One Year Ago...

One year ago today, I was in Tokyo, Japan winding down from a whirlwind tour of Kyushu. For several days, I visited Kumamoto, Mt. Aso Volcano National Park, Nagasaki, Sasebo and Fukuoka. The day before (April 22), I took an all-day train ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Fukuoka to Tokyo.

This year, I have a bit too much free time since I was laid off last November. The economic conditions today are hurting a lot of people. My lay-off is directly linked to the mortgage crisis that started last year. I am afraid economic conditions will get more worse before they get better.

Frankly, I was better off last year than I am now. A couple of good things about being out of work is that I had the most healthy winter in memory (since I wasn't around people, I didn't catch anything) and I am not paying these outrageous gasoline prices to get to and from work.

We'll see how things go in the next few months. If you have a job, do the best you can to save more than usual. It just might come in handy if your company finds they have to downsize as mine did.