January 2000 Love my new job here in Silicon Valley. My salary is 30% higher! I have stock options! The temperature outside is 65F in winter! California is the best place on earth!!! Sure glad I moved out here. February Still looking for an apartment. Freeways everywhere to take you places. Love California! March Found a 1-bedroom apartment for $1900/mo. California is a bit more expensive than I thought. April Gas hit $2.29/gal. Somebody stole the gas from my car. That sucks.... May A small earthquake! And this is what everyone was so worried about? Almost didn't feel it. June A forest fire and a mud slide near LA. Who cares, that is far away from me! July A big earthquake... Spent 4 hours in my bathtub. Boy, that was scary. Glad we didn't have no stinking earthquakes where I grew up. August Drought! They turn on the water once a day. This sucks big time! Somebody stole the water from my car's radiator. Why did I come to California? September Decided to buy a house. Found a 2-bedroom fixer-upper for $800K. Borrowed against my stock options for down payment. Freeway traffic is worse. Today it took nearly two hours to get to and from work...each way. October My startup fired 90% of the work force, including me. The stock lost 98% of its value. My options are underwater. November Had to sell my house. Couldn't make the payments. Found a studio apartment for $2300/mo. The traffic is unbearable December Problems with electricity. They turn the electricity off several times a day. It's called "rolling blackouts." Somebody stole my car battery...what do I do now? January 2001 I'm typing this, stuck in an elevator, in complete darkness. The battery of my laptop is dying. Silicon Valley is no more. Angry hordes of former dot-commers are looting in the dark. It was fun while it lasted. I'm coming back home tomorrow. Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=6892&t=6892 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]