We learned yesterday there would be no raises this year. Given how things are going, I'm not surprised or even disappointed.

Last month, when I was out in Colorado, one of my closest friends and I were talking about the economy. He said: Isn't it funny how suddenly there are all these shows and articles about cutting costs in a tight economy? But what do you do if you already do all those things and have no extra fat to cut?

We shook our heads. Me, my boyfriend, and my friend (who also happens to be one of my ex-boyfriends). Then we went on a walk and visited a beautiful new building and a beautiful old building on the Colorado College campus. (Cost: Free.)

I've cut out two things recently. First, one of the reasons for my Colorado trip was to close out the storage unit. I'd filled a small ten by ten space to the brim nearly six years ago and wasn't even certain what it contained. I had a few moments of terror when I wasn't certain whether I had a key to open the lock - I had swept a whole plantholder-full of keys into a bag for the trip - but luckily one fit and I felt a sense of joy as sure as Cinderella's prince.

My boyfriend was a trooper. Boxes upon boxes, the top ones crushing the lower ones, but we got them all into the U-haul and back to Indiana in negative 20 weather. Books, mostly. Books and more books. But no more check to the storage unit.

The second item was the DSL line to Duplex. That was easy to get rid of, too. The ancient (c. 2001!) laptop was on its last legs for months, grinding like an old truck up a hill. And then one evening it booted up to the 'blue screen of death' and that was that. I haven't replaced it, I will when I have some discretionary income I think. Besides I wanted to read more books.

As an homage to my trip in October, I finished "Heat & Dust" by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Loved it!