Unemployment Office Tragedy
Sep. 20th, 2008 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wwcitizenToday was interesting. I got a mandatory invitation to the Unemployment Office at 75 Varick St. in lower Manhattan (TriBeCa) for last Friday, which I couldn't make. The follow up to that date was sent to me as the "FINAL NOTICE!!" for next Friday, which I cannot make, either. The next date I could have made would be Oct. 10; however, I found out this morning last minute that I could go today or Monday at certain times. So, I went today.
The first practically unintelligible lady collecting our information (who was excited to meet me, the guy who called her about missing the ferry!!) said the whole orientation process would take no less than 2 hours. TWO HOURS!!! I didn't know that! But, I figured, the only thing I had to do today, really, was look for birthday presents for my godson and his dad, and others for his sister and mom. So, I sat patiently and made small talk with Angie across from me who kept smiling at me apologetically when I scoffed at something in the automated presentation under my breath.
The most unpleasant lady imaginable finally entered the room and led the session. She rattled off her information to us with inexplicable speed and close to her so that the people in the back of the room (who cared) had to ask her repeatedly to "please repeat that". She could not stop talking about the economic woes of our country and the current influx of "so many people from the financial sector who need jobs because of Morgan Stanley and WaMu and Lehman Brothers, and AIG - can you believe that they're still posting jobs for Lehman and AIG? Why would they do that?" And on and on and on, droning like we had nothing better to do.
And who calls me to be my personal counselor for the next 35 1/2 minutes? Mrs. "economic woes" herself (joy of joys), who told me that she would get me out of there quickly. (Yes, I kind of watched...) I sat and pleasantly acted as though every word she spoke was eloquent, necessary, interesting, worthwhile, and wonderful morsels of information - almost to the point of "taking notes" - to move along the process more quickly so I could get back onto the NJ-bound ferry. This whole experience left me feeling like I spent the afternoon in a Kafka-esque novelette.
The first practically unintelligible lady collecting our information (who was excited to meet me, the guy who called her about missing the ferry!!) said the whole orientation process would take no less than 2 hours. TWO HOURS!!! I didn't know that! But, I figured, the only thing I had to do today, really, was look for birthday presents for my godson and his dad, and others for his sister and mom. So, I sat patiently and made small talk with Angie across from me who kept smiling at me apologetically when I scoffed at something in the automated presentation under my breath.
The most unpleasant lady imaginable finally entered the room and led the session. She rattled off her information to us with inexplicable speed and close to her so that the people in the back of the room (who cared) had to ask her repeatedly to "please repeat that". She could not stop talking about the economic woes of our country and the current influx of "so many people from the financial sector who need jobs because of Morgan Stanley and WaMu and Lehman Brothers, and AIG - can you believe that they're still posting jobs for Lehman and AIG? Why would they do that?" And on and on and on, droning like we had nothing better to do.
And who calls me to be my personal counselor for the next 35 1/2 minutes? Mrs. "economic woes" herself (joy of joys), who told me that she would get me out of there quickly. (Yes, I kind of watched...) I sat and pleasantly acted as though every word she spoke was eloquent, necessary, interesting, worthwhile, and wonderful morsels of information - almost to the point of "taking notes" - to move along the process more quickly so I could get back onto the NJ-bound ferry. This whole experience left me feeling like I spent the afternoon in a Kafka-esque novelette.
