The Thursday Report

I think (knock on wood) that my unemployment claim is straightened out, so that's the good thing for today. Seeing as how the system was designed by people who have clearly never used computers before, and is set up in the most confusing bureaucrat-speak, this was an accomplishment. (What really boggles my mind is that I feel I am reasonably intelligent; how do less intelligent people figure it out? Perhaps all the fraud they keep warning about is just people who don't understand the system doing it wrong.)

I had tried last week to figure out how to attach the copy of my severance agreement that they claimed they had to have, and ended up calling and being told that that part of the claim had been voided or suspended or something, and they would have to undo it before I could proceed. Since, as far as I could tell this week, that hadn't yet happened, I made an appointment to see an unemployment rep at the career center (which is a place that the unemployed can get help and training and all--they aren't the unemployment people, but there's a rep there two days a week, so if you need help ... and face-to-face seemed easier to me than calling and waiting forever on hold again).

The nice man took a copy of my signed agreement and said he would put it in my file when he got back to the office tomorrow, and was also able to assure me that the lack of it hadn't held up my claim; in fact, he almost had a twinkle in his eye as he showed me the part of my account that said they had sent me the first check this week, and repeated, "The check is in the mail." Who would have expected a sense of humor in a government employee? It was quite a pleasant surprise. And as long as the check comes, and they keep coming* until I have another job, that will be a help.
*Metaphorically speaking; after the first one they are supposed to be direct-deposited.

So that was that. With the notice/vacation pay check and the severance payment, I wasn't worried for July, but now August doesn't look quite so scary. Which it was starting to seem, given the dearth of job openings I can find for what I want to do. I'm sure I wrote about this the last time I was laid off (but I shan't look back as it's sure to be depressing): editing and proofreading mean such different things to different people, that finding a job for what I mean by it is frustrating. There's no end of job titles with "editor" in them, but they mean a million different things, and the sorting and sifting gets old.

Still, it could be worse: I met up with my former co-editor yesterday for coffee-and-commiseration, and she told me about having an interview where she was already feeling a vibe that it wasn't the right place for her before the woman who would be her boss started describing what would be her duties, including, "You would turn on my computer before I got in, and wipe down my desk." What? You ... can't push the button to turn on your computer yourself? Your desk gets so dirty it needs daily cleaning? Aren't people fascinating, though? Still, perhaps not the reason my friend got her master's degree. Keep looking.

Anyway, I have to go. It turns out that even when you are laid off and spending much time being sad about it, your kitchen doesn't clean itself. Isn't that disappointing?