Peace, Sailing and Music

Well it has been quite a while since I have sat down and wrote anything on this blog.  The main reason is that I am no longer mad and needing to vent.  Not to mention the purpose of this blog was to be resource for others that are unemployed.  I have since learned that there is not that much out there to help people.  I am currently in my 21^st week of unemployment and rapidly approaching beginning what is left of the federal unemployment.  And well I thought I would give an update of the situation.

One of the most important lessons I have learned over that last few months is how important it is to have a hobby to occupy your mind.  I had been irritable and short with everyone.  I was always in a hurry and for no reason.  After all where was I going since I didn’t have a job to go to?  So I picked up a new hobby.

I decided that I wanted to go look at the local hobby store.  I left with a model of an old sailing galleon.  No I didn’t get the expensive one for obvious reasons.  I can’t afford much and let’s face it; it has been 20+ years since the last time I built a model so I needed a simple one.  I discovered something the first day I sat down to work on it.  It made me be still, calm down and focus my mind.  I never realized just how much I needed that. 

Even the simple models can occupy you for a while.  I practiced with different texturing and painting.  I learned from my mistakes, that frankly you can’t see anyway but I know they are there and they bother me.  And after I finished the ship I was actually proud of it.  I haven’t been proud of anything since I lost my job and now here I was proud of this.  Now I am almost finished with a second one that looks even better than the first.

There have been some interesting side effects as a result of picking up this hobby.  As I mentioned previously, my mind has calmed down and focused.  Also my attitude has improved drastically.  The most surprising aspect is that my guitar playing has improved greatly too.  

Now it goes without saying I have been playing more now.  But since I have been building the models I have been learning so much more musically.  I have been able to learn a Bach piece that I have always wanted to.  I have been writing SO much more than I ever thought possible.  As a result I have begun to record my music again too.  I opened a page on ReverbNation.com mostly as an online backup, and people actually like my stuff!  So now I have a Facebook site just for my music too.  I never thought this would happen out of building a model ship

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Unemployed Life: How to Get a Live Person at DCF after 1 Month

After one month of being unemployed I felt like I accomplished something.  Strange feeling actually.  I am now officially a statistic that has been counted.  By this point I have received unemployment benefits, a whopping less than minimum wage check after 30 years of paying taxes.   And still I have not received any welfare benefits.  My daughter with a serious medical condition remains with no insurance, and the bulk of the unemployment check goes towards food, not bills.

I had gone to the DCF website numerous times, but all it says is processing.  I tried to call the DCF phone number (866) 762-2237, but I could only get recorded messages and no option for a live person.  I desperately needed to talk to someone at DCF so I could find out what was lacking to process my claim.  But the government employed geniuses stay walled up in the tower never seeing daylight and never getting contact from the outside world.

It was around this time I got a letter from Workforce Central Florida.  I went online and took the orientation and required PowerPoint presentations about the resources they offer.  They offer reeducation, for a cost, to help you get a job.  The problem is if you don’t have a job you can’t afford the reeducation.

By this time I am getting desperate so I decide to go down to the local office for Workforce Central Florida.  Now in my understanding the State of Florida has mandated that Workforce be established in all counties of the state to help the unemployed get jobs.  But it is up to the individual counties to decide how to run their offices.  I live in Orange County, this is a fairly large county since Orlando is in it.  A friend of mine lives in a rural county and told me that if I go down to a Workforce center they have recruiters there and the hold classes there too.  That may be true in his small middle of nowhere county but not in Orange County.

I walk into the Workforce office.  It is a big open room with computers lining the walls.  They made me sign a list and wait.  Then they told me to go to computer number 1.  There was no more conversation than that.  No recruiters, no classes.  The computer would only go the Workforce website.  In Orange County, Workforce Central Florida offices are internet cafes for people who don’t have computer or who have never touched a computer before in their life.  Absolutely no help at all for me except for one thing.  I decided to ask the “receptionist” if there is any other way to get a hold of a live person at DCF.  God BLESS that woman.  She told me that there is an office, but it goes by another name.  The DCF “welfare” office is called Access Community Center.  In Orlando it is located here.

So I go down to the Access Community Center where the woman I dealt with was very helpful and very friendly.  She told me how to get a live person on the phone too.  So when you call DCF at (866)762-2237 and want a live person here is what you need to do.  When prompted to make a choice press #, #, 3, 0.  If you do this in that orders it will place you on hold for a person.