So let's skip right to the positive stuff.

Briefly: Blaine got laid off from his job last Friday at end of day. No warning, no severance pay, no two-week notice.

So we had an interesting weekend, with emotions pretty much all over the map. That's to be expected, right? But here's how the landscape looks now, five days later.

For the last few months while B worked at the printing company, they had one client in particular, a Mexican restaurant chain plus corporation, who was sort of courting him to work full time for them. He already designs all their promotional materials, menus, etc. He never got an actual offer, but there was a lot of talk.

Now negotiations are less tentative. They can't offer the wage he was making, which—though a decent wage—was just barely adequate for our needs (family of nine and all that). And they don't really have enough graphics requirements for a full 8 hour-per-day job, but they'll find other things for him to do besides graphics to fill the workday hours.

But there's this other old client who also loves his guts, and who wants him to work for her, pretty much full time, freelance at home.

And another client of printing company's who considers B an essential part of his company.

So anyway, it looks like, after six years of blissfully regular paychecks, we may be plunging into freelance work again. He has three bread-and-butter clients to get started, all of whom have accepted his hourly rate and who have long-term, recurring projects for him. They love him. If these potentials become certain, they "job security" would be good: all three companies are growing, with increasing earnings and success, despite the recession.

So our prospects are good. I'll keep you updated. Here's to making our next house payment!

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Now playing: Radiohead - There, There