I'm not really unemployed, I preffer the term "self-unemployed", but its been a really tough year. I'm running out of savings and it sucks! I started my cabinet shop in 2004. 04' wasn't great. 05' wasn't too bad. 06' was pretty damn good. 07' was rockin. 08' has been shite. Starting around this time last year things started to fall apart. A couple of really good jobs fell through, and its been all downhill since. I haven't done one single job this year that was either a decent size or had much profit in it.

I had one employee. Started him green, he was just getting good too, and I had to let him go. I was just starting to build steam, things were getting better, the jobs were getting better, and I was befinning to make pretty good money. I was building momentum, now I feel like I'm back where I was my second year, but not as single, or living as cheaply.

The only thing that has been good is that all of the cabinet shops around me are starving too. I still have very little debt, (truck payment and a mortgage thats all), and the business carries zero debt. All of the shops that have big debt are in serious trouble right now. Many have gone out of business and I've bought alot of equipment. Probably smart buying equipment cheap, probably not so smart burning up my reserve doing so.

I'm just pissed off and venting. Make that, poor, pissed off, and venting.

Carpenters in Iraq can make up to $15k a month though! Seriously considered it, its gotta be safer than working in DC, Philly, or Detroit