Let's see how painful this is ...

[quietprofanity]

Going to the unemployment office. Apparently I "Take a Number and Wait" [sigh]. [takes a totally unread Anita Blake book (the earlier, pre-sex ones) for company] Wish me luck, guys. <3 to you.

Comments

[mojocat.livejournal.com]

You can do it!
That sucks you have to go in person. Here we can do it all online so you never have to deal with other humans. I'll propose a similar amendment, hope it passes in time for you to get back :)

[sandoz-iscariot.livejournal.com]

Lots of luck!

[lady-nebula.livejournal.com]

Good luck! I can't believe they make you talk to real people. I did all of mine online.

[quietprofanity.livejournal.com]

LOL.

I'm back. It took about five hours and ... really WAS total bullshit. I took a number and got in line (I was on C63 and they were on B32 when I arrived). I was willing to wait but about two-to-three hours in this guy was like, "Hey, they put out a couple of fill-it-out-yourself" forms. I did that, and then I got to go into a shortcut line for about 20 minutes while people who'd been there far longer than me were STILL THERE.

... So yeah, it's a shitty system they got going. Also, I had to then go fill out more forms at the job help registration office, which was a super pain in the ass.

I think from now on everything will be done by telephone now, so it's cool.

[quietprofanity.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It took about five hours, which sucks but it could have been a lot worse.

[quietprofanity.livejournal.com]

Online forms would be a LOT better. Hell, if they'd just put out those fill-it-out-yourself forms and made EVERYONE do that, it would have been a lot better. (Of course, I might have just had to wait a super-long time in the job help registration office, then.)

[ook.livejournal.com]

Huh! Down here in Houston, you can apply for unemployment online. You have to go to a local TEC branch before you start getting payments though. I dunno....I didn't mind being on unemployment. I've been on it twice in my life and the last time was a cakewalk as you never had to go in to turn in forms or anything, you just made phone calls and punched your answers in.

Sorry to hear about your employment woes and I hope things get better for you.

[quietprofanity.livejournal.com]

I'm going to get to do phone calls for the rest of it, so that should be easy. I'm a little worried about what'll happen when I go on a trip to Israel in a month, though.

[ook.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm...did you mention that when you went in for your meeting? You might have to re-apply or something because they will NOT send you checks for the weeks you are not in the country (part of the TEC concept is that you are supposed to be healthy, willing and able to work at any given time since you are supposed to be actively seeking employment.

Hmmmm....HOWEVER...you might say that you were applying for jobs in Israel...then you could stay on unemployment. You'd just have to telephone in from Israel for each pay period. And make a few token efforts to find work (ask relatives, for example). ;)

[quietprofanity.livejournal.com]

I was thinking of doing the latter in a pinch, if that would be possible. (I have to get my phone set up.) I may re-call for more information, though.

[ook.livejournal.com]

If you phone them to ask about it, don't identifty yourself. ;)

I'd be more inclined to just phone in from Israel and cook up some "job application" dates/contacts to have ready in case you need them. I suspect it would be a huge hassle to try to get them to re-start the unemployment after a one-month lapse. You don't wanna lose your benefits.

I dunno...it's been 6 years since I was on Texas unemployment. I have heard that things changed for TEC after Katrina because the state of Texas didn't want a bunch of slackers from Lousiana on the dole.

[quietprofanity.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm going to Israel IN a month, but the trip itself is only for 10 days. (It starts two days after the Watchmen movie opens, actually, so the release date is filling me with excitement AND dread that I won't be anywhere near ready.) That might be easier to fudge than a month of stuff. :-)

[ook.livejournal.com]

Yeah. You just have to be sure to phone in on the EXACT dates that they tell you to. Do NOT deviate from the norm and always answer the questions in exactly the same way each time. I used to keep a little check list handy so that I could just key through the answers quickly (and also keep track of the answers I was giving). :)