I apologize for being away for awhile, but life started getting complicated, and since it's my life, I had to go live it.<br><br>Evening school was getting so hard, I had to work on my homework every bloody night. I never knew Assembly Language was that difficult. C++ is not that hard.<br><br>My dad's ma, who is darn near 100, wound up in a nursing home. Isn't that great? You live to a ripe old age, and your body gives out.<br><br>To top that, I got laid off at the end of March. BUMMER. The rule of thumb now is to tell everyone you can think of about your plight, so here I am, at one of my favorite old haunts, to let you all know.<br><br>I make a living as a web programmer/developer. I do database integration, web-based forms, HTML, CGI, Perl, and all that good stuff. Please pass this on, and if anyone hears anything, please let me know.<br><br>Thanks for listening.<br><br>Craig<br><br>

Welcome back Craig. There have been days a trashbag shelter back of beyond sounds appealing to me!

Craig--<br> <br>I think many of us can empathize. There seems to always be a few periods in the span of a lifetime when the bad stuff pours in at one time and seems overwhelming. If this is the first such period for you, the bad news is that it probably is not the last; the good news is that it IS temporary no matter how permanent it feels. The better news is that the change that has been imposed upon you is more than likely going to lead to a better job than the one you had. I am not sure why, but it just always seems to happen that way. Especially for someone that has the personality qualities that draws them to this site. I bet dollars to doughnuts that in six months you have a higher paying job that you like better. So remember--- "STOP" --- you're going to do well. <br><br>Warmest,<br><br>Robb <br><br>

I have been laid off before. I'm sure everyone has. But not with a mortgage to pay, and never as a "grownup." Boy, do I hate that word. Most of the time, I feel as though I'm play-acting at being an adult. My wife feels much the same way.<br><br>As far as job hunting goes, my family has been as supportive as I could wish. I believe I knew it was time to move on, jobwise, but didn't have the guts to do it, so the decision was taken out of my hands. I have my resume in hand and intellectual knowhow at the ready.<br><br>Now I have to find some IT recruiters who handle web programmer/developers in my geographical area.<br><br>Craig

Glad to be back. Somehow I remembered my password. Just to demonstrate how long it's been, whatever happened to that custom survival kit you were building? Last I heard, you were having trouble finding tins.<br><br>Craig

Craig, Economic reality hit me too. To produce even a very basic quality kit was to expensive, with little hope of selling the unit at any profit, let alone break even. There are good people offering the components, ie Barry @ Blueline and Oak @ 4 Seasons. I felt they have a small enough market share. It was an eye opener though. I've always believed in supporting small merchants. Now I do even more so. Then my actual income withered with the recession. I have two horses that were literally abandoned by clients. I have to jump more legal hurdles than those horses just to auction them off. Then I have to give any excess proceeds to the clients! Meanwhile I get to feed them everyday. I should have gone into motorcycles.

Ah yes, "economic reality" sure does bite. In every sense. I know Barry doesn't have a website. He didn't last time I checked, anyway. Just to display my ignorance, what's Oak @ 4 Seasons?

4 Seasons is the outfit that produces the Sparklite, and they have a website that is slowly expanding with gear. "Oak" is the Boss and is very knowledgable, with Vietnam service. The website is listed in Doug's retail list. Barry still doesn't have a website. From our conversations, I don't think he's ready for that leap yet. He is also building a house. Barry secured the elusive Brunton button compasses recently also.

Craig--I know exactly what you mean by "play acting." It is universal--we all are afraid that someone is going to find out we don't know everything. No one does. We don't grow up, we just grow older, sometimes a little wiser if we pay attention. It is scary to think about, but your doctor only knows as much about medicine as you do about web design, and your lawyer, and your accountant......etc. I have been a prosecutor for 14 years and don't think I have ever had a case that I didn't learn something new from. I am still waiting for the day when I have "grown up" and know everything I think I am suppose to and have all of the wisdom and maturity that I used to think all adults possessed.<br><br> Do you have any children yet? If not--just wait. I think sometimes the main reason god gave me children is so they can act as a daily reminder of what an idiot I am. <br><br>Take good care<br><br>Robb <br><br>

Robb,<br><br>Well said, sir. I agree. I have two children, one 11 and one 3, both boys. They have an innate capacity to make me feel and look like an idiot. The good news is that my parents keep comparing them to me....:) <br><br>My father gave me some good advice re growing up some time ago: Fake it until it happens. I asked when that is...he said he'd let me know.<br><br>Hang in there Craig, it'll get better.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

As far as play-acting goes, there's a real difference between my generation and the previous one. I'm referring to my dad's generation. Things were much more serious, I guess. My dad was a marine during the Korean War. He was drafted. When he reached a certain age, he put away his toys and grew up. Just like that. I never knew him to do a childish thing in his life. He worked hard. He never bought himself things. He would have called it a waste of money. I call it being good to yourself. I loved having him as my dad, and he loved me, but we had major differences of opinion, as fathers and sons often do. Seems to be the way nature does things. Grin.<br><br>Me, well, I'm different. My wife and I decided not to have kids. I decided I could behave as a grownup, but that I did not have to put away my toys to grow up. I enjoy working hard, but I also enjoy buying myself things. I try to be good to myself.<br><br>I wonder why our parents refused, or were afraid, to be good to themselves once in awhile. You can do it inexpensively. We do.<br>