Lissa Cunneen, 45, used to work in the home loan department at WaMu. Yes, that's the same home loan department that helped cause this whole subprime mortgage mess in the first place. And no, the irony is not lost on her. Now she's a part-time barista for a large coffee empire and struggling to pay her interest-only mortgage—which, of course, was given to her by WaMu.

7a9d/1235023091-lissacrop.jpgI am one of those women who could end up in a cardboard box—or, if this were the 19th century, living off the kindness of more successful relations. A little over two years ago I got divorced and entered the job market just as everything started to fall apart. I foolishly invested in a condo and now owe more than it’s worth.

I got laid off from WaMu the day after Christmas. I had been an administrative assistant in the much-beleaguered home loan department. I went through four bosses in two years, so I wasn’t that surprised when the ax finally fell on me. I got a severance package, but it won’t last me past the mortgage payment for March. I try to look for work every day, but so far nothing—although, I do still have my part time job as a barista so the cable bill is covered. But the barista work also means that my unemployment benefits are being held up. Since I have a job (even though it is only 25 hours a week and pays half what I was making at WaMu) I may not be eligible. The irony is that my unemployment benefits from Wamu would probably be more than I’m making as a barista, but if I quit as a barista I might not get anything at all. It is a classic Catch-22.

My degree is in costume design and I have managed to do a couple of shows, but theatre doesn’t really pay that much, and my hand-made greeting cards, although well-received, aren’t that lucrative either. The designs are, not surprisingly, pretty dark, so maybe there is a future for me as a one woman Goth Hallmark store.

I have good days and bad days and yes, it scares the crap out of me that for the first time in my life I have no health insurance. This month I had to make a choice between my meds, because I can’t afford all of them anymore. So I picked the one that is supposed to keep my breast cancer from coming back and ditched the rest. I live in fear that my car will break down and I won’t have the money to fix it.

Still, I’m luckier than many. I have friends and family, and cutting back on my food budget means I might just finally lose that last stubborn 10 pounds, and hey, cheap whiskey gets you just as drunk as the nicer stuff.

So that’s my little story: 45, masters degree, single, big mortgage, no job. Woo Hooed by WaMu.

Lissa

With yesterday's news filled with President Obama's new plan to help Americans in difficult mortgage situations, I asked Lissa last night whether she'd benefit from Obama's upcoming mortgage market interventions.

As I understand it, I would not be eligible for government assistance at this time. My interest rate is screamingly low, and I am, for the time being at least, current in my payments. In a month or two, when I am forced into delinquency and my hard earned credit score is in the crapper, then perhaps I may benefit from the program. I, of course, hope that it does not come to that.

Lissa

Have an unemployment story to share? Write to jobless@thestranger.com.