The atmosphere in the office is really eerie here lately. There has been a lot of belt tightening talk. My boss just let one of my coworkers go which was really sad. Luckily she is also a caretaker for a man on disability insurance who pays her really well, so she has a fall back. I worry about myself because I am not so lucky. My hubby to be is hopefully going to be hired with a great job, but we won’t know for sure for another week. I know my clients love me and they know I do a great job, but is it enough? This economy has everyone strapped, so I can only hope that my charismatic personality and skills will be enough to keep me employed.

So I finally read Confessions of a Shopaholic. I know, it took me forever.
While it was written cute and funny, I just couldn’t identify with the protagonist at all. I’ve never been a big spender. I guess that’s why I just wasn’t that into the story. The whole time I just kept thinking in my head, this girl is a complete moron! She writes for a finance magazine, but she knows nothing about budgeting her money. How can anyone be that dumb? I also think considering the tough economic times we’re in, I identify with her even less. Perhaps if I hadn’t read this book while we were in a recession I might think differently about it.

Still, there were parts that were cute, and I love Sophie Kinsella as a writer, so I won’t say it was a waste. It was such a quick read that even though it wasn’t my favorite, I don’t feel like I wasted my time with it. I still think her book, Can You Keep a Secret was far better than Shopaholic. I still might check out her other books in the series, and see if our main character has grown at all. If she hasn’t matured I think the books will get downright annoying, but if she’s learned something along the way, then it might make for a better read.

I will say that I don’t have any plans to run out and rent the movie adaptation of the book either, despite how adorable Isla Fischer is. I’m afraid the character she plays just might make me hate my beloved actress!

It is no secret that the economy has been in turmoil lately. Before this big bailout mess, I will confess I was pretty ignorant about most thing stock market related. I don’t have stocks, so I thought, ok how does this affect me? Then I thought about my 401K, and yes, of course it affects me. Maybe not as immediately as some but it does. Then when well known banks started failing, I got worried.

Luckily for me, my job is intact. I don’t have to worry about my company being bought out by a larger company. I stumbled across a blog by Dennis Carey that got me thinking. Mr Carey on the human capital of a deal, talks about when companies merge to make a big profit, forgetting how it will affect employees. Sometimes I think big investors forget that the their employees are what make a company. If they feel neglected, like Carey said, they’re going to take their stocks, and jump ship.