A few weeks ago, I told you how I became involved with sober companion work in late December, 2009, and how I miraculously caught up with my car payments and other expenses in a matter of days. I even got to do some last minute holiday shopping, in complete denial that my bills would all reappear in January.
About two weeks later, I received notice that I had to make an appearance at the unemployment office; any of you who have collected in New York know the drill. You have to show proof of jobs you’ve applied for, interviews attended, etc. It was only the third time I’d been required to go in seven months, since seemingly half the state was unemployed at the time, but the last time had only been a few weeks ago. I didn’t feel like going again, and had no new leads to report since I essentially stopped looking for a job the moment I got my first sober companion assignment. So I emailed the woman I was supposed to see and told her I was doing some freelance work; she assured me she could freeze my benefits. I just had to visit the office before collecting again.