Meeting People Is Easy

... when you come to an Unemployed Brooklyn event!

Your MatchGirl is remiss, my dear readers, that so long has passed since our last meeting. You know how it is. Things happen, the days pass by and suddenly nearly two months have passed. Alas, gentle ones, it's just the way life goes.

However, this Wednesday, we will change all that.

We will meet again.

Here are the details: Wednesday, September 30th at 4 PM we'll convene at TBD, on the corner of Franklin and Green Streets, in beautiful Greenpoint. TBD has $3 well liquor and draft beers till 7 PM, and a ton of space. They also have wi-fi, if you feel like bringing your laptop to a happy hour unemployed event.

Much like the last meeting, this event will be largely unstructured, but if there is something you's like to talk about, please feel free to let me, or one of your fellow unemployeds, know about it - shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment below. Through recent, casual, conversations, I've gotten some great tips on tweaking my resume and some much needed moral support regarding interviewing. Feel free to come and share your lay-off story, to talk about your recent interviews, to have a drink and bond with a few people in the same situation as you.

Most importantly, come prepared to talk to as many people as possible. Everyone knows that the best way to get a job is through networking - and you never know who may know someone in your field.

Please RSVP to unemployedbrooklyn (@) gmail.com.
See you Wednesday!

A Few Good Men?

There's a proliferation of singles events in this city, gentle readers.

And there is a problem with all of these events. A big one.

Men are strongly encouraged to buy tickets for the Brokelyn/Brooklyn Based MeatUp at the Bell House this Wednesday evening. This morning, while listening to Weekend Edition, I heard Leonard Lopate beseeching male listeners to sign up for the 40 and over singles event that WNYC is hosting in October. And, while your MatchGirl could not make it to the Smiths Singles Night, right around the corner from her apartment, a friend told her they closed the sign up to women soon after the event was announced, and were begging for guys right up until the day of the event.


Oh my.

Why is it so difficult to meet eligible men in NYC, my lovelies? And why do women still think that these events are going to be filled with hotties, instead of just a lot of other women - all as smart, pretty and interesting as themselves?

Your MatchGirl is no stranger to the dating scene. Not at all. She's been single for a long while now. And she's kissed a lot of frogs. She's met some interesting men who she liked and who didn't like her as much. She met some flakes. She's met some losers. She's met a handful of jackasses (in fact, she saw one yesterday at the Greenpoint Food Market - not in time to say "hi", just in time to see him, from the corner of her eye, slinking out, attempting to avoid being seen - you know who I'm talking about El Cuerpo!) She's met some great guys she just didn't click with. And she is still looking for Mister Right (or Mister Really-Close-To-Right).

I'm just not sure where I ought to go to meet him. I am, however, under no illusion that I will find him at one of these events. It's possible I will meet some other cool and single women to go bar-hopping with. But men are a fickle bunch, and to meet one who is interested in dating at a singles meat market just seems unlikely ...

Especially when they're not even signing up to go.

Where To Find Me

Wonder what your MatchGirl will be up to this weekend, dear readers? Can't think of anything fun to do without spending a bunch of cash? Just don't want to leave the comfort of your own neighborhood? Well, gentle ones, there are loads of fun activities happening this weekend in Greenpoint and Williamsburg - so get off your bum and participate!

Friend of Unemployed Brooklyn, Joann at Greenpointers has a great post today with a ton of fun and local activities (a couple of which she organized herself, so make sure to check them out!).

Where-o-where will your MatchGirl be?

Ah, my dear ones, I will start the weekend off right by popping into the opening of the Greenpoint Open Studios at the new WNYC Transmitter Park (located at the end of Greenpoint Ave).


Tomorrow I shall make appearances at The Indie Designer Soiree at The Arsenal in Williamsburg. One of our fellow unemployeds has a table here and I'm excited to check out her work!




Also on Saturday, I will be checking out the tasty goodies at the Greenpoint Food Market. Last weekend, I picked up some tasty heirloom pickles and some really delicious coriander mustard (I, in fact, enjoy this mustard so much that I have planned my whole menu for the next few days based on using it in as many meals as possible!).

And finally, I will be exploring as many of the open studios as possible. One of our fellow unemployeds (the writer of everyone's favorite cover letter) is opening his studio for the world, or, you know, the neighborhood, to check out. He is also showing at Marie Taillefer Gallery, which, like many of the galleries involved in Greenpoint Open Studios, is having an opening party from 6 to 8 PM.

Finally, Sunday evening is the closing party for the GOS and my very dear friend Jacob Jiles will be playing. Coco 66. 9PM. Sunday night. Check him out and say good night to another fantabulous North Brooklyn Weekend.

If you see me out and about at one of these events, please say hello. Unless you are a creepy stalker, if you are a creepy stalker, please keep a distance of at least 500 feet. Your MatchGirl is not a fan of creepy stalkers.

Frugal October

Katharine over at NYC Recession Diary has challenged herself to a FRUTOBER and your MatchGirl is considering whether she will participate.

The basic premise is that, during the month of October, she will spend only $75 on food. Wow. That is definitely frugal! I spent $28 yesterday with an eye towards trying to figure out exactly how many meals/days I could get out of it. I'm sort of guessing a week (so far two, with a couple more planned).

Here are her rules:

October Hacks
Honestly, I’ve got to keep this kind of interesting. Here are my October Budget “Hacks” so it feels a little more like a game than like hell:

--Any change I find can be spent on top of the $75 food or $25 party budgets, unless it’s from my change bowl at home (I also can’t steal – dammit).
--Free food at work is free, baby.
--I will not ask anyone for anything, but if someone offers me free food, drinks or whatnot, it’s not against my rules to accept. But I will NOT become a food-digger. (Like a gold-digger. Get it? hah hah. You can hold me accountable in my blog posts.)
--If in the really off chance I sell something, I can spend only half of the money made. The other half goes into my savings account. (Doubt I’ll be selling anything, but who knows.)

Some of these are tricks that your MatchGirl has found helpful over the past several months (especially the food-digger part!) and I highly recommend for you to try!

If you feel like joining her in her frugal food journey, let her know at nycrecessiondiary AT gmail.com.

I'll keep you all posted if I decide to participate!

More Fun With Craigslist

People will never get it, gentle ones. Take, for instance, the following posting your MatchGirl found on Craigslist this morning (and yes, brace yourself for another rant on people being under, nay un, paid for real work):

Fashion Professionals Wanted (Midtown)
Date: 2009-09-24, 12:00PM EDT
Reply to: jobxxxx@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

XXXXXXX is looking for intelligent and confident interns to continue its success in breaking a niche market. The [company] is changing the face of fashion by xxxx. With high and ever-increasing demands to meet, we require further sales and networking assistance. Ideal for students who are seeking an insight into business, fashion and/or sales, the position will guarantee a challenging and exciting experience.

All positions are unpaid but commission will be awarded for sales.
Immediate start required.
To apply, please e-mail resume and cover letter to the above e-mail address.


* Compensation: All positions are unpaid but commission will be awarded for sales.

As your MatchGirl would like not to be blacklisted by the fashion community in NYC, she has removed all company-specific clues in this posting, but I think the main point is the same.

The title of the posting, the reason your MatchGirl clicked on it in the first place: Fashion Professionals Wanted. Wonderful. Here's the problem, dear readers, one which we have spoken about many times - in person and via this blog - a professional is, by definition, a person who is paid for their services. A professional is not an intern! This is why hookers are referred to as "pros".

For the future, I would like to assist all employers and future job-posters with The American Heritage Dictionary's definition of the word professional:

pro·fes·sion·al (prə-fěsh'ə-nəl)
adj.

1. a. Of, relating to, engaged in, or suitable for a profession: lawyers, doctors, and other professional people.
b. Conforming to the standards of a profession: professional behavior.

2. Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career: a professional writer.

3. Performed by persons receiving pay: professional football.

4. Having or showing great skill; expert: a professional repair job.

n.

1. A person following a profession, especially a learned profession.

2. One who earns a living in a given or implied occupation: hired a professional to decorate the house.

3. A skilled practitioner; an expert.

pro·fes'sion·al·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Please refer to this before referring to unpaid college students professionals. If you require an intern, just say so and save the rest of us a lot of time!

The Key To Happiness

A week or so ago, dear ones, your MatchGirl received a copy of the newly published book Happiness On $10 A Day by Brooklyn gal Heather Wagner. It proclaims to be a recession-proof guide to happiness, with 120 wallet-friendly activities.

And after reading it - cover to cover - I would have to agree.

Divided into chapters ranging from "Flying Solo" to "Schadenfreude" and then subdivided with costs and quirky icons representing exactly what type of happiness you will find with each activity, Happiness is a fun, quick read - filled with a lot of cheap (and many free) things to do.

Sure, you may already know that sitting on a park bench, alternating between watching the locals pass by and reading a book, while sipping a beverage from a thermos, is a lovely way to spend an afternoon, did you consider all the other free and fun things you can do in your favorite park? In your city? With your hunny (or that random guy/gal you picked up at the Meat Market last night)?

Here are a few of my favorites:

Stalk Your Successful Friend's Online Presence: Gore Vidal once said "Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little."

I mean, who amongst us hasn't felt a pang of jealousy when a frenemy succeeds. Especially, if , like yours truly, one is unemployed and single and not really sure where that is going to take them!

Amateur Mixology:

Included in this section are several tasty recipes for classic cocktails. Your MatchGirl's favorite part? The recession versions, like this one for a classic Caipirinha:

Substitute good-quality cachaça with bottom-shelf rum, mix with 7-Up over ice, and serve with Telemundo

Bake Your Own Bread: ... it's fun to be at home, working on this hearty and wholesome project, as opposed to being outside, where you're far more likely to spend money and get into trouble.

Trouble! Tell me about it! Your MatchGirl spent many a wintry, unemployed day inside baking and saved a lot of money! Though perhaps she could have used a little bit more of the getting into trouble...

Happiness reads like it was written by your girlfriend - the one who plans the most fun outings at the drop of the hat, who has a killer boyfriend who seems like one of the gang and who is always willing to go bar-hopping so you can get your single self a li'l summin summin. And your MatchGirl has five copies of this book to give away to you, gentle readers.

If you'd like one of these swell tomes, send me an e-mail (unemployedbrooklyn @ gmail.com) with your favorite recession friendly (cheap or free, please!!!) activity. The first five to reply will receive a copy of the book. I will share all my favorites on Unemployed Brooklyn at a later date.

Sunday Dinner

Traditionally, Sunday is a time for family and cooking and a big meal with those you love. In the modern age, gentle readers, we substitute brunch with good friends or breakfast with last night's hook-up (not so much me, as I have hit an incredibly long dry patch, but you'll recognize the couples playing the morning after dance at your favorite local eatery) for Grandma's Sunday dinner.

I've posted several times, with links that have great recipes and and tips for eating well on a budget. The last time I made such a post, I got a lot of great response - everything from recipes to links. Below are a few resources for you frugal foodies.

30 Bucks A Week: vegetarian Brooklyn couple challenges themselves to spend only $30/week on their grocery budget.








Recession Recipes : fine food and wine loving couple share their secrets to eating posh on a peasant's paycheck.








Fifty Bucks A Week : three writers, three different cities, seeing if they can eat on $50 per adult per week, groceries and dining out included.








Bon Appétit!