Surviving the Unemployment Crash

It's been 6 weeks since the man has been on Unemployment. After 13 years with the same employer, change is in the midst. He's considering going back to school and will look into that next week. There's almost no doubt he'll take a serious pay decrease from what he was making.

I'm looking as well. Maybe I can find something for 1 or 2 days a week. I don't meet many of the simple qualifications to work. Sedentary only, but then I also cannot sit in one position for more than a half hour tops. I have to be able to get up as needed after 15 minutes and nearly all employers don't go for that. There is one plus though, whoever does hire me will get a considerable tax deduction for hiring a disabled person. Employers are needing perks and quirks right now too being that the economy is so bad. The biggest problem is that it's more than likely not going to happen for 1-2 days a week, but then also with so little hours they don't pay medical benefits and most don't want to have to. That's why they keep many employees at a 32 hour work week or less so they can bypass it.

I use to do body piercings to make a few extra dollars, up until a bit over a year ago. Two summer ago I was doing quite a bit, but when the nerve damage spread to my upper extremity, my right arm, I couldn't keep a steady hand any longer. I have a theory on how to bypass that problem, I've used it for other things, but not piercing as of yet.

I use to be very good at piercing, very fast.

My theory still needs to be tested.

I got the idea this way though. Not long ago I was writing a hand written letter and my hand was shaking as well as the arm itself. So I strapped a belt around my upper right arm and buckled it beneath my breast bone on the opposite side under my left arm. It steadied my problem. Since the nerve damage is in my arm and not my hand, my hand shaking was just an effect of it.

Same with when I type, my hands quiver. Anyway, something for me to try. Where there's a will there's a way. Mostly.

I've been practicing wood burning. My Master has a nice professional unit. I'm free handing it so far. Just practice lines, curves, letters, names, etc.

What I really need is something different to do.

I spend more time researching than anything else.

I use to chat alot, serve in rooms, but my online time was never an entire waste as I always had other things to do. Research, write, publish, be published, maintain, build, administrate, websites of either my own, or others. Correspond with major organizations and more. Just a busy girl.

I've probably been in a chat room 5 times in 2 years. I semi frequent 1 forum of interest, but not nearly as much as a few months ago. I love good conversations, debate, insight, thought provoking mindsets and such, but...

...anything other than that doesn't float my boat, rock my ship or wet the panties I don't wear. And if I have to put on my cyber boots just to wake through the crap.. I'm out of there.

We're making it decently as of yet. There's no worries of losing the home we just purchased 10 months ago, the bills are getting paid, no ones starving, but we're lucky to have a nest egg in the bank. Everything has to be done carefully. Any spending has to be easy and with that and only that way will be be okay until he finds work.

We wrote out a check to my mom tonight, a loan really, they're in a bind, but I'm not expecting it back. I like to help others, it makes me feel good. And all good deeds come back, they really do. In different ways. Sometimes it takes years. All those things before, years ago, it already came back.

That's how we're surviving the unemployment crash...