I lost my job in February after nearly three years at a computer firm in downtown Manhattan- It was liberating-- I walked out and into a chilly day holding a big bag off stuff, but the day felt fresher, and I knew that many adventures were ahead. That night, or the next day, I wondered aloud to a friend about how great it would be to be able to compete in athletic events to win prizes--"The Unemployment Olympics", I would call it.
A few weeks later I decided to create and host the Olympics. I applied for a permit at New York's Parks and Recreation office, and submitted an event listing to Time Out. I put out a press release, and FOX NEWS called and asked if I'd come on their show. It was a huge thrill-- you can check out the bit here-
A whirlwind of making stuff, getting more donations, planning events, responding to the RSVP'ers, and just generally freaking out later...
And check out how it turned out! Everyone had a ball, and it got news coverage from LA to Montreal, Australia and Shanghai--
2 comments:
Nick, saw you on Jo's blog. Congrats on turning this into a positive! If you ever decide you want to go back to programming and/or mechanical engineering, my husband works as a software engineer for an international company and, if you sent a resume for him to look at, would probably be willing to recommend you. So, feel free to email me if ever... Best of luck!
Heard about this event last night in Park Slope, sounds amusing.
You wouldn't happen to be the same Nick Goddard that went to Rochester Adams High?
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