middleisgold's Profile

When my parents moved into their house I was probably around 10, and my new room was an awful salmon pink with greasy kiss marks on the walls from the six year old who used it. I desperately wanted to redecorate and my mom agreed. However, I wanted black and white stripes with No Doubt posters and JTT pictures from Teen Beat. Instead my mom overruled everything and put white carpet, dark maroon walls, antique wood furniture, and gold/maroon/hunter green accents on everything. I hated it. I still hate it and I moved out about ten years ago. I wasn't allowed to put up any pictures, I got into trouble for spilling things (like blue nail polish) on the carpet, and the one poster I taped to the back of my door was ripped down and thrown out. So, basically I hated it and had to live in it for 7 years. I agree with the previous commenter, I had one of those grown-up "beautiful rooms" and it was stifling.
I can't believe how long it's been, and I'm still bitter about it. Recently she's tried to get me to take some of the furniture and I don't care for any of the antique wood or cherub figurines. By contrast, my brother was obsessed with NASA and he got to pick out custom space fabrics, paint his room dark blue, and stick planet maps and glow in the dark stars on everything.

@EllenChristine, there is most definitely a recession for everyone, including programmers, engineers, technicians, etc. The number of layoffs, entire departments being cut, is astounding. It is a situation I see every day when I visit companies. It's especially depressing when I've built a rapport with these guys after years and then see them carrying their belongings out in a box.
Freelancing is definitely becoming a reality for many Americans and continuing your knowledge is a very intelligent idea.