An Odd Beginning

Posted Wed Apr 9, 2008 in

It’s like the beginning of the week, only it’s the middle! It’s a bit like when I was a kid and would eat the center of my PB&J first, working my way toward the edges. That’s a good way to get jelly on your cheeks!

So, this week I began in the middle. Yesterday I had a site visit that required a couple of hours in the morning. I made some progress on project work after that, but am distracted by a couple of presentation coming up and worked on them until mid-afternoon, when I needed to deliver Wife’s car to the shop. We have some paint damage to have repaired, so I’m having an estimate prepared to compare with the adjuster’s estimate. The shop is a referral and they’ll do the work if they can match the price (or argue the insurance company out of a few more bucks).

A co-worker gave me a lift home. I spent the remainder of the afternoon and a good part of the evening puttering with things I would normally complete on the weekend. It was mostly mundane stuff — preparing a grocery list, laundry, and minding the cats. I watched a little television (Military Channel and Science Channel) while eating supper and then played WoW just a little. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to accomplish this week and over the next few months.

Yesterday morning I watched CNBC because I like to track the markets. The “recession” word is currently repeated a lot. Based on my observations, we are in an economic slowdown, at the very least. I noticed that Chili’s was thin last week and a local restaurant in Minden is now closed on Mondays, pending “an improvement” in the local economy. Housing is dead here for now. I don’t expect anything like the recession we had in the early 80’s, that would be really bad. However, I think it prudent to stay light for the time being because my predictor is currently broken.

“Prepare for the worst; expect the best.” I repeat that as a mantra many times. I’m paying attention now. While I expect my position in the firm is as secure as they come, I do now work in private industry and have no doubt that I would be released if my work dried up. It would be tough for my boss, but he would to do that to preserve the company. I respect that and would have to do the same if I had his responsibility.

So, we’ll remain light for awhile longer. I think I’ll delay a house purchase for a couple of reasons, one is the current state of the local economy and the second is the state of the housing market. I’m concerned that some downside remains and I don’t want the exposure.

Now back to the middle of my PB&J sandwich!