[Greg]

Well, this time around it's mostly my own fault because I didn't start my job search last year. I was working on a task that I knew would end, but was receiving assurances from my boss that NASA would fund a new task to continue the project. Unfortunately, the new congress cut NASA's budget and the facility I was working for can't afford to fund any R&D projects for the rest of the year. Then I compounded the foolishness by counting on a job that I had reason to believe I would surely get. That one dragged on from April until now, further delaying starting a job search.

In retrospect, that was really dumb. There's a downside to talking to people about a job you might not need--they might not be willing to talk to you the next time--but in reality, saying no if you get offered a job you don't want is a heck of a lot worse than not having a job when you need one.

Thanks for the suggestion, Shorty. I'm hoping that I won't have to move again because my family has had to pack up and move every two years since 1999, but if I have to, I'll follow the work wherever it leads. Moving is wretched but it beats the heck out of being unemployed.