Taking advice from friends and talk show hosts, last week I decided (after 14 years of residency) to obtain a DC Library card. The main reason for doing this was to have a new book to take to the beach with me. A supplemental reason was because it was free. They’ve got DVDs there too and I’m cranking down my Netflix to the minimum (cash-saving move) and I can pick up supplemental discs from the library.

I decided to checkout Douglas Coupland’s “The Gum Thief” which has been out for a year or so but I never got around to purchasing and, of course, there’s no way I can pay for a book now.

I took it to the beach but because of having too much fun with the dozen friends there, I didn’t even crack the cover. I did start reading it in the car on the way back though.

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The above was written almost a month ago, May 29. I barreled halfway through the book but then had to slow down. I finished it a couple of weeks ago but held onto it in case I needed to reference it this post. In true fashion, it sat there collecting dust like the characters in the book-within-a-book Glove Pond, written by Roger, the main storyteller in TGF.

As it sat there and I pushed back it’s due date I started to think more and more about Roger. Roger is in his early/mid-forties (I think he’s 43—this is why I wanted to keep the book awhile longer for reference). His life is in freefall: his wife has left him, a son has been killed in a car accident and he’s lost his job. He’s forced to take a mind-numbing job as a stockboy at Staples, but you get the sense he’s okay with this since he can drink on the job.

Minus the failed relationship and the deceased son, I can relate to Roger’s situation. Forced to take a McJob and half-sleep out of his car (at least he has one) he retreats into the book he’s writing, picking up character traits for his fictional characters from his old-enough-to-be-my-offspring coworkers and what few adults remain in his life.

I have not uttered a word in 43 hours.

Last week I passed the six-month mark of being unemployed. The majority of jobs I can find that I’m qualified for are positions or employers I don’t want to hold/work for. I’ve received notice that my food stamp benefits are to be cut at the end of this month, unless I can convince them otherwise when I have a meeting with my case worker next week. I’m not sure how long my unemployment benefits will continue; it’s supposed to be a year now but I haven’t heard any word and I’m hoping that’s a good thing.

But it may be time for this to come to an end, and not a happy ending. I may be Roger, having to take whatever is available at any level, working at Staples or Best Buy or some other immediately-hating and soul-sucking McJob. Do you want fries with that?