I burst into tears several times today, for seemingly no reason. I’ve been very upbeat since the layoff six days ago. When my husband asked why, all of a sudden it came to me that all day he’s on the phone on interviews thinking of the future. New job, new town, new adventures.
I’m mired in the past, dealing with all the things he can’t because he’s busy finding a new job. I have to file for unemployment, find out how to keep our health insurance from running out at the end of the month, et cetera.
The information we received from his former employer was riddled with errors, including telling 25% of its IT force that they can’t call the company who will handle COBRA until AFTER their health insurance has lapsed. Great for a family with a sick child (not us, just a hypothetical). It’s not true, I called that company and got an estimate for monthly COBRA payments so we know our burn rate.
All in all, it is not fun. How much of one’s life is tied up in a corporate identity that all of a sudden goes “poof!” Since the first question of a new acquaintance is “What do you do?” it’s hard to say “Looking for work.” My solution, for myself, is “feminist homemaker.” People get a kick out of that one.
So for now we’ll just pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again. Cheers, Dee
Cooking with Dee 
I was scolded today for filling out my husband’s unemployment application while he was on phone screens trying to get a new job. Regulations state that weekly check-ins are necessary and that a minimum of four new contacts must be made and documented per week. Hey, he reviewed it and clicked the enter button. I thought they wanted people who were laid off to find work, not to spend hours filling out applications and waiting on the phone for no-one to pick up after 1/2 hour. Or criticizing one’s spouse who happens to know his SSN and birth date. Give us a break, please. D