Well, last Friday I went to sign my severance papers. I ran into the other fired guy. It turns out that he had the same feeling, that there was a clear change in how he was being treated by the editor and our boss. Things that were acceptable were suddenly not and everything was being nitpicked and rejected for the silliest things, making it impossible for him to meet the targets. He said it looked like they were probably trying to get him to quit, but he didn’t expect to be fired at this juncture.

It was validating to hear that. I think it is clearly our boss’ M.O. and once she has you in her sights, for whatever reason, neither he nor I can really pinpoint why she turned against us, you will be gone one way or another. He was impressed I managed to drag it out so long. He said when I was on leave, there were constant closed door meetings between our boss, her boss and HR, probably discussing the workers’ comp investigation.

I got my check and deposited right away, so it is now completely over. It’s a relief.

On Monday government offices were FINALLY open. There have been constant strikes lately. That meant I could go submit the appeal for those 18 days of leave that my insurer doesn’t want to pay.

On Tuesday I went to go see about my unemployment insurance. I’d never had a work contract here before, I had always worked freelance. So, I was not sure how they system operates. I was given two options: either taking the lump sum in my individual unemployment account or receiving that plus graduated payments for the next 5 months that works out to over three times what I had in the individual account. The catch is I have to sign up for a national job bank. There, companies can contact me if they see my resume and want to interview me. You have to go to at least half the interviews offered. There are also some job search seminars and if I am called to go, I have to go. So, there are some requirements I have to meet, but it seems worth it to receive the extra money, especially considering how bad the economy is likely to get with the unrest here.

At least I am feeling a bit more relaxed about finances after that.