And so, my “real life” and jefbot’s become ever so closer. I suspect someday they’ll merge when I finally lose my tenuous grasp on reality, but hopefully that’s a while away yet.
It’s funny that I’ve never touched upon jefbot’s “real” job in the comic before, as bot’s struggle between his desk job, acting career and personal life was the original pitch in the conceptual stages of this comic 5-6 years ago. Somehow, the “desk job” evaporated (along with the best friend character being a stoner) as I started actually writing and drawing JEFbot. I always thought I’d get around to revealing what bot actually does for money, but never did. Probably because this strip was kind of a protected world I created away from reality, and I didn’t want to taint it with my job. That just seemed boring and something I was trying to escape from. In addition, there were a ton of traditional comic strips and webcomics dealing with various workplaces and I didn’t feel like I had much more to contribute. However, now that I’ve recently found myself jobless (not counting the > full-time hours I put into JEFbot currently), I’ve found I have a lot to say! Being unemployed is much funnier than being employed but unfortunately, it’s also a lot more stressful and depressing as well. A perfect combination for comic strips, I’d say! A combination we’ll explore over the next week or so.
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Happy to say the new Quality Time 2.0 tees are in and they’re lovely! All shirts have now been shipped so keep an eye on your mailboxes if you pre-ordered. If you didn’t, there’s still time to get your orders placed for Valentine’s Day (remember to input code: BOTLOVE13 before checkout to get a $5 discount on 2 or more of the new tees for you and your honey) but do it quickly as it’s going to be close getting the tees out in time for February 14th. Oh, and don’t forget the BOTshop Greeting cards!
Again? 😀
two in a row!!? impressive, Natalie! i’m pretty sure only you and Jason (that crazy guy) have been able to accomplish that feat this year, and you know what that means: back-to-back Shades of Firsting! wear them well – these provide comfort in times of need:
😎 😎
I try to impress! (; It’s a confidence builder that’s for sure!
Woo! Gettin’ good at this (pfft), it’s okay if you and Bot merge. As long as you still sing with me and dress up as Scrawn to save cats then I’m okay with that.
i fear the merging, Nat! but yeah, i’ll always karaoke wif you and (as long as i can still fit into the outfit) save cats as Scrawn. that ain’t changin’. 😉
Aw yes! My karaoke bud! Now if the neighborhood had some cats to save it’d be perfect..
ಠ_ಠ
Oh right, I forgot to comment.
I’m with Cornfather. He had a job? 😛
Although being freelance/unemployed is actually good for the first year, but you’ll find over time that the money you’re getting might be a little under what you need. I’m pretty sure there are lots of jobs to get though!
Sadly, only if you have connections. Connections are much more important than qualifications. (For landing jobs, not for doing jobs.)
true that, Rainey.
yeah, i’m all set for the long haul, ROM! – not spending so freely and eliminating expenses so living off unemployment (while it lasts) and the profits i make from JEFbot is actually doable. i’ll still be looking for a (cool) job but will continue to expand what i’m doing here – whatever gets here first, wins.
At least he didn’t break down crying in public. 🙂
heh. if there was a 4th panel, that might be it, dj. 😉
The dramatizing is just hilarious. I hope I will get a job one day, when mattress tester becomes a real job, or daydreaming os considered working…
Daydreaming isn’t working?
It’s working for me . . .
heheh.
thanks, DAS! bot does like to wallow in the dramatic at times. if you find a place that pays for mattress testing and daydreaming, let me know. 🙂
Sadly, the best things in life are hard to find. But hard does not mean impossible. Also, how many roles have you gotten that you have auditioned for?
i used to book a lot of roles i auditioned for, DAS: couple parts in movies (Love Stinks and Grey Skies) tv shows (Unsolved Mysteries) and commercials (Blue Cross, Honda, Carl’s Jr.) but being so busy at my office job and JEFbot, i haven’t had time to work at it. now that JEFbot’s my main gig, tho, i can hopefully devote more time to getting auditions. if i book anything, i’ll let y’all know! 😀
Yeah, you better let us know!!!! 😀
i will, Ky! i feel like my BOTpeeps give me a boost of luck when i’m on auditions. 😀
You know, I’d love to see Jefbot audition for things.
now that (like me) bot has more time to concentrate on auditions, we might see more of that, Sarah W. and there’s always comedy/tragedy to be had, if they’re anything like the auditions from the past.
Jeffbot’s been through a lot this past year! Living on his own nearly drove him nuts, what’s going to happen now that’s he’s living alone and jobless!
They say the best comedy comes out of tragedy so, guess we’ll see what happens, I plan on tuning in that’s for sure!
so true, TPC! and there’s even bigger drama to come! (which will hopefully mean some fun comic strips.) way to find the silver lining and thanks for tuning in thus far! 😀
Jeffbot hitting the job market?
The comedic possibilities are endless!
heheh. i hope the possibilities are endless, Bill Murphy – i only have about 3 comics written on the subject at the moment. 😉
….Wait. You had regular employment?
ha! yep! the lack of which is the only reason the strips have been on such a regular schedule for the past couple months, Anime fan.
The only question is, what will bot do with all this time now that he’s jobless AND stopped obsessing over Star Wars?
his mind is going to go crazy with the possibilities, 52pickup!
I’ve been unemployed. Not having something to do and not having a source of steady income can be demoralizing. Hang in there Jefbot and get back up on the horse ASAP.
we’ll see how he handles it, Bender_Sastre. i think if i didn’t have this strip (and you BOTbeeps, friends and family) to obsess about and pour all my time and energy into, i would’ve lost my mind after the first week of unemployment.
Hmm…if the real Jeff and the comic jef are becoming closer and more alike…
ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL HE TRIES TO TAKE OVER
you know, i wouldn’t put it past him, GG11 – jefbot’s a crafty guy!!! now you got me all paranoid…
Poor Jefbot. I hope that you are not feeling as adrift as he is. We’ve all got your back. 😀
Ahhh, Cornfather. You give him some great lines.
this strip – and my precious BOTpeeps! – keeps me grounded, Shanna! i feel SOOO lucky to have such things. i probably would’ve taken the first okay job that came my way if i didn’t, and then i’d be miserable.
and, yeah – Cornfather gets the good punchlines, mostly. heheh.
Sorry you lost your job Jefbot. Up side: more time to focus on Jefbot.com. Down side: you no longer work for “the man.” I don’t see a down side… Oh right, money. ; ) Hang in there! And awesome strip.
thanks, FunnyShaffer! yeah, lack of money’s the downside, but hopefully i’ll find something awesome (and less corporate than my last job) and/or JEFbot will start paying all the bills!
Odd that your strip should deal with the subject of Jefbot losing his job because in my upcoming strip, the first story line will deal with Norman hiring some help. Would Jefbot by any chance be interested in working in a funeral parlor in Pennsylvania?
ha! not at the moment, Rainey, but give jefbot a taste of a few months of unemployment and then check back. 😉
I have been professionally unemployed for 10 years now, and it sucks. Forced retirement is no fun, especially when you are barred from working. I’m actually on a database of people not allowed to work!
wow. how do you do it, Oz? you must have a LOT of things to occupy your mind (or a very strong will) to hold it together for that long. i might need some tips if this joblessness goes on longer than planned.
I found things to do, went back to school, got involved in the community and church, volunteer to help local kids with their homework, etc. I also do a lot of wheelchair sports events, otherwise I would go stir crazy.
I belong to the land of real job, dream job and part time work.
I work in home theater( real job).
I go perform twice a week for a few hundred bucks ( oddly part time job).
Also once a week I go play poker for ten hours straight at my local casino ( dream job).
What’s weird is that my dream job doubles my real jobs pay, and my part time job on top of it allows me to make enough for rent in one week.
I can’t quit my real job since its my dads business.
My craziest job was a professional street fighter.
It was once a month and 5k if I won the fight, half if I lost.
I never lost a fight but sometimes to make rent I would double the earnings for a fight by fighting two at a time.
What was your craziest job? Or experience working?
whaaaaa?? any crazy job of mine doesn’t hold a candle to “PROFESSIONAL STREET FIGHTER,” Satoshieyes!!! i think maybe you’re the Batman.
To be fair it was basically just underground fighting..
I might be the batman, popular theory amongst friends.
However I’m not rich, great looking, nor have I spent many years abroad in the world learning many hidden secrets.
Also my parents are alive and well and avoid crime alley.
“I’m not rich, great looking, nor have I spent many years abroad in the world learning many hidden secrets.”
exactly what a super crime-fighter would say to maintain his secret identity. just sayin’.
As a Professional Street Fighter were you ever tempted to yell Hadouken during a fight and hope a blast of energy left your hands?
Gee, if I thought THAT would work, I’d have tried it that one time I was jumped by seven men while walking to work. That would have made fighting them off easier (though I succeeded anyway). Also, I’d have tried it when someone tried to squash me with a car. I simply jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, I hadn’t yet learned how to jump on top of cars. If I knew that then, I’d have done it. As it was, I just chased the car (unsuccessfully) and yelled enraged expletives at the driver.
whaaaa!!? okay, if Sato’s the Batman then you’re the Punisher, Rainey. or maybe Spider-Man if you’ve got webshooters.
Jefbot lost his job huh? Well, that sucks. So, given the nature of the last comic does this mean that Jefbot’s week has essentually doubled in length?
heh. yes it has, GB – which is something we’ll get to during this mini-arc!
Okay, bot needs cash. But there’s no donate button on this website.
i promised Mombot i wouldn’t beg for money here (even though it’s a popular money raiser on other sites and BOTreaders have asked about this very thing in the past!) BUT i think i found a loophole i just haven’t had time to exploit yet. thanks for the kindness – i should have something available for those that want to help me out soon, Phil!
I’ve only been fired once, and laid off once. Different circumstances, both resulting in me not having a job afterward. I usually have a drink afterward and kvetch about the horrible bosses and coworkers to make myself feel better about the circumstances.
this is the first time i’ve been laid off, T, and it wasn’t fun. not that i loved the company or the work so much, but my department was pretty close and i hated seeing all those people out of work. but a few of us totally did what you did: went to the nearest place serving alcohol and yelled and cursed the company for hours. was pretty cathartic.
It might not actually solve anything, but yeah, it does help to blow off some steam. Do you still keep in touch with your old coworkers?
yep, i’ve had lunch a couple times with them since the layoffs. cool bunch.
A few years ago, I confided in a friend that I’d just lost my job. He asked “The one at the kennel?”
I hadn’t worked at the kennel in 3 years, and he and I spoke pretty regularly during that time.
heheh. happy you can relate, E. A. Setser. i’m sure there are friends of mine who still don’t know i’m working on JEFbot full-time now!
There may even be some who don’t know JEFbot is a thing. The heathens!
Of course, it’d be really funny — maybe not right away, but definitely later on — if some of your friends knew about this comic but didn’t know it was YOU behind it.
that would be funny, E. A.! at least i think it would be. if/when it happens, i’ll let you know. 😉
oh yeah, I know that situation only too well. And I have to say, my year of unemployment was one of the worst in my life. I am not made for sitiing still. But – in the end it all worked out (nobody wanted me, so I founded my own company). And work is SO much better after you haven’t had it for a while… so, keep your head high. something will come along… 😉
But now, I REALLY want to know what Jeffbot did for a living…
so far i’m hanging in there, Lars! going to take a year to look for a dream job and/or build JEFbot into sustainability, whichever comes first. congrats on making your own business work!
as for what bot does – it’s nothing interesting. he was stuck in a boring job just like i was. 🙂
… This is , if translated and not counting Jefbots monologue, almost word for word conversation I had with a friend of mine almost a year ago.
Am I under surveillance? *Maryz paranoidly checks arround*
ha! yes, i’m totally surveilling you, Maryz. just like i do ALL my BOTpeeps!!! muahahaha! >;)
but seriously: i’m happy we share some brainwaves.
well if your jobless and live in the u.s.a. then apply for office depot if you are as much as a game and as tech savvy as you portray. we always need more tech guys and logistics guys. its hard work but you get used to it.
i’m surprised i’ve never worked for an electronics store, comic shop or movie theater, zangetsu675, as i’ve loved all three. plus: discounts! thanks for the job idea. 🙂
When your life and JefBot’s life finally merge, can I come visit so I can get pictures of the aliens and borrow the Angry Scarf powers for an hour or so?
absolutely, AgentKeen. but i get 20% off anything you make from those pictures or the Angry Scarf. 🙂
So, how many people didn’t realize you had employment? Does anyone besides me read the blog posts…?
Great work as always, bot! I’m glad strips are on time, although I’ve not been able to enjoy them on time like I used to. School, work, the divorce, and having the tots on the weekends make it difficult. I sleep after school–if I’m not cleaning or texting. I don’t have time for the ‘nets! I only fbook from the new smartphone… 🙁
i’m not sure how many knew, Ky! a lot of the people i meet at conventions tell me they thought i always did JEFbot full-time. i wish. 😉
and keep on keepin’ on! i know it must be insanely hard keeping all those plates spinning but it’s all worth it. thanks for checking in when you can. (thank the gods for smartphones. heheh.) i’m sending good mojo your way.
How DOES jefbot.com look on the iPhone…? Why haven’t I pulled it up before now?!