as of today I am now unemployed (was laid off), so I am going to have A lot of spare time on my hands...

thing is, I was kind of "married to my job" as the saying goes.. it kept me active, out of the house, and was often the source of the most enjoyment throughout my day as sad as that sounds...


Now, I can only sit here and play games, watch anime, reading the web, etc.. for so long before I start to feel like crap, and that I am not really doing anything of importance..



So, i ask my fellow posters, what could I do to keep myself Occupied with all this spare time i now have..?



thanks in advance for your opinions and advice, and happy Easter weekend

Develop your resume, look for other career paths...

Pick up an actual physical hobby. Woodworking is always a good one, metalworking is good too but you need stronger (and usually more expensive) tools. If you own your residence, you can do simple inexpensive things to change it around, make it better, etc.

If you ever planned on going to school, or thought about it, now would be a good time.

Got terminated last Monday, decided to brush up my skills, and try my hand programming Android app.

Crusader Kings 2.

I got really into The Sims and Spore last time I had a stretch of unemployment.

I'm spending the majority of my time looking for jobs in the paper and online (and foruming and CK2).

Well that all depends on what you're interested in while you're on a "break" from working. On a side note, there's nothing wrong with enjoying your job as much as you did, it just svcks now because well, obvious reasons.

What kind of games do you generally play? What books do you like to read, do you like going out and doing things a lot? You know, that kind of stuff. Trying to get a basis of what you usually occupy your time with.

If you live in an area where fishing is possible, I highly recommend it. Helps to calm the nerves and relax, except when you get that big one on the hook lol.

If you're interested in electronics, find something broken, tinker with it, and try to get it working (that seems to help my little brother).

If nothing else, take a walk with your iPod/Zune/MP3 player and just relax and take in the music.

As stated above, working on your resume is a good idea too.

So is a little Skyrim here and there.

already been to School, got my Bachelor of Information Systems from University of NB.. thanks for the idea of a Physical Hobby.. I guess I do have a bunch od model kits that i still need to build..

I play all kinda games really.. JRPGs, Strat Games, stealth action, Shooters, MMO's, Visual Novels, etc..
I always enjoy good Fantasy novels when it comes to books..
I am not much for going out, very shy person and am not overly comfortable talking to strangers face-to-face..
I usually watch quite a bit of anime as well.. but I can only watch so much before i get the feeling that I am not really doing anything worth while..

sadly can't go fishing with the water levels as high as they are now.. we won't get any decent fishing around these parts till early June at the earliest..

The Witcher 2. Seriously.. I can recommend this game to anyone, it's extraordinary! And I like all the funny regional British accents.

I've never had a job, and I just mustered up enough energy to play through a game again, it's keeping me occupied and offers a really nice, refreshing change of pace.

Learn a new language.

Find another job.

Hmm, How about reading? (A song of ice and fire ) Or taking up archery? (I like archery lots.)

1. What do you tend to play your games on most often?

2. I like fantasy books too, but I don't know too many new ones. Have you ever read the LoTR trilogy? I know everybody's seen the movies but the books are a written so differently compared to them. Sci-fi stuff is good too, as long as you know what author's you like. Karen Traviss and her work in Star Wars is pretty good.

3. I used to be shy too. Nobody's gonna force you to go out there and talk to people if you don't want to, but it certainly won't kill you either.

4. Ever heard of a channel on youtube called Team Four Star? They make this amazing series called Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, among other things.

1) depends on what the game is available on, I have a gaming PC, PS3, XBOX360, a PS2, 3DS, Wii, Gamecube, N64, SNES and a SEGA Dreamcast lol..
2) yeah, read LOTR back in third grade (ahh, I miss the 90s..)
3) ohh I know it won't kill me, just make me feel very awkward an inferior lol
4) No, i guess I'll have to check them out..

I used to go Bow hunting a few years back... haven't touched my bow in years though..

its not easy to find a job in this part of Canada unfortunately.. and I am not willing to move out west.. im a maritimer through and through..

i tried playing the first Witcher game a few months back.. i found the mechanics to be somewhat "clunky" however..

Damn, I used to have all that stuff too. I've still got half of it right now actually. Anyway, here's a list of the games I've liked the most throughout recent years: Splinter Cell: Conviction, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Star Wars: Battlefront 1 & 2, Mass Effect trilogy, Transformers: War for Cybertron, Assassin's Creed (all the way up until AC III, then I just stopped playing them), the new Tomb Raider. That's pretty much all my personal favorites that I don't consider too dated to recommend.

Speaking of bows, ever try your hand with modern firearms?

Mod Skyrim/Oblivion/Morrowind/Fallout 3/NV

It can involve learning, creativity and creating something that people might actually want.

It's what I did, and I found it very rewarding.

Pick up an time consuming/some what expensive hobby. Look into Warhammer/table top gaming, will keep you busy but also motivated on finding income so you can buy more.

I find it really rewarding when I make something with my own two hands. I develop my skills and I get a nifty thingamajig that I can either use, sell or give away as a gift.

Here is a list of my physical hobbies that you could try out if they sound interesting. For all of these hobbies there are countless of tutorials on the internet, and if you think you can't come up with your own ideas then you can start off by copying what other people make. After a project or two your own original ideas will begin to grow. Don't think that you need to spend lots of money on tools and resources right away. You can do just fine with a minimal amount of tools.

Leatherwork - I have made money pouches, bracelets, a box with dividers for small glass vials, tags, etc. Few tools are needed to start out.

Sewing - Borrow a sewing machine from a relative or buy a used one, then learn to sew whatever you want. You can make costumes, tablecloths, T-shirts, children's outfits, skirts, capes, pirate shirts, you name it.

Jewelry-making/wirework - Make necklaces, earrings, earcuffs, bracelets, custom straps for a wrist watch, or chainmail armour (my boyfriend did this, really not that hard and you can do it while watching anime).

Woodwork - Make tons of cool items for your home like fancy shelves, jewelry boxes, bookends, planters, photo frames, etc.

Painting - I use acrylic paint because it is cheaper than oil paint and dries faster. Mixing colours is not hard at all after a tiny bit of practise, so you won't have to buy a bunch of different colours. I only use the three primary colours and white. If you don't want to spend money on canvases right away you can start off by painting on pizza boxes and other scrap cardboard. And if you do woodworking you can make your own easel and paint palette

Gardening - I have a tiny greenhouse and a small patch of land where I grow my own vegetables. Not enough to keep myself away from the greengrocer but it is fun nontheless. If you only have a small terrace to claim as your own outdoor space, do not fret! There is lots of room for planters along the railing (again hinting at the aforementioned woodworking for custom made planters fitting perfectly on your terrace to get the most out of your space )

Polymer clay crafts - Polymer clay is a plastic clay that comes in all kinds of colours. Shape it into what you want (beads, figurines, miniature cakes, etc.) and then bake in the oven for half an hour. You can make pretty much anything you want in polymer clay.

Depends on game for me. The original Sims Complete Collection is still the best Sims game thus far. Especially since magic is the best in that one.

Anyways. For OP... If you have an Xbox 360, go out and get the original Rock Band 3 disc (not the MadCatz version) and whatever instrument(s) you want (microphone at least, if ya like singing) and learn how to play customs... Boom. You should be set for years on that game since there are already thousands of customs out there for free and many charters (including myself, C3 group, and others) who are working on more customs. (I'm currently working on "Avenged Sevenfold - The Wicked End" myself actually).

Last time I was unemployed, I got my paintball gun, went up on the roof of my house, and pinged the kids walking home from school.

Well, not really. But, I thought about it!