You know you can write-off job hunting expenses on your taxes right? I'm a reliable resource for this information because I'm only a part-time blogger. My other title is Full-Time Employment Seeker. The experience of hunting in this economy has prepared me for publishing blog posts that might not get read — I've been sending unanswered cover letters into the ether for months.

There is a motivational poster on my fridge that helps me keep a sense of humor about it though. The thing has been there for years without much notice — a relic from an earlier time that got posted next to the freezer handle so a good laugh would be remembered. It's been stuck there under an antique magnet of a hobo clown, which is an irony I never recognized until I started wondering how long I could go without work before hopping freight trains was necessary.  It was written back when layoffs happened to other people... back when my boyfriend was looking for his first job in Vegas. I came home from work one day to find an illustration of his job hunt frustrations laying on the kitchen counter. It's a reminder of a most critical life skill: Always be willing to laugh at yourself.