8/8/09 - Ok, I confess....I suppose I could still find the time to update Recession-News despite being employed full-time, but
THIS is the reason it ain't happenin' ;-p This stupid little game,
a massively multiplayer online empire-building and conquest
strategy game that runs in your browser, (and yes, it's 100% free;-) has managed to get me addicted, thus eating up most of
my free time. I call the game stupid and little, but it's really neither - I just have a love-hate relationship with it. It can be a
a lot of fun, yet at the same time, can be exasperating for those
without patience. I've been playing it for about the last 5-6 weeks. Check it out!
It's Official. The Recession is Over.
(Well, for ME anyway) Sorry about my loooong absence here and the complete lack of updates for the past three weeks, but as of about three weeks ago, I have gone from being unemployed to overemployed, with O/T
nearly every day and even some O/T on the weekends. In short, while it's
certainly a great relief to finally land a F/T job w/health insurance and take-
home company vehicle after seven months of self-financed unemployment, I've gone from one extreme to the other - from waaayy too much time on my hands, to not enough. Therefore, I have given up trying to update this site - it's simply not gonna work with my hours.
I want to thank my loyal readers and all those who visited here during the
precipitous downturn of the first half of this year. While the recession is far from over for many, here on Long Island, it seems to be abating, companies
seem to be back in hiring-mode(I got a 2nd job-offer last week, but had to turn it down).
I am now actively seeking a "spare job" - one that can quickly ramp-up to
F/T or nearly F/T on short notice, should something happen with my present
job. I've learned something from my experience, and that is, in this economy
especially, one should strive to obtain a spare job with built-in F/T potential,
rather than work a weekend or weekend-day at one's present job. IMHO,
you are MUCH better off in the LONG run working for "straight-time" at
another employer, then you are working for time-and-a-half with your present one. Firstly, having a spare job insulates you from sudden job loss at your "main" job, especially when your carefully-chosen spare job can quickly
get you up working F/T without missing a beat. Secondly, the amount of money you lose working straight-time one day a week vs time and a half, pales in comparison to what losing your *only* job will cost you in very short order.
In this day and age, there is no longer such a thing as job-security, and I
urge everyone to take their own job-security into their own hands, and proactively secure secondary employment with F/T potential, even if you do not presently need the money.
I know my cynicism is colored by my experiences, but I also would further
urge folks not to get too "invested"(emotionally, financially, ect) in any one job or career, no matter HOW good things seem to be going for you. You should always assume that losing your job is a possibility, and Murphy's Law
will likely also play a role in any such event, Plan accordingly.
You wouldn't drive without a spare tire, but in these "interesting times", I'd
suggest not only having a spare job, but a spare home and, if you can, a spare citizenship and passport as well.
I won't be updating the recession news on this site anymore (under the present circumstances), but will drop in from time to time and write articles
on subjects of interest to me(and hopefully, some of my readers as well),such as:
Real estate investing, focusing on super-cheap(under $25k) homes, rural
bug-out properties, farmsteads, survivalist doomsteads, economic bomb shelters.
The renting vs owning debate - and factors pro-renters often overlook.
Self-sufficient and frugal living.
Alternative, offbeat, off-the-grid living.
Intentional communities.
Economic survival, and ways to achieve financial independence with very
little capital to invest.
Alternative energy sources (wind, solar, water).
These are among my strongest interests, and I hope to find time to write articles, invite others to pen their own, and maybe start a forum here.
I would also consider selling this domain, and let someone else pick up where I left off. - Soeren
PS: Feel free to email me @ soeren "at" recession-news.us