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more economic casualties
November 21, 2008
My best work friend is dealing with the difficulties of a husband who is unemployed for the first time in 13 years. Which is his whole adult life, since he�s only 30.
On the other hand--�P�, my beloved friend and brother-in-law, has had to face the prospect almost as many times as Spouse has. And now, he�s facing it again. I think it would be easier for him if it WASN�T the economy. He�s the kind of guy that would rather lose a job because of his own actions than because of something he had no control over.
On the other hand, I ended up working a Friday afternoon today, which doesn�t happen too often. (No OT, though�naturally. I can only do it because I was out a day this week.) But I�m dealing with a workload that five years ago, would have been considered full-time for 2.5 people. Because they already canned the other 1.5 people�and someone has to do the work.
In fact, that�s my response to that all-too-common remark: �At least you still have a job�.
�No, I have three jobs�but I still have �A� salary!�
Speaking of hard times�do NOT underestimate the power of free stuff. Especially in this town. After waiting over a week for Spouse to get off his ass and place an ad in the free column of the paper�as he swore he would do�I got fed up. My dining room is just too tiny to hold an extra piece of furniture. Especially one that is 4.0� x 4.5� x 1.5�. I took matters into my own hands. But I went the modern way.
The post went up on the local Freecycle site at 5:30 Wednesday evening. The old entertainment center was out of my house by 1:00 Thursday afternoon.
And the recipient wasn�t the only person interested�just the first one who could meet the terms (Daytime/weekday pickup, carry it yourself, haul it yourself.). I think we got about a half-dozen calls and emails, all told, before I posted the �taken� notice.
The �wanted� notices outnumber the �offered� notices by about 10 to 1 on that site. But that�s K-Town for you. Everyone with their hand out, hardly anyone willing to give anything up for free. That�s why I never bother with garage sales around here�nobody gets rid of anything until it�s completely shot, and even then, they ask the moon for it.
Reading: �The Crass Menagerie: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury� by Stephen Pastis, �Home to Holly Springs�, by Jan Karon
Surfing: Magritte. It�s his birthday.
Listening: Al Stewart, Chagall Guevera, Rita Springer
At Random: click here
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