Long Overdue, Slightly Depressing Update

I’m not into Christmas this year. If I had a choice, I’d rather it just not come. It’s my first Christmas without my dad and the first Christmas in my life that I won’t spend at home (which really is a blessing in disguise). Josh and I aren’t doing gifts for each other and all we bought for family was gift cards, which I mailed yesterday. I never give gift cards. In previous years I really enjoyed the hunt for the perfect gift for everyone. This year, just the thought was exhausting. We put up two Christmas trees and it still doesn’t feel like Christmas. Really, all I can think of is how much work it will be to take them down in a few weeks.

We’re spending the 24th – 28th with Josh’s family. We are looking forward to seeing everybody. It will be fun to have Josh’s young cousins Brooke and Sarah around – maybe seeing them so excited will make Christmas feel more ‘normal’. After we get back from Michigan we have a week off, and no plans (other than taking down the trees). I’ve got a few books I’d like to read, and some movies that I’ve been meaning to watch. I’m sure the week will be over before we even know it. If the economy wasn’t in such bad shape we would have gone on vacation. But with the way things are, and Caterpillar’s bleak outlook for 2009, were staying home and saving every penny we can, just in case.

Things on the work front are depressing. Cat is implementing first stage trough measures. Contract workers are being laid-off and several plants will be experiencing shut downs – some as long as a month. The company decided that raises will not be given for a lateral move (was a 3% increase) and will be at the managers discretion for a promotion, up to 5% (was an automatic 5%). The tuition assistance program is frozen indefinitely. And, at our all employee meeting yesterday, it was alluded that our bonuses may not be as large as projected after Q3, and depending on the economic situation, may not be given at all. My bonus alone is currently projected at over $9K. We’re relying on at least $5K of that money to pay our income taxes for 2008. Shit. I wonder what’s next?

Josh and I did some number crunching, and assuming only one of us got laid-off, we could still pay all of our bills (barely, but we could). Unemployment would cover gas and groceries. Our savings, which we are building religiously, would last us four or five months if both of us were unemployed. Hopefully it doesn’t come down to either one of those scenarios.

My weight loss has stalled at 16 pounds, but its my own fault. Saturday I had to eat out twice (lunch on the way to the exam and dinner on the way home). Sunday we went to Rob and Melissa’s and had a bunch of seriously cheat worthy food, so I ate whatever I wanted, and Monday after Josh and I test drove a 2009 RAV4 (which we are not buying due to the economy) we were starving and ate at BWW. Ugh. I wanted to be down 20 pounds before Christmas, but it’s probably not going to happen now. Oh well, maybe by New Years?

Maybe the one high point is that the CSCP exam is behind me. Thank goodness it’s over! I *think* I passed it, but at the same time, I would not be surprised if I failed, either. I won’t know for 4-6 weeks, so I’m just trying not to think about it.