Keeping the Unemployed Off the Streets

Oh I get it.

It's been a month now since I've had any income. I registered with Unemployment, and about ten weeks afterwards, received my confirmation in the mail. When I called in to claim benefits, I got a recorded message that I would have to call Unemployment and 'register for my waiting week.' I've been trying to do that ever since. You call the number, and it takes about three minutes to wend your winding way through the voice mail maze. And then, at the end, you get a recorded message that says, "We're sorry, but we are experiencing unexpectedly high call volume. All of our representatives are busy right now. Please try your call again later. We recommend you call at fifteen minute intervals." I have paranoid fantasies that they're keeping a record of when I call and how many times, and only when I surpass some magic number will someone pick up the phone and I'll be able to certify for my waiting week. (My 'waiting week,' by the way, was June 20th through the 27th.)

Or, possibly, the system is designed this way to keep people feeling panicky about losing their jobs from taking up criminal pursuits to get money such as knocking over bodegas or smuggling cigarets or fireworks by having them spend the first several weeks staying home and dialing the same phone number over and over and over again. Very meditative. At first, you're enraged, but then you just go into a mindless state of dialing. The Zen of Voice Mail. Perhaps it's intended to be therapeutic in some way.

Well, their offices have been open for an hour, so I guess I'm due.

But first, I'm gonna call a welding school in Linden, New Jersey and see if I can't get out there to take a tour. They're about $8,000 cheaper than Apex Tech. That could be cheap enough to get a "Yeah. Sure. Go for it" greenlight from my therapist .

As things develop, you'll read about them here.

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