Turn some pages...

[Daybreak]

So last evening turned into this evening. Ah well...

The good news on the job front is that the lab group where I work at is looking at very serious growth over the next few years as more contract analysis work comes our way. In this economy, that is very positive news! And I am becoming more involved in the operations aspect of work which may lead to other opportunities down the road...

Earlier in the month, D celebrated her 17th birthday! I treated W and the kids to dinner at a local restaurant and all of us had a pretty good time.

However, my personal financial situation is very precarious. I shared with my L a worksheet that W has been using to track expenditures - and it is not pretty. Some of the things W has targeted as shared expenditures will definitely not fly but I haven't heard back from L with her take on all this. With nearly all of my 401K having been cashed in, there is really no cushion to rely on. I know most of you are in a very similar situation so as I absorb more of my own cost (major medical, auto insurance, sharing college costs for D, etc.) the next few months should be interesting to experience...

Fortunately, my mood and overall outlook is surprisingly upbeat. Maybe it's the wine that is contributing to that... But in the past couple of weeks, I have gotten a number of positive comments from some women friends about my general demeanor - that I always seem to have a smile on my face and that I take adversity in stride. Most of these women are very happily married and (collectively) we have some very strong boundaries in place - so I value their views and insights.

Well - I have the kids tonight so I had better get dinner started soon!