I’m Still Alive

Hello all!

It has been a long time, hasn’t it? I have found myself spending more time on Facebook these days. . .I know, I know, how incredibly cliche for the 30 something year old lady to be hanging out with the kids on that site! Well, I have just enjoyed the immediate response from friends as you post an updated status, logging on and seeing my cousin, old friends from high school, collegues online and chatting with them via IM. Trying to write here a certain number of times each week just got to feel too much like work and less like the therapy of getting my thoughts and feelings down on paper.

Anyway – I thought I was just stop in with a couple of updates which won’t be too shocking, given the state of our economy these days.

Brian hasn’t worked since the Friday before Christmas. His company closed down for 2 weeks over the holidays and on Friday, January 2nd, his foreman called to say they were officially laid off for the next two weeks. He got a waiver so he didn’t have to get out there and job hunt to be eligible for unemployment so he tried to relax and use his time as productively as possible, getting numerous odd jobs done around our house.

Then, yesterday was the big day to hear if he would go back to work on Monday. But no dice. No new work has come in, no work is expected to come in now for at least a COUPLE OF MONTHS!! We were prepared for the worst but now that the worst is here, we both were pretty down in the mouth. We can’t wait for them to call him back forever – luckily all of our benefits and health insurance are through my company and we honestly can live on my salary alone, though very tightly. And unfortuately, no amount of job hunting will turn up anything new for him – our area is experiencing one of the worst unemployments rates in the whole country. We have hundreds of new people laid off every day, a new business closes every day. The only way he is going to get a new job anywhere is to get out of his comfort zone and network the heck out of himself.

As for me, my firm laid off 140 people in the past month – unheard of in our entire history. It was done in two steps – one on December 15th and one just this past Tuesday, both a complete shock to everyone. And it wasn’t just the low man on the totem pole let go – senior managers, executives, people who have worked with the firm 20 plus years . . .and everyone now is fearful for their jobs. Everyone anticipates another round of layoffs before April 1st, which is our new year and all I can do is hope and pray I make it through the final round. The partners even took a 10% paycut, to help soften the blow to all . . .but more likely to soften the beating they took by the local press.

It is very dismal around here now – everyone we know has someone in their family laid off. Chris and Andy? Chris has been laid off for about 6 weeks now with no plans to be called back any time soon. Lynne? Her husband just got laid off on Tuesday – and she doesn’t work, they have 3 kids and one on the way in May.

We are in a far better position than a lot of people but it is still hard to keep your chin up. We have been spending no money, spending most of our days watching movies, reading, trying new recipes because we are eating more at home.

So, that’s it. I wish there were better or other news to share but that is pretty much our lives now. Watching the news really gets you down – the economy isn’t supposed to turn around for another year and this morning, I heard Suze Orman talk about how it won’t turn around for another FIVE years. Well, I can tell you we don’t have 5 years to wait. During his time off, Brian is going to research jobs over the entire country and different towns to possibly move to if the need arises. I don’t want to move to any random place but if I lost my job, we need to consider the possibility.

I hope you all have wonderful holidays and New Year’s and if you are on Facebook anytime soon, be sure and look me up. You can find me under Cara Long in northern Indiana. Take care!