It's a bit empty in the blog here lately, although there's a half-dozen half-completed entries. Snippets from a recent trip to Colorado; the drudgery of returning here to Dayton; Even one typed out in a hotel room at a conference in Toledo. Maybe they'll show up some day. Maybe not.

Instead of doing anything fun lately, much of my spare time has been spent closely monitoring All Things Financial.

Why?

Several reasons. I want to find a different job, so I'm monitoring the economy for geographic areas and careers with a healthy future.

I want to move away from Dayton, so I'm concerned with real estate - both from a selling (Dayton) and buying (future locations) perspective.

I have a lot of debt hanging over my head, so I'm monitoring interest rates closely. (I undertake a cost-benefit analysis almost daily between leaving my 401k intact against taking out a loan to pay off debts.)

Finally, I'm monitoring the markets because of my investments in an IRA and 401k. Regardless of how well or poorly they do or whether or not I take out loans against them, they are going to be a cornerstone of my retirement.

So: There's a lot going on...

This weekend's big business news was Delphi Corporation's Bankruptcy filing. Delphi employs thousands locally, and no matter what you get from reading this article, I don't view the news at all well.

I know here in Ohio I am far from the 'frothy economies' of southwest California or Boston, but I have to wonder how far ahead or behind we are from what will or could hit the rest of the country.