Job and Work Woes - Bad job? No Job?

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Well, where to begin? I recently lost a job. Actually, I didn't LOSE it. I know exactly where it is, they just won't let me do it any more. It's actually a mixed blessing because it was a TERRIBLE job. To make matters worse, it was a job that I really thought I wanted and worked REALLY HARD to get, only to discover that it was a terrible job. No, I take that back, the job itself really wasn't terrible but the work environment and management was. So, in a way, I am lucky and thankful to be out of there. But now there's the issue fo getting ANOTHER job. I'm not eligible for unemployment because I didn't have 18 months of continuous employment. I was working those 18 months but mostly as an Independent Contractor. And the job market is really, really soft right now. I have a friend who has been unemployed for over a year. She's smart, capable, talented and has a Law degree. Yet, she can't seem to find work. Not even in unrelated fields. Meanwhile, I'm smart, capable, talented and have a BA in Communications, and I've only been unemployed a month but I've been on interviews with no success. And then there are the recruitment firms... The temp agencies. I've gotten multiple calls from recruiters who've seen my resume on various job sites and call me all because they might have a job that matches my skills. So I print out my resume, dress up in my business clothes and go on "interview" anfter "interview" after skills test after skills test then I never hear anything again. I realized that most of these places DON'T have jobs. But these recruiters have to get candidates. It's part of their job description. They need to get candidates and they need to get openings and it's kind of a chicken and egg deal. In order to get jobs they need candidates. In order to get candidates, they need jobs. Meanwhile, the candidates are getting added to the roster and nothing else is happening. And while I appreciate that these recruiters have a job to do, I need a job so running around all over town for screening interviews (whern there is no actual job) is a waste of my time, energy and gas. So, while I'm very lucky to be out of a very VERY bad work situation, it's a classic case of out of the fryingpan and into the fire. And of course along with the loss comes the usual emotions: Anger, depression, fear.. I'm angry that my former employer is going on business as usual while I'm stuck trying to figure out where my next paycheck is coming from. I'm angry at myself for attempting to make a bad situation work instead of bailing when I realized it wouldn't - because the end result was, I ended up unemployed anyway. I'm depressed because I just want to get on with my life and put that experiecne behind me but I can't because there are more applicants than jobs. And, like I said, I know people who have been unemployed much longer than I have and THEY aren't working. I'm afraid because what if I get another job and it ends up a repeat of the last job. What if, a month in, I realize that the new place is as bad as the old place and that I'll end up leaving or getting let go? And then there's the alternating Hope and Despair. Hope when I get a legitimate interview or job lead. Despair when nothing comes of it. It's been such a rollercoaster and, frankly, I'm ready for the ride to stop. Is anyone else dealing with any of these issues?