Getting Laid (off)

and two: HE LIVES IN NYC FOR FUCK'S SAKE. WHO HAS SAVINGS? I DON'T.

and no, i can't get the freelance stuff under the table, unless it's through uk mags (a friend of mine was freelancing for nme while unemployed last year cuz they simply wired him the money).

Hahaha!

That was suggested to me by an Army friend when I was moaning about work. He almost got me hooked with the free education. But was talked out of it by the liberal friends. 'Why, Doom-e, that is just trapping the working classes, etc' 'B..but you have parents who pay for your education..'

do you get paid by cheque, yancey? i do when i freelance. or just get them to debit another person's account.

I do get paid by check, Doomie. I guess I could try doing that, but I'd like to be honest about the whole thing, if possible. I'm gonna call the unemployment office a bit later today.

it should be fine. in canada i freelanced and got u.i. - as long as i reported the income - they deducted it from the u.i. cheque it should be o.k. but i don't know the usa system.

don't worry yancy, you will be fine. if you get stuck there is always temping.

Yanc3, if you can find somebody willing to p*y y** *nd*r th* t*bl* for freelance work, that's probably your best bet. But if not, I can't imagine New York UI has a vastly different policy than the above.

And David, thank you for the kindness.

And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Mary. That's fantastic that you went so in depth.

at the end of the year, the employers you freelanced from will submit th 1099 to the tax people and you pay taxes on that. no one will know when you worked. so you pay taxes on it and you're set.

here's a problem though. 1099s don't take taxes out for you. so if i were you, right now set up a separate bank account and each check you get, stick maybe 1/4 or 1/3 into that account and don't touch it. you'll need this in the end of the year to pay your taxes (i had to pay about 4,500$ at the end of the year for all my freelancing stuff).

and another problem, but one maybe you'll just want to live with (which i'm doing), you're going to get charged (maybe 150$) for not filing quarterly. the government wants their money. if you dont' pay them regularly, you'll get fined at the end of the year. i think it's too much of a hassle and i'd rather just pay the fine.

Haha, you should go join the Coast Guard! :-) You get to run around fishing dumb boaters out of the water & escorting sailing races.

(teeny that was very gracious of you and the only reason I started busting his balls--I mean, jesus, Joel)

Last week I applied for a job that would be UNBELIEVABLY perfect, and I know someone at this magazine and my mentor's good friends with their managing editor and etc., etc. So this is where all my eggs are for now. If I get that, my life would be amazingly better. But it's kind of a longshot, as I'm sure thousands will apply (they did the last time this mag had an opening).

And stence, thanks for the optimism. I'm not feeling too down about things now, most likely cuz maybe some day I too can have Bill Calahan sleeping on my couch! Huzzah!

And unemployment has perks! I went to the optomitrist to load up on contacts before my insurance runs out, and I mentioned to my doctor my predicament. He proceeded to load me up with two bags full of contacts and free stuff, and only charged me $10 for everything! And he gave me all sorts of advice about whether or not to get COBRA (he says statistically at my age there isn't a real reason to have insurance, so if I can't afford it (I can't) then abstain) and told me to visit again even if I wasn't insured. "We'll work things out," he said. I wanted to kiss him!

Hold on to your hat! You are in store for an extraordinary month, dear
Scorpio! When it comes to career, you are hot. By month's end, the buzz about you should spread like wildfire. Before that can happen you have some preparations to do. Start by making inquiries about the possible opportunities that may exist at your current job. Also investigate any new positions that might be available in other firms. If you are an actor or artist, whip your reel or portfolio into shape and get it out there — chances are, someone in power will view it. While you are at it, you may need some references ready. Be ready!

If you have worked hard but have not seen rewards, this month will
correct that situation by bringing on a breathtaking victory. Everything about your chart is suggesting that the end of July and early August could bring a professional turnaround so significant, it will reverse any professional or financial difficulties you have experienced in the past two years.

Your most glorious time of the month will arrive at the new moon, July 29. In the days that follow that date, suddenly, professional talks will click into place. It will be very obvious to you and to others that you have the experience, credentials and motivation to handle considerably more responsibility. You will have ten days following July 29 to seal a deal for a new job, promotion or to land a new client. (Your most rewarding days will cluster very closely to July 29.)

(Yan3y is a Scorpio--this explains a lot.)

Ur, well, you should always have at least some minimal insurance in cases of accidents and stuff... even if it's a four digit deductible, cuz even a broken bone can sometimes get near five digits to fix these days. But I tend to be very paranoid about stuff like that.

Eye doctors are the last wing of medical professions to be "ruined" by insurance companies, also, so I'm guessing his advice might have been specific to his profession. Did he really tell you didn't need any medical insurance at all, whatsoever? That's incredibly strange.

On a related topic, if and when I am lucky enough to land another full-tiime design gig, I'll surely be making quite a bit less money; when I got my previous job, designers were somewhat overvalued.

I haven't been on ILX all that much lately because I've been so busy, but I guess that's going to change... hopefully not for too long.

Determined and forceful
Emotional and intuitive
Powerful and passionate
Exciting and magnetic

On the dark side....

Jealous and resentful
Compulsive and obsessive
Secretive and obstinate

Why is secretive on the dark side????

Severence, yeah, but I'll have to review my final pay stubs. I think that after my final paycheck and vacation pay, the tax was so high I ended up with not that much at all. But better than nothing I guess.

(j/k you know I love you, you emo freak)

(Just to even the playing field:
Traditional Taurus Traits

Patient and reliable
Warmhearted and loving
Persistent and determined
Placid and security loving

On the dark side....

Jealous and possessive
Resentful and inflexible
Self-indulgent and greedy)

So, you mean in NYC, you can't find some basic individual insurance for $100 or so a month? Cuz in Washington state, there's Group Health Cooperative and others... I imagine NYC has something similar too, right?

Sean, :( best of luck to you. (and register for unemployment, ASAP...!)

Sean.. look for the California unemployment website and see when is the best time to call. Usually early in the morning is the best. If it's like here in Washington, applying for unemployment on Monday morning is the same as applying Friday afternoon for that same week.. All applications are processed all in one week, and start simultaneously the next. But again, California may be different.. Look for that web site!

Traditional
Virgo Traits

Modest and shy
Meticulous and reliable
Practical and diligent
Intelligent and analytical

On the dark side....

Fussy and a worrier
Overcritical and harsh
Perfectionist and conservative

People around me are getting laid off left and right. Apprently while I was gone there was a huge round of layoffs, and it's not over yet. Some of the victims have worked here for 30 years, guys who are like 3 years short of retirement. Everybody's talking in whispers and if anyone shuts their door everyone else wonders why. Why they can't get it all over with in one or two days is beyond me. LAMEVILLE.

ahem

The Ram
March 21 to April 20

Traditional Aries Traits

Adventurous and energetic
Pioneering and courageous
Enthusiastic and confident
Dynamic and quick-witted

On the dark side....

Selfish and quick-tempered
Impulsive and impatient
Foolhardy and daredevil

though I have to admit it is a little over-the-top

anyway, i think it's really cool that teeny could possibly help yanc3y get a job. i wish someone else would form an angeleno-based-job-help-getting-networky-thread, since i'm filled with too much self-loathing right now to do so!

actually all of you suck, whining about unemployment. at least u HAD real jobs at one time -> only lowly interning here, and when its over, there's no internship-office for me, since i'm only getting "experience" :)

Tom, that description sounds like you are the Dread Pirate Roberts or something.

I just found out I'm getting laid off December 31st - the other writer was somehow able to dig up the information way before we were supposed to know.

So what now? I feel absolutely 0 motivation to show up at work for another month and a half, we won't be getting any severance (despite having worked there for more than 2 years), and my commute is becoming almost 2 hours long. What's annoying is that I have to sign a new lease for an apartment in December, despite knowing I'm not going to be working for a while.

But it seems like a lot of people I know in the creative field in NYC are getting laid off soon. Strong fundamentals of the US economy?