you can cycle to the shops, instead of driving.
The one thing I miss about unemployment is the chance to just take off on a day ride if I feel like it.
From where I am sitting, CA winters seem ideal for cycling. A bit of rain needn't stop you having fun.

Originally posted by sorebutt
I am mostely worried about slacking off riding, with winter, rain and all, there are too many "excuses" not to ride...


My biggest worry lately has been slacking off riding because of a total and complete lack of the things you describe :cry:

yesh, with you its hot, dry, fire, smoke... :) I hope they get a handle on those fires soon...

Well, sorebutt, now you'll just have to go on the four scheduled club rides each week in Cupertino and Los Altos: the Monday Morning Java Jive, the Tuesday Loop Ride, the Wednesday Hills-R-Us, and the Thursday Leader's Choice!

Originally posted by sorebutt
I am mostely worried about slacking off riding, with winter, rain and all, there are too many "excuses" not to ride...



:)

I am mostly worried about slacking off working, with winter, rain and all, there are too many "excuses" not to work...

:)

Originally posted by sorebutt
yesh, with you its hot, dry, fire, smoke... :) I hope they get a handle on those fires soon...

I'm about 1,000km from the fires, but yes it is hot. There are three things about this situation that p#ss me off (I feel a rant coming on :eek: ).

1. That many of them were deliberately lit by tossers who are too damn stupid to understand the concept of a "total fire ban" (I could figure this one out when I was five years old, so don't give me the "they're only teenagers" crap).

2. The fact that Australia spends billions of $ on the jocks at the AIS, when every year, half the bloody country burns down, and we never seem to have enough bloody equipment to deal with it.

3. The old bugger I saw on the news (OK, I relented and actually watched TV last week) who whinged that the fire fighters weren't doing enough because his property might be in danger. Mate, these people are doing 18 hour days on various shifts around the clock. If you can do any better, you're quite welcome to pick up a hose and get started pal!

Sorebutt, you live in SUNNYvale. How can you speak of winter, rains and such with all that SUNNYness about you?
The weather is a poor excuse for lack of discilpine. Ride your bike to the unemployment office and to job interviews.

We'll all support you ----aahh---change that---We're all BEHIND you 100%. :)

Try to find excuses FOR riding instead of the other way around.

Hope things work out for you.

Sunnyvale is a name of a town, not the weather.. :) Today I woke up to 47f!!! ;) that is cold for us! :) When it warmed up to low 60s, I got on my bike and did one good hour to make sure I do not forget how (for locals: stevens creek canyon drive). I think I am getting my motivation back. It felt so good, that I was sorry I had to turn back..

thank you all for your support!

I was unemployed breifly last year and rode all of the time. I will miss folding the bike and boarding the train to nowhere in particualar. I would fax and email my resume in the morning to as many recruiters as possible. Then I would be out the door by 10:30 in the morning heading to the train station. Oncce I was at the station I would randomly choose a town and head out there by train ready to RAMBLE!!! I would carry my cell phone and Palm to answer any calls and possible leads. Unemployment paid me $364.00 a week just to ride all day long. It was a wonderful life.

I have to admit it was a passive job search but I was in no rush. I have no wife or 10 kids to support so there was no hurry. Boy.. What a life I had.

Best of luck.

Originally posted by Matadon
like working at a cafe (not Starbucks),

Ahh.. Another NON starbucks fan!!!

Why do you not like Starbucks?

(Curious to see if it is the same motivation)

Originally posted by William Karsten




Ahh.. Another NON starbucks fan!!!



Why do you not like Starbucks?



(Curious to see if it is the same motivation)

I never worked there, if that's what you're thinking; compared to many other companies in the same class, Starbucks actually treats their employees quite well. Stock options and full medical benefits for pretty much every employee (anyone over 20hrs/wk). But it is nasty work, and few of my Starbucks-employed friends really like their jobs.

I have three problems with Starbucks. Go-go gadget rant!

One: They are bloody everywhere. Success does indeed have its privileges, but when I can't walk one block in downtown San Fransisco without finding a Starbucks, there is a problem. The fact that Starbucks is so large has also helped to drive many independent coffee shops out of business, in all but the most densely populated urban centers. Small shops can't compete with big corporations on the same economic turf.

Two: Starbucks' coffee is, at best, mediocre; and at worst guaranteed to eat through the battleship armor. On occasion they do get it right, but the coffee is usually burned, old, over-brewed, poisoned, tastes like pureed rat feces, or is just plain lousy. That, and getting a cup of plain coffee at a Starbucks usually gets a shocked reaction from the coffee-slinger behind the counter; as if only mental patients who broke out of an asylum located in a third-world country would order a plain cup of coffee. I, on the other hand, can't stand the tossers who order "Double-whip-whip-non-fat-soy-quad-shot-decaf-extra-foam-iced-hazelunt grande Mochafrappacappaalpaccinos."

Three: Starbucks is the caffinated personification of Corporate America. Every store looks the same. The people there look the same. Most Starbucks customers are the same lemmings that buy SUVs, eat McDonalds hamburgers, and live in walled suburban housing developments.

Ok, I'm done.