Today I filed for unemployment.
That sounds absolutely ghastly. Never in my career have I had to do such a thing but at the strong urging of both my husband and brother (“You earned it. You deserve it!”) I made my way to the Tennessee Department of Labor website and filled out the required forms. Why is it that pull-down menus never accurately reflect exactly what it is you do or who it is that you really are? I found the choice that most closely approximated my position as a former interactive agency marketing director and clicked.
Thankfully the whole event is blissfully anonymous. No standing in a line with a bunch of other folks in the same predicament No shuffling feet and sideways glances. Just a few fill in the blanks, a few clicks of the mouse and the state gov. now has me in their system-another number to add to the Volunteer State’s growing unemployment statistics.