The only thing that bothers me is the lack of a safety cushion (unemployment insurance). I haven't been covered for over 20 years, so I know I am on my own, and I banked half my pay this year as a "just in case". Actually I banked it to go toward an engine rebuild, but things change.

I will start marketing co-op IT services to the remaining shops in the area and try to build a new venture. None of them can afford to hire me alone, but if I do IT for a whole industrial park including provide shared FTP servers then I think I can pull it off.

Thanks, Brad, I'll look there too. My brother-in-law lost his net admin job in January and just now found a position, but at a 30% pay cut. I was working at a 50% rate cut to get the stability of having a dedicated customer. So much for that idea. They got me for the projects they really needed me for and then boom, out the door, as soon as the website went live.

I woke up this morning with a fine attitude. It's my birthday, I have the day off, it's reasonably warm and not raining right now, life is good.