So, you were laid off. Let Go. Released. Downsized. Cut loose. Anyway you say it, it means the same thing. You are out of a job. And, you join the millions across America who are unemployed as well.

Maybe you were given some notice, a nice farewell party and a generous severance package. Maybe, you were surprised on a Friday with a pink slip and an empty box (or a paper bag) to pack up your things. Or, perhaps you just discovered that your key no longer worked in your office door lock.

Now what??!!

Well, of course, you look for another job. You get your resume together, you dust off your interview suit, you join all the Social Networking sites and you start surfing Monster, Careerbuilder and wheresmynextjob.com with the intention of finding a new job FAST!

But, what happens when you don’t get hired the week after you just got fired???

What do you do with all this new-found time?

Well, while you're searching for your next job, here's some ideas, reminders, random thoughts etc. from someone who's discovering there is life after her layoff.

Monday, August 10, 2009

A Dash of Inspiration Saute'ed in Butter and Garlic


Okay, I'm officially jumping on the bandwagon. Yesterday, I saw "Julie and Julia" and I really liked it! (I also can't stop thinking about that heirloom tomato grilled bruschetta...but I'll talk about that in a minute.)

Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and Julie Powell (Amy Adams) star in Nora Ephron's charming adaptation of two memoirs: Powell's "Julia and Julia" and "My Life In France", by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme. The movie intertwines the lives of Julia Child during her years in France with her husband Paul, and Julie Powell, a frustrated office worker who became an amateur blogger by deciding to turn her passion for food into a year long blog project and cook her way through every recipe in Julia Child's famous cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

The entire cast did a great job, especially Meryl Streep who is just incredible as Julia Child. It's scary how good she is! But, to me, the food was the star of the movie. Grilled heirloom tomato bruschetta..boeuf bourgignon..duck en croute...dover sole dripping in butter...chocolate almond cake. Everything that was prepared in the movie looked awesome! I get hungry just thinking about it! Kudos goes out to the food stylist in this movie who actually made those dishes. For several hours after the movie was over, I think I had chocolate almond cake on the brain!

This morning, I found out that Julie Powell and her blog have been criticized by gourmet chefs and professional "foodies" who claim the blog was too gimmicky and that it was so terribly wrong that she used Julia Child and her masterpiece of a cookbook to further her own personal success.

Well, to those critics, I say lighten up and relax! It's a good story.

Whether it truly was sincere on Julie Powell's part or not, I connected with her story and went along for the ride. I know what it's like to be frustrated in your life and not know what to do next. Cooking has never been my particular passion, but I was certainly inspired by the fearlessness of Julia Child to pursue her passions. What an amazing woman she was!

And, I must admit, after seeing the movie, I would love to be able to cook like that...it looks so fun! (I know my mother is laughing right now).

Well, at the very least, I must learn how to make that bruschetta.

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3 comments:

  1. DUTAAugust 11, 2009 at 12:54 PM

    Meryl Streep is a great actress and Julia Child a great character, so the outcome must have been a great movie.As for the food, well food always 'steals the show'. Your account of it all is charming and witty.

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  2. BionicDaveAugust 13, 2009 at 3:09 PM

    I am going to see it next weekend - and then my friend is taking me to a French restaurant afterward! Should be a perfect match of film/cuisine... :)

    But yes, I've heard criticism of the Julie part of the film. Very curious to see what that's all about.

    I think you should take cooking classes!

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  3. AmeeraJanuary 15, 2010 at 12:48 AM

    I KNOW!!!!!!

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