Just telling it like it is

[Sam Cowan]

x-uri, that was awesome. I am stealing it and passing it on to a couple of knuckleheads I know.

I was laid off in 2003 and have not had a permanent job since. A couple of temp jobs with no benefits, and luckily some freelance work. I bought my house at the height of the tech bubble, and after the first year, have struggled with the mortgage ever since. We have managed to hold on, but that is about it.

Last year I earned approximately 60% of what I did in 2000 and 2001.