Yes, they can.

I'd be lying if I said it was easy to be in a relationship wherein one or both partners becomes unemployed. It's not. It sucks, like so many other things about unemployment. Having been through a couple of long periods of unemployment and remained in the same relationship through both, I can speak with some authority on the subject. I'm more than happy to share what I know which is by no means comprehensive (i.e., comments are welcomed).

How your relationship can endure the stress of unemployment:

archetypal post-post-modern folk hero,

or something else altogether?

You decide. You're the one who is unemployed. Now it's in your hands. You can be whatever you want because you are nothing. You are a tabula rasa of sorts.

I worked my ass off getting an MBA, graduated in December 2007. I started interviewing in September 2007 and I was sure I'd have a job by graduation day. My first interview was shitty, with State Street Bank. The VP took me for lunch, I interviewed with the head of Global FX, then circled back to the VP.

Spent the day there. She set a day and time for me to come back the following week (she seemed super enthusiastic about me). One day went, then two, no email, no phone call. Finally I emailed, then called, but she was 'out of the office' and never returned several e-mails or calls.

I've been floating around out here since June 2006 after leaving a job of 3 years in a low paying medical billing office full of idiots, payroll/insurance abusers, and just plain psychotic unhappy women. I quit that job after a smashing performance in accounts receivables which was delegated to me becuase the idiot that had it let it go into debt so badly, they were in the triple negatives....the whole place was like that!

So you're unemployed and bummed out about not having enough scratch to afford a halfway decent ChanuKwanzmas for your family. Believe me, I know the feeling. Remember that you have a lot to give, even if you don't have money for the latest plastic toys hand-made by Santa's little elves in sweatworkshops in a far away land called China.

Below are

Ten wonderful presents you can give even if you're flat broke:

This was said to me by the owner of an energy shipping company during an interview a few weeks ago. I was at the end of my rope with his question upon question as to what would make me suitable - or willing to stay - at his $9.50 an hour data entry job. He'd had me in his office for nearly an hour, pummeling me with questions that were more investigative than any I'd ever heard before in 20 years of interviews for much more promising and lucrative jobs.

States are so broke that the feds are having to bail out their unemployment endowments. Just how deep are Uncle Sam's pockets?

Hey, you, unemployed person! Yeah, you, the one who's feelin' like a total Looser with a capital "L" and two "o"s! You're not alone. Unemployed Loosers just like you and me are sitting around at our computers (or the ones at the library) feeling sorry for ourselves all across this great land!

Just thought I'd remind you that this is not unique to you, and unemployment is not the end. You'll survive it. As a very wise person once said, "You never know how strong you are until you have to be strong."

Now get off the computer and go talk to some people!

David Leonhardt noticed the right thing. Maybe there is hope that the mass-market media will wake up one day and realize that its not doing its job is kind of a bad thing for its own profits and society at-large. (Actually, Leonhardt is one of the best out there when it comes to economic commentary. That explains why he writes for The New York Times while people are like me are exiled to the outer bands of a far-off galaxy in cyberspace.)

...or start something in the forums!

Surely somebody out there wants to talk about unemployment and surviving it! Surely somebody wants to shout from the rooftops about this critical issue of our time. Why not do it on my dime?

The only rule around here is that you can't be mean to your fellow jobless brothers and sisters.

When I was unemployed, I maintained five blogs and got read by tens of thousands of people, some of whom have helped me out in my real offline life.

Imagine how powerful our voices could be collectively!