That being said, where the heck did January go?

Yes, we still have this week left, but come Sunday it will be February 1st, the start of the shortest month of the year. Forget Groundhog Day next Monday — that fat rodent will stay underground if he knows what is good for him. It has been too cold, too snowy and much too wintry these past two months for anyone to bother with him. Let sleeping woodchucks rest…Spring will arrive when it does.

Newsprint, Gotta Love It

One month ago I started my home subscription to The Wall Street Journal, (WSJ) an invaluable tool useful for my work. As much as half of my writing work covers business related topics, so having this particular newspaper available helps me out. I also get the online version, but I’m much more likely to scan the newsprint.

If I wasn’t the type of person who put his cares in God’s hands, then what I regularly read in the WSJ, hear on the news, find online, or watch on the television would freak me out. Most definitely, the news is gloomy notwithstanding the inauguration of a new president for these United States.

Personally, I think too many people have put their trust in the hands of a mere mortal, expecting Barack Obama to perform miracles with the economy. My take on things is that we’re going to see things get much worse through the Spring months before we near Summer. Corporations will be taking a close look at their January and February sales numbers and slash personnel accordingly; if the markets remain freaked out then credit will be difficult to obtain for much of 2009 too. Yikes.

Taking A Look Elsewhere

Of course, not all of the news is bad, especially when it comes to the wonderful world of the blogosphere. I’ve been keeping myself informed, even entertained by perusing several blogs since the beginning of the year, weblogs worth your visit too:

• Anthony Kirlew launched a new site, one that he has called Recession Proof Tactics. As the name suggests, he offers some solid tips on how to cope with these tough times, with helpful advice such as 18 Strategies to Recession Proof Your Business. Keep up the good work, Anthony!

• For conservative news lovers, you must check out The Black Sphere, an excellent and very entertaining site written by Kevin Jackson.  Kevin represents a solid core of conservative black Americans, people who aren’t Obamatically attracted to the new POTUS who happens to be halfway between white and black (or has that conveniently been forgotten? More importantly: who cares?) Check out Kevin’s piece about Nancy “Margaret Sanger” Pelosi — Pelosi’s Rascist Agenda?

• Karen Zemek pens a blog about her late, beloved father, Harry Arlettaz, that she calls — My Funny Dad, Harry. I discovered her site (and so many others) via Entrecard and from time to time I stop by long enough to read what she has written. I like (and agree with) Harry’s Commentary on Abortion — I, too, distinguish things in life like Harry did. Karen even wrote a book about her father (same title as her blog), a tribute to someone she loves and misses.

That’s it for today…I hope that you visit each site and come away with something to encourage you as you go through your week. And, no, that isn’t me flying through the air, but it sure looks like a lot of fun!

Photo Credit: Benjamin Earwicker

Anthony Kirlew has a new theme for his OldSchoolSEO site and it is a good one. Of course, I use the same Performancing theme elsewhere, so I’m partial to the layout.

Speaking of layouts, I’m still trying to get used to the new LinkedIn look. The site looks great, but some of the features have been moved around. This past week I had contact with several members including Norene Wiesen, Vanessa Deakin, and Michelle Vranizen Rafter through the site’s Answers feature.

It is good to see that the Writers Cafe at Grow Your Writing Business has reopened. Yvonne Russell is back and this time I plan on stopping by on a regular basis.

Have a nice weekend. I’ll be back in next week with some fresh freelance writing tips.