Just to get back on track for a second.
Let me preface this by saying I love and respect you guys, and I don't mean anything negative if it should come across as such ('cuz sometimes I do come across as such), but I kinda have a dog in this hunt.
One of the differences between the Spanky/Birdymaker input seems to be choice. And the difference also might be control.
BM (remember I love you brother), but I thought the catastrophic events that happened to you this past year are the result of riding a motorcycle and getting hit by some ass munch, the resulting cascade effect (or is it affect) is directly related to that incident. Unfortunately it's one of the possibilities when you make the choice to drive a motorcycle, I have motorcycle friends both real and imagined, one lost his leg below the knee in a similar incident as yours, would he/you be in the same position now if you would have been in a car that day, you know what, probably not, and I'm sure you have "what iff'd" this thing until you're absolutely sick about it. What I have always taken from reading your stuff is, we are all one accident away from being in the same position as you are now, (bent over and getting reamed with no lube), any of you reading this take a step back once in awhile and picture what life would be like if you "couldn't" go back to work, how long could you last? How many of you have six months of mortgage/rent saved up?
A 1929 situation is out of my control. *bunghole*s in politics and big bizness and wallstreet and...you name it... have been *goshdarn* with (did you know I coined the term "pardon my french" yeah, yeah that's the ticket) and taking my money for years (bye bye 401K), if this country has an economic collapse what could I have done to avoid it. When I lost my job of 19 years in April '07 again that was out of my control, downsizing/right sizing whatever you want to call it, hit my department hard, 7 people-100 years of company experience out the door, companies are cutting heavily top to bottom (mostly bottom), and/or like Strohski, they're figuring out ways to cut your pay, if that happens what choices do you have? What choice/s did you have Mike?. Fortunately in my scenario I was given a healthy severance, it lasted about 9 months, no one would hire me, under edumacated and over paid I was, when unemployment and severance ran out panic set in . Unlike BM I was able to at least scrap and find something, eventually. This is an absolutely horrid time to find any kind of work when you have my educational profile coupled with the fact that I was stuck in a very narrow job field (radio? dieing!), I finally found work as a tow truck driver for what turned out to be about $3.00 an hour, worked in a *feces*ty warehouse for $11.00 an hour, went on at least 10 interviews, sent out over 100 resumes, kept hope alive. And then the State called with an offer for Correctional Officer training, you think I didn't jump at that. I spent 10 hours yesterday (2 of it in the rain) guarding construction workers, who dug a 10 x 4 foot hole 5 feet deep and then filled it in again, and I loved it, I realize how lucky I am to have come through this *feces*.
And the crazy thing is, I have a made a personal goal to make Sergeant within 5 years, and if I do I'm buying a Harley.
Life sometimes is about weathering storms my friends. It's a big one Birdy, but I have every confidence that it will pass.
I thought this thread was about a hottie that shaves?
