Add It Up

Let me preface this all by saying: I know I am lucky. I know there are millions of people in the world worse off than I am.

Since a employer-sponsored meeting with the unemployment folks, I have been crunching some numbers. And, well, if I thought I was freaking out before, now I have the numbers in front of me and WHOA! somebody needs a central line of xanax.

(Note: Xanax does not sponsor these blogs. I get no reward for mentioning the drug by name. However, should a xanax rep be reading this and think that would be appropriate...Awesome.)

Ok so the way it works (in California at least) is that when you're laid off and need unemployment assistance, they look at the amount of money you earned the previous year. (In this case Sept 07 - Oct 08.) So they take that year and divide it into quarters. Then they take your most profitable quarter and base your amount off that amount. That being said, the highest award given is $450 a week (before taxes) for anything over $11k a quarter.

As I said, I have been blessed to be in an industry whose salaries correlate with a comfortable cost of living out here in Los Angeles. And again, I repeat, I KNOW there are people worse off. But I make considerably more than $450 ($415 after taxes) a week. Obviously I understand that unemployment is not there to keep me at my current comfort level, but that amount barely covers my rent. Seriously.

The last time I made those wages, I was just out of college, splitting a $680/month rent + utilities. I didn't have a car payment. Then I moved to San Diego and barely made much more but somehow managed to pay $650 a month in rent. (PB&J baby!) Well now I pay $1450 a month. Plus utilities. Plus a modest car payment.

You can see my panic.

It's a double edged sword because altho I fantasize about sitting at home in a housecoat anxiously awaiting the mail-lady with the next Netflix delivery, I also know that that won't work. Well, not after the first month at least.

My parents have graciously offered to let me move home, and the more I look at the job market, the more I'm trying to accept that idea as a (TEMPORARY) option. People are suggesting I downsize apartments, get a roommater, or move out of my fun vibey hipster neighborhood, but moving costs money too. Deposits and moving companies...yuck! Don't get me started on the roommate thing. I'm pretty sure the next situation like that I'll be involved in is cohabitation. Like with a boy.

I AM lucky in that I live month to month. (See how that wanderlust and fear of commitment comes in handy??)

So we'll see. I'm really hoping something falls in line before March. That's when the freak outs will really hit as my last day on the job is March 8th. I've got some savings, and I know that I'm going to be fine, and that everything will work out how it's supposed to. I just would prefer a heads up.

Tomorrow morning I'm getting up bright and early to attend the PGA Breakfast. (That's Producer's Guild of America)...not sure who I'll meet, but I'm definitely taking business cards. And I'm seriously considering heels. (Gasp!) Let's face it, I just hope the scrambled eggs are yummy.

Footnote to Mom: I am really not popping xanax like they're tic tacs. I'm exaggerating. I just like to purge these thoughts from my mind, so I write.