good thoughts needed, please (janobonano)

Where's that happy dance emoticon when you need it?? Jan - I'm thrilled for you. What a huge relief - yay!!

janobonano

DH works for Harley-Davidson.

Come to Florida! There are lots of Harley places here.

(I have no idea if it's better here but I am trying to disguise an attempt for you to bring me Rupert and that adorable baby :) )

I'm thrilled you guys dodged the bullet but .... 

Wellllllllllllllllll Megan, realistically this IS Harley Heaven -- because of Daytona/Bike Week/Biketoberfest this IS sort of "Harley Central" for most of the known Universe but I think he MAKES them not just sells them *grin*  ..... but-t-t-t-t-t then again -- there IS that baby and Rupert ... and .... yeah, I'm with Megan -- We're HERE!!! (Waving from Floor-daaaa!!)

Hee hee. Nice try, Megan. But Callie is right (sigh... as usual). DH works at the factory, making and painting the plastic parts (fairings, saddlebags, touring packs, etc.)  {waves back from -10° weather}

I was wrong about the Kansas City plant closing. It's not, but there are huge layoffs there. 

You could mozey on down to Arkansas....biggggg Harley fans in the Ozarks.   We have the Bikes,Blues and BBQ festival in the fall that is quickly becoming as big as Daytona, lol!   Not as far to travel and a little warmer that -10.  The Ozarks are full of the sound of Harley's 3 seasons of the year.  Good to hear that ya'll are hangin in there.

HOGs here too in SE Texas.  So glad to hear things aren't as bad as first suspected! 

We don't ride nearly enough.  No time...sigh.

Janice, somehow I missed this thread, as well as the news about the loss of your job.  I'm so sorry to hear that you were laid off, but I'm glad that your husband's job seems to be okay.  Maybe this is why you had that other thread about possible relocation?  It's so scary right now -- both my husband and I work for companies seriously affected by the horrible real estate and construction situations.  We've never had to face any possible threats to our job security in all the years we've been married, and at our ages, coming up with new careers is a bit daunting.  We're buckling down with our budget and making ourselves as productive as possible at work, but we're expecting the worst.

As I recall, don't you do graphic design?  Is it something you could do freelance for some extra income?  My sister did that for 3 years or so, and she had enough clients after a while to keep very busy.  Word of mouth referrals brought her work relatively quickly after she did a few program brochures, restaurant menus, wedding invitations, etc.  It's nice to have a skill that can be portable and/or used at home on a flexible basis.  You're lucky to be so talented!

Tracy, yes, yes and yes.

Yes, it is scary. I had worked at the same place for eight years, then *poof* it was gone. So much for hard work and loyalty.

And yes, that's why we're considering relocating. That and we're just kind of sick of this area, and I'd really like to live near my sister.

And yes #3, I am a graphic designer. Unfortunately, advertising is one of the areas where companies are cutting back in this economy. We live in a small town and people don't really spend much on quality advertising/marketing around here to begin with. They just don't have the budget for it. I'm still considering freelancing, but I know it won't be a steady paycheck. I have a friend here who tried it for a few years, and just couldn't make it.

Jano, I hope you know that you, DH, Willa & Roopey are never really far from my thoughts.  ((HUGS))

Wow, I didn't realize you had been such a long-term employee!  Like you said, hard work and loyalty don't provide guarantees anymore - not like they did for people my parents' age, for example.  In fact, it's possible that companies lay off the long-term employees because they cost more.  They're at the top of the position's pay scale, probably receive the most benefits (insurance, more vacation time, etc.).  The long-term employees can be replaced with younger, inexperienced people just starting out and therefore less able to demand higher pay & benefits.  That's just a guess on my part.

As I offered on your other thread about your relocation decision, I'm happy to answer any questions about being a transplant in Oregon.  And we'd be happy to show you around our particular town if you come for a scouting trip!  It would be so fun to meet all of you!

 Janice I don't check this area often I am soooooooo glad that DH is OK.

I am sure that you will figure something out and honestly moving may be the best thing that ever happens

Good luck with whatever you  choose

Karen

Such hard times, when will it end?

Like you Jano, my girlfriend in Balitmore was just let go from her company, she worked for them for 10 years. Poof, job gone, they let her and 15 other people go 2 weeks ago.

She is getting a severence package, and has been mulling over what to do, her parents are elderly and they are not a close family, so after much talking, what ifs and what nots, I convinced her to move here. She will live with us until she can find a job and a place of her own, and if no job is forthcoming right away she will go back to school for a bit, we are going to be crowded, but I don't care, I was really worried that she was going to wind up homeless and alone and that she would just vanish and who would worry about her?, I am glad that is not going to happen.

Also my brother is losing his job at the end of the month, my sister and her family have invited him to live with them (they live closer to each other than I do). So he will not be homeless either thank goodness.

I called my parents and teased my dad that he was going to have to clean out all our rooms, we were all moving back in!

If things get really bad, we have land and my husbands family in West Virginia, so we have a contingency plan of action on the books.

Good luck Jano!

Fingers remaining crossed that DH's company has made all the difficult decisions it will need to for a while.  I'm so sorry you got displaced, too.  It has been very tough going for many of us: you're not alone and you need to keep your spirits up!

Milwaukee is where H-D started so it is kind of fitting that they at least keep that one.

In today's soft economy, people can't justify $13k to $15k on what has recently been considered a luxury item, though, originally, motorcycles were utilitarian, a cheap alternative to cars and they could handle roads that were impassible to cars. But there is going to be a market of people who would rather own a motorcycle than a car and will buy them. The plumbing boss on my project just bought one and so did the HVAC boss. But then, these are hardcore bikers and by that, I don't mean Hell's Angels and other criminals who think they need "the look." These are guys that ride because the ride, itself, is the goal. My project manager is planning on getting a new H-D and our other proj mgr rides, rain or shine. It brings a tear to my eye. H-D has the strongest brand loyalty. My friend, Lee (RIP), rode independently in his day when it seemed that most everyone else was in a club. His words, "I would rather pull a broken down Harley through the desert with my teeth than ride anything else." I know a few who belong to the Am Vet club. I know a guy in the next town who is pres of the Brotherhood of the 3rd Wheel. He rides a trike and you can see him carrying his grandson around. If I belonged to a club, it would probably be the Re-Treads. The qualifier is that you must be over 40 and I qualified some time ago. I just don't have a bike right now. Even if I did, I would take an ms-8 safety course.

There's a guy in Sherman that rides around with his GSD mix on the back.

I know they're expensive. But they get much better gas mileage than cars! DH rides his to work every day there's not snow on the ground.

Ron, tell your friends to buy baggers! Anything with a fairing, saddle bags or a touring pack. (those are the parts DH works on)