1.47

Tonight was a hard but good run. That 4 minutes is not impossible, but not really a piece of cake either. Next week I go into a different kind of interval training-very short walks in between short runs. My right shin was acting up a little in the beginning of my first interval. It might get some ice later on.

OT: Work was insane today. Here in Michigan, our unemployment is among the highest in the nation. The automakers are all in serious trouble and have laid off thousands of workers in the past year alone. Unfortunately, the entire state economy is built around the Big Three (Ford, GM, and Chrysler for those not in the rust belt) and when they started to go down, EVERYONE started to go down. I work in the airline industry which is incredibly unstable at the moment. I've seen at least five airlines go under in the last six months and the company is scrambling to combat high fuel prices, mechanical cutbacks, and climbing fares. While I have my issues with the airline industry (as we all do), I've ALWAYS been grateful for a job-a rare commodity here. This morning I watched as more than 30 people were laid off in my office alone. They had no notice, they arrived to work and were taken right away to a room and then were walked off the premises. Some were crying, some had young children at home, single mothers, people who just married, just bought a car, just bought a new home, sent their kids to college last month. I felt terrible for them. More than that, though, I know that I'm next. In our system, people who are hired last are laid off first. Now that they're gone, there's about 40 of us who will probably be on the chopping block in the next few months. I'll be okay as I have a really solid backup plan (the peace corps and then graduate school), very few bills, and no family to support but I know a lot of other people have aren't so lucky. I hope they're all okay...