ON THE BREADLINE: CLAY FROM HOUSTON

Clay, a former network administrator for a credit-card processing company in Houston, Texas, was laid off last July. Though he writes openly about his plight on his blog, Way Past Broke, he has asked that we not use his full name because, blogger or not, he remains “highly embarrassed about my situation” and doesn’t want to scare off potential employers. So in this one case, we are breaking from our full-name policy. Also, though he demurs on our “gallows humor” question, his blog is indeed rich with it—along with some pretty bleak first-person reportage on what’s like to lose one’s home, electricity, hot water, cell-phone service…

How do you cope with getting up every morning? What motivates you?

It’s difficult. I think mostly, it’s the thought that things just can’t get any worse. But I seem to prove myself wrong every day!

Likewise, how do you cope with getting to sleep at night, or getting any sleep, period?

Tylenol PM.  Gives me about 3-4 hours every night.

Give an example of the sort of changes or cutbacks you’ve had to make in the way you live your life.

Let’s see. Currently no electricity. So that bill is gone. No insurance on the vehicle, so I’m not driving.

Share with us some of your recession gallows humor.

It’s gotten past the point of finding humor in any of this.

What, if anything, gives you hope that the future holds better things?

Nothing at the moment.