Number of weeks that Sophia Ferrel has gone without full-time employment: 24. Number of job applications she's sent off in the last week: five. Last meal eaten before writing this post: "Beer and kale. Mostly beer."

I hear that liquor stores and bars do well during a recession.

Not wanting to go against the grain, last Tuesday I worked out and then had beers and 69-cent tacos. Wednesday went swimming and then had PBR’s. Thursday worked out and had pitchers of beers. I am working my heart and my liver, if not my brain.

It’s a rough life, that life of the unemployed.

And lest you think I spent all my hard earned unemployment dollars on beers, I spent something like a total of $10 on those three nights. Yes, I have wonderful, generous friends.

I had beers with my old boss (the property developer) who looks like he has lost thirty pounds. The recession has hit him pretty hard, and I say with no qualms that he is one of the smartest people I know. Unable to get construction loans for new projects, he doesn’t have much work and had to lay off our construction superintendent. It is sad to see a business I loved and worked so hard for now struggling.

The under-employed… I have many friends like this. In some ways it is worse than my situation. It is definitely more stressful. At least I have a steady income.

Honestly, I am getting used to the “salary” I make from my unemployment checks. I have cut back in so many ways for so many months that it no longer feels like I am being denied anything. However, a huge amount of financial pressure has been taken off of my life now that I received my tax return. I have savings again that are not in the two digits.

Because it is my 24th week of being unemployed, you would think I would have gotten a response back about at least one job by now, but you would be wrong. I am, however, getting some short painting and gardening gigs through a friend of mine who is passing along smaller jobs to me. So that is good. There is a sense of pride that comes with saying I am going to work. My worry is that I have gotten too used to not working. Given 24 hours a day to do what I want with has been a wonderful pleasure. I have learned to fill all that time; it’s not like I sit around being bored and watching American Idol (haven’t actually turned on the TV in so long I can’t tell you when it was). Nope, I play. I don’t want to give up 8+ hours a day to someone else. But who does, really?

My unemployment benefits extension kicked in right on time. No lapse in pay at all and so little bureaucracy it was unbelievable. (Such a wonderful thing!) I have had more trouble writing this Slog post than getting the government to give me money for the next eighteen weeks.

That being said, I really would like to find a job before this money runs out for good...

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