Okay, so I've been out of work for awhile - a good chunk of it screwing around, admittedly - but I've been picking up contract gigs here and there. Things were actually still okay until my wife also got laid off around the end of March.

Since then, I got serious about getting steadier tech work but have been striking out like mad. She's had no luck so far, either. My best headhunter finally lands me a temp-to-hire gig about an hour's drive from home. Four days before I'm supposed to start, she calls me near-frantic to tell me about a *way* better opportunity only 20 minutes away - the guy just wants to meet me face-to-face.

I authorize headhunter to give the first job to someone else, I interview by phone (which goes great) then interview in person. Interview goes great, job *sounds* great and off I go all happy. Then it turns out it was a fishing expedition. There isn't a job "right now" - they were trying to see what they needed and what it might cost them. "Eventually". As in, no money for Keith.

I end up hooking up with some Krav Maga guys I used to train with (again, about an hour's drive from home) & find out they're opening a school in my town. Yay. They want someone to run the office, do membership, etc. and eventually look into being an instructor. I'm all over it. I'm psyched. Then, some guy running a school further south decides he wants out. They decide it's way cheaper to buy an existing studio. With existing clients. And existing office dudes. And existing instructors. No money for Keith.

Then we get some cold weather. Snow. Ice. Ice dams. Causing a leak in the garage's roof under the shingles. With mushy drywall that I've got to cut out and replace. More debt on the credit card.

Finally, some good news. A friend tells me there's a part-time gig in her company coming up "next week". Yay. Across the street from the school I'll be attending. Double-yay. Then she gets snowbound in Utah and traffic-bound coming back, delaying her return for two days. Days in which they hire someone else for the p/t gig. No money for Keith.

Next. Phone rings. It's Mom. Not much new, except that Dad is in the hospital for congestive heart failure. Again. Oh, and the heart medication is causing renal failure. He pulls through, comes home and now has *gout* in his leg. It's okay, though, because there's medication for it. It just strains his heart. Might want to think about saving for a very short-notice flight to FL in the near future.

Wife and I attend a party for a good friend who is about to get married. We could do with a good time. He's got new dogs that we volunteered to put up with our guys while he's on honeymoon. Big dogs. Dogs who decide to bite my smallest pup as soon as she gets out of the truck. Nice puncture wound for Keith's pup. We're no longer babysitting but said we'd come up to his mountain home for a few hours a day to play with aforementioned pup-munchers.

I decide I'm still going to stay in the realm of the physical instead of doing geek work for the rest of my life and look into become a CMT. You know, massage. With my hands. And I still want to continue training in Krav and/or BJJ. Using my hands. Can you see this coming?

We head up to take care of the friend's dogs, driving our spotless '03 Subaru Impreza. The car we figure we can sell if things get really tight, since it's so new. And spotless. Until the gigantic semi passing us chucked back several baseball-sized chunks of broken asphalt. Right through our windshield. And my left hand. The one resting again the exterior side panel of the car door, which also got dinged.

Hit the windshield so hard it left glass inside the dash. Hit my hand so hard that I'm *still* having a hard time using my thumb. Did I mention we don't have medical insurance anymore? And that I was planning on leaving IT so I can do stuff with my hands?

F'n A. All the above took place in the past two months, and I know I've forgotten some miscellaneous, piddly crap like tweaking my serratus. I'm an amazingly optimistic guy but I'm having a really hard time staying "up" with all this shit. If you're reading this, Pooby, this is why I stopped at 4 jumps. [;)]

On the bright side, Dad's not dead yet, cars can be repaired, I've still got available credit, my hand isn't broken (I'm pretty sure), the pup is oblivious to her war wound, my wife still loves me, we don't have a Democrat in the White House, I can still work out and it's beautiful shooting weather coming up.

Crap.

maybe you should temporarily liqudate some ar gear

Wow, sorry to hear it.

For God's sake, sell the Sube and don't take on any more debt!

Start with your 4 corners - Food, Shelter, Clothing and Transportation (even if it a beater until you get into a better situation.

Get some health insurance asap, even if it's a 1000 or 2500 deductible - one bad situation could ruin you (or make you un-insurable) for years to come.

I hope you are better blessed in the future.

Sing it my brother...

Dude, I feel for you...got laid off myself about 2 weeks ago; found out the company I work for didn't get the contract they thought they would, so what I hoped was gonna be a 2 week vacation just turned into a real job hunt.  People don't even acknowledge receiving your resume for jobs anymore.  

I've got a big ass mortgage from the family home I inherited, so I've got a limited time I can job hunt before I have to think about selling the house.  

In the last 3 years, I've lost my dad, my cat of 18 years (don't laugh, he was way cool), lost $170K in the stock market--ALL the life insurance from my dad--had to quit the country club I waited 8 years to join 'cos I couldn't afford it; the IRS is chewing on me because I missed the 3 weeks of my dad's hefty pension income the month he died in 2000, and they always like to let that penalty and interest accumulate before they come knockin', to the tune of about $5000.  (I'm still trying to figure out how he could make over $1 million from 1990 to 2000, and only have $60k in the bank, and a house with a $250,000 mortgage on it hehehe...nowI know where I got my ability to spend money!)

There's a nagging feeling that getting laid off is the beginning of the end to my life as I know it.  I had my girlfriend's family over here for christmas, and I had some weird premonition that, for whatever reason, this would be the last Christmas I ever spent in this house.  Looks like I'm right on track.  

I've had some health problems, and some other stuff...so I can relate.  I'll give you the same advice I get, hang in there, that's all you can do.  Hopefully you're marriage is good, and you guys can get through this together...which beats getting through it alone, believe me.  

I'm gonna start buying lotto tickets hehehe...maybe my luck WILL change.  

Now, I know it could be worse for me...but that doesn't mean from time to time it doesn't get overwhelming.  Hopefully things will look up for the both of us!  Stay strong, and don't worry about the stuff you can't do anything about...take care of the stuff you can.  And get some health insurance.  I don't know how old you guys are, but one major medical problem for you and your wife...cancer, heart attack, stroke...and you guys could be finished financially for good.  

Okay, call it a fugue. It's morning and now I'm embarrassed for whining. Hand still smarts like a s.o.b. but the city's website just posted a p/t engineering gig that I can apply for. Where there's life, there's hope. If you ain't dead, get off the beach. And all that rah-rah crap. [;)]

Seriously, thanks for the replies. Already sold a few guns - including the Bushy - and might look at ditching the Sub soon after replacing the windshield. *Definitely* will start looking at health insurance. We're in our early 30s but yesterday's adventure was a little bit of a wakeup call.

Fenian, I'll be thinking of you, brother. And I don't laugh about dead pets. They're family. My wife is my mate in every way. We've been together for 17 years already, started out with nothing and can start over if we have to. Heh - just don't *wanna* have to.

KeithC...glad you're feeling better...except for the headache hehehe.  Good luck on the p/t job...I sent a couple of resumes off today myself...and at least I'm able to collect unemployment while I'm looking.  So here's to gainful employment for the both of us (this is where I'd insert the clanking glass icon, 'cept I can't find it lol).