Good & Bad

Good news - The company that laid Rik off on July 1, 2004, and then contracted him in November 2004, has just offered him a permanent position. Bad news - The position is the same job he does now, but under a different department, which has a smaller budget....which means, he's making less than he was when they laid him off in the 1st place, and substantially less than he is making right now as a contractor. What this means for us is some serious adjustment to our spending habits.....we're one of those couples who is really good at increasing their expenses to match their income..... We've always gone up, never down....so this will take some work.... Good news - He can still keep working from home. Bad news - No one else is supposed to know that he's not working out of the Berkeley office. Good news - Him being at home means he's rarely driving the SUV, which means we're not putting $60+ a week into his tank.