Obsessin' 'bout Recession

I'll admit to being vaguely nervous about the economy for quite some time, but it really hit me the other day when I was watching a news story about the government bailout of Citigroup. Specifically the part when they said that just a few days earlier Citigroup was considered one of the healthier financial institutions, and had been making deals to buy out the struggling Wachovia. Then a headline today stating that the government's list of distressed financial institutions was up to 171. And, of course, the fact that just a while back my own bank (Washington Mutual) went spectacularly bust and has since been swallowed up by JP Morgan Chase.

Seriously, is anybody else freaking out right now?

Yesterday I got an email stating that the website I write for on a freelance basis is cutting their freelance fees by $50-$100 per article. They're already down to a skeleton staff and they're still looking for ways to cut costs. While I'll still be OK despite this, it's got me searching CraigsList for actual full-time jobs that might offer a bit more security than what I've got going right now. Much as I loathe the idea of rejoining the ranks of the 9-5ers, it may turn out to be unavoidable, at least for the moment. At the very least, it might help calm my anxiety about the possibility of suddenly losing one of my sources of income completely.

Freakin' economy. How dare it decide to tank right when I'm trying to strike out on my own? So inconsiderate.