Back to Ohio...

Got back from Texas yesterday morning and jumped right back into things up here.

Texas was so nice, it makes me wonder why I came back. 

I've always said that I don't like vacations and this is a good illustration why.

Vacations fall into two camps for me.  The first, which is the largest sample group, is the vacation where I can't get my mind off of projects and issues back home.  So, all the angst, none of the ability to do anything about it.

The other kind, which is really, really rare, is the vacation where I escape my issues for a little while.  Then, I come back home and they hit me full-force.  I've been busy as all get-out for the past two days.  I feel like if I miss a day at work, it sets me back about a week.

My job is pretty awesome, but that's because once all the balls are in the air, it doesn't take that much effort to keep juggling.  Stops and starts, though, are murder.

Payroll is tight again this week.  So, I was scrambling yesterday.  After some number crunching today, we should be okay.  Folks owe us money, but nobody is paying these days.  Makes life a little tough.  For some reason, the guys I pay bills to don't seem to be as flexible and forgiving.  Go figure.

We have still never made a late payment or missed a payroll, but the nail-biting is a lot more frequent these days.  In years past, we might have one week where things are a little tight.  These days, it's a more regular occurrance.

Part of me feels fortunate that I still have a business, and thus, a way to earn a living in this economy.  I know people out there are really sufferring.  I've seen it on a small scale all my life:  a person loses a job, burns through every penny they had saved for retirement.  Usually, sometime down the line, they find another gig and are able to get back to a normal life.

These days, I can't imagine how horrible it must be to try and find a job.  Granted, if things don't improve, I may need to find one.  I also have one potential position open in my business, which could be part-time until the end of this year, and then possibly a full-time position next year.

I was leaning towards doing the job myself for a few months, but I may try to bring in somebody and train them up so they can hit the ground running when/if business picks up in December.  It'd just be an entry level marketing trainee job, but the last good person we had in the position worked their way up to a pretty good salary. Perfect position for a person who needs flexible hours and only wants to work 20 or so hours a week.  It can also be a full-time job if the business climate improves.

If I had to get a job, the one that makes the most sense is for me to mobilize.  Just got a notification of very few mobilization opportunities in 2011.  For a while, there have been rumors that unemployed guys are snapping up these mobilizations.  Hey, it's a crappy job in a bad part of the world, but it's pretty good pay, especially for officers, and you get a combat zone tax exclusion from federal taxes. 

The recent mob list included an actual warning that if a person is interested, they need to start making calls now because the mob opportunities are going fast.  Go figure. 

Sort of a downer these days.  The biz is challenging.  Also, the weather is changing.  Although this was truly the cruelest Summer so far for me, business-wise, I hated to see it go.  Now, the bad weather comes and we won't have relief until maybe April.