Last Thursday was my last day as a corporate hack, due to the ubiquitous layoffs that are striking dot com and non-dot com companies alike these days. I can't really say that being jobless feels much different than having a job, except that I don't get paid every couple of weeks or so. I'm not so sure I like that part.

People have been asking me what I plan to do now that I have some extra time on my hands. I tell them I'm going to write a novel. Most folks look at me like I'm insane. Those who know me well ask, "Will this one be any good?"

In any case, I'm not feeling particularly rushed in my job search. It's a terrible time to be looking for a job, and I don't want to get saddled with something dreadful. I know all about the "take what you can get now and keep looking" theory. I did that two years ago, and what I got was two-plus years of a job I mostly hated. Well, except when I quit working and still got paid. That was dull, but it wasn't horrible.

So now I have large blocks of time facing me. Here's how I plan to operate most weekdays:

9 a.m. Get up and eat breakfast.

9:30 a.m. Crank up my computer and start writing.

11:30 a.m. Throw on some shorts and go to the Y for some slow lifting.

12:30 p.m. Come home, shower and eat some lunch.

1:30 p.m. ??

Right. See, I do real well for the morning. If I actually get up at 9 (which isn't so far removed from reality), I'll be fine until early afternoon. You can't write all the time, and I'm usually toast after a couple of hours. So I've got to come up with a way to spend my afternoons.

First, of course, would be the requisite perusal of the job prospects. Monster.com, Hotjobs.com, the newspaper, whatever else works. That might hold me for 15 minutes. If I actually find something that interests me, maybe tack on another 15 minutes. Throw in a half-hour to go to the post office (and maybe stop off at the tienda next door for some tamarind soda) and I'm all the way up to 2:30 in the afternoon.

There are days that I'll need to be reviewing albums. If that's the case, I can burn an hour or two that way. In a couple weeks, it will be time to start doing yard work. That might fit the bill as well. Maybe that can get me to 4.

4 p.m. Listen to All Things Considered.

Really, there's nothing more relaxing that listening to the news and... well, doing anything. Playing a computer game. Brewing beer. Cooking dinner. Stripping the paint off a door. Calling contractors. Whatever. Doesn't matter too much, as long as I can get a good snapshot of the news of the world. If you've got www.nytimes.com and NPR, you're gonna be pretty informed.

6 p.m. ??

Okay, so I'm done with the radio, but I've still got an hour or two before Barbara comes home and I can torment her. Might have to be creative in here. More computer games (note to self: make sure you get Hal and Vicki to send along that pirate copy of The Sims) perhaps, or maybe just a little light reading. A nap might also be a good idea. Nice to have options.

Who knows? I might become a model citizen and start volunteering left and right. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure that's not gonna happen. I'm not that motivated. It was a nice thought, anyway.

So that's what my days of future presently look like. In all honesty, I think I could get used to this unemployment gig.

Jon Worley has been gainfully employed for almost three of the nine years since he graduated from college.