Everything is falling into place...kind of

[Tilly]

WARNING: This is a long rambling post that doesn't have much of a point.

So for the past few years I have been wanting to hike the AT. I did a 150+ section in '04 which fueled the fire, but I was in the midst of finishing school, and I wanted to get some work experience before being out of work for 6 months (which I do not regret for even a second.)

In '07 I hiked the OHMW-by myself-and had a horrible time because I missed my SO so much. We always hike together and it not a second seemed right w/out him, so I got off the trail w/no regrets.

The next year, '08, my hands became numb and useless and causing me a lot of problems...so it turns out I've got carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel in both hands and elbows, and I had to make the decision to postpone for another year in order to have surgery...which I did (jury is still out on this, my hands still don't work right.)

So in the meantime me & SO were planning and trying to save money, and our apt burned to the ground when I was off work. One step toward the trail, now we have no "things" to worry about (it's the only positive thing I can say about it. I mean, we did lose all our gear as well.)

After a few more sundry things like my car needing a new suspension system, my teeth needing root canals, etc. my SO's employer is threatening to fire him (he works in retail, they are moving the store, and this company basically fires the entire mgmt team whenever a store gets moved.)

So great! I guess the entire UNIVERSE is pushing us toward the trail this year. My SO getting fired is the last straw, and the only way that I can look at things is that the stars are finally lining up for us to hike, now that we have no stuff, are underemployed, and my hands don't work properly anyway...luckily you don't need them to hike.

This last year has been pretty insane. Of all things now to get fired. Oh well. We have a bit of $$ saved, I guess we will be on the trail sometime in March.

THIS thing better work out:) but of course with my luck lately I will need my appendix removed or someone will break a limb or get hit by lightening.

[Gorp-Gobbler]

Hey Tilly:
Good luck on your Thru.
Don't burn bread on yourself by mentioning the bad things that could happen. Be positive and think positive and positive things will happen.
Remember "Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Progress". (The 6 "P")
Happy Trails, and keep in touch while you're out there. Who Knows I might make it myself.

[the_black_spot]

if my unemployment checks roll in, everything is in place for me as well!!!

[buckwheat]

I'm a big believer that we make the life that we want ... and that some spirit somewhere guides us along and points us in the right direction. What you're being handed is an incredible opportunity to take your life into any direction that you choose.

Think of all the people out there trapped in jobs they can't leave because of one responsibility or another. There are people who would give almost anything to be in your position, healthy enough to embark on an incredible adventure.

You are fortunate to have life smile upon you in this way. You would do well to take advantage of the opportunity and make it the most enjoyable adventure that you can. There will be plenty of time left in your life to bemoan the fates.

Now is the time to embark into the great unknown.

It is, after all, the journey you will remember.

[joshua5878]

WARNING: This is a long rambling post that doesn't have much of a point.

So for the past few years I have been wanting to hike the AT. I did a 150+ section in '04 which fueled the fire, but I was in the midst of finishing school, and I wanted to get some work experience before being out of work for 6 months (which I do not regret for even a second.)

In '07 I hiked the OHMW-by myself-and had a horrible time because I missed my SO so much. We always hike together and it not a second seemed right w/out him, so I got off the trail w/no regrets.

The next year, '08, my hands became numb and useless and causing me a lot of problems...so it turns out I've got carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel in both hands and elbows, and I had to make the decision to postpone for another year in order to have surgery...which I did (jury is still out on this, my hands still don't work right.)

So in the meantime me & SO were planning and trying to save money, and our apt burned to the ground when I was off work. One step toward the trail, now we have no "things" to worry about (it's the only positive thing I can say about it. I mean, we did lose all our gear as well.)

After a few more sundry things like my car needing a new suspension system, my teeth needing root canals, etc. my SO's employer is threatening to fire him (he works in retail, they are moving the store, and this company basically fires the entire mgmt team whenever a store gets moved.)

So great! I guess the entire UNIVERSE is pushing us toward the trail this year. My SO getting fired is the last straw, and the only way that I can look at things is that the stars are finally lining up for us to hike, now that we have no stuff, are underemployed, and my hands don't work properly anyway...luckily you don't need them to hike.

This last year has been pretty insane. Of all things now to get fired. Oh well. We have a bit of $$ saved, I guess we will be on the trail sometime in March.

THIS thing better work out:) but of course with my luck lately I will need my appendix removed or someone will break a limb or get hit by lightening.

Go directly to your closest movie theatre.

Buy 2 tickets to "The Yes Man" with Jim Carey.

You will laugh your as* off and will be burning rubber to Springer!

Good luck! Hope we see you out there!

[Runsalone]

Go Tilly GO!! If you got the money Go! Grap your SO and dont look back!!

[Tilly]

Thanks all I just needed a little different POV.

Both of our employers now have our notices, so I guess that's that...

[Gorp-Gobbler]

Thanks all I just needed a little different POV.

Both of our employers now have our notices, so I guess that's that...

"If It Is To Be-
It Is Up To Me"

Me doesn't rime with you.

Go Get Em!:D

[Skyline]

if my unemployment checks roll in, everything is in place for me as well!!!


If your unemployment $$$ roll in, won't you need to prove you're actively looking for work? :eek:

[SmokeEater]

If your unemployment $$$ roll in, won't you need to prove you're actively looking for work? :eek:

We wonder why the world is in the shape its in. I love paying taxes for people who abuse the system.

[buckwheat]

I love paying taxes for people who abuse the system.

Taxes? Huh?

Unemployment compensation is insurance, no different than your homeowners insurance. It is not taxes.

Unemployment insurance premiums are for by YOU! ... withheld from your paycheck by your employer (who then pays you less as a result of it).

When you file a claim for unemployment compensation, it is the same as if you had filed a claim against your insurance company for an automobile accident. Typically, the state that you live in will manage the insurance program ... but it is not taxes that pay claims ... it is premiums that do. The state manages the program, because if private insurance companies were allowed to manage unemployment insurance, they would cheat you out of your claim. History has shown this, and is why most states administer this vital employment insurance.

Employers who fire workers for no legitimate reason (i.e., abuse the system) pay higher premiums as a result of their actions.

You are not required to work to receive benefits. In fact, you cannot receive benefits if you work. So, in order to receive the insurance benefits that you paid premiums for, you are required to not work.

You are required to "look for work" and the definition of "look for work" includes many activities, all approved by the court system over years and years of litigation.

So ... don't think of unemployment compensation as "welfare" or "taxes." It isn't. Unemployment compensation is the benefit you receive when your employer fires you unjustly (or lays you off). You paid for it with your own premiums out of your pocket. Your employer merely took the money first before giving you your paycheck.

Cheers!

[the_black_spot]

If your unemployment $$$ roll in, won't you need to prove you're actively looking for work? :eek:

i am unemployed right now, and have been for four weeks, but will be back to work here in a week.

the cash i am referring to is benefits for those five weeks, so i won't actually be hiking on unemployment benefits.

that chunk of cash is going to get me at my target level for money saved prior to trip. there are so many claims right now that they haven't even processed my file and i filed almost a month ago ('normal' time is two weeks)

i don't see myself as a leach or an abuser because i am filing completely within the rules of the system, i was legitimately out of work for five weeks by nature of my job (chef at a small college, winter break) and i am not trying to get money while i am hiking (nor would i be eligible anyway because i will quit my job in march).

but i can understand how some may have taken my original post to mean that.

[the_black_spot]

We wonder why the world is in the shape its in. I love paying taxes for people who abuse the system.

buckwheat's description of the system is dead on. you are not paying for my unemployment benefits, nor am i abusing any system.

[superman]

If life seems to be going your way it means you still don't see what's coming at you.

If life is getting you down the the real problem hasn't hit you yet.

If you think you're tough, bare in mind that was what the insect thought before he hit the windshield.

If you think you don't need a map or compass you probably don't know where you are to start with.

[Rockhound]

Congratulations on your unemployment. Many people are stuck in jobs they are afraid to leave due to the economy. A year from now they will have spent over 2000 hours chasing the cheese at the end of the rat race maze while you will have escaped to explore mountains and waterfalls and wildlife on an adventure you'll remember for the rest of your life.

[Skyline]

i am unemployed right now, and have been for four weeks, but will be back to work here in a week.

the cash i am referring to is benefits for those five weeks, so i won't actually be hiking on unemployment benefits.

that chunk of cash is going to get me at my target level for money saved prior to trip. there are so many claims right now that they haven't even processed my file and i filed almost a month ago ('normal' time is two weeks)

i don't see myself as a leach or an abuser because i am filing completely within the rules of the system, i was legitimately out of work for five weeks by nature of my job (chef at a small college, winter break) and i am not trying to get money while i am hiking (nor would i be eligible anyway because i will quit my job in march).

but i can understand how some may have taken my original post to mean that.


That clears it up. Perfectly legit. Others may scam the system, but your clarification indicates you won't be. Hope you have a great hike.

[The Scribe]

i was legitimately out of work for five weeks by nature of my job (chef at a small college, winter break)

Hey black spot, good luck on your hike. There is a nightclub in Stephen King's "IT" called The Black Spot.

Anyway. My only comment is, how can someone be considered "unemployed" and eligible for unemployment benefits when they have a job where they know there will be a gap? I worked for years as a school bus driver. I knew I did not work in the summer, or during school vacations. That was part of the job. I picked up work in the summer (had a steady job that loved people in education because they only needed people for 8-10 weeks in the summer). Sometimes I found something for the other vacation weeks. I never did, or even considered applying for unemployment benefits because while I may not have been working as a bus driver for those stretches, I had a job.

[Lilred]

As a teacher, I cannot file for unemployment during the summer, even though I do not get paid, because I sign a ten month contract. If you sign a 10 month contract, you cannot collect unemployment.

[The Scribe]

As a teacher, I cannot file for unemployment during the summer, even though I do not get paid, because I sign a ten month contract. If you sign a 10 month contract, you cannot collect unemployment.

That might be the distinction Lilred. As a teacher I never thought about it either but as a teacher I got paid 12 months a year even though I worked the school calendar. It was great the summer I switched to the IT dept. I started getting paid for my new job on July 1 when I started it. Plus I got paid all summer for my teaching contract which actually ended on the last day of August. THAT was a summer to remember. Two months of "double pay" LOL.

You are probably correct on this. If black spot is working in the system and doing nothing wrong, more power to him. It just made me think about all those weeks and summers where I had to plan ahead and either find something else or suck it up.

Thanks!

[Gumpa]

Just to clarify on unemployment insurance. I had a business for years and the unemployment insurance is paid by the employer not withheld from the employee's pay. At least this is the case in Massachusetts. That is the reason you have to declare your unemployment income on your taxes.

[the_black_spot]

Hey black spot, good luck on your hike. There is a nightclub in Stephen King's "IT" called The Black Spot.

Anyway. My only comment is, how can someone be considered "unemployed" and eligible for unemployment benefits when they have a job where they know there will be a gap? I worked for years as a school bus driver. I knew I did not work in the summer, or during school vacations. That was part of the job. I picked up work in the summer (had a steady job that loved people in education because they only needed people for 8-10 weeks in the summer). Sometimes I found something for the other vacation weeks. I never did, or even considered applying for unemployment benefits because while I may not have been working as a bus driver for those stretches, I had a job.

thanks!

in GA, the law is that if your 'gap' is less than six weeks, you are eligible. if over six weeks, you are not.

i think the reasoning there is that the shorter your breaks in work are, the less likely you are to find gainful employment for that amount of time.

[the_black_spot]

Just to clarify on unemployment insurance. I had a business for years and the unemployment insurance is paid by the employer not withheld from the employee's pay. At least this is the case in Massachusetts. That is the reason you have to declare your unemployment income on your taxes.

i think that buckwheat was implying that the cost of unemployment insurance may be passed on from the employer to employee through indirect methods such as cut hours and and lowered pay to compensate for the cost.

i don't see an unemployment deduction on my check, but there may be an indirect deduction through the means described above.

[buckwheat]

As a teacher, I cannot file for unemployment during the summer, even though I do not get paid, because I sign a ten month contract. If you sign a 10 month contract, you cannot collect unemployment.

That's because you aren't unemployed during the summer ... you are merely not required to show up to your job site. Your pay is negotiated annually by your union, and then handed to you over a 12 month period (or, you have the option of having it spread over 9 months in some school districts). But time off is not = to unemployed.

If your school doesn't renew your contract, then you're unemployed. You may or may not be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits if your union has opted you out of the system and doesn't pay for your insurance premiums. Even still, you can privately purchase unemployment insurance.

[buckwheat]

i don't see an unemployment deduction on my check, but there may be an indirect deduction through the means described above.

This is exactly correct. Your unemployment premium is similar to your Social Security payment. The employer deducts 7.2% for the Social Security System from your paycheck from you. The government then requires the employer to kick in 7.2%, which just means he pays you less as a result. See, he's just the tax collector. He isn't paying your taxes for you! Why should he? Pay your own taxes.

Businesses don't pay taxes. They collect taxes from other people, which they then send on to the government. You make less, and pay higher prices.

But the gubment gonna get its first.

[buckwheat]

Bottom line black spot is that you should look for a job in every town that you go to that you resupply in every 5-7 days. And, you should continue to file claims against your unemployment insurance carrier while you look for a job.

And don't let anyone make you feel like you're "cheating" or that it's "welfare" or that you're ripping off the taxpayer.

Because you're owed that money.

[Skyline]

Bottom line black spot is that you should look for a job in every town that you go to that you resupply in every 5-7 days. And, you should continue to file claims against your unemployment insurance carrier while you look for a job.

And don't let anyone make you feel like you're "cheating" or that it's "welfare" or that you're ripping off the taxpayer.

Because you're owed that money.



But he has written here that he will be quitting his job to go on this hike. Why would anyone under that circumstance be expected to look for work, or expect to qualify for unemployment benefits?

[the_black_spot]

But he has written here that he will be quitting his job to go on this hike. Why would anyone under that circumstance be expected to look for work, or expect to qualify for unemployment benefits?
he is trying to outline a plan for hiking while on unemployment. now that i would feel a tad guilty about.

but you are right, the fact that i am quitting negates that possibility. he is trying to say that if you go into your hike while on unemployment, you could follow this plan. that would be risky imo.