Thanks for sharing. I feel like smacking you virtually with envy over location as it snows and snows here. :-)

Your story is not unlike many entrepreneurs who have had to "start over" sometimes more than once. For me it was 5 times. First 3 with virtually nothing but what was between my ears and legs.

Economic times like this are a concern for everyone. Fear is the worst possible reaction though. Fear keeps you on the couch vs going out finding "what you need" be it more business, interviews etc. Action, energy and effort will always yield greater results than the couch. Many in the Midwest have had to become locationally entrepreneurial and move to other places in the country that are growing and have jobs. OH is the # 1 producer of teachers graduating from colleges in the country. It has a declining population though so many must leave the state to find work. I have many friends who have "moved south" due to the general decline in industry here over the past 10 years. The rest of the country is now feeling the pain that many in the Midwest have been through and continue to experience in housing price delcines, reduced employment opportunities, etc.
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I heard some talking head today say "In the Great Depression people waited in line for apples. Today, people are waiting in line for Apple computers." I think people need to keep things in perspective. Even if we hit 30% unemployment using today's economic models, it's not the same as back in the 30's when most families had only one "bread winner". A significant portion of today's 30% would still have income via a spouse.

Hopefully, we will learn some lessons from this recession/depression and start living within our means, saving and preparing for lean times.

Myself? I'm stocking up on cigars!
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You can teach special ed like me and never have to worry. :-) Good luck man, I know a few teachers in your position feeling the same way, especially with all the budget problems here in CA.
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I feel absolutely awful. I just got back from one of my most dreaded ambulance calls. I can't explain how it feels to have a mother crying and screaming for you to save her child and yet there is NOTHING you can do, no matter how hard you try. I feel so powerless and helpless all at the same time. I don't know what else to say, I don't know what else to do. Out of all the calls I've been on these are the hardest for me. Nothing else phases me, but when it comes to children, GOD. I feel so sorry for this family, I can't imagine.
I've got 5 1/2 hours to go of a 24 hour shift and all I want to do is go home and squeeze my son as tight as I can and never let him go.
I'm sorry for the downer fellas, I have never talked about a call on here before. I guess emotions have gotten the best of me and I just needed to let it out a bit.
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The meaning of "Somebody has it worse". In the past year, I lost my home to a fire, had both my shoulders reconstructed and missed 6 weeks of work (I work on commissions), had a daughter in the hospital for 5 days while doctors thought she had a fatal skin infection (she is 15)and could lose her sight as it traveled to her eyes. My wife almost lost our baby from a difficult pregnancy. I got into some legal issues but still, there is someone worst off. I send my prayers to them. Being that this is thanksgiving week coming up, let's give thanks that we are here and have the luxury of enjoying cigars, friends and community.
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Behind every problem lies opportunituy. There is no better time than the present to look outside of our situations and seize the opportunities that are waiting. It may be uncomfortable, and it will be challenging, but the rewards will be worth it. Never give up...remember, it's not about getting knocked down by our problems, it's about getting back up one more time than you get knocked down.

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I think Cliff, Sivillekid, has it about right. Read his post. It's housing market driven and we've got to work our way through all the back log of bad loans, over inflated prices bubble. How bad it will get, who knows. We've all eaten a steady diet of Raman before and pray that a major health or job loss emergency hits.
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Every single day I feel sick to my stomach knowing I turned down a job in August where I could have lived and worked in my favorite place in the entire world. I now spend what seems like hours on end staring at my computer screen trying to find a freaking job in the Washington DC and getting monster headaches. Every day it seems like my ray of hope is getting smaller and smaller as I realize I can't find **** with a history and political science degree. It seems like I am not qualified for anything and I feel like the only government jobs are for people with a degree in business or accounting and its driving me up a wall. What the hell are these people doing to get these government jobs? Where are they getting their qualifications from? The US Senate had on their website an email address in which to send your resume to news senators looking for employees. I sent a resume and cover letter to 40 of them and have not gotten one response back yet, WTF! Ive had more stress in my life in these past few months trying to find a career then I ever had in my life and I have this empty feeling like I will never find a job. So how am I feeling right now. Not Fu#king happy. :-):-):-):-)
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Start feeling better now. :-)
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Really!? Thank you!!
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You know, I feel very fortunate and try to see the glass half full. I have my health, a fiancee I love, my two dogs, a house we both are working on owning fully in 12 years, and all my family healthy. I have a job that has pretty good security (teaching) although we have been impacted and our classroom number will increase to 40+ in each class. :-X

Finally gas is is reasonable at 3.00 a gallon but is on the rise and will probably be back to $4 by the holidays.

My fiancee lost his job early in March and between my job and unemployment we would have barely squeaked by. I would have had to get rid of my horse, but I was willing to, if we had to, to make ends meet. I read through many posts and am hoping many of you are better off now. My Dad was also one who lost almost his entire retirement fund and is also unemployed. Its been tough on our family but we still have each other and our health. For that I am thankful. My fiancee got re-employed in April, thankfully, but I was nervous.

I'm a Pisces so I don't pay much attention to the economy or govt, or that stuff. I try but it's just too big and depressing to me. That's why I have Bill! lol He pays attention to that stuff.

God bless all of you and find you doing better than when this thread started.
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I feel pretty good, Thanks for asking, brother. :-)
Today might be my last day, so I'm going to live it like that. My job is pretty simple. Love others, let God take care of me, and do what's in front of me.
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Well...I feel cautious. My company is closing the facility I work at in the next 2 years, and moving production to Salt Lake City (not a place I want to take my family). I have a job right now, and I will be getting a severance package, but I do watch the jobs section of the papaer and notice just how small it is and how few jobs I see in it for chemists. Most of my connections at other companies tell me that they are letting people go, as well. Add to that that my wife is a social worker for the county at a time when Health and Human Services budgets get slashed huge amounts before other things in the state budget gets touched. And then there is the fact that the value of our house has dropped ~$55k since we bought it over 4 years ago (so we won't be selling any time soon), and you can understand my cautionsness. I can only hope that things turn around (jobs and housing) by the time my company cuts me loose.
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Thanks for bringing it into perspective Al.:-)
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Interesting how the economy has changed so much since this thread started last year, yet it has only been 9 months. Many more have lost their jobs. Politicians have become celebrities and cannot be scrutinized. Health care continues on and people are still treated for their ailments. The national debt is almost at 12 trillion dollars which is still unknown how it will be paid off. To top it all off, Michael Jackson is still not buried yet.
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I heard they're placing him in the Smithsonian!!!:-)
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Well... today I feel like crap.:-)
I'm on two weeks holidays and just got a call from my temporary boss..
I've been doing a different job since the begining of Feb. and had thought it would turn into a full time gig...NOT !
What a way to F@#$ up my holidays.:-)
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Today I've had a nice little upswing in mood and outlook. Over the last, oh almost a year now, I've been behind the 8-ball a little bit and it seems that just as I fix something and get it paid for something else breaks. Something more expensive each time!

Well, today is my birthday and I learned I won the CA Pipe Tobacco Lottery, my buddy gave me a gift cert to a local B&M, my wonderful wife is cooking a big dinner for me and I've got a nice cigar waiting on me to get home.

Also, I was supposed to go out of town on business today but that was postponed. :-) I enjoy travelling for work but really wanted to spend tonight at home.

Sigh. Well, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth but I could sure use MORE days like this. The sun shines on every dog's a$$ once in a while ... guess today was my day in the sun. :-)
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My wife and I, between 401K and other investments, lost an equivalent of a house, give or take a car. It was frustrating initially but not anymore. We are relatively young and healthy. We can earn it back. We really didn't have to cut back since we've always been very wise with money.
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Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel, like I been tied to the whippin' post, tied to the whippin' post, tied to the whippin' post - Good Lord, I feel like I'm dyin'. Did somebody mention that they got some weed?

Seriously, let's put this in perspective. My father died when I was nine years old, my sister twelve, and my brother thirteen. My mother was working at home at the time, darning socks for the cotton mill at 7 cents a dozen pairs, and when she got through burying my father she had three kids and 26 bucks to her name. We made it, thanks to her prayers and hard work, and nobody's charity. You think I feel a lot of sympathy when one of you guys say your 401K has tanked? No offense, but gimme a freakin' break. Things could be worse, believe me.
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