IU thin I can scratch trying to do anything tomorrow. I am going to try to get back in the phone queue for the unemployment office but I did take my anti anxiety medicine because my brain has decided to spiral me into-- I've fucked this up completely and will get no money and how could I be so stupid and not be able to find the answers or understand the difference

You are not stupid. It is super complicated and the information is hard to find or understand.

What Jesse said. I hope you can get it fixed tomorrow.

but that went to 0 as of today

That's excellent news.

Good luck askye.

Intellectually I know that but all my anxiety just.. makes it hard to remember. I know they have people who are struggling with this and it's just hard because I can't get in touch with anyone. I'm feeling calmer so maybe the medicine is working because I stopped myself from spiraling. So points for that I guess.

Askye, I think you can trust they WANT this to work for you. Filing is a shit show because of the circumstances, but they're on your side and will help you sort it out.

In New York, at least, the calls from unemployment are coming from "private caller" and give no number because some staff are using their personal phones. You might want to pick up things you normally would not.

there was a section to put an explanation and I literally wrote "I didn't think I had to look for work if I was furloughed because of covid 19" so maybe that will help. I just have to wait this out.

I'm trying to embrace the ethos of "our best is all we can do."

Because no one has any spoons at the moment; certainly not enough to actually do everything that needs to be done. So, we will put on our adult (inside) pants and do what we can without killing ourselves because this is apparently gonna be A Year, and we're in it for the long haul.

I have a nearly-full package of foil star stickers and I will send one to anyone who needs it.

There's a theory of bureaucracy -- I forget what it's called, but basically the idea is that you make applying for benefits (or jobs, or lotteries, or college) sufficiently difficult that only some people meet all the requirements on paper (even though many more people actually would meet the requirements, they just can't prove it). And then you don't have to pay out!

I learned this when I applied for UI in California about 7 years ago, and I couldn't believe how difficult it was. I'm a native English speaker with an advanced degree and lots of experience with bureaucracy--and I struggled and got it wrong and had them reject at least one of my claims.

So what I'm saying, Askye, is that it's not you: the system is designed to be difficult and confusing intentionally, in order to limit the amount of people who benefit. Do not take any difficulties as a statement on your ability -- it is not. The people who design these systems see their complexity as a feature rather than a bug. They do it on purpose.

Hack for wearing masks and glasses: fold up a piece of Kleenex into quarters length wise. Place it over the nose bridge on the inside. Staple or tape to hold in place. It will absorb some of your breath's moisture and break it up before glasses fog up. It works for me!