I have to give credit to Tricia for thinking of this one, and for making me feel, for a moment, as if I could be both as smart as Rory Gilmore and unemployed!

Rory Gilmore was the star of the now-defunct series Gilmore Girls. Rory lived with her young mother Lorelai, and they bantered back and forth for seven seasons. Rory was smart, witty, and had great journalistic-inspirations. She just happened to be almost exactly the same age as me, so I followed her through high school and college, and in her final season when she graduated (from Yale), I graduated college, too. (And also BAWLED for the entire episode because Rory was graduating, and I was graduating, and it was the end the series.) Anyway, Tricia & I love Rory, and so did my college roommate (who I think would like nearly everything on this list).

The point of this list is TWO FOLD. FIRST FOLD: Rory is smart, fun, and classy. SECOND FOLD: Because I am unemployed, and I am like Rory, we are now pretending Rory is unemployed, and would like to get gifts for use during her new-found free time. Is that too complicated? Tricia and I are complicated people.

  1. I love these little Great Ideas Books (6 from amazon.com, $40) from Penguin. They’re small, beautifully designed, and each contains a single essay that you feel like you should’ve read at one point or another. Rory would definitely use some of her unemployment time to educate herself.
  2. Although Rory is more of J Crew or Banana Republic kind of girl, we want you to be able to afford these gifts, so this classy Swing Jacket from Old Navy ($35) is just the thing. I figure Rory will need something to wear to all of her interviews.
  3. SNACKS. You can get these anywhere (including a vending machine) and put them in a fun movie box, maybe with a gift card for netflix. Rory & Lorelai ate lots of snack food, including popcorn, and the classic tub of ice cream when depressed. In stressful situations, they were always snacking (and never gained a single pound.)
  4. Rory was never a morning person and loved her coffee, so on unemployment she’ll certainly need a way to get up in the morning. Her and her mom had lots of kitchy things, and I can imagine one of them might be this Van Gogh Coffee Mug with the Disappearing Ear (Unemployed Philosophers Guild, $13).
  5. Rory’s witt and journalistic-aspirations lead me to believe that she would love Sarah Vowell, the This American Life super-star, history-geek, and humorous essayist (also, Violet in The Incredibles!). Her most recent book is The Wordy Shipmate (amazon.com, $20).
  6. Tricia tells me that Rory loves Elvis Costello, and I believe her because Tricia has superb-musical memory and I do not. Elvis Costello’s Momofuku (amazon.com, $13).
  7. Lorelai, at the very least, enjoyed random, bad movies. In unemployment, I think Rory might try to take a crack at classic Ed Wood, who is known for being one of the worst movie directors of all time. This movie collection Ed Wood: A Salute to Incompetence (amazon.com, $9) includes two discs and SIX movies, like Glen or Glenda? and, possibly the worst movie of all time, Plan 9 From Outerspace.
  8. More classy apparel. Also interview worthy. Jeweled Satin Ballet Flats (Old Navy, $10).
  9. Rory probably wouldn’t WATCH the complete series of her life, but if you are unemployed you certainly have the time to sit in bed and watch seven years worth of re-runs. Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series Collection (amazon.com, $145).
  10. Finally, I think Rory would appreciate a simple, black satin dress. Since she’s not employed, she doesn’t have the money to get a brand new J Crew dress, but this Satin Rossetta Belt is a simple detail from J Crew, and it’s on sale for only $20.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.