Over 40,000 people lost their jobs yesterday alone, and some people are predicting unemployment will hit 10%, which is the worst it’s been since about 1982 or so (and I wasn’t much affected back then, having not yet dropped out of school, and with a dad who had a good union job and a working mom). Hell of a time to be having octuplets. This is obviously terrible for the economy in general (for many of these jobs – the good ones, at places like Caterpillar – each loss take out another two or three jobs that rely on the business generated by them), but it’s also bad for those of us who are still working.

With times this tough, it’s damn near impossible to tell your employer to kiss your ass, and walk out the door. And it makes getting a raise or a better deal a lot less likely. Plus, for those of us who aren’t old enough to retire but also aren’t young single kids willing to work for next to nothing, share an apartment with three or four other young folks to make ends meet, and devote 80-100 hours a week to our jobs, it makes it hard not to think about being pushed out the door in favor of some fresh-faced kid right out of school. And then trying to find a job someplace else; not everybody is drooling over the prospect of hiring a “new” 50’ish employee with family commitments just trying to run out the clock ’til retirement (which is not necessarily the case, but you know that’s what these people are thinking).

The prospect of freezing to death alone in a dark, silent house as the ice builds up on the windows because I couldn’t pay my utility bill is a little bit disturbing.

So, I guess I’d better just suck it up and drag my ass out there every day with a fake smile plastered on my face. After all, I have dogs to feed.