Unemployment

According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the unemployment rate in Wisconsin for December was 5.8%, which is below the national rate of 7.1% for the same month. Since October, I've been listening (when I have time) to podcasts from NPR's Planet Money. They have attempted to explain how this percentage is calculated; I have tried to understand. The number reflects the percentage of the workforce that is unemployed and collecting unemployment "benefits." It does not include people who are underemployed, whose benefits have run out but who remain out of work, or who WOULD work but have given up finding a job. So, that number doesn't really give the whole picture. It does provide an easy way to keep tabs on how good or bad the economy is.

Obviously, there are a lot of people without jobs right now, and that number continues to grow. Soon we'll find out what the unemployment rate for January was, and as far as I can tell, economists expect it to continue to increase through 2009, possibly into 2010. Unemployment is affecting many, many people. My brother and his husband have been affected. Einar's sister and her family have been affected. Einar and I have been affected, Einar moreso than I. Deeply. Profoundly. Please pray for us.

Pizza

Today, former Congressman Scott Klug has been in our office, working with our editor Steve on a project. I've met him before, and he's a really nice guy. He walked over to a nearby pizza place to get some lunch for Steve, and offered to get me some, too. I had just eaten the chili I had brought for lunch, so I declined the offer. When he got back, he asked if I wanted half a piece of pizza. I said no, thinking he was just being polite, and trying to keep on my healthy eating track. He told me that he only wanted half a piece, so there would be this leftover half-piece in case I changed my mind. Never one to turn down free food, especially free pizza, I ate the other half of his piece of pizza. Crazy! (As a former member of Congress, he had tickets to the Inauguration but decided not to attend due to the large crowds.)

Inauguration Day 2009

I watched the Inauguration of Barack Obama today while I was at work. Don't worry; it was boss-authorized. I watched for just over an hour. Long enough to see former Presidents Carter, Bush (the elder), and Clinton arrive as well as out-going President Bush. Some of the women from the office across the hall came in and watched with me, and Einar watched from home. It was a great ceremony! And Obama's inaugural speech was as inspiring and well-written as I'd hoped. Now his real work begins.

I was just reading an article from the Washington Post about health care reform. People who are against this reform, and especially against socialized health care, seem to always say that it will cost too much. I don't understand how taking care of the citizens of the country, emphasizing preventive medicine, and making sure that anyone can receive the care they need will cost more than the current costs of health insurance premiums and lost productivity. As a person who pays for private health insurance, I could use some reform. If it doesn't come soon, I'm not sure I'll be able to continue to afford coverage.

Back-to-Back

I'm not big into name-dropping, but sometimes working in video production means that you get to meet some local celebrities. I always like the opportunity to meet these people, especially when they are down-to-earth. This week at work, I got to meet a couple of well-known Wisconsinites. I went on a shoot on Wednesday where I met UW men's basketball coach Bo Ryan. It was really quick - he was probably only there for about 15 minutes, but I got to shake his hand and run the TelePrompTer for him. He was a very nice guy. Then on Thursday, we had a shoot with the Wisconsin Attorney General, J.B. Van Hollen. We've done shoots with him before, and he has become more and more relaxed with each shoot. On this particular shoot, he came into his office, and I asked him what he was drinking. He said, "Do you want some? I can get you some." I told him that I didn't want any, but that it smelled really good and was wondering what it was. He jokingly asked me what made me think it was his drink I was smelling. I told him that the only new scents in the room were him and his drink-- And he jumped in and said, "And you just knew it couldn't be me, right?" Then he laughed. So there I was, holding a boom microphone, insulting the AG. Oh, well. Just another day at the office. . .

Happy New Year!

Today ends the first week of 2009. And I've been meaning to write a new post since New Year's Day. . .

Einar and I rang in the new year at work. Seriously. Mariner's Inn does not allow its employees to request New Year's Eve off, so we were both working. I figured we'd be home by midnight, but no. By the time all of the serving was done, the closing work finished, and the last server checked out, it was almost midnight. And by the time the tip money was divided among all of the servers, it was 11:58. I quickly made my way to the bar, where Einar was bartending, to bid him "Happy New Year" when the clock struck midnight. We wished and kissed, and I headed home - about 10 after midnight. Unfortunately for Einar, there were 2 women in the bar who did leave until 12:30. So, it was almost 1am when he got home. Not our prefered way to ring in the new year, but at least we were in the same location. . .

We spent New Year's Day having a Lost marathon. We are trying to re-watch all 4 seasons' episodes before the season 5 premiere on January 21. I'm not sure we'll succeed, but it'll be close.

Best wishes for a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous 2009!