Saturday, April 24, 2021

U: Unemployment, Unprecedented, Uncertain, Upgrading, "Unique Leap Year"



#AtoZChallenge 2021 April Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter U

Unemployment, Unprecedented, Uncertain, Upgrading, "Unique Leap Year"

Upon learning I would not be working for a while, I had to file an unemployment claim for the first time in years. I was not aware at first of the extra $600 a week which lasted until the end of July. We now get debit cards for unemployment, and I wanted to deposit mine into my checking account. This meant going into the bank more often than I had in the past, since I have always gotten direct deposit for my paychecks. One of the essential business I had to deal with this past year, besides the stores.  




It was a unique year indeed and it did seem like all the months were blurred into one. Legal  holidays often feel like an extra Sunday under normal circumstances, but the events of 2020 made every day feel like a Sunday.  

Two more words used to describe 2020 were "unprecedented" and "uncertain." This was the first pandemic in more than a century and the first in the lifetimes of most people currently living. It was uncertain what was going to happen as each day went by. I was also uncertain what I would be doing each day, and I'm sure others felt the same. The repetitive days, weeks and months were unprecedented.

I had been seeing warning on websites saying my browser was outdated, urging an upgrade. This was something I put off a lot, as it takes so long to complete. But I know I had to do it. Even with nothing to do most of the time, I still got impatient waiting for the upgrade to complete. But it was done at last, and I no longer saw the "outdated browser" signs. 

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Only five letters to go now. Back on Monday.

10 comments:

Sandra Cox said...

I found it interesting that they are using debit cards for unemployment. We took part in a study one year and were paid the same way. We banked ours too.

Martha said...

It was certainly a unique year all the way around! Enjoy the weekend, see you on Monday. :)

betty said...

Just visiting; your unemployment title caught my attention. I'm temporarily working a job at our local unemployment office since last May (supposed to only be a 2 month assignment lol) opening and sorting mail. It is unique with the debit card isn't it? Here you can arrange to have the payment go as a direct deposit but I have found in my experience working there it is better to keep things the way they are then to try to mess with the system. Takes a long time to sort out things if things go wrong. Enjoy the rest of the challenge :) (I'm not doing it this year; have done it in the past).

betty

Deborah Weber said...

Yes, there are a lot of U words to describe our experience aren't there?! The leap year sayings are amusing and at the same time ring with truth.

Elephant's Child said...

Uncertain and uncomfortable.
Very uncertain and uncomfortable.

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

The uncertainty in such an unprecedented year will influence the course of our lives going forward. The continuity of the yearly AtoZChallenge is a sign we will persevere in all our efforts.
https://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com

Kay said...

It's definitely a scary time and the days seem to be flying by without my noticing. I'm having a hard time remembering what day of the week it is.

Lisa said...

I would guess a debit card would be easy for lots of people to use. Not everyone has a bank account. They can use it directly at the store for groceries. Like some stimulus payments are on cards. People might be more apt to use it at stores, and get the money into the economy.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
It was all rather Unbelievable. Had we read a book in 2019 that told the tale of pandemic... we may have thought 'what a flight of fantasy'... YAM xx

Weekends in Maine said...

2020 did seem to last forever in some ways although mostly it felt like every day was just the same. Weekends In Maine